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Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3210, 12 October 1881, Page 2

The Post has long contended that hitherto there have been no real party divisions in New Zealand, so far as mere political principles are concerned, and this has been strongly exemplified by the fact that during their two years of office the present Government have passed into law every one of the so-called " Liberal " mea-ures which their predecessors traded on, but never really attempted to carry. Hf re we find hoth sides holding identical views on what are claimed to be vital political principles. We are then told that only one side is sincere in professing lhei*e principles, tbe other merely usinc tbem asi a s-talkinsj horse. In tbat case, of course, we look to see which side shows forth its taiih by its works. tint tbis leads us ioto a curious paradox. For we find that it is the men who are asserted to be insincere in their advocacy ot " Liberal " measures who have resolutely carried these measures, nay, who had to force tbem down the throats of their opponents. And yet we believe there is something in tbis paradoxical statement. Ce<taiuly we do not for one moment believe that tbe Grey party were in the least degree sincere in tbeir " Liberalism," because they could easily have carried their measures but took special care to avoid doing so, as by carrying them they would have lost their pretended raison detre as a party and their occupation would have been gone. But at the same time we feel tolerably sure that the Hall party would not have brought these measures forward excepting for the celebrated reason tbat the late Lord Derby gave for forcing his Reform Bill on the Conservative party, namely, tbat it " dished the Whigs." So has the Liberal legislation promoted by tbe present Government " dished " the Greyites. And deservedly so, because they never were in earnest in tbeir Liberalism, which was to them a sound and nothing more. The attempt to define party lines or tbe basis of political principles ha? thus been by no means a success so far in New Zealand. It has produced two vague, shadowy, aud fleeting parties, both professing the same views because they appeared popular, but neither side having any real heartiness in its advocacy : the one side blatant in its professions, but carefully abstaining from reducing them to practice, the other secretly deriding the cry, but forcing through the measures chiefly for the sake of spiting and discrediting its opponents who had talked without doing. But all this is played out now, and it is impossible to lay down party I lines on this ground. I

To-morrow being the annual show day of the Agricultural and. Pastoral Society, and a public holiday, the Daily Telegraph will not be published.

Messrs Hill and Poole did good business with their totalisator at the race meeting yesterday. We understand that the total amount which passed through their hands was £1077.

We understand that some of the Hastings residents intend running a special train on Monday evening next from Hastings to Napier, returning to Hastings immediately alter the performance of the " Pirates of Penzance" by the Cary company.

The Rifle Volunteers, under the command of Captain Blythe, leave by the first train to-morrow for Hastings, where they purpose indulging in some skirmish drill, lunch with Mr Wellwood, and then proceed to tbe agricultural show. The band will be in attendance.

The Lydia Howarde troupe repeated the programme of the previous evening at the Theatre Royal last evening to a very fair house. To-night a double bill will be presented, comprising " Fra Diavolo," and the burlesque of " II Travatore," in which will be introduced several aira from the favorite opera "Lea Cloches de Corneville."

At the Resident Magistrate's Court this morning, before H. Eyie Kenny, Esq., R.M., Henry Hoff was charged with drunkenness, and fined 5s and costs or 48 hours. His Worship took ocoasion to remark that it was very creditable to the district that there were so few charges brouerht before the Court during a holiday and race week.

The District Court sittings at Gisborne, appointed to be held on Monday next, will be adjourned to the following Monday, the 24th instant. Owing to tbe pressure of work in the Resident Magistrate's Court here, His Honor Mr Kenny has decided upon thia course, in order that the large number both of civil and other cases set down for hearing next week may be dealt with by himself before leaving.

The Napier and Waipawa Cricket Club's will meet at Hastings to-morrow. The following are the teams selected to contend. Napier:—Messrs Pram, Cato, Ellison, Carnell, H. Martin, J. Martin, Gilberd, Edwards, White, Westenra, and Gilpin ; emergency, Thompson. Waipawa:—Messrs Craven, Harwood, Dew, Waddington, Bishop, Chicken, A. Fraser, J. Eraser, Nicholls, Goldsmith, and J. Rhodes.

At the Agricultural show to-morrow the Kaiapoi Company will exhibit a selection of their manufactures. It will be remembered by visitors to the show of last year that this company exhibited a first class variety *of tweeds and flannels, and i hat their stall formed a very interesting feature of tbe show. It says much for the enterprise of this company that they take every opportunity of showing to all parts of the colony what can be done at Kaiapoi in the way to local industry.

