North Otago Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 1890.

North Otago Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 6952, 30 January 1890, Page 2

North Otago Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 1890.

The general who would "win a victory must be well-informed of the movementi of the enemy. So it ii with publio p*rtie§, It U wj*ci»lly vrtll

that the party of freedom and progress should keep itself well informed of the thoughts and intentions of the party of restriction and stagnation, and hence we have no doubt that our friends the farmers, who are Freetraders, are keeping their eyes steadily upon their dearly beloved brethren, the Protectionists. If this is done by our agricultural Mends, their worries in connection with the harvest are probably somewhat lightened just now by what vas done the other evening at the annual meeting of the Otago Protection League. The annual report of this patriotic body is particularly entertaining and suggestive. Setting out with a reference to the great moderation of Protectionists, in not recently pressing for changes or modifications in the tariff, the Leaguers proceed to say that " public opinion has been steadily maintained in their favor," and that " when the fitting time comes the subject can be again in* troduced with every prospect of obtaining what is necessary and desirable." Of course what is meant is everything that is necessary and desirable from the Protectionist point of view. But is not this sweeping assumption, like the logic of Protectionists, quite unjustified by the facts? The League is here reckoning upon certain success, but with the farmers of the Middle Island organised as Freetraders, it is as least doubtful whether the Protectionists will in future be able to carry on their little games. Of course they will try hard. Indeed they publicly emphasise the fact that the Otago League is now affiliated with the Industrial Protection League of New Zealand, and take pleasure in stating that "all centres of population being thus banded together in one strong union, are ready to take joint action when occasion requires." To their credit be it said, the members of the Otago League do not leave us in any doubt as to what they mean in this connection. They mean that at the next election every effort should be made to return members who will represent, not the people of New Zealand, but the Protectionists, and will do their utmost to twist and turn the legislation of the country to the pernicious purpoies of self-seekers. In fact, the Dunedin Protectionists express the hope that the advantages of their union with the Industrial Protection League of New Zealand will — to use their own words — •' be demonstrated during the general election of this year by the several branches of this great League working intelligently together to have representatives returned to Parliament both ready and able to maintain and extend a protective policy in the country." This is plain enough, and the farmers and other Freetraders should take warning and bestir themselves in time. It is not long since our agriculturists publicly and unitedly declared, at their conference in Dunedin, in favor of a policy of Freetrade for the colony, and here we have the Protectionists avowing their determination to have their policy of Protection extended by hook or by crook. Does this not put the Freetraders on their mettle t Does it not show them that they have to reckon with very determined opponents, and that they, too, must organise and marshal their forces, or submit to a defeat which will not only distress them but do incalculable damage to the best interests of the country 1 To these questions there is only one satisfactory reply — namely, thorough organisation on the part of the Freetraders. Their intelligence and their public spirit are now on trial.

The North and South School Committee* have nominated Dr Stenhouse and Mr Green for the vacancies on the Education Board. Mr C. Warner, the actor, who has jut closed a season at Auckland, states that he has netted thousands by his New Zealand tour. He is said to have cleared over L3OOO. At the meeting of creditois in the estate of A. Smyllie, called for yesterday afternoon, no one put in an appearance save the bank* rupt, who undertook to adjourn the meeting tin* die, A meeting of shearers and others interested will be held in St. George's Hall on Saturday, at 8 p.m., to consider the ad visableness of forming a branch of the New Zealand Shearers' Union, Yesterday, up till about 5.30, was extremely hot, but at that hour the wind changed, and blew cold from the south with slight rain. On the whole the weather has been favorable for harvesting, and should it continue favorable about ten days will see the props cut and in stook. The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company (Limited) have received the following telegram from their London office, dated 24th Instant : "Tallow is dull of sale. Mutton tallow has declined Is and beef 9d per owt since last report. Brozen meat — Mutton market is firm. Canterbury mutton is worth 4gd, and Wellington 4jd per lb. Beef — Market dull ; quotations unchanged." Yesterday was almost observed as a general holiday in Oamaru, although those who refrained from dosing their places of business did not enjoy themselves as much as those who did. At this season of the year, owing to the rush of harvest, there is little business doing in town, and the shops on that account might as well all have been closed. Sergeant O'Grady early in the morning informed the employers that, in accordance with the terms of the Act, they must not keep certain of their employees at work, the day being a proclaimed holiday. After this had been enforced it left but few at work, and it was then all the more apparent that it was an unfortunate thing that the day bad not been generally observed as a holiday or part holiday. We observe, however, that the day was not observed as a general holiday in aU the towns. ' A three-roomed cottage in Yare street, the property of Mrs Morrison, was de* stroyed by fire last night about 11.30 o'clock. The fire was observed by the police, who immediately rang the fire bell, but the whole place was in flames in a few minutes. Mrs Morrison is bed-ridden, and lived in the house with two children, a boy and girl. About 11 o'clock the boy was aroused by his mother's cries, and found the wall of the house near the stove on fire. The two children dragged their mother out of the house, and her screams brought a number of the neighbors to the spot. Nothing was saved from the fire with the exception of a looking-glass and a chair. It appears that the children had been drying clothes in front of the fire before going to bod, afcd the clothes are supposed to have convoysd the fire to the walls of the bouse. Mrs Morrison was carried by the police and several of those present to the bouse of Mrs Hogan, where she and her obildren found shelter and attention. The h*us« and furniture were, It is understood, insured in the South British office for LlOO. 1 Mr John Ltttlt, who has for tilt past tta

