MONTHLY SUMMARY FOR Europe and America.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIX, Issue 278, 24 November 1898, Page 5

MONTHLY SUMMARY FOR Europe and America.

OUR HOME LETTER,

AUCKLAND, N.Z.,

November 24

His Excellency the Governor, Lord Banfurly, Lady Eanfurly and suite arrive in Auckland on Saturday, 26th November. On account of Government House not being ready for their reception, the vice-regal party will reside at the Star Hotel during their five days' stay in the city, the date of the departure being fixed for Friday, Dec. 2. The Governor and party travelled overland from Wellington to Eotbrua. The party will be present at the Mercer Regatta, and leaving- Mercer in the afternoon, they are expected, according to present arrangements, to arrive in Auckland about six o'clock on Saturday evening. On the evening of Tuesday, 29th inst, His Excellency will present the certificates awarded by the St. John Ambulance Association, the ceremony taking place in St. Benedict's Hall, Lor£ lianfurly, who is a member of the Council of the Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem, in England, will give an address on the early history of the order. On the following day His Excellency will open the new Costley wards at the Auckland Hospital, and in the evening Lord and Lady Eanfurly will be present in the Opera House at a concert to be given in aid of the funds of the New Zealand Society for the Protection of iWomen and Children and Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. On Thursday, December 1, Lord Eanfurly will perform the ceremony of opening the Exhibition, and in the evening will be present at the performance of Sir Arthur Sullivan's oratorio, "The Golden Legend,' in the Choral Hall. The Premier is also expected to be present a.t the opening of the Exhibition, which promises to be a great success.

The gold returns for the past month iavo exceeded expectations owing to record yields being obtained from three of the leading Ohinemuri companies, the Waihi, "Waitekauri and N.Z. Talisman. In the case of the firstuamed the return was over £ 1,000 per actual crushing day, and as this company, also paid. £32,000 in dividends this month the lucky shareholders havcevery reason to be satisfied. This brings up the total amount by the IWaihi in dividends since IS9O to the respectable figure of £340,500, and from the present appearance of the inine it would seem as if this happy state of affairs will contitftfe for" years. Most glowing accounts are received re-r garding recent developments in the ■Waitekauri company's mines, and the return this_Baonth was, as already indicated, a Mscord one, amounting to i£6,675. The most marked improvement has, however, been in the N.Z. aalisman Company's property, where recent developments have resulted in considerably, increasing the knaivn reserve of payable ore, and th" yield from., the crushing thia .month showed a considerable increase, the improved average value of the ore making the return a record one. Better returns from other Ohinemuri mines resulted in the total output this .month from that section of our goldfields being within £20 of £43,000 in spite of.the fact that the Waihi-Silverton battery ■was closed down for repairs this time. 'This is the largest return ever received from Ohinemuri in any one month, and goes to prove that capital judiciously invested in that district will givo a good return. The returns from tlie Thames field show an increase this month, for which the. Tararu Creek and Moanataiari companies are mainly responsible. In the case of the Moanataiari most important developments have taken place in the Cambria section, leading to a reasonable hope that a valuable discovery is near at hand. As it is, the returns from the company and tributers' crushing this month total £1642. The total return from Auckland mines for the month so far is upwards of £51,000 as compared with £48,210 last month, which was the largest recorded to date. Apart . from these encouraging facts there has also been evidence latterly that capitalists are once more thinking our goldfields worth further exploiting. Increased working capital has been provided for the Kathleen mine at Coromandel and the Whangamata Proprietary. Enquiries have also been received during the past week- for various properties, and there has been a sensible improvement in the tone of the Exchange, with frequent sales at better rates. Ln addition to this there is also the fact that the Puhipuhi mine at Whangarei'has been taken up by an English company, and that another syndicate lias^ arranged to work the Waiorongomai mines formerly owned by the Aioha Company. An option has also been taken over the Great Barrier mine by representatives of English capital. In theface of such favourable prospects it is safe to say that the outlook for mining was never more Promising. for the Auckland District than at the present time.

