Register (Adelaide, SA : 1901 - 1929), Wednesday 18 August 1926, page 19


NOTES & QUERIES.

?INDUSTRIAL DISPUTES AND THE CHURCH.

From PARIS NESBIT.— I ask leave to piake an addition to my letter appearing fn .The Krister o£ Tuesday. When I exnrpoanrt agreement with the Rev.

Depledge ayses. m saying 'Jico-nomics lias its ' basis in ethics; what is morally ?wrong can never lie economically sound or right; what is economically wrong can never be morally or spiritually right,' I assumed tha? he used the word 'economics' in an enlarged cense . as equivalent to -social science. Strictly speaking, political economy, m it? original sense, is aimply the science which Investigates the principles governing the production nnd, distribution of wealth. , In this sense it has nothing to do with, ethics. Many years ago I was standing in a street in Hobart conversinc with probably the Ki-eateat statist' or his tune, Dr. UiKen, afterwards Sir Robert Giffeu. ' A beggar approached, and I Rive him a stilling. Dr. Giffen said to me 'Political economy teaches us never to dive to beffljars.' .Of course, political economy does nothing 01 the sort. It simply tells us that the practice of civins to beggars tends to produce, certain economic consequences. Whether we should therefore refrain train civiiijr. to betwars is a question in social science. Mill, in the introduction to his book on political economy, points out the distinction between that science and socjal science. It is ridiculous to talk as some io about breakins the laws o£ poltical economy. They can bo more be broken than can the law of gravitation; although we may take such action as under the laws, of political econopy, or- under the law of gravitation, may involve the nation, or may involve ourselves, iu undesirable eongeqjiences. ,TRAFFIC TRAFFIC AND SOUNDING HORNS. From 'DR. NIL':— A motoring expert has told the Commission on Traffic Re-gulation that he' thinks motors should not pe furnished with loud horns, as they give drivers an overwhelming sense of confidence, which results in reckless driving and. many jwcldents. He says motors should be . ? ilerit, and that their drivers, should ?'trust to their brakes.' At first, when I read this, I :wns disinclined to_ agrea with him; later, on carefully considering the matter, I concluded that he was right. Jn fact I formed the opinion that the argument was capable of a much wider application. Just as it appears to be true that when a motorist has sounded ha horn he thinks that it is the other chap's business to get out of the way without any further care tipou his awn part, the railway engine driver probably/ imagines himself exempt from responsibility for running down a motorist after once he has blown nis whistle (especially ii it be one of the new American kind). So let all en« . gine whistles be abolished and drivers compelled to slow down to two miles per hour at all level crossings. In like manner, steamboats should not have sirens oc foghorns. Probably many collisions- are caused at sea by captains blowing their whistles and then expecting other ships to get out o£ their way. In the last case the proper proceeding would be. to stopi or go astern, when, there js any chance of something being in rthe neighbourhood with whicit.^heyj migJjt'possiljly- collide. / RABBITS IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA. From A. T. SAUNDERS :— In the Ob- server, 10/11/55, is an advertisement of Eardley Heywood, Moorundee— 'Wanted, 50 to 100 wild rabbits.' THE PREMIER AND ECONOMICS.

