THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1890.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 8179, 14 February 1890, Page 4

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1890.

Among the most important questions before the motions of Europe and America is this: whether or not shall silver be coined at a fixed prioe and to unlimited extent, in the same way as gold ? Answer In the affirmative, say its advocates, and we should cause a return to the high prices for land and all commodities which ruled some years ago; we should also give an immense stimulus to the production of silver, and enable people to pay their

debts with greater eaße7~The and mortgagees to whom the dS* * paid would be abb to pasnfc at the same rate. The onW« , n incomes, of which the purchasing ■ incomes, of which the purchasing would be much reduced. *%££ prospects held out by the people wj! are making such strenuous efforts " America for a boom in silver, and wiS it a boom in property of all kinds real and personal. To bring it about National Silver Convention -was held two months ago at St. Loui ß T - m hundred and fifty elected deWa?* from all parts of the Union were pre? sent. Crowds attended the session' which were held with great pomp j display in the Hall of the Exhibition Building. The convention urged theun limited coinage of silver, denounced the demonetisation of this metal as a crim and suggested the issue of certißcatS to represent silver bullion deposited in the Treasury. Subsequently the Secretary for the Treasury submitted a Bill to Congress on this subject. The demone tisation of silver by France, German*" and other nations, reduced the volume of currency in the world, caused a heavv fall in the price of silver and of land and all other purchasable commodities' seriously affected all outstanding liabi lities, and deranged all incomplete or pending transactions. Can the restora tion of silver to its old character as a measure of value be so managed as to remedy these evils without causing new and greater to spring up in their place This is the intricate question which. / we presume, the Bill now before the { United States Congress is designed to solve.

In Great Britain and her colonies the legal tender is gold to any amount, and silver to an amount not exceeding forty shillings. _ Gold is taken at the mint at a fixed price. A given number of soveI reigns are always to be obtained in exchange. Silver is not so taken but is coined by the mint as Government may consider from time to time necessary, in order to maintain the supply of silver coin. The relative value of silver to gold for coinage purposes is fixed by Law. For all that, the production of .silver has so exceeded the demand, that it is bought in the open market'at a price far below this ratio. In France, both silver and gold were legal tender to any amount till Germany bought to demonetise her silver coins and confine her currency to gold. She began in 1871, by issuing to her own people a certain quantity of gold coin in exchange for silver. The silver was sent to the French mint, and gold or gold coin taken in exchange, to be smelted and re-coined in Germany. To prevent the consequent drain upon their gold the' French Government stopped coining silver, although its character as unlimited legal tender was left unchanged. The other countries which form the Latin monetary union —Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, and Greece — followed the example of France. The sudden stoppage of silver coining in these countries and in Germany, brought down the price of silver by 1879 from 60d to 46fd, and it lias gone on falling since. Germany persevered for some time, but the losses and difficulties became too great. She was obliged at last to keep a large portion of her silver coinage, which is still in circulation. _ Other countries are in the same position, but the market for silver has been enormously diminished. The greatest producer of silver is the United States, and the people interested in her mines have not ceased to agitate. They passed the Bland Act in 878 as a measure of relief. Thi? Act directed the coinage of not less than £400,000, nor more than £800,000 of silver dollars per month. By the end of 1885 no less than £43,000,000's worth of these dollars had been coined. They were priced, and circulated, where possible, at 100 cents each, though the silver in them could only be sold for 80 cents, or sent out of the country, or ii used for any but home circulation. Gold must have been driven out of the .country, as people would find it profitable to buy gold with these depreciated dollars, 'and send it to the markets where its purchasing