The Evening Star THURSDAY, JUNE 28, 1888.

Evening Star, Issue 7650, 28 June 1888, Page 2

The Evening Star THURSDAY, JUNE 28, 1888.

The new Tariff, for good or evil—we appre

hend more of the latter than The New the former—may now be conTariff, sidered an accomplished fact, and comffl under the category of things which must be endured. We did not anticipate that any material success would attend the efforts of the Freetraders to lighten the blow dealt upon legitimate trade and industry by the additional duties, and are therefore not in this respect disappointed. The reault, however, of the amendments in Committee has been to make matters rather worse and intensify the mischief in certain directions. For instance, the dutv on fresh fruit has been raised from Jd to £d per lb—a most inconceivably stupid piece of legislation, for which there is no justification whatever from any point of view, since the fact is indubitable that the fruit-growers in most parts of the Colony are unable to supply the local demand, and will not be able to do so even if they apply themselves at once to the extensive development of the industry for many years to come. Fruit, a most useful and healthful article of food, has been extravagantly dear, with no restriction on imports. The halfpenny per lb will be about the last straw on the camel's back, bo far as the ordinary consumer is concerned. As to fruit pulp—the material of a large and heretofore flourishing local industry in this City—the l£d per lb duty will be simply killing; and should the jam factories bave to suspend operations the consequences may seriously affect other industries. The first-fruits of Protection will not be long before they are garnered, and we have no hope whatever of our expectations of evil consequences not being realised. That the depression must be intensified rather thauia

any degree relieved we regard as certain, and that the working classes, who w'ill neither get higher wages nor continuous work, will be the chief sufferers is our firm conviction. Should our foreboJinga come to naught we shall be gratified indeed; but the lessons of experience, the dictates of reason and common sense, point to their being too well founded. The Customs and Excise Duties Bill has of course to be transmitted to the Legislative Council for their concurrence; but beyond mere verbal alterations, in which the sense or intention is not affected, they have no power to amend the Bill, although they could undoubtedly decline to pass it—a course they would hardly venture to take. So long ago as 16*8 the House of Commons resolved " That all aids and supplies, and " aids to His Majesty in Parliament, are the "sole gift of the Commons, and all Bills " for the granting of such aids and supplies "ought to begin with the Commons; and " that it is tho undoubted and sole right of " the Commons to direct, limit, and appoint "in such Bills the ends, purposes, con- " siderations, limitations, and qualifications " of such grants, which ought not to be "changed or altered by the House of " Lords." It is upon this rssolution that all proceedings between the two Houses in matters of Supply and Ways and Means are now founded. The principle is accepted by the Lords, and, following the English constitutional and Parliamentary practice, by the Upper Chambers in colonies enjoying Parliamentary government, that the intention of the representatives of the people is not to be altered "with regard to the " amount of the rate or charge, whether by " increase or reduction; its duration, its "mode of assessment, levy, collection, ap- " propriation, or management, or the persons "who shall pay, receive, manage, or "control it; or the limit within which "it is proposed to be levied."—(May's 'Parliamentary Practice.') The principle of excluding the Lords from interference has even been pressed so far by the Commons that, when Messages have been sent for reports and papers relative to taxation, the Commons have evaded sending them; and it has been doubted whether members of the House should be allowed to be examined before a Committee of the Lords on matters involving taxation, although they have in practice attended when required. The Legislative Council have, therefore, no option but to swallow the Bill whole or reject it altogether. There is nothing, however, to prevent the principle and the details being debated ; and we quite expect that Ministers will hear some home truths from honorable gentlemen in the Conncil, which will bo by no means palatable. We shall be curious to hear how the Hon. Mr Stevens justifies his present position as a member of a Protectionist Cabinet.