From 'A. L.';— Mr. Lyall replies for that 'expert ? in political economy,'-. Mr. J. A. Hodgson, . that 'of course a. .workman should receive/the full 'product i-r his labour.' ~Very clumsily put; as.% a Judge would say, :'Jt fails: for vagueness/' but, presumably. -it must mean that nothing :inay be deducted for rent, interest.1 depreciation, management, or inventive skill? I trust I'do not wrong these learned dogmatists on Neo-political . economy? If this.enunciation.alone.be not enough to condemn their views as crazy, the actual results in practice will cause their destruction at -the hands of their misled partisans. Capital is our best, if not only, barrier against famine. Mr. L. seeks in the depreciated £ an excuse for piracy of all other shares by the workman; but if he is to grab all the production,' it cannot matter what the currency may be. He asks why I use a nom de plume? WelT, I do not like advertisement.. No doubt, he thinks the fifth proposition of Euclii to bo 'hoary and archaic,' but it would stand as true to-day had that author signed, himself . only 'E.' . ..'Where .do, I get my economies?' he asks! From a widely different Bource from ' J: -It. Ii.'b,' which are based solely on assumption, destructible at once on calm consideration by any one with brains. Political economy is mostly only mathematics applied with commonsenEe. ?dy correspondents may do well, therefore, to master some of the former, even if (for obvious reasons) they fail in the application of the latter. . PROHIBITION. From the REV. FRANK LADE:— It is much to be deplored that Mr. Campbell Smith should have been so .frugal and inconsequential in his references to prphi* bition when questioned by your interviewer. 'What aboutprohibition?' ? asked the reporter. 'To all intents and purposes it seems to be a failure,' replied Mr. Smith, and then practised the most rigid economy in displaying the data, on which thia sweeping conclusion was founded. 'If you know the ropes you can get liquor at any time, and good liquor at that.' As a contrast to this unfavourable verdict, take the opening of. Sir E.J. Benn in his book. 'Confessions of a Capitalist.'' The sixth edition of this work has appeared, althounh.it was published only last September. The writer spent five weeks in America,' and says: — 'The length, to which American determination to secure personal efficiency has gons is, of course, shown by prohibition. Prohibition is prif manly an efficiency scheme. It gives more production and no argument' could appeal more strongly to the American worker ' than that. Prohibition is therefore an assured success. From » the American point of view, and there is little- risk d a change of policy, it ia, without question, the most serious industrial force in the world to-day.' But Mr. Campbell Smith thinks it is to all intents and purposes a failure: The only reason he gives for this serious indictment* is ..the -contrabam traffic! It ia a pity that some of. our public men, when they return from America, show themselves adepts at focussing the public gnzc on 'the fly in the oinfment' of American prohibition, thus, discrediting the ointment itself. They need to be told tbat this all too popular prao ticeargues something more serious than a mere defect in the sense of proportion. EARLY SCHOOLS.

From MRS. G. S. TURNER:-The cor-respondence on early schools in The Regis-ter of August 7 and 16 is interesting to me, as an early colonist, having arrived in the John Renwick, 1837, with Mr. Giles Abbott (my grandfather) and his three sons, their wives and children. My father, Thomas Abbott, had a small cart made and drawn by a Newfoundland dog, and four of us children were taken to school each day (Mr. Hewett's) in Abbott's lane, 1839 and 1840. I am in my ninety-second year and living at Reynella. Miss Holbrook (not Holdbrook, Register, August 1) came with Governor Gawler, and had the infant school in Trinity, with Governor Gawler's daughters, and was a sister to Mrs. Dr. Davies, late Mrs. T. N. Turner (nee Hol-brook) had charge of the Stockport Public School for many years. Miss Holbrook and I married brothers, T. N. and G. S. Turner, from England. FIRST BAPTISM IN THE TORRENS. From A. T. SAUNDERS:— In the obituary of Mrs. Harman (The Register. 10/8/1926). it is said that she arrived in 1850, and witnessed the- first baptism which took place in the Torrens. This ia wrong. . The Southern Australian (13/10/40) records that David McLaren then manager of the South Australian Company, and a Baptist, had baptized several persons in the Torrens, and The Register (13/9/48) records baptisms in the river near Company's Bridge, and men-tions previous baptisms in 1840. OLD SCHOOLS. From A. T. SAUNDERS:— J. Hodgson, of Knightsbridge, evidently ' Very old, wrote to me on 9/3/26 as follows: — ' In your list of schools there are omissions, namely, Mr. Haire's School, which was In Gilbert street, or South terrace, in which school the Downers were educated. Miss- Hillier, a daughter of the Mrs. Hillier in that row of houses - on North terrace (Immediately west of Chalmers Church, on land now partly occupied by Kelvin Buildings), built by the Hon. O. M. Waterhouse, once Premier of South Australia and of New

