OUR SYDNEY LETTER.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXV, Issue 2817, 2 August 1890, Page 6 (Supplement)

OUR SYDNEY LETTER.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) Sviwky, duly 2. Tub threatened strike, which it was feared would lay up in idleness tho shipping of the port, "is not to come off after all, and general gratification is expressed at the unexpected turn of affairs. The matters in dispute wore arranged on Friday and S>turdnylast week aud an honourable understanding was arrived at that no fresh demands should be made for at least twelve months. A guileless young member of a Band of Hope was once asked by a school in-pr.ctor for a definition of fermented liquor. " Please, sir," ho replied, " it's stuff as docs you a groat deal of good when you don't drink it." Similarly a strike may be defined as a weapon which is only beneficent when not resorted to. It is not the able bodied men who suffer mo-it in these calamities but their hapless wives and children and indirectly a large number of persons who are in no way connected with the deadlock are made to suffer without any just cause.

In the present case the cause of the wharf-labourers, their demand to dictate to their employers as to the men they should engage, and their claim to bo paid as a m.rtter of right for the time they were engaged in smoking their pipes were universally condemned by the press, even by those organs which delight in posing as tho chosen champions of labour. And quite apart from the indefensible nature of their demands the lack of generalship which was displayed was of itself sufficient, one would think, to ensuro defeat. The strike in the depth of winter, in the very crisis of a time of nnparallelled dullness is a tactical blunder which gives away all reasonable hope of victory. It was stated at one of tho men's meetings that the press had been bought by the employers' (roll. But had the employers used their gold to corrupt the leaders of the malcontents thoy could hardly have induced them to offer battle with greater certainty of defeat. The cry so familiar ta the French noun muinus frith is (wo are betrayed) would most assuredly have been heard from the distressed labourers had matters been pushed to extremity. Fortunately better councils prevailed and the " armed truce " which bo-t describe* the relative attitude of capital and labour is to be prolonged. The "good time coming," however, when labour and capital shall recognise that they are natural allies instead of natural enemies, and shall unite their forces to make head against their common onemies seems to bo yet far distant.

The boat-race whs rowed over again on Monday afternoon and resulted in an easy victory for Stanbury, the Australian souller. This time there was no dispute or " foul," and O'Connor, the Canadian, acknowledged himself frankly to be fairly beaten. As he is the best, part of a stone lighter than his opponent he could have hardly anticipated any other result. Stock-taking is engrossing the energies of merchants and importers, and there is reason to fear that in many instances tho result of the balance will be unsatisfactory. Trade has been dull, many staple Hues have beeu selliug considerably under the cost of production, and there has been a large crop of insolvencies and of compromises with creditors. However, we are looking forward to a improvement in the spring and summer It's a long lane that has no turning, and tho turn of New South Wales must come shortly. Tho national stock-taking, so far as can he githered from tho quarterly returns of revenue and expenditure, has been more satisfactory than was expected. Tho revenuo for tho year, which ended on Juno 30th, shows an increase over that of tho previous twelvo months of £211,470, or about 2 per cent. Tho increase for the quarter is on a corresponding scale, and amounts to i'G'2,77C This is not proportionate to the increase of population, still less to tho increase in wealth - producing power which may reasonably be expected to be manifested among a progressive people. But as I said before it is better than might havo been expected, considering tho depressing circumstances which havo prevailed. In Victoria the revenue for the same periods shows a decrease— CIGI.SSo for the year and £G(i.(i77 for the quarter. This is due to the fluctuations which tho southern colony iscxperienciug, as tho inevitable result of the inflation of two or three years ago. It is still to her credit that with inferior natural resources and a territory only one-fourth the area of that of tho parent colony, Victoria is able to support a population equal in number, and, if banking are to be taken as a guide, superior in wealth.

Notwithstanding payment of members a (rood deal of unobtrusive insolvency flourishes, among tho members of the Assembly. Much of it remains hidden, except when the angry hand of some virulent assailant ruthlessly drags the veil aside. But some of it also finds its way into the Bankruptcy Court and within the the last few weeks no less than three hon. members have been cited to appear before the august tribunal which has itß headquarters in King street. One of thorn, Mr J. S. Hawthorne, ono of tho mombers for Ihlmain, has found it necessary to resign his scat, but offers himself for re-election, being, apparently, convinced that however unfortauiite ho may have been in tho management of his own affairs, he is thoroughly competent to guide those of the nation.

Mr Hawthorne's candidature has been tin: occasion for an unusual display of generosity on the part of Mr Dibbs, the leader of the Opposition. It was stated that the Protectionists were about to organise an opposition to Mr Hawthorne and nominate a candidate of their own political creed. But Mr Dibbs has put his foot down on the proposal, and maintains that in all cases where a member has been compelled to vacate his seat through pecuniary embarrassment it is neithor manly nor honourable to tako advantage of his misfortune. If the isssuo were merely a personal one, to be decided on grounds of individual consideratencss and helpfulness, Mr Dibbs' reasoning would be unassailable. But tho public good is to be consulted, and thoso who honestly think tho public good will be served by returning members of their own way of thinking are duty bound to take advantage of every legitimate opportunity to effect their object. Besides this ever-present and ever-pressing claim thoro is the very obvious consideration that if every member who vacated his seat through insolvency were to bo rogarded as entitled to be returned unopposed, the very salutary law which requires him to resign would becomo a dead letter. It would, in fact, become worse than a dead letter, for every such resignation would merely afford uu occasion for a public affirmation that insolvency is not at all an undesirable qualification in u member of Parliament. Rather than this should be the case it would be better to amend the law by enacting that no such member should bo eligible for re-election until the elapse of a certain number of years from the date when he dropped out of tho ranks of tho solvent. But it is to bo hoped that tho good sense of the community will bo sufficiently awake to render such an amendment unnecessary, and to use tho loophole provided by the present state of the law only in cases of especial merit, or undeserved misfortune. " Hard cases make bad law,' says tho old maxim. But if the lawmakers themselves are to be governed by weak and morbid sentiment what hope is there for tho laws, or for the safety and prosperity of the people who depend on them ?

The case of Rcscigh Martin, to which I alluded last week, has aroused a good deal of commiseration. For publishing a false rumour, which he affirms that he believed to be true, respecting certain appointments which were made by Mr Kdily, the Chief Commissioner of Railways, he received the unprceedently heavy sentence of two years' imprisonment. A petition has been prepared,

praying the Executive to order his release, and it is being very extensively signed I hope that the Government will see their way to exercise the prerogative of mercy. It is quite possible that Air Eddy himself, having thoroughly vindicated his own reputation by the proceedings which he caused to be instituted, may add the weight of his personal influence on the side of leniency.

Mr Turner, an eccentric momber who attends the House in tho uniform of the Salvation Aimy, moved last night that tho proceedings of tho Assembly he opened each night with prayer. Mr Turner is a welt-meauing man, and no doubt it is in the highest degree desirable, not only that the eternal principles of justice and equity should be recognised by our legislators but that the Divine Being from whom thoy proceed should be approached and invoked. But at present thero are many difficulties in the way. There are members of all creods and members of no creed, some even who regard it as meritorious to insult and wound others for their religious belief, as Mr Turner knows to his cost. To compel these to join in the formal act of prayer might bo to cause them to add hypocrisy to their other errors. Therefore, I for one do not regret that the motion was lost. The absence of a set form and time of prayer cannot prevent anyone who is so disposed from lifting up his heart to tho Divinely Human Source of Goodness and Truth. On tho contrary, it might in some cases act as a