JOTTINGS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XXII, Issue 86, 14 April 1888, Page 4

JOTTINGS.

*V : {Prom The Nelson Weekly News.) Isn't our Government getting just a little top, paternal? This idea of getting somebo'dy out from home to teach the settlers . how to make and get up butter for the Jbondon market is certainly a novel one, and moreover has proved to be unnecessary by an Auckland Company, whioh has so far succeeded in solving the mystery— if there he a. mystery — as to obtain the top price paid for foreign butter in England, The Dairy Factory Companies might very well be left to their own devices in this matter ; , it.istheir business to produce the article in good, marketable conditions, and as a rule ,;New 'Zealanders are not very backward in .learning their business. But to come from i the colony to our own district. How is it that the farmers here cannot co-operate to "the extent of establishing a factory in the Waimea, at whioh butter could be made fit for any foreign market to which it might 'be deemed expedient to ship it ? At the risk of exposing myself to a storm of abuse, whioh I don't mind a bit if I can only persuade our country settlers to do that - whioh must result in their great advantage, vl-,will -he .bold, enough to state the reason which was given to me by one of those who a few years ago canvassed on behalf of the . Company, whioh it was proposed to fprm for. the purposein the Waimea. It was this — that it was impossible to conquer the conceit of the owners of small dairies, eaoh one of whom flattered herself— for it was to the female sex that he principally referred —that her butter was the very best that could be produced, the consequence being that it oame upon the market in all sorts of forms, and some of it of wretohedly bad quality, thus making it an impossibility to ship any from Nelson with a fair chance of success, '-•for one or two kegs of inferior stuff was Buffioient to damn the whole let. Now this is going to continue to be the case until unif ormity in quality is obtained, and this is only to bet-achieved by co-operation. Our farmers will be driven to adopt the system which has proved succeseful in other parts, one day, and the oaly question is how long they will adhere to their conservative principles and deprive themselves of_ a •profitable and reliable market. I am writing in an unusually serious strain, but I cannot see how a joke is to be made out of obstinacy that is proving injurious to a large eeotion of the community.

I suppose there are some advantages in .. being a Royal Prince or Princess, especially where there are big incomes attached to the position, but my own view of the matter, being myself of* a retiring disposition, is .that if they would give dm the bawbees '- anybody else might have the title, and all the honors connected with the blue blood. One of the disadvantages of occupying so high, a station has been forcibly illustrated '-.within the last few days. It seems — I say advisedly 4 * seems," for the telegrams leave it a little doubtful whether the affection is mutual— that Princess Victoria of Germany has a little love affair on hand, Prince Alexander of Battenberg being the other party to the business. Now if it were only Sally and Jack they would, arrange all these little matters nice and quietly, get through their courting, and have the knot tied . without anybody, except their own intimate •acquaintances, knowing anything at all about it. But poor little Victoria is in quite a different position, and the mere whisper that She and her Alex want to set * up housekeeping on their own account has set all Europe in a turmoil, and the news of their possible engagement and the uproar it has caused is telegraphed to the very uttermost parts of the earth, published in all the newspapers, and sets everybody talking about them. Russia won't hear of it, and is quite prepared to set half a million of men in motion to prevent it ; Bismarck, that man of blood and iron, quails before the prospect of the storm that might burst in consequence, and declares that if the young couple persists in carrying out their foolish idea, he will resign the Chancellorship, and Heaven knows what other political complications might be the result. But just as - Europe and the civilised world generally had got worked up to this terrific pitch of " excitement, it leaks out that there is a little . ..hitoh somewhere, that the girl is not so fond of the young fellpw as was generally .supposed, and that in fact he has failed in his suit for her hand, which, I take it, if translated into the language in use among ordinary folk, means that he popped the question and she refused him. Therefore Russia calmed down, the threatening movements of her mighty hosts ceased, and Prince Bismarck said he would not chuck up the Chancellorship. Btft now a third party appears on the scene : the Princess' papa steps in and insists on -the betrothal of the young couple. He likes the Prince, and thinks he would make a very desirable husband for his daughter — and of course an Emperor ought to be a better judge in such matters than a Princess, evenJfoough she iB the party principally concerrod— he won't "• accept Bismarck's resignation, and as for Russia he doesn't care a snap of the fingers for her, and is quite prepared to sacrifice the . lives of a hundred or two thousand men, father than that his daughter should not marry the man she has refused. This is how matters stand at the time of my writing, and a more mixed up mud- ' die of love and politics I don't remember to have met with, even in the most sensational novel over which I ever wasted an hour. What I dread moßt of all, as one of the worst possible results of the whole affair is— not that Bismarck should insist on the. acceptance of his resignation ; not that the Russians and Germans should shoot each other "down by the thousand ; not that the Triple Alliance should be called into action by the dual alliance of the Prince and Princess ; but that the worry and anxiety will make the Emperor's throat bad again, and then, after the blessed calm we have enjoyed during the last two or three weeks, we shall be once more assailed by a storm of telegrams all bearing upon the state of hiß larynx. This is a consummation devoutly to be deprecated.