power was relatively greater. The banks stepped in and averted this disaster by uniting to refuse accepting silver whereever practicable. Vast sums of the Bland dollars are, therefore, lying unissued in the Treasury vaults. They have been coined from silver bought by the Government at the varying market price, and the advocates of the Act now ask why coin at all? Why not issue currency notes to all who deposit silver, and thus save the expense or coinage How are these currency notes to be put into circulation, and to what extent? On -what ratio in the value of silver to gold are they to be based 1 Are they to be irredeemable, redeemable in silver or redeemable in gold! Or are they to be merely of the same character and used in the same way a3 ordinary warrants fop bonded' goods' If the latter, no ill consequences could follow, but the objects of the promoters could not be attained, and the general benefit be scarcely appreciable. Most probably the object is to restore the metal as currency. If so, the issues are momentous, and will, more or less, affect us all. A derangement of the currency may cause a temporary inflation, but very soon its profits are confined to a comparatively small circle of unscrupulous speculators. Every interest and every person outside of that circle is injuriously affected, and uncertainty attends every transaction in whicn time is involved. The prospect of a general rise of prices following the inflation is, of course, attractive to large numbers who hope to unloaa themselves of present difficulty ana place their burdens on the shoulders or other people. The difficulty wouldm much lessened, might in fact disappear, if the ratio between silver and gow could be fixed, and both made currency in all countries simultaneously.* L , bring this partially about was one or the objects of the recent PanAnierican Congress. How far it succeeded we w not yet know, but the extent ottJJ field of operation may be gauged n the fact that in all the States-jroin Mexico to throughout CMWi India, Japan, and the East, silver alone is the standard coin and measure w the value of land and commodities. To restore prices to anything like tnei former level would be an immense ; boon to large numbers who are now sunerujs from engagements entered »to WJJJ the great fall. But to do this by any forced and temporary remedy'*"' merely laying the foundations tor w derangement and iew difficultypeople and no Parliament has been dm. * to face with more difficult finance problems than the people, and ,^»f l _ n of the United States. They have been successful-marvellous y su . the past, and restored their finagg shattered by a long and cost un W war, with a rapidity and ease « ampled in the history of the wo : { , We can only wait, and wish thereis lar success in solving the pro with forced upon them in connection the fall oi silver. It is a PjJfjU which they, more than others, i f their positronasthelargMtproducers silver, have directly the }&&&„* diate interests at stake. £" c ct ed, in which m oreorlessafle c especially those colonies having:p debts, the interest on which m«s met by produce which has to expo to quantities greater or less, according rf &eir money value in the, m«* ow the world. f 1 ■ '■'-' ■■■ ■■' ' ''•- " ' 4i > # " j 1

give some further partiTfae the Zambesi dispute. c ft a ffi?y. the House of Lords, de*Trf the action of the British Government, *5 S-James' Fergusson, in reply to a •"iiion intimated that the matter was not thich could bo referred to arbitration. one ? Imperial Parliament, the attempt In t "L the forced Parnell letters published a breach of privilege was debyS? hf a eood majority. Lord Salisbury if the Souse of Lords that inU wis diminishing in Ireland. The Sh Government appear at last to be Hied with the excellence of the £lCki gun, throwing a dynamite shell, * lin td bv Lieutenant Zafinski, of the SSSstois Army, and have ordered 60 F ha constructed at Woolwich Arsenal. &Jnuc d' Orleans has been sentenced to vara' imprisonment, a procedure which {J, caused some excitement in Paris. n„ r Australian cablegrams give particu- , .