The Waikata Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE. Equal and exact justice to all men, Of whatsoever state or persuasion, religious or political. TUESDAY, JULY 5, 1892,

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIX, Issue 3116, 5 July 1892, Page 2

The Waikata Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE. Equal and exact justice to all men, Of whatsoever state or persuasion, religious or political. TUESDAY, JULY 5, 1892,

Soiee years ago an effort was made to obtain, legislative authority to enforce measures for suppressing the codlin moth pest in this colony. An Act, amending the Oodliu Moth Act, was drafted under the auspices of the Waikato Horticultural Society, which provided means of dealing with the pest, and compelling orchardists or others to either take measures to clean their orchards or cut down their trees. The proposal was met with strong opposition in certain quarter?, and consequently no action was taken in Parliament on the matter. A great change has taken place iu public opinion during the last year or two. The moth has spread rapidly through the length and breadth of the land, and its ravages and the loss to so important an industry, as fruit-raising at one time promised to be, is now being realised. In this,district, so far as we can ascertain, there is scarcely a single orchard that is not more or less affocted with this terrible plaguo. The fruit industry, which should be a source of considerable revenue to our settlers, is now practically valueless. A meeting of the members of the Waikato Horticultural Society and others interested will, we understand, be shortly convened to consider what further action it is desirable to cake in connection with the codlin moth and other pests. We can scarcely imagine anyone now who would oppose measures being taken to suppress, if possible, the nuisance. We have had the opportunity of perusing the "Codlin Moth Act" which is now in force in Tasmania, and we think that a somewhat similar measure might, with advantage be adopted here. Under this Act power is given to divide the whole colony into fruit districts, and empowers l.he fruit growers to elect a Board for each particular district for the purpose of administering the Act. Every fruit grower has to mako a return annually, showing the number of acres planted with fruit trees iu his occupation. A roll of fruit growers is then prepared and each Board has power to levy a tax of so much per acre on every orchard within its district. Inspectors are appointed who are empowered to enter and inspect orchards and report on the same and the Boards are empowered to order any orchard to be cut down. Penalties varying in degree are provided for non-ooui-pliance with or evasion of the Act, which are recoverable in a summary wny. The Governor in Council has also the power to vest the administration of the Act in the local authorities, who would then constitute the Board under the Act. This appears to be a very important and useful provision. It would secure the services of representative men who would have an accurate knowInge of their particular district and would minimise the cost of working the Act as the clerk to the local body could very well be the Inspector. We trust that the meeting will be v.vl: ,'.cend"d by all those who take.ui I'.it'Tfst in our fr.iif. industry. If anything is to bo done of a practical nature now is the time to move in the matter. The question is simply this, are our orchards to remain as they are now, simply profitless and useless, or are we «oing to make some effort to o-rapple with the difficulty ?

The present comiitiou of working men, almost throughout AustiMli.-i, is such as to awaken the deepest i-r----flections in the minds of thoughtful inrn. Possessed of f,'rcat natuiiil advantages, of enormous wealtli niul almost ftvery coiiceivablo facility for the profitable employment of a populiilion umiiwisiiralily larger than its prosaic one. And yet what do w<; liiul? Thc(hret) wealthiest of the Australian colonics, viz., New South Walps, Victoria and Quonnslaiifl arc coiifronU'.d witli an unnniploycd difficulty, of such proportions as we say unhesitatingly should never have been witnessed in a new and fertile country. The number of unemployed persons in these colonies being of late a source o? grave national concern, thousands of able-bodied men, many with families depending upon them, arc unable to obtain employmont of any kind and wora« j still, there seems to be no immediate prospect of any improvement in this direction. While the prosecution of large public works was going on, and immense sums of British money circulating, everything went well. But now through a variety of causes, chiefly the stringency of the London money market, these are being very largely curtailed and unfortunately there seems to be little disposition on the part of private capital to take its place. As the Australian labourer has sown so he is reaping. Every step that was in any way calculated to harass or block private enterprise, has, for a long time past, been systematically taken by him. Combinations of working men, led by unscrupulous agitators have acted together for the avowed purpose of injuring and intimidating those, who, at a time like this, could have done so much to relieve the congested labour market. Labour members were even sent to Parliament pledged to obstruct all works, except thoso undertaken by the State. Like " Sampson" they have been powerful to destroy, but it was not difficult to foretell who would suffer the most. The thousands of homeless men who are now sleeping in the parks at night, and wandering

about in a fruitless search for work by day, will have had at least time to reflect upon the results of their successful dislocating of the relations which formerly existed between capital and labour. Yet many of them infatuated as ever with the charm of Government work and Government pay, are clamouring for more public works no matter where the money has to come from or who may have to pay the piper for it, by increased taxation in the near future. Upon this aspect of the question the Sydney Mail writes : — Meanwhile there is a wide and somewhat wild discussion as to the means by which the lack of employment is to be permanently removed. In some quarters there is a disposition to look to the Government for a remedy, and it is held that the Government ought to provide employment for the people. The fact, however is, that the Government being so large an employer of labour directly or indirectly, is in a great measure responsible- for the diminution of the amount of private em ployment, upon the steady growth of which, the prosperity of the wage-earners so greatly depends. Employment must come either from the Government or private enterprise. Private enterprise cannot and will not continue to provide it without regard to the question of profit or loss, and if the Government endeavour to provide it without regard to the question of proSt and loss the Government will find itself sooner or later in a state of bankruptcy. If the attempt then be made to escape by means of increased taxation, the effect of lhat will be to reduce private enterprise to a still lower elib. To provide abundant employment there should be elasticity and growth in private enterprise but that requires the creation and maintenance of a sense of stability and confidence and that again is the very thing which the wage-earning class, by their acsep :- ance and promulgation of crude social theories, by their aggressive reckless action and by the vagaries of their special representatives in Parliament, have been doing their best to destroy.