North Otago Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. MONDAY, JANUARY 15, 1906. RECONSTRUCTION.

North Otago Times, 15 January 1906, Page 2

North Otago Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. MONDAY, JANUARY 15, 1906. RECONSTRUCTION.

The Ministerial press is determined to reconstruct Jlr Scddon's Cabinet for him, and another fusilade is being fired oil at what are tcrnicl the incompetents, It rolls along the line like the firing in an African village. One man, in the unalloyed enjoyment of.a natural life,:fires off his gun, and everyone olsc, tot tlio same reason, firefi ofi his. The fusillado is terrific while it lasts, but it is Boon over, and the calm that follows a stonn prevails. Messrs Seddon and Duncan arp at the present moment!'doing" some of the West Coast glaciers, with the object, no doubly of ascertaining the' best route for Mr Scddon's proposed railway to connect with the Otago Central. But whether or no the two Ministers arc out of the hurly-burly, ami know nothing of. the attempt that is being made on the' political life of one of them. We almost feel inclined to join with the Ministerial press if tlicy would ,substitute Mr Seddon or Sir Joseph Ward fop Mj Duncan and Mr Mills, possibly because there is more pleasure in firing at an eagle than at a sparrow. No suggestion is made as to who is to tifke Mr Duncan's place, unless it be a southern lawyer. The lawyer, like the newspaper man, is .present in the House in large force, and cither is capable of taking command of the Dljaimcl fleet 'or the German army, hut the position of Minister .for Lands in New Zealand requires special qualifications' that arc not to he found in the legal or newspaper gentleman, and a change would be like (lelltowtciy getti»g out of the frying pan to try the lipjif of the fire. Mr . Duncan was, for instaucc, returned by an overwhelming majority. Hs obtained the Opposition vote, the Catholic vote, and apparently a' big.'section of the no-license vote, and this against a pandidatc whose political ability is undoubted.. If .the constituency wanted exceptional political ability it had it in Mr Duncan's .qpppnent, but they chose •the Minister .of .Lands, find Mr Mitchell went down just as the most prominent polit cians on the Opposition side went down before less capable men. No one assumos that Mr Duncan' is a Gladstone or a' Disraeli,' hut lie knows something about land, and who is the man on the Ministerial' side who knows as much ? Surely a Minister should know something of the subject he is supposed to control. Mr Duncan is not an orator, as a matter of fact, he will hardly take the trouble to make his speeches intelligible, but yet he never jjeglccts the practical work of administering-the Jjaiids Department. Would the Ministerial pfejs . mind trotting out their substitute, so that his points might bo 'scrutinised mid discussed. In the meantime it is the pig in the poke business, and we might get something that is worse than nothing.

THE; PARLIAMENT OF LABOR. . . Ever since the subject of a Parliament ol Labor was mentioned by i Mr Scddon as a (jesifablo means towards arriving at a'solution of spine of the. differences that exist between employer, and employed, there, has been evidence that neither sido eared very much for the tiling titajb Mr Scddon attaches a good deal of importance to. If both sides would only approach the; subjects that have to te discussed with a desire to afford the Government' light anil leading much :good would result from their deliberations". But as the thing is practically dead there is no use considering the might have, beens The, Farmers' Union' early .with-: drew from participation in the proposed Parliament, and on Friday. the Otago Employers' Federation also intimated- to. #lO Labor Department their determination aofc. to take part, giving in effect the reason that their decisions/; might he treated similarly to those of the Arbitration - Court.in the. intftiskial disputes' m- Westland, which affected the coal and goldv-mimng industries. . Mr Scddox bridged the difficulty by passing an amendment to tlio. Mining Act, which, took the place of the Court's decision. Then .again, the Trades, and Labor. Coun-; oils .arc .not enamoured of .the proposal, ntiid- haveintimated -to ,: thO: Department; liiat an its deliberations arc only exacted to benefit _thc* Government, It is -jght that tiie Jabor Relegates Bhould.be

paid.,all then cxpeuses 'find wages L as well. It it;can bo assumed',that tlio Parliament -of ..Labor ls.ito, meet to afford, the Government information ~fl:om its dc< liberations there is certainly some rbason in the" contention; at all events, a.

