THE COST OF WAR.

Auckland Star, Volume XXI, Issue 102, 1 May 1890, Page 4

THE COST OF WAR.

The Paris correspondent of the London " Times " recently forwarded to that paper an article on the " Money Cost of the Coming War." It is said that it was the study of this return which caused the young Emperor of Germany to adopt his attitude of peace.

The table of statistics asfmmes that France, Germany and Russia have now reached their final military development, and can each at once send into the field 2,000,000 men, that this represents a first immediate expense for mobilisation only of 500,000,000 francs. The support of these in a mobilised state represents a cum of no less than 1,000,000,000 franca a month. It would therefore take to commence such a conflict in the first instance 2,500,000,000 francs, at a cost of 500,000,000,000 francs monthly to keep it going. The writer, after pointing: out that outside those who actually take part in the coming conflict, all the other European Powers, great and small, will have to mobilise and arm, says: " England herself, in spite of her isolated position, will be obliged to watch events which may occur in the North Sea, in the Red Sea, in the Mediterranean, and of which the reaction will be felt in the most distant countries, in India as well as Africa. England will be compelled to have her whole fleet in a state of readiness, and all Europe; from one end to the other, under arms will advance towards a general conflagration. I need nob say that I am not the inventor of this pic l ture. It has haunted, and; fortunately, still haunts the statesmen at the head of affairs.ana the figures I have employed are those which: in certain countries, have been brought by the War Minister under the notice of the Finance Minister." He further adds : "It ia not then to be wondered at, in the presence of this prospect, which is quite modern, and is the result of the latest theories of military organisation, that the German Emperor himself has become an advocate of peace." The German Emperor may cry " peace, peace." Hβ may, as he has done, calm the ) irritation of Austria, and whiapet ,WOrds of peace into the ears of the King 1 of Italy and cause the latter monarch to conciliate all of which appears to have been so far successfully accomplished. But with Russia at her old game of stirring up strife in the East and that colossal Power's wellknOwn national aspirations and ambition, who really believes that peace can be much longer prolonged? Britain's position will be, so the writer thinks, one of armed isolation. She would have to be prepared at all points to protect her world-wide empire: This would be a great and heavy tax upon her, but then her power of gold would, come to the rescue. And she Iβ prepared for the issue. TbeFirst Lord of the Admiralty made a remarkable speech on the British navy, in which he scouted the idea ot any nation or nations attempting to dispute with us the supremacy of the sea. He asserted that the fighting power of the British navy was superior to that of any other nation, but he said theirdutywastodosomefchingmorethan assert and keep up their fighting supremacy ; they had also "to keep the eea inviolate." This Britain was prepared to do, and her boundless wealth and resources would enable her under any circumstances to carry out this national policy. He" alluded also to the fact" that so far as Europe wag concerned, Britain had an absolute monopoly of the best steam coal."

To-day promisee to be a day of excitement throughout Europe in consequence of *he hostile attitude taken up by some of the Governments against the Eight Hour ß ' Demonstration fixed for this date in England, America, France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Holland, Denmark, and Sweden, The Paris correspondent of the " Daily News " telegraphs that a Royalist conspiracy in Paris, to take place on May Ist, has been discovered. The Marquis Mores has been arrested in Paris on a charge of inciting the army to join the Anarchists. Numerous Anarchists,- including M. Perevost, Secretary of the Paris Trades Union, have been arrested, as it is believed they intended to dynamite financiers' nouses t»day. Fifty thousand troops are stationed in Paris to preserve order on the occasion of the labour demonstration. A serious conflict has taken place between rioters in Moravia and the military. Many of the former were wounded. Strikes of enormous extent are occurring throughout Hungary.

The Chinese case occupied the Police Court until late yesterday afternoon. After hearing an amount of evidence Mr ■H. G. Wardoll, R.M., decided*to deal with-the matter as a civil suit. Aβ the cabbages tah;en were valued,at £3,' His .Worship awarded judgment against Kwong Kow for £4 as damages, with costs £3 6>. Mr S. Hesketh appeared for the plaintiff, and Mr F. Earl for the defendant. *

The new volunteer regulations, drawn up as suggested in the report of General Edwards, are in a forward state;, and will be presented to Parliament for approval. The regulations provide'fbr increased capitation on similar lines to those adopted in Australia, and if Parliament approves them the Government only propose to bring the change en gradually. The Navals and two senior rifle corps in each centre will be the first enrollod under the new regulations.

Lodge United Service, 1.0., held Its regular monthly meeting laab evening in the Masonic Hall, Princes.street. There wae a good attendance of the brethren, and a number of visitors were also present. One fellow of the craft was raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason, after which the nomination of officers for the ensuing year was proceeded with. Brother George Leaning oeing nominated as W.M., was elected unopposed, as was also Bro. H. Ellison as S. W., and Bro. W. Field as.J.W. As the other offices wijl be contested, the elecfcioo, will {sake place n ©*t) month,,. -,i ••:.. ■■, . ' - •>;. .;.., ~■.;.■",..

