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New Zealand Mail, Issue 764, 22 October 1886, Page 23

The Minister for Lands brings back a most satisfactory and encouraging account of the Pahiatua village homestead settlement. Sixty-five families are settled on 1200 acres of land, and all are doing well. Some of them are engaged working for employers in the neighbourhood, while their families are improving their sections. In a few cases the settlers, finding more remunerative employment in the vicinity, are having the \ bush - clearing of their land done by contract. Another block of 1000 acres is being surveyed close by, and it is believed will be at once taken up by some 60 families. An area of about 2000 acres near Mauriceville is also under survey, and will be opened in a few weeks. That is expected to settle 70 families. There is no doubt that this is settlement of the right sort, and that it must prove highly beneficial to the Colony by establishing a valuable class of sturdy peasantry, the backbone of a country.

It has been decided by the Cabinet, we understand, that tenders shall be called for the erection of a new Government Printing Office in Wellington directly after the new loan is floated. This is a very proper determination. The present printing office is a public disgrace, not only to Wellington, but to the whole Colony, and it is a scandal that so necessary a work as a new office should have been so long delayed.

The numbers of births ini the principal boroughs of New Zealand during September were the following : —Auckland, 105 ; Wellington, 87 ; Christchurch, 33 ; and Dunedin, 63. The deaths were— Auckland, 35, or I‘o6 per 1000 ; Wellington, 47, or I*Bl per 1000 ; Christchurch, 18, or I*lß per IUUO ; and Dunedin, 29, or 125 per 1000. The highest death rate in any one of the eighteen towns for which returns are given was 1 92 in Greymouth, jand the lowest 0‘23 at the Thames. The following remarks apply only to the four principal boroughs : —The births in September were 288, against 278 in August, an increase of 10. The deaths in September were 129, against 133 'in August, a decrease of 4. There were 16 deaths of persons of 65 years and upwards j 3 males of 78, 77, and 67 died at Auckland ; 5 males of 77, 76, 71, 69, and 66 died at Wellington ; 2 males of 78 and 76, and a female of 65, died at Christchurch ; a male of 75, and 4 females of 84, 75, 74, and 72 died at Dunedin. The total number of deaths from specific febrile or zymctic diseases was the same in September as in August. Measles caused 5 deaths in September, against 6 in August, and whooping cough 6 deaths in September, against 3 in August. There were not any deaths from typhoid fever in the past month, •♦but 3 death in Auckland occurred from diphtheria. Two deaths occurred from hydatids. There was a slight decrease in the number of deaths from constitutional diseases from 28 in August to 24 in September. Phthisis, which caused 37 deaths in August, only caused 8 in September. There were 6 deaths from cancer against 5 in the previous month. There were only 58 deaths from local diseases in September against 77 in August. The decrease in number was chiefly owing to the fewer deaths from diseases of the respiratory organs, which amounted to 24 in September against 40 in the previous month.

The deaths from violeuce were exceptionally numerous in September, having amounted to 34 ; 12 occurred from accidents of various kinds, of which only 1 was from drowning and 2 deaths were suicidal.

A circular (of which the Colonial Treasurer has courteously furnished to us a copy) was issued last week to the various local bodies throughout the Colony. It is accompanied by a precis of the Local Bodies Loans Act, 18S6, and of the Government Loans to Local Bodies Act, 1886, which, it i 3 believed, will be found useful by local bodies desirous of taking advantage of the provisions of these Acts. The circular explains that the Local Bodies Loan Act provides machinery by which a local body may obtain authority to borrow money for pablic works of any nature and ar.y undertaking or purpose which the local body is authorised to erect, construct, or engage in or provide for by means of borrowed money. It goes on to say :

The Act may be adopted by the local body in part or in whole. Where the local body does not adopt the Act, the statutory provisions set out at foot of this letter remain in force, and regulate the mode of raising loans. Where the local body does adopt the Act, the mode of exercising . the power must be that provided by the Local Bodies Loans Act, 1886. The Government Loans to Local Bodies Act empowers the Government, when power to borrow has been properly obtained, .to lend the money to the local body on terms of a favourable nature. Applications for loans will be received on the Ist December next, and notice thereof appears in the Gazette of this date. As this is the first occasion of calling [for applications, and as there is.reason to suppose the loans actually authorised by the ratepayers are not large in amount, I have determined also to receive applications from local bodies which have proceeded no further than to resolve to recommend borrowing to the ratepayers, and to consider these applications together with those for loans actually authorised by the ratepayers. It is obvious, however, that _this course must not be taken as a precedent ; since, if the amount of loans authorised by the ratepayers were large, it would not be right to defer such loans by placing on an equal footing applications which the ratepayers might not approve. Although on this occasion I propose considering and approving applications as just stated, it must be clearly understood that the loans cannot be made nor any money paid until the statutory formalities ara complied with. A notification in terms of this circular is published in last week’s Gazette.

