Newspaper Notions

Free Lance, Volume II, Issue 75, 7 December 1901, Page 7

Newspaper Notions

THIO children will look upon the earthquakes, as a blessing m disguise The average school bo^ or girl eithei, much prefei s earthquakes to school - Taien Ach oca.te The public simply will not submit to be bled in. the matter of bread We shall have to trot out that balance-sheet again — Dunedin "Liberal • ♦ * We doubt very much whether New Zealand politics will see Mi Seddon agaan We have reason to believe tha f he will disappear from oui honzon to reappear either as Agent-General or a C'oloniaJ Governor. — Queeristown Mail." The Sun" is to be the name of a new evening paper which will be published in Wellington shortly The close of the day is hardly the time for this Sun to burst forth. It makes one fear that the setting will soon follow — Levin "Farmer." • * * A fanner, sneaking at Kirwee yesterday, with regard to accident insurance, sand — "I have insured my men for the whole twenty-four hours If one of tthem breaks his neck while he is asleep — well, I'm protected, and so is he." — Christ church 'Press " ■* # » We certainly think that the Government should step in and appoint some day as the half-holida,y for all classes of the community — professional men, tradespeople, and working men — and make it universal throughout the colony — Maeterton ' Star " • • * The time must surely come when the Arbitration Courts in hearing disputes, m considering all points connected with them, will simply refuse .to grant exorbitant demands When this is done we may expect to find very many less disputes — Greytown "Standard." • • • Maori land has begun reprisals, in response to the Commonwealth tariff with an export tax on undressed timber, which will raise the price of white pine te Australian batter-box makers Since the avowed object of the tax is to keep the work of cutting the timber m the country, no one on this side can growl at its imposition. — Sydney "Bulletin " • • * In Wellington the condition of many of the hotels is a scandal and a disgrace to the owners, the Licensing Bench, and the city authorities, and the only marvel is that there are not more such disastrous fires a,s that by which the Oriental was destroyed recently —Marlborough "Express." » • • We hope that Captain Russell may remain m public life for" many years to come, for, however much we may dissent from some of his political views, we cannot fail to recognise his many splendid qualities as a spirited leader, a courteous gentleman, and a constant fnend — Lyttelton "Times " « • • A touching instance of fidelity came under our notice recently. Dunn, the heavy shower of rain last Thursday a water-cart might have been perceived calmly pursuing its watery way, m spite of its evident superfluity. The dnver pull up? Not he' He had got the job of dnvmg that superannuated watercart, and not all the Syehems in Antarctica should make him emit Semper fidelis.— Chnstchurch ' Truth." • • • The Manawatu Railway Company made many innovations. It was thf first line in Australasia to have a trave' ling dining car, the first to light car~ by electncitv. and the first anywhere to have a portable telephone in the guard's van with which connection could be got by throwing a wire across the telephone or telegraph wires alongside the rails The engineer responsible for most of these experiments is now at Newcastle —Sydney "Mail " • ♦ • We have not wavered in the opinion that the Premier of New Zealand was very miudicious m his utterances during his 'visit to the South Sea Islands, when he masqueraded in a Privy Councillor's rig-out, knee breeches and cocked hat and all, with a lady dressed ma sort of nondescript khaki uiufoim to lend dignity to his majestic presence, accompanying him so a.s to impress the ignorant natives with an exaggerated idea of Mr Seddon's importance — Palmerston North ' Standard "

It makes us fed mad to see unacknowledged paragraphs from, our columns in some journal run bv a galoot whose mission on earth is to saw wood. — Dunedin ' Liberal." * * * It has been suggested that Sir Thomas Lipton should be given the freedom of the oity of New York. The only way to accomplish tins thoroughly would be to put him on the police — Washington "Star " ♦ ♦ ♦ Bv placing a duty on Fijian fiuit, wo should deliberately thiow awa\ the opportunity w hioh the Federal tariff seems likely to afford us of extending our markets and cheapening our fnntsupplv — Chnstohurch "Pi ess." It is a curious but absolute fact that the lowest wages in the colony are earned by those employed in protected" industries, and the highest w ages aie paid to those employed in the natural and unprotected industries — Jfcangatikei Advocate " But let each man own his nfle feel that he is personally responsible for it, and that it is eiven him for the pui poses of defending his home and his country, amd we feel sure that nfle shooting would soon become a national pastime — Opotiki 'Guaidian " The whole point of oui politics seems to concentrate about the savings and doings of one man, and so far as the ordinary individual can see there is not much prospect of an alteration until that commanding figure is promoted to some higher sphere — Palmervton 'Times." * * * One would have thought that with the dreadful lesson of the Royal Oak fiie still fresh in their minds, the city and licensing authorities of Wellington would have seen to it that the shortcomings pointed out bv the fire inspector were remedied art: once. — Christ-church Press " ♦ * ♦ In New Zealand, as in othei of the colonies, the Commission of the Peace is not too pure, and until it is better there are grounds for apprehension that the over-ruling of experienced magistrates by amateurs will work immense havoc m the dispensing of justice — Auckland ' Ob&erver " •* * * As Mr. Seddon shook hands with a gentleman on the Wanganui station platform, an übiquitous "Witness" man heard him remark, 'The country is safe vet," alluding probably to New Zealand It may be safe — from storms and tempests — but not from politicians and earthquakes — Waimate "Witness " » ♦ * The most forward developments at present taking place in the *farmin o business appear to us to be in connection with pig and poultry raising. Our Taranaki friends are thoroughly alive to the opportunities that 'Dinnis" presents for making sure money, and ar^ doing w ell out of it — Eketahuna Express." • ♦ ♦ London rumours have it that Seddon is to be appointed Lieutenant-Governor of the Orange River colony Surely the Home authorities are making a mistake From King of Maoriland to a common or garden Lieutenant-Gover-nor 1 What has he done to deserve a hint of such degradation ? — Adelaide "Critic." * + * The British need only employ the same methods which the Germans adopterl aerainst French irregrulars in 1870. The Boers would not hold out loner then It would be a satisfaction to the British to defeat the Boers with methods borrowed from the Germans, who are always ranting about British barbarities "Die Information," Vienna