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THE WEEK.

The Otag Witness, WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATE; THE SOUTHERN MERCURY. (WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1908.)

We ara accustomed to hear of disastrous

bush fires in. Australia, The Bush Fi:es where ordinarily the cli-

in the viatic conditions favour North IsUud. such outbreaks; but it is

a novel and decidedly unpleasant experience ;n; n New Zealand to hear of a large tract of country in the North Island where settleis have been fie&ing for their lives from the devouring flames. The lot of the back-block pioneer ib haid enough under the most favourable circumstances, but when he has to stand by and see the fruits -of years of toil swept away by the ravages of a bush fire he is entitled to the sympathy of his fellows and practical lccompense from the Government. And ;tt the present time over a large aisa 'a. the Noith Island theie is a sad record of smouldering homesteads, stock scattered and peiisbed in the- flames, fenc« destroyed, and winter feed swept away by the devouiing element. It is not otten that the Dominion is treated to so prolonged a period of dry weather, thus rendering tha entire countryside highlj inflammable, and making it difficult , if not impossible, to stay the line of fire when once it hfls been set" in motion by some stray spark, or by ar» unextinguished match carelessly thrown down. Probably because the country is ordinarily too damp to catch fire readily the average man in New Zealand is'apt to grow careless in regard to the possible starting of fires. In some of the Australian States it is regarded as little short of a, criminal offence to use wax matches when up-country, and safeties are in oidinary use. _ Seeing that the New Zealand climate is in many particulars approximating of late more closely to the Australian pattern, it would be well if similar precautions were taken to minimise th© spread of these disastrous fires. Holiday-makers, and picnickers too. are credited with originating many of the outbreaks, by neglecting to caiefnlly extinguish the" fires they build for billy-boiling purposes. And the railway and traction, engines are often the occasion of a big blaze, originating from a stray spark blown into a dry patch of b«*h. The effects of a bush 'fire a.ye so widespread, nnd the loss and damage falls so heavily upon the unfortunate settlers, that every precaution should be taken to make these conflagrations of less frequent occurence. If one or two examples were made of individuals proven to have started a bush fire, the effect would be exceedingly salutary upon the community at large. Recent happenings in Christchurch have shown that In the city there exists a class oi irresponsible lunatics with propensities for endangering the public safety which take the form of incipient incendiarism ; a-nd we fear that in the country may be fottnd peraons of th>e same type who, for purposes of revenge, or even in a spirit

Tof idiotic mischief, will not scruple to commence a fire which may devastate the district for hundreds of square miles. For this type of criminal there is only one cure — viz., to confine him within the four walls of a prison until his nature develops in a more sane and health}- direction. In dry weather such as the Dominion has recently experienced, bush fires will occur, no matter what precautions are taken, but it is clearly the duty of the State as well as of the individual to do the utmost to minimise these ruinous disasters. The most pleasing political event of the week has been the presenThe tation made to Mr Massey, Presenlatlsn the Leader of the Opposito Mr Massfj.' tion. by his constituents in 1 the Franklin electorate, ( which he has represented in Parliament , for the past 11 years. From the \ery fact that Mr Massey occupies so responsible a, position in Parliament, such an event is removed altogether from its purely local significance. Foi although it must be most gratifying for any member of Parliament to receive so spontaneous a tribute from his constituents of their continued confidence and esteem, yet in Mr Massey's I case while in no wise neglecting the best i interests of his particular electorate, he has in a very real sense been fighting the battles of the entire Dominion. We hear a great deal nowadays of the heavy bin dens which Cabinet Ministers are called upon to bear, and how, in the interests of health and happiness, it will shortly b? necessary to increase the number of men to whom portfolios are allotted. But it is safe to say that, perhaps with the single exception of the Piime Minister himself, there is no more harder-worked politician in New Zealand than the Leader of Mie Opposition. For I whereas the business of the Government is systematised and divided into departments, it is the duty of Mr Massey to keep ceaseless vigilance upon .every piece of new legislation proun^ed by the Government, to master it in every detail, to be ready upon every occasion to criticise its weaknesses and omissions, to endeavoui to defeat or correct eveiy measure which by its revolutionary tendencies is calculated to work mischief in tRe community, and in every way to keep the business oi the country running upon right lines. What an immense amount of work this entails can only be known by those wht have attempted the task. Apart from his many other admirable qualities, \vhich all tend to his admitted popularity, Mr Massey has a large claim upon public support in th« consistent and i conscientious manner in which he has j ever striven, to discharge his responsibilities as Leader of the Opposition. He has adopted as his political motto the famous phrase credited — rightly or wrongly — to the late Lord Randolph Churchill — viz., that "The duty of an Opposition is to Oppose." It was in December of 1882 that Lord Randolph, invited by the Conservatives of Manchester to be their candidate at the forthcoming election, complained of the feeble conduct of the then Oposition, and uttered the following memorable words : "I see no good object to be gained by concealing my opinion that the constitutional function of an Opposition is to oppose and not support the Government, -and that this function has, during the three sessions 'of Parliament, been either unsystematically or defectively carried out more than on-c© since -'be present Government came into office, legitimate opportunities have arisen for conflict which ousht to have resulted in the o\ert.rnx>w of the Ministry, or in great damage thereto ; and those opportunities have been allowed to pass by unaviiiled of. I would venture to lay j down vitb great confidence the principle that the healthy vitality of a party is not ' to be estimated by great speeches in the country, but only by its action in Parliament; -md if its action in Parliament is observed to fall considerably below the level of its great speeches in the country, depend upon it, there is something or other not altogether satisfactory in its constitution." Since Mr Massay took imon his shoulders the arduous responsibilities of Leader of the Opposition, it is safe to say that lie has never neglected a legitimate opportunity for conflict. In his ereat fi<;ht against the abolition of tlie f rPl aV>old, he cert i inly wounded the Ministry ir a most vital point, and largely thanus to Mr Massey's endeavoiirs. and impassioned advocacy, the Dominion is free of the threatened tvrnnnv and injustice which would undoubtedly have resulted .had the settlers of Xew Zealand been robbed of their inalienable right to the freehold tenure of their holdings.

