Hawke's Bay Herald. MONDAY, APRIL 22, 1878.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 50418, 22 April 1878, Page 2

Hawke's Bay Herald. MONDAY, APRIL 22, 1878.

The Pall Mall Gazette says : — " For years past we have persistently called attention, to the subject of colonial defence. Now that war may be a q\iestion of days, or even hours, it is almost too late to point out the unsatisfactory manner in which this most important question has been dealt with. Both in England and in the colonies delay has been the order of the day. The completion of telegraphic communication between our various colonies, coaling stations, and strategical posts, concerning which a correspondence is now being carried on in The Times, though essential to a thorough reorganisation, is but a small part of what is immediately necessary. Yet what do we find ? In New Zealand Sir George Grey declares that, owing to the present state of the finances, it is quite impossible to do anything towards the improvement of the defences of Auckland or any other large towns on the coast. According to him, the enormous expenditure on railways and other public works has incapacitated the colony from reasonably ensuring the cities which the railways connect." It proceeds to contend that the position of the other colonies of the Australian group with regard to defence is scarcely better, and concludes by remarking that in the colonies, as at home, " we ai'e quite xmprepared to meet any serious emergency." Yet the party which it supports is that which alone is responsible for bringing iis face to face with such an emergency. The New Zealand Times, we observe, like ourselves, made the report o Colonel Whitmore's statement at Auckland, with reference to Sir George Grey's proposed plan of harbor defence, the text for a criticism on the action of the Govornment in declining Sir. W. Jervois's visit. The writer follows in our wake in remarking that " Colonel Whitmore has not told its who is to decide as to the proper positions for the guns," and adds, " nor has he alluded to the weapon most easily and effectually used in modern defensive warfare — the torpedo." It is but fair to give what the Government have to say in defence of themselves, which is said in the Evening Post of the 18th. Referring to the New Zealand Times 7 article, it remarks — The foregoing statements are calculated to mislead the public. The guns, which Colonel Whitmore informed the Auckland Artillery the Government pro- I posed to import, are the veiy guns upon which Sir W. Jervois and Colonel Scratchley rely for the defence of the Australian harbors. They are the guns now used on board the Comodoro's ship, and several other ships of the Australian squadron — have perhaps the largest range of any guns in use, and shoot like a, rifle. They fire a projectile, which no unarmoured vessel could possibly withstand, and from the shore of our harbors would easily sink any such cruiser or privateer as Sir W. Jervois, and other competent authorities, say is alone likely to visit any of our ports. The question of the necessity of expensive batteries, or even earthworks, is a disputed one. But if the guns were in the colony, and any danger to our ports threatened, it would not take long to decide where to place or how : to use them. On the other hand, torpedoes, except fish torpedoes, are daily becoming less dreaded by men-of-war. The most perfect torpedo system ' known can be harmlessly passed through by a ship without any great delay by the mode now adopted throughout our navy. The principle followed is the same as that of countermines ashore. The torpedoes are exploded under water by the shock of a large charge fired in their vicinity. We saw here the effect at some distance of the explosion of the small charges used to blow up the Eli Whitney, and can therefore the more readily understand how an attacking ship might thus draw the teeth of an enemy who relies exclusively on fixed torpedo defence. The fish torpedo is a most delicate and. costly

-.nr..—.»«yamiun4itii *w*.'m*wrvmMumMß!mßfrmtmwmßatmeßgsa invention, as yet hardly perfected, n which requires great care and skill o in its use. Every day some new d change is made and some patent defect ft remedied, so that it would be premature ii to predict how far it would form a reliable tl harbor defence, and whether or not any t< practical defence against it will be dis- b covered. .On the other hand, guns such v» as those it is proposed ' to import we do tl know to be quite equal to our require- b . ments, and against them there can be no f< ; efficient defence to an unarmoured vessel, g while the mere question of coal, if no w other, would make it almost impossible c " for an ironclad to trouble our ports, b Whatever plan of harbor defence may be ii ultimately adopted, if war breaks out, fi 1 there can be no doubt whatever that it is o desirable to have the guns in the colony 'J and our artillery trained to use them as fi soon as possible. H Wq do not think the above by any means a satisfactory exculpation of the r Government in the matter. However, a the outlook in Europe is now becoming -"■ decidedly pacific, and the question may ° . soon cease to be ono of an urgent s b character. G

