OUR LETTER HOME.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11716, 26 July 1901, Page 1 (Supplement)

OUR LETTER HOME.

His Excellency the Governor has "been in.Auckland during the past week, having come up after the ■'' nening of Parliament to christen the new auxiliary screw schooner ' built ; for the Cook Islands fruit trade. The christening ceremony took place on Monday last,. His Excellency giving the schooner the name the Countess of Ranfurly. ]-.'. The vessel has been built to collect fruit from the outlying islands not touched by the Union # S.S. Com- '■■■ pany's steamers and bring the consignments to the more central ports to be reshipped to the New Zealand markets. Since the building of the ' schooner was started the Cook Islands have been made part of New | Zealand, and Lord Ranfurly inti- ; mated that this might to some _ extent tend to enlarge the operations : of the schooner, but her main pur- : pose was to develop the fruit trade ' and assist the fruitgrowers in the islands in getting an adequate return for their labours. The schooner ;'■; is Government property. His Excellency left again for Wellington on Wednesday. ■■ Parliament has been sitting since the first of the present month, but -the business actually transacted has not been of much importance. A few days ago the Right Hon. the Premier claimed credit for having saved an important institution connected Avith the colony, thereby averting disaster from many households. The Premier has made v virtually the same statement on ' many occasions. What he has said k on that subject is true enough. But ! we may point out the startling contrast of Mr. Seddon's action. At the very moment when he was j claiming credit for having main- ■ tained the solvency of that institution he preparing a Bill to injure,, or, so far as he could, to dev stroy, several other institutions be- • ;,~ longing to the colony, which in the ?> aggregate are of.;far more import-. fiance to this community. We refer to" his Bill'for bringing the larger ; part of fire insurance business, in i the colony under a Government department to be created by the Premier. > There are over a score of fire ;',< insurance offices doing business in ■ the colony. Most of these are for-, eign offices, whose stability and credit are well known and acknowledged. There are also several New -Zealand institutions conducted from -the colony, and for the most part Xowned here. Two of these local in-. *'■ stitutions have their headquarters in Auckland, and were, in fact, established here many years ago. . ' The New Zealand Insurance and the South British Insurance Companies are now both old institutions, as we count age in the colony. The business of these V-: institutions extends over the Em- , pile, and, indeed,- beyond the Em-. : pire. a: The profits . made ? by both companies are largely earned beyond the colony. From the prudent manner in which both institutions have been conducted, they have been the means of drawing a considerable . amount of money from ".broad to New Zealand investors. They have, indeed, been local enterprises which have been fraught with -adarge amount of good to the colony. There is no reason in the world why they should be legislated against except that ■ the Premier wants to advance another step towards Socialism, and to create a State department which shall afford pleasant and profitable patronage. A very large amount of criticism might be directed to the provisions ■'.. of the; Bill i itself. No business can -be done till the Government has ■".'made, arrangements in New Zealand : :or abroad as to the reinsurance of ' fire : risks. But if so, who is to give a State department in New Zealand, carrying on fire insurance, any cover for their risks The local companies would not do it, of course, while the foreign companies having branches in this colony would have nothing to do with a Govern- > ment department, because it is instituted to drive them out of the k colony. The Act" must be adopted : by a poll in three or more boroughs and three or more counties having - .8, total population of 60,000 inhabi- ; tants and containing buildings of not less than £1,000,000. In such local districts all buildings shall become compulsorily insured in the I: Government department. : The , power given to the manager is most ;.; despotic, and might, and probably Would, be worked so as to injure or * ruin any man who is not of the fright colour." The manager may put into a special class, called .'the.uninsurable class, any building which, in his judgment, is too hazardous a risk to be taken at all." At present, if a man cannot come to terms with one company he can go to another. But with the Govern- . ment scheme, in a district brought under the Act by a vote, he would simply have to remain uninsured, . and, of course, in such circumstances, might not be able to carry : on at all. Then the manager of the : J Proposed Government department 'shall fix the actual insurable value of every building at such sum and at such rate of annual premium as, having regard to all consideration °f risks, he is Willing to grant in- . . surance for." The manager may • also, "in hi absolute discretion," amend the fire insurance roll by removing any building from one class *; to another, and, indeed, in any way be likes. The Government may also, by Order in Council, discon- ' tinue the insurance of buildings in an place it chooses. A great deal °.f the legislation of the present Government has had a most injurious effect on the investment of capital • ' in the colony. This Bill is worse "lan any measure which has preceded it, because it attacks the capital of colonists already invested. It contemplates the practical exclusion from the colony of all other insurance except such as is conducted by. Government agents and ' regulated; by the will of a Ministerially appointed manager; it will compel* everyone, whether he wills ;;; * or not, to insure his property for