At a meeting of the Dunedin Hospital Trustees yesterday, it was decided to alter the system of nursing, in the direction of employing only female nureee under a, matron qualified to superintend, except in one ward, in which special male cases shall be treated, and a male attendant employed. As soon as the funds already collected are handed over, the building of a nurses' home will be proceeded with.

H.M.S. Nelson, formerly the flagship on the Australian Naval Station, is to take the place of the Duke of Wellington in Portsmouth harbour, as flagship of the Port-Ad-miral. The Duke of Wellington served as flagship at Portsmouth for many years. The active service of the old Duke dates back to the period of the Crimean war, when, first as flagship of Napier, and then Dundas, she wenb up the Baltic for two years in succession She is now regarded as one of the obsolete line of battle ships; and as the fiat has gone forth from the Admiralty that every one of the receivingships at home must be fit to go to sea and efficient to take part in the. defence of the coast, the-'old-ship is superseded by the Nelson. .

, A meeting of the North Shore Football Club was held oh Tuesday evening to consider the decision of the Management Committee of the Rugby Union, that the Shore Club must play its first round of -matches .-at Potter's Paddock, Epsom. A lone discussion took place and eventual ifc was decided to request the Com m ifctee to reconsider the decision, pointing out that the North Shore men must retire from the contest for the Senior Cup if forced to play their matches away from the Shore.

The R.M., Mr H. G. Wardell, was troubled with a Chinese case at the Police Court this morning. It arose out of the disappearance of a number of cabbages from a garden at Mangere. Mr Earl, who appeared for the accused, recapitulated a few facts concerning the Arch Hill cow case, to which His Worship listened attentively. He added that was also the outcome of that case, as the Chinese in and around Auckland were now. split into two sections. As the defendant was named Kow, it ia more than likely that the animal that suffered at Arch Hill may have something to do with The bad acoustic properties of the Police Court were fully understood when an almond-eyed eon of the East entered the witness-box and commenced to give evidence in a guttural voice. Once or twice Hie Worship ran his fingers through his hair and asked, " Is this man speaking English or Chinese ?"

On Tuesday last one of the seamen of H.T.G.M.B. Alexandrine, named Wilbelm Kuckhahn, died at the Hospital of consumption, after having been six weeks in the institution. He will be buried from the Hospital to-morrow, and will be accorded a military funeral. Colonel Shepherd has issued district orders notifying volunteers belonging to the Garrison of a parade to be held at the Drill-shed at 9 a.m. to-morrow in full dress, for all volunteera desirous of attending the funeral.

Miss Dudley married yesterday—the last of April. In his "Fastorum Libri," Ovid declaree that " the common people profess jit is unlucky to marry in.the month of jfoay." , was written about three years after the birth of Christ, or eighteen hundred and eighty-seven years ago. It was an old supposition then evidently, yet it has con tinned up to the present time. In London the. marriages in May are nearly sixty per cent, under those of any other month in the year. And yet it is stated English are not superstitious. Mies Dudley and Mr Douglas H. Robertson took the safe Bide like most young folk would, and married before May. The marriage was celebrated at. the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which bad been prettily decorated for the occasion. The c Rfft Put 7 \ chai assisted by Rev. Nelson officiated-in the absence of Bishop Co.vvie, who was unable to attend. The prelate is suffering from a severe indisposition.' The wedding other hymns were r sung by a full choiry Mr Rice. played. appropriate volug{ ar j eß before and after the ceremony. c bride looked very pretty in her sim^ e dress of soft silk muslin and Valenciennes lace. She wore a wreath of orange blossoms and a long flowing veil gracefully draped. There were eight Tjridesmaids," five sitters of the bride,. Mies . Mary lJuchanan, and, two Mabels, Miss Ch urton and Misa ColeBaker. The contracting parties are well' Itnown to mostAucklanders. Miss Dudley ie eldest daughter of the Archdeacon of that and Mr Robertson of the New. Zealand Bank at Adelaide. ■ There was a kettledrum at the parsonage in the afternoon.

At a well-attended meeting at Dunedin yesterday afternoon, a resolution was carried that it was desirable to establish a public art gallery for Dunedin, and as a step in that direction, that a fund be raised to purchase " Waterloo," •• Sunny Hours," and as many other pictures ac the funds will buy. The meeting was very enthusiastic, and over £130 was subscribed in the room. A strong committee, including many ladies, was appointed to canvass.

The forthcoming exhibition in connection with the Auckland Society of Arts bids fair to be a' great success. A number of Soubhern artists have intimated their intention of forwarding pictures, and it is anticipated that Mrs Hetley will exhibit a large and varied collection of her paintings of the flora of New Zealand. The opening conversazione takes place on the 22nd of May.