At Mr Gillman's Calcutta sweeps on the Raoing Club's spring meeting the following prices were realised :—Maiden Plate, value £49 7s 6d, Slander filly, £24; Louie, €5 10s; Badsworth, £3; The Squire, £2 10s; Venture, £1 15s. Racing Club Handicap, value £40, Badsworth, £20; Grand Duchess, £3; Eoul Play, £6. Hawke's Bay Stakes (No. 1), value £68 15s, Prim, £3 ; Mavis, £2 ; Foul Play, £7 ; Venture, £1 10s; Grand Duchess, £11; Mischief, £5; The Squire, £1 ss; Badsworth, £1 15s; Morning Star, £l 5? ; Rewi, £3; Louie, £2 ; Slander filly, £2 15s. Hawke's Bay Stakes (No. 2), value £38 12s 6d, The Squire, £1 ss; Slander filly, £1 los; Badsworth, £7 10a; Morning Star, £1 10s; Grand Duchess, £9 ; Foul Play, £5 ; Prim, £1 ss. Total value of the sweeps, £186 loa.

The Norman by correspondent of the Patea Mail concludes a warlike article by saying —" A continuation of the fencing will not be tolerated, and if the Legislature fail to take speedy and vigorous proceedings, then the settlers themnelves will not scruple to assume independent action. The old days of Northern fogyism are for ever at an end, and new blood has happily been imported into the district. Parihaka—so long the dread and scourge of the country —will now be purified of its treason and disease, and all the delays and obstacles of the Government will only inflame the rage of the people to accelerate the progress of its purification."

The Tablet understands that a movement is on foot in Wellington for the purpose of floating a company by which the Uatholio working classes of the colony will be largely benefited. The objects of the company will be to acquire land to be sold to the working classes on easy terms, and at the same time to enable them as shareholders, to have their part in the profits ; to lend money at interest for educational or church purposes; to receive money on deposit at interest, and to grant loans on approved security ; and, though last not least, to provide an annual sum as an endowment for Catholic schools. It is added that Bishop Red ward has expressed his approval of the piojeot and proposes to become a shareholder.

Most personp, says the Sydney Herald of the 27th ult., who have paid attention to our shipping reports must have noticed the large number ot" passengers that arrive by almost vessel from >ew Zealand. Not only do they come by steamers, but by sailing vessels also as opportunity offers. For instance, by the barque G. M. Tucker, which arrived at Newcastle yesterday from New Zealand, there were forty passengers, all of whom have no doubt been induced by the prospects which New South Wales offers as a home, to become permanent settlers here, ihe steamship Hero, which arrived on Sunday, brought 45 steerage passengers; and the Wakatipu (s.), which arrived on Friday morning, brought, in addition to her u*ual complement of saloon passengers, 90 in the steerage.

A very curious incident happened to a gentleman on board a Liverpool outgoing steamer lately. I he affair as it turned out may be considered amu-ing, although it might have led to very awkward results. It seems that Mr Maccibe, the well-known ventriloquist, was leaving for Sydney, and his agent, who was accompanying him found himself being narrowly watch, d and followed about by two or three men who looked like detectives. The captain was appealed to, and just as the police were about to pounce on their prey, it was pointed out to them that this gentlemen could not be the man they wanted. Soon satisfying themselves of their error, they produced a photograph of tbe real criminal (a foryer) whom they were in quest of, when the likeness between the two was found to be extraordinarily striking.

One of the witnesses in a case at the Dunedin Supreme Court, on Monday, named Frederick Paterson, refused to take the customary oath before giving evidence. As he was not averse to the taking of an oath, objecting simply to kiss the Bible, bis Honor Mr Justice Johnston said he hardly knew how to meet the case. On being asked what sort of an oath he considered binding, the witness said : " I will give you my solemn word to speak the truth. I came here to speak the truth, and will do so. I object to kissing the Bible, as I do not think my conscience will be bound by a book Ido not believe in." His Honor : " It is the form of taking an oath by the law of England to kis* the Bible. Do you believe in God?" Witness: "I do not believe in a personal God I believe there is a Guider of the Universe, but why 1 do not know." His Honor : "I do not exactly know how to meet tbe case with the existing law. Is there any form of oath that you consider more binding than the ordinary one?" Witness: " I will take tbe Scotch oath." His Honor on receiving this intimation swore the witness by the Scotch oath, which consists of a declaration, with the hand raised, to tell the truth.

An interesting experiment, that of plaoing Sydney and Melbourne in direct telephonic communication on a' Government telegraph wire, was (the Sydney Morning Herald states) made on a Sunday last month, that day being chosen for the purpose beeauee it is the only day in the week

when the telegraph instruments are in degree at rest. Mr E. W. Pearson, the Australasian manager and agent of the Telephone Company, of London and Halifax, Ehgland, who has recently arrived in Sydney, superintended the arrangements at this end. T he day was somewhat unfavorable for the attempt, as the very high wind prevailing up the country caused tbe telegraph wires to virbrate violently, and so created a larae amount of what is called "induction," which is always accompanied by a peculiar crackling noise in the receivers of telephonic apparatus. Only very faint sounds of the voice were heard between the extreme ends of the line, but perfeotly audible speech was transmitted between Melbourne and Albury, thus establishing: the important fact that even on telegraph wires not specially constructed for the operation of telephones oral messages can be sent a distance of 200 miles.

