NOTES.

Evening Star, Issue 7320, 19 September 1887, Page 1

NOTES.

It is much to be regretted that the choice of the electors of Dunedin is so The City circumscribed that, in three out Seals. of the four City electorates, tho

question is ouly: Which of the candidates is likely to do the least harm, as the potentiality of any of them for achieving much good is evidently doubted ? In Dunedin South we have Mr Gore and Mr Fish. There is a short Latin quotation which exactly applies; but the dead languages are out of fashion in this enlightened age, and we will not print it. In Dunedin West botli contestants stand high as to private character and antecedents as citizens. There is the ex-Minister of the Crown, who always kept " things steadily in view," but never fiot nearer, and the political lawyer, yreat in legal subtilties, an authority in Committee on Bills, but not very finite in his convictions. Enthusiasm in favor of either gentleman is out of tho question. In Duuedin Central the prospect is still more unsatisfactory, in that both candidates are perverts tj Protection, and, having made so rapid a revolution of opinion for electioneering purposes, can neither of them be depended upon to keep straight on any course. In Dunedin East alone the contest is one in which intelligent interest may bo felt. Sir Robert Stout and Mr Allen both represent principles. The Premier is fighting, as it were, for the Ministerial skin, and his opponent, although a tyro in politics, is a foeman worthy cf his steel. Mr Allen must command the good wishes for his success of all who condemn the conduct of Ministers in the past and distrust them as to the future.

The rats are leaving the sinking ship. Mr J. C. Brown, with a keen per,v . , ception of possibilities, in his Ominous. f, . F, , . ... address to the electors written

in London abjures allegiance to the Government, and declares himself in favor of all sorts of reforms, which the present Ministers are hardly likely to initiate. Tnapeka ha 3 for years been a stronghold of the party now in power, and it is very significant that the popular, and up to the present time only member, dares not venture to avow himself—or rather his sponsors are afraid to put him forward as such—a thickand-thin Ministerialist any longer. The f ict is that the country settlers, the majority of whom are ratepayers, are heartily sick of a policy whose main feature is taxation, whilst the bait held out to certain classes of town electors has no attraction to them. The duties levied under the present Tariff mulct the miner and the agriculturist quite sufficiently, and they quite understand how Protection would affect their interests. The defection of the late member for Tuapeka is therefore easily accounted for. A considerably bigger man, however, lias been constrained to declare against his quondam political associates. Sir Maurice O'Rcrke has declared himself against the Governmeiit, finding that even his pocket borough will not stand their maladministration any longer, and possibly enough impressed by the knowledge that the Speaker of the new Rouse of Representatives will be the choice of the party win) iind themselves in the majority. It is a very unkind cut, however, unci the Colonial Treasurer must be about as disgusted as Julius Cajsar waswhen his particular friend Brutus stuck his dagger into him.

Electoral amenities are not very scrupulously observed in the suburban The Itoslyn electoral district of Roslyn, but Election, it is diverting to note that the squabbling ancl mud - throwing aro between tiie two Ministerial candidates ; Mr Ross, tUe late member, being left to pursue the even tenor of his waj, which will lead, we imagine, to the top of the poll. The "people's AYilliam" would possibly stand a fair show if Air Carlton was not in the field ; but, as that gentleman positively declines to retire, the rejected of Wellington is considerably riled. Minister's i're rather in a quandary in the matter. It would be a great point, however, to carry the seat and oust Mr Ross. We await with some interest the developments of the next few days in respect of this electorate.

