SYDNEY LETTER.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXVI, Issue 2947, 4 June 1891, Page 4

SYDNEY LETTER.

(KltO.M out OWN L'I'KKKSI'ONPKNT.)

Syh.vkv May 111. "Just, before the battle! " I am writing. Parliament, meets to-night, and seldom or never lifts it been called together under more threatening auspices. Very commonly there has been a complaint of a lack of vital issues. But now there i.s such a |plethora of them tlmt it will be hard to choose between them. Some, liko Federation, have been gratuitously imported by the politicians, but others, like the labour question, aro forcing themselves on public attention by the actual necessities of the case. The old party lines aro completely broken up. Protectionist Federate mists bid for the support of Free Traders, and got it. Free Frade unti-Federationists are franctically applauded by rabid-Pro-tectionits. Liuibs of the law openly pander to the violent and lawless, and tho violent and lawless appeal to the laws of political economy to aid and abot them in conducting the campaign of the Have-nots against tho Haves. The author of tho Machiavellian suggestion " Divide and Kule " must be delighted to his inmost soul to view the present confusion, for surely never before in tho memory of the present generation was there such hopeless division as now pervades tho political firmament. And when to this picture of confusion is added the further disquieting element that the Government tliough committed to a large expenditure is practically penniless, and cannot resort to the London money market oxcept upon ruinous terms it will be seen that it is difficult if not impossible to describe adequately the chaotic state of affairs.

Among tho moderating influences must bo reckoned the natural desire of the Government to go to the country -with a good "cry" of tho equally natural desire of ft large number of members to postpone the necessity of a general election as long as possible. These won't, be talked about, they won't at least be avowed. But they will make themselves felt all tho same with a, stuady pressure that will know no intermission, though it seems more than likely that it will bo overborne by some cyclonic convulsion which spurn the restraints of calculating and selfish prudence. Probfibly the ambitious special pleaders who are bidding for the labour voto by condoning violence and finding ingenious cxcuses for unlawful coercion and conspiracy, are not des - pisedbjr any one much more thoroughly than they are by the clearer-sighted members of tho labour party themselves. Why ? Because they see that fiese tactics have invariably led to discomforture, humiliation aad loss. Thoy alienate public sympathy, and without the active support of public opiuion it is as impossible to hope for tho succees of any popular movement as it is to expect a a'earn engine to do good work without steam, they can .see moreover that whilst all constitutional efforts have met with a gratifying measure of success (the New Zealand and South Australian elections to wit) their tin constitutional ones have met, and must always meet with a diametrically opposite fate. If they were to concentrate their efforts on the former there is hardly any limit to the power they might wield. But in order to efl'jet this, it is above nil things necessary that, as many as possible of their members shall be in remunerative employment. Every poutid that, is thrown away in maintaining men who are idle, or in making childishly futile and stupidly itritating demonstrations against tho public, as represented by the Government is a pound worse than wasted. It has been spent in injuring tho cause, and impoverishing the workers by tho deadlock it has produced, when it might have been spent in advancing it. What a magnificent ' fighting fund" for example, the I'i.bour party might, have had at their disposal during the forthcoming general election if they had not squandered their available resources by the prolonged but futile strikes in New Mouth Wales and Queensland. However thsir ideas are so crude and shallow, and their modes of action so unscrupulous and ill-timed, that it is perhaps just as well in the public interest that they fail to utilise the political power at their disposal.

The He v. F. B. Boyce, a zealous temperance worker, has furnished us with his annual statement of the national drink bill, most of which, there is reason to fear represents money quite as idiotically wasted, as that which has boon thrown away on strikes. For 1890 the amount is set down at £1,909,<300 or £los Sd per head for every man woman and child iu the community. About i'l'O per family, and probably at least 7"> per cent of it has gone to increase the sum of human misery and poverty rather than to add to the sum of health, vigour and innocent enjoyment.

