PEPPER POT.

New Zealand Times, Volume LI, Issue 8965, 16 April 1890, Page 5

PEPPER POT.

Landed property in the Old Country has taken a rise in value lately. Estates in Yorkshire and Hampshire recently sold for 70 guineas and 80 guineas per acre respectively. The much abused and much wondered at Prince Alexander of Battenbnrg has a lot in him after all, if Count Moltke’s opinion is conclusive. The Count avers that the Prince is the most promising military tactician in Europe, and Count Moltke ought to be an authority on such a question. How often the masses out-Herod Herod in their political or other idiosynoraoies and convictions, beating their leaders hollow ! Here is an example. During the first Lent of the Archbishopric of Cardinal Manning his Grace issued a dispensation, relieving the season’s fast because of the cholera epidemic ! When it was read in one of the churches an old Irishwoman, mightily outraged, exclaimed, " This is what comes of having a Protestant Archbishop ! ” . The military and naval authorities in the Old Country are expressing doubts as to steel being the very best metal for artillery. Bronze is recommended in preference, and the German and French authorities are adopting similar views. Accidents to the monster guns of the ironclads have led up to this change in front. It is estimated in quarters that ought to know something about the matter that the average age of members of the British House of Commons is " not much, if at all, below fifty.” Wish people would return to the old cognoman, "Dengue fever.” This parrot-cry of ‘‘La Grippe ” is becoming tiresome. It’s just our old acquaintance on its periodical visit, perhaps a little aggravated on account of the driel-up state of the district for so many mouths. Bub it is a trifling visitation in the great majority of cases. To avoid a relapse is the chief care. AH the bad cases that we. have heard of are simply due to too much confidence, and then a bad back fall. Wonder how it was that such a rotten old tub as that Yankee barque Emilie was ever allowed to leave a New Zealand port ! She was atrociously unseaworthy, and no one seems to have taken the slightest notice of her condition. .The vessel loaded at the Bluff, was under the eyes of all the nautical officials there —the Harbourmaster, Collector of Customs, etc. —and yet nothing wrong was detected. Notwithstanding that, one of the survivors affirms she was rotten from keel to trucks. It is quite a remarkable instance of oversight, or something much worse, on the part of some one. A parallel case, but minus the wreck and loss of life, happened years ago at Port Chalmers in connection with another nautical abortion. The notorious Don Juan Rosalie 1 She was a beauty without paint, and a firstclass floating coffin ! But her condition was detected, and the newspaper press put such a spoke in her wheel as led to her condemnation. Somebody’s life was saved thereby, and yet there were fellows who would have gone to sea in her if they had been let ! The other of our Christchurch contemporaries —not the Times this time—is like the Times, however, in convulsions of horrof and "suppressio veri,” about our borrowing propositions, and they were snob little ones too ! The article literally croaks from start to finish, and its sepulchral allusions to the turpitude of Wellington generally and this journal in particular are blood-curdling. Very little short of wiping Wellington off the face of creation is threatened, and the Colony from end to eaff I s called upon to enter on a crusade against this unfortunate city. The Christchurch journals don t seem able to see outside the boundaries of their own province. " Wellington, not New Zealand,” indeed ! Whoever said it was ? But for how many years has Canterbury posed as the " hub ” of the Colony, and has “grabbed” everything within its reach? Not forgetting education endowments. The abominable gluttony of that transaction will never be forgotten. How Canterbury gorged till it vomited rather than part with a particle of the plunder 1 And now with the most barefaced audacity it is assuming a virtuous indignation because we advocate what must benefit-the Colony as a whole. The Christchurch papers were not very particular how the Midland Railway was compassed. They went for it frantically to avert that " bursting ” which was sagely predicted must be the alternative of failure. Having got the Midland Railway by State aid, they would prevent any other part of the Colony from getting anything ! They were not game to put their own bands into their own pockets and make that railway, like the Wellington people did the Manawatu line. This city didn’t bowl to Jupiter, but just put its own shoulder to the wheel and helped itself. Fie ! Christchurch, practice moderation, and give everyone his due j but you are incapable of doing either the one or the other. One of the most remarkable instances of non sequilur ever heard of iis a letter published in an evening contemporary last night, and purporting to be a reply to the leader in yesterday’s Times. The management of the Victorian treasury la said to be “ reckless and incapable.” Our finances, says the letter, are conducted on exactly the same plan. But you see they’re not, dear "other fellow.” New Zealand has not got a financial crisis. Since useless limbs were lopped off the Ministerial tree we re all right—we’ve got a surplus 1 If John Brown is sentenced to three years’ imprisonment for burglary at the Bluff, John Smith, of Auckland, .ought to be similarly dealt with. A parallel analogy. But the gist of those cable messages was the necessity for financial ability in Victoria. Now we know why they were quoted. Isn’t there only one financial genius in New Zealand ? And isn’t he oat in the cold, and likely to stay there ?