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Evening Star, Issue 13003, 24 December 1906, Page 6

Tire Ward Administration have a valuable asset, in tho intelligent The Minister activity o£ the Minister of of Lands. Tjands and the Minister of Labor. Mr Millar lias been earning golden opinions in the North by bis capable and impartial manner of discussing industrial difficulties, while Mr M'Nab lias met with no small success in his efforts to win tho confidence and good-will of the peoplo of Central Otago. The industry displayed by tho Minister of Lands during the time which has elapsed since the close of the session has been beyond praise, and an equal tribute is due to his tact and sagacity. Misrepresentation follows close on his heels, a section of tho Farmers' Union apparently having no scruples in this respect; but what he has to do is to keep pegging away, educating tho people on tho subject of Land Keform, and (if necessary) correcting the misstatements of anti-reformers for the hundredth time. Fighting against speculators and reactionaries and monopolists is not easy, but truth and light will eventually provail, and some day there will even be an end to the mendacious assertion that the Government are seeking to rob small landowners of their Freehold. Tho Chairman of the North Canterbury Branch of the Farmers' Union has been circulating fairy talcs concerning the alleged inability of farmers to procure loans in consequence of the introduction of the Land Bill. According to this imaginative Jeremiah, several large financial firms intend to take their capital to other lands, " whore they will not be hampered by such legislation." We have heard of this sort of thing before. Ever since Liberal measures began to be passed, tho forlorn cry of vanishing capital has been periodically raised, and tho wonder is that there is any money left in the country. "If that was the feeling among tho leading firms," added this sapient chairman, " the Bill, if passed, would mean financial rnin to the farmers." Tbis statement is characteristic of Farmers' Union methods ; in other words, it is utterly fantastic and misleading. The Minister of Lands, we arc glad to see, was down on it like a shot. He has no difficulty in showing, first, that the interests of the farmer and of the moneylender are not identical; secondly, that the Bill will do no harm to financial firms who are satisfied with legitimate enterprise ; and, thirdly, that the farmers will be able to borrow money from the Government. The following passage, the report of an interview with Mr M'Nab in Christchurch, should be studied by farmers who imagine that their welfare is bound up with that of tie speculative mortgagee and that tho policy of the Government is likely to bring ruin to them : Companies that lend money, and while lending it to assist their borrowers to tide over difficult periods, are not affected by this proposed legislation. The Government money-lending department can cany on its business perfectly woll under the provisions of this Bill. It is when the money-lender becomes a land speculator that ho feels the pinch. In his capacity as a land speculator lie is now stirring up some of the landowners of the Colony to induce them to oppose our land legislation, and the landowners in many cases do not realise that before the conditions apply (hey havo Jost all their interest in the

land, and, thinking there is something in their contention, are acting accordingly.

Mr M'Nab's remarks on what may be termed tho characteristic misrepresentations of different localities arc very interesting, but it is reasonable to expect that energetic reiteration of tho truth on the part of Ministers, Liberal members of Parliament, and other progressive advocates on the platform and in the Press will serve sooner or later to clarify tho minds of those fanners who have been deluded, and that before the meeting of Parliament the financial speculator will have ceased to be able to persuade the average farmer that he will find it impossible to secure a loan after the Land Bill has become law. The large landowner—the friend of monopoly and aggregation—may speak to deaf ears three or four months hence when he tells the modest agriculturist that "the land prc- " posals of the Government will affect all " tho small landowners, and that the Bill "is a blow to the Freehold." But some hard work will have to be put in on behalf of the cause of reform if this desirable consummation is to be achieved. Ad captandum misrepresentation does not die in a day, especially when it is vitalised by desperate self-interest and every available form of propagandist influence, subtle as well as direct. Mr BPNab's recent activity has not been cor£ned to expositions of the Land Policy or" tho Government. In Central Otago he has had a variety of moro or less important matters to attend to, and the settlers have at least found him sympathetic and genuinely anxious to supply their wants and further thehr interests. Ho told a representative of the Christchurch 'Press' that there had been a threefold object in his visit to the interior : first, the settlement of certain disputed points in connection with tho cutting up of the Tuns which had fallen in; secondly, the initiation of the irrigation scheme; and, finally, the furtlierane© of tho Liberal Land Policy. No doubt the three subjects are intimately related, and the Minister was not backward in takiuii advantage of salioat object-lessons

