Intercolonial News

New Zealand Mail, Issue 177, 21 November 1874, Page 20

Intercolonial News

VICTORIA. The City of Melbourne Bank is a new institution. The shareholders have just held a halfyearly meeting, and declared a dividend at the rate of seven per cent. . The construction of the Geelong and Colac railway has been commenced at Geelong, The fine will be carried under that town by a tunnel. The Leicester, from London, reports seeing a ship, apparently American, of 1000 tons, burning; in long. 2 W., lat„ 37 S„ on September 11. There was no sign of the crew. Henry G-erald Supple, who undei going sentence at the Pentridge Stockade, is said to be nearly blind. Within the last few months his sight has so much failed as to prevent him from reading the largest print, and he finds it difficult to walk unless the ground is quite level. It is thought that before many months he will be completely blind. The Melbourne Chamber of Commerce has initiated a movement which has for its object the abolition of the customs duties now being collected on the New South Wales border. A sub-committee has been appointed to arrange for a general meeting on the subject, to be liela at an early date, in order that the views of the public in regard to it may be elicited, and “ the Government urged to take some immediate action in the matter. A quiet-looking man was found by the police in a hollow tree at Kew. He had at the time a razor in his possession, with which, when he was discovered, he threatened to take his hfe. At first he refused to give his name, but after being taken before the mayor of Kew (Mr. Hedderwiclc, J.P.), he gave his name as Henry Jackson. He had no money about him, but in his waistcoat pocket was a pawn ticket for an umbrella in the name of Johnson. A man named Skinner, who lately settled at Scarsdale as a produce dealer, has taken French leave, leaving liis wife with the business, {dkiiiner had had business with Armstrong Brothers of Ballarat, who the other day came out, and took some flour from the premises as payment for their debt. Mrs. Skinner laid an information ao-ainst them, and they were prosecuted at the Scarsdale Police Court. They were committed for trial. _ r T , The Melbourne Herald says : Mr. J osepn. Thompson, the bookmaker, is building a superb mansion in Albert-street, a little past the Hon. J G. Francis’s. Mr. Thompson’s house is nearly finished, and will cost altogether, with its furniture and the price of the land, probably not less than £20,000. The place is of very elegant architecture, stuccoed, with iron verandah, and balcony in front, of airy design. It is built close to the road, with an iron palisading and gates, bearing the inscription ‘ Don Juan House,’ named after the great racer with which Mr. Thompson made such a coup last year.” NEW SOUTH WALES. Upon the meeting of Parliament the Government is likely to be met with an attempt to force a dissolution. A general election is considered almost inevitable before the end of the year. A marble bust of Sir Hercules Robinson has been executed in Sydney by an artist named Simonetti, and placed in Government House. The work is said to be a very fine one, and the likeness is perfect. The same artist is now engaged on a bust of the Premier, the Hon. Henry Parkes. During the storm that visited Sydney on the 25th October the spire of the Wesleyan Church at the Glebe was struck by lightning, and a small portion of it detached. Fortunately, no one was near when the piece of stone fell, but the electric fluid passed down the spire of the church on to the zinc roof of a house, and finally through the house like (as described by those who saw it) a sheet of fire. A little girl who was in the house was near the track of the lightning, and she was noticed to become black in the face ; but providentially she was found to uninjured. A fatal accident occurred on Saturday, at Ultimo, resulting in the death of an elderly man named John Fisher, and severe injury to a little girl six years of age, his granddaughter. On that afternoon Fisher was driving a horse and cart along Harris-street, his grand-daughter, a little girl named Watt, being in the cart with him. He was under the influence of drink at the time, for in consequence of careless driving the cart. fell over the bank at one side of the road. Fisher was killed instantly, and the little girl was severely, though not fatally, injured. QUEENSLAND. A man named. Banbury has been killed at Camden Harbor. The wrecked crew of the pearler Enchantress, numbering twenty-four, have landed here in distress. During the past week (says the G ooktown Herald of October 7th) our town has been as lively as possible owing to the large numbers of men here preparing for return to the Palmer. The scenes at night remind one of the old days of Victoria, as all the hotels are more or less frequented, and in many of them champagne has been knocking about as freely as draughts from the crystal brook. Money is most plentiful, and our storekeepers and merchants are reaping a fine harvest, lor it is as much as they can do to supply customers. The large shipments that are daily arriving seem of little more use than to carry out orders of long standing ; and at the present rate of demand, it will, we imagine, take much larger shipments than are coming to hand to keep the place going. SOUTH AUSTRALIA. At Signora Coy’s benefit she was presented by her friends with a handsome diamond bracelet. She handed a sum of £73 to the hospital from the proceeds.

