The Daily News. FRIDAY, MAY 13. THE PRICE OF DOORMATS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 388, 13 May 1910, Page 4

The Daily News. FRIDAY, MAY 13. THE PRICE OF DOORMATS.

The Premier in ihis policy speech at, w inton mentioned that trusts and combines were very wrong, but apart from saying this and making a reference to a powerful outside corporation which controls a certain necessity, he laid down no policy for dealing with either outside or inside trusts. The Premier said that there should be class freedom in the community to deal with .whom they like. This is an excellent truism, hut at present it is not quite clear how the Government intend to set about achieving the result theoretically indicated by Sir Joseph Ward. The particular trust indicated by the Premier is the one that sells every tin of oil that is consumed in New Zealand. As Newi'Zealand does not yet make feerosene she must get it from outside at present, and it is problematical, even supposing the trust was forbidden to operate in New Zealand, whether the people would be able to obtain kerosene at a cheaper rate than they now do. The only problem the people trouble about is where they may get the best and cheapest goods. The public will buy its oil from a trust if the trust sells the cheapest article. The pocket controls all commercial sentiment. The Premier mentioned that freedom of trade meant competition, but the basis of all trade in New Zealand is protection, and the Government is obviously out of its stride when it wavers on the subject! Everybody who cares to go into the subject will find that our American cousins are not the only people who love trusts and keep them thriving. The Yankee trust only seems worse, because it handles such enormous sums of money and does business on mai immense scale. But in both Australia and New' Zealand there is the same desire on a small scale to force the people into buying what corporations of greedy commercial men decide to give them at the prices carefully arranged by conference. We have only to look as far as the breweries and hotels—representing an extremely important branch of New Zealand commerce—to see the trust evil in its most aggressive form. Logically, if an Arrierican oil trust which sells cheap oil to New Zealand is to be prevented from doing so, a New Zealand beer trust which sells dear alcohol should be brought into line. The point that one is a precious colonial business and the other is an American, might of course prevent the State from interfering with the colonial business. Wherever there are acute business men there is combination, so that in almost every kind of commercial necessity used by the people of New Zealand, the price is not altogether regulated by the law of supply and demand, but by the moral if not the financial combine of traders. Everybody in New Zealand has come in', contact with monopoly of some kind, and therefore understands that three men out of fout would become monopolists if they had a chance. The impossibility of the small trader competing with the large trader is the reason why there are fewer small traders. The ideal lusiness community would be that containing a very large number of small traders and no large ones, but the ideal would only last until the most successful small trader bought the others out and became a. monopolist. If the Government of New Zealand has made up its mind to smite one of the greatest corporations on earth a mighty blow with an anti-trust bill it might include in the sweep of its wrath the innumerable growing trusts in New Zealand. Morally, the Chinese vegetable combine of New Zealand is as> bad as the Standard Oil Company monopoly, except that it is on the spot and a prized New Zealand institution. We sincerely hope that wlien outside multi-millionaire trusts are /being put into their places, and perhaps ruined by the New Zealand antitrust law, that New Zealandcrs will attack the problem of locally producing the things they buy from foreign trusts now. As long as New Zealand remains undeveloped and conceives it to be a finer thing to make £IOO out of a "deal" than by producing its worth in manufactures, so will outside traders and trustmongers exploit this country. And the morals of the Oil Trust or the Beer Trust, or the Reaper and Binder Trust, do not concern the customer one whit. Here is the point in a nutshell: Millionaire Brown of American controls the doormat industry in New Zealand and sells doormats to New Plymouth people at Is 6d. An anti-trust law says that this is wicked and should not be allowed, for it is killing the .New Zealand maker of doormats. The local maker of doormats says that if it were not for that American scoundrel Brown he would supply all the necessary doormats at the exceedingly small price of 2s 9d apiece. Do you, a sensible person, believe that under the circumstances the patriots of New Zealand will hate Brown, his millions and his doormats?

CURRENT TOPICS A PATHETIC MESSAGE. Infinitely the most pathetic circumstance in the great sorrow that has fallen on the Empire is the position of the widowed Queen Alexandra. It is politic and natural for the nation to assert that it shares iwdth the Dowager Queen her sorrow, but it is not wholly true. The eminence of the man necessarily makes the grief of his widow more poignant, and the world is well aware that in all ordinary relations, quite apart from every question of eminence or Royalty, there was a sweet affection between the late King and his wife. For very many years before Alexandra became Queen Consort, the British people, together with the people of many lands, looked upon her as a woman having every grace of refinement, culture, and kindness of heart. Simple and unaffected, she in her high position has been able to achieve innumerable triumphs of social kindness. Rigidly trained in a household where economics were insisted on, she learned independence of wealth and station 'and the homely womanly virtues for which she was pre-eminent. Wherever Alexandra, whether as the Princess of Wales or as the Consort of the King, went, her mere presence was a benediction. Her influence has always been enormous, and always for good. The ''fierce light" shone on her and discovered nothing that was not sweet, beautiful, and altogether lovable. In the darkness that has fallen on the Empire the Dowager Queen mourns in the deeper shadow. The King himself is at rest. To his widow there remains the battle of life, the fierce glare of publicity, the unfinished work. In the anguish of her heart the Queen Beautiful has appealed to the Nation in words overflowing with brave kindness and deep sorrow. She speaks to the people as if she knew the people, ana as if they knew her. In all the records of the great passing there is no item that will appeal to the people as these words must do: "Give me a thought in your prayers, which will comfort me in all I still have to go through." The blameless Queen who has ever been devoted to good deeds in her appeal to the people'presents her .son, praying that his subjects will be 'loyal to him. Not merely because King George is the son of Edward VII., but because he is the son of Queen Alexandra, the pride of the British people, iwdll the people listen to her heart-broken appeal and take heed.

