NOTES.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 9294, 23 July 1901, Page 4

NOTES.

If Hawke's Bay people desire an outlet for any superfluous energy* there would not. be much amiss with an agitation for a light railway from Woburn or Waipukuraii to Weber. It would assist the Masterton folk in their project of the light line from Masterton right through to Woburn, would open up fine land, would benefit a large number of settlers, and help to develop the trade of the port. We have already recommended tbe Chamber of Commerce to take up this question, and at t"he risk of being considered prolix we again make the suggestion.

By the way, is there not. much room for improvement in connection with the Chamber of Commerce ? Is it as a body sufficiently alive to the needs of the district ? The President of the Chamber, Mr Baxter, seems desirous of infusing some vitality into its proceedings, but whether he will succeed or not remains to be seen. It is to be hoped that he may, for grante 1 an institution of the kind knowing what it wants, gifted with zeal in the direction of obtaining it, and possessed of some shrewdness as to its methods, it may do much good.

We suggest that the Chamber should v act" more. If it does not always act rightly it. will provoke criticism, which in its turn will result, in the public taking a keener iuteiest in its proceedings than they do at present. Criticism: will moreover tend to put members of the Chamber themselves on the alert, and give them an intellectual " edge.'' The result could not fail to be beneficial to them and to the district.

Lord Rosebery's remark that the schism in the Liberal party in Britain really dates back to the murder of Gordon does more than enunciate a truth. It condemns a most pernicious policy. In those few words are summed-up all the vices of the Gladstone era with regard to foreign policy. These which may be shortly described as provoking external disturbances and then running away, varied with running away when any little pettifogging upstsrt chose to be impertinent to the Empire.

Coming .under the first category was the murder of Gordon, who was sent to the Soudan by Mr Gladstone only to be abandoned by him there. Under the second may be ranged the scnttle-from the Transvaal in 1880, out of which all the subsequent troubles in South Africa by a process of natural development. We would prefer to state the same thing in a different way, and say that the d<bacle of the Liberal party occurred because it was content to be a party of phrases instead of a party of action.

Spinoza, from a purely metaphysical standpoint probably the most acute mentality that ever existed oh this earth, was; dubbed by some epigrammatic writer whose name we forget at the moment " A Godintoxicated man." Gladstone made himself drunk on words, and his followers mistook the source of his inspiration. Disraeli's definition of him almost amounted to genius. Here it is :—

A sophistical rhetorician, inebriated with the exuberance of his own verbosity, and gifted with an egotistical imagination that can at all times command ah interminable and inconsistent series of arguments to malign an opponent and to glorify himself.

Admit that definition, and all that Lord Eosebery now alleges had to come of necessity. Bannerman is another Gladstone without his eloquence, without his tenacity of purpose, without his power of organising, without his faith in himself (egotism, as the' cynical call it) without his capacity as a leader, but with more than his weakness for endeavoring to sit upon two stools. If Lord Rosebery can be induced to enter politics again, and he and Mr Asquith could work in double harness, we might pee the rise of a strong party which, while determined to push on needed reforms at home, would not be afraid to carry out / a just and strong policy 'abroad.

As may have been noticed by our shipping news of recent date, the Toroa half loads; here with manure, goes to Gisborne to take in another half-load of manure, and then carries the whole to the Bluff. That manure, which is manufactured in connection with the frozen meat industry, is the finest in the world. Why our farmers should not consume more of it than they do, and why they should permit the farmers of Southland and. elsewhere to get the benefit of it, may be explained in three ways.

Our lands may be all so rich that they need no manure. That is possibility No. 1. No. 2is that our farmers devote their efforts to forms of, tillage not requiring artificial manures. The third is that as a people we might be a little, more energetic with advantage. Which is the true explanation, or how far the three may overlap each other, we frankly confess we do not know. But as this manuse we export costs the farmers of Southland in the neighborhood of at least thirty shil-1 lings per ton more than it could be obtained for here by local farmers,' probably they may consider the question werthy of a passing thought.