The business of the 1898 session of the New Zealand Parliament was practically brought to a close on Saturday, Nov. 5. No fewer than 37 public acts and upwards of thirty local acts have been, passed. Some of these measures are of considerable importance. The Old Age Pensions Act, for example, commits the colony to a new and, we trust, a nobler method of treating its aged citizens; « also lays a considerable financial burden upon the State. The 'Municipal Franchise Act' has effected a radical change1 in our system of local government. Provision has been made under the 'Aid to Public Works and ■Land Settlements Act,' the 'Government1 Advances to Settlers Acts Amendment,' and the 'Government ■Loans to Local Bodies Act,' for providing funds to promote settlement and: carry on public works. No session of late years would be complete without a Bank of New Zealand Act.; let ;us hope- that the measure which

has now been adopted abolishing the cilice of President and altering the constitution of the directorate will conduce to the permanent peace and well-being of that institution. Under the 'Kauri Gum Industry Act' an attempt is being made to deal with a very difficult problem affecting- one of Auckland's principal industries and several thousands of our population. And the 'Divorce Act' brings the marriage law more into line with common sense and the conditions of modern society. This Act still requires the Queen's assent to give it the force of law, but as more advanced measures adopted in neighbouring colonies have received Her Majesty's endorsement there is no reason to suppose that the New Zealand Statute will be exceptionally treated. Some needful changes have been made in the law regulating mining and mining companies, and a law authorising advances for the encouragement of the dairy industry comes into operation.

Scanning down this list, and'without examining- in detail the remainder of the thirty-seven public Acts, one feels that Parliament has done quite enough law-making, and we are perfectly reconciled to the sacrifice of the 78 slaughtered Bills. It is a pity that the Government do not at the beginning- of the session exercise greater discretion in the selection of measures instead of overloading the Order Paper with Bills which there is no prospect of passing and one cannot but believe no intention to pass. More than half the session is wasted in discussions on these useless Bills, whose massacre in the final slaughter of the innocents is a foregone conclusion.

A good deal of the business of Parliament is transacted by Committees, and during the present session 390 petitions -were thus dealt with, while 503 reports were received, from Select Committees. Sheafs of Parliamentary

papers have been thrust into the pigeon-holes of members to digest at their leisure, and ultimately to swell the blue books of the colony. The Opposition will doubtless take credit for stopping- unwise legislation, and we cannot withhold from them some degree of merit for their efforts in this direction. New Zealand, fired with ambition to lead the world in social reform, has rushed ahead at a pace which requires moderating. We believe we express the conviction of Liberals who recognise that every country which does not desire to retrograde must move steadily forward and that its advances must often be of an experimental character when we say that there is a need for some respite to allow the results of past legislation to develop and make themselves apparent. It is neither possible nor desirable to regulate all the affairs of a country by act of parliament, and a policy of continual change, unsettling industrial conditions, may do much more- harm than good to those it is intended to benefit.

On November. 1 a telegram was received by Mr W. J. Napier from Mr Holland, M.H.K., announcing the final passing of the Auckland Admiralty House Act. Under the provisions of this statute the old Admiralty House and grounds become vested in fee simple in the Auckland Harbour Board. The District Land Registrar is directed to issue a title and the Harbour Board may then dispose of the property, holdingthe proceeds, however, fdr the erection and furnishing of a new Admiralty House. The Colonial Treasurer 'is further authorised to pay over to the Auckland Harbour Board a sum of £1,000, to be applied to the tame purpose, xt is estimated that from these two sources the Board will have at its disposal something between £3,000 and £3,500. The site already determined upon is the triangular piece of ground at the junction of three roads between the old site of St. Paul's Church and the late Judge Fenton's residence, and adjoining Mr Eussell's new house. One-third of this land is the property of the Harbour Board, a tl.ird belonged to.the City Council and hasjbeen granted to the Board for purposes of the Admiralty House site; the remaining third can, it is understood, be acquired at a very moderate cost. The Harbour Board will thus be enabled1, to build an Admiralty House which will be an ornament to the city and furnish it without imposing any great charge on the harbour revenues, although the Act enables the Board to vote money for this purpose. The cost of maintenance will be borne by the Board, but this should not involve any serious burden. The Admiral and other naval officers who may be in occupation of the House from time to time will, of course, provide their own servants, and the Board's responsibility will be limited to the pajonent of a caretaker and the maintenance of building and furniture. Auckland is already the principal station for Her Majesty's ships in New Zealand waters, and the want of an Admiralty House has been one of the chief drawbacks to the use of this port as a rendezvous for the xlustralian fleet during the hot weather. Residences are provided at Sydney and Hobart, There is now almost a certainty that the Admiralty will defray the cost oi equipping Calliope Dock, to adapt it for executing naval repairs, with a view to making Auckland a second naval base in the Pacific, and the erection of a new Admiralty House became, therefore, a necessity. There were' many difficulties in the way of the Government undertaking this work. Any large vote submitted for an Admiralty House at Auckland v/ould have evoked opposition in Parliament from Southern members and demands for similar votes for other ports. Mr Napier deserves credit for the tact shown in securing the accomplishment of a much needed public work on such advantageous terms.