«to the wreck of the ship Holyhead, Pm London, on Point Lonsdale. Captain n Thin* is veil known in the Now Zealand 'Vp No lives were lost. . Typhoid fever, *? X more prevalent in Melbourne this *°% "aid to be less fatal. A balloonist Mraclmtist named Williams has had inciting adventure at Ashfield, near Hobtft, and had a narrow escape of losing his life. The Australian Federation Conference, it 'U be seen, has passed the resolution of ? Henrv P;irkes. Mr. Deakin withdrew hi! motion, of which he had given notice. The Conference is expected to close its siti ** today, and the New Zealand deletes Hon. Captain Russell and Sir John fklf'it , s expected, will leave Melbourne to Wellington on Monday next According to the cablegrams received Cm* a month ago the Rev. Charles Clark, L. celebrated lecturer, will leave England n-dftv tor Melbourne, by the steamer Austsl ' Mr. Clark was tho first and best of fie lecturer who have made such successhi tour? in the colonies ; and it was in the fhoral Hall, Auckland, sixteen years since, *i, a t he commenced his most successful career. At the beginning of 1579 he went to England, and during the interval he has bean continually preaching and lecturing. There are few large cities in the old «ountrv which he has not visited. His return is"looked forward to with much interI tst in Melbourne. His Excellency tho Governor, who was I His Excellency tho Governor, who has present at Mr. Santley's first concert, has Limated his intention of being present at ' the famous vocalist's third concert this evening. His Excellency will be accom nanied°by the Countess of Onslow. Attention has already been called to the very interesting programme which is to be predated, and there is every reason for believing that Mr. Santley will be heard to foil advantage to-night. Especial general meeting: of the shareholders of the Bank of New Zealand will be held at the banking-house to-day, at noon, to confirm the resolution passed at a prerious meeting respecting the removal to London of the" head office and general manlament. Owing to the large demand for the Hxkalp's Jubilee Pamphlet it has been found necessary to print a second edition which will be issued at once. Several additions have been mads in the second edition, includinj a complete list of the Bines of the Jubilee Celebration Committee. The ca«e Slater v. the City Council was continued and concluded yesterday ab the Supreme '"oiirt. The action was brought by'the plaintiff, the lessee of the City Market, against the Corporation, claiming the cancellation of the lease and £700 damages. The claim for damages was laid on the grounds that the plaintiff had been induced by false representations to enter into the contract of lease, but after hearing the plaintiffs evidence and the arguments of ■ocnsel, the plaintiff was nonsuited, and no »« was sent to the jury. During the bearing of the case a side issue of some importance was raised. Mr. Cotter, City Solitar, was served with a subpoena in the Court 10 produce the lease. This he declined to 40, as the costs of preparation had not been -paid. Lengthy argument on this point entad, but Mr. Justice Conolly rujed that ctil Mr. Cotter's lien was satisfied, he need not produce the document. The point was pressed strongly, and numerous aaiia-ities were quoted. m reference to the accident reported in rsterday's issue, in regard to the reckless inving of wild cattle on the Mount Roskill Boad, we learn that a long time ago the Mount Eden Road Board, in whose district i portion of the Mount Roskill Road lies, framed by-laws regulating the traffic in driving cattle, etc., but that no attention baa been paid to them by the drivers of tattle. The Board have had the by-laws printed and circulated to auctioneers and others, but all their efforts in the past to control the cattle traffic, so as to prevent or minimise accident, has been unavailing, but the proverbial last straw has been laid upon the back of the patient camel. We learn that the by-laws will be no longer a dead letter, and that steps will at once be token to prosecute the present offenders, and all future offenders will have to settle with Dr. Giles respecting breaches of them. Drovers of cattle and some other classes of employes appear to set themselves up in defiance of all laws respecting their conduct, and the action of the Mount Eden Road Board in resolving to bring the case bto Court will meet with the approval of ill well-conducted citizens. The whole of the Mount Eden Road district is too Aickly populated to allow the recklessMa} to be carried on longer which has been customary during the last year or two, and the Board ought not only to' prosecute, but see that a police constable is appointed as a guardian to the well behaved *nd a terror to the evil doers within the district Though known as a road board, tie Mount Eden district is really more important and more thickly inhabited than many a borough in the southern part of the »lony. The trustees of the Elam School of Art bare received a very large number of applications for admission to the school which is shortly to be opened. As the primary object of the trust is 'to provide tuition free to those who cannot afford to pay for it, preference will be given to those applicants »bo send with their applications letters or certificates showing that they are not in a position to pay for instruction themselves. "is the intention of the trustees to invite "I intending students by letter to meet »em and Mr. Payton at the school at an **dy date to hear tho rules and regulations wider which theschool will becarried on. The tastees hope that all applications will be ttnt in by Saturday next, so that arrangements may be made for opening the school wan early date. . An old colonist passed away yesterday, the person of Mrs. Henry Ridings, relict * * .the late Mr. Henry Ridings. She Jjm'ed in Auckland from Melbourne in "* Gazelle, in 1856, with her husband, *00 was brother to Mr. Richard Ridings, '•the old Auckland firm of Connell and f'loint;?, and who came to Auckland to l«p the firm. Mrs. Ridings has been s>«ng for some time past, but died yesterav morning somewhat unexpectedly at ° er residence Grafton Road, of angina r-fons, at the age of 66. The deceased ™0' leaves three sons and five daughters to °urn their loss. " ith reference to what appeared in our renins yesterday regarding the flax indusAm'-^ 16 lowing private advices from America received here are of interest :— ,i , 0r vou r information we may pay that plough the price of Manilla hemp at the v er *, e . nt mom is high, the price of jute is fib/ anc enormous quantities of thin j ® a - re . now being used for binding twine. Lan Dt ' r ' r M mucn cheaper, it is absoway necessary for us to have a fibre thn,t 3ric m i °' ne ,neaßure compete with it in Jsin» V UiL here we wish to say, that m l » ew Zealand hemp this season wo had ° ccasionall come across a bale that wet parent become wet or had been the .it" Packed, and the result was that Such k* 8 rotten and fell to P ioces - Manill* l K aa this never occurs in to tit p> and we mußfc ask y° u lee tK*. very great precautions, and cent ,f , nothing is sent to us extcrihJf quality which we have doirom good ° 1 "*, well dressed, free face I >rn L aild straw, and of fair aveir« li>nl»! ' r , unnin K from five to six feet fibre „7' an , d ifc shoul d bo a firm clean blnJi?!T aßoffc broken fibre; bales should "iff 2llK ay Wt, J and heads small, say «■ kncWu edo nob lik iron hoop i- fi nd th»f -T used m dumping, because we : k'sornV, y rUst and rofc the hemp, and 1 P*S25S^i pUt th 9 fibre - This is more "ot wraS th when the dttm P3 I wra PPed wtth cloth."

With regard to the licensing elections for City East and North, there appears to be a good deal of manoauvering going on. Captain H. F. Anderson desires us to state that he had no intention of standing for any of the licensing committees, but that Mr. Taylor (of Brown and Campbell's) came to him and iuformed him that at a meeting of the trade a majority wero in favour of a certain ticket in which his name "was included. It was represented to him that by agreeing to stand a contest would bo avoided as well as all the worry and bitterriess incident to it. Under these circumstances he consented, if it was of service to the community, although domestic affliotion in his family would have influenced him under ordinary circumstances to decline to serve. Afte; the nominations were made, he ascertained that there was a difference of opinion, and that there would be a contest alter all. He states that he has no intention of being used by anybody, and will seo the matter through. Captain Anderson states that he understands Messrs. C. C. McMillan and F. G. Ewinßton had similar representations made to them as those already referred to. Tho Dunedin Star of the 6th instant has the following :—" It having been recently reported to tho authorities that numbers of dead and dying trout were in the lower part of the Water of Leith, while the vrater was in a filthy condition, inquiries were instituted which clearly show that a very large quantity of obnoxious matter had been discharged into the Leith. With a view to preventing a continuance of the evil we understand that a prosecution is likely to be initiated at the joint instance of tho Acclimatisation Society .and the Otago Anglers' Association. Early this morning fully 1000 young trout were taken from the Leith, between St. David and Howe streets, by Mr. Marshall, assisted by two lads. They averaged from 6 inches to 10 inches in length, and weighed from 3oz to 802. They represented next year's fishing stock, and the loss to the Society will thus be a severe one. Larger fish could be seon lying dead in the pools. We would caution any persons who have picked up dead or dying trout near the Leith against eating them. The water taken from the river is also charged with obnoxious matter." The Rev. Mr. Kelynack, of tho British