FREIGHT RATES AND "TOMMY ROT." TO THE EDITOR.

Evening Post, Volume LIV, Issue 19, 22 July 1897, Page 6

FREIGHT RATES AND "TOMMY ROT." TO THE EDITOR.

Sib— l might perhaps begin by apologising for the heading of my letter, but a slang word often fills a gap in our vocabulary. I have read the letters that have appeared in the Evening Post on this subject, and have failed to understand why they were written. There might perhaps be some reason for Levin & Co. desiring to show the public, more especially those for whom they ship wool , how desirous they have been to reduce freight rates, and that they were first in the field ; but-then, why does the New Zealand Shippipg 1 Co. join with them ? Surely they are not going to act in the dual capacity of a shipping company, and agent for the producers. If they are not, why' should they sign the letters with Levin. & Co. ? Why should they try to convince us, as Messrs. Levin & Co. have tried to do, that they have been so anxious to reduce freight rates ? Of course the shipping companies have not been anxious to reduce rates. Why should they ? As to Mr. Buchanan's letter, there can be no question for which side he holds his brief. He advocates with an energy that must be the admiration of his friends and the terror of his opponents, and his reason for writing would probably be given in his mother tongue " wha began it." Now we come to Mr. Coleman Phillips, a name I have seen before on the same subject. He wishes to 'show, apparently, that he was first in the reduction of rates question, either with the Premier or the Premier only acted on his whipping him up, I ata. not sure which. Is it likely he isgoing to let Messrs. Duncan and Kose usurp his claim to being the farmers' friend ? Now for the final. Messrs. Duncan and Rose have been trying to show us what the amount of the loss will be to the companies through these reductions in rates. As the shipping companies have been the principal bogies of frozen meat for some years, their rates at any rate upon this portion of the freight was the difference between what they bought and sold at. If this has averaged id per lb I should be surprised. In some cases it is well-known the difference between buying and selling price was nil, thus leaving no freight for the shipowners. s It would be interesting to hear, if any further correspondence takes place on this subject, how much of the freight has been paid to shipping agents. I am, ix., , Anti-Humbug. Featherston, 18th July, 1897.

In the Canadian Senate Senator "Wark recently moved an address ' praying the Governor-General to take into consideration whether the present was not a favourable time to consider the necessity of drawing more closely the ties which bind the colonies to the Mother Country and to each other, and whether Canada should not be the first to make overtures to the other colonies. Senator Wark, the Nestor of the Canadian Parliament, is 94 years old. He was greatly cheered. Sir Oliver Mowat supported the resolution, which was adopted uu*aimou»ly,