such an amount, and on such terms of premium,. as may be fixed by Government authority without any redress ; it will peremptorily regard as insured with the Government all insurable property, without consultation with the owner, and will have his premiums exacted from him by the tax collector under the conditions ruling in the collection of rates. On the measure coming into force, a Government agent is empowered to enter any house and value the property and all the insurable goods and chattels contained in it, and any man who refuses to give him any information he may ask for is liable to a penalty of £50. Against the valuation and decision of this Government officer the owner of the property has no appeal. He may wish to insure only for the half of the value, or not to insure at all. His opinion or wish is of no effect. Another Bill now before Parlialiament which has given rise to a good deal of opposition is the Shops and Offices Bill, which limits . the hours of employment in shops, offices and warehouses, and provides for the payment of overtime at I stocktaking and balancing times. Both employers and employees are up in arms against the Bill, and have been petitioning Parliament and giving evidence before a committee of the House to show that it is not only unnecessary, but mischievous. Shopkeepers are especially concerned to prevent the passage of the measure, one clause which they are" opposing strongly providing that no shop assistant can be employed for more than four hours between meals. This practically means the entire suspension of business and the closing of shops for an hour in the middle of the day. '. •■• * ■ -_ Two by-elections for seats in the House of ; Representatives have taken place since the last mail left. Mr. Lewis, one of the members for Christchurch City, resigned his seat, and Mr. Geo. Hutchison, of Patea, having left for South Africa, the Patea seat became vacant. Both Mr. Lewis and Mr. Hutchison were in opposition to the Government. The Christchurch' election resulted in the return of Mr. G. J. Smith, an independent candidate, who had 3912 votes, the other candidates being Chas. Taylor, 3418, and A. H. Turnbull, 2377. The Patea election was a very close contest, and Mr. Haselden, the Opposition candidate, has been declared elected with a majority of one vote over Mr. Heslop, Government candidate. The troopship Tagus arrived at Dunedin on July 10, with 10 officers and 285 men of the New Zealand Fourth Contingent from South Africa and 13 officers and 375 men of the Fifth Contingent. The returned troopers were accorded a most cordial reception at Dunedin, His Excellency the ' Governor welcoming-.. ? tthem -op. on .. behalf ... of the -colony. Immediately "after the ceremony -in Dunedin the Northern men of the. contingents left for their homes and were most enthusiastically received at all- the towns on the way North. The Auckland section reached their destination on- July 18, when they were welcomed by • the Mayor (Dr. J. j Logan Campbell) and entertained by | the officers ;of the Auckland volunj teer garrison. > | The Pacific cable steamer BritanI nia has, since last mail left, visited | New Zealand and selected a landI ing-place for the cable in Doubtless j Bay, about a-mile to the eastward of the Taipa River, and not far from the township of Mangonui. During the past few weeks the Auckland City » Council has sprung into activity and an elaborate scheme of city improvements is at present before the ratepayers. The Council proposes to borrow £100,000 for the following city, works:—Fire brigade, £12.000; paving Queenstreet, £8000; water supply exten- | sion, £25,000 ; abattoirs, £5000 ; refuse destructor, £10,000 town hall, £26,000 ;;; purchase of land, £14,000. The proposals are to be submitted to a poll .of the ratepayers, each item ' being submitted separately. The probabilities are that all the items will be carried except, perhaps, the town hall and purchase of land, the issue on which is very doubtful. A movement is also on foot at present for the amalgamation of the boroughs of Parnell and Newmarket. The proposal originated in the Parnell Borough Council, but so far the members of the Newmarket Borough Council do not seem disposed Ito favour it. Another municipal proposal of importance is at present being agitated, viz., the adoption of rating on unimproved values in the city. A poll of ratepayers on this proposal will be taken on August G. Mr. J. Graham Gow is being sent abroad by the Government to look for new markets for New Zealand produce. Mr. Gow has been touring the colony, thoroughly acquainting himself with the prices and qualities of all products which the colony can export so that he can push their sale in foreign markets and so open up new avenues of trade. He goes in the first instance to South Africa. '..".■

Considerable interest has been taken in New Zealand in recent news from Fiji. It appears that Mr. Edlin, the Attorney-General, who was appointed Acting-Chief Justice in the absence of Sir Henry Berkeley, the Chief Justice, has resigned both offices on account of differences with the Governor, Sir Geo. O'Brien, and also that the Legislative Council of Fiji at a recent meeting passed the following ordinance, which has an evident bearing on the agitation which has been going on for the federation of Fiji with New Zealand:—"Any person who shall cause, or attempt . to cause, any Fijian to be disaffected towards the Government, or who shall induce, or attempt to induce, any Fijian to take any action having for its object the subversion or alteration of the present form of Government . shall be guilty of an offence under 'this ordinance, and shall be liable s oh summary conviction to imprisonment with or witn-

out hard labour for any term not exceeding six months." This ordinance has been the subject of discussion in the New Zealand House of Representatives, and following on the discussion Mr. Seddon gave notice to move that a respectful addiess be presented to the Governor asking him to petition the Secretary of State for the Colonies to hold an impartial inquiry into the remarks made by the Governor of Fiji with regard to the Government of New Zealand taking away the lands of the natives.

