Talk of the Week.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 246, 5 August 1876, Page 14

Talk of the Week.

A statement showing the number, amount, &c, of money order and savings bank transactions in the several postal districts of the colony for the quarter ended 30th June, 1876, has been published. There were during the period 122 offices open, as against 111 during the June quarter of last year, and money orders to the number of 20,582 were issued, as against 17,901 last year, the value being £81,043, as against £73,612 during the June quarter of last year. The number paid was 14,643, of the value of £57,950, against 12,824, of the value of £52,341, last year. The savings bank transactions showed an excess of withdrawals over deposits of £BI3B, as against £25,052 for the corresponding quarter of last yeai\

The value of exports from the several ports of New Zealand during the quarter ended 30 th June, 1876, wa5£1,246,642, as against£l,3B3,l49 during the corresponding quarter of last year, thus showing a decrease of £36,507. The value of exports from Auckland during the June quarter of 1876 was £113,620 ; for the corresponding period of last year, £117,673. From Wellington for the June quarter, 1876, £130,734 ; for the corresponding quarter last year, £193,160. From Lyttelton for June quarter, 1576, £441,601 ; corresponding quarter last year, £306,045. From Dunedin for June quarter, 1876, £359,145 ; corresponding period last year, £402,249.

From the quarterly return of the value of imports at the various ports of New Zealand we gather the following information:—Value of imports for Auckland for June quarter £198,816, as against £273,934 for the corresponding quarter of 1875 ; Wellington, £242,739, as against £240,788 in 1875 ; Lyttelton, £279,331, as against £208,603 in 1875 ; Dunedin, £422,577, as against £538,194 in 1875. Total for the quarter £1,412,951, as against £1,609,612 for the corresponding quarter of 1875.

The following is a comparative return of the number of telegrams forwarded, the revenue received, and the value of General Government telegrams transmitted for the quarters ended June 30,1875, and July 1,1876. Number forwarded from April to June, 1875, 245,658 ; from March 26 to July 1, 1876, 294,086 ; increase, 48,428. Cash revenue received : from April 1 to June 30, 1875, £14,716 ; from March 26 to July 1, 1876, £16,899 ; increase, £2419. ■ Value of Government telegrams from April 1 to June 30, 1875, £4050; from March 26 to July 1, 1876, £4462 ; increase, £443 9s. 6d.

During the afternoon's proceedings in Parliament on Tuesday the Hon. Mr. Richardson made a statement as to the damage done to the Brunnerton Gorge railway bridge. He described that by the anchor plates on the south side of the Grey giving way, the superstructure of the bridge fell into the river. The piers were in no way injured. Since the accident active steps had been taken to recover the material, and it was hoped that not more than a small proportion of the supei'structure, costing £6O, would be lost. The estimate was that the reconstruction of the work would cost £IOOO. The calculation was that the strength of the anchor plates was three times the strength requisite. The accident showed either that the castings were faulty, or that there was an error in the general calculations and design of the bridge. The design was made in the head office in Wellington, and the Government intended to make the strictest investigation—to lay blame where . there was blame, and to discover whose fault it was—and the result of that investigation would be laid before the House. In reply to Mr. Burns, he added that there were nc other bridges in the colony being built on the same plans, and Mr. Burns obtained leave to withdraw questions of which he had given notice.

IN the House of Representatives on Tuesday afternoon Sir Julius Vogel stated that the select committee on the Eastern Maori District election having reported that Karaitiana should take his seat, the Government intended to offer no opposition, and would give every possible facility for the carrying out of the recommendation of the committee with as little delay as possible. Subsequently Mr. Curtis proposed that Karaitiana Takamoana should be permitted to take his seat. He entered into an explanation of the proceedings of the committee, and ultimately moved that the clerk to the House should attend at half-past two o'clock this afternoon, in order to endorse the return of Karaitiana on the writ- for the Eastern Maori District election. Sir Julius Vogel said that the Government, whilst not endorsing the conclusion arrived at by the committee, recognised the searching inquiry which that committee had conducted, and would therefore acquiesce in the result. Mr. Curtis's motion was then carried on the voices.

Complaints about the accommodation, or want of accommodation, in the Resident Magistrate's Court, have become very monotonous, so far at least as the Press is concerned. Leaders and paragraphs abusive of that miserable little hole which does duty for a court of law, have so frequently appeared that to refer to it again might lay us open to a charge of fadding matter wherewith to fill the paper, were it not for the fact that a protest has been entered from quite a different quarter. In the Resident Magistrate's Court on Tuesday, just prior to the commencement of an affiliation case, Mr. Moorhouse drew the attention of Mr. Crawford to the fact (one with which he is already too well acquainted) that there was no accommodation there for the Bench, the Bar, the Press, or the public. Lawyers had not even sufficient room to put their papers with any confidence of their

