MANAWATU EVENING STANDARD AND POHANGINA GAZETTE GARANTEED LARGEST CIRCULATION IN THE DISTRICT. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1900. LORD ROSEBERY'S SPEECH.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 6627, 20 February 1900, Page 2

MANAWATU EVENING STANDARD AND POHANGINA GAZETTE UARANTEED LARGEST CIRCULATION IN THE DISTRICT. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1900. LORD ROSEBERY'S SPEECH.

Tiie speech delivered by Lord Rosebery last week during the discussion upon the new army proposals is the first discordant note any of England's prominent public men have uttered regarding the military status of the Empire since it became apparent that war with the Transvaal Republic was inevitable. That Lord Rosebery should have adopted such a pessimistic view of the situation, and given vent to his feelings with such unguarded language, is unfortunate, because up to that point he had been one of the stoutest champions of Imperialism, and one of the most ardent apostles of a united front, so that no divisions in the camp would prevent us seeing the war through. His stirring speeches upon many public platforms throughout England have rallied the people like a bugle call, and his enthusiastic, whole-souled support of the Government in their determination not to permit Kruger to question British suzerainty in South Africa, has given such a wholesome lead to the Liberals in Parliament that any attempts at factious opposition for party purposes have been so effectually discouraged that the legislature has acted with almost perfect unanimity. To this extent Lord Rosebery has been a pillar of [unity in the land, for had he chosen to adopt a hostile attitude his position as the head of a great party, his persuasiveness as an advocate, and his impassioned eloquence as an orator would have made him a missionary of evil whose efforts might easily have diminished the flood of patriotism which has been flowing from every quarter of the Queen's dominions, for the simple reason that in jhis pilgrimage through the great j cities where hie has been holding vast audiences spellbound by the magic of his addresses, he could have created doubts as to the justice of the war, and dissension as to the method of its administration. Having thus been so potent an influence for good, it is greatly to be regretted that the new military proposals of the Government have proved to be so inadequate, or that the exigencies of party warfare have become so imperative that Lord Rosebery has felt it incumbent upon him to condemn their new scheme in such unmeasured terms. But, whatever its shortcomings might be, his method of correcting them , may possibly do as much harm as good, for his speech during the debate is calculated to intensify the very thing he was professedly desiring of guarding against. AYe are quite prepared to believe that, outside of America, we have no trusty friend amongst the Great Powers; that other nations, jealous of our strength, are ready to follow the impulse of the hungry wolves who pounce upon the first member of the pack ,that falls mortally wounded. But we are loth to believe that the position may be fairly described as one of " Life or death." At the same time, if Britain's supply of fighting men be so limited as Lord Roseberry would have us believe, and if the Government are in such straits !in meeting the "overburdening tension in the country," and providing against the "urgent gravity of the crisis," then is the situation likely to be bettered by advertising the fact the wide world over? Nothing will delight the Continental papers more than to publish Lord Rosebery's speech and exult over his lllconcealed doubts, whether the Empire can raise another fifty thousand men in time of war for Home defence ; while they will simply glory in the possibility suggested by him that South Africa might be lost to the Empire as a result of the war. The whole temper of Lord Rosebery's speech is strongly suggestive of the fact that he has resumed the role of leader of the Opposition who must criticise, for the sake of appearances, and that the judicial tone be is wont to adopt has been for the once sacrificed to the claims of party politics. We are strongly of the opinion that the pessimism of the Liberal Leader is not justified, for the fighting resources of the colonies have scarcely been tapped, while what h e calls " the ravenous maw" of JSpntK. ?"-. ?; yy ;: £ yyyy^y^str?ejiched -? fa ;the-

ghteat upon the Navy, whica after all is the chief bulwark of our Home defence. On this point the Admirality has not utilised the colonies as freely as it might have done, seeing that the assistance rendered by the equipment of mounted contingents is only a tithe of the help that could be given if " boys of the bull-dog breed" were needed to man the navy, so that there is still in these far away spots a vast body of latent fighting power waiting to be called out, even if it be true, as Lord Rosebery seems to suggest, that old England is exhausted.

Borough Council.— The monthly meeting of .the Borough Council will be held this eveningt

Fire.—The Post Office and store were burnt down at Maharahara on Sunday night. The building was insured in the South British for £150.

Present.—«A very useful present was sent by the Longburn school children to their late teacher, Mr J. O'Reilly, *£>w on his way to the front with the second contingent.