TASMANLA. There must be something exciting about the life of a newspaper correspondent in Launceston. Some time ago, during the railway rate riots there, we read that Air. J. Kidgell, the Mercury correspondent, had a narrow escape from being hanged by the mob, who had provided themselves with a rope for the purpose. Kiageu evidently means to die game when the Launceston people do finally operate upon him. The Mercury branch office was lately burglanouslv visited by a man, who was captured. Amongst the stolen property was “one Colts five-barrelled revolver and a powder-flask. The account of the robbery states that “ the revolver was usually kept loaded, and _there was a supply of ammunition on the premises bullets, caps, and powder.” CORN DUTIES. The Argus has the following in a recent issue, which might be studied with profit by New Zealand politicians : A correspondent pointed out in our yesterday’s issue that a hard-working and ill-requited class in our community suffers great hardship through the operation of the import corn duties. Following. up the subject a little further, we fiud ample confirmation of his complaint. The quantity of maize_ imported into the colony last year was 610,750 centals, and on this duty was paid to the amount of £30,573. Accepting the statement of our correspondent, that the maize tax falls chiefly upon draymen, cabmen, and wood-carters, it is certainly & gross injustice. The amount we have mentioned is a considerable deduction from tbe earnings of the class by which the larger portion of it is contributed —and for what object ? To encourage agriculture, it will be said. That is, the cabmen and wood-carters of the colony, who sometimes have to work half the night or they would be unable to pay for their horses’ feed, pay thirty thousand pounds a year for the support of those down-trodden persons who are at present flying over the colony at reduced railway fares to buy or sell thousand guinea bulls ! A.t least that is the intention of the maize duty. Let us see how far the intention is fulfilled. Tbe quantity of maize raised within the colony in the agricultural year 1873-4 was 40,347 bushels, or 21,757 centals, against the 610,750 centals imported. Or, to put it in another way, to raise the price of 1001 b. of maize, to the enrichment of the comparatively opulent _ ' ictorian producer, the price of 2S centals is increased, to the further impoverishment of an already indigent class. To put one shilling into the pocket or the farmer, we take £1 »s. out of the pocket of the cabman ; and_ it is scarcely possible that when its operation is represented in this way, the most rabid protectionist will have the hardihood to say that tho maize tax is not a monstrous imposition. It is only fair to add, however, that the farmers, as a class, do not desire protection, as indeed it would be very strange if they did. As has been seen, the maize duty, while bearing very heavily upon the consumer, is of no appreciable! value to the producer, while the latter is subject to a hundred vexatious imposts which form part of the same system that produced our corn duties.

