TOPICS OF THE DAY.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXX, Issue 3862, 4 October 1899, Page 5

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

ME W C. FITZGERALD’S CASE. It may be remembered how nr W. C. Fitzgerald as public vaccinator successi fully defended an action brought against him in the Supreme Court. In this action he mifht have pleaded in defence the privilege of a public officer acting in the course of his duty, leaving the Crown to bear the burden of the litigation. It-is true that tho Government has paid Mr Fitzgerald the sum of £367, or about one-half of the total expenditure—£73s 7s lid—to which he was put in defending the actions brought against him. Mr Fitzgerald does' not see why he should bo called upon to bear the loss of £368, when as a private officer he was ordered by the Premier, as he alleges, to “ fight the case out on its merits, and come to us with!your, pe'tfridh-forirndemnity afterwards;” /Mr Fitzgerald; did/so, and the Government only allowed half the costs of, the ..case..- of. the favourable recommendations:' qf/th&/,'mmmi ! of . bofh ’Houses; 'of : Mf haij-noV/becjt paid. • - Tt- sbeiiis uhreasbnaljle tlfat/'-'tlie' payment of expenses -'should / bfe r; IcrrigeV withheld seeing* theytlweve'rincurred; in defending .-proceedings chroiight r agaxribt him while! actingrih Wsi-.ptißlic/hapScrtJr,' and rendering! suck - service's- life free- pi r cliargprtp the ; ;public-./ Tliefc/im--: mfttee; qf!-!thc Hqpse. of ; Representatives has! .thisyear -again , tKe Government !‘fd pay The petitibnelr ‘amT the Upper. Hjouse Committee having darken the ’prayer ‘of the petitioner tb’ the-favourable’ consider"' atiou of the Government.''-For two years tlffeo GoyeThmcnt’dias.- beenourgedMo pay thb"/expenses;incaffcdy and/ib: would; ibet andact .ofi justice; to;,plaoe.tlie amoimtoon the Estimates, and' therebyoaffprcl-Tlthe Hoage-ran -opportunity;: ; of/conforming -to the/docisions p-of« r ihe L 'j?nl>lio. Petitions Committees 'that the sum should bebpaid, ■ airrrcO !::h '“t ■>/ orlT ; A. i;§TRAN GB : - ANNOU NGEMENJT;} ,

| Tlief “ ifapan rtsMSul” --'makes i thfe- caffriauncoment, r oh the 7 strength:) of ia. Tokyo: cojitefoporai'y,-;:thafcitbfexdir6ctbrs. df.'tlic Tpyp iKisen’Kaisha have determined the efficers,hunch qrgiys.f-steamers' shall ‘be Altogether, foreigners'. Hitherto .they have employed rfpyqjgneys ipf the,capacity of captains } ' ’pufse'fs,"’chief” eilgirieerSh = addlha»igatingLfs)fiiccrs, the remaihder .of rfeheEfcrotv cohbistmgfof ATapii)neser But the .vlarrangementevhiis foOt' ■prov.cfd; j satisf a’etpry, ios ipg:lt.Q> ? the r.vfa.ct: Japanese e,mpjnjoes- hayo-deyeF fopedr a spiribc-fof r. inqiib L jvand roughness wofljet soon prove fatal to the passenger ( ti'alEc, Thq.-dirpctors, apparently-see no;;hope of cori-dctmg s niattfert'; find' have' ’accordinglycome to the conclusion that there, .is .nothing for it but 'to jgeji. he^eiiltdgethjSiv and- £0 -engage- Enrobe ort-Ajiieripah officers/ filling-tip tlleAower ranks' ; vVrth Ohinles^.:stSflftji—tieni|)drary dddk:idfo.That is ;a ! -’courageous; resolve;'and the pnblih-wiUJbcfourious to see ho.ws itris carneddo.ut.i--:.Wei .bdlievfo that tbe, t Nippom : . l WU|Sein- > Kaisha- would liky'e; step of the kind Ipfig’ dgby permanent ihdadujfo, biibas'd ’l’he Japanese make excelled t- and we all';kilow- how- courteous and obliging 'thby can' hth But after* thO'iwaf u’With ChinaCthor.men."employed ,'iin;;.:.'steamers; 'carrying foreign passengers made themselves exceedingly obnoxious,; and . had it ( .been n conveiyent.rJ:o .replace-;them by Gliines&fog^^^ tainly Rave'been Lad 'to' Complaints haye r not ; been Jfearct Xdi-“sprpp iiiiic mfist, hot 66;i^t.Grp^rfote^d'tdp , f^ydurablyt 1 * f’’ i ; _ ARTESIAN , In a'few "years. tho-;drpugh ! b ; .^Vtll'rlbt bo'"'so grqait a-.bbgqy tcr-,£!ie pastoralists,- dwing'-t'd'-Ahd extension‘pf 1 artesian bores. Acc'drdlfitflt6 a 'th6'at®s cords; .pnbHshed''in:the.rtStatistical./ Regf ister” of New. < South-iVYales; ther cGovenf-:. ment' 1 arterian ijdSldinglia ffoiv 0f, ; 39,750,000. ■gallpn ( &''.;pf' nF a .tdr :: a ; dft.7:*,' TjJhfjro; are- in in which - pufllping.“|9 ' jiecesppy; ..«^d,, j|i6ld is liot ‘stated'. ' The pfiyithe bores arc far more mpnerous,.;and,.the .flow per ;diem- -fro'm- ; Fhes'e “is- fodL down - of approximately 42,300,000 -gallons. The Government andi private bores together yield approximately,; -73,-Psojooo-i ; .gaUons daily.. IndQucehMarnl' Last,) j^iqr flow- from -'379'; active-fodres., was ''..estimated at ’163,200,000 'gallons; 'daily:; i The October-nupiber” of ,“ Alea,” ,'hsc published; maintains the high character witli which this , little ' monthly started.' The place'of honour iS'"alfo6ted to “-Z,” who,discourses on .the recent education Cdhfertifod pWF wrtioleh of'more interest are those on Aytoun’s “ Firnii-': lian,o* by Air IE r W! T Rdwefo lon„Neurasthenia; by E.R.R/, and onsHameto Mdr, l tincau,; byfo'Lux.” TJic.dditei-nrKraßd: science notes arc, ; as inmalj- gqpdj, and the poetical .selections gxcejlent. 0 111 a , w;ell-wrltten gllegory, c eiititlecT;. “,X Modern Moloch,”'®, writer gives fd'6u,fpr; thought to those frivolities of “at bombs” ail'daftCrnoQli r tea.'”"" ' ,'.j. ‘ *’■ '' r '