Me JLowk, in a receut article in the I Fortnight h) Review, takes up the subject of the Victorian Land Tax, and, as y might be expected, adopts the line of the Melbourne Argus, and describes the Act li as confiscation. A tax on the unfortunate women and children who make their g livelihood by manufacturing matches would no doubt be much more to his c taste. Professor Pearson answers him veiy, effectively in a letter to The Times. • He shews, as the Age says, that the Victorian " land tax is as nearly as possible a copy of the English income tax, with the single difference that here incomes derived from trades and professions are exempted, arid only real property above the value of £2500 is brought under the care of the tax-gatherer. At home incomes of £150 per annum are exempted from taxation, and our legislators proceeded on the assumption that £2500 worth of land was equal in value to £150 a year in income. c Unless ? then,' Mr Pearson puts it, 'it be true to say of the English income tax that it iB a thin disguise of confiscation, it is not true to say it of the Victorian land tax.' It only needed to have the similarity cl between the two taxes put forward in this s forcible manner to set the home investor t at his ease regarding his colonial securities. A tax founded on a British model will not disturb the confidence of a ? British capitalist." It is to be remarked that the Argus itself in its more recent articles on the subject maintained that the Land Tax, as passed by the Lower House, was not confiscation, but was a . merely fiscal measure, though a bad one ; ) and thus reconciled it with its conscience f to urge the Council to pass it. Mr Lowe • follows the drift of its earlier articles. The Age, we think, expends too many regrets on the fact of Mr Lowe's having been "deceived by the one-sided and garbled statements he had read." We should not think that there are many people either at home or in the colonies who will trouble themselves much, one way or another, about Mr Lowe's opinions on any such subject. . His own budgets were intolerable even to the House of I Commons, and would simply have ex- , cited derision in the colonies. r ' "

[ The first meeting of the new Education Board for the Hawke's Bay district lias been fixed by the Minister for Education . to be held on Tuesday morning, the 30th v instaat, at 11 o'clock, in the' Council t Chamber. i At the Theatre Royal, on Saturday evening, " Danicheff " was repeated to a 1 moderate house. The play, however, 3 went better than on its first representation, and the audience, if not large, were fc appreciative, the applause being both loud and frequent. To-night the piece g presented will be " Ours," a story of the Crimean war, and especially appropriate to the present time, when the events of ' that exciting period may any day be rej peated. In the hero we see the Regent- , street dandy transformed into ther edoubt--3 able warrior, after a fashion which has had thousands of examples in real life. We expect to see a full house, f The Spit Fire Brigade had a very satisk factory practice last Saturday evening. . Before leaving the engine-shed the Superintendent read a letter from Mr Kemsley 5 offering to the members of the Spit b brigade the use of the reading-room, &c, » of the Napier brigade, and expressing his willingness, and that of the Napier 5 brigade generally, to give any assistance they could towards getting the Spit \ brigade into a state of efficiency. — After 13 being put through some preliminary drill, " the engine was taken to Watt's wharf, 1 where, under the superintendence of Mr 3 Miller, the brigade commenced practice. t Two lengths of delivery hose were atj tached, the brakes manned, and two strong jets of water were played to the " height of 50 or GO feet. One hose was 5 then tried, and a single jet reached about , » 80 feet, throwing a very large stream of ) water. The engine did its work very ; satisfactorily, and some of those present L went so far as to say that it threw as , much water as the steam fire engine in ! town. After returning to the shed Mr „ Miller complimented the ' brigade upon : possessing such a powerful engine, re- : marking that it would prove a very useful . ■ auxiliary to the town engines in case of . a fire. He recommended strict attention to drill and frequent jo-actice, as the only ? means of proving effective. A hearty . vote of thanks' was passed to the Napier '. Fire Brigade. During the week "the : - finance committee will canvass the owners of property for subscriptions, and it is : \ hoped that the appeal will lee liberally '. . responded to. ' The only business at the Resident ■ . Magistrate's