for thoßu-poso of recommending the doctrines Reform. For instance, if the roflkd been sold instead of being leased, of Lands would not " have kw* week to arrange for " their "seen irrigation scheme "bore valueless land "aro wonderful value, "and that disposed of by "the Grown into the hands "of a few often urged that the the burnt-up plains of not to be delayed from that the provision of was quite as cation to To quote at the of Commori^^^^^^l^^^H^^^^^B Tho should The lands jmJmWWWWMWWWMWKKWWi> quite as the bare ier tho State from There scheme: as 1 - b° entrusted and miners a very rough WKBWWWjBMWWttttF^ T M'Nub appears practical there is a project being of the coming of Central Otago of Lands a happy ■|^^^H^^B^^^Br' oar ready publicswpon. the of the scattered at the abolition of that have been floating from an ex-school-Mr A. G. Allan, who Henderson in 1858, and teacher at Northeast Valley a letter to the secretary of th^H^^ Committee just before the school "BHMp this year. It was chiefly a lament education, and Sabbath desecration. " When provincialism was abolished," he wrote, " and with the advent of the million loans, infidels got into power, and banished the Bible from the schools. No wonder Christian visitors observe and proclaim the looseness, the Sabbath desecration, tho frivolities so frequently observable among to large a number of tho rising generation. It is most painful to eco largo numbers indulging in all sorts of sports cm the Sabbath, flying past churches as if there were satanic legions in pursirt." After a warning against tho perils of reading silly tales in the cheap periodicals now so much in vogue, Mr Allan asked that tbo scholars be warned to shun those who indulge in all these sinful pursuits. There was a good gathering at the Y.M.C.A. strangers' tea on Sunday afternoon. Petty-officer Robert Borrott, of H.M.S. Pioneer, acted as chairman, and welcomed all strangers to tho Association, among them being Mr Findlay, missionary from Bengal, who gave an address on mission work in that country, and an account of tho revival and of tho political crisis of twelve months ago. "Our Own" at Christehurch wires: Tho police state that there is no truth whatever in tho recent report that a man had been sandbagged and robbed when leaving the Exhibition.

The Kepresentation Commissioners have now been summoned to meet at Christcharch on January 17 (the date previously fixed was January 29) to consider objections lodged to the proposed boundaries. There are no fixtures in the Supreme Court till February 11, when the next civil sittings open. In'tho meantime Mr Justice Chapman will have under consideration the Universal Hotel in which ho will probably give judgment during the vacation. Mr Justice Williams is expected to resume dtitv- on 'February 1. Mx J-ustico Cooper leaves this evening for the North, where I>© will restV>o n ' s regular circuit in the Wellington <Kte.lrict. Thcra was no sitting of flic Magistrate's Court to-day, owing to the Christmas vacation. The next sitting will be held on January 4. The general delivery at the Chief Post Office to-night has "been postponed to 9.30, so as to include English and Australian correspondence ex Wimruera, arriving by the second express from the South. The delivery will be from 9.30 to 10.30 p-m.