Lectures.—Mr Hinman commences a series of lectures in the Gospel Hall to-night on the " Taoernacle in the Wilderness," illustrated by model and paintings.

Personal.—Trooper Culling, who had such a narrow escape in South Africa when Trooper Booth was killed, is a brother of Mrs Culling, of Pohangina, and a cousin of Mr C. G. Culling. Bowling. —If the recent bowling tournament at Auckland had been decided by the number of points scored instead of by the club wins the results would have been Wellington 1, Auckland 2, Palmerston North 3.

-rcru' -, o ~Thls mOTQing Messrs Wheeler, Stevens, Lancaster, Jarvia and Batehelar left Palmerston as visitors to the Masterton A. & P. Show, and to confer with other delegates re the next Agricultural Conference to be held in Wellington.

Timber Trade. —As showing the magnitude of the timber trade from this part of the coloiay (says the Bush Advocate) Messrs Gamman and Co., of Dannevirke, paid in freight for one week the sum of £240, and for three weeks their freight bills amounted to „545.

Auction Case.—At the Dannevirke Court on Saturday J. Godfrey was committed for trial on a charge of failing to account for the proceeds of certain horses sold at auction on behalf of G. Lind, of Woodville. Mr Gothard appeared for the prosecution, and Mr Lloyd for the defence.—Bush Advocate.

Cricket. —The following team has been selected to do battle against the Victorians at Wanganui : — Messrs Gillies and Rev. J. M. Marshall, Wanganui College ; L. P., H. 8., and K. H. Cave, Meldrum and Francis, Wanganui ■ McCarthy and Bratt, Hawera ; Lash', New Plymouth; and Clayton, Feilding. Election—The Mount View School Committee have voted for Messrs Cohen, Corry and Remington for the three vacant seats on the Wanganui Education Board. — The Wanganui Committee have voted for Messrs Adams, Corry and Cohen.—The Crofton Committee voted for Messrs Cohen, Corry and Remington. °

The MAN.-4Vhilst the Governor was inspecting the Lyttelton Borough School he asked the children of one of the upper standards if they could tell him the man whom the British Empire regards with most interest. Instantly every hand was extended, and from all parts of the room came a shout of ''Roberts."

Police Court.—At the Police Court this morning, Mr Greenfield, S.M., sentenced Mary Margaret Mason and Emily Self to one month's imprisonment for being idle and disorderly persons, and Ann Gahan to three months' imprisonment for the same offence. All three accused were fined ss, or 24 hours' imprisonment, for being found drunk in a public place.

Longburn.—A largely-attended meeting was held at Longburn last night to consider the advisability of holding a monster picnic in aid of the More Men Fund. Messrs T. R. Hodder and Hankin were appointed delegates to wait on the central committee, and we under - they will attend the meeting convened for the Council Chambers at 7.30 this evening.

More Men.—At a meeting of the entertainment committee of the More Men Fund yesterday afternoon, the advisability of holding a garden fete in aid of the fund was fully discussed, the different places suitable being considered. Eventually it was decided to ask all those williug to assist to attend a meeting at the Mayor's room, Borough Council office at 7.30 this evening.

Thoughtful.—On returning to the saluting point at a recent review of the third contingent at Christchurch, his Excellency the Governor noticing three little tots of girls amongst the spectators, called them to him, and two were placed in the carriage, whilst the third found a place beside the coachman. From their position of advantage, the little mites, who were dressed siniilary in blue frocks and white Mother Hubbards, got an excellent view of all that was going on. His Excellency's thoughtful and gracious action called forth warm applause from those in the vicinity of the vice-regal carriage.

Railway Accident.—A remarkable accident occurred late at night on January the 2nd on the railway between Bellegarde and Geneva. When the Bellegarde express was passing through the Credo tunnel the top of the tunnel fell in, burying the engine, tender, and two carriages under a mass of stones and earth. But for the prompt action of the driver, a terrible accident would probably have resulted. He saw earth and stones falling on the line from the roof, and instantly pulled up his train, at which a mass of debris at once dropped. Then at the risk of his life, he made his way to the further side of the landslide to warn a goods train coming from Geneva of the danger. Only three passengers were injured, and these were removed to the hospital.

Bunnythorpe.—Messrs R. Leary and J. R. Russell visited Bunnythorpe last night in the interests of the More Men Fund. The meeting was held in the Town Hall and Mr Joe Dixon, J.P., occupied the chair. After the Chairman had spoken in eloquent terms in favor ot the movement, Messrs Russell and Leary also addressed the meeting. It was decided to appoint Messrs Dixon, Anderson, D. L. Smith, Espiner, and McLean to canyass the district, and a hearty vote of thanks was accorded the visiting delegates. The meeting was thoroughly in accord with the. movement, and the result of the canyass is looked forward to with confidence.