Mr Artemas Golledge, of the British Phrenological Association of London, will deliver the fired of his course of three or four lectures in the Y. M. C. A. Rooms this evening, entitled "The Face, Walking, Hand-shaking and Laughing." Mr Golledge has received high patronage and testimony to his capabilities as a character reader. He attained considerable repute in the practice of his profession in the Old Country, and is known as a lecturer in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and Tasmania. Ib is to be regretted that in this branch of science there are many who pretend to knowledge without a proper study of the subject, and bring discredit upon the science, but Mr- Golledge holds such flattering testimonies to his ability that they should entitle him to a conspicuous place among those .of his profession. Besides numerous others, the yen. Archdeacon Dudley, who has had practical experience of his character-readinff ability, has written a critique in which he says, writins of Mr Golledge : "I caw well conceiveof persons deriving much benefit from Jus cUaenosis- of their character' and: practical suggestions." Character reading, as explained by the lecturer, comprises the whole study of man in relation to mind— not merely a study of " bumps." Amongst those who have testified to the professor's abilities a considerable number are members of the medical profession, while his bundle of testimonials incladee also dtenitariee of the Anglican and Roman Catholic Churches, and members of the leeal profession. The lectures will be illustrated by anatomical plates, oleo-. era pbs, and drawings, and public exarnintioos will be made each evening.

At Lyttelton yesterday, before Mr Beetham, R.M., Bdwin Orgrim, Frederick Charles Page, and George MenzieQ, seamen, were committed for trial on a charge of rolling down the hill the stone which caused the explosion at the Lyttelton Gasworke. The damage done cost £144. The accused eaid the stone was dislodged by Page sitting down against ito with a jerk. Several.witnesses stated that considerable force must have been used to dislodge the stone, which weighed over 9cwt., from the. place whence it had been removed. On examining the hill it was found that other stones had been dislodged and rolled dqwn

'In 'the Legislative Assembly of Kg jjfj South Wales Sir Henry Parkes hasgiyis notice that the federation proposals agree jj uoon at the Melbourne Conference be dU|| cussed on Wednesday. Hβi intends to pro. i ■ pose- that Messre McMjUnfflfe • ■ (Easb Sydney), J. P. Abbott (Wen*, ; worth), J. P. Garvan (Eden), an* |. himself from the Legislative Assembly, | t\ andMessraE. Barton, Jennings, and W. , f H Sutfcor from the Legislative Council,! ■; shall bethe New South Wales delegates t ' ; next Federation Conference. The Oppos . tionare annoyed at Mr G. E. Dibbe, membe % for Murrumbidgee, beingoverlooked,andth ? omiaeion of his name from the list is like! to cause some trouble. ||| (.' Bridget. A. Hunter was charged at th Police Court yesterday afternoon wit m having used provoking language tow*™ I her husband John James Hunter. Tm '■ ' was one of those sad cases of domestic in-, felicity which too frequently take up thei , , j time of the Court. After hearing the, various statements His Worship mended the couple to separate, the hus«j band to allow his wife maintenance. Ity y/ was decided to adopt this course. . , i There was a fair attendance at MrVarley's Bible class in the Academy • M usic yesterday afternoon. The subject " Miracles, and the Supernatural in Relation, to Christ's coming." Since the death of the apostles God had, Mr Varley declared, been . / silent, and no miracles had been performed* / This seemed to be a. crux to some gootf people, but he was free to confess that he i would have been considerably puzzled if there had been any. It would not havefj been in accordance with the Divine con." I sistency. Christ would come literally ixif< w like manner a3 He had gone unl '■'■>~ on high. The coming of the Lord woulcff be the moet stupendous breach in natural; \ order that had ever happened since the beif Si; ginning of time. In the twinjsling of an.; ;■ eye everyone who had died in the Lord, > since Adam would be clothed in a new bodji' - in the likeness of Jesue. All those alive oril I the earth who were Christians would I caught up to meet Christ in the air. Their: ' •- bodies would be instantly changed. , Thi : corruptible would put on incorruptible** \ But those who were not members of the, "J Churca of Christ would have no part iqj - these wonderful proceedings. People mighlj; * : be doing their besb to be good, but unlesq united to Christ they would not participate ;f : ' in His glory. Mr Varley also vented a vio| / lent tirade against Darwin, Huxley, Tyn dall, and scientists generally, for their die HH regard of Christ. The evangelical mission conducted by Mr R. Coad was continued at the#Wesleji Hall last night with a crowded audiencefgi J Mr Goad's address was based on the textJH I "Blessed are the dead which die in thjH I Lord from henceforth; yea, eaith .tb«l I Spirit,that they may rest from their labonreJ m I and their works do follow them." During H I : the evening several of Sankeyj's hymns were M I sung. Thetnisßion will Vs : contiinued tb« S j evening. / '• |H