The Lake County Council have been distinguished for some years as A Wood being a law unto themselves, Lesson, and declining, especially in the expenditure of the County funds, to be guided by such considerations as Acts of Parliament. Successive sets of membess, influenced presumably by chairmen with a sort of perpetual succession, have trampled on the statute law, defied the auditors, and generally played the "fantastic tricks" characteristic, as Shakespeare tells us, of men "dressed in a little brief authority." Retribution, however, has at last laid its heavy hand upon these exponents of local government run wild. The AuditorGeneral is down upon them, and writs are either issued, or are about to issue, against individual councillors and ex-councillors, to recover all moneys illegally expended. These will have to be refunded and paid back into the County chest. The validity of the action taken by the Auditor-General is undoubted, as the law on the point is clear, and that they will have to pay up is a melancholy fact which must sooner or later be realised. There is do excuse whatever for the maladministration which has brought down this condign punishment. The Council were warned again and again that certain expenditure was illegal, but they persisted in voting away money for various improper purposes., even in the face of the repeated protests of the Auditor. We need hardly say that amongst the illegal payments have been various amounts of money paid to chairmen and councillors under the pretext of travelling expenses. The example set by Ministers of fleecing the country is generally, indeed, followed by local bodies, although at a respectful distance. The Lake County Council are in further trouble just now, the question having arisen as to the right of Mr Boyes to coutinue to hold the office of chairman. This gentleman has, it appears, parted with his qualification, and is not now on the ratepayers' roll. He declines, however, to vacate the chair, although the county solicitor has advised that he has ipso facto ceased to be cither chairman or a member of the Council. The makings of a nice row and some legal troubles are evidently involved, as, from the report of the last meeting, it would appear that this precious local body is blessed with a minimum of intelligence aud a maximum of ignorant self-conceit.

Mr Rutherford, who is in the field for Caversham, poses as a " labor tome"/!! 1 can^i^ate >" * e > tries to enlist Judgment. c^ss prejudices in his favor, and sagaciously selects the class which has the most votes. The working men of the district are, we fancy, too shrewd to be taken in by his smooth-tongued flatteries, and are likely to use their own intelligence in exercising the franchise. Since Mr Rutherford declares himself distinctly opposed to the carrying out of public works, to borrowing for any purpose whatever, and is in favor of protecting the local manufacturers at the expense of the community, wo hardly see where his labor candidature comes in. Protection would, no doubt, admirably suit certain big Dunedin firms, put thousands of pounds in their pockets, and would, moreover, give a material stimulus to auctioneers' business, since the rise all round in prices would settle up effectively a good many people; but how the working man is to profit by the stoppage of the public works, and greatly increased cost of the necessaries of life, we fail even to conjecture. Mr Rutherford does not, however, trust entirely to the " free and independent," but looks to a block vote from the Benevolent Institution, the inmates of which have been actively canvassed by his Committee. We may hope that some sense of independence is felt by the men who are thus

attempted to be made the tools of a party, and that they will at the poll resent having their votes disposed of in a sort of job lot by Ministerial jackals.

The Hoy. Mr Reynolds, true to the principles of the Ministry of which Sweat the he ia a member, desigus a Batepayers. further blessing for the rate-

payers of the City and suburbs by giving the Harbor Board statutory power to levy a rate over all property within a fixed radius of the harbor. He feels confident, he says, in a letter to the 'Otago Daily Times,' that the advantages to the district would far exceed " what is always looked upon with disfavor—the levying of a tax. The Board would then look carefully after their expenditure, and there would be less scope for the jobbery and corruption of the past." When thavpiy taken to by Mr Wales for such a serious charge, made indirectly against the members of the Board, the honorable gentleman explains that it was far from hit intention if reflect upon "the present numbers of the Bmi<l : '; but declares that it mu-v. be well km.nvn that "in the distant p-..0 the ccpeoliniro was not carefully guarded, an t teat jobbery and corruption did exist." Now, it so happens that Mr Reynolds hims If, at one time in that vague period " the distant past," was a member of the Board, and so speaks with some authority; but why did he not then interfere ? As to the addition of a harbor improvement rate to the other burthen under which the unfortunate ratepayers are now staggering, the idea could only suggest itself to the mind of a colleague of Stir Julius Vogel. The dues of the port of Otago are higher, no doubt, than it is expedient they should be ; but the necessity of this has arisen in no small degree from the action of the present Government, who have alienated valuable endowments for the bogus dock at Port Chalmers, and iu other respects obstructed the Harbor Board in the performance of their functions. Mr Reynolds is a peculiar illustration of the advantages of a resident Minister. The only consideration is that he costs the Colony very little, being without portfolio or salary, and not, fortunately, much addicted to stumping the country.

