The Oamaru Mail. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 1903.

The attack which has just been made on the Minister for Lands and the Cabinet may be viewed as one of those exudations of poisoned thought which pester and fester wherever politics exist. Even in this political exemplar, New Zeaalnd, one is growing accustomed to displays of such moral leprosy as that which Ted to the concoction and promulgation of the yarn that Mr Duncan was about to retire from _ his Ministerial position because he was too ill to retain it; because he would not be permitted to retain it even if he were not too ill- because his colleagues were plotting against him; because the Premier, though hi was bound in honor to be loyal, was deceitfully striving to shake him off;and because others coveted the post with its emoluments. This is ihe venom which viperous ' newspaper correspondents have sought to inject into the veins of our body politic from that Gehenna of the politics y accursed, Wellington. Indeed, they would have us believe that Ministers are actuated by no higher motives than self-aggrandise-ment-that their chief anxiety is to get their salaries, and tliat there is not m them even an infinitesimal trace of genuine loyalty to the people. We know better, and so do thev They have abandoned themselves to thoughts which are inseparable from their unscrupulous natures, Hence they hurl • themselves down the slope as though im--1 pelled by the demon of the swine Will tell us what is the truth of th * matter if it is not to be found in our explanation. There is it would appear, a conspiracy to drive Mr Duncan out of his position. The parties to that conspiracy Save formed a very poor estimate of the attributes of Mr -Duncan's colleagues if they think that they are going to succeed by : means of transparent bluff, air Seddon is not to be overborne by such improper conduct, nor is any of his colleagues. The Premier has, indeed, plainly declared that there is no intention at present to make any Ministerial-change, and Mr Duncan has told us that so far as he knows his position is not to be interfered with. Whatever may , be Mr' Duncan's shortcomings- he is not ' smitten with the meanness of falsehood. Everybody knows that his yea is yea, and his nay, nay. Everybody knows equally well that if the Premier desired to get rid of Mr Duncan he would say so, and do it too, and that Mr Duncan would be the first man to know of his intention. Qur con--5 temporaries, such as the Lyttelton limes, think that Mr Duncan should make way for another. They have a perfect right to express their opinions on such a subject; But no one is justified, merely on account of political antipathy or preference, to de- ■ clare, as a fact, that the Premier and his "■olleagues are of the same.mmd as these and that Mr Duncan has been newapcH— , orders. We suppose, giro,-} nis ™ a °U„ k m public ' however, that those who .?:•■- life must expect such treatmnet as that u> ' which Mr Duncan is being subjected. A sitting of the Supreme Court will be ■ ) held to-morrow in Oamaru. There are two criminal cases and the civil action between 1 Messrs Gay and Perry. The latter may be expected, we understand, to occupy a very ; considerable time and several counsel are engaged. What sort of weather are we going to have? That is the question which is agitating the farmers in this district at present, for everything depends on whether the next few weeks' : afford enough warmth and wind to mature the crops and enable them to be safely got in. Speaking generally, the growing crops, notwithstanding the wet summer, are looking as well as could possibly be desired. Old farmers from the plains and the Maerewhenua Settlement say that the appearance of the grain reminds them of the first crops obtained after the virgin'soii was broken up. Always supposing that the weather is favorable, wheat should thresh out 40 bushels to the acre all round, oats at least 50, and barley about 40, but the area of the latter cereal is very small. We know of individual paddocks in wheat which should produce quite 60 bushels per acre! We are informed that there is a lot of smut about oats, but they are improving, being washed and blown clean, and sun and wind will put them all right. The harvest will not be general for another three weeks or a month, even under the most favorable circumtsances, though Otekaike, Hakataramea (which has a climate of its own), and one or two other outJying places will be a week or two earlier. We'have heard of a few paddocks of selfsown oa£s being cut and harvested already but, as might ge expected, they are not of much account. If—and it is rather a big "if"—farmers get enough sun durmg .the next few weeks, what with the gram and root crops, stock, and dairying, the season will, undoubtedly, be the best all round : for agricultural interests that North i Otago'has,eyer known. And thenj we suppose, the unreasonable clamor for the freehold'will be revived in the Jand. We believe that the New Zealand Loan • and Mercantile Agency Company established a record for Oamaru, at any rate for several years, at their sale of draught horses held last Saturday week. No less than 81 animals were brought forward, of which over 50 changed hands, the turnover being .J&J.400 ! There is at present an ataost'unlimited demand for young, sound draughts, "but they must be good. The district's reputation 'for the possession of good draught stock is higher than ever. The following rates pi wages for the season have been agreed upon by the threshing mill owners m the Ashbufton districtDrivers, 20s minimum; band cutters, 14s per 1000 bushels all round; bagmen and sewers, 12s oats and 13s wheat, per 1000 bushels; stackmen and strawmen, lis oats and 12s wheat per 1000 bushels. The following are the threshing rates: Out of stack, oats 2£d, wheat 33d per bushel; out of stooks, oats 2|d, wheat 3d per bushel ; barley the same rate as wheat. The charges for the use of telephone bureaux have been raised, and are now as follows: For use of a line not more than 25 miles long, 6d fpr a period not exceeding three minutes, and a further 6d for each additional three minutes, or fraction thereof; for the use of a. line, exceeding 25 miles in length, Is for each three minutes or fraction thereof. Half these rates will be charged to subscribers to a telephone exchange. A message calling anyone outside ef bureau premises to the bureau will cost 3d for delivery, but messages for persons out-side' the ordinary limits of delivexywill (be subjected to special charges for delivery, according to the expenses incurred. The limit of time" allowed for tko use of a wire is six minutes if any o'ther person is ! asking for the wire." On Sundays ordinary , rates only are charged. . A very old resident of Oamaru, m the j person of Mrs Ward, wife of Mr John ■ Ward, cabman, of Tees street, passed away , last night. We believe that Mr Ward and i his wife came to the colony as long ago as ; 1862 and settled in Oamaru about 1868. ; The deceased lady, who was very well known and highly respected, had been more i or less an invalid for some years.