Cables and telegraphic appear on page two, Transvaal war news on page three, particulars regarding the Eastern Trouble on page six, and sporting on page seven.

Addition to telephone exchange Hat:— No. 320, Geo. White (private residence), Burlington road.

" Charlotte Bront6 " will be the subject of the lecture to be given by Mlis Hodge to-night at the Athenseum Half, - _ , in continuation of the series of literary v *'' jectures. \

The informal voting paper of one elector at Christchurch, who was evidently of a racy turn of mind, bore the sad inscription:—" I can't pick it."

Plaintiffs secured judgments in the following undefended civil cases before Mr A. Turnbnll, S.M., this morning :— Arsene Le Petit v. W. Wylie, £3, costs 55.; G. C. FJetcher v. F. Bird, £1 10a, costs ss.

The companies of the local' battalion are now all armed with the Lee-Enfield rifle.

The Napier Hospital returns for the past week are as follows":—In at last date, 22 males 15 females; admitted during the week, 5 males 1 female; dincharged, 5 males 2 females ; remaining at date, 22 males 14 females. «

The firab race for the American Cup between Shamrock 11. and the American yacht is set down for September 21st. •

Mr Ell stated in the the other evening, amid much contradiction, that we were on the verge of a land boom.

He added that blocks ot 25 or 30 acres six miles from Christchurch were selling for £60 and £65 an acre. j

The age question always proves troublesome to Magistrates when hearing ap. plications from natives for old-age pensions. A Maori who appeared at the Gisborne Court the other day had fallen nine years since he made hia first application. ,

At the Magistrate's Court this morning before Mr A. Turnbull, S.M. a man * named William Flowers, with several alia»es, was sentenced t» six weeks imprisonment for having committed a grossly indecent acfe in Herschell street yesterday afternoon, and Peter Petersen, for having stolen 2s 9d from Flowers, waa sent to gaol for 48 hours.

At Perth, on the Ist inst., a man named George Thornton was prosecuted for ill-treating his three-year-old son by shutting him in an outhouse at night in a nude state. He was convicted of "culpable negligence " and fined 40sand costs (245). > "

About £ICO is. now in hand towards the fund being raised by the Mayor of Hokitika for the purpose of erecting a monument to the memory of the West Coasters who have lost their lives in South Africa. Mr Michel hopes to be able to raise £200 at least before finally closing the list. >

Dirty newspaper wrappers, such as are used for parcels of meat and other lood,. should, in the opinion of the Hon. < Wil-'l, Ham Jennings, be dealt with under .the";, new Public Health Bill. Such paper often contains deleterious matter, and clean white paper, is almost, if nob quite, as cheap.

Complaints have reached us (says, the Chi istchurchi'mj) that electors who voted at the last election were precluded from exercising their rights yesterday because t were not clli the roll. As usual, some one seems to have blundered.

It is certainly unfortunate that a voter who"has not forfeited the right to exercises his privileges as a citizen should be debarred from doing so because of the mistake ot the Government's officers.

The bearing of the charge of rape against the MaoriTokomairu—previiiit: ly committed for trial on a charge of pretending to exercise witchcraft—was con-

tinued after we weut to pre<>s yesterday. The evidence fbr the prosecution was to the effect that the accused induced a Maori woman named Hera Tonewha to consent to an improper proposal by threatening her that if she refused herself and her sick child would die. On this charge the accused was'also committed for trial, and on the application of his solicitor, Mr Lusk, he was admitted to bail in two sureties of £50 each.'

An expedition has left the shores of California to discover whether' or not Adam was not an American. * Mr Morris K. Jessup is the capitalist who w.ill expend 50,000d0l on this research, and tbe > scientists chosen to undertake the taefe of locating the Garden of Eden are two Russians, Waldemar Bogaras and Waldemar Jochelson, and an American naturalist, Norman Buxton. These gentlemen expect to show that the first man was. created in the Klondike, which was. the former Eden, '

The poll for the election of three members of the H.B. Education Board under the Act of last year closed yesterday at 5 p.m. Voting papers enclosed in euvelopes bearing yesterday's postmark will be included if received ajt the Board*) office before the close ot the fourteenth day therefrom, and on the fifteenth day, Tuesday 6th August, they will be opened and examined by the Returning Officer (th? secretary of the Board) in the presence of such scrutineers as the candidates may appoint. "After the votes have been counted the result will be declared by notice exhibited in the Board's office.

