NOTES.

Evening Star, Issue 7444, 13 February 1888, Page 4

NOTES.

The proceedings at the special meeting of the South Dunedin Council on

A Flat Wednesday evening were someItjrough. what ecceii tic. Cr Wardrop, who has beui Mayor for several successive years, proposed that a special loan of L 2,000 should be raised for the purpose of paying off the existing liabilities of the Borough, and supported this in a very lengthy speech. It appears, however, that he had not the slightest expectation that his proposal would be carried, but merely made the motion a peg on which to hang a wearisome disquisition on the finances generally. The Borough has L' 2,000 of the last loan lying in the bank, which has been allocated to a part of the Borough where there is no population and the expenditure would be useless, and at the same time is paying interest on an overdraft to very much the same amount, which appears on the face of it to be somewhat queer finance ! The present Mayor is evidently an outspoken gentleman, and really made a capital speech explaining the position. When taxed by a councillor with having declared during his canvass that with good management an extra rate might be staved oil", and asked how he proposed to manage this, His Worship replied that no notice should be taken of what was said on such occasions ! It is about time that the Flat boroughs were amalgamated, and their finances settled on some satisfactory basis. As things are, tho ratepayers have no very pleasant prospect before them.

If Archbishop Redwood is correctly reported, he seems strangely to t.i!„ii,„.L..') nave forgotten himself in his sermon at Christchurch at the

installation of Bishop Grimes. Denunciation of the system of education by law established is now such a matter of course from Roman Catholic pulpits that it has ceased to attract much attention ; but the Archbishop struck out quite a new line when he classed the 90,000 odd children who attend the public schools with " the beasts that perish," and quoted with approval the words of some "priest," to the effect that they were "more like bullocks than children " ! This is an elegant sentiment to be repeated by archiepiscopal lips. Bullocks, however, are patient, plodding, temperate creatures, and might be an example, we venture to suggest, to some of His Grace's flock, who have had the advantage of denominational education. It might be thought that a gentleman of culture, as the Archbishop undoubtedly is, would realis& the absolute ineffectiveness of intemperate zeal, and that this rhetorical foaming at the mouth and gnashing of teeth is not likely, in any degree, to advance the cause which he has at heart. The State schools are a success, demonstrated to be so by unquestionable results. Comparing the children being educated therein to " bullocks" is not a very convincing argument to the contrary.

A meeting held at Kurow for the purpose of appointing a deputation to Tailors 00 i ntcrview tne Minister of Lands Again, re the Kurow run has passed a "vote of censure" on the Government "for not opening the run for settlement according to the promise of the late Government." The Premier, so far as is known at present, has not in consequence forwarded the resignation of Ministers to His Excellency. The very fact of a promise having been made by the late Minister of Lands, whose policy, to say the least of it, was not a success, has no doubt induced the Hon. Mr Richardson to be cautious in the matter of opening up the country ; but it may be depended upon that he will give due weight to any proper representation which may be made as to the most judicious way of dealing with the land. It was simply a piece of impertinent stupidity on the part of the meeting to pass a " vote of censure " in respect to a purely local matter in course of being dealt with by the Lauds Department.

To be kicked to death by a donkey, it is conventionally considered, would Ignominy be an ignominious death. Indeed. Where no harm i 3 done, wc may presume there is no ignominy ; so the Right Honorable John Bridit will possibly be nothing the worse for the resolution of the New Zealand Protection Association. The Association declare that a certain letter, addressed by Mr Bright to Mr Stack, of Normanby, is "an insult to the intelligence of the people of New Zealand," in that he ascribed ignorance and selfishness to tho advocates of Protection in this Colony. What the "intelligence of tho people of New Zealand " has to do with the Association, or those it may be presumed to represent, we fail to understand. We are pretty confident, indeed, that the intelligence of the people is on the side of Mr Bright, who certainly hit the nail on the head very straight when he said that " ignorance and selfishness are in partnership with the defence of what is called Protection, for there are many ignorant, and all may be stirred and reached by an appeal to their selfishness." The right hon. gentleman must surely have been reading up the history of the Protection movement in New Zealand.

Some consternation has been created among the Tories and in the ranks of A Notable the English Protectionists Conversion. Fairtraders is the euphonious title the latter adopt—by the extraordinary change of front made by the Right Hon. T. Ghaplin, M.P. for the Seaford Division of North Lincolnshire and a prominent member of the Tory party, he having filled the Chancellorship of the Duchy of Lancaster in Lord Salisbury'slast Administration. Speaking at a recent meeting of the Central Chamber of Agriculture in London, on a motion favoring Protection, he announced that his opinions regarding the advantages of protective duties had entirely changed. He knew that the protective movement had made rapid strides of late, but recent experience had made him very sceptical as to the value of a duty on corn, which was really what the English farmers desired. He could not shut his eyes to facts such as were brought to light by the duties in Germany and France, where they had failed to benefit native agriculture If Protection were to be of any value, the silver question must be dealt with and placed on an equal footing with gold. The duty on corn in England would require to be 14s, and nobody in his senses could ever expect to see that adopted. The report of the meeting adds that Mr Chaplin's declaration caused great surprise, and was the suhject nf much comment among the pronounced Protectionists present. The right hon. gentleman has been known in the House of Commons for fully twenty years as '' the farmers' friend," and in our judgment he never deserved the title better than now.

It could not reasonably have been anticipated that the Imperial GovernJiot a rnent would consent to the grant University, of a charter to the Otago University, and thus authorise two separate institutions in New Zealand to grant University degrees. We have the example in America, where tho value of a degree per sc is absolutely nil, owing to the number of bodicu who grant theac presumed distinctions. The New Zealand University in now fulfilling the objectn of its constitution very successfully, and it is in every re3pect a national institution, with now a considerable number of graduates and undergraduates all over the Colony. Tho Otago University is in reality a University College, Bhould be content to maintain that position, and might properly assume the designation. It is not a University in any sense of the word.

It ib not very creditable to the City Council that a gentleman like Dr Hislop tteform should" be compelled to resign Needed, because he could not any longer

submit himself to the loss of time and noisy wrangles incident to the manner in which of late the proceedings have been carried on. The Mayor should put his foot down and promptly suppress the irregularity and disorder which have so of ten prevailed of late, and he should be effectually supported by the councillors who desire the business to be transacted with " decency and order." Most of them seem to sit muto as mice, whilst the Couueil Chamber is fast being turned again into the bear-garden it wa:> a short timo retrogression U to thb Uity.