SIR Robert Stout is on the warpath again. The Mackenzie has thrown down On the the gauntlet, and the Premier Warpath, has gone to Mount Ida to lift it. There was a line fray at Naseby on Friday night. The Mackenzie was " on his native heath,"' and the Premier had a very bad quarter of an hour, and was plainly told that the people have no confidence in his Oovemmenr. Sir Robert is playing the part ' r>i n Quixote to admiration. He travels i . .Yew Zealand blowing his own trumpet, announcing the previously unknown virtues and cm; ilencies of his colleagues after a fashion which suggests the idea that lie is revealing previously unimagined novelties to the people. Thus he went to Palmcrstou in define.; -I the interests of his devoted henchman--;.na other M'Kenzie ; and to Lytteltou in : (import of the gentleman who is popu! i; ly reported to be his wanning-pan in ea>e lie gets defeated at Dune-din East. He could not do less thau hurry to the rescue of Mr Hodge, who, having been duped by the Protection League to jh ike room for th-..ir newest pervert L>r Pitt-hctt— has bc.n foolish enough to essay hi; " 'prentice hand'' on a mining constituency. It was a cruel errand to send him upon. The poor man could not have been scut to a more purgatorial place on this side of Hades. It is impossible that he can understand the men with whom he has to deal, and a.-suredly they will not be able to understand him. Even the ungrammatical eloquence of Sir IloVrt Stout will not suffice to turn the tide in his favor. It may he that tiv.: end sought, which is to keep The Mackenzie from interfering in other elections, v.ii: \>.i gained. That is all that is intended, lint a question arises in connection with this running to ar.il fro of the Premier. Is he doing it at his own proper cost, or will the Treasury he drawn upon to recoup the travelling expenses and daily allowances of th.e i'lvmierV Perhaps the question wit! be a led '■< Sir Robert Stout in the nc;v IVrliiuient— that is, if he finds a teat in it. Patriotism id always ~n excellent tidog, hut whenitsexcrci.se is paid for ;<t tin- rate of five or six guineas a-day by an already overtaxed people it loses its pivsoripiKc hue and assumes the aspect of id.■intere.itediieas.

SOME weeks ago wc pointed out tba' surnby

"side issues" were being raised More about by way of diverting uie public Side Issues, mind from the real questions at

issue. Tiio i'r.it'.rti'.iiii.sts l.e'.ve taken the cue, ami, v. lun advoeaiii.g I'mtectionas "the most llung <>ci->re the country at the present time,'' .M: - t'.lei Calder, at the North-ease Valley meeting <d "the League," cautioned the audience nt to be " carried away !;y side issues,'' aus.it as the Bible in schools. That i.-; wi.ll enough ; but he went 0:1 to Kay what is the converse of truth and fact —that '' ic was brought in by Freetraders," wh.».-.e aim u'as "to put the people oil' the right tiaek. ' It there is one "hide issuj " less pertinent to the cpiestion before the electors than another it is precisely that 01 .Protection. For what is the real issue? Shall there be effective Retrenchment in the administration of public business, o; Bhall there be an increase of Taxation ? Everything beyond this may be regarded as a red herring drawn across the trail. And of all red herrings and side issues those of Protection have the most unsavory connection with the great issue now being tried by the people ; fur to obtain that which is miscalled Protection, and is really Prohibition, further taxation would be necessary. The demand for an increase of import duties is therefore a request that the burdens of the taxpayer may be made heavier. Let those who are of opinion that we are not sufficiently taxed at present support Protection as expounded by the League. But every man who desires to help the Colony out of the slough of debt and depression into which the wretched misgovcrnmeut of the past has plunged it v. ill vote against any and every candidate who advocates the imposition of further taxation under the shallow pretext of encouraging " local industries."