A Cosiplaint.—At the S.M. Court this morning Mr Hankins again entered a protest against the loose way in which summonses issued at the Palmerston Court were served in the Rongotea district, and in doing so he pointed out the absurdity of the present arrangement by which summonses issued here had to go all the way to Bulls, and then come half way back to Palmerston again. Mr Moore stated he had found the official course of serving summonses at Rongotea so unsatisfactory that he had been compelled to pay someone to deliver them privately. Mr Greenfield said that the attention of the officer concerned would be drawn to the complaint, and if no improvement takes place the matter would be represented to the Justice Department.

Ashhurst.—Mr Henry Barnes, one of the collectors for the More Men Fund, has forwarded Mr Fred Pirani, the Chairman of the recent meeting at Ashhurst, a cheque for .£8 14/6, the result of his canvass. The contributors are :— Rimmer & Craven, £2 ; H. Barnes, W.H.8., and Charles Warne, £1 each; Barnes Bros., 10/-; J. Newton, F. Curran, H. Hart. R. Lyons, A. E. Roberts, H. Coker, J. C. Williamson and G. Franklin, 5/- each; J. Donaldson, J. Kinane, R. Vautier, T. H. Whitehead, T. Nicholson^ McMasters, C. H. Ticehurst, W. Bowefbank, andW.H.H., 2/6 each; G. Franklin, 2/-. Mr B.arnes is to be congratulated upon the result of his energy, as his success would have been greater only for the factihat seve ral subscription lists for similar objects had been in circulatiQn,

uction. —We are requested to, remind our readers of Mr H. Palmer's auction sale of Mr Barnett's furnitufce and effects on his farm, Boundary road, near the Hospital, to-morrow, at 1.30 p.m. A number of good milch cows are included in the sale.

Scholastic. —Mr J. Innes, M.A.' L.D.D., who has for many years been a member of the staff at the Wellington Girls' High School, has been unanimously selected by the Board of Governors as principal of the Blenheim District High School.

Bowling.—Mr J. A. Nash has received a telegram from the Wanganui Bowling Club, asking if it would be convenient to play a game in Palmerston on Wednesday week, and has replied that the local players wiU be delighted.—We are requested to state that all games unplayed to-morrow will either be forfeited or byes recorded.

Fruitgrowers.—A meeting of the Fruitgrowers' Association was held last night. Present—Messrs Nairn (in the chair) Johnston, Mayo, Outram, Hansen, Shailer, Just, Pickering and several ladies. Mr Johnston reported that all the arrangements had been made with the band for the supply of music at the Show on Wednesday night. The ladies reported that satisfactory arrangements han been made by them for the supply of luncheon, and several side shows.such as guessing and nail driving competitions, were added to the programme and the meeting then adjourned.

Nearly Lost.—lt is not generally known that at the last general election the Right Hon. R. J. Seddon was nearly clean wiped out of the political arena'; but it is a fact nevertheless. The great man's name was not on the Westland electoral roll, nor was it, indeed, upon any roll a short time prior to the issue of the last writs. It appears that Mr Seddon had not exercised his voting privileges at the previous general election, and the Administrator of the Act had done his simple duty by striking the Premier's name off. "But," added the astute statesman to the correspondent of the Otago Daily Times, " I put my name upon the Wellington roll. What a plum for the Conservatives if I had not done so!" exclaimed he, parenthetically.

Park's Book Depot.—Per lonic:— Windsor, Wide World Magazine, Weldon's Ladies' Journal, Illustrated Dressmaker, Children's Bazaar, Leach's Children's, Schild's Mothers' Help, Boys' and Girls' Own Paper for January, Family Reader (div. 115), Something o Read (div. 75), Whittaker's Almanac, Hazell's Annual and Live Stock Journal Almanac for 1900, newest books by popular authors.—Advt.

See our prices for trimmed millinery during present week—last week of sale —at The Bon Marche. Heavy clearance being effected in each department.— Advt.

We are having a record clearance of stock at The Bon Marche. But we want to see some more empty fixtures by the end of the week and fresh and further bargains will be offered in drapery, dress goods, mantles, millinery, clothing, furnishing, boots and shoes, &c, during this, the last week of our sale. C. M. Ross & Co.—Advt.