TOPICS OF THE DAY.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXX, Issue 3826, 23 August 1899, Page 5

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

THE MAIL STEAMERS AND FREMANTLE HARBOUR.

In certain circles in West Australia there is a strong feeling in favour of getting the "English and French mailboats to follow the example of the Germans, and make Fremantle instead of Albany the calling-place; and judging from the communications which have passed between Sir John Forrest and Captain Angus, who was sent by the P. and .0.. Company from London to Fremantle to report on the harbqur, the Premier of West Australia is determined that it shall not bo the fault of his Government if the mailboats do not go up to tho wharves! From the letters laid on the table of the- West- Australian Assembly last week it appears that- Captain Angus suggested that the proposed extension of the north mo!a ; at Fremantle should bo curved to tho south at its outer extremity for a distance of 300 ft, and this the Premier promised should be done as soon as the mole is in six fathoms of water. : A winter or had-weatlier berth with 'a width of 1400 ft for. mailboats has, been asked fo”, and it is to bo provided at;once, while tho assurance has been . given that the removing of a corner in the river and tno erection of extra leading lights will receive immediate attention,.and in other respects every endeavour, will be made to give mail steamers despatch.

THE HON JOHN McKENZIE AT HOME.

The Hon John McKenzie is giving a very good account of himself and of the colony at Home. He has been stirring the 'spirit of the democrats in London, and been pointing out to them the course they ought to pursue in regard to land legislation if they would , see the Thousands of acres now held by dukes and earls settled with smiling homesteads. Ho verily tells the Londoners that they must take a leaf out of the book that records the progress of. agricultural settlement in this colony. The Minister of Lands was interviewed by.a representative of the “Daily News,” who opens his portrait sketch of Mr McKenzie with _“a very son of Anak, the Now Zealand Minister of Lands is a living proof of the statement that Antipodean regions serve well to grow big men. Tall, broadshouldered, big, ho makes tbs average Londoner look a liliputian by his side.” The interviewer discovers that it is thirty-nine years since Mr McKenzie was in London. Then “a young Scottish farmer, he resolved to see if the Ant-iuodes Bit ad better prospects in , store for him than the Old Country afforded. For ihe first two years after his arrival Zealand he took a situation as a, shepher d on a station, afterwards becoming manager.” After'sketching the Minister’s career, the interviewer concludes his description of the Minister with the statement that “in the opinion of all who knew Southern life ho is one of the ablest statesmen of the Pearl of the Pacific, and in his own sphere of land legislation lie stands easily first-” With the utmost facility Mr McKenzie discourses on every phase of land settlement in this colon' - and tells with evident satisfaction, as ho has a, right to - da, of the success that nas attended his policy in land administration: Dealing with village settlements and the provisions made for assisting settlors, he narrates a characteristic anecdote in order - to show Londoners.how advantageous the New Zealand Government’s methods have been. .“A lady in a small town was earning* a very poor living,” observed the Minister, “just keeping herself from starvation, by teaching music. There was a cobbler in the same town not doing well. They married, and took a holding in a village settlement. I , went to. see them m tne second year of their new life. I came behind the wife as she was trying to get a root out of the ground with an iron rod. I put my hand to the rod, and out came the root. ‘Aye,’ she • said, turning round, and not recognising me, T wish I always had an arm like,'yours about.’ She told mo how steaitd* r fifer E ßu§bfln'ddisd ; ’ prosfffefdd.’ ■He had' built 1 a hous.e -with sun-dried .bricks, and timber cut down from their own ground. Sho show.ed mo their pass-book, the figures revealing that that year they had made £6O from their strawberry crop alone.' They had.planted! hundreds of fruit trees, and each tree had its Latin name marked on it. In short, as she told me, they were as happy as the day 'was long, ’and.the grim horror and want of life, had vanished.” “Mr MoKekzis,” said the interviewer, “you ■had better;take Care. Once this interview is published, your office stairs will bs besieged by poor Londoners wanting to go on your Settlements!” 1

THE LUXURIES OF THE PEOPLE. It appears from statistics that the Tasmanians, as far as the consumption of intoxicating drinks and of tea ana coffee are concerned, are tlid least indulgent of English-speaking peoples. Returns no to 1897 1 bavo been received, and this is the conclusion to be drav.ni from them. In 1597 the consumption of tea per head was 5331 b, of coffee 0.251 b, of wine 0.0;< gallon, of spirits 0.38 gallon, and of malt liquors 7.14 gallons. In the case of spoils this is a railing-off by more than one-half since 1835, in tea a reduction of 25 per cent., in wine.a reduction, of neatly ,50 i ' hc’jcm' i/iCiij-.n vI.-.lj

per cent., and in malt liquors a reduct/Cii of 40 per cent. The consumption oi spirits has considerably decreased, both in Australia and America. In the Gruled States the average citizen, m I 83(, too-; l.oolb of tea, no less than 9.95ib of coffee, 0.53 gallon of wine, 1.01 ga on oi spirits and 14.63 gallons cf malt liquors, principal)v beer. Tho Victorian dram: 6.601 b of tea, 0.711 b of coffee, 2.16 gabors of wine, 0.68 gallon of spirits, and^iL yd gallons of malt liquors. During IfeS S ictorians consumed 353,958 gallons m spirits, 14,150,139 gallons of beer, 1.0-0,-jS/6 gallons of wine and 3,373,4011 b baeoo, cigars and cigarettes. In New South Wales the average consumption per head was:—Tea, 7.251 b ; cotree, 0.491 b; wine, 0.69 gallon; spirits, U./O gallon: malt liquors, 9.33 gallons, an New Zealand the consumption of bear has somewhat increased of late years, and the consumption of other liquors __ has been well maintained. Not since 18’ya was there as much beer drank in th:s colony per head of the population as there was last year, the total quantity consumed being 6,013,121) gallons. This ’S an .increase over the consumption of 1897 cf 271,920 gallons. The quantity of spirits consumed . also increased by 1u.900 gallons, and wine by 1300 gallons. Bur for purposes of comparison the quantity consumed per head of population ougat to 1)6 given. New Sesilanders consumed in 1898 of beer 12.1 gallons, of spirits 2.27 gallons, of wine 22 gallons. But wo consumed 6.0-3 lb of tea per head as wed. It will be seen that New Zealand, which a few years ago ranked next to Tasmama in abstemiousness as far as stimulants arc concerned, does not now enjoy that enviable position. WOMEN AS JOURNALISTS. At the Women’s International Congress the topic of journalism as a profession for women excited a good deal of interest. The Duchess of Sutherland, who presided, spoke for clean jonrna'ism, and deprecated those journals that devoted their space to scandal. "Tt would bo better,” she thought, “to scrub a floor and gain a mess of potato than to write nonsense l .” In the discussion Mrs CynUiia Trestover ,41den, the,,editor of the woman’s department of the “New York Tribune,” said sho believed that woman’s contributions to tho newspaper press would be much larger ten years hence. The wisdom of man was ever incomplete, she said, without the supplement of womanly inst net. Mrs Ida Harper, of Washington. thus defined the Qualifications desirable for the w (Jinan editor : “Has she a gift for writing? Has she really ideas of value? Has she a cool head, balance of mind, perfect self-control, boundless tact, sound judgment, keen perception, clear discrimination? Tnen she is eminently fitted to' be a- great editor!” Not, she considered, until women were placed in a position of power on the press, instead of serving only in a subordinate capacity, could the world know their real opinions on the manifold issue’ of tho day, and especially .on questions directly affecting their own sex.