THE Gray River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 1886.

Grey River Argus, Volume XXXII, Issue 5420, 13 February 1886, Page 2

THE Gray River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 1886.

We are beginning to be more concerned now than ever to know when the Ministry are going to finally settle upon a policy amongst themselves and take the country into their confidence. Everybody is getting heartily sick of the rumors conBtantly being floated at Wellington and elsewhere for the purpose of sounding public opinion. It is absurd to expect; either the public or the Press to stop to seriously consider all the unauthorised rumors they hear, nine tenths of which invariably turn out to be pure cancirds. We thought it just possible that the Minister for Public Works, who was the lost to speak as one with authority, might throw some new light on the places left dark by the Premier and Mr Ballance. But here we had another Minister " speaking for himself." All of them who have yet spoken have taken care to introduce into their addresses. questions of policy of the highest importance to the colony if they would only say that they intended to give practical effect to them. Itis high time Ministers abandoned this miserable hole-and-corner business, and held their peace until they had settled amongst themselves what they intend to do. Mr Richardson's speech appears to haye been more than usually feeble, and a n ministerial,, effort unsatisfactory in the extreme. 'There is a timid 'reiteration of

the protectionist policy with which Government met the House last session, arid which they so meekly took back to be laid by until a prop of some kind was found to keep it on its tottering legs. His remarks regarding the Charitable Aid Institution Act of last session is a frank admission that the scheme is not satisfactory even to its authors, and would lead people to believe that some radical amendments will be considered necessary when Parliament again "meets. If Mr Richardson's comparison between the results of railway management in Victoria and New Zealand is fairly drawn and the figures quoted correct, then we have no reason to be very dissatisfied with the revenue we receive from our railways. Victoria is a much more compact colony topographically than New Zealand, and better .adapted for working railways profitably. That no more profit is made out of them than appears to be the case leads naturally to the supposition that they are either expensively managed or not run so much to become payable as for the advancement of the country. That portion of address which possesses a special interest for residents of the West Coast are Mr Richardson's remarks on the East and West Coast railway, on the necessity for the construction of which he is as pronounced as Str Julius Yogel himself. That at any rate is a very hopeful sign, for no matter on which side of the House Mr. Richardson may happen to be, he is always held in respect as an authority on railways. His remarks as to the necessity for a railway to the East Coast as well as for the harbors now being made on' the West Coast very neatly disposes of the objections that the construction of these harbors preclude all necessity for a railway to connect the two coasts. It was also a good point and most opportune remark that of the fact that there are lines in the colony with sharper curves and steeper gradients than will ever be seen on the East and West Coast line. He very fairly meets the oojection that all the population is at the ends of the line, by stating that long distance traffic always pays the best. Mr Richardson was circumspect and reticent in his reference to the plan of loaning money to local bodies ; and there is little to be gathered from his remarks beyond the fact that Ministers must have familiarised themselves with the subject, as we find the Minister of Mines very jubilant over the matter, while Mr Ballance, who only waxes enthusiastic over Native affairs, spoke of the matter more soberly ; but even he pointed to the fact that Ministers intend to rely upon a policy which will involve largo borrowing. It is said that on some importants points of that policy Ministers are not agreed. That could only reasonably be expected, but we are inclined to think that these will after all be found to be merely details, though of very great importance perhaps. Assuming that that is the case, it is all the more reason why Ministers should get together without delay, and make up their minds to some well-defined line of policy upon which they could stand or fall. They cannot go on as they have been going. The public are wearied and disgusted with all this angling about to try to find something that will suit public taste, and will no longer rise at any flies of that kind. Let Ministers for once go to work in a straightforward manner, and bravely face the issues before them, relying upon the good sense and public spirit of the people. .

