Hawke's Bay Herald. SATURDAY, MAY 10, 1879.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 5378, 10 May 1879, Page 2

Hawke's Bay Herald. SATURDAY, MAY 10, 1879.

To return to tlie - present position' oftrade in the colony in general, 1 and Hawke's Bay in particular. We have repeatedly expressed an 'opinion that the present " tightness " : in trade is nob due so much to real depression as to a false depresssion oreated by the pressure of the banks. This - pressui-e may be necessary, arid we do not therefore blame the bank directors for calling in their resources, but it is not. the less a fact that their action has resulted in a great deal of inconvenience in commercial circles, and has caused a wide-spread impression that the trade of the colony suffering from. a depression much. more~ severe than is actually the case. That there has been some real distress amongst agriculturists, arising in the North Island from drought, and in fche South jfrom floods, and in both from the low! price of wool and wheat, it would be useless to deny, but we do deny that the loss has been so great as is: generally believed. Anthony Trollope caustically remarks that he does not remember a period when farmers did not lose,; but it is one of their characteristics that they wax fat and grow rich out of losses. There is something more tnari mere satirical humor in the account given by Mr Spurgeon of his two brief interviews with a Suffolk farmer.' ' On the first occasion the sun was shining brightly, and thinking to touch a " tuned chord " in the farmer's -.heart,' the great preacher said, " Fine weather, this for the corn, eh?" "Yes,"" growled the farmer, " hub it's ruination, i to the root crops. If we don't have some rain, I'll be rained." : Next \ day it rained, and the preacher again met the farmer. Thinking himself sure pf r his ground this time,; the i former' cheerily said, " Well, farmer, 1 this is glorious weather for the tnrnips." 'The farmer's visage was woebegone, as he replied, " It'll ruin the corn. . I shall have tp go .through, the Uotirt." Farmers in all ages and in all countries are pretty much alike, and their annual assertions as to the ruination which! has overtaken them may be liberally discounted. To listen to them now, one would think that the late droughts, and with the low price of produce, have irretrievably ruined" them. What is the actual fact 1 According to the valuable . statistics annually compiled by Mr M. R Miller, and published in our issue of last Wednesday, the total exports of agricultu T ral and pastoral produce from Hawkers Bay foi- the season just closed amounted to £473,398, as" against .£496,571! last year, giving a decrease Of 0n1y'£23,173, or just about five per cent. True, the exports in bulk have been larger; the wool sent abroad this year 1 ' being 1,209,586^3 more than last; but this has been the result of a natural increase in the number of, sheep, and must not be taken as representing -so much more capital sunk in wool-grow-ing. For our purpose it is sufficient to take the decrease in value.! It. is evident that so comparatively: small a loss would not create the tightness in trade which exists, and some other cause than this must be looked for. This brings us to the declaration with which we started — that the cause must be looked for chiefly in the pressure of the banks. Merchants and ' traders *indoubtedly meet with far more difficulty than formerly in collecting their accounts, and this on the face of it would argue a greatly decreased spending power on the part of the community. As far as we can find, howeveiy the receipts of the retailers, who deal with ,the general' public ; have not fallen off to

