OUR SYDNEY LETTER.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3330, 23 September 1911, Page 3

OUR SYDNEY LETTER.

' POLITICAL. JTBOM ODE OWN CORRESPONDENT. J SYDNEY,, Sept: 12. Both in the Eederal and in tne State Legislature we are getting an object lesson as to the working or the l ‘ ‘ironclad. pledge” in practical politics-, and its effect in nullifying the will of the people. During tne recess the electors administered the severest rebuff that it is possible to conceive on the Fisher Ministry by contuineliously- rejecting the amendments which it had drawn up for the purpose of enormously increasing its own powers at the expense of those reserved to the States. A British Government .would have disdained to held office under such conditions.. But, safe in the knowledge of the strength of the pledge, which hinds the party to vote as one man on vital questions, the Government calmly ignores tlie unmistakeable mandate of the constituencies, and goes on its way as complacently as if it still 'enjoyed their confidence. The historian of the fu- ‘ cure will probably he puzzled to find a tiam; for this procedure. He certainly will not be • able to call it ‘ ‘Democracy,” because it is a flat defiance of democracy. In the State Parliament tin:- position is even worse. Having secured a majority of one vote by the short and easy method of taking that vote from the other side, by putting one of its members in the chair as Speaker, the party, by virtue of this same “ironclad pledge,” defies all the wholesome precedents and traditions by which, in the past, the obvious abuses of party government have been tempered, and, by virtue o|f the trick which gives it the preponderance, carries on as if it possessed a majority by tlie will of the people. Even if the Speaker were to be guilty of the most unworthy and tyrannical conduct, lie could rely with the utmost confidence on the support of the majority of one, which owes its existence to his presence in the Chair. This is certainly not government by the people, or for the people. It is government by the “ironclad pledge),” for the benefit of a party. Of course, the people, who placed the party in a position to play these pranks, are ultimately responsible, and. their only excuse will be that; “they didn’t know it was loaded.” But, when the next election comes along, it will be interesting to see whether they will vote for democratic rule, or for that of the “ironclad pledge.” EMPLOYMENT. Tlie report of tlie Director of Labor is of a highly favorable character. ‘The proportion of unemployed is very small and it is reasonable to suppose that the greater number of these are either undesirables, either by misfortune or default, or else are on the look-out for some clean and genteel billet, in which they -will not be required to soil their hands. There is assuredly no shortness of this latter class., A mercantile firm the other day advertised for a clerk, and received over 200 applications for the position. Many of the applicants would! have been willing to accept almost any remuneration that might be offered. This is a sample of the incidents that are used to demonstrate that there is no scarcity of labor, and that it is therefore, a cruel wrong to attempt to encourage immigration. This is another point on which the good sense of the community is at issue with the “ironclad” party, and it is difficult to see how a battle-royal on this vital question can long be deferred. Are the people to rule, or only an irreconcileable section of the people ? NEWCASTLE. Newcastle would hardly know itself if it were free from the prospect if immediate labor trouble. From this point of 1 view it was probably never better off than under the “Vend”, agreement, which based the hewing rate on the selling price, and kept up tlie selling price at the high figure demanded by the miners. * But the vend agreement lias been made the pretext of ruinously costly legal proceedings:, and mine-owners declare that they will have no more to do with private agreements with their’men. but will fall back on the wages boards, which cannot, at any rate, be challenged on tlie score of illegality. The miners, on the other hand, utterly refuse to recognise the boards. They deny the right of any tribunal to intervene between employers and the union. Trouble number one. Another, even more acute, and more urgently pressing, is the strike of the wheels, who carry the coal from the miners to the shaft. They demand wages, which, a little while ago would have been considered high for skilled tradesmen, and. in some mines, they have already refused work, thus bringing everything to a standstill. No chain is stronger than its ..weakest link, and it is impossible to work coalmines without The remedy suggested by the union: officials is that the miners themselves should, take charge of the horses, and do the wheeling.. But they have the very- strongest disinclination to act as strikebreakers, and, moreover, they know well that the wheelers have very potent means of getting even with any miner who provokes their displeasure. The present outlook is that they will refuse to undertake the work, and in that case mine after mine will be laid idle. Moving representations are being made concerning the trade which is being driven away bythe stoppage. But the men are unwilling, perhaps they are. unable, to look beyond the matters immediately in dispute. They always have struck when they were dissatisfied, and they have worried through somehow. Why should they not strike now ? Fortunately the coal mines of Illawarra and Lithgow are working, so that the inconvenience entailed on the public will not be so serious as it would be if the case were otherwise. VERY GRATIFYING. Harassed parents fail to follow the Governor-General in the statement put. into his Excellency’s mouth by his responsible advisers to the effect that the “patriotic response” of the-'Australian schoolboy to the call for. univeisal training has been “very gratifying.” Where the lads happen to be the breadwinners of tlie family, and their health and industrial prospects suffer through their being compelled to obey the behests of the Government, there is very little that can be .truly said to be “gratifying” about the business. Had the call been for volunteers, as many content that it should have been ; then no doubt it would have been possible to. say that the response had been gratifying. But, ' under existing conditions, it is regarded as adding insult to injury. It would be no more ridiculous to say that the response of importers to the demand for Customs duties, or the response of landowners to the requirements’ of the Taxation Commissioner, had been “gratifying,” than to taunt the poor little kiddies in this heartless fashion. A large proportion, doubtless, attend because they like the prospect of training, and their parents approve. But, there is a very considerable minority to whom the training come" as. an additional infliction to a lot which "was

