TOPICS OF THE HAY

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1511, 14 February 1901, Page 39

TOPICS OF THE HAY

LOST IN CYCLES

Statistics show that the cycle trade in Engl and is going from bad to worse. Fifty companies, with . an aggregate capitalisation of nearly £5,000,000, have disappeareld altogether within the past four years, and it is computed that the public who unfortunately invested their money in cycling “gold-bricks” must have paid for their folly something like £20,000,000. The present chaotic condition of the trade is set forth by the "Birmingham Daily Post” in a melancholy array of statistics, and the conclusion arrived at is that over-capitali-eation is the main cause, of the disaster, “Over-capitalisation,” it is pointed out—which in this connection means a preposterous price for a fugitive or imaginary goodwill—“excessive competition, and reckless, dishonest, or incompetent trading, are really at the root of the mischief ; and until the trade has purged itself of these maladies' we are afraid there can be no lasting health or prosperity for it, however steady the public demand.” Other causes tnan over-capi-talisation that have contributed to the downfall have been a general rise in, the price of materials, the diversion ox men .and money to South Africa in consequence of the war, and an accumulation •of bad debts. Phenomenal dividends are a thing of the past, and of the companies that have survived the wreckage ■only two in the past year have been able to pay a dividend of 20 per cent. These were the! Birmingham Small Arms and the Palmer Tyre, neither being solely a cycle manufacturing concern. Pour others—the Raleigh, Rudge-Whit-worth, Alldays and Onions, and J. B. Brooks and Go.—paid 10 pea* cent., and there are a few able to show an improved balance-sheet cm tyre-working. On the •ether hand, the majority of companies have done worse in 1900 than in the previous year, and there is no silver lining to the black cloud. H.M.S. ARCHER. His Majesty’s ship Archer, third-class cruiser of six guns, Commander Jno. P. Rolleston, arrived in port on Sunday, after a run of seven days eighteen hours from Sydney. The Archer was taken off the China station and commissioned for the Australian station' on the 30th of August last, and her present visit to Wellington is her first appearance in New Zealand waters. She left Sheerness for Australia on September oth and proceeded, via Gibraltar, Malta, Aden, Colombo, Batavia, Kopang and Thursday Island, to Sydney, which port- was reached cn November 14th. There the vessel stayed two months eighteen days ; the crew took part in the-’celebratlons in connection with the inauguration of the Australian Commonwealth. The Archer left Port Jackson for Wellington on the 2nd instant and, steaming at an average speed of 6.74, made Wellington on Sunday, seven days eighteen hours out.. Strong southerly wiudis, with a very heavily southerly swell, were experienced throughout the voyage, the vessel rolling and lurching very heavily. The passage through Cook Strait was also a very rough one, the wind coming from the north to north-west, with driving rain, the land, being quite obscured. The complement of the Archer is 178 all told,'ten. being officers. Commander Jno. P. Rolleston is in charge, and following are the officers : —First Lieutenant, Mr Norman McC. Lewis; second lieutenant, Mr A. T. Stewart; navigating officer, Lieutenant Ken nett Dixon; paymaster, Mr F. Wells; chief engineer, Mr Jas. J. Roffey; surgeon, Dr Cyril Shepherd. Several of the ofjficers have visited the colony on previous occasions—Captain Rolleston in the. Royalist and Wolverine, and Lieutenant Lewis and Paymaster Wells in the Gold- . finch. The Archer is of 1770 tens register, and is of 2200 indicated horse-power, with a maximum speed! of 16 knots. Her equipment consists of six 6in quick-firing ;:j. ■conyeirted guns, eight three-pounders, •i and -two ~'45 machine guns. .Her length . ds -245 ft, beam 37ft, draft 16ft aft and 3.4 ft forward. " It is understood that the •Archer, -sails far Auckland! on Thursday, and after being docked will , await orders at the .Northern port. v ; . THE ORATOR OF OTAGO. • When the Imperial troops arrived in Dunedin the local Mayor worked himself up to a pitch of great enthusiasm, and made a remarkably vigorous and humorous speech, of which the followinor i s an extract: —Let me tell you—and I think if anyone can sneak with authority on the point it is the Mayor - .of the city—it does not matter whether the soldiers who come here are English, Irish or Scotch, New Zealanders or colonials —it does not matter where the. British soldiers hail from—they are -cur brothers, and with wide-stretched arms we are at all times willing to welcome them. (Cheers.) If you had been •occupying my position for the last few days-—if you had read some of the applications ' that came in asking that soldiers might be sent to their homes, it would almost have brought tears to your eyes. Some people rang me up by telephone, and said, “Ah. Mr Chisholm, we have known you for so many years—you are such a fine fellow-—■ (laughter and cheers, and a voice : ‘Quite right s ) —do pry and find one soldier to come to my house.” And I have said, “ My good woman—(loud daughter and applause)—l’m very sorry, • but soldiers are at an immense pro—in V" Ur ' soldiers

•cannot be got for love or money in Dunedin.” laughter.) Well, 111! never forget poor Mrs Thomson away down somewhere. She said, “Look here, now, just tak yin fr.ae somebody else, and send him here.” (Laughter.) Well, I know that away down the railway somewhere between this and Invercargill three men were working like demons —men who had gone away from their business and given up their comforts—in order to arrange how to do best for the soldiers. And let me tell you that civilians sometimes have to fight battles almost as tough as those you were fighting on the African veldt. We have had a tough battle to fight, and we were as game as Gordon Highlanders or as any section of English, Irish or colonial troops. There were with me men of backbone and courage, who said, “ We are going to give these troops such a reception an they will never forget, and such a reception as will cause other parts of New Zealand, if they do not rise to the occasion, to sink in their shoes.” (Applause.) And! we have dorse it: there is no mistake about that. (Cheers.) I am satisfied that when you leave New Zealand you will say that nowhere else have you experienced so much kindness or met such fin© people. (Loud and continued applause.) ATHLETES IN AFRICA. From a private letter which the Premier has received from an officer serving with the Fourth New Zealand Contingent in South Africa it appears that “ our boys” have been having a little fun to vary the monotony of life on the South African veldt. The communication is addressed' from Elerksdorp, and says:—“Since arrival here, we have with intervals of outpost, patrol, commandeering and other duties, found time to go in for athletic sports, in which the New Zealanders won nearly all the prizes. Cricket matches were also played between New Zealand and New South Wales against England, which was won by the colonials by an innings and 51 runs. The officers of the column played the town of Sllerksdorp, and the match was won by the officers by 130 runs. Major Davis, commanding the Fourth, made 45 runs. New Zealand v. Australia (non-commissioned officers and men) was won by New Zealand by only 8 runs. It will thus be seen that the men from New Zealand are well able to hold their own at play a.s well a.s work. This recreation has had a good effect upon the men, and cheered! . them up -wonderfully. Major Davis was captain of-the two first-mentioned teams, and also chairman of the Sports Committee.”