I see that a northern paper grows somewhat angry with those who refuse to believe ■ that Protection is likely to prove a sort of American Hop Bitters, providing a cure fer all the ailments to which the body politic is liable, and are unable to see why the - -general public should pay more than at present for all articles of every day consumption for the benefit of the manufacturing portion of the population, the writer of " _•-. the article in which the wrath is displayed insisting that prices won't rise in consequence of -foreign competitors being shut out of the . colonial market. Now this brings to my mind somewhat forcibly a little poem , With which I daresay every child is familiar, entitled "The Spider and the Fly." The former having spread his net invites the latter to enter — " Won't you walk into my parlor, Baid the spider to the fly/' At first the .fly was a great deal too wary to be caught, but ultimately the blandishments, and flatteries, and specious promises of the cunning spider produced their effect, and the poor foolish little thing fluttered in, : ; with what result is known to all who have - V read the lines, or have seen the drama acted in real life. Whilst it was buzzing helplessly in the toils, and its quondam nattering friend, but now deadly e»emy, was winding . tbe thread of the web more and more tightly round his victim, prior to making a meal off it, the oruel spider added insult to injury by asking in a tone of irony so different to that assumed whea the invitation to enter iu was given — " Won't you walk out foolish fly?" But the foolish fly was too much 'Worn out with its futile efforts to escape to make a reply ; and then the blood ' sucking commenced. It seems to me that in this little fable we have a very good ,y illustration of what is going to happen ,' „ .. |n the colony. The Protectionist spider has .^puh his web with consummates kill, and .—rata foolish fly has been so wheedled and ' ' . pajoled and flattered, and has been promised -•'-■©■ many good, things if it will only enter . and sit down to a pleasant .chat with its . .false friend in his well-arranged parlor, that ''there are signs of its being about to take the ; i t atal step, ' 4 0f course, 44 says the spider, .',* "Iddn't want to benefit myself in carrying -' f <eut the"jpropoealB l have made. It is solely , ,M the interest of the.flies I am acting," or in 6ther2 weirds:: "We don't want to get higher prices for our manufactures ; all we - desire* is to keep the money of the colonists in.the colony, and if you will only aid us by shutting out equally good articles which can be made much more cheaply outside than inside the colony, you needn't be in

the least afraid that we will take advantage of the concessions we ask yeu to make us." Perhaps the spider really meant honestly when he promised the fly that on no account would he do him an injury if he placed Jjprjiself in power. But with the opportunity came the temptation, and the temptation the spider was utterly unable to resist. The moral for flies is that they are far less likely to come to grief by keeping out of spider's webs, then by buzzing into them and trusting to the tender mercies of their tempter not to injure them when they become entangled in the mazes of his oaro fully prepared trap. _ mmm _________ Manfred.