TOPICS OF THE DAY.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4406, 12 July 1901, Page 4

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

MORE MUNICIPAL MUDDLE* MENT. The relations between the Borough «f Karori and tho Wellington City Conn* cil are becoming somewhat strained. -The City Council, we are informed, owes the Karori Borough Council £l6B' and a further sum of £ls falls due in, c about two months. In addition to these sums, the City Council owos the Karori Council the costs of two actions (one. in the Magistrate’s Court and the other in the Supreme Court) in both of which the Borough Council was successful. To. a Corporation with a limited income such as is enjoyed by tho Karori Council these amounts represent about ft quarter of the whole year’s rates. The principal portion of the amount due is' for three years’ rates cm that portion of the cemetery reserv c owned by the city, but which has been let, tho rent of which has been duly paid by the occupier. The remaining portion repre* sents three half-years’ subsidy payable under an agreement for the maintenance, of the mutual road bounding the Bo* tanioal Gardens, for the upkeep of which both Councils arc liable, but' which is kept in repair, under an agreement, by the Karori Borough. For no other apparent reason than to obviate 1 the necessity of contributing to the ro- ( venue of a suburban borough, the oity authorities have given the occupier of the land notice to quit, and intend. pre* sumably, to declare the land (seme seventy acres or more} to be part of the, cemetery. By so doing, the city deprives the borough of about £4O per' annum of rates (cemeteries being ex*. erupt), but in so doing it deprives itself of a much larger sum in the shape of the annual rent. In addition to the less of the difference between the rent and the rates, the city will have at con-' siderable expense, to find the labour necessary to keep down gorse and other' noxious weeds, which has hitherto been, found by the tenant. It would appear that so long as the city can deprive the. Karori Council of the rates, it is willing to penalise itself by a further loss in‘ rent, throw a large area out of oulti* vation and turn a hard-working and' in* dustrious tenant adrift, a tenant, too, [ who is anxious—even at an advance -in rent—to continue occupancy. No onei pretends for a single moment that the land thus thrown out of cultivation will 1 be required for cemetery purposes for a_ generation to come. There is a sufficient area, outside of the cejnctery proper, meet the requirements of tb* oity (exclusive of any part of these set* enty acres) for many years **> come.

COUNCILLOR BARKER AND m STREET WIDENING. Some simmering indignation bubbled l ever at the City Council meeting last 1 night, when the letter convoying Oomw cillor Barber’s resignation from the 1 Street Widening- Committee (already, published) was read. The general disposition was to'let the matter pass in, silence, but Councillor Winder rose to more, “That Councillor Barber be asked { to reconsider his decision.” He said that for a time Councillor Barber had stood! alone intis advocacy of the widening of, Adelaide road. Councillor Barber was,, not responsible for the delay that had taken place; and if he reconsidered his, decision the speaker was sure the work; would be proceeded with much quicker < than in the past. Councillor Luke sen>l ended the motion pro forma. He con* demned Councillor Barber’s action inf denouncing his felloW-Oouneillors in the public press before his letter of resigns© l tion had come before them. He regarded Councillor Barber’s action in this matter as the height of impudence. Councillor Winder had only been at one, or two meetings of the Street Widening. Committee, and he was not justified in, the statements he had made in moving the resolution. He took the strongest, exception to the statement that the< committee had not done its duty. Hie ■ pointed out that the committee had l been' obliged as a matter of emergency to spend £25,000 out of < the, available for street widening in Willis street, and he justified this course in thei interests of the city as a whole. He would refuse to sit on any Street Wid-, ening Committee with Councillor Barber tor twelve months, even if the resolution were carried. Councillor Izard yearned to know what Councillor Bar* her meant by stating that the “business 1 of the Street Widening Committee had become a public scandal.” Councillor#' McLaren and Smith condemned Councillor Barber’s attitude, but Councillor Smith said the latter’s attitude had evidently been carefully considered before he had taken a decided step. Councillor Barber said, in reply to Councillor Izard, that his whole letter confirmed the statement which he had made. The widening of Adelaide road had been authorised for twelve months, and vet so far only £6OOO had been spent. The delay in this matter had been such as to discourage the ratepayers from entrusting other works to the Council. He was prepared to stand by the attitude he had taken. Councillor Winder withdrew his resolution, and the incident closed. OUR CITY THOROUGHFARES. The City Council sat ti" 12.:!0 this morning, the members being in an oratori© cal mood. During the debate one mem-

bcr—Cocnci'l jr I ovine—broso all pr<»viouf. records. tie made 30 speech is. A ;:::cn" ilea! of (I.'m is. ion look pcicc no C-oiiiicilior Devine's- motion for 100 abolition of the Street Widening Committee. The v/hoie question was threshed out at great length, the history of street widening being traced, and report's quoted by different speakers' with a view to i-rov-i the > rrefutame correctness of quite a cumber of differing points of view. Tlio result was to prove that if the Council had had the wisdom to adopt the Proposals- brought down by Mr Hell in 1897 tor the purchase of the whole of the frontages to Adelaide road, ansi the courage to raise a loan at that time and hand over the negotiations for such pur-cliaf.i’-i to a select committee of their own member.?,, or a commission selected f.om on; .;ile. Hie nresent trouble would ■vvn have .-.risen. However, last night’s delta 1 very ably and magnanimously conducted, cleared’ the air considerably.