At one of the polling booths at the Christchurch election, it is related, a voierof the fair sex-, on noticing the religious pictures on the walls, knelt on the floor, and apparently indulged in some religious exercise. On asking for a paper she was informed that her name wa? not on the roll, and she departed with« "Good-bye, dear," to the respectable married man who was acting as deputy.

" Messrs Baldwin and Rayward have been advised by their Melbourne representative that the new Patent Act ffcr the Australian Commonwealth will, certainly not coma into force before 1903 anil inav possibly be of even later date. The. Meltourne 'Argus of the 6th July says :—" The question of the patent is surrounded with some confusion. An irmsreesion prevails amongst inventors and those desiring patents that a Federal law will come into force, fchortly, and they are therefore delaying th' ir applir ; canons, The Federal Government .have announced, however, in Parliament, that no legislation is probable this session, and quite possibly it may be deferred even longer. Meantime, therefore, the patent laws of the several States rsmain in force, and it may be taken as fairly certain will do so at least until 1903."

'I he very oest value in Blankets and Eiderdown QuUtH may be had at Kirkcaldi* and Staios, Ltd., who made special arrangements with the manufacturers early in the i-easou, and by paying prompt cash secuied to their customers all the advantages which long experience and ready cash cm command:—Advt. Great demand for our Teas at Is 2d, Is 3d, and la 4d per lb. All our'groceries at wholesale prices and delivered, Patterson & Co., Emerson Street. RINGLAND BROS, have opened up, pjt t»othic and Karamea, full ranges, of Vicunas, Worsted, Serges, and Fancy Tweed Suitings for the Comin Seascagl

The Wanganui Herald comments tstroagly on the refusal of the Government to allow a compassionate allowance to the widow of the late Native Land Court Judge Ward. It says :—" That his death was accelerated by his return to duty in November of last year, after having retired on a well-earned pension, there cannot be the shadow of a doubt, as had he been left to enjoy the comforts of jus home and the treatment of his attendant physician, there is every reason to believe that the deceased gentleman wOnld have rallied and lived for some years. As it was, the strain on his constitution imposed by a return to duty at a time when utterly unfit proved fatal, and it was only on the imperative orders of- his medical attendant that the late . Jddge Ward ceased occupying the bench in trie Native Land Court on March 6th last." Our contemporary coatinues :— *' If ever there was a meaner or more unjust attempt to evade a moral responsibility on the part of a Government than this we have failed to hear of it, and we feel confident that the people of New Zealand will repudiate with acorn this attempt to cut down public expenditure, by refusing to grant the helpless widow of one of their oldest acd most conacientioua<eervants / a compassionate allowance o-fv.at least, a couple of years' salary, less -the amount of pension drawn by deceased (before being compelled to resume duty at a time when it was imperative that he should he allowed rest and medical treatment "

Major Chicken was in command at the battalion parade of the local volunteers l;eld last night, Quartermaster Eraser, Quurtermaster-Sergeant Fox and BuglerSergeant Slater also being in attendance. The parade state was as folows : —Napier <uu«rd3 46 (under Captain Kettle and Lieutenant Ringland); Napier Rifles 52 '.{under Captain Halpin and Lieutenant Graham); Ranfurly Rifles 51 (under Lieutenants Eagar and Firth); BvtE?lion Band 22 (under Bandmaster Driver). Th* inspection over, the battalion marched to the Marine Parade and' went through a number of movements to the commands of Captaiu Halpin in a satisfactory manner.