working man cannot be expected to ab-; sent bimsclt'.from ;.lns -work,, and ■ lose. bis wages and incur oxpciises as .wcll ou the presumption that what lie loses' may ho recouped to him by, an increase- ■ in, his wages or by shorter hours d . work, an. alteration in economic conditions that ail. the working , men of the colony would share in, but who individually incur -no cxjicnsc. Tlio , position has now become so involved by withdrawals'and demands that the only reasonable solution is to abandon the proposal, and ■ leave the .| House the duty "of deciding:, the differ-! cnces that have arisen between cmployeis and employed. It the Parliament of Labor met it Would be representative of nothing iii particular. The workman views it with distrust, and the employer will not attend. What good purpose then can be served by allowing it to meet? If it docs meet the-; discussions will . , be wholly one-sided. They were not,.'intended, to be so, for the. maiir purpose; of its institution was the elaboration- of a. scheme for the settlement of tlie diflcrences between, the two that have arisen through the . demands of both sides. One; side cannot settle these, and it : would; IJierefore be ridiculous for one party to' meet with the- object -ot "doing so.: Its deliberations would carry •no 'weight, and could not be accepted as the'outcome-of a full and fair discussion. Mr Seddon by this tiuic possibly realises the hopelessness of tbe position, and will no no doubt agree to abandon the proposal,

The elections in the Old: Country are going largely against the Conservatives, and Mr A. J. Balfour, Ithe fate 'Premier, has been defeated by a majority of 2000, It is said that the total return from wool grown on the Waitaki Plains Estate last season was £7OOO. Extended Notfee.—Mails-for Niue close at Auckland, per Countess of Ranfurly, on Thursday, 18th inst., at 10.45 a.m After a week of exceptionally fine weather, in which the crops'liavc made'wonderful improvement, heavy rain set in last night.

• A dairy farmer in the Oamaru district last month averaged •about; £1 7s- per cow from 40 cows, This is the best sea-, son he has yet experienced. A fierce conflict is raging in the New Zealand Times' over the question, ".Arc : Women Civilized?" If some women could get at the writers of several of the letters th'cy" would be answered in a man-: ncr not anticipated'. At a meeting of. tho South Canterbury Cricket Association on Friday night a letter was read from the North Otago Association accepting the offer ot a North Otago-South Canterbury match. It was decided to ask for particulars as to arrangements. . •!■..-

The directors of tlie Oamaru Farmers' Salcyardis Company met. 'on Saturday, when the principal business was further arrangements for vigorous prosecution of work at the yards; The directors elected as auditors for the ensuing year Messrs G. M. Bruce and J. Miller.':

The North Otago 'Mounted Rifles', training camp came, to an end oiv Saturday moriiing.-. The week had been a most successful one, and a large amount of-valu-able work had been put in by the .men, who evidently: enjoyed it. The conditions as to weather and , locality (the latter thanks to Mr J.'Buckley) were ali.thivt could be desired. - :

Taking the hint afforded, by one of- tho defendants' in the bylaw cases on Friday the Borough Council is having the size of some of the boulders in Thames street reduced. It is understood that a Corporation employee went to look fpr these rocks some time ago, but lie tlien cuinc to tho conclusion that where evciy stone was a rock it would be invidious tu ticularise, a.s the reporter might say.