any matipl extent. Still the re-Vta-ilev, Cannot p^!his creditors with the?; same prompMude^in tne. past. Whjf is this ? The 1 secret' i of it, is that his receipts are going ; into his banker's, % .jp,y off his overdrafj. Had' tjb.e Vbank", not been obligedv^o'pivfc^ preiMre on him he would, with the same overdraft, have been able to meet his bills as they fell due. In past years there ■• -has been^a'flow of' i 'dapitdl-'''fr'(Jra 4i 'tli'S sr : zcoftetf of^the \banfesj 7 CausiiigV ah;'.appearange.bf prosperity greater- than^was. wai-ranted by, the absolute state ; of .trade. Now the flow of capital is t into the _banks, /arid -'-.the result isi an appearance . of;."; greater than in reality exists. The actual diffei'encb in the state of trade is, .not nearly sp .great : . as,, appears, ;al- , „th,Q^iglj, ,t here,i s „a/ materiitl disturbance ! in the,^ balance" of ■ trade. <■ Th^- pi-e---■sen^ pressure is 1 but 'a natural effejet jof the unnatural inflation of trade during > the past, . thr.ee ; or fpur ; years, • and 'is only in ■ a. small degree .due to thfeireduefcion in 'spending-ppwer on' the' part, :! of tli'ef piiblic. We are, "hot seekiiig to ; . ijtalce! an. .■unduly optimist .yie^ of the ! position of the. colony; We'dO' not, expect an immediate and sudden : ""revival; of trade."! .'.'. The re vival must be gradtial,' but the, present difficulty will; L iiV ; tiie' end bo beneficial to ihe colony. It will weed out insolvent firms, who would long ago haye gone 'to the ,/wall but for the facility wjith which they could borrow money, and it, will teach .others who ai'e solvent, but who weVe ;J -by tlie 'same cause led; to overstoclc theinselyes/ or : td : dabble; in larid oi; share, speculations, that' the system on which they,., were, working . was : unsound. The structure of; trade was 'good, but it was T built oh a ; saiidy foimjclation.,;- In making these remarks we ;d° '.Pfit i a y on |-he > shoulders of the traders. It was- not to be? expected that = they would refuse 'loans, of,! money when , offered, because tliey , saw,7:<6r thought they J saw, ;a way| of; profitably employing this money. All that they ban be charged with is a'wariiT of foresight,\ If nipney were now jas obtainable they wo'iUrf not\ nbw, find themselves, inyolyed in difficulties. It is the banks who must be blamed ; >for" unduly opening their coffers,'.! and so rendering increased caution necessary at a time when "their action is mOre severely felt owing to a partial though; temporary depression' in the 3 trade; of the colony. \ \

The.Napier . portion of the, San .Frail-, cisco mail will reach here by the Southern; Cross, which is due here early this morning.,. . Mr. ( David Miller, of rthe Napier Post Office, who has been on a ti*ip to San Francisco, as assistant mail, agent, returns to Napier by the Southern Gross.- ■- •'- ■■■■ ' •'; f ■' ', ' Messrs Murray, Roberts and Co* ',• have received the following telegram from their London firm, Messrs Sanderson, Murray, and Co. :— "' Wool sales opened. sth May ; prices, about closing rates of < last series ; crossbred descriptions slightly bettor." ... ; The football season will be opened to-day at 2.30 by a scratch match 'bn Clive-S(juare between sides' to be chosen by the treasurer and secretary. It being the opening inatoh it is earnestly requested that there will :be a : good muster.-' As it is extremely probable that there will be several interprovincial matches played during the season, it certainly behoves the members to look Avell to their laurels, and enable themselves -by constant prac'tico to hold their own,' as they ' have hitherto done. Roderick Hugh M'Lennan was brought up at the Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday morning, charged with . the wilful murder, of: his wife, Louisa Caroline M'Lennan, on the 27th. March, last. Mr Lascelles appeared for the accused, who seemed to be perfectly cool and collected. Inspector Scully asked that prisoner be remanded for eight days, in. order that . time might ; be. ; allowed for ■holding the 'adjourned inquest 'on tfoe body of the, late Mrs M'Lennan, which had to be interrupted in consequence of ,the, stomach being sent -to. Wellington for 'analysis; ' The remand was granted. The: previous charge of false pretences against prisoner was withdrawn in consequence . of the other more serious offence. There was no other business. Wo understand that it is proposed to, start here a musical, literary, and vocal' debating society, to be held once a week at Ashtdh's Provincial Hotel. ~ The first and' preliminary .meeting, is