While we fully recognise the liberal spirit displayed by the ladies who attended Lady "Vogel’s meeting on Wednesday to make arrangements for the Hospital Ball, we nevertheless regret that they did not see their way to act upon the suggestion we threw out, that the ball should be managed on economical principles. We feel sure that the movement would have gained in popularity by the adoption of this course, and that it would have enlisted cooperation which may now be wanting. Nor can we see that for such a ball as is proposed a “heavy” and expensive supper is necessary any more than it is wholesome. The money it ,will cost might have been more advantageously devoted to the charitable fund. The ball with light refreshments would have been quite sufficiently attractive. However, as the more costly plan has been decided upon, there is no use in discussing the matter further, and we heartily hope that the affair will be a 3 successful as its most enthusiastic promoters could possibly desire.

With reference to the Customs revenue for thejlastquarter, the New Zealand Trade Review takes much the same view of the position as that expressed in our columns. It remarks : “ Although there is some recovery from the very low total of the previous quarter, there is a falling off as compared with the September quarter of 1885 of L 27,324. The receipts for the past, six months are thus only L647-,472 as compared with L 741,590 in the similar period of 1885. The half-year in question in 1885 was, it is true, above the average, as will be seen by reference to the subjoined table, still on the most favourable basis the revenue for the past six months shows a decline of between L 60,000 and L 70,000 as compared with previous years. We are not yet in possession of the details of the receipts for the September quarter, and cannot therefore see under what branches of. the' tariff the falling off occurs. When this information H > obtainable, it will no doubt throw some light uppn the subject ; meantime it is not easy to account satisfactorily for the decline. There are probably several contributing causes. Looking to the depression that still exists in some parts of the Colony, there can be no doubt that the spending power of the community is reduced. This is probably the chief cause. Then, again, the gradual decline in the consumption of spirits is probably still in progress, and responsible for a part of the loss of revenue. Another contributing cause may be found in the constantly decreas • iug cost of production of many imported classes of goods upon /which ad valorem duties are levied, such, for instance, as the extensive class that comes under the heading of ‘ soft goods.’ ” The important question which has to®be solved is whether there is’any reasonable prospect of a revival in the Customs revenue. Present appearances seem rather to point to a marked loss of elasticity, which may not impossibly prove permanent. In that case it may become necessary to review next year the whole question of our taxation and its incidence.

It is not surprising that the London papers deem the results of the last Australian cricketers’ tour unsatisfactory. The team have indeed sigDally failed to

sustain the record of their predecessors, and have been beaten not only in every match with All England, but also by several counties and clubs, while scores of a magnitude unprecedented in these matches have several times been run up against their best bowling. All this is true enough, and possibly the team is in some respects inferior to its predecessors. It lacks Murdoch, Bannerman, and Massie, and it has no new bowler of any consequence. Evans, like Allan, seems to have failed to sustain hi 3 Australian reputation, and English batsmen have becomed used to Spotforth, who is less an object of dread than he was, although still unapproachable as a bowler. But in spite of some comparative weakness this team would not have had so poor a record to show but for an extraordinary run of illluck. We do not mean in the fortunes of particular matches. It is “ bad luck ” when a batsman is bowled or caught for a cypher, but it is also bad play, or at least carelessness, and ill-luck of this kind may be averted by care and skill. But no amount of care or skill could have prevented such an unconscionable number of matches from being played out,/,either through lack of time, or owing to bad weather. In this respect the Australians were singularly unfortunate. Nearly every match of the large number that were “drawn” was almost a dead certainty for them had it been played out. But whenever a brilliant victory seemed almost .within their grasp it was then snatched from their hands, although not secured by their opponents. This must have been to them a source of deep mortification, and it is a matter for much regret that better arrangements could not have been made, either by-playing longer hours on each match-day or by extending the matches over more days. Another stroke of ill-luck which also constantly befell the Australians was getting the worst of the wicket in the bad weather which so largely prevailed during their tour. On the whole they were singularly unlucky, and though in this instance worsted, they are by no means disgraced.