The Grand Hotel fire inquest concluded on July 15. Prior to the jury giving their verdict, Jessie Minns, the pantrymaid, again appeared, and stated that her startling story given on oath before the jury was the result of reading a "penny dreadful" called " Fred, the Miner," or "Alfred, the Miner," and had no foundation in fact. It will be remembered that Miss Minns told the jury that on the night before the fire she saw three men in the hosel, that one of them was connecting the gas jet to a parcel of powder by means of a fuse and that they threatened to take her life if she breathed a word of what she saw. All this and a great deal more Miss Minns now says she read in "Fred, the Miner," a book which the local police have searched for in vain. The verdict of the jury was : "That the three children— Eva and Nina Johnston—came by their death from suffocation and burning at the fire which occurred at the Grand Hotel on the night of the 30th and morning of May 31, 1901. *Re Dora Wallace: That she came by her death from injuries and shock received in having to jump from the top storey of the Grand Hotel, a depth of some 30ft, in consequence of the building being on fire. The jury are fully of the opinion the fire was not the result of an accident, but the wilful act of Jessie Minns and other person or persons unknown. They .are also of opinion that the fire escapes provided were totally inadequate. Re fire brigade appliances: The jury is of opinion that the fire brigade acted as promptly as possible after receiving the alarm, and, with the appliances at their command, did everything that lay in their power, but are of opinion more modern appliances should be provided without delay, including electric alarms. The jury wish it to be made known to the Hon. the Minister for Justice that in their opinion it is desirable that legislation should be introduced whereby with regard to licensed houses, boardinghouses and factories, theatres and other places of amusement, the question of the effecting of fire escapes should no longer be decided by a body such as a licensing committee, but should be decided by the stipendiary magistrate. : Night-watchmen should be provided .'for.'all-hotels where".a number of visitors and boarders are residing." Following on this verdict Jessie Minns was arrested and charged with the murder of Leonore, Eva and Nina Johnston, but on the case being heard in the Police Court the magistrate held that there was no evidence to send to a jury and dismissed the case. ■■..... The case against Dr. Wilkins, charged with the murder of Mary O'Dowd and with procuring abortion, has been sent to the Supreme Court for trial, the magistrate refusing to take the responsibility of saying whether the statement made by Mrs. O'Dowd prior to her death should or should not be received in i evidence as a dying declaration. j A coroner's jury has found a ver- ! dict of wilful murder against Alex. McLean in connection with the Eyreton tragedy, and McLean has been committed for trial. The case was one in which the dead bodies of Mrs. Henry Martin, her daughter Miss Ellen Martin and grandson, Laurence Martin, were found in their house at Eyreton, about 24 miles from Christchurch. The completed census results have been issued by the Registrar-Gene-ral, showing that the Auckland province has now attained to the lead in New Zealand. The figures are as follows: — 1901. Auckland ... ... ... 175,854 Taranaki 37,842 Hawke's Bay ... ... ... 35,441 Wellington ... 141,236 Marlborough „. 13,314 . Nelson ... ... ... ... 37,939 Westland ... ... .... ... 14,466 Canterbury ... 143,040 Otago ... ... ... ... 173,111 This however, does not include the Maoris, of whom about 34,000 live in the province of Auckland. Thus the total population of our provincial district may be taken as 209,854. At a joint meeting of the members of the North Island Main Trunk Railway League and the North Auckland Railway League, held on July 12, it was decided to amalgamate, and a new league was thereupon formed under the title of the Auckland Main Trunk Railway League. The new body adopted as the planks in its platform (1) the pushing on of the construction of 'the North Island Main Trunk railway to connect Auckland and Wellington ; (2) pushing on the authorisation and survey of the Main Trunk railway north of Auckland; (3) pushing on the construction of the Main Trunk railway north of Auckland, and its opening especially, as speedily as possible. The Mayor of Auckland was elected the first president and an executive council was appointed. It was also decided to forvard copies of the league's platform to all Auckland M.H.R.'s asking their support