A !-t of .nisunder.nlantlingii were removed, moot points disposed of and informat ion afforded by Councillors one to the other. There is no reason why the . ho'o question should not now ho taken firmly hold of, the necessary negotiations carried through, and tho muchmicdod street-widening .at tho .southern end of the city proceeded with. Councillor Devine's motion was seconded pro forma and rejected on the voices. Councillor Barber’s resignation from the- comi■ iit h'• "i was canvassed by Councillor Izard in a trenchant speech, but Councillor Darker, in reply, was able to show that mi-r.v exasperating things had occurred to dr fen.i' the measures which lie had l-'wti 1m i/.-I the Ado’aide road widening pus!>v.fi on with, and to make it _ clear n-at resignation was almost justifiable from Ins point of viev . Tint Councillor Barber did not succeed in justifying his •dnfcircut that “the business of the at roe I ‘Widening Committee had become a ; rli'i- scandal.” nor did he convin-(-ip-Uv show that he. as chairman of that 00-pniittee. had given that light and h-idhm to Mi felloe -members which was due from him to them, if friction and f..;wp-c ’Ve-e to be avoided. Councillor Bai-br-r has. however, one justifies! inn--fUat of success. fTo has succeeded in infusing a lot of latent enthusiasm into our f treot. widoners. and he and they mev rest assured that the eyes of the public arc upon them. BISHOP JULIUS'S SERMON. Two long letters have been sent us for publication, dealing with questions raised ineiuen tally by Bishop Julius, of Christcnurch, in his recent sermon on the occasion of tho annual' parade of Uvahscincn. Wo must decline to insert these, partly because of want of space, but chiefly because tho controversialists write on exirerat partisan lines, ancltno publication of their letters would rouse sectarian rancour. One reverend gentleman, for example, writes about a column in reply to our few lines of comment on Bishop Julius's,sermon. Ino other letter, from the opposite standpoint, i« nearly a.s long. Me reproduce, for the satisfaction of the writers, quotation:! made in their letters of historical facts. Tho antiC.itlmlio correspondent writes: Let tho following words from one of their publications not yet seventy years old, and never recalled or cancelled, speak for themselves: —‘'And whatever books or writings are interdicted from the use of the faithful, neither Jews nor fnfidels, nor other such people, dwelling or being in Christian provinces or places, may have them, read them, buy them, toll them, or carry them away. And whoever shall offend in this matter shall be punished.” The anti-Orange writer says ; —Bishop Julius praises the Orange Society for their loyalty to the State and to the Church. Is he aware that this organisation of which “we should be all proud” was suppressed by Act of Parliament in tho year 1825, or that Orangemen were at the bottom of tho Cumberland plot to deprive our late lamented Queen„then Princess Victoria, of her lawful rist to the throne P Does b 0 know that on July 1, 1823, and November 14, 1829, general orders were issued by tbe Commander-In-Chief of the Force.-, strongly reprobating the holding of Orrngo Lodges in any regiment, as ■‘fraught with injury to the discipline of the army: that, on military grounds, tho he'ding of Orange Lodges in any regiment nr corps is contrary to order and the rules of the service?” Is his j Lordship nho acquainted with tho true; nature of-the Orange oath? In declining. to publish the bulk of the correspondence, we do no on the ground of its partisan character and from a conviction that its publication would cause embittered feeling. Our reraai;kjß.<wero from the public and p-eculftr sffflfSfiolnt, and it # is no reply to the-e to attempt to raise the “odium thculcgicum.”

