The Clutha Leader. BALCLUTHA: FRIDAY, JAN. 21. THE HOME ELECTIONS.

Clutha Leader, Volume XXXVI, Issue 62, 21 January 1910, Page 4

The Clutha Leader. BALCLUTHA: FRIDAY, JAN. 21. THE HOME ELECTIONS.

I lie interest in the elections now proceeding for members of the Imperial Parliament is intense in tlio extreme. I he issues are far reachin.. I and both parties. are putting forili -IJerenli an efiorts lo secure success at, the polls. We have sal islaction in seeing thai the rout of the Liberah has not so far been so overwhelming as wo were afraid would be the cuse. and we arc in hopes that (lie final lesnlt may see them returned to power with a fair working majority, it is_high time tli,-it the Power of tiio j'nrse was restricted at Home ami wealth made to pay its just share of taxes for the (iovernment and defence of the Empire. Mr LloydGoo rip s Budget is so far reaching in its ellecfs, and the franchise is still far short of manhood suffrage, thai, with the issues so clearly defined, it will bc-nn epoch-making victory if this Po'ic.v is endorsed by the electoral! and the Liberals sent back 10 ollice. I here are 7,III"). CIS voters in the United Kingdom, of which number Kngland contributes o.MI'V-'-fi, Scotland 771,:$SS, Ireland ltS7,<>o!l, Wales .bl.L'bi, 'I here are 377 counties, '.M boroughs, aii(l nine university eousti tucncies. I'.ngland returns lli"> members, Jreland 10:5, Scotland 72, Wales 3(1. Tin; electoral qualifications are : Property (freehold and leasehold) mortgagors, mortgagee--. lictieliciaries under trusts, occupiers of lands or tenements, residents, lodgers (w ho must have resided in* the sanm lodgings for twelve months., preceding next -July 15, .such lodgings linfuniislii'd to lie of (lie clear yearly value of £lO, freemen', and university graduijtes. The state of parties at the dissolution last month was-Mims-tctial .iSS, Labour 34, Nationalist-; &i, Opposition J(iS. It is impossible to forecast what flic result may be in the present polling, The position so far will be found in another column. The only thing that can be said is that, taking' the results so fur as au indication of those to follow, the Opposition trains musl increase in ratio (ousiderabiy before they can return to power. Ireland, Scot,land and Males are, (rue to (heir tradition.-, fit-amliutf soliilly I»v LilxTali.siu, li is in Kngland thai Toryism is' rampant, and making heavy inroads into Liberal strongholds. Mr ('lias, liruce, !m (J i<| UJR j W( ,i|. known resident of Clinton, is at pivsont lying seriously iil in Dunedin Hospital. There luis been a good deal of sickness of one kind of another and several accidents about Clinton lately, and Dr. Collier lias been ki'pt verv busy. Mr .John Wallace, of Clinton, lost u valuable Baron Hold foal this week. It developed a swelling on tin* neck, which eventually burst, ami after that till the food and water it took came out through an opening in the gullet. Mr Dans-kin, A' t .S., niadi; an examination but was unable t 0 o anything. The cause of the swelling could "not be accounted for except on the hypothesis) that the foal had attempted to swallow some sharp article, portion oi the barb of barb win; for example, which luid stuck in the gullet, and formed au absooas with/the result eta*

Tire Besses o' the Bam Band have enraged the Oddfellows'' Hall for February 23rd. . j There are large fields of grass-seed j in the stook in the Waiwera district. Most of them promise very good yields and sttmplos. A tidal wave struck the steamer Lusitania in mid-Atlantic. Two thousand tons of water were shipped. The wheel room and charthouse were damaged, and the lifeboats dislodged. A married man named Andrew! Docherty, 40 yeurs of age, was accicienlally killed on the Catlins railway works while bush-felling on Wednesday morning. The Clinton Branch of the Farmers' Union have ugrwfl upon 9-Jd an hour and found as the rate for harvest wages ;orl/ an hour and men find themselves. This brings them into line with the rate ruling in Bruce. The results of the matriculation examination include the following wellknown local names Matriculation; and solicitors' general knowledge—t Elizabeth J. Cornish, T. G. Denniston, A. J. Fairmaid, M. V. Louslev, J. S. Nelson. Matriculation—W. G. A. Bishop, Dorothy Fitzgerald. The Kaitangata Riftes go into camp on Saturday (to-morrow), and the Owaka Rides, on February 5. On Saturday, February 12, the five companies of the Fourth Battalion (Brucej Kaitangata, Owaka, Clutha, and Popotunoa) go into camp at Balclutha for two days, when they will be inspected by Colonel Smyth. The Dominion exports show a substantial increase for the current year compared with last year. The total for 1-eeember 1909 was nearly £500,000 more than for December 1908, while for tiie nine mouths ending December last, the total shows an increase of close on three millions compared with the corresponding period last year. This is a sure index of returning prosperity. At the close of a packed' indignation meeting at Auckland the other night Vnere was a wild outburst of cheering for Captain Knyvett and his company, cheers for Mr Massev. and groans for Colonel Robin and ihe Prime Minister. An exchange suggests that if many of the cheering ones were invited to don a uniform and lit themselves to defend their country they would not be so prominent or noisy. There was a suggestion by the Mayor at the council meeting on Wednesday night that some residents should appear before the committee to explain how their horses came to be wandering. A councillor jokingly suggested the Mayor wanted to make believe he was on the Bench and have them "up" before the committee. The Mayor : "Don't you belfeve it. The Bench is like said when he came out of jail—"lt's not the place it's cracked up to be.' "—Laughter. At the Borough Council meeting on Wednesday, several residents who were likely to be summoned for allowing horses to stray in the borough, pleaded as an excuse that the offence was at Christinas time, and that their gates had been "lifted" by some voting folk who were celebrating the merry season. The committee of. the council appointed to inquire would, however. have none of it, and it seems likely the matter will be heard of next court day. An effort is being made by erieketors in Dunrdin and throughout Otago generally to collect sjillicienl by means of shilling subscrijrtions to defray the expenses of despatching a team, under the auspices of the Otago Cricket Association, to Auckland in February, there to contest the Piunket shield. We shall be very glad to take ( large 01 any sums that may be handed in, and forward them to the proper quarter. Even a few shillings will swell the total, and encourage a maniy and clean sport. During his first year of office as Minister of Railways the Hon. J. A. Millar has. he states, effected economies in working expenses totalling £'/O,O<XV. With a view to still further cutting 'down expenditure, lie intends to convene a conference of district traffic manager* as soon as the financial yearj closes, to consider a proposal to reduce goods services to wayside stations. The Minister of Railways will leave mi a trip to Australia on March lMh. These is at Essen, in Germany (the seat ot' the great gun-making firm of Ivruppj, an hotel which entertains its principal guests without charge. It is run iiy Frau Bertha Krupp, owner oi the great Krupp works. The hotel is conducted at a loss of over £20,000 a year, and is intended fpr the entertainment of representatives of foreign Governments who visit Essen for the purpose of purchasing war material.