St. John's Church, at Napier, is to be lighted by electricity. The Supreme Court case of George M'Lean v. William Elder and others concluded yesterday evening after we went to press, and His Honor reserved judgment. In Banco at Christchurch yesterday Mr Justice Ward quashed the conviction of A. Wachmann, manager of Hopefield station, who had been fined LSO by Mr C. Whitefoord, R.M., for not having made sufficient exertions to clear certain sheep from scab. The Judge held that it must be shown that sheep are actually and not merely technically scabby. At a meeting of the Committee of the Hospital Board this afternoon Mr Robin said that he desired to call the attention of the reporters to the fact that these meetings were only committee meetings. Still there were many subjects discussed thereat which were important to the public, but there were also subjects mentioned which it was not desirable should appear in print. He thought that when the reporters were requested not to publish discussions on certain subjects, as a matter of courtesy they might accede to the request. The Committee had felt considerably annoyed at certain matters that had appeared in print last week. At the weekly meeting of the Benevolent Institution Trustees yesterday, a circular was considered from the Southland Charitable Aid Board asking the Trustees to cooperate with them in bringing pressure to bear upon the Government to compel them to carry out the provisions of the Hospitals and Charitable Institutions Act of 1885, with reference to setting apart land for charitable aid purposes. The Chairman said he could hardly see how the Trustees could help the Board in the matter, except by giving them their moral support. If he remembered rightly, the question was asked in the House whether the Government would set apart land for charitable aid purposes, and the Government declined to do so. Mr Carroll thought that all the pressure the Trustees could bring to bear on the Government should be brought. The time was not far distant when the support of charitable institutions would devolve upon local bodies, and they should try and secure all the grants they could before that day arrived. It was decided to co-operate with the Board in their efforts to compel the Government to carry out the provisions of the Act.

Kev. Jame3 Gibb will lecture to-morrow evening in the ball of the Roilyn Library on 'Norman Macleod,' in aid of the funds of that institution.

The service of song, ' Christy's OldCrgan,' with limelight illustrations, will be given in the Choral Hall on Friday evening, by scholars and teachers of Choral Hall Sunday School. The weekly meeting of the Bible and Improvement Class in connection with the Cargill road Wcsleyan Church was held in the schoolroom last evening, the president (Rev. W. G. Parsonson) in the chair. The usual busiii'ss was diversified by a mock Parliamentary election, the candidates being Messrs C Metz, A. Dickson, and W. Metz, \V. C. Cole; Mr Charles Metz being elected by a majority of six votes.

The Dresden Piano Company have sent us a copy of the ' Heel-and-Toe' rinking refrain, composed by Air Henry Benjamin. The words arc by Mr Gilbert flock, and tho picture forming tho frontispiece (Mr Thomas George) is highly creditable to the artist. The music, being issued at the low price of Is, should become popular amongst the frequenters of the skatiDg rinks, the air being so easily picked up that the vocalists who sang at the rink had not, we are informed, any previous rehearsal. The weekly meeting of the Trinity Musical and Literary Society was held on Tuesday night—the president (Rev. W. Baumber) in the chair, and seventy-four members present. The item on the syllabus for the evening was a debate 'Should the Chinese be Refused Admission to the Australian Colonies.' Mr A. Crow opened in the affirmative and Mr W. Hindleia the negative. It was decided by a majority of one to allow the Chinese the liberty of our colonies. A piano duet was contributed by the Misses Harland and Home, and songs by Miss Outred and Miss Moyse. Mies Chapman accompanied. Mr R. Clifford, of the Arcade, has just turned out some photographic pictures of considerable interest. The first is a capitally executed copy of a photograph taken in London last year of thirty-two survivors of the memorable Light Cavalry Charge at Balaclava. The veterans in question had met together for thf ir usual banquet on October 25, this occasion being the thirty-third anniversary of the battle, and they were then photographed in a group. In a second picture Mr Clifford reproduce* the group on a smaller scale, and finishes <>!f the oiibject with a copy, of tho illuminated congratulatory address presented to Queen Victoria on attaining the Jubilee year of her reign by the survivors of the charge. The document bears the signatures of 101 of the survivor*, men of all ranks in the service, and among the names is that of our fellow-townsman Sergeant-major Bevin, whose regiment was the Bth King'., Royal Irish Husirs. Of the 101 signatory twenty-four belonged to tho 4th Queen's Own Light Dragoons, eight to the Bth King's Royal Irish Hussars, twenty-eight *o tho 11th Prince Albert's Own Hussars, sixteen to tho 13th Light Dragoons, and twenty-five to the 17th Lancers. The third picture to which we have to make reference is of a somewhat different character. Itrcpreßcntsthehißtoricgameatbowls that was in progress just 300 years ago when the Spanish Armada hove in sight of English shores, and in which game those brilliant commanders Sir Francis Drake, Sir Walter Raleigh, Sir Martin Frobisher, and others were taking part. The picture ia full of character, and, apart from its historic interest, it should be appreciated by bowlers as about the earliest piotorial representation of their favorite pastime.