South Canterbury Times. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 1882.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2965, 26 September 1882, Page 2

South Canterbury Times. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 1882.

The Working Men’s political Association in Christchurch, though not a very numerous body, is doing good work, and is likely to leaven the whole industrial community. It is impossible to estimate its value too highly. The idea of a “ Working Men’s Political Association ” that seems to have prevailed among outside people, is that of an assemblage of disappointed, discontented loafers, always at daggersdrawn with the capitalists, and on strike for extra , shillings a day; whose office-bearers are pot-house politicians, with the “gift of the gab.” And the majority of people have thus acquired a dread of such organisations, as likely to disturb the social equilibrium, to engender class animosities, and to bear no .useful fruit. But no one who has mixed much with the working men of the present day can continue to entertain such notions. Those of them who now band together are industrious, efficient in their work, sober and respectable in daily life, and possessed of much practical good sense. The “ pot-house politician ” is conspicuous by his absence, and his place is supplied by earnest and thoughtful men, whose practical avocations induce a tone of thbught peculiarly needed for the discussion of political questions

and sufficiently rare among professed , politicians. Discussion, temperately j and properly conducted, cannot but enlarge the views of the members of an association, and enlargement of views is precisely what working men most' need to cultivate. If it has been the ■ case that the views of capitalists have in the past been one-sided and selfish, the ideas of the working men have been at least equally so. Legislation founded on one-sided views must be pernicious, and the only desirable representative of working men is be who comprehends their relative as well as their absolute position, and is bent, not upon their invading other people’s rights, but upon maintaining their own; who seeks by firmness to win respectful attention, and by conciliation to secure aid where opposition was feared. The occnpation of the professional agitator, the champion of the working man, and friend of the “ downtrodden sons of toil,” is gone—education and social improvement have won for working men more than all the harangues that were ever uttered. They are themselves enlightened and improved socially and morally, and have become a greater power than they are aware of. We enjoy manhood suffrage (with the trifling qualification of a residential clause) and the secrecy of the ballot. These great boons have been granted in response to years of persistent agitation by the working men. And with the granting of these concessions, ended for them the “iron age.” Henceforth the situation is changed. It is no longer the heel of capital bruising the head of labour, and crashing out of it all hope and joy. The men whose persistent agitation has won for him these great privileges, learned much in the strife, and exhibited a dignity of self-depend-ence and power which placed them equally beyond the reach of patronage and out of the way of oppression. This sturdy effort of their fathers gained for them an inheritance of liberty, arid they can now meet capital on equal terms. Might is no longer right. The strength of wisdom, of moderation, of earnestness, of ability, will win the day in the new contest ; and working men have nothing more to fear from any possible encroachments of capital, if only they consider and understand their own position, carefully watch the progress of events, conciliate public opinion, and conserve their own interests. No better way of doing so suggests itself than by uniting their forces, and frequently discussing, temperately and sensibly, the political questions of the day. Any movement of this kind is to be commended, and we should be glad to see it carried out in South Canterbury.

The public of Timaru may congratulate themselves on the infusion of new blood into the Municipal veins, on one account at least. The vexed question of drainage was last night brought up —the occasion being a discussion on the advisableness of clearing the Bank street gully. It would be a work of supererogation to enlarge upon the obligation that rests with the Munipal fathers to abate that nuisance ; for it is so disgustingly patent that “ he who runs may smell.” But the Bank street gully nuisance is not the only one that cries aloud for abatement. There are several other localities where equally offensive nuisances exist, and the health of residents is endangered. The whole points to a serious consideration of the drainage scheme. We have a hearty desire to see it taken earnestly in hand. We regard it as an absolute necessity, if we would avert a recurrence of epidemics. As there is no outlet for night soil and other offensive refuse, these are mostly deposited in back yards and gardens. The consequence is that now, after some years, the soil of the Borough is impregnated with deleterious matter, which has been buried in default of sewage. The exhalations that rise become more and more injurious as the population increases. We always favored a drainage scheme; we only witheld our assent from a scheme which appeared likely to prove inefficient. The Council have before them Messrs Dobson and Son’s scheme; but we should not advocate unquestioning acceptance of that. We should advocate the Council communicating with the most eminent authorities at Home; and when they have decided upon a plan, we trust they will without delay proceed to furnish the Borough with a means of relieving itself of the refuse matter which now poisons it. The danger is more real and imminent than most people think, and we rejoice to observe there is, in the Council, a general appreciation of the importance of the subject.