NOTES AND COMMENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 9812, 6 May 1895, Page 4

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

America is a big country, with an immense populationa country in which during the present century various schemes of land settlement have been tried, some with partial success, but nob a few with lamentable failure. Just now a new departure is being made in settlement that may turn out a success, if the people will hold together, co-operate as much as possible, "give and take" as the saying goes, and carry out the doctrine of " doing unto others," etc.; in other words, if they will allow "sweet reasonableness" to permeate and guide their motives and actions. This new experiment of settling upon land, which is being carried out in Michigan, will be watched with considerable interest", not only in the States, bub in tlu . j colonies ; for if it should happen to realise : the expectations of its founder or founders, other settlements may be started [ on the same line 3 in various places.

Briefly, the following is an outline of the j movement: The settlement, to be called Hiawatha, is to be established under the principle orarrangement of product sharing, as distinct from profit-sharing, lb is not to be a communism, according to the ordinary meaning of that term, because ib involves no community of goods, nor interference with families. Every family is to have its own home, and manage its own domestic affairs. Private property will nob be interfered with, and in every way will be protected. The experiment is based upon the proposition and understanding that settlers shall join their capital in order to purchase and own together the machinery farming or otherwise — and materials necessary for production, and that, working together, each shall have a share of whab ie produced, the share being determined by the labour, etc., of the producer. "Ib is a doctrine of this association that there is no other basis for ownership than that of production, or an honest exchange of absolute equivalents, and that all business transactions which involve the obtaining of something for nothing are essentially wrong, and that all property rights based on such transactions are morally void." The parties who have joined together to carry out this new experiment of settling upon land, insist that each man has naturally a right to v/hab his own labour may produce, and that by no trick of commerce nor scheme of exchange can he ever establish a property right in anything which represents no effort of his own.

At this newly-formed village or settle- ! ment in Michigan, there were, according to late reports, 37 men with their families— 125 people altogether. So far as trades are concerned, they appear to be a very mixed lot, for amongst them are masons, carpenters, brickmakers, farmers, engineers, printers, teachers, clergymen, typewriters, dressmakers, blacksmiths, shoemakers, sawyers, and tanners. The Association now owns upwards of eight thousand acres of land, and the people have bean at work building houses, clearing land, and planting crops. There were iSO acres of land under cultivation. Of stock, they had seventy head of cattle and thirty horses. They had got together the whole of the utensils and machinery required for farming, including ploughs harrows, discs, mowing machines, and bind, ers. They had also a sawing mill for cutting timber for the erection of houses, shops, and barns. They were very busy constructing buildings for new families, who were joining the movement as fast as it was possible to provide for them. In the settlement they had already started the manufacture of their own boots and shoes. Some knitting was also being done. In fact, several useful employments were being developed. According to the principles agreed to by the Association, the sale or use of intoxicants, as well as gambling and its allied vices, are forbidden, while the people have joined in a declaration of common faith, and unanimously voted to make their Association emphatically a religious body.

Tho Duke of Orleans, who meb with a serious accident while hunting last week, is the heir to the French throne, and still has hopes of one day regaining the sceptre wielded by his ancestors. In the course of conversation recently published in a French paper he said "How and when I hope to ascend the throne is my secret and the secret of the future. I can only tell you that I am labouring for it, and that I shall struggle till I succeed. And if the danger becomes too threatening for our unhappy country, then—do you wish 1110 to speak out ?—when the deliverance of France is at stake and when one represents the right, to save her one returns as best one can." The Duke, who is a chartered life Fellow of tho Imperial Institute, has placed his collection of sporting trophies, costumes, arms, fabrics, and curiositiescollected by him mainly in British dependencies, and now at Stowe House, Bucks—at the disposal of the president, the Prince of Wales. His Royal Highness has given directions for the collection to be placed in one of the galleries of the Imperial Institute.

Madame Modjeska, whose expulsion "from Russian territory was announced by cable a few days ago, is a famous Polish actress. At the Women's Congress at the Chicago Exhibition of 1893 the regular Polish delegates failed to appear, so Madame Modjeska volunteered to go in their place, and gave an address in favour of the movement for Polish independence. Since then the Russian Government has forbidden her to play in Poland, and at Warsaw she has been kept out of tho theatres. She had previously been informally notified that she would never again be allowed to appear on the stage in Russian dominions.

According to the annual report of tho New South Wales Minister for Education, tho total number of technical classes in operation in that colony during 1894 was 191, and the enrolment of pupils numbered 6543, or, deducting all cases where students entered for more than one class, the number of individual students was 4928. The number examined, including public school pupils tested in manual training, was 2457, of whom 1644, or nearly 70 per cent., satisfied the examiners. The teaching staff consisted of 89 persons. As regards expenditure, the total sum spent on technical education during 1894, including £4888 19s 6d on the Technological Museum, amounted to £21,214 10s 3d. Of this sum £17,936 3s 3d was a Parliamentary grant; the balance represents fees paid by students.

The treaty of peace betwean Japan and China has been ratified. Negotiations between Japan and the protesting Powers are proceeding. Ib is stated that Japan only desires to secure sufficient guarantees for the payment of the indemnity. The Russian squadron has left Japanese waters under sealed orders. Count Kalnoky has resigned. By a cyclone in America fifty-two lives have been lost. The blockade of Cor in to is to be raised, Great Britain relying on Nicaragua paying the guarantee. It is said that considerable friction exists in the British Cabinet and that Sir William V". Harcourb is likely to resign. The report of Lord Rosebery's intended retirement from the Premiership is denied.

Oscar Wilde has been liberated on boll, The New Zealand loan of a million and a-half has been successfully floated. The average is £94 83 93. Nearly »ix millions were offered. Mr. Ward is now initiating a gigantic conversion echerae of all Net/ Zealand stock into three per cents.