There is nothing more detrimental to political tricksters than the revelaLettlDif the tions 0 f indiscreet partisans. tat out of . . 1 ',, •1 , the Bag. Assuming, as wc have the right to do, that Mr Owen Hodge is in the confidence of Ministers, it is surprising to find him openly avowing the tactics of his patrons. Questioned about the Otago Central Railway, he ingeniously said that " the railway would have been carried further had it not been for the opposition to the Ministry of Messrs Mackenzie, Pyke, Fergus, Fulton, and Barron. Was it likely, he asked, that in the appropriation of moneys those members who opposed the Government would get more than the Ministry could possibly help giving them ?" This is too candi;!, and, what is worse, it is too true. This best-of-all-possible Governments will only allow their thick-and-thin aupporters to dip into the Treasury chest. Give them a vote, and they will not haggle over a few thousands; but the men who stand upon principle, and dare to bo polititically honest, shall have as little public money spent in their districts as Ministers can contrive to rtstiiet them to. "The Ministry," quoth simple Mr Hodge, "cut down the expenditure to Opposition members as low as possible." Did this happy inspiration come from the Premier '! Mr Hodge does not know how to insinuate the desired doctrine which seems to have been imparted to him—that if 'the Maniototo electors re-quire-anything, from a sludge-channel to a railway, they must support the friend of Sir Robert. And it is satisfactory to find that the Maniototo electors were quiteuninfUienced by the bluntly-suggested bribe, and treated the proposer with the slight he merits, but which would be more fitly expended on bia patron aud prompter. Was Mr Barron wrong when he said that the present Government were corrupt ? If they would only send out a few more Mr Hodges the publio might be wonderfully and beneficially enlightened.

AT Oamaru, Sir Robert Stout fairly laid himself open to the charge of Is this suppressing the truth and sugmen"? gesting a false conclusion. He urged—so desirous were his Government for retrenchment that they proposed to reduce the capitation allowance for education by 5s per head, "but Hit Home would not allow it," Now, this is true, but it is not the whole truth. The impression intended to be made, and which doubtlessly was conveyed to his audience, was that the House refused to _ accept retrenchment even when offered. This is the reverse of truth. The proposal to_ lessen the capitation grant was accompanied by another proposal —to throw upon local bodies the cost of erecting and maintaining echool buildings. To reduce this matter to

figures, it stands thus: He offered to relieve the Government of fees amounting to L 25,000 on condition of local bodies rating themselves to the tune of from L 65.000 to LSO,OOO per annum for school buildings. Of course, the House would not accept the proposal. But this is a fair sample of what the Premier and his colleagues mean and understand by retrenchment. It is on a par with the notable retrenchment effected in connection with charitable institutions. Strike anything off the consolidated revenue and impose it as an additional burden on local bodies, and retrenchment from a Ministerial point of view is forthwith accomplished. But this is not the popular view. The people fail to see any saving in paying out of the left-hand pocket instead ot the right, and that is all it amounts t<>. What is demanded is the CfS.-atii.in of Departmental and Ministerial extravagance. I'uk Victorian Government Statist lias recently issued a valuable report "'•"> ,"i" " on Australian statistics for the ropulrdioti. >'c;r ISSS, from which we glean some interesting particulars. Will it snip: L-o the gentlemen who are always groaning over the assumed depletion .if our population to ho told that iu the decade fivm 1875 to ISSo this Colony added to its p ovulation nearly as many people as Victoria? Or will our amateur Protectionists bo astonished to know that in the same period the increase of population in Freetrade New S.iiith Wales was &■) percent, larger than in Protection Victoria? Here are the figures :-

1 >'"'>. IsS"\ lnnrew. Vieiori-i .. .. 7'.ti...0:i :) i:,.'-o:i -JOO.-ro New .:i:itli .Vulva .. :,..),-.'..7 !i7:M ;<i;.:,i;."7 X. a- /. ,l.i;,d . :,7...v,a 07.,:e,i iO.i ;,7e Con. idering the smaller number of l.eoplo in New Zealand at the sth.it. th- increase hereby shown has in.cn in proportion doable that .if Victoria, whilst New 6oet.ii Wales has shot ahead in a a surprising manner. In another and ksi phasing respect New Z. itlaud occupies e. ''bad pre-eminence." The taxation of New South Wales per head is estimated -.t the rate of l/l Ss. or '2O per cent, of the total revenue in Kow Son I'll Wahs; \/l 115s, or \) per cent. in Victoria ; end h:> 14s, or 51 per cent, iu New Zealand. DolS not this point to the eo!;e!u.)!oji that the depression here is due lather to execs.-.ivc taxation than to the absence of P. election, and that New South Wales owe., li;r prosperity to lighter taxation and Ffcetradc ?

