THE PELORUS GUARDIAN TUESDAY, FEBRUARY, 11, 1890. PASSING EVENTS.

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume I, Issue 6, 11 February 1890, Page 2

THE PELORUS GUARDIAN TUESDAY, FEBRUARY, 11, 1890. PASSING EVENTS.

The Napier papers speak of it as an open secret that the Hon. J. D. Ormond will not be a candidate for a seat in Parliament at the next general election, Mr Swan, the popular Mayor of Napier, is spoken of as likely to be his successor. Some years ago a writer in the N. Z. Tim 's prophesied Mr Ormond as the coming man, but his coming has been very slow, and now it appears that he is the going man, before he has attained that high distinction his friends so fondly predicted for him. We are inclined to think the country will safer less by his being the “ going man ” instead of the “ coming man.”

It would appear that the Railway Commissioners are makings as big a mistake over their management as was the case when the Government had control of our railways. Short-sighted - ness appears to be the characteristic in the management of all public affairs in this country, The immediate returns, and not the indirect advantages to be gained, is the ruling idea with our public men and high officials. We believe the canals in Prance are maintained at a loss, but indirect advantages to the country more than make up for this, but they have a little common sense in France —not so in New Zealand. We were always under the impression that our railways were constructed to assist in developing the resources of the country; but the men of great ability in this country appear to think otherwise. Never mind the country, but make the railways pay, appears to be the motto of those who have the management. In other words, the I railways first and the country after, is the rule they go upon, when it should be the opposite. When there is so much brain power, there also seems to be a good deal of the nature of a wellknown animal.

We notice that many newspapers are running their heads against the fact that, because the Customs’ revenue has not come up to expectations, therefore the country is not going to be so prosperous as was anticipated. We were not aware that, because a Government is not in a good financial position, a country is likewise in a bad state. It may be a good thing for a Government to manage its affairs so economically as to produce a surplus, and be able to reduce taxation; but that it creates prosperity is quite another matter. It is quite within the range of possibility for a country to be in a highly prosperous state, and yet the Government may not be able to make both ends meet. It is the amount of business done by the country as a whole, and not a surplus derived from taxation, which makes a country rich. This colony is at present doing a larger amount of business every day with the outside world, and it is to that we look for increased prosperity, and not to whether the Government has a surplus or not. We venture to sa,y with all confidence that this colony will be one of the most flourishing of the Australasian Colonies during the next three years, surplus or no surplus, and those who are wise will take advantage of it.

The Nelson people appear to be very much troubled about the route the Midland Railway is to take. _ Seeing that a Company is constructing it, there is every probability that it will take a route which is likely to prove profitable to the shareholders. If it was being constructed by the Government it would take a course where there is the most influence to attract it. We have been mixed up with the agitation for railway routes in years past, and we have always found that the line twists and turns about magnetlike to points, no matter what the engineering difficulties are or how unprofitable it may be to the country, where the most influence lies. We are not possessed of an Emperor of Russia or we might get our railway lines taken in the right direction, as it is, they all appear to go in a wrong direction. Mr Arnold relates an incident which happened in England in the early days of railway construction there, and people were in a state of excitement over the direction lines should take. A certain rich lord gave a dinner to the engineers, and in each of the table-napkins was found a fiftypound note. There was no difficulty as to which way the line should go after that. In this country the promise of support to a certain Government appears to have the same effect. It is to be hoped, however, the Midland Railway Company will take a route which will be of the most benefit to the country generally.

The primacy difficulty inNew Zealand appears to be attracting attention in the other colonies. The Melbourne Argus recommends that the matter should be referred to the Supreme Court to obtain an authoritative judgment, or a Bill introduced into Parliament to legalise the meeting of the General Synod. The Telegraph says the New Zealand Primacy deadlock is so hopeless and complete as to be almost ludicrous. Look at the matter which way one will, it certainly does not reflect very great credit on our church management, and the quicker the wrong is put right the better. We think, however, it would be very objectionable to take the matter into Parliament, as such a course would not redound to the credit of either Church or State. Surely the matter can be arranged or settled without having recourse to such extreme remedies.

The labour struggles in England appear to be going on apace, and where the matter will end nobody kno-vs. Labour has won several battles over capital, but it does not appear to be satisfied with the result, and consequently we are hearing every day of

fresh strikes and rumours of strikes. We wish Unionism every success, and and that it may succeed we hope that it will not carry matters too far and be the cause of its own downfall. We are inclined to think that the English working-class are over-doing the strike business, and are not sufficiently patient to make their present success permanent. The .battle between labor and capital does not want to be hurried, or the result may be disastrous to the former, which we do not desire to see. The Emperor of Germany has invited the Powers to hold a conference on the labour question, and we can only hope that it may have a successful result. We have abolished slavery so far as traffic in human flesh is concerned, but it has not been abolished so far as labour is concerned, for no man can be said to be free who is practically compelled to take whatever capital may offer him. We are not so Utopian in our ideas as think that “ equality and the rights of man,” is likely to come about; but we do think that a man should be sufficiently rewarded for his labour to enable him to live in comfort, and make provision for old age. Since the above was written we have seen the report of the Conference of Chambers of Commerce, and Mr Hallenstein, one of the largest employers of labour in New Zealand, spoke very strongly in favour of tradesunionism. He believed if it were carried out in a spirit of fairness it would benefit the employer equally with the employed.

The speech delivered by Sir Henry Parkes at the Conference on the question of a United Australia appears jp have been a very able one. Sir Henry 1 challenged anyone to say the time was not ripe for the Colonies of Australia to become federated together. It is one of those great questions which is rather difficult to form an opinion on, but those who have thought the question out generally agree that it would be more of an advantage than otherwise that Australia should be governed by a Federal Council, but that New Zealand should join in this federation is quite another matter. We think New Zealand would be far better out of it, and remain as she is until the federation of the Empire takes place, which we have no doubt will be brought about much sooner than is generally thought possible. We, in New Zealand, may wish success to a united Australia, hut, at the same time, must decline having anything to do with it by casting in our lot with the Australians.