Maurice Kerr, alias John Stuart, was brought before Messrs Kennedy and Kerr yesterday at the Resident Magistrate's Court, charged with obtaining money under false pretences by means of a valueless cheque. At the request of the Police accused was remanded until Tuesday next, 16th inst. By a typographical error which consisted in placing a " 0 " too many in the number representing the total loss of the Westport Coal Company for the .past year, the loss is made to appear to be ton times what it ought to be. The amount should be £1800, not £18,000, as appeared in yesterday's issue. We regret the error just as much as if it had not been self-evident to anyone at all interested in the matter. The following telegram was received by Mr F. W. Lahman, hon. treasurer of the Hospital, yesterday : — "Date, &c., fixed as recommended. Posted noticees yesterday to both daily papers, and formal letter to you to read at meeting of contributors as authoritative announcement of incorporation, &c. — R. H. Govett." The funeral of the late Mr William King takes place to-morrow at 2.30 p.m As deceased belonged to the Ancient Order of Foresters, the members of the order are requested to attend. The following are the names of the cricket team that left here yesterday afternoon to play at Hokitika to-day: — Messrs Clements, ? Malcolm (2), Perkins (2), Walton, WickesjftAldridge, Bristow, and Morse. Inspector Kilgour is still vigorously hunting up cows that graze about the streets. He has laid no fewer than ten informations against the owners of cattle allowed to wander at large. All these cases and probably others also, will be heard on next Tuesday week. It is wonderful how the stream of people curious to see the Strasburg clock model has been kept up all the week. Yesterday there were a great many. To-day ia the last the clock will be on exhibition here ; and we regret to say that in consequence of the size of the model sufficient hall accommodation cannot be found at Brunnerton to exhibit it. A mcdinne for children will be given to-day, and a large number of little people will attend. It will be seen from our advertising ! columns that the Wallsend station ha 3 been opened for traffic as heretofore ; also, that some of the trains will stop to-day at the racecourse station to allow of visitors attending the footraces between Arbuckle and Henderson. Tenders are invited in another column for the construction of the Nine Mile cparry railway. Westport, about six miles "in length. The Greymoulh Amateur Swimming Club hoi | their annual contests to-day, at the shed, head of the lagoon, commencing at 2 o'clock. The handicap for the 300 yards, all comers, is as follows :— Morse, s.; Sargeant, M'Davitt, £ minute; C. Williams, £ minute ; Greetiwood and Easson, 1 minute. The other handicaps will be made on the ground. Mr P Brennan sells to-day by auction, at his rooms, Reefton, the freehold farm of Mr George Nottle, situate on the

Ahaura river, and^ containing 138 acres 3 roods, with all the buildings and improvements thereon. At Rakaia (Canterbury) the farmers, owing to the drought, have been selling some sheep at one shilling per head, while others they sent to be boiled down. Regarding the peach-blight, which has caused such wholesale destruction, that the peach, once the commonest fruit in the Colony, is now one of the rarest, Professor Kirk' says that the i weakening of the vital energies of the plant has been effected by growing peaches on their own roots, and is to be seen in all countries where such a course has been followed. This is notably the case with the old Maori peach-groves, where one generation of trees to another have grown up from seed, and the same may be said of the cultivated trees in the orchards and gardens of the settlers. All the peach trees in the colony, in fact, have either been raised from seed or have been worked on peach stocks. What he suggests should be done is that all dying trees should be cleared away, and a fresh start made with trees grown from healthy buds, on the mussel plum, the stock invariably adopted by English nurserymen. This, he unhesitatingly declares, would once more allow of the profitable cultivation of the fruit. One effect of the frozen meat industry has been to reduce the selling value of sheep in England by from 30 to 40 per cent. An English racehorse called "Robert the Devil " has proved a veritable goldmine at the paddock. At a late sale three of his stock — two colts and a filly — fetched over LIO^QXJQ. Mr Dibbs, lateffjPremier of New South Wale 3, in making his financial statement, said that during the periods of drought of the last two years the total losses in stock had reached the enormous number of more than 200,000 horses, nearly 6,500,000 cattle, and 23,500,000 5heep. Of 1,000 medical students graduated from an English institution fifteen years ago, 128 have died and ninety-Bix have left the profession. Twenty-three have achieved distinguished success and sixtysix considerable success. Five hundred and seven have made a living, 124 have not made a fair practice, and fifty-six have failed uttevly. The fate of the patients is not summed up. Miss Orme and Miss Richards, who recently passed the necessary legal examination with great credit, have an office in Chancery Lane, London, and are now practising successfully as solicitors. The Duke of Westminster has purchased for his daughter-in-law, the Countess of Grosvenor, the house lately occupied by Sir Moses Montefiore. An Alabaster Box — Young girls finding their complexion growing sallow, and their skin becoming rough and freckly, resert to perfumed ointments for a restoration of their bloom. All such should use Hop Bitters, which will restore bloom to cheeks, whiteness and beanty to their complexion, making rich blood, good health^; and happy smiles. Read. — ADVX.j Cured of Drinking. — "A young friend of mine was cured of an insatiable thirst for liquor, that had so prostrated his system that he was unable to do any business. He was entirely cured by the use of Hop Bitters. It allayed all thai burning thirst, took away the appetite for liquor, made his nerves steady, and he has remain 3d a sober and steady man for more than two years, and has no desire to return to his cups."— From a leading ;R.R. Official. Read. — Advt.