North Otago Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING SATURDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1892.

North Otago Times, Volume XXXVI, Issue 7487, 8 October 1892, Page 2

North Otago Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING SATURDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1892.

The Payment of Members Bill has passed, but the members of both branches of tho Legislature have taken a most inopportune time for making their raid on the public exchequer. The colony is filled with the cry of the unemployed, trade is worse than it has been for years in every town of the colony, if we except Invercargill, yet the Liberal politician must be paid a higher .sum for his .services than in most cases he could earn at anything else. The laborer, it is said, is worthy of his hire. So he is, and if that can be taken to include our legislators, L150 a year is a great deal more than the most of them are worth. Not one of tho looters had the conscience to say that tho progress of the colony justified his dipping his hands into the public money bags to the extent of raising his wage to L240 a year — payable monthly. While not one reasonable argument could be ad\ anced for the increase of -what members are pleased to call their honoraria, there was tho usual greedy scramble to get it, notwithstanding. Never m the history of the colony has the cry of poverty been so acutely raised, and never before has poverty been so acutely felt. Business men and farmers are not prosperous, but the politician must perfoice extraco his pound of flesh from the body of the State, not all at once, but to secure himself in the possession of at least a portion of his ill-gotten gains, he arrangeb that it is to be paid monthly — L20 a month, or qt the rate of L80 a month for his actual working time. This latter arrangement is little .sboit of barefaced dishonesty, for as the date of the act coming into force is fixed for the 1st of January next, a member may draw ftve or six months' wages and never attend Parliament at all, and his successor, who does the work, is depuved of a part of that which is justly or unjustly dub to him. When the new ' ' Lords" are created about L10,000 will be added to the annual I cost of governing the colony. If figures are reliable the present Government have now added to the cost of cairyhjg tm H>e ' affairs of the State about L140,000 :\ year. They are a prudent self-reliant Go\ eminent too! Bent on making the countiy boom ! And who will deny that it is booming — booming with the cry of tho unemployed and the hungry. Before the reduction was made during the torm of office of the last Government, the honorarium was L210. Not content, how ever, with this too high sum for services rendered, tho present Liberal party have gone something better, and made it L240. ]Ve hope the country will recognise tho services the Liberal party havo (Londered in "working so diligently to raise their own wages, y/ljile the necessity stares everyone outside the Government service in the face of cutttng down wages. Liberalism was always a good thing to conjure up a vast amount of cheap .sentiment with, b,ut if downright greed of this kind and Liberalism are as closely entwined and associated as they appear to be, the country has a nice prospect before it. As it is it is drifting rapidly to additional borrowing, and, in conse" OjUence, additional disaster.

Tite conference on the Electoral Bill Iwj | ended in failure. It was scarcely ex- | pected that the managers would .succeed in agreeing as to a compromise. The suspicion indeed is gaining giound that the Government do not want the Bill passed. It is 1 well known that they were never very enthusiastic in support of the women's franchise. The Premier used to be rather against than for it, and but for the way in which it was taken up in the towns in the democratic interest, it is doubtful if the Government would have included it in their policy. It is now rumored that they have taken flight, at least that they are in doubt as to what would be the result of the female vote. We c.uinot say that we are at all j all sorry at the probable postponement of the female franchise. Whether women have a natural right to vote or not, it is quite certain that few of them have much acquaintance with politics. They would thus be all the better to be educated up to the duties of electors before being put in possession of political power. The measure is besides one which ought not to be earned till it has been thoroughly considered by the country. It is quite revolutionary in its character, and we confess we can scarcely understand why a man like Sir John Hall should contemplate such a momentous innovation with as little apparent anxiety as if it were a mere parish legulation. One thing is quite certain that the vast majority of the women of the colony do not w int the franchise. Why, then, should it be forced upon them ? Nature certainly intended that the sphere of woman's activity should be different from man's, but the tendency of our advanced thinkers and radical reformers seems to be to dash oy all such distinctions.

