NOTES.

Evening Star, Issue 7301, 27 August 1887, Page 2

NOTES.

It is not a little curious that the frozen-up minds of Ministers are beginMlnlsterlal ning to thaw just now.in the Conversion, matter of railway charges. One potent factor is, without question, the prospect of the coming eleotion; but it is also peculiar that Mr Maxwell is absent from the Colony. It has been said repeatedly that Ministers are too much governed by " heads of departments," and the assertion cannot be gainsayed. When a deputation from the Chamber of Commerce waited on Sir Julius Vogel last year to ask for a reduction of the rates on fruit, the gentlemen in attendance were rather snubbed by the Colonial Treasurer, who quoted Mr Maxwell to show that the grievance complained of did not exist. Now a change has come about—whether produced by the pressure of political anxiety, or the absence of Mr Maxwell, or both combined, may be left to the public. In the 'Gazette' of August 11 certain "alterations" are notihed, one of which runs thus:—

" Fruit, New Zealand grown, fresh, packed, rate and a-half (but in no case are total charges to exceed class D), class E." This means that, instead of charging an oppressive rate—greater in amount than the cost of freight from Hobart or Sydney, fresh fruit will in future be carried at a comparatively moderate rate. For example : from Lawrence, under the old scale, the charge per ton was 19s lid—a very fine graduation is apparent in the odd penny ; it looks well because of its nicety of adjustment. Under the new scale the charge will be 14s 3d. In so far as there appears some slight approximation to common sense in this reduction, the Minister of Public Works is entitled to credit. It is a gain when the blind are able to see with half an eye. Let us hope they will be able to see better still when such of them aB are returned to Parliament are relegated to the cold shades of Opposition.

It is not certain that Mr Barron was entirely correct in saying that the public Side Issues. ™ nd . has not be s l P erre r ted by side issues. The two grand questions to be decided by the general election are Taxation and Retrenchment. Shall the Government bo administered economically in the future, or shall the old game of extravagance in public expenditure, the purchase of votes by grants-in-aid, and other forms of corruption be continued to keep a few men in office who should be better and more honestly otherwise employed? These arc the only true issues. The opportunity of ventilating all sorts of "fads" is, however, too good to be lost. Hence we find the burning advocates of temperance, and the well-meaning zealots who desire the Bible to be read in schools coming to the front. Whilst quite appreciating the efforts of these people, we tell them that they are simply doing mischief by diverting the minds of the electors from the only true questions. The electors must not suffer themselves to be led astray by eager enthusiasts, nor by crafty Ministerialists.

Sir Julius Vogel waxed merry when, contemplating the works at Sitting upoii Burnside, he figured to the Hails. assemblage around him the pleasing picture of ministerial opponents "sitting upon rails." Here is the picture as drawn by him:—" I could not help thinking as those long iron rails were dragged from the rolls that we hear a great deal now of persons sitting upon rails." That is true, and it is Ministers who are principally so charged. When Ministers are found voting in opposite lobbies on every important question, are thjy not sitting on a rail? Sir Julius and his colleagues do not understand the attitude of the public as concerns the two pitiful factions who arp fighting for victqry. Can they not grasp the fact that neither Atkinson nor Vogel is acceptable neither Hall nor Stout desired ? A new party has sprung into life; and although Major Atkinson may snarl at them as " independent nuisances,' and Sir Robert Stout may applaud the expression with sardonic laughter, the Independent party is the strongest party in the State. Sir Julius Vogel vented his anger at thq assumption—most intolerable to him—that any person shquld venture to diffcrfrom himself and his quondam colleague from Taranuki by expressing a desire that the " figurative rails" should be made "as hot as the real ones." Probably he and the ''happy family" around him will find the rails quite as hot, if not more sp, as they would wish when the new Parliament assprnbles—if only they are there at all. His purpose in bringing this " railing accusation" was that " persons might have the courage to deolare on which side they ranged themselves.' 1 There are none so blind as those who will not see. The "persons" he complains of liave the courage to deolare that they will have none of Sir Julius Vogel at any price, neither will they accept Major Atkinson. Who are they that they should arrogate to themselves the supreme right and power of governing New Zealand ? When the news of Percy's death was carried to King Henry, his reply, which exactly fits in with the present position, was: I trust I have in England's realm Five hundred good as he. The tide is evidently turning against the Tories. The results of the reTrouble for cent bye-elections show that Salisbury. mid-England is tiring of Conservative muddling; but in the defection of a number of Liberal-Unionists, consequent on the proposed proclamation of the National League, lies the greatest difficulty of the British Premier. The principal organs of the party urge a reconstruction of the Ministry, with the Marquis of Hartington as Premier; but the notion is not only discountenanced by the rank and file, but there are indicationtrthat the country would not take kindly to it. Indeed, it was asserted by a " high personage," immediately after Lord Salisbury intimated that a dissolution was nearer than most people thought, that the seats of Lord Hartington and Sir Henry James were anything but safe if they coalesced with the Tories to the extent of aocepting office under them. But greater troubles are known to lurk in the disposition of the Liberal-Union tail, Mr Chamberlain must be provided for. Hit latest ambition is said to be to reform the Navy, but a reformer is there already in the person of the hero of Alexandria. Then Mr Gosohen, while content to accept the leadership of Mr W. H. Smith, will not play second fiddle to Lord Randolph 5 and the ultra-Tories, who have attained Cabinet rank after years of waiting, are not prepared to be squeezed out to make room for the best of their quondam allies. Lord Salisbury's troubles have begun.

There are, we find, many persons in this part of the Colony who take a A Deserving practical interest in Dr BerCharity. nardo's home for the waifs of

London. In the hope that the good work tjie worthy doctor carries on may find further favor, we make a short extract from a paper he forwarded to us by the last mail: —

In the beginning of 1885, between the Ist January and the Bth May, I admitted 294 fresh cases of boys and girls. During the same period in ISB6I admitted 3GO fresh eases; but this year, within the same dates, there were actually 353 fresh cases of boys and girls received, all destitute and homeless children. . . . This fact concerns only one department of the enterprise in my hands; but the same might bo said of almost every other branch, namely, that the work has absolutely doubled it.-elf everywhere. . . , Nor must it be supposed that the number we actually admit, large though it is, expresses the limitation Of the aid-afforded to necessitous children. . . : .

718 other boys and girls have been assisted during the first fivo months of this year, in tho larger number of oases by the gift of complete outfits of clothing, which enabled them to get work through some person who knew thorn, or through our own agency; while yet others were admitted into special institutions peculiarly qualified to render them the aid they needed; so that in four 'months we have actually delivered 1,271 poor ohildren from misery.'