SUMMARY FOR EUROPE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXIV, Issue 9246, 29 October 1890, Page 2

SUMMARY FOR EUROPE.

OUR LETTER ROME. m. ..■fo-- ' JPOIiXTICAL AND OTHER GOSSIP. THE ELECTIONS. We are not to have them till December 5. Why not put them off till April 1 ? It ia to be an unconscionably long agony o£ electioneering. The unhappy candidates "will go about speechifying till they are black in the face, spending money till they are blue, tearing their political heartstrings till they are pale. Every voter will be canvassed until he is, tired of hia life. Every man, woman, and child will be sick unto death of the very mention of the elections. If we are to make a nightmare of politics, this is the way. to do it. A people which gets its polities in heavy doses like this will very soon cease to take any healthy interest in public affairs. There must be sad blundering somewhere. Ministers were in a great hurry to pass the Electoral Amendment Bill, and to hurry the House they promised to have the elections in seventy-two days. That would have made the polling day Nov. 12. But they have stretched the time to Dec. 5. We understand that the rolls are said to require purging, and that there are races and shows in November. Of course the rolls are not in any such plight, and the duty of voting is rather more important than that of attending at races, junketings, and even shows. However, the thing is done, and will not be explained until the House meets. When that happens members will have cooled off considerably. The turmoil of a protracted election will be over, and there will he very much mote important matters to think about.

- the revenue returns. 'Whereas the Treasurer’s estimate for the half-year was £2,052,000, the actual result is £1,975,000. Apparently there is a deficiency of £77,000. Let us not hasten to multiply this by two, and predict a deficit of £154,000. It is very easy to do that, and having done it, comment we should find even easier. It is equally easy to point out that some of the branches of revenue—particularly Customs and land sales—which last year were in queer street are this half-year most healthy. The Customs very nearly landed us in a deficit last year, and the cash land account was in a poor state. The former promises £40,000 better than the estimate, and the latter £84,000, There will be £30,000 of Canterbury rents in the second half, and the sheep fees (£11,000) are always paid in that part of the year. Moreover, the half-year’s returns are for some reason brought to account without including the receipts of from seven to ten days. Why this is done no one can say. By reckoning up all these things it is easy to make out that there is certain to be a large surplus. After which comment is even easier; like the comments of the gentleman named Alnasohar, who bought a basket of crockery, and destroyed its contents, together with the dream of profits or which he thought fit to comment. All Which proves that comment is needless. All we know at present is that the revenue has fallen short of'the Estimates, and that it may not signify. COLONIAL LOANS. The money market has put up its back with a vengeance. Many brokers have gone under; Westgarth and Co. are crippled and the fiat" goes forth that the Colonies must have recourse to Treasury Bills. Queensland is always wanting money, and can’t make its railroads pay after it has spent it. New South Wales feels the want of a loan badly, and as for Victoria a huge loan is the life blood of that unfortunate Colony just now. Over a great portion of the Continent there will presently be weeping of political eyes, and gnashing of political teeth. The Australians will have to take in real earnest to the business of the self-denial which they preached to other people not so very long ago. This Colony has tapered off to the point of being able to do without any more assistance for a good while. We can contemplate the dryness of the great Financial river with the greatest equanimity. No need for ua to preach to our ; neighbours. An ounce of example is worth a ton of precept. There is our example writ large in the blue books. The lesson has been very thoroughly learnt, if we may judge by the election addresses. There is no candidate who is going in for a large policy of public works. As to the future, it is of course idle to suppose that we can go on for ever without recourse to the money market. What politicians have ' recognised, and the whole country has recognised, is that just now the Colony has stretched its credit to the farthest limit. We must give the country time to pull itself together. When prosperity is restored we shall have to face the question of completing the Eailway system, which is fast becoming our best asset. THE REVIVAL OF NEW ZEALAND. It is a pleasant title for an article in the London Times. “ From a correspondent ” is the acknowledgment. Who is he? His name no one need want to know. Evidently he is some Government supporter who has embodied the whole of the hopeful part of Sir-Harry Atkinson’s last Financial Statement in his communication. He is also a country settler, for he has added a good many facta about turnips and sheep feeding. The important thing for us to note is, that the London Times publishes the communication with such an approving title. As there are many people who still believe in the Thunderer's judgment, we have every reason to be satisfied. In the coming denunciation of all things Colonial, New Zealand is going to bo conspicuously left out. The first Colony that went in for borrowing will be the orJy Colony to escape the lash administered So the borrowing policies of Colonies, CANTERBURY. The Eev Jasper Smyth has deserved well of his Province. Daring his interview with Mr Arnott, the representative of the Irish Times, who spent some months in New Zealand not long ago, the rev gentleman spoke very impartially and very well of New Zealand generally. Ample opportunities, he said, are open to ail who wish to settle on the Crown lands, and have the means to enable them to do so. In Otago and the southern part of the North Island they will have the best chances, he said. But if they want to begin life in comfort without the worry of the rough work of breaking in land, let them go to Canterbury. There they will find a pleasant life and profitable farming at present prices of land. It was a hopeful statement, backed up by all necessary particulars readily understandable by the average agriculturist in any part of the United Kingdom. More power to the reverend gentleman, whose