The Minister for Railways has deferred his visit to Hawkes Bay until next week. The Government Poultry Expert (Mr. J. A. Henderson) returned from, Auckland last night. During his stay in the North he made arrangements for the establishment of breeding stations on Motuihi Island, Auckland Harbour, and also at the Experimental Farm at Momohaki, near Waverley. Six hens and two cocks of the Houdan breed will arrive from London by the Rakaia in a day or two, and will probably be sent to Somes Island. The Lyttelton Times says that the reduction of the frozen meat freights just made by the shipping companies has already borne fruit for the farmery as shown by the fact that sheep suitable for export have risen in value fully Is per head. „ The tender of Mr. E; Bishop has been accepted for extensive alterations and additions to the Ndw Zealand Glassware Company's factory at Newtown, in accordance with plans and specifications prepared by Messrs. Penty & Forde, architects. The I following is the list of tenders :— E Bishop, £1750 (accepted) ; J. Russell, £1787 ; F. Hunt, £1793; J. Hopwood, £1800; Blick, £1800; Donald M'Lean, £1810; H. Wil- j Hams, £1820 ; J. &A. Wilson, £2159. , ! A special case relating to the compensation claims made upon the GreymouthPoint Elizabeth Railway and Cbal Company (Limited), by the widows and others who lost relations in the Brunner mine disaster, came up for argument before the Chief Justice to-day. The poiut involved and raised in the case of Mary M'lvor against the company is whether or not in an action for' damages 'under Lord Campbell's Act or the 1 - loqal 'Miners Act where compensation is t given in respect of the death of a person, the sum of money accruing to that person's relations from outside sources can be taken into account in mitigation of damage. The question arises on account of the participation of the plaintiffs in the public fund established for their benefit, which is being administered by the Public Trustee, and the decision on the point will affect all the cases which have been brought against the company. Mr. Gully, who with Dr. Findlay appears for the defendant company, contended' that every element which affects the pecuniar.}' position of a distressed family must be taken into consideration by the jury in assessing damages, and the public fund coining into existence for the benefit of the plaintiff, the jury is entitled to take that into consideration in arriving at a verdict. Mr. Jellicoe, on behalf of the plaintiff, argued that the public fund did not confer any benefit* upon the plaintiff, charitable or otherwise. The measure of assessment could not be altered by subsequent couduct of the plaintiff In accepting charity from friends or otherwise, but was the pecuniary loss , occasioned by the death of the relative. ' His Honour reserved judgment on the poiiit. Argument was next heard on a further law point" raided in connection with the same actions, and was proceeding at the time of going to press. The initial performance in Australia of iMessrs Alfred Hill and A. H. Adams's Maori cantata "Hinemoa" takes place in Sydney to-night, the Sydney Philharmonic Society being entrusted with the production. Mr. Hill cabled this morning that there was a big booking for the' performance. The soloists are Miss Edith 0. King, Mr. Henry Weir, Mr. W. Burns-Walker, and Mr. W. T. Colyer. ' ' A shocking case of lax parental control was brought before the Magistrate's Court at Timaru a few da^ ago, when a lad 16£ years of age, in receipt of lOs a week as wages, was charged with an assault on his mother. The mother's evidence disclosed that the boy's father had been working away from home for the last two j'ears, and ¦ was now working in Wellington : that the boy ha,d, ! ,become l .a terror to the family by his swearing and vile language, and his fits of violent temper. They had to sit still and say nothing, and let him go on swearing, and do as he liked. On Saturday night she slapped his face with the palm of her hand because he called her a foul name, whereupon he struck her and gave her a black eye. Asked by the Magistrate if he was not sorry, he said — " If anybody hits me I'll hit again ; you get in a temper yourself, and you'll see." As to swearing and' using bad language, he said, "That's natural — natural to me, at any rate." Sergeant Fraser, who was prosecuting, blamed the youth's habits of reading penny dreadfuls, which he called " the curse of the youth of the colony." The Magistrate said he did not like to send the young fellow to gaol. Sergeant Fraser said that a fine w*ould only come back on the mother, and he suggested a fortnight's adjournment ; and that in the meantime the mother should get a clergyman to see the boy and give him some good advice. Both suggestions were accepted. An Australian mail brings particulars of the rough trip of the barque Ben Nevis, which, on the way from Glasgow to Dunedin and Wellington, was compelled to put into Melbourne to refit. After the vessel had got into southern waters .and had prepared for the long run east to Australia, tremendous seas broke on board and swept the decks f roni end to end. In lat. 47 S. and long. 131 E., on 3rd July, aa avalanche of water swept over the barque, carrying away the steering gear, and washing the man at the wheel to the other end of the vessel. A man named Johnson, , who was going aft to relieve him, was washed overboard and drowned. After losing the steering gear the barque " broached-to," with most disastrous results^ . As she swept helplessly round, mountainous seas crashed on board, and the barque for a time was buried in the water. A portion of her bulwark was carried away. The lifeboats and their davits shared a similar fate. The poop was smashed, and the quarter hatch was stove in. The cabin was completely flooded, and everything moveable swept away. Captain Sims lost all his navigating instruments and charts, the absence of which considerably intensified the concern which he felt. After many hours the hurricano abated, the steering tackle was adjusted, and the barque once more put on her conrse. Port Phillip being the nearest port, Captain Sims, in view of the damage which the vessel had sustained, j determined to put in there for necessary repairs. The committee appointed by the Norwegian Storthing to enquire into the question of arbitration in conflicts with foreign Powers proposes that an address should be forwarded to the King declaring that as Norway, by reason of her geographical position, is but little exposed to conflicts with foreign Powers, there would appear to be no difficulty in concluding treaties for the establishment of a permanently organised Court of Arbitration in the event of such conflicts. The Storthing therefore prays His Majesty to take the necessary steps for promoting the idea. A Transvaal Exhibition has been opened in Berlin. It includes native villages, Boer farms, bullock wagons, and above all innumerable restaurants and beerhouses. At the opening dinner the speakers avoided the faintest allusion to international politics. There was not a single official representative of the German Empire or of Prussia present. A telegram was despatched to President Krng6r, but it only contained an expression of thanks for the President's kindness in helping the organisers of the Exhibition. Except for the Cuirasssiers' band there was not a German uniform visible in the Exhibition, and in Berlin that means everything. The presentation of last season's trophies in connection with the Drapers' Cricket Association will be made at the Trocadaro on the 11th Augu»t,j