to be held; tonight, when the election of a committee; chairman, secretary, and treasurer will, take place. : ;'.",' 2 " , ' • '.'';'. A meeting of chess players will be held in the;reading-room of the Athenaeum at 8 o'clock this evening, for the purpose of forming a club. . . . . • The programme for Mrs Neill's concert, .wliich is fixed for Tuesday evening next, will appear in Monday's|HEß.AiiD. ■' - " Bradshaw's Share Report and. Investors' Guide " for the current inoiith gives the following as the latest quotations of business done in leading scrip: — Sank: of-' New, Zealand, £18 ; National ; £3 7s! 6d ;. Colonial- £2 ls; : Australasia,' £75 • New South Walos, £52 ; Union Bank of Aus-" tralia; ; io3 ; these' last three in/ -London. . Insurance : New Zealand, - £2' 17s-; National,- £l ; ;<Standard,= 16s; South British, '£2 12s ■;" Union; 14s; Colonial, 45. ; Njow , ■ Zealand Loan and Mercantile, £5; New,' Zealand , Shipping, £3 10s ; Guthrie and. 3Larnach's; J £4 "10s ; ' National Mortgage ' and Agency, £1. . . : „,.., ;:;The Key/J. Buller's . .bookj ' " Forty . Years', in New . Zealand," contains, the folio wing anecdote : — '< In one. of Governor Grey's journeys, he told some natives who wore around, his tent that they - should do good to others as well as to themselves, and ought to give a tenth of their annual income for Avorks of charity. The natives listend with great attention, and afterwards - /went awayv , ■ But, in tlie ,'xniddle "of, the night them re- 1 turned, and woke up the Governor,! who inquired what was the matter. They ■ said, that they had been holding- a council ': respecting , his' > conversation' <witu them, and; they wero deputed to ask whether he himself had been in the habit of giving a- tenth, of- his 'income -for charitable p-ur-posos. The Governor was obliged to confess that ho had not hitherto done so, : but he. would begin from that time. 5 ' ■:.'■ It is not often so largo a postage foe has been, paid as that for the transmission from Lyttelton to England of the Harbor Board's- debentures. -This'' reached the ; respectable ambuntof £70. : | There has been almost a total cessation 'lately in items of news' from "Australia 1 rdspecting the Kellys and their,'inovdmonts. From a private letter received in Dunedin, wxitton ,by a. farmer in- the vicinity' of the Strathbogie Rangesj the haunt of the gang, it appears that the. prevailing impression' in that locality is > that the Kellys have made ; their .'way through the interior of. Queensland! A writer in the Advocate suggests :the| following explanation of the difficulty Avihich has resulted in catching the Kellys, as far as the sympathy of the inhabitants of the district is concerned: — "We are!told it is an. ill wind which blows no one good, and the truth of the adage is verified in the case of the Kellys. • It appears that there are some 300 policemen, and:' a large number of horses in the Kelly.oountry );i . and, that the provisioning of this small. ■ army has proved quite a mine for- the - .•;:' i.r-ii.W(jiA i:;

farmers, ssljjbtors, and business peoplefof J t^,,%tri6ft . ', All th^wanjb, i£ ; appea*sj I is pore ib,en and.lCorses^Jusf to, oafty) • thq^ihrbugh thei-mnterinoninsi Afteiv jiwhicii, i£*is suggested " f . that $&,., whole!: ;for^e|JCM6i ComiMssio;n|r kns biaok| traptjeb . J i^6luded,Wshouid#e sent, afteri WeibergV ; 'jusb to^ve ''^|%pp%n|p§ a share of the Government pickings. Whatever may be said of the inhabitants individually, there can be no aoubl but v that,iaken 4s-4^hole, it. suits tjiejdistrict^ better to have the Kellys at large than" to have them arrested." S-- The Newi ZealaM-'tHerald.tß&jis/,— 'lit,. is the duty of the Goyerninent to call to 4gether the House. * Year after year the Treasurer tells t our representatives - howmuch more convenient it would be if this .finance : of, the \ colony., was^sppner^copjsidered, and we beiieve thia ; wais i heaver •more true than it >ia in '.the present'yeaij. It is proverbial that Governments never are billing ' { W meet the Parliament a' day sooner than is necessary,, and no. doubit : there is;xn.uchiexcixse;for the> feeling. to,;be