Gore property-holders are now in possession of the new valuations (says- the Standard), arid, in the majority'of cases, the assessments show 1 a great increase on the previous valuation—as much, ■ in-- some cases, as 100 per cent.. Notices oi objection have been lodged in a good many instances, and the Assessment Court will have the duty oi deciding whether the objectors' estimate of their wealth does not orr on the side of modesty. A very old resident ot this district who. has just'returned to New Zealand after living for over three years in London, states that after all his travels, lie sees no place to equal North Otagoj and ,oamaru in particular. The distress in' London is very acute, and thp hopeless look upon "the faces ot the' poorer inhabitants of that wonderful city is very painful to one ' who has had the good fortune to spend most of his life in Maoriland, ; it has been suggested that the Trades' picnic, which is .to be held at Hampden .on Thursday, Ist February, should this, year lie located at the beach instead of the commonage as in the j)ast. The beach is an expansive one and perfectly safe, and has the advantage of: being about .half the distance from the station that the commonage is. The interests of ' those picnickers who prefer a ramble in the bush have, of course, to he remembered, but' the whole question will :hc discussed at the meeting of the Commit tee oil Thursday next. Mr W, H. Rose, treasurer to the Hospital Trustees, has received the following tetter frpm Mr J. Re id (Elderslie.): "On feadjijg your' remarks at i-lic Hospital meeting I, pj'-Very much surprised , to learn how little t|ip people of the district have contributed tp Die funds of such a necessary institution. I, wiflSp ji cheque for £lO, and I shall be happy, to contribute a similar sum yearly," This, with the' Government subsidy,. means actually a donation of £22 to the Hos-. pital funds, Mr Rose will he pleased to acknowledge further -donations.' As a gentleman, with two ladles ..and ; a child'sycts driving down the steepest patt of Wliarf street yesterday, : the axle of the trap broke,' apparently at a flaw. The two ladies aiid the cljild were thrown out, escaping without injury, ljut the driver bad his ankle injured ill getting clear ; of the ! vehicle. The horse swerved on to the footpath, and from the manner in which ho used his heels it is perhaps a good thing' that there was no one in the trap, With-the exception of the broken axle aiid a ruined splashboard the trap was but little damaged. . The abode of Mr T, Patterson, whicli was situated in an indentation of the cJiH above Messrs !J. Mill; and. Go.'s sftjrc, .)vas destroyed , by fire at. mid-day yesterday, -flip place and its contents were consumed jn a)>flut. ten minutes; ; Mr Patterson, wiio was ab&ijfi <it the-time,, docs not know how the fire,, originated, and was unable. to. save, much of -his worldly goods. He, however, contemplated, now' that the 'old age ; ;'penslou has been increased by 3s per week,' 1 , to build a more substantial structure.. Mr Patterson looses all he was possessed of. A number of new factories will shortly exist in Oainaru, as soon, as :thc butchers' shops"'are brought under the operations of the Factories Act. We'tui'dcistand the' Department intend, to create all the butchers shops in tojnr factories, Butchers, do .riot lijanufactiirc meat, but they do sausages "of .Jiftnffojd' variety, and for that reason -they,-are to be '.cn-' rolled amongst- the' owners of factories In the' colony. In a short time any butcher * found. " manufacturing " ft " sassage» without obtaining a license -fee wlililie subject to something as deadly as the Black Holeol Calcutta,

Many.of Mt 'A. L. Herdman's political supporters have expressed the opinion that his admirers, should suitably, recognise his ability as a politician, and their appreciation of his services to the co lony and' to the Mount Ida electorate' in particular! -Mr James,. Kirby, who,i acted as Mr Herdman's secretary, was requested to ascertain the feeling of supporters throughout the district, and. from all parts of the extensive electorate the unanimous- replies: indicate --a strong .desire to heartily support any proposal/ which would show, unabated-confidence in Mr Hcrdman-.for the fearless and advocacy ot his political principles. - A' suitablc,- presentation will be mado In- due qourso.