Tho "hill" i.s ;is per Load loss than that of lust year. Some portion of tlio decrease must no doubt bo credited to the growth of temperance. But against this must bo set the fact that the consumption of cheap (and nasty) spirits is increasing, and the higherpriced and reliable descriptions are being pushed out of the marketCheap raw and fiery Hamburg spirit, which a considerate man would not offer to his worst enemy, are palmed off by the use of various essences, colourings, etc, as< genuine rum, brandy, or whatever else may be in request. It is intoxicating, and that is sufficient, and whilst 8 5 largo a proportion of consumer? regard incipient intoxication as the end to be aimed at in drinking, the cheap spirit will always sell more freely than that which is more expensivo. They can get more of what they want for a shilling, and that is the philosophy of trade as at present understood. But what marvellous changes in the way of material comfort and solid independence that £20 per annum might produce if more carefully saved or more wisely spent. I [ere is a fund which men can freely draw upon without conspiracy, terrorism, or any dislocation of useful industry. But it is being reduced very slowly, and as long as it retains its present huge dimensions any permanent improvement of Mie condition of tlio masses must be proportionately small. Mr Bcvill, the secretary of the. Licensed Virf nailers' Association, has challenged Mr Bovce's figures, and apparently wishes to maintain, in the interests of his employers, that it would be better for the people if they spent more money in liquor than they do at present. To any observer of the hard and cruel fact sot'actual life, such a contention lias only to be stated to lie scouted. I am neither a, total abstainer nor a prohibitionist, but I would rather cut oil' my right hand than counsel my fellow citizens to spend more money than they do in ''putting an enemy into their mouths to steal away their brains," and not only their brains, but their self-respect and the comfortable sustenance of their homes and their families. Mr Tievill presents an amended drink bill j of his own which gives a grently re-

duci'd total, lint that it is entiiely inaccurate is evident from his estimate of the price of colonial beer which he sets down at two shillings per gallon. But- the question at issue i.s: How much money is spent by the people and I venture to say that the majority of colonial beer drinkers pay more nearly three shillings a gallon than t vo. This, again, depends on the number of ''long-slecvers " in a gallon, a quantity which i.s commonly believed to vary with the idiocyncracy and circumstances of the individual purveyor, If Mr Bevill's arguments are of no more cogency than the alleged facts on which they are based, tliey will only carry conviction to those who are convinced already.

"The strikers are firm, and tht> pastoralists will have to give way." is the last utterance of the labour leaders ■ —and a very comforting utterance it i.s to those of them who are being paid for fomenting this gigantic ulcer in the body politic, for it certainly means a prolongation of the .struggle, anil, therefore, of the subsistence money until the end of the shearing season —say, in December. If it is true, it is obvious that the other workers will feel tho pinch long before that time, anil, even if willing, will be unable to continuo their contributions. A strike, it must be remembered, always tends to burn itself out, not merely by aonsnining tho substance of its members, but by closing up their sources of supply. Even if the pastoralists, then, could get no other men to (lo the work, it may be questioned whether the prediction which heads this paragraph would be borne out by facts. But when it is remembered that tho pastoralists have no difficulty in getting as many men as they require—their offices are absolutely rushed by applicants for all classes of employment— the famous self-deception of the prediction appears in ii very striking light. We need only go back to the Sydney maritime strike to remember that stupid talk of this kind was indulged in to the very last, one section even keeping up the silly pretence whilst the others were flocking back to work. If victory habitually inclined to the side which told the biggest lies, tliprn might be some excuse for these prodigies of mendacity, but at present I can see nontf. One thing I think has been made abundantly clear, mid that is that the law in its present state is quite unable to cope with the peculiar developments which attend these struggles. Coercion of individuals and destruction of property are intrinsically two of the very gravest crimes against social peace and prosperity. Yet I venture to say that offenders in this direction will have rather derived encouragement than detriment from the course of the Queensland conspiracy trials. Whilst counsel, judge anil jury have been splitting hairs week after we>;k about tweedledum and tweedledee, the country might have been fired from one end to tho other, and probably would have been if there were not more promptitude and resource in tho individual citizen than there is in the administration of justico. For generations what wo call "law and justice" has been little better than a tedious and ruinously costly farce. Something real and effect ivo is needed to conserve real liberties, and wo have evidently fallen on times which aro making painfully manifest the absence of the vital principle.

Business continues quiet, the " tightness" in tho local money market it'.ul the general distrust caused by the tactics of tho labour leaders tending to restrict enterprise and diminish the amount of employment ottering. Maize has a slightly better market at 2s 2d to 2s Id. Other descriptions of produce show little or no change since my last quotation.--.