■Stock of all sorts in this district have been having the time of their lives this summer. Feed has been so plentiful that it is a fact that many settlers are carrying double the usual number of sheep with a new to utilising their spare feed and taking advantage of the high prices prevailing. There is just a fear, however, that prices may come down rather suddenly soon as the grass is very soft and sappy, and a fortnight of the heat and north-westerly winds which we have a right to cxpect_ here at this time of the year would work a big transformation in the country. Good, scund-mouthed, young breeding ewes would, :oven in that case, probably sustain their present values, as great numbers of old ewes have found their way to the freezing works, but there might, probably would, be a decided drop in prices for other sorts. Of course if "ifs" and "ands" don't turn out pots and pans so much the better, and the farmers themselves are, after all, the best judges. The little birds that whisper in editorial offices sometimes turn out false prophets, if not absolute liars—with the best intentions of course. That is understood. Fat lambs this season have commanded quite fancy prices which, however, are easing off now. Store cattle, too, are in strong demand. While the wet season has leen perfect

for root crops in this district, it has also very much interfered with the working of the ground. However, there are magnificent crops of turnips, rape, potatoes, etc. The latter got a very severe shaking a lewweeks ago from frost, and it was feared that large areas of the tubers had been practically destroyed but, fortunately, except at Waiareka and one or two other isolated places, the plants have made a splendid recovery, and the yield should be very large. What the price will be, of course, is a horse of a totally different color, but we shall be surprised if potatoes, especially Derwents, do not pay growers a fair profit. - It is exceedingly gratifying to note the way in which the North Otafjo. Dairy Company is going ahead. . Indeed, it looks as if the directors are going to experience no difficulty in getting all the capital they require from the farmers themselves. Of course there is no doubt that the extraordinary abundance of feed has given a great fillip to the- industry, but it seems equally certain that dairying has come to stay and will prove a, very important factor in the future of the district. The continued unsettled weather is giving farmers in the district a very great deal of trouble in getting in their hay crops and has entailed, besides, the employment of a good deal of extra labor, not to mention the damage done. However, the hay crop this season in North Otago, much of which is already in stack, is one of the heaviest for very many years. The same remark applies to ryegrass and cocksfoot, both of which are being harvested. The moist season has induced an extraordinary growth of these but, for the same reason, has caused the seed to be rather dirty, the ryegrass seed seen so far being largely mixed with clover, etc. iMiss Church states that she will re-open her private school in St. Luke's Hall on Monday, 9th instant. Local playgoers will be delighted to hear that we are at last to have a visit from the Hawtrey 'Comedy Company. Arrangements have been made with Mr Hawtrey to pay a visit to this town on Saturday, February 14th, 1903, and produce the great play "A Message from Mars" on that date. The piece will be produced with all the great mechanical effects, the beautiful stage pictures, the wonderful visions, just as complete in detail as when produced in Dunedin fifteen months ago. The company are now paying New Zealand a second visit, and are appearing with great success at the Princess Theatre, Dunedin ; Miss 3T. 