Court on Saturday was that ■ of dealing with a drunkard who was j brought down from Clive by Constable ' Motley. A fine of 5s was inflicted. The sports at Farndon are the only : amusement for holiday makers to-day. ; The programme, which will be found in < another column, is attractive and will no ] doubt draw a good attendance. The 1 Napier band will play during the daj\ 1 Lady Bowen, it appears, is about to go home to EnjiLmd. The Evening Post \ clips the following on the subject, which ' is of a somewhat sensational character, \ from a Victorian publication: — "It will ' be seen from our Parliamentary intelli- ( gence that some unprincipled, cowardly scoundrels have been in the habit of ' sending anonymous letters to Lady * Bowen respecting the Governor, and seek- ■" ing to embitter the affectionate relations that should,' and doubtless do,- exist be- ■} twecn them. No punishment would be "^ too severe for such despicable curs— one cannot call them men — and perhaps the } most effective mode of treatment would * be a few judiciously administered apj^lica- s tions of the cat-o'-nine tails, as such crea- ( tures are always cowards, and dread * corporal punishment more than the undis- • * guised contempt of the world at large. It c is, however, to be feared that they have achieved a portion of their object, as our * correspondent telegraphs that Lady * Bowen has suddenly made up her mind a , to proceed to England. The course pur- T sued by the anonymous scribbler was a warmly condemned in the Legislative s Council on the evening of the 2lst March by Sir Charles Sladen, whose manly senti- c ments were received with cheers both by T the members of the Council and by the I visitors to the gallery." C We are requested to draw attention to r the sale this day by Messrs Routledge, j Kennedy and Co. of cattle and horses. The sale takes place at 2 o'clock, at c Farndon, and not at the Shamrock as was j inadvertently slated by our contemporary + on Saturday evening. The Poverty Bay Standard of the a 16th instant lias the following :— ."Last; ' I

night, a little before 9 o ? elock, an alarm of fire was raised, when it was shortly discovered that' the bakery premises of Mr Duncan, on the Gladstone-road, was in flames. The origin of the caaualty at the present hour is not known, but. \Vithin ten or fifteen minutes from the time the building was seen to be in flames, the whole, both front and rear, had burned to the ground. The members of the fire brigade mustered early on the alarm, but, for the want of sufficient practice, together with the absence of a supply of water in proximity to the flames, nothing could bo done to save any portion of the building. Some small part of the stock-in-trade, was saved, arid a little of the furniture; but the bulk of the contents of the building was consumed in the fire." The same issue contains an account of' a fire on Mr W. Cooper's property at' Mangatu. A correspondent writes to us that in a report in the Auckland Church Gazette of a recent visit of the Lord Bishop of the Eijcese to Porangahau, mention is made of a very crowded congregation in the school-room on the occasion, showing the urgent need of a church, and the hope is expressed that the zeal of the church people of the district will speedily accomplish so desirable an object. Through the indefatigable exertions of the incumbent, the Rev. F. G. T. Simcox, this hope will soon be realised. The settlers have liberally come forward with contributions, and already the sum of £450 is promised. This doubtless will be considerably augmented immediately a building committee is formed and the parish canvassed for subscriptions. J. D. Canning, Esq.,. of ..Oak'bourne, has intimated his intention of placing a handsome staiiied glass window in the east end of the church when ■ erected, as a memorial to his late brother Davis Canning, Esq., who i fell in action at Ruakituri on the Bth of August, 1868. The Melbourne Leader remarks :— "Future Governors of Victoria will have to be careful of the topics that crop up at their dinner table if Sir Charles Sladen should happen to be one of the guests. Hitherto the chat of private life has been held sacred among gentlemen; but for the. purpose of gratifying an impotent desire for vengeance against the Governor, Sir Charles Sladen, the head of the party of law and order, has not hesitated to •make a charge in Parliament arising out of a post-prandial conversation. ■ 'It was highly improper, and bordering on indecency/ he said, for his Excellency to try and influence' his political opinions, and seduce him from the paths of conservatism, when his mind was unbent by the festive surroundings of the scene. He was strong enough to resist the temptation, but other weaker men might have yielded to the influence. This charge of Sir' Charles Sladen is one of the most disgraceful episodes connected ; with the crisis. It strikes at the root of social intercourse, and the confidence