TOPICS OF THE DAY.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4131, 20 August 1900, Page 4

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

RET) LETTER, DAY IN WANGANUI

The, Japanese have a. proverb to ilio effect that i£ -the odds do nothing by halves.” It would be a press flattery to claim for,, the peonlc of,, Wanganui that tbey possess god-like qualities, but it may- bo soberly arid truthfully asserted that they resemble the gods ~iii the thoroughness of their methods. In the Cosmopolitan Club, which succeeds the Working Wen's Club, the citizens of the thriving town of .the. western coast of this island have a- building larger, better furnished • and in every way more , up-to-dat e than any other Working Wen's Club in , the . colony, and in the inaugural proceedings that took place on Satuydav last thero was nothing wanting that goes to make up a successful and enjoyable function. The aft ernoo'n .gathering, at which tea and cake wore dispensed, was made the occasion, of a really , distinguished assemblage, the onlv drawback being tlm congested state of the, largo social ball while the. addresses were being delivered. The ban-mot. at the DriUshocl the same evening ,was a brilliant success and the steamboat trip up the uniquely beautiful, Wanganui river was

fitted to permanently impress visitors. In tii* innttor of invitations to people treei adh tunes, the officials of the ■club had manifested a wise liberality, v/hah was freely responded to. Two ■-Uinir.ter:; of the Crown, a -.core of member;; of the Legislature and a crowd of Tending people from the irn-nie-iiate district were present to compliment tiio officer;] and mem be ry, of the Cosmopolitan Club on lie- completion of their new building. The Mayor of the town and several influential Maori chiefs also lent their countenance, and practiealiv the town was ! ‘en fete’’ on the occasion. Net the has! pleasing foMurc ■•■ bout this notablo event ih local hisiorv war, the way in which political 'l l!• : ' I;■ ■>,, ri,; -a dnlsions acid cl l ',! : ii'-_-Jc)ii , ; i>-. were for til 5 time i ;sl aside i>• Iho desire i o filly cole' bra'" •. social film;! ion of (lie kind dese; ik'd. THE SPEECH Ok CAUTION. Tie J. 'll. Blair, chairman o! directors ot (he Rank of \< w Eealarul, in the cioii.o'e of a ' i t a I the annual in opting ol (he sioil'elioldcrK, reviewed the oil no i ion u.h.0.1i had led up to what he pvosiinnied to las a favourable halauco!,lf <:■. He l only had th" colony li.'cu pro: peron:-; in rct;ard to its genera! oracle. hut during the past two years (here had been a or* at development in 11"’ dredging industry. But llicre were' Ktave dangers aUarhiug to this development.. People like ourselves aitmitod i a. disi.allee Horn ;|.<■ m-cucs of operations were likely to lose more money than we could make, and not only so, (hose who know not mug about, it might he tempted to put more money into dredgiu.g than (hey vould really- awl ford to lose. The presence of fleets

ol wurriliips in China which would have to ho s.aippilcif with, coal iva; an opportunity for ' N’eiv Zoala.ml ,to profitably develop tier t!■;'ln. In that, dirccHon. 'liu? North. [Hand liia.l made :i distiucfly forward move of (ate years, ■'inti I,ho completion, of. (he Main Trunk railway would result in the opening up of large areas of country. Hut hero again was a danger. The land was being profitably occupied in small areas by daily farmers at present, but if there came a, slump in the .British market, and the prices for butter and cheese suffered decline, Ihe ineu who had paid, comparatively fictitious prices for their holdings would sutler cimsidciadilc distress. Mr Blair reminded his hearers (hat there had rociuilly been "onict hiug very like a crisis in Ihe European money market.-. and. considerable financial stringency still prevailed. When this was. borne m mind, and when , they remembered tin? huge rnnis being .wasted’ in China, and .South Africa, and the immense navy votes recently authorised by the Powers, it would, he realised that a, financial crisis might easily be, precipitated. The- necessity lor caution in public and private circles, under these eircnitislstnces, could not be too earnestly impressed.