The Hon. R. M'.Nab when making his recent visit rouiid the Taieri Plain wasaccompanied by Mr W. D. M'Curdie, late road engraeer v in the Government service, who haw given" a good deal of study to the problem of the drainage of the Taieri. Referring to tho question of a tidal wall with gates to keep out tho sea, Mr M'Curdie, in reply to the Minister, gave it as his opinion"that it should bo placed not at the mouth of tho river, as has been suggested, but at tho Taieri Fcity Bridge, against tho steel oylindersL He recommends a steel screen, working from above, in place of a wall and gates as ban been suggested. The object is, of coarse, to keep the riv*r at low tide level, and thus prevent tho tidal influence which robs the Taieri drains of from 2ft 6in to 4ft of foil twice during tho twentyfour hour's. The level of tho Taieri Plain is po little above tide level that the drains are not running when the tide is in. If the tide were kept out they would be running night and day. Christmastido this yeasr seems to be less noisy than usual, and our old folk miss tho greenery adornments and the special shop-window displays of a past period. But the people are crowding into the City, and t«ho rotail establishments aro busy, and the streets are crowded after workhours with happy and well-dressed people, and in one way and another there are abundant signs of a truly " Merrv Christmas " that seems to embody Mr A. R. Barclay's ideal (referred to at tho George Street School break-up) of comfort without luxury on tho one hand and comfort without poverty on the other hand. This is a desirable state of affaire, which -ve would not exchange for the extremes of opulence and pauperism e.Tpencn,ed m some other lands. After service at Trinity Church last night the choir gave the innunl caioi :<rvico in the presence, of a packed Congregation Mr Lawn, the choirmaster, was in charge, and Miss Hartley was at the organ. The soloists included Mrs C. I'. Edsrar (now of Auckland), Miss Mina CaJdow (of Wellington), Mr Ernest Lawn, and Master Hodge, and each of these singers sang remarkably well. So did the choir. A nicer carol service could not havo been desired.

Conductor K. Cook, of the Citizens' Band, conferred a. f:ivor on the residents and the visitors of St. Clair yesterday afternoon by playing in good style a wellnicked programme of brass band music suitable to the day. The ' Tximbardi' test selection at the Exhibition contest and the band's own choice selection were amongst the items. This band will play well at the forthcoming contest. Two nen- cablo cars built at the company's workshops have been running on the Thmedin and Roelyn Company's line since the latter part of last week, and have so far proved satisfactory in every way. The telegraph officials have had a righ.busy day. Up to three o'clock this afternoon no" less than 2,000 messages—a. record had been transmitted from the head office, and there was enough work in sighr to keep operators, check clerks, sorters, and what-not going at top till the small hours of to-moTrow morning. But one and all are plodding on, filled with a determination and zeal to accomplish what the public demand of them. Verily, the telegraph officials, great and small, are the "whitest" men in our PnWie .Service, and the taxpayer hafi reason to applaud their loyalty and devotion to. duty. : ,

The Nazals' Band, under the direction of Mr D. Cooke, played in the Botanical Gardens yesterday afternoon, and thereby entertained a numerous assemblage of music-lovers, many of whom congratulated the band on tho good form displayed. The items included the band's chosen piece for the Exhibition contest, a capital ooroet solo, arid a new setting of ' Nazareth.'

"The heaviest' holiday passenger traffic wo-have had here," -was the answer of Mr A. Duncan, station-master, to a 'Star* reporter -who inquired this morning as to whether the exodus to Christehurch had really begun. It appears thai the volume of traffic to Christehurch took on a marked expansion on Friday, and It is still expanding. The morning express for tho North on' Saturday and again to-day were danbleengined concerns, and each ran out with twenty vehicles—the limit for a single train. All the expresses on Saturday were hauied by two engines, while this morning about ! 1,200 people travelled North by the 8.5 a.m. train. Tiro traffic on the South lines is about equal to. last year's—if anything a shade lighter. The South express on Saturday ran with thirteen vehicles. There were fifteen this morning. Fares for intermediate stations both north and south are about normal for holiday times. On Saturday tho intermediate traffic kept the 5.13 p.m. express forty-five minutes behind time in arriving at Dunedki, but the authorities did not allow this to inconvenience passengers for the South, a special train being despatched at 5.45 p.m. for Balclutha, and connecting -with the Lawrence and Ownka. branches. When the delayed express steamed in she was despatched on her usual rim to InveiwrgilL Sho got clear of the station about 6.55. Silver ware for the Drmedrn railway refreshment rooms has arrived from Sydney, and is now in use. Inquiries made to-day 6liow that the rooms aro more than holding their own. A steady increase of patronage is reported, the public evidently appreciating the department's enterprfee in establishing suck an up-to-dato refreshment service. Misa J. Anderson is now in charge. Mr Hall, who opened the rooms, has gone back to railway work. Lemonade and other aerated waters of the milder sort may be safe enough as beverages, but when bottles of such stuff aro left standing in the sunlight this hot weather they become dangerous. This afternoon a cartload/ of lemonade was standing in Moray place, when one bottle or more exploded and' showered glass for- some distance around. ' The force with which the particles were driven was enough to do damage, and the moral seems to bo that it as well to go warily past lemonade carts on hot days. Greetings of tho head staff of the T7.S.S Company and of the staff of the 'Press' and 'Truth' (Christehurch) and the 'Marlborough Express' are reciprocated. In spite of the keenest competition the business of Smith and Smith, Ltd., increases. The firm are now showing their Cbristmaß stock of wall papers and friezes, suitable for drawing and dining rooms, halls, and studies, and invito purchasers to inspect goods. Smith and Smith, Ltd.. Octagon.—fAdvt.] Moemngi and Maheno are advertised elsewhere to run to Portobello and Broad Bay daily during the Christmas holidays. Provided the weather is fine, a trip down the harbor is a most enjoyable and economical way of spending the holidays. Mr Hcudy invites ladies and gentlemen to inspect choice variety of new and inexpensive goods just nnpned suitablo for Christmaspresents.—fAdvt.} Lovers of good music will be provided with a firßt-ciass programme appropriate to tha occasion to-morrow (Christmas Day), when the Moraington Band will give a performance at the Second Beach, St. Clair. Residents ,of the Flat boroughs will doubtless embrace the opportunity of hearing this band for the first time in tie confines of their own district, and a collection will be made towards the expenses in connection with the forthcoming international contest at Christehurch.

