Rangitikei Advocate MONDAY, MAY 4, 1908 EDITORIAL NOTES.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIII, Issue 9136, 4 May 1908, Page 4

Rangitikei Advocate MONDAY, MAY 4, 1908 EDITORIAL NOTES.

YOUNG people often suffer from exaggerated self-consciousness, and think that they are being slighted by their elders when there is no such intention, bat as they grow older they find their place in the world, and become less sensitive to imaginary neglect. Some people, however, always pose as misunderstood and cause themselves and their friends much] discomfort in consequence. Unfortunately Australia is in this stage at present if wo may believe that speeches made by Australians in England correctly represent the views of her people. Mr Price, the Premier of South Australia in his recent addresses has boon lamenting the little interest that is taken in Australian affairs in Britain and

Mr Ooghlan spoke in, the same vein at. the Lord Mayor’s Easter banquet. He said that one entente was very much neglected by Britain, namely the establishment of a close friendship between England and her colonics. England felt so sure of the goodwill of the colonies that she thought nothing of them. We fail to see what good purpose can be served by such reproaches. Australians would be the first to resent any interference by Britain in their affairs, and it seems to show a lack of self respect to be always crying out that Australia is neglected or misunderstood.

SINGE his re-election as Mayor of Wellington, Mr Hislop, has stated that he intends to proceed further > than hitherto in the direction of Municipal Socialism. The success of the Wellington tramways is not such as to tempt anyone who considers the matter to further developments of a similar kind. On this year’s working, a profit of £SOOO is shown, hut had the Oity authorities not permitted the most serious overcrowding on the cars, the profit would probably not have existed. If private persons were running the tramcars they would be expected to provide people with the seats they paid for, and the police would interfere to prevent overcrowding, but when a Municipality manages business concerns "it seems to consider that anything will do, and the people seem mesmerised into putting up with what can only be called gross mismanagement. Exactly the same kind of neglect is uoticable on our railways. In England where the railways are in the hands of private companies the passenger is met as his cab drives up to a station by a porter, who takes all responsibility as to labelling luggage and securing a seat, thus leaving the pasengor free to take his ticket, and enter the train at his leisure. In this country the staff of porters is so small that in most cases the passenger has to carry his own luggage on to the platform, and even to label and put it in the van himself. To an able bodied man this is no great hardship, but to women, especially if they have young children with them it is a great inconvenience. As another example of what people will put up from Municipal management we may refer to the quality of the gas supplied in Martou. In England Gas Companies are compollled to provide gas of a standard purity and illuminating power, and frequent tests are made to see that there is no departure jffrom the standard. In Martou the Couucil provides gas containing such a percentage of sal-' phurated hydrogen chat it is impossible to use a gas stove unless doors and windows are kept open to get rid of the injurious fumes. Yet this state of affairs, is allowed to continue unremedied for months. With the extension of municipal and governmental activities such difficulties as we have referred to will become more and more'common, and the question put in the Latin proverb ‘Quis custodiet ipsos custodes I ’?—Who shall oversee the overseers themselves? —will become more and more pertinent to the situation. When businesses are carried on for the public by private enterprise the Government or municipality can be trusted to see that the conditions of the contract are observed, but when Government or municipality is carrying them on, who can see that carelessness or extravagance does not prevail? The people, it is urged, will look after their own interests with the utmost keenness, but experience shows that on the contrary the people will put up with 'almost any mismanagement by their elected representatives. The state of affairs in the United States shows that popular Government is no surety against the most outrageous abuses, indeed we are almost tempted to say that it is directly productive of them. The people it is true will at intervals bo aroused, and sweep away the officials immediately responsible for corrupt practices, but matters soon revert to their old state because the people cannot be trusted to exercise that constaut and careful supervision which as individuals they know is necessary in their own private businesses. Under these circumstances the ratepayers and householders of Wellington have been ill advised in placing a disciple of Mr Keir Hardie in the Mayoral chair, and should the Councillors follow his lead, Wellington will provide an interesting object lesson as to the effects of Municipal Socialism.