The Advocate. [Established 1888. | [PUBLISHED DAILY.] OLDEST ESTABLISHED PAPER AND GUARANTEED LARGEST CIRCULATION IN THE DISTRICT. MONDAY, AUGUST 13, 1906. THE VERDICT OF TIME.

Bush Advocate, Volume XVIII, Issue 487, 13 August 1906, Page 4

The Advocate. [ Established 1 888. | [PUBLISHED DAILY.] OLDEST ESTABLISHED PAPER AND GUARANTEED LARGEST CIRCULATION IN THE DISTRICT. MONDAY, AUGUST 13, 1906. THE VERDICT OF TIME.

It is a generally-recognised fact that the great majority of the legislation passed since the advent of the Liberal party to office has stood the test of time. In almost every instance the prediction was made by opponents of the Gorerntnent that failure was certain to result. The Lands for Settlement Aefc - a measure which has proved to be the very sheet anchor of the Government, — was most fiercely condemned as an uuwarrantabls interference with the rights of the people, and was in consequence foredoomed to certain failure. The cheap money scheme was reviled as opposed to the principles of ordinary commerce, and much of the labour legislation was held to be unnecessary and mischievous. In nearly every case, all these measures have won their way into the approval and confidence of the public. Although at the outset there was an element of the experimental in this legislation, the verdict of time has been almost unanimously in its favour, so much so, in fact, that no

member of the Opposition has the hardihood lo propose the repeal of any single one of (lie Ads that have proved the bulwarks of Iho Liberal party. In their incursions into other phases of the social life of the colony, the Government have been equally successful. The creation of the Labour Department was a wise proceeding, and the development of the colony as a tourist resort has been followed by tho most satisfactory results. A long period elapsed before the Government could be induced to take up the working of a Stale coal mine, and i when a commencement was made there were the usual protests of interference with private enterprise, and of the money of the people of the colony being employed in a "risky" business. Although the management has beea wanting in some particulars, it is generally conceded that the venture will prove most, satisfactory. Depots for the sale of the coal are being established in several parts of the colony, and we hope that Dannevirke will shortly be included in the list. The inauguration of a State Fire Insurance Department has been more than justified. An appreciable lowering of the exorbitant premiums formerly charged by the private companies at once followed the opening up of the Department, to the gr£at satisfaction of insurers. And we desire to emphasize the point that of all these ventures not one at its commencement had tho approval of the. Opposition, although in their private judgment these members must now have altered their minds. Quite recently another departure made by the Government has received the cordial approbation of a prominent .Oppositionist. A party, of farmers resident on the West Coast paid a visit oE inspection to the Government experimental farm at Momohaki. After the members of the party had thoroughly satisfied themselves of the 'value to the farming interests of the undertaking, Mr J. G. Wil&on, the President of the Farmers' Union, admitted that he had vigorously opposed the establishment of the farm, but he had to confess' that he had been mistaken, that the Government had been right and he had been wrong ; and so he who had been disposed to curse, was compelled to bless. The incident is interesting as showing how men who have strongly and bitterly opposed the Government policy have been perforce compelled to acknowledge their blunder, and we hope that the Momohaki excursion will long live in Ihe minds of thost who took part in it a 9 an illustration of the fact that the best endeavours of the Government have been to assist to the utmost of their power the agricultural and pastoral interests of the colony.

It has been decided to hold the Biennial Conference of delegates of the Municipal Association on September ] 3rd, at Wellington. Phillips Bros. i>sue a challenge in this issue to saw any pair in Hawke's Bay for j£lo or j£2o a-side in auy sized log. A deposit has been posted at ihis office, which must be covered wilhiii one month. A private cablegram received from London states that it has been found that the bre which destroyed the barque : Pitcairn Island (when on her way fiom Wellington to London; originated in the wool cargo it will interest some to know that the making of the road between Makotuku \ axil Matamau, to be opened nest autumn | is already having a good effect. An enterprising business man acquired two ' properties last week in Makotuku, per Mr .Robinson. The Taylor-Carrington Co. played "Evicted" to a large and appreciative audience in the Ormondville Town Hail on Saturday evening. During the play some inflammable matter that had been used for stage purposes and thrown outside burnt up, and a bright glare of flame showing through the windows caused a slight uneasiness amongst the audience. At a meeting of the Trades and Labour Count il at Auckland it was asserted that some middlemen are importing potatoes as seed potatoes (on which uo duty is imposed) and selling them for table purposes, thus evading the duty to winch, potatoes for consumption are subject. It was resolved to draw the attion of the Minister for Agriculture to the matter and to repeat a former r(ijnest to remove the duty from all potatoes. The following handicaps have been declared for the Danuevirke-Hastings road race, starting from Dannevirke at 10 a.m. on the 18th : — H. Henderson and It. Jones scratch, O. Neilsen 3min, G. Hooker lOmin, A. W. Jones llmin, H. Guilliard and Bunting 14rnin, W. Hummer, and J. Downey lb'tnin, W. Gray and T. Downing 18min, V. Wall 23mm, G. IT. Smith, L. Redwood, and Lawton 27min, J. Johnstone and Harwood oOmin, H. M. Baker and Bowler 35min, A. Wrisjht and Eria 40miu. Messrs E. A. Ransom and J. Neagle will act as starters. A Wellington telegram states that a man named Arthur Ware bad half of his nose bitten off at a boar Jiug-' house on Clyde-quay. He appeared at the Police Court on Saturday as the informant in a case in which Francis Stephen Hart was charged with having assaulted him. Both men are labourers, and are said to have lodged at the same house. The doctor who examined Ward said it was one of the worst cases that he had ever seeu, a large part of the left side ot the nose being partly detached. The accused, on being asked to plead, said, "He assaulted me first." The case was adjourned to Friday.

Mr A. A Dittmer left for Rotpruato day to inspect the section of land drawn by his son in that district. Needharo, arrestf-d afc Capetown for inciting the unemployed to riot, is an Australian, while Ljvinschn, the anarchist, is a Russian.