A controversy has arisen with referenoe to the assertion that no general officer ever before commanded so many British troops as those massed in Windsor Park on July 9th. " One of the few who survive those days," writes with reference to the army commanded by the late Du_6 of Wellington at Nivelle :—" The largest strictly British force that ever fought under his command stood to its arms on the morning of November 10th, 1813. The battle of Nivelle was won by 44.074 British soldiers. In the battle of Toulouse only 22,416 were engaged, and at Waterloo 25 389. If you add to these last 6309 officers and men of the German Legion, the total amount will be 31,698. I need scarcely add tbat to each of these armies were attiched the corps of Portuguese and Spaniards, or else of Hanoverians, Brunswick. Nassau troops, and Netherlanders. But the striotly British force was on each occasion such as I have stated it to be." Another co-respondent, quoting Allison's History of Europe, says that the Duke of Wellington reviewed in Paris, after Waterloo, 60,000 British troops—a sight never before seen, and probably never to be seen again.

The New Zealand Herald has the followinsr:—"Perhaps the largest piece of work ever done by the Native Land Court has been completed in the sittings that have just terminated at Cambridge. The Coutt bas passed into European ownership the enormous extent of 300,000 acres. The sittings have extended over several months, and the decisions havp given great satisfaction. Only those who know something of the Maoris, and of the manner of prooedure before the Native Land Court, cad appreciate the patience, the industry, the forbearance, the oommand of temper, the taot and discretion involved in the task which has just been completed. It has been done so well as not to leave any of the parties dissatisfied, and it is not expeoted that there will be any re-hearings applied for in respect even to the subdivisions. As our readers are aware, arrangements are in progress for cutting up all this land into suitable portions, and disposing of it to persons who will cultivate it, thus enormously extending the utilised area of the colony. But it is only right that we should put on record the opinion of those who have had the best opportunities of knowing, that the important work of eonduoting the Court, before which so many difficult questions of native ownership came, has been satisfactorily accomplished."

The Wellington Post says :—" Within the past few weeks upwards of 1000 oats have been sent from Wellington to Wairar»pa fir the purpose of annihilating the rabbits which infest the district. No fewer th n 713 cats and kittens hav9 been supplied to the Brancepeth Station, and several hundreds, we are informed, have been conveyed to Martinborough. On Messrs Beetham's station the animals are placed in enclosures and fed upon mutton, so as to accustom them to the locality. In a short time they will be liberated when it is hoped they will make havoc upon the rabbits. There appears to be some diversity of opinion upon the propriety of turning loose such large numbers of cats, but Messrs Beetham think they will destroy the rabbits without doing much other damage. No doubt when letloose, they will make a raid on the rabbits while the latter are plentiful, but after they have cleared the runs they will still find it necessary to eat, and then it is questionable if poultry yards, will be safe. It is even probable that the oats will destroy lambs, and then it may be found desirable, but difficult, to get rid of the oats. Time alone will show whether the experiment made by the Messrs Beetham and the Hon. John Martin will prove satisfactory. In the meantime, both parties will take as many more cats as can be brought to their respective agents."

In a lecture entitled " Fiji under British, Rule," delivered at the Town-hall, Fitzroy, Victoria, recently, the Hon. Edward Langton made some pointed allusions to Sir Arthur Gordon. He disapproved of the policy of Sir Arthur Gordon since the islands were ceded to the British Crown. One of the conditions on which the native ohiefs ceded the country to great Britain was that the rights and inteiestsof theceeding parties should be recognised so far as was consistent with British sovereignity an colonial form of government. This condition has not, however, been carried out. Sir Arthur Gordon had not treated these people as human beings to think and act for themselves, but had reduced the common people to a condition of more complete slavery than ever they were in before, and it seemed to him strange that after paying £20,000,000 to banish slavery from the West Indies, the British Crown should now revive and promulgate the system in Fiji. The present system was that tbe chiefs received tribute in kind from the common people. Under cover of this system the native had no free labour. If he went out to woik, so soon as he brought back his earnings they were taken away from him by-the chief of his class. It was utterly impossible for peope to acquire habi's of industry if the motive for industry —permission to own and use what was earned—was not allowed them. "Under Sir Arthur Gordon's policy the people were absolutely required to obtain permission from the Government to work. -Such a state of things, the lecturer thought, could not possibly last.