> words have by this time been read by a i large number of readers. May they bear liuit. TILS SOUTH BRITISH. A largish loss and a wise determination f mark the business of the last meeting of shareholders. The loss illustrates the unsatisfactory character of the American and foreign business of all Insurance Companies designed to do business in New Zealand ; they came into being to keep some of the Insurance money in the country, and they did remarkably well, ! so long as they confined themselves to j their original field. The pressure of com- . petition working with a mistaken idea i drove them far afield. But the mistake I has been freely acknowledged, and jis being as generally repaired by 1 commendable retreat. It is for the present hard upon those who depend upon i, dividends for their means of living. But | that feature will pass away, for the Colonial business of the South British is excellent. • How well we remember the start of that j concern. It was the first that came into the field after the New Zealand Company, which led the way and made a great deal of money. There was such a rush for chares that a good many lucky people unloaded at handsome rates of profit. This was about the year 1873, if we remember right. The Company has had a prosperous career since then, and can stand a loss for once. MURDER. At the Hntt, some Chinamen were provoked beyond endurance by a lot of larrikins, who are in the habit of annoying them by throwing stones on their roofs and making night hideous with bowlings and revellings. The Coroner’s inquest has given a verdict of wilful murder, chiefly because the unfortunate young man is dead. The defence, of course, is that there was no intention to kill; and it relies on the medical evidence that the artery somewhere near the knee which was severed is very unlikely to be wounded, and might escape a large number of blows. Par be it from us to excuse the use of the knife—-a thing detestable and abominable at any time, under any provocation. But the Eastern nature under gross provocation by superior force should have some allowance made for it. These Chinamen, who have not had the due protection of the law, must be given a fait trial. ; .. . t : ■ y - MORE ARRESTS.

Why not ? These larrikins who provoked the Chinamen to this hideous work were forced to prevent worse by attacking them and felling one or more of them to the ground. There is no excuse of self-defence for them; because, as has been pointed out, they were engaged in an illegal act. They ought to be arrested and tried for participation in an illegal affray which they caused, and in which they injured some of the other side. ANOTHER TRAGEDY; We sup full of horrors. The worst of them is the awful murder of a little child. An innocent, trusting, beautiful little thing, struck out of life by its own, father. The unhappy man is mad. A weak brain was destroyed by pecuniary difficulties, and an awful tragedy is the result. Pity the unhappy father so lost to reason: pity the mother and the unfortunate family. These things are among the catastrophes of human nature against which it is not possible to guard. Good people, instead of troubling your heads about cause and effect—such things are vain in these tragedies of, broken minds, and useless and impossible—put your bauds in your merciful pockets and forward a subscription to the bereaved family sitting in sorrow unutterable, deprived of the light of its house, and of its trong bread-winner at one fell blow. It. happened in the city of Wellington. THE LADIES. They are not on the toast list for the coming election feast, that banquet of reason with flow of soul which is to be so unconscionably protracted. We have the law and commerce, and the incidence of taxation, all the customary toasts, including the Press, which does all the work of preserving the pearls of oratory in oil, until it comes to its own turn, and then it speaks with a full head, (if not a full heart) to empty benches. But we have not “ the ladies.” At least not yet. On the last occasion their health was proposed by one of the Fathers of the House, the grave and reverend signor. Sir John Hall. The youngest bachelor in the person of young New Zealand did not respond, however, quite as hear bachelor usually does on such occasions. The ladies in the interval have said many kind things of the grave and reverend signor who championed their causa. They are doing more ; they are obeying the adage which says that Providence helps those I who,"help themselves; they are, in other ! words, organising through the W.O.T. Union to get their claims to the franchise brought before the coming’ Parliament. When the lists of candidates are full, and their addresses made public, we shall see whether the ladies will have a place on the toast list of the banquet. "WHY not ? Why should they not have the franchise? They have wit and wisdom in ns great degree, at least as their brothers; they have tact, sympathy and intention in far greater share; they have interests of their own fast growing—underpressure of the curious freak of Dame Nature, i which ,pi aces them in a majority of the I world’s population —which they must look after for themselves, for most assuredly no ! one else will do it for them. Their presence | in the election field, at the polling places and meeting-houses, will soften, refine and elevate the public business of the nation. Give them votes ? Bless their sweet hearts, i of course ! BUTTER. I A butter bo:; lined with glass is the talk : of tho North country (i.s., the Wellington \ district) just now. The advantages are, of I coarse, obvious. But how about coy I accidental chipping and breakage from [carpenters? You could never be certain | that there would not be such things, and you I can always be certain that glass broken up I small is not a pleasant thing to find in ! your butter. It may not be only nn--1 pleasant, but fatal. A large sum is £7OCO to pay for cool | storage. The- Harbour Board thinks it ■ will not spend so much money—not ■ because the sum is too large, but because j the expenditure is unnecessary, in viev of ; the fact that there is to be a weekly steam | service. Now, it seems that a week is rather a long time for butter to wait for a j place in a ship. If a ship is always waiting for despatch, lying alongside for the cajrgo to bo put aboard, a cool store ashore is, of | course, not required. ■■■ But if the ship is not always there, a week is just as bad as a month to wait.