found in the terrible , exertion demanded of Ministers while Parliament is in ses,aion.. This, however,; is a ;small consideration, compared , with that of "the -^ellbeing, of the, country, and ; we ,hppe jit ,-will be so 'recognised by ; the: i G-overnmgnj;. Steps must be taken to place our finance on a sounder basis than it now; rests "upon; and only the Assembly oah> do' this. Steps must be taken tp secure the means of carrying on proper and remunerative public'' works, 1 and .this also can only tie done.'by'thi Assembly. Surely thesExeioutive will see that it is neither wise* nor patriotic longer to postpone the meeting of the .people's < 'representatives." ■ Trial by jury,- that mainstay of popular rights" -and-. ■ the puzzle'; of; '•judges; anid lawyers', I 'som'etimes exhibit's queer phased ' We clip the following from a late English paper : — " Its • all : ' very- well to hold tip fo ridicule -a Kent.: Oounty- Court jury (Faversham) for finding/ a. verdict for thje qef eridantiwheh. the advocate of the latter Had/thrown .lipi'liis .defence das .untenable! ; but a London jury, it would appear by j& report of r a divorce case last week, wds equally<as : dunder-heaHe'd and inconsis*it'eht. ; ;In ja ease; in; Sir^ames/Hannenls ■court, in rwhiphfthe wife.'pe^itibned^fgr ja divorce from her husband for - adultery, wh6n -the .'circumstantial evidence wds such as to leave no doubt\of the, truth 6f . the... allegation, jbhe jury, after a brief retirement, "came* into "court" with^the verdict' that they " found adultery had been, committed, but there" was no proof of it."' " Amidst' 'irreverent'' 'titterings amongst, .the ,-junidfa pf., the. bar, arid suppressed faciarmermnent 4 of the' judge, < the jury, after , some common sense instructions, were sent back to considet, when, after,; laying their -h^ads^ together t for ..another; spell',",, they .confirmed^their , former finding, omitting any aljusion ( to l the absence of proof. ' " j *' : The rapid; increase in.- our railway receipts is really remarkable. For the four.weeks,.weeks, ehding Bth March; the'tdtal for tne NcOlony was £7,1,326, \Or /at the rate j)f ! ' iJ&SiO.OOO^per annum, while the railjvay' revenue of New South. Wales iis onIySgSOO.OOO, though the^cost of the. linos iit each case had r >b6en'' nearly the same, anH v New South Wales has a much, larger pop^atipn:— - Otago Daily Times l An amusing story is going the rounds 5 in Waifetb.^'ltis to the effect that! a, •powerf ully-bui3t settler, .whose exchequer ' liad run low, found, 'dn* re'turnii^g nonje,' 1 two buni' bailiffs oh. the ' verandaH: Ohe^ placed his hand ira his pocket. The settler argues that. Ho fancied they werej robbers going to draw\a revolver, and he at once charged . them, . v apd., being .a man,, ,of muscle, soon ' put 1 ' botE; bums' hprs de combat. "He" then' se&urely.'.'iie^ ''their legs together, acquainted thei^police tHat his house and self liad beenattitiicked byrobbers,'anii rode oft' to , filehis^scheduje. The story has caused mucii amusements. '■ New Zealand will ,haye,i.to: look^to its laurels or ■. Galif ornia ! will i seriously affect '\ her trade iri > many articles oi natural products. Some 'years since Nelson hqps: were never worth less than 2s per pounjiV now (says th ! e. Wangamir tliey\ are a , drug in the market ' at- • Isj owing to the large importations' 'of Calif orniafis,. which are much stronger,! arid' contain more lupulin than those growing in New Zealan d and , Tasmania* ■jN'o.^yf.' -we hare ; California pouring, in; barley, . which is selling i at 3s and 3s 3d, ;per . bushel in, Auckland, whereas New. Zealand grown •samples have been: selling as : high as! 7s 'previous to ; the arrivals' from r. 'Frisco. With- an immense ■' agricultural;, arba, genial climate, and cheap labor; Ajur'CajliV. fornian friends have natural 'advantages , which more than cover the cost of trans- ' port botweeri their ranb'hes'ah'd 1 a, market. 1 ' . New Zealand barley "this season' 'has'- been •' the : f arniefs'* best cropj ! as it has ranged .fully '2s 'per, bushel, pyer' wheat lately.' We should think a' good malting estab- - Ushpient in district i\VQuld. J ,jpay well, , ' as ' there [ are . several • , breweries , in and ; -about this, town and. district which haye. 