OPEN COLUMN.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume II, Issue 57, 1 February 1868, Page 3

OPEN COLUMN.

■Wairarapa, January-28, 1868.

(To the Editor of the “ Mercury.”)

Sir,—Thomas Carlyle in one of his reviews describes the habit that some narrow-minded critics have of jumping up On the shoulders of great authors and from that elevated position looking down “ with the self-confidence of ignorance ” on men whose large ideas they canot grasp. Although it is many years since I read Carlyle’s graphic description of the way that authors of great originality are treated by a certain class of critics, I was strongly reminded of it last week in noticing how the editor of the “Wellington Independent” jumped up on the shoulders of a whole community numbering more than 600,000 persons. That Wellington exponent of political economy in a leading’ article states that “ the democracy of Victoria, witli the self-conftdejice of ignorance, has thrown political economy to the winds, has entered upon a course of so-called protection of interests that do not exist and has done its best to deprive Melbourne of its great ‘ entrepot ’ of the Australian group.” What does the Editor of the “ Independent ” know of the intelligent and enterprising people of Victoria that he should slander our neighboring Australian colonists more grossly than ever English journalists have done the colonists of New Zealand during our late little wars. The editor of that journal was one of the first to blame the. people of England for giving a willing ear to those interested parties that slander our own colonists and yet does the same thing himself of our own neighbours The leadiugSjournal of Victoria, the Melbourne “ Argus ” is the organ of the mercantile community cf that colony, simply because it is from their advertisements it derives its largest profits. The democracy of Victoria having taken the management of public affairs from the mercantile classes and placed it in the hands of farmers, manufacturers, and our producers of wealth, the traders in that colony are wrath with the democracy, and"the “ Argus ” naturally becomes the exponent of-their views. To superficial thinkers, like the editor of the “Independent,” who cannot look below the surface of things, takes what appears in the leading journal of Victoria as the correct view of the whole matter. Thanks to our own expensive “ systems ” of Government the native manufacturing industry of New Zealand is so well protected at the Custom House that there is not the necessity existing in this colony for agitating that question ’ that once existed in Victoria when every article of manufactured goods might have been imported there duty free at free wharves. Capitalists would not then invest their money in erecting expensive machinery for manufacturing purposes in the ■colony as long - a ; s manufacturers that were already well established in other countries 6ould flood the Victorian home market with goods at “fluctuating” prices, and six mouths credit to merchants whose bills-the banks readily‘discounted,

Under that suicidal system there was no opening for'boys to be apprenticed in the colony as long as skilled artizans were better payed for doing unskilled laboring work with pick and shovel than for working at their own trades to which they served an apprenticeship. N everthelcss, men like the editor of the “ Independent” that know very little of what they sometimes write about, find it vcryjjeasy “ with the self confidence of ignorance ” to" jump up on the shoulders of more “ intelligent ” people than themselves and in the true -Eastenswill style “ attempt ” to hide their own ignorance by abusing everything that they have not capacity enough to understand.

■I find that space has been taken up in this letter that, would be better occupied in giving your readers an account of the policy adopted ! by the democracy of Victoria, who, we arc told “ with the self-confidence of ignorance have thrown political economy to the winds,” &c. but if the subject will be of any interest to some oryour readers I will refer to it some other time, Four’s &c,, X,Y.B.

EARLY CLOSING. (To the Editor of the “ Wairarapa Mercury.’’) Sir—As the columns of ‘a public paper are supposed to champion private grievances as well as general wrongs, I take the libcrtyof writing to you of one by which a small class suffer considerably. I allude to the habit of storekeepers in Greytown keeping their shops open to a late hour every evening. An old English maxim and a good one speaks of the fairness of “a good day’s wages for a good day’s work,” but I am-sure that the wise author -of that never intended the day’s work to be from eight in the morning to past tea at night, or 81 hours work a week. In several

trades, I may say in nearly all, a week’s work consists of 48 hoar, or 8 hours work a day, and a very fair day’s work it is. In hanks and public offices, the hours are 32 ho’urs a week or little more than one third of the time those of my class have to work, and .yet you will find that those who have these shorter hours do not possess greater qualifications than we do, 1 speak generally not personally. In fact they possess less, for all that is required of them is a knowledge of the elements brought into operation in general clerical work. With ns, on the contrary, we have to know the details of the various branches‘of trade and merchandise in which our employer deals. Ido not make this comparison with the intention of drawing any invidious distinctions, but simply to show the manifest unfairness of the length of time we are compelled to toil, and against which we have no protection but the justice of employers. Even the Hotels which have to pay a largo yearly license arc compelled to close at ten' o’clock ; why should not wo close at an earlier hour who pay nothing for keeping open. If the few employers of labour of my kind that there are here would close at say seven in the evening, they would find their receipts as large’and their employees more satisfied. Let them try it for one week and see if the results are not more agreeable. None will thank them more sincerely than Your obedient servant, -AN ASSISTANT STOREKEEPER.

THE UNDERHILL ROAD. (To the Editor of the “ Wairarapa Mercury.”) GreyWwn, January 30, 1808. Sir, —I feci sure that neither you nor the public will have forgotten the point in dispute as to the direction in wrich the Underhill Road should cross the rivers Waiohiue and Tauherenikau. I think, Sir, that there can now bo no doubt that the Road Board was right and the Engineer and Inspector of Roads shamefully wrong. The damage clone by both rivers is considerable, and the victim is Mr White, the contractor. who dares not complain of the injustice of his case, knowing in whose power ho is. The next question is—Are the rate-payers to he the next victims to this piece of official jobbery 1 Isay NO, Your’s &0., ONE OP THE BOARD. THE RIVAL CRICKET CLUBS. (To the Editor of the “ Wairarapa Mercury.”) Wairarapa, January 31,1868. Siß;—ln looking over your paper dated Dec. 28th, I find a letter addressed to you on the late match between Greytown and Featherston. Now Sir, with regard to the anonymous adververtisement, a would he “ Stranger,” would like to have those anonymous advertisements translated'ere he could understanding their meaning. It is a well known fact that in all games of cricket, duck eggs go for nothing. In reading the report of the late match which appeared in your journal, T find in each innings of the Greyto wnelevefi, where eleven) layers should have been placed, there were but ten, and those two that were omitted should have had duck’s eggs opposite their respective names. This I think is quite sufficient to interpret that part of the advertisement.

With respect to the other advertisement, our would be “ Stranger” appears to know nothing of the remarks that pass and have passed between the respective clubs. If the Greytown Club pass a joke at the expense of the Fcathcrfton’s Club, I think the Featherston ■ Club is entitled to one at the expense of the Greytown Club. Now Sir, our would be “ Stranger ” seems to take the matter as an insult and strongly recommends the Greytown Club to treat it with contempt, but I hope the Greytown Club will show a better spirit, that in paying compliments they will also be able to receive them. As to the preventing of any future matches being played, I would suggest that a challenge be immediately sent to the Featherston eleven to show that no ill-feeling exists between the respective Clubs. Trusting that you will pardon’me for taking up so much of your space. I am. &c., A LOVER OF FAIR PLAY.