Suicides of the Press.

The report of the Auckland branch of the Typographical Union opens up some important questions, and the extract on another page is worthy of serious consideration, as giving the views of thoughtful men on the subject. The suggestion that journeymen's wages should be the standard upon which estimates are based is so reasonable and obvious that nothing but a grasping and suicidal competition could ever have led to any other basis being adopted. But every day's experience shews that in many, if not most, offices boy labor is the standard—if, indeed, the whole result is not reached by « rule of thumb. » The result is seen in disgraceful work, and in the degradation of an honorable profession. It is easier to indicate causes than to find a remedy, and the report before us says: « Unfortunately your Board cannot discern any means for the immediate amelioration of this state of things. » But we would remind the « cut-throat » masters who run offices with boy (and girl) labor, and turn the unfortunates adrift after two or three years, utterly unqualified to earn a living at the trade—that this system is far more expensive than to employ the best skilled labor; that, except under the most careful supervision, the loss in damaged machinery, wasted material, and spoiled work, together with general carelessness, slowness, and want of efficiency, more than equals the difference in wages. It is evident that in every printing office there should be one or more learners, to relieve skilled hands of unprofitable duties, and in time to take their places—but the common practice of filling an office with youths, with one half-skilled man to look after them, is as mischievous in the long run to the employer as it is to the trade as a whole.

Every trade in the colony suffers from the same cause; but the evil which lies deepest, and is most difficult to reach, is one peculiar to the printing and publishing trade. Many offices are not run as commercial concerns at all. A local clique requires an organ to work a point—a would-be statesman who can find no independent paper to support his candidature, opens an office of his own—a religious or charitable league think (vain hope!) that by starting their own office they can pay their expenses by profits on job-work. Generally these concerns die young—but the evil does not end here. Two or three men out of work buy the plant for a trifle, raising the purchase money by mortgage; work as they would never work for a master; cut prices to gain a connexion; fail—the concern passes into other hands, and the mischief is perpetuated. But the evil is intensified when a paper is run as a private organ by a candidate or politician who is possessed of wealth. We have known thousands of pounds sunk in offices which supplied no public want, and in which profit was an entirely secondary object. As exponents of « public opinion, » journals like these are a libel on the community, while commercially they have well-nigh succeeded in ruining the trade. We lately saw a great rarity in a little coast paper—a leading article. We read it with some interest—only to find that the proprietor was the local brewer, and was extolling his own beer! The legitimate tradesman has to compete with trading companies and wealthy amateurs. Here is the great evil with which the trade is infested—but where is the remedy?

A very suspicious matter has been brought to light during the past month, and no satisfactory explanation has yet appeared. Just before the general election, the Wellington Post copied from the Lyttelton Times an article headed « Men of Mark in Finance, » professedly from an English paper dated some time in June last, entitled the Financial Critic, in which Sir Julius Vogel was belauded. Some little surprise was occasioned by the article, Sir Julius not being in very high favor with the English financial press. But there were some curious circumstances connected with the matter. No one could be found who had seen or heard of such a paper—it was unknown to press directories and post office registers; the article itself, though commencing with the editorial « we, » several times lapsed into the first person singular, and, slight as the detail may appear to casual readers, it was a remarkable fact that one of the papers editorially referred to the opinions expressed as from « the financial critic »—an equivocal way of printing the title of a contemporary. The Wellington Press, after making special enquiries, denounced the article as a fraud, and stated that no Financial Critic existed. The Post retorted that the newspaper was known to persons in New Zealand, and that two copies of the issue containing the article had been received in the colony—one having been sent to the editor of the Lyttelton Times, and another to Sir Julius Vogel. The Press, in reply, challenged any person in the colony to produce a copy; but the challenge has not been taken up. We lately received direct from the publisher a copy of Sell's marvellously-complete Press directory, only just published—and there is no Financial Critic there. The affair reminds us of Mr Gammon's celebrated tombstone in Ten Thousand a-Year. « Dr Ghoul, » being a quack, may advertise laudatory notices of his « American Slops, » with such names as Times and Tribune attached to mislead the unwary; but never before in New Zealand have we known this particular kind of quackery to be attempted in politics. As the two journals chiefly concerned do not admit that they have been hoaxed, the public are entitled to a full explanation. At present it would appear that there is an inventive genius somewhere who deserves to rank with Ananias—and Shapira.

No country is « free » where the Government presumes to intermeddle with the natural development of legitimate trade. In the United States, an alien may land in the country, and take his chance of finding work or becoming a « tramp; » but if his abilities are such as to have procured him an engagement beforehand, the least inconvenience that will befal him (according to our excellent contemporary the American Lithographer) is imprisonment until such time as he can arrange for a passage back to his own country, while his enterprising employer forfeits to the State $1000! Truly an excellent way to keep brains out of the country. The time is not far distant when « protectionist » and « lunatic » will be regarded as synonyms.

With a view to make the New Zealand Typographical Association more popular, it has been suggested that its constitution be amended by the addition of a « Provident » branch, which shall make grants in case of death, sickness, or accident. A draft of suggested alterations in the rules has been circulated. While the object of the scheme is very laudable, we regard the proposal as a mistake. There may be « too much of a good thing, » and there are already in New Zealand too many friendly societies for its limited population.