.Mr J .am i-:s Ni:n., who is one of the leading ligh"., of the lucal ['rejection <.co-., Mi.- p .rt'y, and poses as an authority stnh'i'.i'.ens. ~-, r|:;e;,ii..i;s udating to trade

mid commerce, has asked us to tiive him space, so that lie may let a little light in on "' how our industries are ruined." Tims is v. hat lie wiites :

Let ine mention a sample of importing p.itiiolh-iu. Net far from the Po.-,t Office is a firm who have branches in mmy !ui:d-. Now it happee.cd, some time ilw-.fi an enter prising ooaooia! tliuii.d.'t lie e-iuid nl.die gr.od p .nv.ler. lie .. ,nie smv, and took it to the

■'■■'. tei.iii.m, iaionniag him that he would Lv io.ii have as v.wv); a, he wanted at the i.ame Kegl.uni. Afur leading tec colonial ir.amif-ic-tlltel' to h.licve tint he would help iu developing tbi . miu :i ~ t':c huid of she firm in question Mir. ie.i i !..th- ilo;we maniihi! tuier that there was a i o .-"'baity if losing the tiade of tiii< Colony, and :■ I." ;! l.im lo semi cut a eonsigmmmt to sell at bis o.\n piice, i/i unb r l.i> rntxh uitl Hi" r.'ontdOi-,,,":!/: y.-oc-0,-. Tlii.-. was done, i/envn came die price from lid to ~:!A, and the colonial industry was mine:!.

The allegations to which Mr Nil commits himself an; obviously misleading, and are a cowardly attack on a linn who, we h.ir-. e laason for believing, have always been favorably disposed townids. and inclined to oiioou:egc any legitimate local industry. T!l-Y nave bcell mail;: ui !V:,t : eti'.lU-l". platM>nos lie.'iire, hut in v-. ly jteni •al rc-m:, and couhi Ji.it be 1 :id ii,.M of. X r.r. !r>V;"'l', Mi- Neil giv.-rf oiroumstantianty, ami iu.pes to convince l;i.-felLnv-I'i ot'.ct'::,:d.-..>. that hi- has s.ueeec.Ud in driving a n.iil into the eulfiii of t'ao " : legalised robbers," as the misguided but unfortunate importers aie now tr-i-med. lint either from intent, or be i i;«- neglected >'> pi'opf.ly inf.iiin hi n.-.i If, he ha.-, in order to serve his pur-po-.e, been guilty of g> os.-ly Perverting facts--whieii is applying tiie i.iiiiiesi; pn-sibb' term to him. We !nuc caiL-i'nlly inquired into this in..'iter, a .id h-.tn permitted to sati.-/y omsrlves, by ail c .amiliatini: of the books of tile lit !ii in question, that tin: farts are a; follow .-a : tan' sane time befnc the Owake mil: v. as in ope; a'.ion the wlmi--.-ale pi ice <-f powder, even for small pare -1.,, v.a-: not 11 Ad but dvl per lb We ha\e sa.id that tiie iinn ale well dispo.o d towards native industries. How, then, diil they act towards the "enterprising colonial - ' who started the Owake mill? They undertook to purchase a large; quantity of his powder and to place it on the market at the same price in the imported aiiic'.o. It is absolutely untrue that they mad;; all art.uigemcnt with a lb.in.; manufacturer, as Mr Neil avers. It is quite true that they have the agency for one of the highest class powder-inaki-is in England; but the terms on which that agency are held e,o their affair, end do not concern she public. They ceased to sell the Owake powder for the .simple reason that it became unprofitable to do so. their customers declining to take it at the price at which they eould obtain a much better article. Tiie existence of the Owake mill had no appreciable influence in causing the reduction that has taken place in the price of powder. If Mr Neil thinks differently, can he explain why the value of powder is lower to-day than at any time during the existence of the Owake mill ? Will Protectionists never learn the truth that decreased values of commodities and increased competition by manufacturers, and not the elfbrts of the local manufacturer Jone, have brought about the fall of prices. Mr Neil should at all events try to solve that problem.