'M. Hewat will resume her classes for drawing, painting, and sketching from Nature on February 6th, at her residence, {Reed street. It would seem that the expected has happened for once at any rate, and the Waitaki Boys' High School is more popular than ever. Dr Don's boarding establishment, is, we understand, quite fujl already, the Board of' Governors will certainly soon have to consider some plan ,of extending the premises, as there seems to be an almost unlimited demand for accommodation. The Bev. Mr Hopkins, of the Melanesian mission staff, will lecture this evening on the 'Melanesian mission, the address being illustrated with lantern views. Admission will be free, but a will be taken up for the mission. Proceedings commence at, ° " vloc k. A meeting of &* Duntroon Caledonian Society is advertised for w rf.". e sday, 4th '■ inst, in <orr's Hall. > The Duntroon Public School will not re--1 I open until Thursday next owing to the fact '■ that the painting of the building is not yet ' completed. '■ In the Magistrate's Court this morning, a first offender was convicted, in his ab- > scnce, on the testimony of Constable Ton- - kins, of drunkenness in Thames street on , Saturday night. Defendant was fined 10s. i> "Joe" Ongley has covered himself with I glory in the Westland match with Lord i Hawke's team, and as it was in Oamaru he , learned his cricket Oamaru may take a t pardonable pride in the fact. From private • sources we learn that young Ongley's bowl. ; ing average for the Englishmen's first inr nings was eight wickets for ,36 runs which, ! it will be admitted, is none'too bad for a ; youngster. As the captain of the English ■ team afterwards said, Ongley's bowling was ; the first to seriously trouble them during i the present tour, and he thought he should ; be included in the New Zealand team. We, ' all of lis,'agree with Mr Warner. On top i of his bowling young Ongjey made six in I the first innings arid 12 (n'o.t out) up to > the close of play on Saturday in the second ■ innings. As showing how very careful . must have been his play in Westland's second essay, OngJey. and his partner Adams • wew at the wickets two hours for 19 runs. . The pair defied the bowling of Thompson, i Hargreaves, and Burnup. The Otago Daily Times states that the special mail train that came through from Christcburch on Thursday night had a, mishap near Shag Point, where the driv-ing-rod of the engine broke. Fortunately the driver and the fireman noticed the occurrence, and the engine was speedily pulled up and repairs effected. The passengers were very grateful to the lady who, noticing the accident from a neighboring house, supplied £Uein >vffch tea and" edibles while they were waiting. The Sonoma, which brought the inward San Francisco mail to Auckland last week, Teft San Francisco 32 hours late, but made ifc up by a record run, at an average speed of 332 knots per day, the actual time occupied: on the voyage being 16 days 16 hours 15 minutei, ahd".tb.e steaming time 15 days JS hours go' minutes. This ' performance lowered the preyjous record 'by nearly 'four hours. In regard to the statement; by a correspondent of the Lyttelton Times at Southbridge that "all signs of the crops having suffered by the recent storm have disappeared," another correspondent of the same paper s.to,tes that there are only too many evidences left of the recent storm in and around Southbridge. " Many farmers have plenty of "evidence" left, in the shape qf stripped crops. One had 130 acres under crop, the prospects of which were especially encouraging. IHe now doubts whether it will be worth while putting in a reaper. "The further investigation of the results," the writer adds, "makes the case worse than was at first anticipated, and the loss over the areas in the track of the storm is quite 45 per cent. The Irwell- district, also, has some heavy losers, two settlers having fine crops of both oats and wheat ruined beyond recovery." Tlie engineer to the Timaru Harbor Board has furnished the Board with a return showing that the stone put into the new break.water extension w r orks has cost at the rate of 2s BJd per ton. The total amount of stone brought down from the quarries for the extension works is 99,558 tens, at a ccst'of £13,484. The cost during the past twelve months lias been Bjd per ton loss L than for the previous twelve, months. The quantity of stone tipped into the mole at the present time averages 490 tons per day. The. staging is out a distance of 1775 ft. The tramline is now five miles in length from the commencement of the mole. The ' Wellington correspondent of the Otago Daily Times says :'—Mr Aitken, Welnew member of Parliament, who lopped the poll at the last election; recognises that the late hours kept by our Parliamentarians do not conduce to satisfactory legislation. Speaking at an Oddfellows' dinner, he referred to the very long sittings of Parliament at the end of sessions. He was of opinion that medical science ;

