PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XIX, Issue 3228, 19 September 1892, Page 3

PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

(SPECIAL TO STAB.) WELLINGTON September 19. -". ' A reply* is not expected from the Colonial Office for a week re the memorandum , which has passed between the Governor !c*,afldhißAdviß6ra! c *,afldhiBAdviB6ra conoerning the Council „ nSpoufctmenw. Should the Secretary of ( T, t&tate decide that the question is one of , !\ liiiternal administration, which ought to , <by decided : locally, Ministers will again immediately approaoh Lord Glasgow as i { <ut6Joalls to the Council. ff iThe Premier will to-morrow afternoon i i'irioVe -thtf-seoond reading of the Land and •1 Clndome'A'flsefistnent Bill. <f <'- 'The'PnbK^ Works Statement will pror be delivered on Friday. The, Bailway Commissioners have 1 - ftpp/ointed Mr. J. Carruthers to succeed ' Mr* Blackett as inspecting engineer for "•'l ««v '^e'aland, from November Ist next. :q Large quantities of railwayVJßtores are ' "being sent out regufarly, which require 'sapervision.' Since leaving New Zealand r<l 'jlr.' Blackett ba3 heen engaged largely in ' " railway works in South America, mainly at Venezuela and River Plate. ./ The Premier haß decided to dispense with the demand for cash eecarity deposits from foreign insurance companies doing business in New Zealand, as proposed by the Financial Statement, but will substitute some other form of guarantee, so as insure safety to investors.

In reference to the telegram as to the Takapnna it appears this is the first time she has been alongside the New Plymouth wharf since September, 1891. She remained there till 5 o'clock ill the eveniDg. A . KEATING'S COUGH LOZENGES cure Coughs. Asthma, Bronchitis. Medical testimony stales that do other medicine in bo effectual in the cure of these dangerous

maladies. One Lozenge alone gives ease, \ one or two at bedtime ensures rest. For relieving difficulty of breathing they are invaluable. They contain no opium nor aoy, violent drug. Sold by all chemists, in ' tins' Is lid and 2s 9d each.

fTIHBRB is no section of the public so . X extensively gulled and taken in as that portion comprising the musical • . classes. We refer particularly to piano- ,, 4pnrdbaaefs, although it occurs to some degree in the case of other musical instruments. The advance of music during the last ten years amongst the t middle classes of English people has been a grand opportunity for palming » off worthless pianos to persons who, in •• the majority of cases, never bad a piano l before, but would like their children to i " learn music." 1 In Germany, there is a very low class ,of piano manufactured especially 'for r export to England and Australasia— -a . so-called piano which any fairjy-educajted • German would not attempt to get mnsjo 6xxi of. tfhis "machine" is made by , ./ inferior workmen in their own private r bouaes ; wood bought anywhere, irres- ' pective of seasoning, and, if it will hold * together six months, it is- considered 1 quite satisfactory by the merchants, 1 who. boy them up and ship them to 1 England and the Colonies to supply the ] demand fora cheap piano. • t Anyone would imagine that it would be a hazardous proceeding tofetail these instruments, but tbey are jpnally sold J by persons trading ojjderjyme name whereby the actnar^KoVjiarß cannot - be reached without iflot at trouble and expense which tbe^urcjaeifc arejowkj usually in a position toJsolto% o^theymr " are 1 calmed off on to f drnilurViiealersJf j ' bewinp-maohiae djmlefßjorjaucCngyyjj^l who rltail tbaproith' 6rary Confidence. ( . Onelcannof tiere titf aij English or 'Colonia rjapqr w&boac Jeeing pianos J 7ftdvertiAd nnir thVmosf extraordinary - Boundinaforei|ui nafbes, which even the I f most expVience|L mn in the trade never I In the «f>e cfSireie trading as the , TimbuctooVPiano Manufacturing Company, head <fece Dresbnrg, or any other nice-sonndiui- name, which keeps the actual proprietors of the concern dark ; and also leads' the public to believe tbey are purchasing from tbesactnal maker, when, as a matter, of fact, they^ are retailers of a very low class piano. ' These fictitious firms, we understand, even go the length of guaranteeing the instruments for any length of time, their security laying in the fact that they, cannot be easily found. Another favourite mode of selling {(hem is in country towns, through innocent but ignorant agents. Such trading as this, we may mention, iB not allowed by law in Germany. ? It would seem tbat the best security thepiano-purchaser has is to buy from established dealers, whose guarantee is if rvalue, and wboße interest it i»=to sell gennine instruments. • ■ There is also a large amount of injury flone to the tiade by men calling themeelves tuners, who travel the conntry and prey on- the unwary people who posset* pianos. These men usually offer to pat the piano in order for a few shillings. If the public were only aware.-! fit the fact.^t Wuld pay them better ; tc>: give the man to leave the instrument alone. In some, cases ir remediable damage is done, the piano completely unsettled, the,, delicate mechanism disarranged,jmd the tone almost spoilt. The injury done by these mej^ to valuable instruments is st> /graafcAliM 1 some of fcbe largest Bngliak-, 7 and Colonial houseß have greatly in- * creased their tuning staffs, *nd are undertaking u tbe tuning of their A own pianos -throughout the country.'*" If musical people' were more conversant with the complicated construction of Abe modern pianoforte they would hesitatebe* fore allowing a valuable instrument to be tampered with by itinerant tuners, and would employ only legitimate tradesmen, whose efficiency is guaranteed by the piano-manufacturer or a looal in-strament-dealer of standing.