STATE SCHOOLS IN VICTORIA. (From the Melbourne Argus.) During the discussion on the Estimates for the Department of Public Instruction, some interesting points in connection with the working of the new Act were brought under review. Concerning the general success of this measure tbere can be no doubt, but it evident that much remains to be done in order to secure thorough efficiency, to bring every child in the colony -within the school age* under instruction, and to remove the sense of injustice under which many of the teachers at present labor. "We find it stated that the total number of children in Victoria in 187» was 281,876, of whom 181,131 were attending State schools —that is to say, were "on the rolls, the average attendance amounting to about 50 per cent. This computation, if correct, would leave over 100 000 to be accounted for, but making deductions for those being otherwise educated, and those under and over the school ages, it is estimated that 46,000 within the school ages are not attending any school. This is a serious matter, and should engage the earnest attention of the gentleman charged with the administration of the Act. Without wishing to detract in any way from the success which has been hitherto achieved, everyone must admit that it would not do to rest content with what has already been done when so much remains to be accomplished. The most strenuous efforts should be made to remedy this state of affairs without delay. , , . - Mr. Mackay, in face of the largely increased attendance which he was enabled to announce, expressed a decided unwillingness to put the compulsory clauses into operation, l’or our own part we should be very glad if they could he done without—if all the parents in the country could he impressed by some other means with a sense of the duty resting on them of seeing that their children do not grow up in ignorance. But, nevertheless, we must not forget that compulsion is one of the mam principles of the Act, and no Minister is justified in ignoring it, in consequence of any sentimental dislike he may entertain to the adoption of coercive measures. No doubt many of the 46 000 children not receiving instruction are prevented from attending school by a number of causes which may be accepted as valid, such as sickness, distance, &c., but still a veiy larrre proportion would remain for whor no “excuse can reasonably be urged, is for the parents of those compising t section that the compulsory clause esj ally designed. They knowingly, wilfulLy f> without anv admissible reason, defy trie a and to allow them to go unpunished if of sion of politic leniency, but rather a ’ lere culpable weakness. We are aware are many difficulties to be overcome 0 t £ e ing out "the compulsory clauses. owi, ner y fact that the sections providing the

for putting them in force were struck out of the Bill; but an attempt must be made to give them effect, and cannot be made too soon. If it is found impossible to produce any results without fresh legislation, then it is the duty of the Government to ask Parliament for the necessary powers without delay. Of course, for some time after the Act came into operation it would have been manifestly unjust to have attempted to compel attendance, for there were no schools ready to receive the children. But this objection to active operations is disappearing daily, and within a very short period will afford very little excuse for further inaction. We leam that up to the 25th September last, the total sums expended, being expended, or authorised to be expended on school buildings, amounted to £113,988 for Melbourne and surrounding neighborhood, and £244,736 for country districts. The rate per head is stated to be £5 10s.—as against £7 per head in London—by which it would appear that when the buildings authorised at the date mentioned shall have been finished, room will have ■' been provided for 65,000 children. It is evident, then, that the wants of many districts must have been overtaken by this time, and in all such the compulsory system should be put in force without delay. There are many children, we are aware, who have to help, say widowed mothers in their business, and it is only by the united efforts of the whole family that the wolf is kept from the door. We agree with Mr. Mackay that it would savour somewhat of cruelty to compel their attendance during the day; and are glad to see that he has established night-schools for their benefit, and intends to increase their number. The intention is excellent, and we trust the performance will be equally satisfactory. THE DEBTOR “WANTED” IN TASMANIA. (From the Launceston Examiner.) For some days past various rumors have been rife as to the escape of W. W. White, who, it will be remembered, failed to appear at the Police Court on the 2nd of October to answer the charge pending against him by Mr. Aloton Aloes. The evidence was pretty conclusive that White left the colony, and it was generally supposed by the Natal Queen, Captain Gourlay, bound for Lyttelton, New Zealand ; but in point of fact he was not traced beyond Brisbane-s treet, Hobart Town, although it -will be remembered the Natal Queen sailed on -the day White arrived in Hobarton, and a boat containing detectives and others went in pursuit, but had to give up and return to town in consequence of a breeze arising, and the Natal Queen got out to sea. The rumor to which we refer is that White found his way to New South Wales, and finally got away in a ship to California. Yesterday the rumor took a more definite shape, and although we are not in a position to mention particulars upon authority, we believe the following may be relied upon :—White, disguised as he was, succeeded in reaching Bruni Island in a whaleboat, intending to board the Natal Queen as she was proceeding to the Heads. It is supposed that the boat with the police in being descried, prevented White’s intention from being carried into effect; and it is now pretty certain that he embarked in the London ship Ziba, Captain •T. Croot, which cleared at Hobarton, in ballast, for Newcastle, N.S.W., on the 7th October, and arrived at Newcastle on the 13th. The name of the vessel in which White finally left the Australian shores is variously given, the Adelaide being definitely mentioned ; but on referring to the files we do not see that a vessel of that name sailed about that time. The probability is that the Varuna was the ship, as that sailed for San Francisco on the 16th. Two other ships left Newcastle for the same destination a few days afterwards, viz., the Portia on the 20th, and the Garrick Castle on the 21st. However, as the Varuna was the first departure after the Ziba’s arrival, it is likely she took the runaway. (From the Hobarton correspondent of the Alelbourne Argus.) I am sorry to say that the outcome of events has not tended to raise the character of commercial morality in Launceston. Somehow an amount of half a million has been contracted by traders, or persons acting under that character, who have literally nothing to show for it. If the debtors are really as completely cleaned out as they represent themselves to be, and the creditors have suffered as severely as they say, the outside public may well ask where has the money gone; and our good name requires that, in the absence of a more satisfactory answer than has yet been received, the debtors should be dealt -with as rogues till they prove that a less harsh name would describe their conduct. And somehow public opinion here has come to the conclusion that some of those bemoaning their loss would come out of an inquiry with less credit than would the debtors. There has been evinced an anxiety to stifle inquiry that is inconsistent with the conduct of men conscious of having acted honestly and honorably. Air. Aloton Moss’s indomitable tenacity in the examination of White would appear to have struck terror into the hearts of some of that worthy’s creditors—acting, of course, in the capacity of friends. So little relished was the questioning to which White was subjected that' it was proposed to buy off Air. Aloton Moss s opposition. That gentleman was saved temptation, and possibly lost a handsome composition, by the ill-timed intimation that Air. P. O. Fysh, Colonial Treasurer, himself a large creditor, gave to some of the contributing creditors, that they had better save their money, as, if Mr. Aloss’s proceedings fell through, he (Air. Fysh) would institute criminal proceedings against White for conduct as to the criminality of which there was no doubt. . It is a pity Air. Fysh made known his intentions till after these gentlemen had parted with their money. However, they were saved adding to their losses by such considerate care, for Mr. White, who declined the further attentions of the Police Afagistrate by absconding under circumstances that left no doubt his escape was maturely planned, and carried out with .