Justices' ideas of justice are notorious ■for their inconsistency, and the inability •of the average J.P. in cases to make the punishment fit the crime was exemplified in the Md'on Court proceedings the el her day. A man got very drunk on Sunday evening, and, judging by the account of the affair in the Bruce Herald, his conduct was so disgraceful that his prompt arrest was essential He proved so violent that it took the united efforts of the local constable and six or seven residents to overpower him. After being handcuffed, he had to be carried bodily to the lock-up, while from his lips flowed a stream of profane and disgusting language. He appeared before a trio of J.P.s nexi morning to answer a charge of using obscene language in public, and after being lectured by the chairman was convicted and discharged ! For " resistiug .the ponce" he was fined 20s.

The second anniversary of Norrlrach Cottage Sanatorium, Fi*gstaff, Dunedin, ws»3 «elebrateH la«t week by a dinner, at which a number of old patients were present; Including the medical and nursing staff, 24 assembled at the dinnertable, and a very interesting time was spent comparing notea of weights gained, .temperatures, and other important matters. Dr. Stephenson read a number of letters from former patients, who were •unable to be present, expressing their •enjoyment of continued good health and ■a very kindly feeling towards the institution which had been instrumental in their recovery. He stated that 40 patients had now undergone the openair treatment, with benehoial results in the large majority of cases. Much more might, however, be done if the treatment were always commenced at an early stage and continued for a sufficient length of time.

At the drill-shed last evening Sergeant McCarthy, of the Napier Guards, was presented with an Imperial service medal. The companies were formed into a hollow-square and Colonel Hume, who was present, at the request of Major Obieken handed the medal to the Sergeant. In doing so he complimented the recipient upon having gained it, as it showed 'that he had served twenty years without a blemish on his character, and urged the other members to fpllow Sergeant McCarthy's example. Some medals, isaid the Colonel, were won in a ' very short time by an act of valor iv the field, and although he did not want to depreciate those so earned, still he thought that to have gained one tor long aud honorable service was perhaps more satisfactory, and it certainly was an honor the recipient of which might be well proud of. At the conclusion of the ceremony Serjeant McCarthy was enthusiastically applauded.

Ihs Mayor of Miltou, in replying to s. toaat at the reception of the raiurced jfcrooperp, is reported by the local pAfter rfcc li»ve said that Milton, as a borough, •was unique. He thought he could say that it was the only borough in New Zealand that was practically free from debt. At the same time he took the opportunity of expressing the wish that jit would not be long before they did get .into debt —he referred to the water supply and lighting scheme. He would consent to the Council going into debt if they •could get a water and a better system of lighting than Milton could •boast of at present.

Paul L. Czar of Russia, who was assassinated on May 6, 1801, left au iron box at Gatcliina with the strict injunction that it was not to be opened uutil 1901. The Czar, it seems, is very ■ cuiious to have its mysterious contents (thoroughly examined, and handed over to the national archives. Few people (writes the London Daily Chronicle) are perhaps aware that there exists in our 801 l Office a sealed-up bag of letters and documents which once belonged to Que<iri Elizabeth and has never been opened. It seems that, according to tradition, it .contains the most secret correspondence of "our great Eliza"—possibly the loveletters of Elizabeth—and that it can only be examined with the joint consent of the reigning Sovereign, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the Lord Chancellor— who, considering that Queen Elizabeth and her affairs are ancient history, might now be induced to see for themselves, if not for the public, what the bag really contains.

! Kirkcaldie and Stain?, Ltd., are showing a nice assortment of French Flannels for Blouses and Dressing Gowns, in all the newest designs and colors, atbearock % trices. Also Flannelettes in novel patterns.' Their stock of Plain and Striped Flannelettes is unequalled for quality .and value.—Advt Masonic Hotel, Napier. Dear Sir,—Thanks for recommending me the Dr Pascall'fl Cough Mixture. 1 am Pleased to say that it has completely curSl my cold.. I have since advised 'several of my friends to try-the mixture, S one and all ol them have been more tiVn p'eaatd with the result.-* ou.s truly, F.M. Teeth carefully extracts withodv PAtN.--A. K001.K:., Nap, 1 "M^tim/- 0 ' WADE'S WORM FIQS are most effective and. not unpleasant;: childien : "Softer tilrfn them." Pnce Is. . i " 4 >.