' Tun Times,' and most of the English newspapers, gave insertion to a Ren3jor(. ter's telegram from Rome stating

SlainU'r". that the Pope, at the. instigation of Cardinal Manning and Archhiohop Walsh, had countermanded JJOII- - Persieo's mission. This was a bit of idle gossip, evidently picked up in the English colony at Rome ; and Renter, with his Tory proclivities, eagerly seized on it and Hashed it through the wires to every put of the globe. But ' The Times' improved its opportunity by taking the telegram as the text of an article in which it denounced the English cardinal and the head of the Irish Church as " active promoters of Separatist intrigues," who were "hardly the persons who should have a determining voice in the councils ot the Church." Of course, both prelates gave an emphatic denial to the ' Thunderer's ' sneer that they were intriguing against the mission, which, in truth, they had urged, and have since welcomed. Dr Walsh, quite disgusted at the frequency with which the Unionist newspapers give currency to statements that a little inquiry would have proved to bo false, announced that he now took " final leave of the unprofitable task of endeavoring to check by contradiction the systematic publication of false statements as to the relations between the Holy See and Ireland." But the Cardinal was not disposed to let ' The Times' off so easily. He refused to acquit its conductors of the grave responsibility of sending false statements "allover the world," and to their personal attack ho made this rejoinder :

You describe Archbishop Walsh and mysrlf as "active promoters of Separatist intrigues." No gloss or evasion can explain tbia away, for you iix the moaning oi the terms by describing u.s as having "a determining voice in the councils of the Church." This can apply to no layman, and the Archbishop of Dutl'n and myself are the text of this commsnt. I gladly unite myself with the Archbishop of Dublin. He is but slightly known t in England, except in the descriptions of those who are fanning tiie flames of animosity between England and Ireland. lam luu>\'-ii in England both to Ministers of the Crown and to the leaders of the Opposition. I leave to them, who well know my mind, to answer for me ; and I, who know the mind of tho Archbishop of Dublin, answer for him. We are neither intriguers nor Separatists. If, sir, I have written with unusual warmth, I will confess to you that I hold resentment to be sometimes a duty. And this is such a time, when your words touch our highest responsibility, and inflame more and more the heated contentions between two peoples whom justice and truth would still bind in peace and unity.

Who hasn't wondered, when his gas bill has been furnished at the beginning (Jood News 0 f a mon th, how his account has Consumers, grown to such proportions when ' he knows quite well that he used far less gas than he paid for the previous month ? It's a waste of words to tell the officials of the City Gas Department thatthere must be a mistake somewhere, and that your wife and servants can prove that everybody was out for so many nights, or that the place was in darkness for a third of the month. Y<u Mill have plenty of sympathy, but the official answer will invariably be that "the meter cannot lie." The machine, that has been

Btyled by some humorist the " Mechanical George Washington," upsets all attempts at domestic economy, and leaves the consumer entirely at the mercy of the gas inspector. But, in an evil hour for gas companies and gas-owning corporations, a Mr Walter Bye, of London, persuaded that he was being robbed, resisted payment of his bill, and obliged the supplying Company to take him into Court. The Company produced their meter, and rested their case on its silent testimony, supported by the dicta of its maker and the Government Inspector that it was a physical impossibility for it to register untruthfully. But Mr Rye brought forward iucontestible evidence that it had "lied" in his case; and that view was taken by the Judge, who reduced the Company's claim from Ll2 7s 7d to LS, and allowed him LS costs. The value of this decision is that a gas meter is only prima facie evidence of the quantity of gas consumed, and any eon.se.iuer dissatisfied on that score is at liberty to have his doubts tested in the ordinary legal way.