Another interesting event of the week is the onslaught made by the The Premier Auckland Chamber o£ Comaad Railway merce,f at the instance of Finance. Professor Le Eossignol and

Mr Samuel Vaile, upon the sv6tem of book-keeping adopted by the Government m respect to the railway finance of the Dominion, and the Prime Minister's vigorous reply thereto. The whole question at issue between the Prime Minister and his critics is whether the New Ze-iland railways are being carried on at a loss or at a. profit, and, as was the case with many of the late Mr Seddon's surpluses, the- critics have striven to show that the alleged profit exists only upon paper, and that in reality there is a loss. The Prime Ministei, however, stands gamely to liis guns, and defends stoutly the system of book-keeping in vogue, whicli shows the alleged loss to be a profit. In the matter of book-keeping, as in other sciences, there is considerable difference between the opinion of one expert and another, so that probably each side will continue to hold its opinion, and matters will remain as they are. There can be no question that the administration of the New Zealand railways reflects highly vipor" those responsible^ and, further, that the Government have acted wisely in making yearly considerable con-

cessions ip freight to farmers and othen who need these indispensable means o> communication. The railways are the pro perty of the people, and theiefoie it i» more important that they should by utilised to the full in opening up the country and developing our trade ana agricultural industries than that they should be run so as to pay handsome dividends. At the same time, it is doubtless gratifying to the Government if, while serving the people and the Dominion, they can show a good profit — on paper — upon, the transaction. And so long as the railway accounts are subjected to the drastic criticisms of men like Mr Vaile and Professor Rossignol, no one can complain they have been in ignonanc© of the real state of affairs. From the nature of the case, while on every ihaxid the Government is being urged to undertake railway construction, with a view of increasing the facilities of transport, it is ma-nifest that the railways cannot pay in the true 6ense of the term, and that they *nust remain an unremunerative asset for many years to come. And if the Prime Minister prefers to keep up the polite fiction that the railways return an actual profit, well no one is any the worse off. The one point which needs insistence is .that the present policy of making remissions infreight and charges wherever consistent with economy should be continued and extended. Taking an impartial view of the case the critics have gone too far in their criticism by impeaching the .entire railway administration, while the v^JPrime Minister has been equally an just in his strictures upon the Auckland Clnmber of Commerce. As is usually the case, the truth lies midway between the (two extremes.