| The warmer and: brighter weathct-.vthat has been jjxperlenced of late, though subject to inteuupijons of clouds, < has been very beneficial to the crops, and

will help to 1 make the harvest, moro as- 1 burcd by filling' tho" can. That reaping time is approaching is evidenced' by a sinanll: paddock of barlcy'at Otiako, wliich, Hill' probably be ready fpr cutting during the cairent week; but this little lot iS only an early indicator of what is coming, for it < will be some weeks yet before harvest will commence- in; earnest even in that generally forward locality, Those who-arc entitled to express an Authoritative opinion on the subject .say that it will ho well towards the end of February ' before harvest operations - will be in full swing in North Otago Wo understand object the Government liavo fit view in bringing butchers' shops, wftlun the provisions of«the Facr, tones: Act is so that, the, inspectors may supervise tlio ".manufacture": of sausages, and at the same time add to the number of; factories;-The butcher.may rebel .at

the idea; -that a .sausage is• '■ manufactured,- 1 ' any mora than that- a sirloin of beef is manufactured, but if the Govern-ment-persists in its-.determination to increase;; the number of 'factories; the suci culont Westminster and the: brobdignagian black, pudding (we are not acquainted with the technical nomenclature of the

thing) will come . within- the radius of the inspector's inspection,. and he will dr#- his annual - ice forlooking at tlicm us tllcy are hung up for display in-tlio wiiidow. Is it possible that Sergeant O'Grady is. an expert in sausages ?. ■

Til? Windsor Christmas issfoe, just to liand, is a' superb double number, and can faithfully", be described as a triumph of magazine enterprise. The beautiful art sectibn has- twenty-four. excellentVrepro-

ductions of the pictures of W. Dcndy Sadler. Anthony Hope commences a new serial, a story in tlio " Prisoner of Zenda.":: vein, entitled "Sophy of Kravonia, 1 !. illustrated by Fred,, Pcgram', A novel - and pleasing 'feature' is the rep'ro: ductioii in colors of the famous " Vanity Fair, cartoons." Thirty of these admirable-' caricatures, .with interesting and humorous anecdotes, appear in this number,-: Twelve illustrated stories by Rudyard Kipling, Eden Philpotts, 'Justus Miles Forman, lan , Maclaren, S. R. Crockett and others, with many attractive articles by Ellen Terry, Harry Furniss; etc.—in all, 210 pages of work by the 'best writers and the - best artists.

We "can sately advise our readers not to this number, for no better shilling's, worth of all round attractive literature is procurable. 1 The Christmas " Windsor." commences a volume, a good opportunity for new subscribers, Mr J, Allan, who is leaving tho employ of the Oamaru Woollen 'Factory Company to take up the position in the Government service of Inspector of Orchards, was oi) Saturday presented by those connected with tho Factory with handsome memeutqes of his connection with the Company. Mr D. Patterson, the m'ajiager of the Company, occupied the chair, and referred in laudatory terms to the value that Mr Allan's services had been to the Company;' and ' the regret they all felt at ■ his departure. He was sure they would all endorso the hope that hcj-cxprosscd that Mr Allan would succeed as well 'in the service of the State as) he had in that of the' Company. Ho called upon Mr W. Wliyte to make the presentation, which consisted of a handsome travelling bag, rug and umbrella. Ini doing so Mr Wliyte made reference to thp good relationships that had existed between the recipient and'the other employees in the Factory, and on their behalf he hoped that, Mr Allan wjould do as well'for the Government'as he had done for the Company, and wished him every success,. Mr Allan suitably replied,. expressing thanks for the handsome : presents and for the good feeling displayed .towards himself. • •

One o,f our . representatives:. when at Stag Point recently, had' an opportunity presented, by. Mr Allan M'lntosh, the general manager of, the Allandalc Coal Company, of inspecting the improve m'ents, recently completed at the Allandale coal mine. An electric plant has blSen installed, which docs all the haulage and lighting under-:.ground,- tho power of which. is supplied, from threo Cornish boita. It is tlio.only mino in New Zealandi where the haulage is done by electricity, The high, pressure centrifugal electrical pump lias >a capacity of liftilig 5000 gallons per hour a height.(if 180 feet, and the fan for ventilating purposes is also worked by. electrical power. Th#; prospecting dip is now down . <2OO yards,' and .the..seam of coal has increased from sft 6ln up to 10ft. The quality of. the coal has improved considerably, being no.w equal to .that obtained by tho Shag Point Company, when it ceased through the sea interfering with : the workings. We observed a large quantity of blue. gum ti&biir on the ground, which is used as. props in thp mine, this being obtained from the Oamaru district, TJic Company has a private railway line, dearly two miles in length, connecting With the Government line at Busliey, tho haulage over which is done by the Company's owii engine. Now. that the plant has been improved we are certain that the Company will have an. increased output, thereby giving employment to a great uumbcr of miners.