STATE BARRISTERS. The Government is about to effect a saving in regard to the employment of State barristers. The Government will save a large amount of law costs by this economy. The law mentions that a man is innocent until he is proved guilty, and if the allegation is that a person has sinned against the State, the State t as in duty 'bound does everything possible, with the help of the Crown Prosecutor, to get a verdict of "guilty" returned. That is what the Crown Prosecutor is paid for. In instances, perhaps, the, Crown has been known to persecute. The trial of Powelka has set the question going as to whether, if the Crown employs a prosecutor, it should not also employ counsel for defendant. In the case of a man charged with serious offences, and who might not be likely to possess enough to pay a K.C. £25 a day and upwards, the defendant's chances seem to be less rosy than those of the Crown iProsecutor. Ever and anon some iconoclast arises and attacks legal costs, and says they are too great. No price is too great for anything if a buyer can be found—that, at least, is modern philosophy. Years ago the famous. Mr. Jellico suggested that as the State tackled\raost trades and was careful to give everybody a good chance, it should establish Bureaux of Legal Information, where the average person could drop in and get a small matter of law fixed up without getting a bill of costs as long as a Budget and charging for every breath the principals of the ■firm, their accountants, clerks, and typists drew. These bureaux did not appear, and never will. A reference to the roll of members of most Parliaments will convince the searcher (who in this case need not pay a search fee) that the 1 voting power of gentlemen of. the legal { profession is very large. Anything mys-1 terious is always very dear, and the \ value of the law lies in the awful mys-1 tery in which it is for ever shrouded.'

"IF I WERE KING." Edward, the new Prince of Wales, seems to have some sound ideas. It is cabled that to a military officer he once said: "When I am King I will make laws that no one shall cut puppies' tails, there shall be no more sin in the country, and no one shall use bearing ireins." One fears that the suppression of sin is a large order, but in the matter of the suppression of ordinary everyday cruelty a humble person is able to do a great deal by precept and example. Edward, Heir-Apparent, is older now than he was then, and probably his view has extended, so that if he had the power he riiight even ask that cruelty should cease in New Zealand as well as in England. There need 1 be no pigeon-shooting from traps, no overdriving of horses, no starvation of horses (exceedingly common in New Zealand, as any inspector of the •Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals will tell you), no coursing of hares, and no murder of beautiful birds to build "Chanticler" hats with. If a good King were as powerful as he seems, his influence might even extend to the cow-byre or the dog-kennel, the fowlyard, or the stockyard. Unfortunately, in New Zealand centres cruelty is very rampant, merely because magistrates rarely regard cases as being serious. It is quite common for a man who has driven a horse almost to the last gasp, and which is turned to die with navicular disease, to be fined five shillings. This is issuing a license for him to 20 and do a similar thing again. England is very much more severe than New Zealand in the punishment of cruel persons. The last report of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals mentions a case in which a man went to gaol for four years for brutally ill-, treating a cow. In New Zealand the probabilities are: (1) that there was no one to inform; (2) if there were, he would hate to have his name mentioned in court; and (3) if the cruel person were brought to court, the magistrate would either dismiss the case or fine him under ten shillings. If a. great many humane persons would ask themselves what they would do "if I were King," and try to do it without being crowned, there would be less suffering among domestic animals in New Zealand than there now is. Some time a.sro -we mentioned the case of a local farmer who had been sued lv the asylum authorities for the maintenance of his sister, who is an inmate of the asylum, and who was imprisoned foT'

non-compliance with the order, an.l as ;i result of the consequent disgrace lost >M9 mental .balance and haTT himself to ibe sent to the asylum. The individual in question has now recovered, but it is thought if the authorities proceed against him again that the trouble will be too much for him and that lie will be a permanent inmate of the asylum. The residents of the .locality are now petitioning the Attorney-General to discontinue further proceedings against the man. The case is a. most unfortunate one, and knowing the facts, we think it would be an act of mercy, if not of justice, were tile order to be reduced or withdrawn altogether.'' We commend the matter to the favorable consideration of Dr. Findlay.