THE

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume XXII, Issue 3069, 17 January 1894, Page 2

THE

AMD THAMES VALLEY WARDEN. The Spirit of th% Timss shall ioaDti me spwd. — £ing Jobn, Act ir. . Wednesday, January 17, 1894. The pecan of triumph raised over the adoption of womanhood suffrage in this colony was so loud and long and the public mind so concentrate?! on that and electoral matters generally that little attention was given to the minor, though still great, triumph of the champions of the rights of women, by the election of a woman to the ; j office of Mayor of a good sizedf borough, to wit, Onehunga. Unfor| tunately the triumph has proved to b| in some respects worse than a def eat| True, the principle of the right of 4 woman to hold the office of mayor and to execute the duties and power| of a Justice of the Peace, has been affirmed, but the example afforded is hardly such as to lead the public at| large, or any but those blinded by bigotry, to feel that the real cause of womankind has been advanced by the appointment. We do not doubt that there are women as capable as men of dealing impartially with matters wherein they themselves are interested, but up to the pre* en j the sex as a whole has had but extremely little experience or training to assist its indivr'c 1 . mis in learning this virtue. The proceedings of the Onehunga Borough Council are but a sorry argument in favour of electing women to civic offices. ' The refusal of the lady mayor to put to the meeting an amendment, duly proposed and seconded, on the ground that as she was the mover of the ' Original motion proposed to be amended, she would stultify her own actions, is a manifest absurdity and shows that the lady had not grasped one of the chief and fundamental principles of the duties of chairmanship. Certainly the action of some of the councillors in resigning their seats on account of the result of the Mayoral election is not to be admired, as they could not but be aware that the appointment as made was in accordance with the law of the land, and their action showed a foolish spirit of antagonism to the existing law under which both themselves and their Mayor were alike elected and vested with certain powers. Their duty as nominees of the public was to receive with due respect the choice of the same with regard to the mayoral office. Their action in resigfhing was tantamount to an adverse criticism on thp capacity of the burgesses to make choice of fit and proper persons to serve them in the civic offices and thus casts a doubt on the wisdom of their own election, and such doubt appears to us to be well founded when viewed in the light afforded by their recent proceedings . Altogether municipal matters at Onehunga appear to be in anything but a happy, state, but the champions of woman's right to equality with man in all things political and otherwise, would do well to ponder over the example just afforded and make sure that any steps they take to give effect to their doctrine are such as to commend it to thej general approbation of the public at? large, ;

