OUR SYDNEY LETTER.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 2542, 25 October 1888, Page 3

OUR SYDNEY LETTER.

* (fbom our own correspondent.) Sydnky, October 10. The •' working man' is Ijoss of the situation in Sydney, though, lie ofteu hr.s to go hungry, I'ulpit, and press and political ornlors vie with one another in the fervour of their assurances that he ia monarch cf all he surveys. Many a sermon and leading article, and stump speech leaves the thread of its original argument to administer a little "jam" to the omnipotent Demos, who, it is tacitly assumed must in order like a spoiled child by indulgence. The flattery is generally so transparent that ever, a blind man could see through it. The indulgence is often of a kind that a selfrespecting man, much more a self-respec-ting class would reject with scorn, but it is to be presumed that it answers its purpose, for thnempire of the " working man" remains undisturbed, and the homage paid him is more servile then ever. I am led into this train of thought by the eight-honr demonstration. It is usually held on the first Monday in October, but King Demos, who, to do him justice, pays as little attention to his own rules as to those of other people, decided this year to hold it on the second Monday. The Government dutifully and obediently proclaimed the second day a holiday instead of tho first, and preparations were made accordingly. But one item had not been taken into the account, and that was the weather. The first Monday had been beautiful and fine. Last Monday, the day of the celebration, it rained "cats and dope," but the committee, knowing they lud a complaisant Government to fall back npon, were pqual to theoccassion. They postponed the celebration, and asked the Premier to have yet another holiday proclaimed on Monday next. Here was a quandary. A statesman, dependent for his popularity on the votes of the hornyhanded was asked for a favour which only signified the disorganising of all commercial arrangements and the stoppage of nearly all work in order that the eight-hour men might " proceed " in peace, and bless their benefactor at the next general election, unless in the meantime he did something to otfend them. But Sir Henry grew fractious Even the spoiled child must be brought up sharp sometimes, more often in fact than the child who is not spoiled. So he refused the holiday, and the eiaht-hour procession will be held next Monday. The rest of the community may come and look on if they like, but no Government " screw " will be applied to make them do so. I am further credibly informed that the Premier added insult to injury by chaffing the deputation which preferred the modest request, telling them that he himself had no holiday on eight-hour day, and that his usual hours of labour per diem were nearer eighteen than eight. In which heretical sentiments he is, I fear, supported by the whole of the journalistij guild, which reports both his doings and theirs. We wait with bated breath for the next ukase from the eight-hour men. Will it be " off with his head," or the transference of the labour vote at the next general election ? While on this topic I may say that Sir Henry's chances of re-election in his own electorate of North Shore are considered by the cognoscenti to be very slender. His opponents aver that he secure 1 his seat by promising all sorts of things— among others a bridge across the harbour. But the bridge is no nearer completion than ever it was, and now the Premier declares that he will push through his Local Government Bill, which is intended to render it difficult, if not impossible, for any district to receive expensive benefits from the public purse. The sooner our present system comes to an end the better. It inevitably tends to a form of indirect bribery in the shape of public works. A politician may secure election by making promises, which, when he gels his seat, he finds he cannot honestly fulfil. Then his constituents feel excusably disgusted, and at the next election he has to pack up his portmanteau and betake himself to fresh fields and pastures new. In this way, if he is prominent enough, lie mny make the round of half the electorates in the country. Occasionally a great wave of credulity passes over the country, sweeping away with it even those who should be specially on their guard. The silver "boom" was a case in point. Millions were subscribed by the public in the vain hope that iu defiance of all probability hundreds of millions were speedily to be made from silver. As a matter of fact not one of the undertakings which were floated has returned a furtl.ing of profit and very few of them are likely to do so. They have swallowed up their millions aa effectively as Pharoali's lean kine swallowed the fat ones, without the slightest profit. Yet cautions journalists were carried away with the rest. They began to talk about " the silver age " in a manner that materially swelled the excitement and no doubt encouraged many foolish people to speculate to their ruin. The " boom " has now passed away and silvermining is hardly mentioned in editorial columns. I may state in passing that there is undoubtedly an abundance of silver ore in the colony, and much of it will prove to be payable. There is therefore every reason to hope that some return may be obtained from the capital and energy actually expended in mining. But that is a very different thing to expecting a return from bubble capitals of hundreds of thousands or from the money which has been poured into the g-iping maw of the mining shark. The silver craze has passed. But it seems we must delude ourselves in some way, and the present delusion is a craze for inoculation. Certain obscuro conditions cause anMirax and Cumberland disease in our flocks and herds. We are now told that by a magic scratch which inoculated them with a disease in a mild form, we miy relieve our minds from all necessity to enquire into those conditions, may in fact, defy them with impunity. This astounding position is considered to be established by the result of certain experiments which have been made by M. Pasteur's representatives at Junea. These experiments showed that sheep which had had one attack of anthrax produced by inoculation were proof agaiost a second. This principle, in the case of small-pox, measles, and several other diseases was thoroughly well-known before M. Pasteur's empiricism was heard of. And the same unreasonable expectations have been deduced from it. A century ago inoculation for small-pox was an fashionable as inoculation for anthrax is to-day. It was thought that it was going to exterminate the disease in the same delightfully short and easy method. But the results were so disastrous that it was found necessary to prohibit inoculation by law —a result which was not achieved until evtry third or fourth person had beeu pitted the disease. In the same way it was hoped that inoculation was going to exterminate pleuro from the herds of Great Britain. But inoculation for plenro has now been reluctantly abandoned. Judged from general principles, what would be thought of the sanity of the man who sought to prevent fire by spreading fire? Yet, comparing disease to fire, that is just what the inoculationiets propose to do. There are, I believe, some forty million sheep in New South Wales. To make each of those forty million sheep a centre of active anthrax disease is the aim of the more zealous propagandists. Can any sane man believe that such a course would be productive of other than the greatest disaster, or that such disaster would be well deserved 7 Another point which must not be lost sight of is that in every inoculation all the inoculable tains of the animals from which the virus is taken are also communicated. Tuberculosis, cancer, and a host of other diseases would tini3 be spread broadcast over the country, until it would be next to impossible to find an animal that had escaped contagion. This thinner* of destroying disease by spreads

ing disease is as dangerous aa it is absurd. Yet, ignoring the plain teaching of common sense, and the equally plain instruction of history our metropolitan leaders of public opinion are hounding on the graziers of the colony to take this suicidal step. Every healthy sensibility revoke from the idea of infecting healthy bodies by the introduction of disease virus. But it seems there is a very general desire to suppress the sensibilities which are healthy in order to indulge those which are morbid and irrational.