Anybody reading the reports of the HallHouston case, now being tried in Christchurch, must be disagreeably struck with the (tone of levity which seems so prominently to pervade the proceedings. Seeing that two persons, hitherto respectable aud respected members of society, are on their trial for an offence which only just falls short of a capital one legally, and which is morally equivalent to murder, one would have expected a somewhat more grave and sober tone. The constant recurrence of broad jokes and hearty laughter during so sad and solemn a proceeding seems to us repulsively unfeeling, if not absolutely indecent. Wf

The Wellington Caledonian Society, at a meeting held last *veek took a new departure of a very important character. They decided to provide facilities for enabling all who are earnestly desirous of improving themselves to obtain, at very small cost, such higher and scientific education as may be needful to prepare them for entering a profession or for passing degree examinations of the New Zealand University, or for the scientific practice of the arts. For this purpose it is proposed to establish evening classes, over which gentlemen of recognised high standing and attainments will preside. The list of subjects and instructors, which appears in another column, speaks for itself, and does not need dilating upon. With regard to the two vacancies in the list of instructors, we understand that satisfactory arrangements can be made for instruction in physics, and that it is hoped the Law Society will co-operate by furnishing a lecturer on jurisprudence. This is a most laudable and valuable movement on the part of the Caledonian Society, which deserves cordial recognition on the part of the Wellington public. To carry out this excellent programme pecuniary aid will be required, and we . trust that the Society’s appeal in such a good cause will meet with a most hearty and liberal response. His Excellency the Governor, in opening the Art Exhibition, dwelt justly on the duty of those who have prospered -in the place to assist their fellow-citizens,, and here is a capital opportunity for the exercise of a little timely liberality. A comparatively small sum is needed, and in view of the great value of the work undertaken this ought to be forthcoming without any difficulty. We heartily congratulate the Caledonian Society on the important step they have taken, and we confidently look for many valuable results, some perhaps in a direction which may not yet be foreseen.

Nobody will be much surprised to learn that the floating of the New Zealand Loan furnished another occasion for one of The Standard’s customary virulent attacks on this Colony. The Standard’s invectives against New Zealand are so monotonous in their stereotyped character of petty spitefulness that it is needless to take up the cudgels again for this Colony. Most people have learned by this time the value, or, rather, the valuelessness, of such pictures of New Zealand’s solvency and honesty as those drawn by Mr Froude and The Standard, and probably they do U 3 little harm in the long run.

In connection with the alleged poisonings at Timaru it may be mentioned that antimony played a prominent part in the famous Rugeley poisonings, for which

William Palmer was hanged. He was not charged, however, with killr ing his victim, Cook, by the administration of antimony. His plan, was a more elaborate one. He first gradually and steadily reduced his victim, by a protracted course of slow-poisoning with antimony, so f that he could, be “ finished off ” with a dose of strychnine so small as probably to leave no after-trace. Fortunately, he miscalculated his quantities. Dr Taylor —the same chemist - whose work on . toxicology was so slightingly spoken of by the medical experts during the present trial—detected the presence of antimony and strychnine, and in spite of attempts on the part of Dr Letheby (also quoted during this trial) and other experts to discredit his theories, the jury accepted them, and convicted Palmer, who was duly hanged. It is remarkable that, although that tragedy occurred 39 years ago, it is still fresh in the English memory. Rugeley is on the main line of the London and NorthWestern Railway, and to this day hardly a train passes by that station without the passengers pointing out the spot to one another as the scene of the famous Palmer poisonings. Is Timaru destined to have a -like reputation in the future 1

The later correspondence relative to the cable subsidy question has developed no new features of interest. The upshot is that Sir Julius "Vogel has telegraphed to the Gable Company to the following effect

If you raise rates we shall not give you present accommodation, though will give you room tor an operator,' and that we will impose terminal charge. If you leave present rates ordinary messages unchanged, and reduce press rates to threepence on a guarantee of pre*s to supply revenue equal to average of press payments {during last three years, we will ag>ee to give twelve months’ notice before opening for use any new cable. > There the matter now rests. The course taken by the Government in this matter appears to U 3 very proper and judicious.

Mr Macarthur, the member for Manawatu, in his recent speech pointed out very clearly the position with regard to the Representation Bill, which was thrown out last session by the votes of three Ministers. Ho pointed out, as we did while the Bill was before Parliament, that its postponement to next session places the Government in a position to say to the Northern members—“lf you defeat any of our measures we will simply go to the country at once on the old representation, and then you will lose your redistribution for the next Parliament ; so if you want redistribution you must vote for every Ministerial measure we may chose to bring in this session.” That is the situation as it now stands, and it is one which should never have been allowed to.come about.