THE INDEPENDENT SOCIALIST PARTY. A nicotine; to discuss the organisation of an. Independent Socialist Party was hold on Wednesday, and was well attended hr a number of the Socialists in the Wellington district. The following motion, after being well debated, was unanimously carried, as embodying tho general character and scope of the proposed organisation :—“That_ this meeting, after duo deliberation, is of opinion that the time is ripe for the formation of an Independent Socialist Party, to further educational and aggressive politico’work in tho colony.” A committee has boon elected to draw up a draft constitution for the party, in accord .with the h-rms of the above resolution. This wilt he submitted to another meeting to bo caTed for an early date. DEFECTS IN PRODUCEThat unpleasant bugbear of the frozdn meat industry, “bonoetink” was a subject which came under Mr Gilruth’s observant eye when he was busy seeking information regarding New Zealand meat in London. A decided case was discovered by Mr Gilruth in a portion of a cavc-, 0 of New Zealand beef. In order to thoroughly investigate the trouble ?Ir G'lnith arranged to have the meat in question sent out to Wellington. A defect in Now Zealand butter also came wider Mr Gilruth’s notice. Several samples of butter having the flavour which the London trade designate as "fishy” were submitted to Mr Gilruth, but beyond an "off” flavour and a "tallowy” taste, Mr Gilruth failed to detect any distinct flavour which might be termed" ■•fishy.” It evidently requires the keen nose of an experienced buttertaster to place the flavour, or it may be —as has been long thought by dairymen in this colony—that the term is one which the London trade applies to any undesirable flavour in butter. THE BISHOP’S PASTORAL STAFF. A motion was brought forward by the Rev Wyndham Earee at tho meeting of the Anglican Synod yesterday that the now pastoral staff presented to the Bishop on Wednesday should be exhibited for a few days at some place in the city where it could be seen by churchpeople generally. The Bishop said he would fall in with the views of the Synod in the matter. An objection to the proposal was raised by the Ven Archdeacon Towgood, who said ho thought it would

not bo dignified to have the staff placed in a shop window. “Like a piece of racing plate,” interjected another member. Mr Bare© said that some members of the Church had been disappointed because they did not know that tho presentation was to be made. His motion, ho explained, was partly the outcome of u remark made to him by the chancellor (Mr W. H. Quick). As a matter of fact, the staff had already been exhibited in a shop window. Strangely enough, bo had received a letter from a friend stating that tho .staff was seen at Messrs Wippell and Co.’s window in London, with a card announcing that it had been made for Wellington, New Zealand. Archdeacon Twogood said it had not then been presented. “No,” retorted Mr Earec, “but it had been paid for.” As the Synod was not unanimous on /bo question, tho motion, at the Bishop’s suggestion, was withdrawn.

PRODUCE EXPORTSA leaflet published by the Agricultural Department shows that the exports of curtain produce for tho month of Juno were as follows: —-Butter, 11,715 cwt, value £54,175; cheese 5875 cwt, value £13,612; frozen beef, 19,823 cwt, value £24,016.; carcase mutton, 67,345 cwt, value £72,301; piece mutton, 4965 cwt, value £3120; lamb, 58,852 cwt, value £BB 702. The total value of dairy produce exported was £07,787, as against £42,262 for the corresponding month of 190 C. The value of dairy produce exported for tho last four months is £220,082, as against £160,518 for the corresponding period of 1900. The meat exports, however, do not compare so favourably. Comparing June, 1901, with Juno of the previous year, the value of beef exported has fallen from £31,931 to £24,018, carcase mutton from £115,434 to £73 301, piece mutton from £12,017 to £5120, and iamb from £117,440 to £88,702, making a total decrease in meat of £86,863. Comparing the total of the four months ending June 30th, 1901, with the corresponding period of 1900, wo find that lamb is the only meat the export of which has increased. The totals for all classes of meat for the four-monthly periods show a decrease of £55,782. IN DEFENCE OF THE FARMERS.