There is said to be a good opening for some of the unemployed in the Waikato. The officer in charge of the Auckland; j Labour Bureau, (Mr Ferguson), has ha 4 | a requisition made upon him for 15 to 20 men handy at spade work. f The Trinity Church Committee are preparing for a GardSri Fete to be held ija the Domain at anearly date, the assistance of the Band has, beeji sought to lend. «a additional attraction and has been cheerfully promised. Acceptances and general entries for the Tauranga races are to be in the hands of the Secretary, Dy noon on Saturday next.- '• "■ - - ; *' >i t '" ' " Tenders for repairs to the retaining wall of the old cemetery have .been postponed until the <■. arrival of the G.s.s. HLuenioa, which is daily expected. ; A large shark was seen swimming about between the two wharves \on Monday afternoon. "We would wkrn bathers in the. open to be careful and not go into deep water. The tourist trade in Eotorua is now very brisk; in addition to a large number already there, forty more arrived by coaches on Saturday. Col. Pat. Boyle, Secretary to His Excellency the Governor, is among late arrivals. Tenders are invited by Mr Ward, architect, for altering, removing and adding to a house in Cameron road, returnable till noon on Saturday, 27th inst. A meeting of the Farmers Club is caJlled for Saturday next at 2 p.m., in the Government Buildings. . Mr H. L. Harston advertises that should sufficient inducement offer he will deliver a course of lectures on the theory of music. His method of teaching on the black-board is acknowledged to be the surest and best for anyone who may be learning to play an instrument,, for it allows of any pieee'being Hayed at sight. Mr Harstpn haa' now been ten years perfecting his system, and for the last few months Jias hadri^he satisfaction of proving its utility as. all. his pupils made rapid strides. A good deal of information on the subject may be gleaned from the adyertisement. ; ; v The all-absorbing question of 'What is the best double V is exercising the minds of our sports, and as a result of the various opinions most of the horses are being well backed. , s v The date of the Wesleyan Annual Competition iShow has been ftsed for Thursday, February Bth. ; ; v J ; A few of the boys who have been down ! to Te Puke during the test day or) two report that The Saint is looking fit,/and should go very near winning the Cup on Monday week. . : ,\- Mr H. L. Harston will be at Tauranga on his usual piano and organ tuning tour on the 22nd inst. vV-'Qrsers left with Mr C. G. Carter will be promptly attended to. Mr Walter Robinson, formerly on the staff of the Bay of Plenty Times,, was to-day married at Palmerston North, to Miss George of that place. Wish you luck, deahboy. It is proposed to run an excursion by coach from Waihi to allow of people there attending our annual race meetr m S- .' ■ ■ '■• ..-,-. *. : .'; r ' ."' The cargo steamer, , , Duke of Sutherland, which arrived in Auckland yesterday, has on board two -ixmfi of printing paper for the Bay of Plenty Times. The privileges in connection with our annual race meeting will be sold on Satnaday next at the Haymarket. Mayor Island should attract a number j of sightseers by the Katikati on Saturday evening, being one of the most interesting and beatitful isl&nds on the New Zealand coast. It /has a magnificent crater, over, three miles in circumference, with cliffs' in spme| places 300 and 400 feet high and , lakes at their foot. The climate' of the island is semi-tropical and a variety of fruits grow wild there, the vegetation is very luxuriant and the scenery beautiful. A message from the sea, telling of the wreck of the ship Ontario, loaded with tea, has been picked up on the beach at Port Melbourne. One of the "things not generally known " perhaps (says Uoyd's), is that at the present time the East end of London is profiting (intellectually at any rate) from " betterment " -at the Antipodes. Dr GUfclirist, in connection with whose lnnnificent beqfiest foreducational purposes the popular science lectures are now being given at the: Great Assembly Hall, Mile-End jload, was an investor in land in the early days 'of Australian colonisation, and the city of Sydney has grown upon land, whicn he, amongst others, chanced their money upon. It say 8 much' for the East end that the five thousand hall has been;inadequate to accommodate the audiences who have flocked thither. L The United States steamer Costa Rica was recently fired upon by the Honduras authorities. The latter demanded from Captain Doyle, the "commander of the Costa Rica, a vessel of 1,167 tons, flying the United States flag,; then at Amapata, the surrender of General Policarpo Bonilla, the leader of the recent revolution in Honduras, who was a passenger on the steamer. Captain Doyle declined to comply with the request, and the authorities thereupon threatened to sink the vessel, declaring that orders had been given to that effect by President Vasquez. An official protest was made against the captain's refusal, and tlje next morning a Government officer, went on board the Costa Rica, insisting on the surrender of General . Bonilla, and intimating that should tEe reftisal Be- persisted in the ves^l woip4 m^^i^d« TW> captain replied that the commander of the port would receive his answer witniri half an hour. The Costa Rica steamed away without any reply having been given, and seven shots were fired at her, although none of them struck her. The Colonial Secretary of Queensland has dedded to establish a labour colony on the lines of tlie lieangattia colony in ; Victoria. The site selected is at Yandina, 70 miles from Brisbane, on the Gympie railway line. It comprises an area of over 200 acres or excellent soil, with '. about two miles of frontage to the Msroochie River. ■ / \ ,■: -. -. >■ '■%■■ - : " .■.: V ! / A drill at St. Kilda (Vie.) lias revealed < ; a splendid se&m of brown coal four feet 1 thick, struck? 1 , at a depth ol JIQ, feet. It " also showed favourable! of : another seam at 200 feet, r with the ■-,- possibility of a thick seam of black coal at < 400 feet. ' ; ■ ' :?■ ~ - i

