AN APOLOGUE.

Mataura Ensign, Volume 17, Issue 17, 30 April 1895, Page 4

AN APOLOGUE.

(' Post.') John Settler was a sturdy young fel* low, not very familiar with figures, when he became possessed of a life interest in a large partially improved estate. A sum of L3OO was also placed to his credit in the bank. He formed great plans of what he would do to improve ..the proporty, and contemplated finding work for the whole countryside. But as the weeks and months went on he Cound himself unable to carry out these plans ; few improvements were undertakeu; and those who had expected work grumbled exceedingly. During the year a friend lent him Lllß, for which he gave bills at long dates. At the end of the year he began to make up his accounts. He found that the amount he had collected in tithes from the tenants was LBS less than it had been the year before he came into possession, and he had received L 22 less, for carriage of their eoods, two sources on which the income of the estate was largely dependent. Some windfalls, however, made up a portion of this loss, but, worst of all, he found his bank balance reduced to LIBO. He was gazing rather dolefully at these figures when a neighbor, who was a Great Politician, came to visit him. John showed him the figures, and immediately the Great Politician's face beamed with smiles, as be exclaimed, " What a splendid result, John, why you've actnally got a Surplus, a veritable Surplus of LIBO ! You've done wonders, and are on the high road to prosperity." This rather cheered John up, but his pleasure was shorl-lived. He went into town and laid the returns before his banker. The man of figures looked grave as he went over the accounts, and when John, following the Great Politician, began to spoak of the surplus, the banker lost all patience, and burst out— " Fiddle-de-dee about a surplus— there's none—there's a big deficiency. You've been living on your capital, or on borrowed money. You're L 238 worse off than you were at the beginning of the year. Another year or so of this sort of thing will land you in the Bankruptcy Court. Your main resources of revenue have fallen off, and you have done less than has ever been done before in any year to improve the estate. John, you're in a tight place." At this John was very downcast, and he was not made more cheerful by meeting his lawyer on tho way home, who said—" By the way, John, that L3OO which was to your credit in the bank was borrowed monay, and will havo to be repaid some day." Yet all John's ignorant neighbors, following the example of the Great Politician, persisted in congratulating John upon his magnificent Surplus. Put the country in John Settler's place. Multiply the figures by 1000, and he who runs may read what the result of the year's finance of the colony has been.

Messrs Mac Gibbon and Sons, Mataura, are sending a shipment of 1000 sacks of oats to London per Perthshire ; and 15,000 carcases of mutton from the Freezing Works and somo 500 cases of frozen rabbits go by the Bime boat. At a meeting of the Dnnodin Woman's Franchise League suggestions were brought up for a federation of women's organisations! which it waß decided should bo forwarded to tho other bodiGß in tho colony. A women's Federal Council, it is suggested, should be formed from delegates, the basis of repre- » sontation being one delegate for each 100 members or fraction thereof, but in no~ case to exceed five; the council not to be : hampered by political parties. Among the planks of the platform suggested is the application of the laah to offenders against , the chaßtity of women or young girls ; more , adequate punishmont for oruelty" to women and children ; ruisipg tho age of consent to 18 years ; inequalities in the law of divorce and custody of children to bo remedied ; equal payment to women for equal work; establishment of old-age pensions, 25 yoBTB continuous residence in tho colony to be the qualification— women to become eligible five years earlier in life than men ; the introduction of a Bimple amendment bill giving i a majority of electors the right to flay whether the liquor traffic »ha.ll continue,