year* managed the Awamo* Estate under Mr James S. Holmes, waa presented yesterday, at Awamoa, with a chest of carpenter's tools and a purse of fifty sovereigns, on the eve of his departure for North Canterbury, where he has acquired the lease of the Montserrat Station, the property of Mr F. 0. Recce. Mr Little has earned the esteem of his fellow employees and the respect of all who have known him during bis residence on Awamoa. He has beea about 27 years in the employ of the Hon. M. Holmes, on the stations of Moeraki, Incholrue, Castle Rock, and Awamoa, and from the care and attention he has all along given to the interests of his employer he has retained his confidence and goodwill ; while his kind consideration for those under him h»s won for Mr Little the admiration of all hands. His leaving Awnmoa has therefore been deemed by the employees a fit occasion to show, in some tangible way, their esteem for Mr Little. His employer has also entered into the spirit of goodwill expressed towards Mr Little, and nas made him a pieaent of a truokload of Border Leicester ewes and a ram. At the presentation, which took place yesterday, all testified to the worth and excellence of Mr Little's character ; the employees spoke of the respect they had always had for him, and both Mr Holmes and the meu joined in wishing Mr Little every success in bis new undertaking. Mr Little leaves to-day (Thursday) for the north. Montnerrat is a station of 6000 acres in extent, and carries up to 7000 sheep. All who know Mr Little will be pleased to hear of his success, and will wish him every prosperity in North Canterbury, although North Otago can ill-afford to lose an agriculturist of Mr Little's professional experience and personal worth. Something approaching a "»cene,"aays the Dunedin Star, occurred in the Moray Place Congregational Church on Sunday morning. The Rev. Mr Cecil was preaching on ' The Sabbath,' and in the course of his address had given utterance to some liberal sentiment in regard to the day of rest, and these apparently were not shared by a wellknown member of the church, who rose in hb pew and objected to the line of argument betng pursued by the preacher, saying, " We've had enough of that ; you had better stop that ;" and later on be expressed the opiniou that the preacher ought "to be ashamed of himself." The rev. gentleman was not at all disconcerted, and proceeded with his discourse to ita close. Many stratge stories are told of the Scotch "natural." One of the beat is in Miss Marjory Kennedy's reminiscences of her father, and the scene of the incident is Wanganui. The singer's opening night had been very successful! Next day, as Mr Kennedy was taking his walk abroad in the outskirts of the town, he .net a grave-look-ing man, who addressed him in the Scots accent. '" I was hearing ye last night, Mr Kennedy," he said, " and I was gey weel pleased, but I was na satu fied wi that song ye sang, the * Land o' the Leal,' for ye didna state the auld man's grounds of assurance that he wud meet his wife in Heaven !" Amazed at this theological crtt : "isni of one of the most beauuiul suugs in the language, he returned to town and mentioned the incident to some of his friends. " Oh, that man's daft," said they, and he was relieved to hear it.

Harvesting Requisites. — Binder Twine, Lubricating Oils, Hay Forks. Plough Line*, Knives, Forkf , Spoons, Pannikin*, Plates, and all other Harvesting Requisites, for sale, at exceptionally Low Prices, by W. J. A. Saxbikson, Importer, Humes street. — A dvt. ] Thjkbk can be no doubt but that the goods which our Woollen Factory is turning out are of urpassing excellence. We have seen nothing, however, to equal the quality and finish of the Tweeds which have been manufactured to Mb James Gui hells special order. These are, indeed, par excellence, and are made up in the Latest Styles: Workmanship ana Fit being Guaranteed.— [Advt.]