'The steamship City of Alexandria, belonging to the New York and Cuban Mail Steamsip Company, was burned at sea on November Ist. An explosion preceded the burning, the cause 61 which is unknown. In the first moment of terror several jumped into the sea and were drowned. It is be believed that 34 perished. . ')...'. - AccordiWg to the Rev. J. Matthew, the cave pictures of Australia show that a higher race that the blacks once occupied the land. In one there is a robed figure with a rainb.owhaloroundliishead,.which Mr Mattnevr :c6nsiders to i-l)e the cMei god of Sumatra. The scared crocodile of Sumatra is also seen, amongst them. The blacks regard them as bogies. Cecil Rhodes, Prime Minister of Cape Colony, and the richest man in- South Africa, made most of his enormous fortune in the diamond mines at Kimberley during the period of speculation that led to their consolidation under one manage-" ment. Twenty years ago three partners owned a block of claims on the diamond fields. One of themhas since been hanged, another is a loafer and a beggar, and the third is Mr Rhodes. i The Victorian DepartmentofiA^riculture (we learn from the Argus) has taken a nevr departure. The scent industry is generally regarded as one which is eminently suitable for women, and a party of women have been at the Government scent farm, Dunolly, gaining an insight into the various processes. They are taken in a conveyance to the farm every morning from Dunolly, and Mr Mellon, the manager, has shown them the dry processes of extraction of scent, as well as the distillation of roses, lavender, etc., at present going on there. They have also been taught the treatment necessary for the growth of the various scent plants, J together with, the soils suitable for them, times of planting pruning, etc, and from the acquaintance : they already possess with flower-growing will be able, when the season conies round, to turn their knowledge to , practical account. The cultivation of flowers,; the extraction of scent, beekeeping, and poultry-farming combined, is an industry very suitable for women, and Victoria is the first colony to initiate this movement in a practical shape in the Southern Hemisphere. Resident Magistrates are to be abolished on March Ist, and Stipendiary Magistrates totake tneir place — a distinction with very little difference.— Trutli. i ; A orime which has provoked the anger and indignation of the populace, and wi§ followed by swift retribution on the perpetrator, was committed at Quincey, Misws* sipi, U.S.A. A negro named "Ben" Jackson threw packages of rat poison into -a well, on the premises of Mr Thomas Woodruffe, in order, according to his own confession, to poison the whole family. His villainous scheme succeeded only too well. Three of Mr Woodruffe's children now lie died, and Mr Woodruffe himself was so ill that little hope was entertained cf his reeoyery. Jackson, who admitted that he poisoned the we? 1 , was seized by a mob and lynched. The appointment of Mr J. E. Logan as Chief Inspector of Telegraps, vice Lemon retired, is another scandalous job. Hi 9 senior and superior as regards professional acquirements, Mr Bold, should undoubtedly have had the appointment.— Truth. When tlie first Bible was. printed in America it took tlfree years to • priiiit the Old Testament. When the revised Version of the New Testament was telegraphed to Chicago, in 188 1, it was pat in type and stereotyped in twelve hours. - . Emigration from Spain to South American republics is assuming considerable proportions, owing to the extreme distress prevailing in the country, especially in the. agricultural districts. Fully 1500 people are to leave Iceland this year fcr the Canadian Northwest, and as the Canadian Government w ill pay their passage and in. other ways enable them to settle in new and more desirable homes, the exodus is likely, to continue. The Government of South Australia are rigidly enforcing the Chinese Restriction Act. Vessels from Hong Kong and other eastern ports are only allowed to carry Chinese in proportion to their tonnage, instead of on the gross tonnage as hitherto. The Government intend to introduce a Bill making the. Act applicable to all colored Asiatics. On the night of Oct. 30 a tank of creosote in a waggon standing in the railway sidings at Rugby leaked, and a large quantity of the liquid found its way down a watercouse into the Avon and killed the fish for half a mile down the stream. The contaminated water, slowly made -its, way down the river, killing fish, rats, frogs, and everything, as it went. By Thursday it had reached King's Newnham Mill, five miles from Rugby, having passed through some of the best stretches of the Rugby Angling Association. Thousands of dead fish were to be seen all along, including scores of pike ranging up to 101 b, bream of slb and 61b. chub almost as heavy, fine perch, and very large roach, showing at all events that the river was abundantly stocked. It was afterwards reported that the reospto was making its way towards the waters of the Coventry Angling Association at Brandon, and unless there came an immediate flood it was feared that ihe disastrous effects would extend for miles further.