SPECIAL TELEGRAMS.

Evening Star, Issue 10933, 16 May 1899, Page 4

SPECIAL TELEGRAMS.

WELLINGTON, May 16.

IMPURE MILK,

Dr Kington Fyffe, bacteriologist to the Wellington Hospital, comes to the rescue of Mr Gilruth, the chief Government vet., who has been designated by the local Press “ an alarmist” because he stated publicly at a recent meeting of Wellington borough representatives that he had found tuberculosis and cancer in cows from which milk was supplied to consumers in the city. Dr Fyffe quotes the following case in point:—“ Not long ago I saw in consultation a child suffering from tuberculosis. The history was as follows: A sister had died of that disease, and the child in question had sickened. A third child was suffering from emaciation, general malaria, and diarrhoea, etc. These children were fed upon milk, and upon milk almost exclusively. The fourth child, a boy, would not touch milk, and he was quite unaffected by any disease, being strong and healthy. On giving the children only boiled milk the symptoms disappeared.” He adds that Mr Gilruth has also shown him cases and sections taken from cancerous tumors in cows near Wellington, and he declares that the Government veterinarian has done excellent service in insisting upon the infectivity of tuberculosis milk. THE PRE-SESSIONAL BUDGET. The ‘Post,’ reviewing the pre-sessional Budget speech at Eketahuna, says ;—“ The crux of the position is that the Premier wished his hearers to believe that the transactions for the year showed a surplus of revenue over expenditure of £495,861, but reference to the Financial Statement of last year will show that there was brought to credit as ‘ balance at end of year, £521,144.’ How that balance was made up we showed very exhaustively at the time, as we shall later the so-called surplus declared at Eketahuna last evening, but we may for the present point out that if the now alleged surplus of £495,861 is subtracted from the ‘balance at end of year ’ £521,144 shown in the last Financial Statement, we reach a deficit of £25,283. The Treasurer, of course, makes all his paper balances of preceding years do duty for the current year, and on that system may be confidently expected to produce a corpulent surplus so long as he is in office.” The ‘ New' Zealand Times,’ in reply to the article in the ‘ Post ’ on the presessional Budget, alleging that, instead of the Treasurer’s speech showing a surplus, it disclosed a deficit of £25,000, says : “ The local Opposition journal has floundered badly in its essay to criticise the Treasurer’s figures and to slate the ‘ crux of the position.’ It makes him claim that the surplus of revenue over expenditure for the year was £495,861, whereas all he claimed was £399,717. Then it goes on to make the following astounding deduction: ‘ Reference to the Financial Statement of last year will show that there was brought to credit as balance at the end of the year £521,141. If the now alleged surplus of £495,861 is subtracted from the balance at the end of the year, £521,144 shown in the last Financial Statement, we reach a deficit of £25,283.” “ This, says the ‘ Times,’ is criticism run mad. The transfer of £425,000 is entirely ignored, and it is assumed that the Treasurer had the whole of last year’s surplus at his disposal for the year. No amount of arithmetical gymnastics, continues the editor, can get over the fact that on last year’s actual transactions there is a credit of £599,717 as the excess of revenue over expenditure, which, with the cash balance of £96,144, makes the surplus. Apparently, during the current year, the Treasurer will be able once more to spend £400,000 or so on public w'orks, this affording employment and pushing on the various railways required for the development of the country. THE GOVERNOR ON BORROWING. Considerable public comment is made upon the remarks made by His Excellency the Governor at the reception at Karangahake on the policy of borrowing. Lord Ranfurly is .reported to have said that w'hilst he approved of borrowing for the purpose of constructing railways, roads, bridges, etc., for opening up the country, he regarded the expenditure of loan money on mining ventures was wrong in principle. In some circles these remarks are condemned as injudicious and improper in one in His Excellency’s position. PERSONAL ITEMS The Premier returned by the Wairarapa train last evening. The Hon. Hall-Jones, Minister of Works, is travelling overland from Christchurch to inspect the route now being surveyed between Awatere, the terminus of the line authorised and under construction, and the North Canterbury end. The Minister’s visit is in view of the recommendations which will be contained in the next Public Works Statement. Mr Carroll, Colonial Secretary, will deliver a political address at two or three of the centres in his electorate prior to the meeting of Parliament. The friends of Mr Tregear, Under-Secre-tary to the Department of Labor,, will be glad to learn that he is slpwly but surely recovering from his severe attack of influenza. THE RAINFALL. The rainfall for fifteen days past is registered at 5.23. For the entire month of May, 1898, the record was 5.95. DEMAND FOR TRUCKS. Several complaints have been received by the traffic section of the Railway Department from the South Island respecting the inadequate supply of trucks. The answer is that the department here is doing its utmost to meet the increased demand during the wheat season, a number of extra hands having been put on at the Addington works. MISCELLANEOUS. There is a great advance in the price of sheep. Prime wethers realise 14s, delivered on the run. The Defence Department has ordered from England 500 dummy rifles for teaching the manual exercises to boys in the Board schools of the Wellington district. Speculation is already being indulged in in political circles as to the probable business of the session. The general opinion is that there will be some hot discussion over the Jones case and the conduct of the Audi-tor-General. Mr Duthie, M.H.R., is reported convalescent. The Wellington District Law Society propose to draft a Bill for the incorporation of the legal profession of New Zealand. Nobody who has even the most superficial knowledge of political affairs will experience any difficulty in determining the identity of the “ own correspondent ” of the ‘ Post ’ who forwards the following telegram from Palmerston North: —“ In regard to the AuditorGeneral’s ‘tag’ on the public accounts, it will bo remembered that the Premier said at Aramoho that he could not legally grant the subsidy promised to the Wanganui .technical School because the vote had been struck off the Estimates, yefthe Wellington and Dunedin votes were in the same category.” “A Resident of Twenty Years ” in Wellington writes to the ‘ Post ’ challenging the assertion of Mr Best, the Victorian ComnSSl °?. er >. h e tad “never met a beggar whde m Wellington.” “ Resident ” thinks he must have gone about blindly,” i nas . much as there are hundreds of unemployed workmen painters, carpenters, printers butchers, boilermakers, etc.-walking aCt the city, hanging about the R.M. Court :dhng away time in the shelter of the Public Library, or crowding the wharves Tb! = r% d these, if declares,Xe on “e meal a day, or less. u one