not getting mixed up with other things. The clerk occupied the whole of the table. Mr. Crawford stated that he had given the business up as a bad job ; he had made plenty of representations as to the insufficiency of the accommodation, but no good result had followed. Mr. Moorhouse then requested his Worship to make a strong representation to the Government on behalf of the Bar. Mr. Buller, who was opposing Mr. Moorhoitse in the case before the Court, expressed his entire concurrence in the remarks made by his learned friend ; and Mr. Crawford promised to convey to the Government the complaints made by the Bar. Something ought really to be done without delay. The matter has already been postponed too long. There are more evils than one calculated to arise out of the existence of such a cramped, primitive style of room as that which is known as the Resident Magistrate's Court of Wellington. The officials, clerk of the court and others, have positively not sufficient room for the efficient performance of their duties, and there is no accommodation for spectators further than_ a space scarcely large enough to swing a cat in. As to the gentlemen of the legal profession, when occasion requires they seem to get in anyhow, and such is the wonderful _ confusion of things, everybody seeming to be in a heap, as it were, that they never emerge again into the free air without exerting their physical powers to an extent perhaps even greater than they have been exerting their intellects previously. It is needless to say anything about the reporters who are compelled to attend the court. They have suffered long, and begin to regard the inhalation of foul air, and being occasionally flattened out between large sections of the body politic, as part of their daily duty. Speaking seriously, however, we may be permitted to repeat that the building is a positive disgrace to Wellington. It's existence is a crying shame, and the sooner it is pulled down, and another substituted, or in some way altered so as to suit the times, the more creditable will it be to _ Wellington and those who have the responsibility of seeing to such matters.

A peivate letter from the Thames goldfield says that there is a noticeable improvement in the Waitekauri district, which is situated above Ohinemuri proper. From the opening of this " native oyster," as Ohinemuri was facetiously termed in the North at that time—the early part of 1875, —it was the opinion of many experienced miners that Waitekauri would be found to be the most payable country. The Karangahake spur—a bone of fierce contention once—was strongly believed in, it is true, but it soon became evident that if the sample reef had not been salted it must have been a, marvellously lucky patch, beyond which all was barren. But if the statements contained in the letter referred to be reliable, it appears that Waitekauri is likely to redeem the character of the Ohinemuri country, the opening of which, through Maori opposition, was so long deferred that hundreds of men, believing in it thoroughly, became sick of waiting, and departed for other fields. One or two of the Waitekauri reefs are said to be more than payable, while the country generally in that direction is looking very promising. A battery has been erected in the district, so that the expense of carrying the quartz—a large item in the working expenses of mines—is saved ; and if events turn out as it is hoped they will, no considerable time will elapse before other batteries make their appearance on the ground. At present the Thames goldfield is very dull. Numbers of miners have left in consequence of the hard times, which have never been harder since the opening of the field; and unless something turns up to give a fresh impetus to mining there, it is very much to be feared that the Thames will sink into insignificance. It is to be hoped, therefore, that some of the back country will turn up trumps. Tairua has disappointed peeple, but Ohinemuri still affords hope to many well capable of judging in the matter.

We recently took notice of the satisfactory results obtained by Merryweather and Sons' tram-car engine, since which time later trials have been made by other engineers, all having in view the making of the engine as perfect as can be. At a trial on the 27th March, made at Leicester, by one of Messrs. Hughes and Co.'s enginss (which has since been forwarded to the Philadelphia Exhibition), the engines were found to be capable of ruianing at twelve miles per hour, and could be stopped by the brakes in a space of about four yards, and run with ease up a gradient of 1 in 20. It is noiseless, consumes its own smoke, and has the appearance of an ordinary tramway carriage, the machinery being all enclosed in a case with glass, so that there can be no danger of frightening horses. Another trial has been made at Birkenhead of a tram-car engine designed by Mr. Woods, C.E., for Vienna. This trial took place in the presence of Colonel Hutchinson, inspector to the Board of Trade. Several tests were made; for instance, when at full speed, and without stopping the engine, the brake was applied, and its action was almost instantaneous. The tram-line was two and a half miles long, with sharp curves having a radius of 35ft., and its steepest gradient 1 in 19. The Engineer, of May, has the following article on the subject of steam tram-cars : Within the last few month we have had occasion to record the successful use of steam tram-cars in Copenhagen, Paris, Leicester, and Birkenhead. Not many years have passed away since proposals to use steam in the streets of a city as a means of propelling public vehicles was looked upon as something worse than absurd—almost eriminal. That some change has taken place in popular opinion in this respect is evident, and it might be worth while to inquire minutely into the causes that have led to this change. Briefly it may be explained, we think, as the result of a gradual process of instruction conducted by men competent to teach. In this country the conservative spirit which, sometimes wisely, sometimes injudiciously, opposes change in the affairs of daily life, has always operated powerfully for

good or bad. The laying of tram-rails in the streets of the Metropolis was at one period blindly opposed, and arguments ludicrously like those used when railways were first called into existence, have been freely employed against those who wished to put down iron rails and supersede the omnibus by the tram-car. A very largo proportion of those objections were based on loose supposition and abstract theories concerning the conditions of metropolitan traffic. The tramway, however, has beaten down all opposition, and the general public avail themselves of its comforts with perfect unanimity and contentment. Objections which have no better basis on fact have been, and still are, urged against the use of steam instead of horses to propel cars on tramways ; but the moment steam has taken its place in our streets, the tram-cars will be filled with passengers, and the innovation will be treated- as a matter of course. It is worth notice that the present movement in favor of steam tram-cars owes its success mainly to the labors of professional engineers. So long as the principle was advocated only by inventors and amateurs, little or no progress was made, for reasons which easily suggest themselves. Amateurs generally prefer to adopt novel devices for accomplishing a given object, while the trained engineer is content to adapt old mechanical combinations to the discharge of novel duties. Thus, while one inventor brings out new boilers, new engines, and new arrangements for feeding his furnaces, an engineer takes a small railway locomotive, fits it with an apparatus for condensing steam, boxes it up to please the aesthetic tastes of horses, and achieves almost by a turn of his hand a very large measure of success.