Zealand. At this school the two sons of Charles Jacobs, Nat and Michael, attended, also Miss Kitty Solomon, afterwards Mrs. Salom, 'Wil-liam Lyons,' and many others, including myself The row of houses has been pulled down to make way for the Electric Supply building. Miss Hillier married a Mr. Taylor while I was attend-ing her school, a returned gold digger; he was later on an employee of E. Solomon, auc-tioneer, of Hindley street, about two doors west of Clutterbuck's (I think Clutterbuck's is where Solomon &.'Saloni's' auction mart was). An-other of the early schools was tbat conducted by W. A. Cawthorne, where the City Market now is, at the west end of what is now Page street. J. L. Young's School was in Ebenezer place, in the rear of Ebenezer Chapel, then commonly known aa Peacock's Chapel, as Mr. Peacock built it. Mr. Young later moved to Stephens place. Mr. Macgowan's School was on North terrace. I am glad to have this letter, though I recall having seen some of the history it mentions, and am specially glad to know the history of that terrace of houses. Mr. Charles Birks told me that his parents lived in one of those houses soon after they arrived here, 4/12/33, per Leonidas, Capt. Tadman, from London, Dr. Birks, wife, and seven children. The Register (16/12/53) records that then Young's school was back of Freeman Street Church, and' (19/6/54) records the school examiuation. Of course I mentioned only some of the early schools . I did not mention Wickes and Titherington, or the as-sisted schools. . The Register (2/2/54) records that; E. W. Wicks was made sec-retary of the Board of Education. The Register (17/3/1854 and 23/3/54) records the exact .position of Solomon's auction mart, and the Royal Hotel. The Register (22/7/58) has a long account of Ebenezer Chapel, built in 1851, and (17/11/56) has the account of a great fire at Hindley and Leigh streets, mentioning Salomon's auction mart and the Royal Hotel. The Register (17/12/69) mentions Haire's Col-lege, Whitmore square, and says its first examination was in 1849. The Register (5/10/67) t records the death of \ the Rqy. J. B. Titherington, who arrived 1548 (Wicks & Titherington) . and (3/8/68) the death of E. W. Wickes, aged 73, arrived I845. 'Bie Register (30/5/46 and 3/6/46) reports the marriage of C. Jacobs, of Sydney, to Elizabeeth, daushter. of M. Joshua, the first Jewish marriago in Adelaide, and The Observer (7/8/88) publishes a notice of the death o£ Mr. Jacobs. The Register (30/5/46) gives a full des-cription of. the portable repertory given to the Synagogue by Burnet Nathan. 27/5/1846 (5,606), and mentions (4/10/18) that the Hobtews met in the Tnvistock buildings, Rundle' street east, and (5/9/50) a long record of the consecration of the Synagogue, acre 37 Rundle street, now Synagogue place. MR. EpWARDS'S OHALLENGE. FFrom the Hon. A. POYNTOlf:— Some fpw weeks ago Mr, A. A. Edwards, M.P., in a speech in the House of AsscjhHy made certain charges, and challeHged. the Leader of the Opposition to include his charges in a commission of enquiry, wfiict the latter was asldne; for. The Leadei of the Opposition challenged Mr.- Edwards to make his statement Outside of the House, which Mr- Edwards Jias done ot two occasions. Hi» challenge to ' thi Leader of the Opposition stands good,, anc up to date the Leader of tht Opposition has been silent. I believe that the party'i future is' of more tmportaiica thaa thf individual, and if there ia any truth, in Mr Edwards's insinuations the whole matte) should be cleared up in the interest of thf Federal Liberal Party,. If these charge! stand without further investiRaticm thi party is in a hnmiliatins position, «$d so far as I am concerned, tha matter can riot remain where it ia at. present* I Mr. Edwards.. is wronit, prov* it. apd i not, bring home the Ruil t to him or thosi who are. Kiiilty. In the intsrest oj hi party the Leader of tfie Opposition dan not 'leave the matter where it is at pra sent. The interests of the party are mucl Kreater than tlie individual,- and Mr.'Ed wards's challenge cannot be EloSned over Ha is Riiilty of a etoss libel, or he speak; the tnith;~t!ierefor-j let there be no husl up in this matter.- iThe: stakes are toi great to tenworipe with aiich ^Br^Sfrioji ehajge. , . . -^ -*