Galtee ha=i been scratched for all engagements at the North Otago Jockey Club races. 1 he train from Dunedin last night was only 10 minutes behind time. We presume railway communication will go on as befoie. Thete has been capital sport in the Kakonui river for anglers. We have hcairl of ore basket of seven and one of eight of flist class fish. An instruction parade of the Oamaiu Naval Artillery will bo held on Monday at 7.30 p.m., when every member is required to bo present. Nominations for the Palmerst»n Joekej Club l .ices close with the secretaiy (Mi- .). T (! wynne) at 7.30p.m. on Tuesday, the 11th mst. His Honor Judge Waid has (on the application of Messrs Hislop and Creagh) granted probate of the will of the late Win. FiUsunmous, to James Ketchin aud Angus Ross, the executors named in the will. The line of 12 0 thiee quarterbred hoggets advertised for sale by II. Matson and Co. (associated with the National Mortgage and Agency Co.) at Studholme on Friday, 14th instant, are withdrawn from sale, having been disposed of privately. Th« cat and rat question is progressing. A " Fourth Standard Boy "' says he has solved the riddle (by a proc<*s, probably only known to himself). The answer, he says, is 1 '33337 cat. The same writer also gives the correct answer to the sacks of wheat problem. The percentages of Iamb3 in this district this season are abnormally high. In one instance the percentage was ISO. Triplets have been frequent. The rains were injulions in the back part3 of the district, but otherwise the lambing has been a most favorable one ; in fact it. is reckoned to be the best but one in the history ot the district. We have been asked by a Dunedin resident to insert the following remedy for cholera: Mix in a small bottle equal parts of tinctuie of opium (laudunam), rhubarb, capsicum (red pepper, double strength), camphor, spirits of nitre, and essence of peppeimint (doub e strength). Shake well and coi k tight. Dose : Adults, 5 to 30 drops every 15 minutes ; children, 2 to 10 drops every 15 minutes, The South Canteibuiy Boaul of Educa tionmeUii ThuibtKj. Mv T. McNeiU, <>f Redchn", forwarded the names of Messrs J. W. Johnson and J. Walk, as suitable pei-'-oils to be school commissioners. The Boaul appointed them, and instructed the secietary to thank Mr McNeill for the tiouble and caie he had taken in the matter of the re-establishment of the Rcdchif school. ±he posiponed sale of stock at Scudbolme Junction, which is to be conducted by Messrs H. Matson and Co. (associated with the National Mortgage and Agency Company of New Zealand, Limited), on Friday, 14th Octobor, will take place at 11 a.m. (not at 4 p.m., aa originally intended), so as to enable purchasers to see to the despatch of their sheep, and to return home by the north and south expresses, leaving the Junction at 4 p.m. Buyers from this district will require to proceed to Studholme on Thursday evening, An officer of the Salvation Army headquarters staff at Christchurch wishes us to state that the paragraph in yesterday's issue with reference to the expenses of General Booth's tour is based on a misunderstanding. The General, in speaking at the 25th anniversary, said that the net profits of his tour amounted to L2000, and somebody has subtracted this from the L10,000 receive 1 at Melbourne, and thu3 made his expenses out to be LS000 As a matter of fact the Ll0,000hid no connection whatever with the General'-* expenses, but was the Australian contribution to the self-denial fund, or, as it would be called in the churches, the missionary fund. The following interesting little morsel is fiom Pa tea • A lady of the class usually designated "old maid ' had i cached the , i Hotted span of tlnee scoro and ten, and, feeling fai fiom well, wasi. ving a visit fiomhei pot paush minister, when, icfening to her state of health, \c lemaikeil : "I cant expect to stay heie much longer, but shall soon be lesting on Judas' bo&om." The minister was evidently not satisfied with the good lady's scriptural knowledge, and replied, " Oh, no, Miss Blank, not Jmlai' bosom, but AbiahamV "Oh, well, ' replied the good old dame, " if you had been single as long as I ha\c, jou would nt mind which of 'em's bosom it was." At Addiitgton on Wednesday about 400 store sheep, chiefly crossbred lambs, hoggets, and younp mixed bheep were yarded. A good demaud existed, especially for the last-named, up to 17s being given for 4 tooth mixed saxes. Ewes and lambs sold up to 1S3 5d, hoggets 12s to 13s 3d. Lambs of varied quality 12s 6d to 17s 3d. In fat sheep a deci eased entry created an improved demand, especially for piimp CiO3sbreds, which sold freely at 19s to 21s 7d. There were vety few second-class crossbred sheep yarded, but they were disposed of easily at satisfactory prices. The sale of merinos imptoved, best quality wethers bringing from 14s to 17s 6d. Other meiiuos sold at 9s to 12s, The Rev, W. C. Oliver, of Dunedin, gave a most interesting lecture on Wednesday j evening in the Wesleyan Church on " Father Taylor, the quaint missionary." In the absence of MrLuxford, who was conducting missionary meetings in Dunedin, Mr C. M Cunninghame took the chair. The aulience numbered about 70. The lecture was well worthy of a much better audience. Father Taylor was one of I he old-fashioned quaint Methodists who a^e fast becoming extinct. He hardly ever answered a question without peipetrating a joke Once he was asked if baptism was necessary to salvatiou, and his reply was that he had never heard that Heaven was an island which could not be reached without a water passage. He had a troublesome member in his church named Snow, and he prayed •• Lord melfc that Snow." The lecture was made interesting by sketches of the life of the worthy man, and quaint anecdotes such as the above. The collection was in aid of the Home missions. ,

