CURRENT TOPICS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5835, 31 March 1897, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

Senor Canovns, the Spanend of the ish Premier, lias doubtless War resolved to make a virtue in* cuba. of necessity and bring to a close a struggle -whose prolongation can only result in further losses with no prospect of pacification. By the middle of March, the rain and heat in Cuba are usually so severe as to put a stop to all operations in the field, and therefore the Premier shows wisdom 'in announcing that the campaign is to be brought to a close. The probabilities are that there will be a compromise effected between tho measure of local sel-'-government offered by Spain and the demands of the Cuban insurgents. The Queen Eegent of Spain recently signed the decree embodying the proposed Cuban reforms, which include the establishment of a Cuban Assembly, the majority of the members of which will be elected by popular vote, and extensive reforms of provincial and municipal organisation. Tho good offices of the United States were invoked by the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, aud he was referred to Mr Taylor the American Minister at Madrid. MiTaylor held that the reforms offered were worthless, and he counselled that Spain should grant full local government, with economic reforms, to Cuba. The demands of the insurgents were : Tlie recall of General Woyler ; the restriction of the power of Governors-General; the election of municipalities by popular vote ,- a new postal system ; internal taxes to be spent within reasonable limits in Cuba; an abatement of the tariff and of taxes, especially those on flour, and freer commerce with the United States, andan increase in the number cf Cuban members of the Spanish Cortes. These terms were to be embodied in a treaty guaranteed by the United States. The insurgents declared their willingness to negotiate with Marshal Martinez Campos, General Calleja or General Pando, but not with the " Butcher," whose latest threat was that he would pacify the island, though he had to kill every man, woman and child-in it. This threat was in consequence of the declared policy of the Government "to conquer first and reform afterwards." The partial successes gained by General Weylor of late will^probably be accepted as equivalent to conquest, aud if the Culans will accept reasonable terms short of absolute independence Spanish pride and American trading interests may yet be satisfied without a war between the two countries. Mr Laurier, the new Canada's ke- Premier of Canada, do lations with scribes himself as "a Liberal England and of the English school," and the united his policy, so far as it has STAT7.S. been disclosed, admirably answers to the description. In pursuance of tho realisation of his ideas, he lately set himself to the elimination of the protective element from the Canadian tariff,- so as to make the Customs duties purely revenue imposts. The object of the Ministry was al?o to conciliate the United States, which has- for thirty years past waged a tariff war against Canada, The Hon A. G. Jones, a member of the' Laurier Cabinet, stated when in England a few months ago that Canada's import and export trade was about equally divided between England and the United Slates, aud it was desirable to remove the friction that existed in tho relations of the Dominion with the Eepublic. "".Ye believe," he said, "that a reciprocity treaty might be made to embrace freedom cf trade, not only in natural produels, but also in certain manufactured articles which do not now reach Canada from Groat Britain. When wo discussed this matter in -Canada-, tc found a very long list of such articles." The arrangements, he added, must be without disei-imiu; - tion against British goods, as Liberal opinion in Canada would utterly reject nny such idea. Tho result of investigations carried on since then by the Laurier Cabinet- was the discovery that the leading importers and manufacturers and all the fanners fa vowed a readjustment of the tariffs on protectionist lines. A conference was to be held between represen-; tatives of the Dominion and United States Governments at Washington, with a view I

to obtaining reciprocity for certain articles of export aud import, and the arrangement then concluded was to be embodied in the Tariff Bill to be submitted to Parliament at the end of March. The news now to hand shows that agreement has been found impossible. The Tariff Bill gives exceptionally favourable treatment to Great Britain, and so far from reciprocal relations being established with the United States, retaliatory measures are proposed. This is probably due to the attitude of the Protection Party in the States, which would resist any arrangement that appeared to imperil the fruits of its recent victory. While in New Zealand gardening we have many expert and in new enthusiastic horticulturists, Zealand. it is unfortunately a fact that the cultivation of vegetables and fruit for the table and of flowers for the adornment of the home is neglected by a large majority of our smaller farmers and settlers, who, above all others, should make a feature of thengardens and orchards, with the addition of some useful poultry and a hive or two of bees. Many of them made a beginning, as thederelict gardens and orchards which surround a number of dwellings on our farms and in our villages bear witness, but the beginning ivas not a good one, for the simple reason, in most cases, that it was undertaken without any practical knowledge of the work. In some instances, nothing whatever was known about gardening ; in others Old Country methods were followed, and in almost all the result was failure and discouragement. Gardeninoin New Zealand is not the same thing as gardening in England ,pr Ireland or Scotland. The conditions are different, and the methods must be changed to suit them ; and the handbooks and experience which were useful guides in other climes are often of very little use here. A " Handbook of Gardening in New Zealand " is needed by the tyro who wishes to grow for his household the wholesome vegetables and fruit which form too small a part of the colonial dietary. Such a guide, of which Mr M. Murphy, secretary of the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association, himself a practical and experienced amateur gardener, is the author, was published a few years ago, and 1 was so useful and so much appreciated that two editions were quickly sold. A third edition, which has been delayed by the recent great increase in Mr Murphy's duties, is now issued. It treats in simple and easily understood language of the whole series of gardening operations — the -selection and prepartion of the ground, the methods of planting and cultivation, the best varieties of vegetables, flowers and fruits, the management of orchards, poultry and bees, and the work which requires to be done in each month of the year; in fact, of everything that is of interest to beginners and to the more experienced horticulturist. The work supplies a colonial need, and should he in the hands of every cultivator who desires to derive pleasure or profit from his operations.

English newspapers have • woman rather tardily discovered voters in that, in tho Isle of Man, man. the electoral franchise is independent of sex distinction, being based upon a qualification of £4 ownership or occupation of property. The World, in a punning allusion to " the Parliament of Man," found in the fact an augury of the success of the woman's franchise movement in England. To triumph o'er her sex's bau Woman is surely fated. Since even in r .li - Isle of Man She's been e-Manx-ipated ! About eight weeks ago there was a general election to the House of Keys in Man, when the women did not exactly exercise what is called a "moral vote." In fact, like many of the women of New Zealand, they voted for beer. The House of Keys-was dissolved over the question of the renewal of an Act under which boarding-house-keepers were permitted to supply drink to their customers from their own cellars, and without having to purchase it at the nearest public-house. The victory rested with the moderates, as thirteen out of the twentyfour members of the new House are favourable to a renewal of the expired Act. In bringing about this result the women voters of the island had a cons derablo share. In fact, many of the women keep boarding - houses, aiid they backed their own interests at the polls " just like the men." The women of the- little island were in two parties on this question, again just like the men. The rural ' districts, where no boa rding-houses are kept, were mainly with the Temperance Party; the towns, and especially Douglas, voted more or loss straight for the extended licensing law. The polling ought to dispel some delusions entertained by English opponents of the franchise, to the effect that "the women would not vote/ that they " would vote all the one way," aud that the women's vote would be " faddish " and its effect " incalculable." The women of Man voted in as large a proportion as the men (they also canvassed vigorously, by the way) ; they wero divided in their counsels : and in the result " nothing was changed." There are only so many thousand voters the more, and the island has the satisfaction of knowing that it. frnnchise rests on a logical basis.