694 Transactions. — Miscellayieous . 



becoming apparent. From the individual to the family, the 

 family to the guild, the guild to the society, the society to the 

 community, the community to the State, such is the evolution 

 of human interests in the history of every people when pass- 

 ing from individualism to communism, or from savagery to a 

 highly organized form of government. 



The late Sir Arthur Helps, in his book on " Social Pres- 

 sure," says of government, " I believe it to be true that never 

 is paternal government so needful as when civilisation is most 

 advanced. The more advanced the civilisation the less power- 

 ful is the individual, and the more he requires to have a care- 

 ful father, who should look after him and befriend him . He has 

 become a part of a machine, and there is great need that the 

 regulator of the machine should be a living, acting, forcible 

 creature, who should have a feehng for all the separate por- 

 tions of the machine he regulates." We have in these few 

 lines the gist of the whole matter. The individual is beset 

 with so many opposing interests in a highly organized society 

 that in reaching a certain social stage he sinks to a mere 

 cipher, as a potent factor in the race of men. He cannot 

 climb, and, if he would, finds every walk of life graded in 

 such a way that advance is almost impossible. We have 

 seen that there are people in the colony who under the present 

 social conditions cannot possibly save from their eai'nings. 

 They are ready to work, and capable of working. What 

 ought to be done with men of this class ? And yet such 

 people are happy compared with thousands and tens of 

 thousands of workpeople in England and other lands where 

 a highly differentiated stage of social life exists, and as time 

 goes on this condition will manifest itself with us as the 

 introduction of manufacturing industries goes on under free 

 competitive conditions. 



Already there is a tendency to the lowering of the average 

 earnings of factory-hands. In 1891 the average earnings of 

 29,880 persons who were engaged in industrial work in fac- 

 tories and workshops amounted to £73 19s. per head per 

 annum. At the end of 1895 the average earnings had fallen 

 to £69 13s. ll^d. ; the male workers showing at the same 

 time a diminution of 14-6 per cent., whilst the females in- 

 creased 48-3 per cent. The same tendency to a lower average 

 rate of pay, owing to competition, is manifested among 

 teachers, and no doubt the professions generally have experi- 

 enced a similar tendency. But with these facts before us, 

 and seeing that such organizations as are now in operation 

 for making provision against sickness, &c., are simply the 

 outcome of a desire among individuals who were weak to 

 protect themselves against some form of injustice, is it not 

 possible for the State, as a big father, to come to the help of 