should be brought in to draw uji :m Act , to prevent Parliamentarians or any other bodv of men from sitting through the ] small hours of the morning to the detriment of their health, and of the well-being of the people.. He realised that a great deal of the bad work of Parliament was done in the small hours of the morning, when members got fatigued. Sir Henry Campbvll-Bannerman at a bazaar at SkinUm said he hoi>ed we should never have Mr Phodes held up as a model of an Englishman. We knew what we owed to tho enterprise and the onergv of our countrymen in all parts of the world but energy and enterprise had always been accomplished by a regard for the higher considerations 6f slToightforwardncsa; and honorable dealing with other P?»Pl« our country and our people considered to be characteristic of themselves. In addition to the large increase of visiters to the- Southern Lakes this season, reports received at the .Chnstchurch agency of the Tourist Department show that huge numbers have visited Banks' Peninsula and Stewart Island (says the Press). The lastnamed place appears to have become a veiy SputaAolidayresort, as » shown by the fact that persons lefting lodgings wthju-

commodation for six persons have tins season had to find room for ttaeo. times tat number and that application for board must be made at least two months ahead by intending visitors. , , „. . ~. Lord Milner at a banquet in kimberley said: Every character has many aspects, and I am the last to imagine that I can sum up Cecil Rhodes. My personal recollection is that of a man always absorbed and wholly absorbed in great public schemes; of a man who always brushed away the unessential points of any question winch he was discussing and saw it only m its broad and its permanent aspects; who never niggled; who filled by far the greatest space in public life in this country and whoso death lias left an enormous void. I am sincerely convinced that in facing 110 great problems which lie before us in boutli Africa we shall miss him more and more. At the Christmas dinner of the Vagabond Club Mr Cecil Raleigh pronounced bir lan Hamilton's first name in the usual knglish way, refusing to call him "Eon, as that seemed to reflect on his age. 1110 quip was rather too subtle to create much laughter, but it reminded me of a story told about Sir Thomas Talfourd, the author of lon and other forgotten tragedies. When shooting in the Highlands, soon after tno production of lon, Talfourd heard some gillies calling to one of their kind : "lan 1

Ian!" pronouncing the name as the Scotch do, like "Eon." Evidently in Talfourd s judgment—and no doubt it was the custom of the time, for tho laws of pronunciation are eternally changing—this was the proper way to pronounce lon. For, turning to his host, he said : This is fame indeed !" •I remember a very amusing mper by Mr Barry Pain, headed "lon Filings,' which left no doubt as to how he would pronounce the word. Sir Harry Johnston at tlw Savage Club banquet, in speaking, of savagery, said he remembered, in West Africa, that one of his first banquets in that part of the world was in a very wild spot. When, in the course of the feast, they came to a. rather agreeably flavored red dish, and he inquired as to its composition, ho received the very laconic answer, "Man." The last African dinner which he attended, a little more than a year ago, was under very different circumstances. It was an assembly of black people, but the menu was written in Frenclf) and the food was cooked under French auspices, so that in that, as in other directions, Africa was losing its savagery, and would in time become as tame as much of this life seemed to us.

