TELEGRAPHIC.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 1502, 24 October 1885, Page 5

TELEGRAPHIC.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

"Dunedin, This Day, 1.45 p.m.

The Southland Waste Lands Board has resolved to open a block of land in the Waiua district, under the homestead system. The Christchurch Press states private information has been received that there is a probability of construction of the West Coast Railway being undertaken by a London syndicate. Sir George Whitmore, just returned to Wellington, speaks in very high terms of the general efficiency of various Volunteer corps in the South Island. The relative character of most of the recent inspections shows Nelson 1, Dunedin 2 and Christchurch 3. Nelson made a very good first, completely distancing all the others. Strong efforts will be made to induce Government to place a much larger sum on the Volunteer Estimates next session. The opinion of the most competeut jndges, -of high authority, is that the Volunteer force is being starved and hampered from attaining a greater degree of efficiency, which might be reached under more liberal treatment.

The sixth annual meeting of the Commercial Property and Finance Company (Limited) held last evening, recommended dividend per cent. The report was unanimously adopted, i It is almost certain that Nordenfeldt will not start for the Y.R.C. Derby. Madcap and Lantern are scratched for the Melbourne Cup. The Premier addressed his constituents at the Drill-shed yesterday evening. His remarks were almost entirely confined to the defence, conduct and administration of Government. Not a word about its future policy. The Daily Time* says : —"The strong points in the policy of the Government during last session—of which the Premier made the mostwere its frankness and fullness, the excellence of the administration, the improvements in the land laws and in the system of local government, and their efforts to stimulate local industries. Fer their Native policy he also mane out a good case, but when he came to touch upon the question of taxation he was altogether at sea, and, as regards the Public Works Policy and the West Coast Railway, his defence was decidedly weak. His c-niticism of the tactice which Major Atkinson employed to secure the defeat of a protectionist tariff and to curtail the public works expenditure were well placed, but why did he submit to these and other slaps in the face? To listen to the Premier it •mipht be thought that the local (Government Bills been passed intact, that the Native Land Bills had not been shelved to avoid a worse fate, and generally, that all had gone as merrily as a marriage bell with the (Government. As to the future policy •of the Government the Premier vouchsafed no hint. At this time of year it is too early to expect that he knows much himself. Tiie speech Mas Ci,'urr:ya defence, and a defence without ref reuce to the Joints in the Miuisterial policy which most needed explanation. . . . There was an excellent ring about the greater portion of the speech —a comparative sinking of self and a broader and calmer way of looking at men and tilings. Mr Stout his many of the finest requisit-s of a statesman, and it is pleasant to find that he is throwing oil some of the crudities which impede his recognition as such. The Premier was well receive 1. and a unanimous vote of thanks accorded him. Hut a deep feeling of di-i-.i.lin with Government will hardly be disp-iled by the speech, although able and exceptionally judiei' iis.

The fiovernmeut .ire in an unfortunate position regarding the hunedin Press. A<l t jhi r ati->n \\ on the I'rctni'.r in ihinedin last week with ft fereme to defence, an i the Premier said. in the course of his remarks, tiiat unfortnnately fur I >11: n1 mno newspap?r hail taken the trouble to explain the position of the (iovernmeiit as regal";! the question, but instead they had plenty of newspapers writing against then. Mi Sr«• nt may tike it as a moral axiom (savs the Oamaru that a government must he thoroughly had when "plenty of newspapers" write ajainst it. Occasional exceptions rnav exist, hut it is indeed rare that the newspaper press combines to write against a government unless there is something inherently ha 1 about th.it government. Mr Stout's admission that "plenty newspapers write ajamst the O iwrnineiit is therefore a confession o.' the woi thhssness ot the (<v\ ti nment.

The magnet u«ed at the Mosgiel Factory in connection with tin* eieetric light i- a very powerful one and we lA'lrnr.it' ) give intending visitors a word of warnin_ r to keep their watchts well c ivercd up when inspecting the dynamo. If this precaution is not taken there is considerable danger of the springs of the watch being ruined by becoming macnetised. Ladies who wear steel hustles should give the ma .net a wide Urth. or they are likely to be made prisoners in a rather ludicrous manner. Mr Dryden, the manager, was passing close to the magnet when his coat tails llew out and became fastened to the magnet, some keys in his pocket being the source of attraction. One of the mill hands was passing with an oil can and the article was whisked almost out ut his hand as it came within the influence of the magnet.

A correspondent with the Delimitation Commission points out the great advantages secured by Russia through her possession of Penjdeh and Badghis. He says that popular feeling in Afghanistan expects Lngland to avenge the Afghan defeat at Penjdeh or to indemnify the Ameer for his losses.

In British Columbia, the Chinese Regulation Act, passed in l!>S4, requires every Chinese, male and female, to pay a tax of 10 dollars per head each year. Employers of Chinese must make a return of the Chinese in their employ, under a penalty of lOC dollars for each case of neglect, and any person employing an unlicensed Chinaman must pay 50 dollars fine. The use of opium, except for medical purposes, is prohibited, under a penalty of 100 dollars fur each case.

There are at present over twenty thousand gipsies in England, and from the English gipsies in the past luve come some noted men. John Bun van, the noted Christian, is said to have been a gipsy. The English gipsies are notC'l for their bravery and daring spirit, and one of their strong qualities is their love for their friends, and the honesty which they observe in their relations with them. The Lancet says the London hospitals are full of amall-pox patients who "did not believe in vaccination."

The Liverpool Mercury states that when the telephone was taken to Knul.ind I>y the agent of 1)r Bell, the inventor, all the patent rights connected with it were offered to the Post Otiice Department for £30,000. The offer was declined, hut a little later those sapient individuals, who thought £30,000 was too much for the patent for the whole United Kingdom, offered £">40,000 for the exchange •established in Loudon alone. And they asked in vain.

A very extraordinary Imui nutum has been ihown to the Wellington l'o<( which is fully as great a curiosity as the eight-legged sheep which •was on exhibition a few days ago. It is a kitten, or rather, two kittens combined in one, winch was given birth to at the house of Mr P>ains, stevedore, last week.. The monstrosity, as seen suspended in a bottle of spirits of wine, presents an appearance more cuiious than pretty. It has eight legs, two bellies, and no back. The head is a most hideous one compound of two heads welded into one, there being two mouths ami four eyes, but only two ears. It was born alive, hut only lived a few hours. The following capital story i* going the rounds of the English Press "One night a navvy marched into the base hospital at Kr.r.knn with the exclamation—'Bio wed if 1 goes any further to-night'; and upon beiiig questioned he stated that he had been left behind by the train about seven miles from Suakim, and resolved to walk into, camp rather than sleep alone in the desert. He therefore found his way into the base hospital by keeping on "the railway track. He said: '1 have been fired at three times by sentries. When they said ' Who goes there?' I said 'Railway,' and blow me if the sentry did'nt tire. So I ran, and thought * Railway'wasn't right. Then I says I'll whistle * Ri-to-ri-foldol'them sodgers'll surely know a British tune when they hears one, and sol whistled all the way in until I got here, and Mowed if I budges from thi* place until morning."