Mr William HfcrWson, Dorle, supplies us ' with the fol'owing rccipo for the cure ot s n nly and white blight on apple trees. He assures us he has subjected it to the ful'est trial, and finds it a thorough success : To every gillon of water, put half a pound of the freahest and youngest blu" gum leaves available. Stew the leaves in the water for half-an-hour — longer will not hurt. If the tree is very bad, add half an ounce of castor oil to the stew. When cold, spray tho hee thoroughly. The spraying can be (!ono at any time, and the first application will kill off all the scaly blight, which will wither away from the bark in a few weeks, but the insect is dead after the first application. To the white or American woolly aphis blight the decoction is instant death. — Exchange. The following is from yesterday's Christchurch Press : As the result of a discussion regarding the superiority of the cream that rises ou milk within the last twelve hours over the cream that still remains in the milk, Mr Withell, of Pirookside, undertook to test the subject impartially, and to do this a quantity of milk, about 90 gallons, was set for fourteen hours, then handskimmed. The cream was churned, and made I71bs butter. The milk was immediately, " without heating or anything else," passed through the De Laval separator, and from the cream thus obtained was chur.ied 22 Jibs of butter. This was done on the 19th September, and on the 30th September the two lota of butter were brought to Leeston sale and lib of each kind was secretly marked and placed side by side in Spring's Hotel, where a very large number of gentlemen did their best to find out which wis the best butter. The decisions of the first eighteen were booked, and these included most of the best butter-makers in the Ellesmere district. For the butter marked No. 1, which was the butter made from the first cream, there were six marks, and for that marked No. 2, which was the butter obtained from the skim milk by the separator, there were 12 marks As Mr Withell had nothing to gain by this trial, it may be t iken is a thorough and reliable conclusion that all the cream in milk s alike good, proviried it be taken out of the nvlk at the pioper time ; a'so, a test like thK is in ey.> opener to thuso who ihiiiK ivikind y '> f 'hp separator anil the fictory sy ti i ! h« butter was tak^n to b" newly ni ide and highly commemip 1 by i 1 prcs"nt, although it had been churned twelve days before. A meeting of the Council of the Acclimatisation Society was held yesterday, when there were present : Messrs Stock (in the chair), Aitken, Thomson, Mackintosh, Hay, Glen, and J. F. Crawford (hon. secretary). The minutes were read and confirmed. A telegram was received from Greymouth stating that the tench aud perch sent by the Waitaki Society had arrived in good order. Accounts amounting to L4 12s 6d were passed for piymenc. The hon. secretary retorted a credit balance of L4S 2s 6d, and there were a few more fees to come in. The following telegram wag received from Sir \Valter Buller, Wellington : " Lord Onslow, before leaving the colony, urged upon Ministers the desirability of making Resolution Island a perpetual reserve for native birds. The Premier has taken the matoer up with spirit, and has obtained from Parliament a vote of L200 per annum for the salaries of custodian and assistant. The island has been proclaimed, and suitable men have been found. The Hon Mr Ballaace authorises me to say that the appoiutments will be made at once if the South Island acclimatisation societies will assist the Government by guaranteeing amongst them the cost of custodian's houae on Resolution Island. This need not exceed L123, inasmuch as the timber will be canied free by the Hinemoa, whilst the custodian himself will assist in the erection, and do most of the work The Otago Society has contributed L60, aud Nelson L10. Will you kindly convene a special meeting of your Council, and ask for some assistance. It is proposed to catch kiwis, kakapus, and other birds on the mainland, and place them on the island." It was decided to donate L5 to the object, and to ask the Waimate branch to do likewise. This was all the business, and the meeting adjourned. Ninian Hyslop and Co., Tea Merchants, Cnristchurch, sole Proprietors and Importers in New Zealand of "Imperial" Teas, -— ■ " •

The attention of gentlemen is directed to the large stock ef Nkw Sfrixg and Summer Goods just arrived at James Gemmell's Tailoring and Outfitting Establishment, Thames atieet. This establishment has long been noted for the first-class character of its productions aud Mr Gemmell's last shipment includes an extensive selection of reliable and fashionable woollen and worsted suitings, overcoatings, aud stylish trouseiings. Gents' suits to order from 70s upwards, Watei proof overcoats at lowest rates, j