that a gentleman feels in the honor and good taste of a person whom he thinks worthy of a place at his table. If a public man in England were guilty of such an offence against the unwritten code of honor, he would be expelled his club and ostracised from decent society.. Unfortunately the wealthy lower orders of Victoria are not so nice in their ideas, and it is not improbable that Sir Charles, instead of being shunned by his followers, will be regarded as 'having done a smart thing. We look forward with a sense of humiliation to the effect that will be produced at home when such an unpardonable offence on' the part of a leading colonial politician is made known." It is stated in the Wangamn Herald, which ought to be well-informed on the subject, that the well-known opinions of Messrs Ballance and Stout will find exposition in a Native Lands Bill next session, whereby private dealings with' Maori land will be for ever stayed.— Evening Post. The Poverty Say Standard of the 16th instant remarks :— "The artesian boring is now down about two hundred and ten feet. As yet the shingle bed, in which the water, it is presumed, will be found, has not been reached." The following will be of interest to our lady readers : — ln a description of a fancy dress ball given by the St. Andrews' Boat Club, in the Music Hall, Edinburgh, on the 20th February, the Dundee Advertiser says— "Mrs (Archibald) Watt, 42 Coates Gardens, Edinburgh, rivetted the attention, with the stately grandeur, mingled with an. air of pensiveness, of her Marie Antoinette. She was robed in a petticoat of white silk trimmed with sables, a bodice and train of blue satin with fichu, and tight sleeves of Valenciennes lace. The cap was of blue satin ornamented with white plumes, and supported a flowing fall of tulle. The hair was powdered, and tlie ornaments were diamonds, with diamond buckles in the blue satin shoes. The figure was remarkably dignified and queenly." - • The Wangamd Chronicle makes the disgraceful Calcutt libel action the subject of a leader on the present unsatisfactory state of the law. It says :— " An illustration of the absurd and altogether vn 7 fair way in which the present law operates is afforded by the case of the New Zealand Herald, at Auckland, the proprietors of which haye had to pay a sum of fifty pounds and costs, rather than be compelled to defend an action for damages based upon a simple error in a telegram., for which the telegraph office was primarily responsible." It remarks further ; — " The public may not be aware of the extent to which the responsibility of journalists extends. Few know that the proprietor of a newspaper is liable for prosecution for remarks appearing in the advertising columns of his paper, or in letters, or in extracts copied in good faith from other papers, or indeed for telegrams, and even for the mistakes which may occur in the sending or receiving of such telegrams by the Government telegraph operators. It does not matter in the least who is interested in the advertisement, who writes the letter, who makes the blunder in the telegram,' the proprietor of the paper in which the objectionable word or phrase occurs is the person liable to the penalty. And further, should the objectionable matter appear in some weakly print, the proprietor of which is not worth powder and shot, the aggrieved party may quietly lie in wait until it is innocently copied by some more powerful journal, thus affording him an opportunity of obtaining heavy damages." The Russian papers publish some details respecting the transportation of Circassian exiles from the Caucasus to North Russia, which show the sufferings that are inflicted on them by the Russian authorities. One party of Circassians — 143 in all — arrived three weeks ago at Koursk, after a march of more than a month through deep snow, and during an intensity of frost sometimes nearly as severe as that at the Arctic regions. All of them were suffering from frostbite or typhus fevev. While on their journey two of the females had given birth to children ; but although their condition would in most countries have gained them a little sympathy, the officer commanding the convoy compelled them to proceed in a cart a few minutes after their confinement, and in consequence both infants and one woman died. A correspondent states that one of the Circassians, while waiting at Koursk, drew the dead bodies of the babies from under his coat, and, with tears in his eyes, appealed to the people against the officer. The 2000 Cii-cassians exiled in Novgorod in the autumn have dwindled down to a few hundred, having been literally starved to death or killed by exposure to the cold. The Waikato Times of the 13th says :— "We learn on good authority that the Ministers will not return for the much-talked-of native meeting, said now to be about to come off on the 30fch instant, as all idea of holding it has been abandoned by the principal natives concerned."