AS OTHERS SEE US.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIV, Issue 9169, 12 June 1908, Page 6

AS OTHERS SEE US.

Interviewed, at Sydney by a representative of the Sydney Morning. Herald on his return from Key*' Zealand, Colonel Denny, of the firm of Denny Brothers, Dumbarton, said, in discussing industrial conditionsin the Dominion, that New Zealand appeared to him to have great prospeets, for, being almost purely an. agricultural country there js a smaller chance of suffering frorm financial crises experienced by other countries. The conditions of the Dominion were, in his opinion, in striking contrast with those prevailing in Great Britain. There people depended almost on industrial pursuits, and they woro, in ins opinion, happy in having the. colonies to supply them with foSq nud clothing at the most moderate/ possible rates. Tins enabled thenl to make headway against foreign competition. The idea seemed to prevail in New Zealand that the relations between the employers and the employer could only be regulated by the Government, whereas in Egland the masters and men preferred to settle matters themselves. The result was that industrial disputes in Great Britain were really on the whole" infrequent. One occasionally heard of them, of course, but it was . only natural in settling complicated relationships that there should be some friction. As a general rule, however, labour disputes in Great Britain were few and far between, for a country of such great industrial interests. The only danger he could see was that the demands of labour in New Zealand might become, one mighir'say, almost excess! »e—at any-rate,-that was his opinion. The old idea* of community of interest between employer and employee—between capital and labour —appeared to have been practically abandoned in New Zealand. One great danger ■which be foresaw as a result of-the new conditions was that people of all ranfiS and classes of society might eventually come to consider work a hardship, and a thing of which the least done is the better. Personally, he did not think that that was the intention of the Creator, and if carried to extremes even a great agricultural, country might find it difficult to make progress. Of coarse, you must understand, Colonel Dennys, added, “lam here to learn, not tor preach, but these are my impres-, sions. ”