I In speaking on the Address in Reply, ' Mr F. McGuire, member for Havveni, ; put in a strong word in defence of the ; recently-formed Farmers’ Union. He I said: “■You know, sir, that every trade land profession has its union, and why i deny the right to the farmers to comjbine? I was sorry to hear the member : for Mas ter ton making such an attack upon a body of workers who are the I most industrious' in the country. Surely j tho country settlers have a right to ! combine as well as those who live in huge centres. Lot us turn to the exports of last year, which amount to nearly twelve millions, the fanners have exported eleven millions and a half, and all the manufacturers put together only exported £350,000. Notwithstanding the small amount of these exports they have the ear of the Cabinet, and they I have made their power felt in the I House because they have united on a | common platform. The farmers have I now found it absolutely necessary to ! move in tho same direction, and they 'aro determined to have the ear of the 1 Cabinet and members, of tho House. Who works harder than the farmers, their sons, wives and daughters? They are endeavouring to be independent, and they are self-reliant. They should be commended and encouraged for their thrift and industry. The State should lend them a helping hand. I am satisfied that although the Farmers’ Union is condemned by two honourable members of the House, when they are thor. oughly united, we shall find the Premier becoming their leader and throwing some of the sickly city unions, who are always wanting and never satisfied, overboard, and saying to the fanners, | ‘Yon are tli£ backbone of the country, you are the foundation on which Qio prosperity of the country rests, therefore, come along, ray boys, I will help you all I can.” The farmers have no objection to the unions in the towns. Tho workers in the towns think they aro wise in their generation; they have | unions, and why not? They have a ; right to look after their own interests, i and they do look after them. They j have conciliation and arbitration. Why ' should not the, farmers unite also? No | honourable man, I am satisfied, would I object to them uniting. However, the I farmers are tho >besb judges of their wants and requirements. They know what, they are about, and they do not require either advice or assistance from the honourable member for Masterton nr from the honourable member for Pahiatua. They know by uniting they will get more attention paid to their wants and requirements. There is not tho slightest doubt in my mind that every member that represents a country district will see they have prompt attention. I am sorry to see that two members who represent the country have made such a violent, attack on the far*, mer, and I am satisfied that in a short time they will change their opinions., and advocate the Farmers’ Union.” WATER FOR AUSTRALIA. A proposal to form a vast inland sea in the interior of Australia for the prevention of drought is under discussion at tho present time, and the master opinion of Mr Clement Wragge, the Queensland meteorologist, has been expressed as favourable to the proposal. The principal lakes in South Australia connected with the scheme are the following: Lake Torrens, 2600 square miles; Lake Eyre North, 3348 square miles; Lake Eyre South, 880 square miles; Lake Gairdner, 2000 square miles; Labe Everard, 300 square miles; Lake Harris, 160 square miles; total, 9288 square miles. In addition to this vast area, surrounding the various lakes named, there are 27,000 square miles of low-lying land beneath sea-level, which, it is considered by persons who know the localities well, could be flooded by the proposed canal scheme. Mr Wragge and other scientists have long been of opinion that such a vast inland lake impinging on the Queensland borders would have a pronounced beneficial effect on the rainfall of Southern and Western Queensland. . Further than this the hot winds from the Australian desorb in passing over so great an inland sea would become heavily charged with moisture, which would benefit Queensland and the Southern States of the Commonwealth, and especially South Australia. Between 1899 and 1900, the losses in live stock in Queensland owing to the drought were 975,645 cattle. 4,887.294 sheep, 22,339 horses, and 16,931 pics of an estimated value of £6,407,836. In the year 1900 the manure, edible fats, hides, skins, hones, horns, hoofs, hair and oil decrea.sed in value by the. sum of £190,805. In the samo year tho value of the wool produced in the colony was less by £1,184,394 than In the previous year, £209,176 worth of tallow less was produced, showing a total of £7,992,211. To this has to he added the loss to' the general

community, a calculation which defies computation. But as the drought has been existent for tho past five years, >,vc find that the losses in cattle and .sheep between 1596 and 1809 amounted in vahio to £7,097,772, which, added to tho previous total, gives £15,989,983. Tho cost of a canal to connect Lake Gairdner with Lake Torrens, Lake Torrens with Lake Eyre, and Lake Torrens with Spencer’s Gulf at Port Augusta would probably not exceed £2,000,000 by the Lindon Bates dredges, which can excavate at a cost of 2d per cubic yard.

A LANDS AND ROADS POLICY. Mr John Hcslop, the Ministerial candidate for Pabea, in the course of his first public address the other evening, made tho following remarks, which must have appealed strongly to every country settler and are worthy the attention of the Government. Land settlement (Mr Heslop remarked) is very good, hut owing to pressure and laud hunger, settlement has got ahead of roacts, whereas in my opinion, roads ought to bo ahead of settlement. I have advocated this for tho last fifteen years whenever the subject came up. When a block of land is to be surveyed, the instructions ought to be, first lay out the main road on best line obtainable, then tho side roads,, so as to give every section an outlet, then lay off the sections, taking roads, streams, and ridges for boundaries in rough country. The bush ought to ho felled not less than five chains wide on _ road lines, i-0., two chains on each side of the road width. Those five chains' should bo burned and grassed, and at all events the main road formed before the land is disposed of. The intending settlers would then bo able to go and see the land before going in for it, and the selectors would be able to get in their provisions, etc., at least 25 per cent, cheaper than at present, would be able to build a house, keep a cow or two, etc., to say nothing or the, discomforts and hardships avoided. Further, the rent for the first two years should bo at a reduced ratio. I think that if land is not worth reading it is not worth occupying, and settlers ought to have a fair summer road before residence is made compulsory. It is cruelty to compel settlers to take their families into iho back blocks before there is at all events a fair summer road. If prosperity is to continue and our railways made to pay with cheapened freights, Wo must continue to extend and improve our tributary roads and encourage settlement. Such a, policy would receive my support, and I think the support of n large majority of the people of the colony.