jis winter approi-oLes no bouse should b» without Tus6Jcura; etops the cough inunediafcely.—CAdvtJ The seamen's Christmas gathering will be held at Choral Hall, Dunedin, to-morrow, at 6 p.m. A special train will leave for Port it 10.30 p.m. Mr Morcis, artist in photography, gives special attention to portrait studies in bridal costume, wedding groups, etc. Long eipericzieo, combined with a most perfectlyequipped studio, enables him to render the texture of light draperies to vhe best possible advantage. Seo specimens, studio, Princes 6treet.—[AdHJ It is R. H. Scott and Co. whose premises -wct& Tti£crrcAl to on. in. conn.eefcioTi with electric lighting. We reciprocate the seasonable greetings of the officers of the Labor Department. The Zcalandia Living Pictures Company will introduce the latest American living picture machine to the Mdsgiel residents in the Volunteer Hall on Boxing Night. Mr Harry BnrUctt will also render several songa. F. and F. Martin, Octagon, call special attention to purchasers of household furniture, and also new handsome Xmas and New Year presents. Seo our windows and prices. They aro tempting;.—[Advt.] On the Carisbrook Ground the Otago v. Canterbury cricket match commences tomorrow at 2 p.m. and will bo resumed at noon on Wednesday. At St. Matthew's Church to-morrow communion will be celebrated at 7 a.m., 8 ajn., 9.15 a.m., awl 11 a.m. (choral). Evensong, with carols, at 7.30. Blormtein King Asthma Powder gives inv mediate and refreshing relief in obstinate cases. [lo9] A fast, service will be run by the Dunedin and Kaikorai Tramway Company during tho holidays. Last car to-night, twelve o'clock; to-morrow night, eleven o'clock. Tho Otago annual Tegatta will be held at Port. Chalmers on Boxing Day. There have been record entries for the races, and there will be a submarine explosion. The time-table of the s.s. Tarewai, running the railway ferry to Portobello, appears in this issue. A train will run to Port Chalmers tomorrow night at 10.30„ returning from Port at 11.15. Notice.—The famous Star Cloth Renovating Fluid (no water required) removes all stains; guaranteed. Is bottle, all groceirs.— [Advt.] At this season of the year coughs and coJds •re prevalent. Take Tuasicura. P-091 Working men, note!— Suits, new and as good, cost £A and £5, by leading tailors, a,t half-price; good tecond-hand suite from 20s,* superior quality. M'Kensric, Arcade. Telephone I,S9B.—tAdvt.]