considerable disregard of expenses. Though efforts are being made to catch him and bring him back, the sldll and liberal expenditure that managed his escape, will doubtless keep him out of the hands of anxious inquirers. We have, at any rate, one consolation —Tasmania will not be a third time the scene of operations on his part that he has designated as the conflict of brains against capital. It would appear, however, that the people of Launceston are uneasy under the threatened infliction of their commercial atmosphere being purified of the class who fatten moneylender* and feed unlicensed pawnbrokers at the expense of honest men. The flight of White left no hope of an exposure of how such wholesale plundering of unsuspecting creditors had been carried on, except under the examination iii the Bankruptcy Court of Alessrs. Peters and Barnard. The probable inconvenience to certain persons of such an examination led to a strenuous effort to take the affairs out of the court, and Air. Fysh, who has been a stumbling-block in the way of these “ keep quiet ” gentlemen, was sought to be first cajoled, then frightened into accepting a composition. He was firm, and the required majority in numbers could not be obtained. Air. Fysh was appointed with Air. Horne interim receiver, the stock advertised for sale, and preparations made for a searching examination of the insolvents, when suddenly small creditors found their claims had acquired increased value, 10s. per £ having" been the purchase price of claims on which a composition of only 2s. was offered. Aloney was evidently no object. The majority in numbers, as well as in amount, was obtained, and Mr. Fysh was superseded as a receiver. Our commercial circles will again include traders who carried on business on fictitious acceptances, and there will remain unexposed the conduct of those who advanced money at an exorbitant rate of interest that would make usurers stare, on the deposit of goods, not once a month or at intervals when a “ turn ” might be understood, if not quite justifiable, but almost daily, the goods having often been conveyed direct from on board ship to the moneylender’s stores. It is whispered that the At-torney-General is reading up authorities to ascertain whether he cannot place some of the Launceston pledgers of other men’s goods, and some of those who aided and abetted them, on trial for conspiring to defraud the owners of the goods. Shotdd he do so, he will deserve the thanks of all right-thinking men, and relieve Tasmania of a stigma that it can ill afford to lie under.