Rangitikei Advocate. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 1908. EDITORIAL NOTES.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIII, Issue 9110, 1 April 1908, Page 4

Rangitikei Advocate. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 1908. EDITORIAL NOTES.

WELL might the people of Feilding ask “Why has the Main Trunk Bailway heen constructed if a town and district of such importance is td be debarred from one of its principal advantages?” It is certain, however, that no sttch' decision has ever been come to by the Bailway Department and in view of the circumstances of the case, it is improbable that it will he, particularly as the local bodies of the town and district will madse proper representations on the matter to the Minister for Railways, There can be no doubt that if Feilding were placed on the nonstop list of stations the business of the town would suffer, from the fact that many outgoing and incoming passengers from the surrounding country would, in order to avoid inconvenience and loss of time in changing trains, make Palmerston or Marton their starting •or stopping place in connection with a journey to Auckland or Wellington, and even to intermediate towns, and thus the importance and trade of the town would suffer. This is a consideration alone sufficient to induce the Feilding people to take steps, if possible, to prevent that being done. But there are broader views of the case which might be taken by people who are not at 'all interested in Feilding. These|would show that if Feilding were omitted from *the list of stopping places a large ] number of travellers would be caused loss of time and inconvenience in order that the journey could be made by the through train in a few minutes less time, and as the matter of convenience always exerts [jmaterial influence in leading people to a decision as to whether they will take a journey or not, it is certain there would be a considerable loss in the receipts. It is very doubtful, in respect to the merely through passengers, whether the saving ;.them a few minutes in the journey woulcb outweigh the consideration of the convenience of a large community, who, in addition to being taxpayers, claim some consideration as being large contributors to the traffic in the way of merchandise ; but we are sure it would not outweigh the consideration of the loss in "passenger traffic that would inevitably result. From a purely commercial point of view ii would not be wise to ignore the needs of Feilding and district.

THE Guinness Trust to which, in 1889, Lord Iveagh gave £200,000 seems to have solved the problem of providing cheap homes for workers in Britain. The surplus income last year, after providing for depreciation, amounted to £15,000 and the capital of the trust has now reached £389,000. The 18th .annual report states that the buildings continue to let well. Club or common rooms are provided, and supplied with papers, books, games, etc. The baths, the boiling water supplied from urns morning and evening for making tea, and the constant hot water supply for washing purposes, all of which are free to tenants, continue to be appreciated and largely used. The trustees have continued the arrangements made for some years past whereby their tenants can obtain coal practically at cost price, the coal being contracted for, as far as possible, at wholesale summer prices. The quantity sold in 1907 was nearly 1900 tons. On December 31st, 1907, there were 9541 persons living in the trust buildings. According to the returns furnished by the district registrars, there were during the year 403 births and 97 deaths in the buildings, the birthrate being 41.96 per 1000, and the death-rate 10.1 per 1000. The average weekly earning of the head of each family in residence at the close of the year was 19s 6d. In order to give effect to the founder’s intentions, only those persons are accepted as tenants whose income does not, on the average, exceed 25s per week, and preference is always given to the poorer applicants. Every possible inquiry is made from the trust office to verify the statements of applicants, as earnings are frequently understated by persons desiring rooms in the buildings. The average weekly rent of each room was 2s l%d, covering chimney sweeping, and the use of Venetianblinds, common rooms, baths, and hot water supplies, and is also inclusive of rates. The trustees have now provided 2574 separate dwellings, containing 5338 rooms, besides laundries, club rooms, costers’ sheds, and perambulator sheds. -•

SUCH'accommodation as is provided in the buildings erected by the Guinness Trust would be scorned by workers in New Zealand, but the statistics show that the health of the occupants is extremely good. The average weekly wages of the families in residence are only 19s (sd, and with a birth-rate of 42, one and a half times as groat of that of New Zealand, it might be expected that

there would he an enorrhous inf dint mortality. So far is this from being the case that the death-rate is very nearly as low as that of the Do-, minion; the respective figures being 10. that- if the question of housing for workers in our larger towns, were undertaken in a really businesslike way results might be obtained not inferior to those secured by the Guinness trust. It seems incredible that families can live and apparently flourish on incomes of, less than £1 per week and the fact shows how far our protective tariff and our labour legislation have failed in their objects when an income double the amount in this country will hardly provide the means of existence for a family.

THE Greymouth Wharf Labourers’ Union not only declined to agree to the request of the Blackball miners that they should also go on strike, but gave .those miners some excellent advice. The Secretary of the Union also sent a" letter to the Waterside Workers’ Federation in Wellington in which he deplored ’the outlook f6r the labour movement and the “wanton precipitation” of the Blackball miners. He declared that the labour unions are totally- unprepared for a trial of strength, and are not as well organised as they were prior to the strike in 1890. He concluded his letter as follows —“If the law is bad, then let us set out and get it amended, but, until it is amended, we should obey it,, much though we may agitate against it, and call aloud for an alteration in it. The Blackball Union refuses to recognise it and scouts it with contempt, and practically challenges the Government to do ftp worst. We are ordered by the Blackball Union to break the Act by striking, and, at the same time, treat the conditions of our award with contempt. Their desire is to involve us in a general strike. If we refused to load the boats in question, then you would get orders in Wellington not to handle any cargo in them either. Do you not think the whole thing is suicidal madness? To break away from the Act and fight both the Government and the employers would end in an industrial upheaval that would put back the progress Labour has made during a period of twenty years. Apart from bringing misery and starvation to thousands of homes, it would make martyrs of many workers for a lifetime. If we were well organised, and had a fair chance of winning, and desired to give an object-lesson to'the capitalist of the Dominion, then, and £then only, would such a step be justifiable ; but, if we had that power, we should also hold the way by which one could open, the doors of Parliament to our representatives, ami we could then frame laws to suit ourselves; but, when we reached that goal, the law would have to be obeyed, because the observance of the law means the protection of the liberty of the subject.”