THE TRAMWAYS POLL. Tho ratel payers • of Wellington will to-morrow have an opportunity of saying whether or not the City Council is to proceed with..its scheme Tor the au-'iuisition of tho tramways. , It-, is proposed to. borrow. .IfiIO.OOO - for the purpose of purchasing the tramways, and. it is on (:Ins proposal that-' ratepayers will bo asked to make their views known. through, tho medium of the ballot-box. ■ There will be four polling-places, namely, at tho -Sydney street Schoolroom; (lie City Council Offices, Brandon .sired ; the -Foresters’ Kail, Tory street- and the- 'Victoria, Hall, Adelaide rood. The proposal will bo deemed to bo carried if a majority of three-fifths of the votes given on it is in favour of it. The booths will be open from 9 a.m. to (J p.m. Public opinion, so far as ,it can be judged by public meeting,-is distinctly favourable .to mu i lie ip :d ownership of tho tramways, aim it is confidently ex-, pected (hat tho poll will tell the same tale. Ratepayers should not fail to record their votes on the side of progress. A HOME FOR DISCHARGED ■ PRISONERS.^ A public meeting is to be held in St. John’s Schoolroom to-night to discuss the question of providing means and encouragement for discharged prisoners to become reputable and law-abiding citizens. The meeting will bo under the presidency of the Chief .Justice, and the following resolution will be submitted: —“That a, homo ;. lie established in or near Wellington City for discharged prisoners, tho primary object of which shall bo to generally improve and uplift its inmates, by such educational and industrial methods ns, in the judgment of a. board of management, shulf be considered best, arid '"also to aid in finding work.” ...... m:TH3AN TR.Wi LLING FACILITIES. Tho _ eastern suburbs of Wellington are being gradually brought into, more seemly communication with ihe city. A notice ; in the lasi! issue of the ‘‘Gazette,” states that Hie - Governor-in-Council has approved of, plans lodged by tho Soatouu, Road Board with "the Marine Department for wharves .at Miramar, Kamka Bay and ‘Seatoun. Tho approval is charged jb.y the following riders ; “(1) That dues for the use of the wharves, shall-, be submitted to and authorised by the Governor-in-Coimeil .before any charge is made; (2) no'alteration shall be. made in any dues which may be authorised without tho consent of the Govcrnor-in-Coun-cil; (3) the board shall not sublet, assign, charge nor part - with . tho wharves, or cither of them, without the previous consent of the Governor-in-Council.”

BLACK AND YELLOW MAN.

In his remarkable work “National Life and Character: A Forecast,” published seven years ago,- Mr Charles H. Pearson makes the prediction that China’s flag will float on every sea. “The clay will conic,” he wrote, “and is perhaps nob very far distant, when the European observer will look round to see the globe girdled with a continuous zone of the black and yellow races, no longer too weak for aggression, or under tutelage, hut independent, or practically so, in government, monopolising the trade of their own regions, and circumscribing the industry of the European; when Chinamen and the natives of Jliadostan, the States of Central and South America, by that time predominantly Indian, and it may bo African nations of the Congo and' Zambesi, under a 'different caste of foreign rulers, are represented by fleets in tiie European seas, invited to international conferences, and welcomed as allies in the quarrels of the civilised world. The citizens of these countries-will then be taken up into the social relations of .the white-races, will throng the English turf, or the salons of Pari.;, and will be admitted to intermarriage. It is idle to say' that, _ if all this should come to pass, our pride of place will not, bo humiliated.' We were struggling among ourselfres for? supremacy in a- world which we thought of as destined to- belong to Aryan races and to the Christian faith; to the letters, arts and charm of social manners which we have inherited from the best.

times of the past. We shall wake to find ourselves elbowed and hustled, and perhaps even thrust aside, by_ people whpxn we looked upon as servile, and thought of as bound to minister to our needs.” • D AIR YIN G DEV EL OPMEN T. The increase in the quantity of dairy exported during the past season lover that exported during the previous .twelve months was fully forty per cent., .but there is every indication that even .'that remarkable development will be exceeded during the coming season. J Tirough the first shipment will not take ■ place for two months yet, the majority of the outputs of the faotorh •;•> have been already disposed of, a number arc consigning, and only a very few are still undecided as to how they will deal with their produce. The number of dairy factories in the North Island at the present time is 1."2, connected with which are 161 creameries, centres where (he cream is skimmed and then forwarded to the factory to be made into butler. Out of this number 00 factories and 08 creameries are situated in Taranaki, Wellington having 33 and To, Auckland 23 and 42 and Hawke's Bay 6 and 0. The South Island has levs than half the number of factories registered in the North Island, the figures being—74 factories

and 38 creameries. ’Of this number Olago claims 49 factories and 23 creameries. Canterbury 10 and 13, Westland 1 and 3, Nelson 5 factories and Marlborough 3. _