CURRENT TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 163, 9 January 1914, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

THE KNJJIT TO WORK. It is incumbent upon the authorities to handle with great circumspection and judgment the extraordinary situation that has arisen through the multiplication of waterside workers' unions as a result of Uie recent industrial conflict. We believe, nay, we feel certain, that the attitude of the registered arbitration unions which are closing' their doors to seekers after work is contrary to the spirit of the Arbitration Act, as it is certainly opposed to public policy and common justice. The Legislature never for a moment contemplated giving statutory status and substantial protection to exclusive sections of persons belonging to any industry. Certainly the granting' of preference must absolutely involve the policy of the open door.—New Zealand Times.

I'KKILOUS TACTICS •Surely eiuployera generally must bo feeling alarmed by the reports of peculiar, perilous tactics of companies in several parts of Xew Zealand. Kxasperatcd by the unreasonable, harassing behaviour of certain o/licials of lied Federal Unions, Idie employers may be hoping for a period of peace tor themselves anil their employees by shutting' our expert inventors and discoverers of grievances, but before they allow their natural impulses to thrust aside their discretion they should run their thoughts back Over the past two mouths. What was the. main test'.' What happened? It is well known to Übor now that decent unionism was not in peril. The .lied Fedorals fought for their own "solidarity," m wnieli industrialism is chaotically coniwinded with crude Socialism.-—Welling-ton l'o,i„

l'lUll'lTAlil.l-: KUUIT KAKMIXf;. It is a little dillieult for the uninitiated to distinguish between advertisements and news in the reading matter appearing in (he average American newspaper, out. some paragraphs published bv the Sacramento lice giving particulars of the extraordinary ferlilitv of .California!! Irurt. farms ,ccm to have editorial authority. line of them states that the deciduous fruit crop of Superior California, is estimated this season at 1-1,000 ear loads and is expert ed to reach a total value of ,cii.oiio,()oo. The figures, it is explained, are only for fruits shipped fresh. Many thousands of ear-loads ai'r packed in canneries, and other thousands are dried, wdiile thousands of carloads of grapes are made into wine. Another paragraph tells of a single cluster 'if (.okay grapes weighing (|i/,lhs, and a long artiele describes the enormous operations of the fruit eanners. One day's canning of peaches ill Superior California would till a train of ninety cars. Peaches arc canned ill greater quantities than are any other fruits, but. apricots anil pears are dealt with in almost, fabulous quantities, and 20,0110 tons of asparagus are. sent away each year from the rich '""'ls lying' along the lunks of the Sacramnito river.

(i.\.M!!UN(! IN" HNTiLAXD. The facts hroiiijlit. I'ovtli ivt ii recent liii.ii'lisli tri d have doubt I<<kh contributed to the present a;;it:il ion in En«!and against -Minlilin- generally . It is estillKitoil that nliinit C75,mi1».n , 13 Hmn-jM hainlrf on (lie inri alone every year. sums «rr thrown awa- ">i tht* samp manner on football, :ni(! Ihe s:n-f:i 1 !<■<-! compel it-ion-, nl the cheap weeklies are in cti'cct imi hints 1 lint the blindest sorl oMottercs. Mr. latcs 111 at: ii all sorts 01 /'ambliiej; ai'e included "the aniouni' on a conservative estimate cannot lie Hum CIOOiJOO--000." ' ' TIIK INVKNTOK OK WmKI.K-;S. . Millions of |ieojde who have u liazv i'leii that Mr. Marconi ''invented*' wireless telegraphy have never heard of Sir William IVpire. ••(he ureal electrician, who died the oilier week. Yet Sir William, then an emiinecr employed ]>y Ihe liritisli {(nice, sen I wireless messages across the Solent, when Ihe caiiic to (lie Isle of Wi<;hl was broken, in IS'5. the year of .Mr. Marconi's birth. W lien the Italian inventor, poor and miknown, went to London in kSDfi, ho carried a letter of introduction to Sir Wil-

liam, and found in him a kiitdly ami generous friend. An amusing nUiry hi' been told of .Sir William in conn> lion with tho introduction of the lcl.-|.S;ri .• to liritain. In 1877 (jucen Vieti':!.-. • pressed a wish to be shown the it-- :1strument at Osborne and it was arranged that she should be given through communication with the London telei.raph olliee, where a band was to play "(loci iSuvo the Queen" for her benefit. Sir William went to Southampton, and when a call came from Osborne he made the connection with London and sent the signal to the band. An hour later he learned that the Queen had just reached the telephone and was waiting for the demonstration. The Iximl had gone, and a painful explanation seemed inevitable. But he saved the situation by taking up the receiver in Southampton and humming into it the well-know .1 air. The Queen listened to the end and then observed: "It is the National Anthem, but very badly played." vShe was never told the truth about the incident. 1