'id draw their supplies. of malt from othe^ parts, of the colony., „•-,,; „.;-. j .- . Our, old friend, . the 'i ' embedded- frog,!" i , 'which, generally makes . its appearance in . English newspapers with the ".'big godseberries," has at length found its :iway into New; Zealand. " A singular discovery i(says the Southland "Times) was made yesterday, at the 'railway station.' t Some', of the men were coaling :ohd of Ifche* engines, when one of them struct a large lump of coal to' reduce its -size, arid' as it separated/ out ' fell a live "frogi \At first the creature was very "sluggish, 1 and its legs and feet were nearly white, but presently as it respired -it gained animation, 1 ' the whi,te " color !of the limbs (assumed a greenish brown, the color of !the • back, and .the. frog became .quite lively, hopping away with much vigor. When captured it. uttered a' distinct croak, and ■7was/-then placed in. a, bqttle for safe keepV' ing. Frogs and toads have so often beeii' ( found embedded iti rb'cks .and other queer' ■'places that the 'fact 1 of one having mjade the intei-ior of a lump > of coal his residence for an indefinite period is not sur^-' prising."' The appearance of yesterday'a* frog "was certainly anything but suggestive of a long period of confinement. It was plump and vigorous, and j apparently belonged to the species most common to Australia. The coal in which the frog was found came from •Newcastle." , . * :.. . ' j "' The people Of. Eouen are amused- with, a case of attempted murder, before} the' tribunal there.. It appears that at! the" end of last suinmor a young married jady of Norman society, while at ! the. seaside, was assaulted' by.' a i. young man whose assiduities she. had repelled: |She iaid nothing to her husband, butde-, .termined to take her revenge herself. ' Being a good swimmer, she waited one morning till the young man took' his. bath, when she swam up to him and gave him such a .good ducking that he j was.' within an ace of drowning. : Tl^e ypungi man has brought a charge, Of attempt to niurder .against the lady, but' the Court j will rtp doubt decide that he pnly I got what lie deserved. " j rJui One octogenarian died in New Zealand last irionth/a male', aged 84,-at D,une'din ; ■ also, five septuagenarians,' two ■ attained the age'of 79.' r ! " r !l ■ ■•'■'' ' i „ The Auckland Herald says .thatai Mrs Mitchell, in! that city, 1 v;rho"ha'd' advertised Levey's "Wanted a Parlor Maid* as ; .part of her programme, was applied ! to ; by a "young person" for the situation. Much amusement was caused in the' Wellington B.M. Court last Monday by the manner in. which the defendant in Archer v. Corbett conducted /his j own case. The action was for destruction of property during the tenancy of the de— fondant, and it was alleged : (says the New Zealander) that certain valuable shrubs and trees, as well as a fence valued at £6, had been destroyed, and. almost 'every 'question asked by the defendant commenced with "Now, .what abput this Ifiije fence ?" ' ' Now, , how niany .ppstese^ „ha.d this ", ere .fence. .?"'r!SWiU: you'isweai:/

wire you ever see these ere posteses P" »ri&^ie self-satisfied smile that came Jo^lfTaef endant's countenance the showed the least embarrassriient" p® irresistible ; but when he wja^pliilced^ in^he box, and deposed that '*:th"e /fmlyje: S^mable shrub or tree that he had^verie^fwas one struck by lightning,'' itiwas;almost too much for Mr Mansfdrd'hiin-f. self. H There is not the slightest doubt . defendant was of opinion that he should^ have been a pleader, and that in pursuing' had mistaken his vocation. At the com- f , mencement ,qf .the case, - at i. defendant^ request, i'alT witnesses ■ "were "Or de're'fftiut^df ' Court, but.onceE.during^his skilful crossexamination, he appealed to Mr Mansr ■ ford to have his wife, who occupied a • spectator' 8 seat, removed a^ -"she would keep a talking to him." ' Mr Mansford, however, 'suggested' that defendahij, having more authority, should do it himjself. j