Miss Mary Kearney, an old maiden lady, strayed from her brother's farm at Trentham, Upper Hutt, early yesterday evening. Search.parties were out all night, and this morning she was found, little the worse, wandering in* a paddock at some distance from the house. The annual meeting in connection with the Girls' Friendly Society was held at the lodge, Vivian-street, on Tuesday afternoon. The President (Mrs. J. E. FitzGerald) read a short paper on the duty of associates. Great satisfaction was expressed at the manner in which the lodge is being conducted by Miss Rix. The following are the officers for the year : — President, Mrs. J. E. FitzGerald; Vice-Presidents, Mrs. Fancourt and Miss E. Greenwood ; Council, Mesdames Wallis, D. Anderson, R. Coffey, C. W. Tanner, Mason, E. W. Morrah, Stock, Eedward, T. H. Sprott, T. C. Williams, and L. W. Pharaz3 m ; Treasurer, Mrs. Ashcroft; Secretary, Miss Ashcroft. The passengers hy the Monowai yesterday included Mr. G. H. Grapes, of Paraparaumu, one of New/Zealand's delegates to the Fruit Conference in Brisbane. He considers that excellent work was done at the Conference. Mr. J Osborne, who represents one of the biggest — perhaps the largest — firms to-day dealing in the frozen meat and dairy produce trade in Scotland — viz., Messrs. Osborne and Co. — is at present on a visit to Wellington. The purpose of Mr Osborne's visit to New Zealand is in connection with the meat and produce trade. It is understood that there will be a considerable change in the route taken by the P. and O. Company steamers under the new contract, which will come into force in February next. The direct steamers will call at Marseilles instead of Brindisi. and the mails will be taken by special boats from Brindisi to Port Said, which will accomplish the passage in 48 hours. The voyage will thus for ordinary passengers be by wwarj r of London, Gibraltar, Marseilles, Malta, and Port Said, and persons desiring to avoid the stormy and uncertain passnge across the Bay of Biscay will not be obliged to undertake the long railway journey from Londou to Brindisi. The social gathering in aid of St. James's Church building fund passed off very successfully. Items were contributed to an excellent performance by Miss Glasgow aud Messrs. Glasgow, Baumgart, C. King, and J. Haslam. Mr. J. Godber supplied the refreshments. St. Mary's Brass Band gave a concert and dance at Spiller's Hall last evening in aid of its instrument fund. There was a capital attendance, and items were contributed by Messrs. Pedder, North, Russell, T. Smith, Hockiugs, and E. Craig. The final display of the agate and marble ware, to be sold to-morrow afternoon at Mr. W. F. Shortt's auction mart, will be made this evening at 7 o'clock. Great interest is being shown by the publio in this remarkably .beautiful collection. Tho vendor's instruction to the auctioneer is, sell everything to the highest bidder. Messrs. A. G. Tamo & Co. advertise a sale of cutlery and lot of general ironmongery and nails, &c, in their rooms to-morrow, at 2 o'clock. The principal attraction in Cuba-street just now is Mr. C. Smith's great clearing sale. Every article in the shop has been reduced from 25 to 75 per cent. The following are a few quotations : — Ladies toques, from Is ; children's beaver hats, from Is Gd ; children's granny bonnets, from Is ; ladies' aprons, from 6d ; ladies' muslin aprons, from 6d ; ladies' corsets, from Is ; ladies' trimmed bonnets, from 2s lid ; ladioß' jackets, from 5s lid ; ladies' dressing jackets, from 5s lid ; ladies' mackintoshes, from 5s lid ; ladies' ulsters, 2s lid ; ladies' costumes, half-price. Baskets full of remnants almost given away at C. Smith's, the Cash Draper, Cuba-street. — Advt.