As a matter of fact, there are in political life neither parties of law und order nor parties of revolution, or, to put it in another way, every party is a party of revolution. . . . The Liberals would like to convert the supreme head of tRe empire into tho first official of the State after the pattern, of England and America. . . . The Centre would like to resume the process of reconverting Germany to Catholicism at the point where it was broken off in the seventeenth century- • • • ' r l ,e Junker party ("squirearchy"). . . would like to degrade the German Emperor into the position of first among his peers. . . . The 'Social Democrats intend, or assert that they intend, to render the economic life of the people'independent of the private accumulation of capital, and that everyone, without regard to what he contributes in the way of work should receive out of tho big general pot the same quantity of soup as his neighbors. —'Professor Mommsen in an article in which he describes the union of parties as "the only salvation of Germany. James Albert (Marson, the Sheffield "millionaire,'' was sentenced at Leeds to three years' penal servitude for obtaining £3127 by false pretences. Marson was n- clerk, who talked of inheriting a. vast Canadian estate, borrowed freely on the strength of this, and then lived in splendid style, promising groat sums of money to his friends and servants. The judge, m summing up, said it seemed that no story was too absurd

for some people to believe. During his tenure of the see of London Dr Temple was known as an indefatigable walker. I have seen him (says a writer in a. 'Home paper) on Sunaay mCl'lling 3 miles away from Fulham, tramping through the wintry streets pn his way to fulfil a preaching engagement. He whs usually accoiu: pauied by a chaplain, who carried the little. bag with, his vestments. But the Archbishop was as willing to carry his own bag as the "modest scholar" whom lan Maclaren describes so admirably in his latest book. The Archbishop used to be a strong and sturdy walker, and in. the heyday of his strength would seldom travel by -carriage on Sunday. "' A severe sprain usually disables the injured, person for three or four weeks. Cures have often been effected in less than one week by applying Chamberlain's Pain Balm. This liniment has great healing powers. One application gives relief. Try it. Q-. M. Procter, cb»roiat. sells it. HAMPDEN.—MB SWINDLEY, Resident Dentist, will visit Hampden on Thursday next, February sth, and may be consulted at Mrs Horner's Hotel. The Big Boom Sale at the Polytechnic is now in full swing and is proving a great success. This is not a sale got up to get rid of old shopworn goods, but every article in stock has been substantially reduced in price, the object'being to clear out all seasonable 'goods befqrc the arrival of pur jic'w shipments. Wo invite comparison of our prices and feel sure you wjll effect a big

saving by purchasing now, even if you do | not want the goods immediately, for they will cost a. lot more later on. THE POLYTECHNIC, the Favorite Beady-Money Shop, Thames street. "'&K C? ARMSTRONG, Dentist, may bo consulted 'MunroV' Hofe], K.urow, on Tuesday, 3rd instant. To our country friends who are in town for a day shopping we would say you cannot go far-wrong if you drop into the first draper's glipn on your way from the station, where you will find a great clearing sale in full swing. We are selling everything at reduced prices—raiment for ladies, girls, men, and boys; in fact, everything you can want in the clothing line except boots. Special prices during sale only; you will pay more for the same goods afterwards. Buy now and you will buy well at LONDON HOUSE Great, Clearing Sale.— L. H. TEMPERO. i KUBOW.—Mr Geo. Robinson, Surgeon Dentist, will pay his next professional visit to Kurow on Thursday, sth February, and may be consulted at Munro's Hotel.

That wc have long been pace setters in low prices is beyond the power of words to gainsay or confute. This present quotation for Jackets is another buttress to the structure of good publjc opinion we've built up. It's an astonishing statement of prices we now give, but will be equalled by your pleased astonishment: when you see the goods. One beautiful Fawn Jacket, lined with silk, was 555, now 15s 6d. Three Light Fawn Coats with silk velvet collar*,

weiv 57s oil. nmv 16s 6.1. Scwnil l):n|, Heaver Fine Cloth Coats wriv .Wi. in,,; l&s 6d. One very handsome Hlnrk Cloth (.'oat trimmed with .silk braid, was 17s (»!, now 13s 6(1. One Coed Black Cloth Out, with silk braid, was 19s 6d, now !>s 11,1. One fine (liven Cloth Coat, wan I.'m M, now 3s ltd. We have many other 1in,,,, equnllv Rtnrtliliir. too numerous to doneril,, . PENROSE'S Cash Drapery Establishment.