Our Wellington correspondent sends us some interestingparticulars regarding the proposals of the Admiralty for the formation of a colonial naval reserve. These proposals were embodied in a communication addressed to Admiral Pearson directing him to make enquiries at all the ports in the colonies with the object of ascertaining the number of seamen and firemen who could be enrolled for a colonial naval reserve. Our Government have received from the Admiral a copy of the communication, and after considering the matter have given instructions to the Customs Department to collect the information required by the Admiralty. The questions formulated by the Admiralty are: What number of men are engaged in the fishing industry at each of the principal ports; when does the fishing season begin and end,r and during what months is it slackest? 2. What number of men are engaged in the coasting trade in ships belonging to the colony? 3. Is it considered that, men would be forthcoming from the' above sources for a reserve to drill for 2S days a year, and in the first .five years of

their time in the reserve to go to sea once for six consecutive months in a ship of war?

It would be quite impossible with I the scanty information at present ; available to answer these questions with any approach to definiteness. That can only be done when the Government have completed the inquiries thej- are now making. A few remarks sug-g-ested by the queries will not, however, be out of place. The first of the three questions would indicate that the Admiralty look principally to the fishermen for recruits for the naval reserve; and it would further seem that they have in their mind's eye a fishing industry of a larger and more established character than exists as yet in New Zealand. We have no fishing population to ptteaV of aTioIORT'UP to that settled on the British and Continental coasts, and no Such weii-delined periods of activity and slackness as characterise the industry at Home. The number of men engaged in fishing is therefore much smaller in proportion to our population than would be the case had we a large export fish trade established on systematic lines like the cod and herring fisheries. Most of our fishermen, again, reap their harvest, not at one season of the year, but every day of the year. They cater for the daily wants of the people and have consequently no slack period that corresponds precisely with that of the men engaged in the industry in the Old Country. It is not quite certain, therefore, how our fishermen would regard an arrangement that required them to drill for one month a year. In the case of the men engaged in our coasting trade the same "difficulty of getting away for so long a term ai'ises from another source. Most of the vessels trading along the coast are kept very busy. There is little time spent in a port, and the companies can ill spare men even for a day.

The inducements offered to seamen and fishermen to join the reserve are liberal enough from one point of view, but we question whether colonials would consider them sufficient under the circumstances prevailing here. The Admiralty offer a retaining fee of £?> 5/ per annum to each seaman who will become a member of the colonial naval reserve and put in 2S days' drill per annum. If the man will, in addition to that, serve on board a man-of-war on the Australasian station for six months once during the first five years he is in the reserve he will at the expiration of the six months be paid at the rate of £6 per annum in lieu of £?> '■>/. Any fireman who places himself on the reserve will receive £ 6 a year without the necessity of going through a course of drill. The prospects held out to firemen and those who have served six months on a man-of-war are decidedly good, and should not fail to prove attractive. There is nothing to hinder the firemen at least taking advantage of the offer, and in the case of the sailors it should not be impossible where a question of so vital importance to the safety of the colony and the Empire is concerned to make some arrangement with their employers. The fishermen who might not be tempted by the £3 5/ might surely be induced to make some present sacrifice in order to get the substantial addition to their income which six months' service on a man-of-war would secure them.