Wesleyan Conference and superintendent of one of the Manchester circuits, has been staying at Rotorua. It was felt by many that they would like a sermon from him during his stay, and as there is no Wesleyan Church in the neighbourhood, the Bishop of Waiapu, with his accustomed geniality, waited on the rev. gentleman, and invited him to occupy his pulpit in the Church of St. Faith on the following day. So on Sunday evening last the visitors at the Hot Lakes were favoured with the unusual but pleasing sijrht — that of a Wesleyan minister occupying the pulpit of an Episcopalian Church. The discourse, which was listened to by a large and devout congregation, was on the thoughts of God, their nature and end. The Bishop and his assistant, the Rev. Mr. Spencer, took part in the service, and at tho close the Bishop warmly thanked the preacher for his excellent and comforting discourse. The northern correspondent of the Chri6tchurch Press writes:—-"Nature seems to have vouchsafed almost perfect weather for the maturing of tho grain crop, in which the harvesting machines are everywhere busily at work. Complaints of poor crops are quite an exception, and are in no wise due to the present weather. Ripening of the wheats has gone on at a slower rate than was anticipated, but the weight of the samples seems to be in no wise impaired, nor the estimates we mAdo a few weeks ago materially altered. Soon it is expected tho agricultural enumerators, who are now employed in collecting the statistics for Canterbury, will be able to give in their returns. Potato crops that were injured by late frosts have to some extent revived, judging by the tops, but how far the yield upon several acres will be affected has not yet been ascertained. Admirable progress is being made with reaping and binding, so that the grain harvest will be quite done by the end of the present month, with a continuance of the existing weather to aid in the operations." Those who desire to object to tho city valuations have now the opportunity of doing so. All objections must be left at the Municipal Building*, Coburg-street, Auckland, on or before Saturday next, addressed to the General Assessment Court ; and a copy of every such objection must be left at the City Council Office, addressed to the Town Clerk, not later than seven days .before the next sitting of the said Court. A remarkable growth of a sunflower can be seen just now in Mr. John Cornish's garden, at the corner of Randolph and Gloucester streets, in the Karangahape Ward. The plant is nine feet in noight, and has 25 flowers on it in all stages of perfection. With such a result from a single seed, would it not pay.some of our settlers to grow a small patch for- the sake of the honey which the bees extroct, and the excellent feed which the seed makes for poultry ? An unocoapied four-roomed cottage was burned down at New Lynn, on Sunday morning last about half-past ten; and Mounted-Trooper Kelly went out yesterday to make inquiries. It appears that tho outbreak of fire was first noticed by a settler named George Todd, who lives near at hand, and who was going on a visit to a neighbour. The fames speedily shot through the roof, and in a few minutes the building was burned to the ground. Mr. Todd says he has no idea how the fire originated, and he saw no one about. The house was owned by Mr. W. Boot, grocer, Karangahape Road, and was insured in the Imperial for £100. It is presumed some loafer may have been sleeping in the place, as the back door was unlockod, and dropped a match, thereby causing the fire. A meeting of drapors and clothiers was held at Robson's Rooms last evening, Mr. Jack being in the chair. After some discussion it was decided to hold the annual picnic at the Tamaki on Thursday, March 5. The following gentlemen were elected as a managing committee :— Messrs. McKenzie, McCullough, Goldwater, Jack, Orr, Hopkins, Cooper, Morgan, and Davis. Mr. Theo. Queree was elected a3 lion, secretary, and Mr. Hall treasurer. The meeting was then adjourned till Monday evening next, when the managing committee will meet. A two-year-old son of Mr. Geo. Taylor, of Lawrence, Otago, died on Wednesday through a biscuit sticking in his windpipe "and producing suffocation. Tracheotomy was performed, but the child died during the operation. The surplus from the Wellington Jubilee festivities, amounting to such a large sum as nearly £500, tho Finance Committee have been empowered to make enquiries with a view to striking 5000 bronze medals, to be given to the childreu who took part in the celebrations. In the Divorce Court, Wellington, on Thursday, in the case Seale v. Scale, wifo'H petition for separation on the ground of