The death 1011 of the week includes at least three names famous Tlie P»«sins enough to be inscribed upon of Three the roll of the honoured Noted Men. ,jead. Mr David Syme, the

proprietor of the Melbourne Age, occupied for many yeans a, unique position in the politics of the State of Victoria. A pioneer newspaper proprietor, he created a powerful daily newßpaper out of extremely insignificant beginnings, and was able to demonstrate in a powerful fashion the influence of the press upon the political and commercial life of the community. It was the Age which educated Victoria into its wellknown protectionist proclivities, and it was Mr Syme's boost that foe could make lor unmake a Ministry at his will. Democratic in its tone, the Age became the | accepted organ of the people, and among the many reforms and economies instituted by that paper the battle of the railway administration, with its outcome in the long and costly lawsuit Speight y. Syme, will ever be remembered. David Syme was a product of the time in which he lived, and by his powerful personality he has left an indelible mark upon the history of Victoria. Sir James Knowles was no less the product of the old world than Mr Syme was of the new. Like many another litterateur he was educated as an architect, but early turned his attention to journalism. He will long be remembered as the founder and proprietor of that notable contribution to the serious discussion, of weighty topics, the Nineteenth Century, to which the late Mr Gladstone was a frequent contributor. It was the strenuous opposition of the Nineteenth Century which finally put an end to the scheme for a tunnel beneath the English Channel tc connect England And France. Lord Overtonn, the third on the obituary list, was a typical Scotchman, who amassed a large foitune as tfce head of the great chemical works near Glasgow. He took a prominent part in the direction of the affairs of the United Free Church : ultra-orthodox in his opinions, he championed the cause of the obiectors of the higher criticism of the Bible. When the House of Lords' decision went in favour of the Free Church, Lord Oveitoun was one of those who, by large monetary contributions, contrived to stave off the financial crisis which temporarily threatened the fortunes of the United Church. A large employei of labour, he was many times attacked by the Socialists as a sweater of his workpeople, and charged with compelling them to work under unhealthy conditions in order that he might amass the money which he ofterwarrls contributed to the cause oi religion. But these charges, as is often the case, were found upon examination to rest upon the most flimsy bases. The removal of three such, men from active participation in the affairs of the world will cause more than the imperceptible 'ipple which the passing of the ordinary individual scarcely sets T motion.

The Now Zealand Shipping Companv'a steamer Kaikoura. which sailed from Wellington last Thursday for London, took the following cargo from Dominion ports: — From Wellington— ss66 box*s butter. 1647 case? cheese, 14P4 bales wool, 39 do basiK 20 do leather, 12.505 carcases mutton, 13,086 carcases lamb, 500 quarters beef, 130 pkgs exhibits, 97 crater infants' food. 1727 tons bunker coal. 9 cases sundries. From New Plymouth— 92o6 boxes butter. 2184 cases ohoe^e. From Paloa - 3308 boxc butter. 5422 cases rhee^e. From Nnpier— 94o boxes butfor. 185 ca=cs cheese. From Nelson — 81 boxevs butter. From Timaru — IS bales wool, 10 do skins From Bluff— 33Es cases cheese. From Port Chalmers — 70* b^les hemn. 11l do tow, 5264 tk> vool. 222 do sheepskins, 64 do rabbitskins, 10 do horsehair. 33 casks tallmv. 169 p-kg-s cordage, 638 cases cheese, 28 boxes butter, 14 pkgs sundries. From Lyttelton— 947 boxes butter. 258 oases cheese, 2664 bales wool, 1 bale sheepskins, 80 casks tallow, 52 dumps and 263 bales tow, 100 casks nelte, 136 bales hemp, 10 do leather, 545 boxes kidneys, 8987 carcases mutton, 24.968 do lamb, 1 box poultry, 18 pkgs sundries. 1 case tin clippings. From Auckland — 6822 boxes butter, 220 cases cKeese,. From Gifib^rne — 351 box-os butter. From Blenheim — 115 cases cheese.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/OW19080219.2.203

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Otago Witness, Issue 2814, 19 February 1908, Page 51

Word count
Tapeke kupu
2,483

THE WEEK. The Otag Witness, WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATE; THE SOUTHERN MERCURY. (WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1908.) Otago Witness, Issue 2814, 19 February 1908, Page 51

THE WEEK. The Otag Witness, WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATE; THE SOUTHERN MERCURY. (WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1908.) Otago Witness, Issue 2814, 19 February 1908, Page 51

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