hard enough before, and the reflection that the infliction is altogether unnecessary does not at all tend to make it more “gratifying.”

RACING. Tattersall’s meeting on Saturday was of special interest, first, as being the recognised opening of tlie spring season, and secondly, because a large number of the “cracks” most fancied lor the big events which are to- follow, were engaged. In the Chemsford Stakes, for instance, no fewer than 14 Derby horses faced the starter, Malt King being made a good favorite. The favorite apparently made his effort too late, and finished fourth, still going strong. ‘'The Maori Lander, Los Angelos, cut down the field, and after a most exciting nec’k-and-neck struggle with that grand liorse Flavians, won tlie race by half a neck, the pair being four lengths away from Bright Laddie, the third liorse. Vice-Admiral, another N.Z. horse, started - favorite for the Spring Handicap, but ran. badly, finishing sixth. The Tramway Handicap was won by Grist, who had been, appraised by the 'market at long odds, the favorite being Malt Mary, who failed to get a place. Backers, it will be seen, were unfortunate in their selections, but tire wary, ones, knowing that the horses that are most fancied are rarel- at tlieir best so early in the season, were cautious in tlieir operations BOXING.

Tlie boxing boom continues. All expectation that the “white hope” had been found in. Bill Lang vanished on Saturday, when, after 20 rounds of very “'willing’ fighting, the Australian champion was beaten on points by Jack Lester, a- Canadian youngster, who : is not yet old enough toi vote. According to tlie cognoscenti, the winner is not the “white hope” either. He has invincible determinations, a heavy punch, and can take severe punishment as if lie liked it. But, of the coldblooded methods of modern) “scientific” boxing, the picking out of vulnerable parts, and’ the rest of the secrets of the black art of disabling an opponent, he is said to be blissfully ignorant. Some critics do not hesitate to declare that, although he is now tlie heavyweight champion of Australia, he will net be able-to live five rounds with Johnson and that he would only make a nioutnful for Langford or McVea. But others think that if, as a mere novice, he could win the championship from a tried fighter like Lang, he ought to be able to make a respectable showing against others. PRIVATE ENERPRISE.

“We should have had railway communication between the Central Railway Station and North Sydney years ago had it been left to the people to find the requisite capital.” So writes our best-informed financial authority. So also, in all probability, should we have had railway communication between other centres which, in the public interest, are in more urgent need of it. But we should also have offended all the conservatives who swear by Government construction because they have never seen anything else. So also should we have offended all the doctrinaires and all the fanatics, who maintain on tlie principle that “The State,” meaning by the term, for the most part, their worthy selves, should construct and control everything. They would be howling against the “coldblooded. extortionate capitalist” from every slump in the country. Of two evils it is wise to choose the least. lo be without railways is not so bad as to induce investors to put their money' into undertakings in which they would not 'be allowed to make any nrofit, and which, it is more than probable, the Government of the day might) make it its business to bring to ruin.