'Tiie annual summer school of the Students' Christian Union will, take place in

.Oaraaru this year, as the public will probably have observed from various announcements.. The school should not -he

pom'tiscd with that held here last year in connection with the Bible Class Union. The Students' Christian. Union is the organisation that sprang into existence largely in consequence of evangelical work dono 'by tho late Professor Henry Drummond among the. university students of Scotland, and it was was in connection with it that Mr J, It. Mott visited New Zealand twice in recent .years, The conference (wh eh was held iat New Plymouth last year) is not such; a large one as that held here twelve months' ago, but it is expected that about 40 students will he present;. These will arrive' in Oa'maru about Saturday of this week, and tho school will commcnco its meetings on Sunday, while on Monday afternoon the delegates will be the guests of a number of friends at a' garden party to be held in the Sovetnstroct Gardens, where any residents-who' arc interested will also he welcomed. The objects of the gathering arc, of course, mutual improvement, and addresses will lie delivered in the morning and evening of each day of the whole week for which the school will last. The addresses will be principally concerned with religious subjects and movements of the time, as the following titles of some of the sub-

jects will indioatc: "The Inspiration oi Ideals," "This Potentialities of Friendshipj" " Science and ' Religion," " The Ordeal of Doubt," etc. The local secretary for tho school js Miss M. King, of North street, Oamarii, Tlie lady delci gate,s arc being found homes by a number |of sympathisers here, while the gentlemen will be camped on the Show Ground. '' ' MR SWINDLEY, Surgeon Dentist, will visit Kurow on Thursday next, the 18th inst:,and may be consulted at Simmons' llolcl. ' .

Every requisite for Art Needlework, from finest linen to the newest canvasses, at THE ART DEPOT. • • Of course' all drapers keep a stock of lace "curtains, hut rarely go to the trouble of drawing special attention to them, yet in this instance there is weighty reason why a line of Nottingham'lace curtains should be mentioned In the hearing 1 of every householder. Penrose's have just to hand a parcel of' 500 pairs of whiteand cream lace .curtains that com-

prise the whole remains of a manufacturer's stock. As usual, the basis ,ol

this purchase was the . large trade (lis count that accompanies' such cleafinj lots. These curtains can now lie oiierei

the public of Qamaru at .25 per cent to 33" l-3rd per cent reduction off present trade values. White lace" curtains, 3} yards long, ordinary prices 5s 6d, 6s Cd, 8s fid, 9s 'fid,' our' special prices: 3s lid. 4s 114, 5s |ld, 7? 6d ;.,3Rhite and cream ape- curtains,' 3 ? Fards long,' ordinary prices Is lid, 4s od, ■6s - 6d, 7s' dd," our special prices 2s lid, 3s 9s, -5s 3d, 6s 3d; white and cream laco- cijrUins, 4 yards long,' ordinary prices 10s Cd, Us Cd, 10s, 21s, our special-prices 7s 9d, 9s ; 9d, lis 9d, 16s Od. We have a good many low-priced curtains, in various lengths, at Is lid, 2s 3d, 2s 6d, 2s Oil, 2s* lid, 3s 3d per pair, vesy suitable for bedroom windows, where very long curtains- arc not .required,-PENROSE'S Drapery Establishment. MESSRS J H. MILLIGAN AND CIO. have jusji to hand, an exceptionally fine range of Tennis Shirts, very choic6 pattern?, and light and . comfortable -for summer weather;, also, a fine ■ range, of Panama Hats and Soft" Straws.

I. Dr Grassland's Noxol . is ' tho concentrated extract of six pounds of medicinal plants. No one but those who have used this remedy can realise how quickly It cures indigestion, constipation, liver

nd- stomach > troubles,- .r2s,■ at .chemists and stores.