His Excellency the Governor signed the Old Age Pensions Act on Nov. 2, and it is now the law of the colony. To many worthy old people of both sexes —colonists who for a quarter of a century or more have fought life's battle and been worsted in the fray—the ■ news that their bread at least is sure will produce a feeling of genuine thankfulness. The sum of ji IS a year, or 6/11 per week, is not one which holds out a prospect of much luxury; but still the wants of the aged are not very great, and the pension will, in many cases, be supplemented from other sources. A good deal of disappointment will be experienced among a number of those who sent in claims under the 'Kegistration of People's Claims Act, 1896,' which provided for pensions payable after twenty years', residence. An amendment, moved while the Government Bill was passing through committee, extended the residential qualification to 25 years, a majority of the House being of opinion that the colony had not received' the best services of men who were between forty and forty-five years of age when they arrived in New Zealand, and that the law would tempt people whose working powers are on the wane to come to the colonj' in order to qualify for the pension. We think, in view of the restrictions as to other sources of income, that the term of residence might have been left at twenty years. English statistics show that 60 per cent, of the population over 60 years of age are in receipt of charitable aid. It is self-evi-dent that unless, endowed with exceptional vitality, a man above 65 years cannot earn a livelihood in competition with younger men. It is not merely humane, therefore, but an imperative duty for the State in many instances to come to their aid, and better far that the help shall, be given in a form which will enable the recipients to preserve their independence and self-respect, than that the humiliation of eleemosynary doles shall be added to the sorroAvs of a poverty stricken old age. The financial burden laid upon the country will not be a serious one, and the experience gained during the three years for which the Bill makes provision will prove most valuable in dealing with one of the most difficult social problems of the age. , ;

The Premier in the course of an interview gave an explanation of the method by which claimants will be enabled to obtain the old age pension, amounting to £18 a year, for all per.sous who have attained the age of 65

years and upwards. Mr E. Mason, Registrar of Friendly Societies, has been recommendd to the Governor for the position of Registrar of Pension Claims, and subject to the control of the Colonial Treasurer, he will generally administer the Act, His Excellency is also" to be recommended to divide the colony into districts for the purposes of the Act, and to appoint deputy registrars for those districts, Government officials being utilised for the duties. These officers and the rules and regulations to g-overn their duties will be gazetted at an early date. Every person claiming to be entitled to a pension will upon the publication of the regulations send in to the deputy registrar for his or her (there is no distinction of sex) district, or to the nearest postmaster, the pension claim, giving all proof needed to establish the claims. Among the proofs to be furnished are the following:* That the claimant is a resident in the colon3 r and has resided herein continuously for not less than 25 years; that for the past 12 years he or she has not served.a term of imprisonment; that he- or.she has not deserted wife or

husband; is of good moral character; that his annual income .. does not amount to £52 or 'upwards; that the net capital value of his accumulated property does not amount to £270 or upwards; and that he has not directly or.-indirectly deprived himself of property or income in order to qualify for a pension. Pension forms will be supplied for the stating of these particulars, and when.' sent in tlie claim will be filed in a special book, each claim being numbered as it is received. The official will then send the claim to the stipendiary magistrate for the district in which it is made, and the

magistrate in open court is to fully investigate the pension claim for the purpose of ascertaining whether the claimant is entitled to the pension, and if entitled, for what amount in resjpect of the first year. The clerk of the Magistrate's Court will inform claimants as to the date upon which they may attend in support of their claims. In certain cases the magistrate has power to excuse the. presence iiv court of claimants, and the power under the Magistrate's Court Act of .1893 may be brought into operation to compel the attendance of witnesses.

As some 5000 persons last year established their claims to a pension under the .Registration of People's Claims Act of 1596, the work of the magistrate will be considerably lightened, although none of those 5000 claims will be taken as proved until inquired into by the magistrate. When the magistrate rejects a claim he must inform the claimant in writing- ofj.aU the material points which he finds to be proved, disproved, or not sufficiently proved, and'the magistrate's decision is to be final. As soon as the pension claim Is established and the rate of the first year's pension is fixed by the magistrate he. shall inform the deputy registrar, who will then issue a certificate to the claimant, the particulars of which certificate are to be entered in a special register and on removing from one district to another the pensioner can have his certificate transferred.

Asked as to when the. pensions would come into operation the Premier said that would all depend upon the despatch used by magistrates in hearing claims. The Government was pushing along the work of preparing the necessary rules and regulations, so as to get them published in the Gazette at an early date.

On Saturday, Nov. 19, the Auckland Rifle Volunteer Battalion, No. 1, numbering between- 400 and 500 strong went into camp in the Domain for v, week's training in infantry work. The Battalion, headed by Hunter's Garrison Band,-left the Drill Shed in heavy marching order on Saturday evening, and marched via Wellesley-street, Symond-street, and Grafton Road to the site of the camp in the Domain, where the tents are pitched under the shade of the high manuka trees near the Domain ranger's house.