cruelty and adultery, a decree ni*i was granted, with costs. The parties were married in Christchurch in 1871, but latterly were on a sheep run in the Hawke's Bay district. An eccentric watchmaker at Waipawa, Charles Golden, who set up as a prophet, and from time to time sont out curious, and sometimes objectionable sheets, printed at a private press, has beon committed for trial for barglary at the premises of a storekeeper named Flynn. The question of the appointment of a headmaster to the Lyttelton School was the subject of a long debate by the Christchurch Board of Education yesterday, when a deputation from the Lyttelton ComI mittee urged tho appointment of Mr. Goes, I the present second master. The Board adhered to their former decision, but added the name of Mr. E. F. Just to the list of applicants approvod by the Board. At the Dunedin Police Court yesterday, Janet Gibbie, proprietress of the Shamrock Hotel, was fined £3 and costs for employing a female in the bar after eleven o'clock at night. The dofonce was that the girl, who is the second cook at the hotel, had been ordered to go to bed, but she went into the bar to get a glass of porter for herself and another for a lady boarder. In a case heard at Wanganui on Wednesday, under the Gaming and Lotteries Act, the Bench of justices disagreed, and adjourned the case for an additional J.P. The question in dispute is whether a man inviting people at a race meeting to play ," under and over seven" was a game; no money to pass. X

We understand that the Auckland Choral Society will go into rehearsal of " Moses in Egypt" next week. It is intended to give the oratorio in honour of His Excellency the Governor and Countess of Onslow, and tho Earl and Countess of Kintore. " Among the suooessf ill pupils at the matriculation was Mr. F. Brabant, son of Judge Brabant, now of Wanganui, and lately a pupil of tho Domain Grammar School. Judge Brabant writes to Mr, Newcouabu to inform him of the fact, and adds : " Had I remained in the Auckland province I should have continued to send my boys to you, and thought myself fortunate in being able to do so.'' It is stated that a Whangarei syndicate has purchased the Tamautihinau block of (freehold) 1200 acres adjoining Puhipuhi, and about half-a-mile from the prospector's silver lodes. The block is said to be now under offer to Melbourne capitalists. Tho extensive reclamation contract, which ;has been going on in front of Te Aro, Wellington, for the last 21 months, is now complete. Over 400,000 yards of earthwork were involved. Staging will be erected in front along which vessels can lie. A mooting of the Auckland watchmakers and jewellers was held in the Young Men's Christian Association Rooms last evening, when it was decided to hold • the annual picnic at Motutapu (with Messrs. Read's kind permission) on February 27th. The following committee was elected :—Messrs. H. Kohn (hon. treasurer), H. Boyd (hon. secretary), W. Skeatos, E. A. Price, E. Jones, J. Howdeti, G. Read, nud Seymour. It was also proposed that Mr. W. Buchanan be asked to stand as president, and Messrs. Beck and Nashelski be made vice-presi-dent. After considerable discussion, it was decided to placo the balance from last year's picnic at the disposal of this year's committee. A vote of thanks was accorded to Mr. G. White, who kindly officiated as chairman, and also to the out-going committee. There was a very good attendance of the public at Harmston's Circus last night, at the reserve, in Wellesley-street. Considerable improvement was noticeable in many particulars of the performance as contrasted with the first given by the company on Wednesday evening, anil the various items were well received. The Circus will be open again this evening. Another excellent audience greeted the Silbon Company at the Opera House yesterday evening. A complete change of programme is announced for this evening, when the Silbons will produce splendid tableaux, including five scenes from tho life of Mary Magdalen, Roman Gladiators, Flight from Pompeii, etc. Moulton, of Moulton and Dashway, the clever acrobats, will surpass all his previous foats by a somersault from one horizontal bar to another, 20 feet away. The Girards will also appear in a new act, and other specialties will be introduced for the first time. On Saturday a matinee is to be given at half-past two o'clock. This company is one of the best of its kind that has ever visited Auckland. It will be seen by district orders elsewhere thatColonelShepherd, officer commanding the district, will meet officers commanding corps in the garrison, and members of the Mount Eden range committee, at the brigade office, on Tuesday, at five p.m.