TOPICS OF THE DAY.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4407, 13 July 1901, Page 5

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

il UNICIPAL MUD D I,KMENT. Last night’:-, newspaper, true to tun apologetic inotiiict.. engendered l>y iU’Oiiiainiii'i; a- px'olongeil iae.ug-hnLh-. way/. iiltiUnie Oil all mi-ijeeU' Oi local i ouccra, publishes a ’ denial” 01 the : i.a!e-iicnL, put forward in yosforday » ■ 1 (ii)o-c' eomairmng tho relations bc<- : ike Keren Borough Council uik! Win City Council. T!:-m “denial” is so j o pudeni ilia hard /'i be]'eve that even tile .Mayor can, it- ; i-ed, ham umpired it. Mr Aitkcn .-.ciu to hare eta ml! I lipt there 1-. no trictiou Ijcrv/cen the city ai;tl -nburhan (;■ if lit It there is no pi’iva;n■' 1 111 ci lot that is ontii’fiy ovv» ill'; to th.l loin; .udl'e/'ing pafiencu iji' tho lian.ri Council. On the ctlici' mind is jho j that ij.t! ifi.Uor body has applied to ij; a, ,Sii|ifi‘.’i)e Court to b.Hvn the < •'nirti'cy ii’. im'vo Impounded- That sni'iiH very iilio friction, at any rale. M>- ;<,!iKra is report,ill to have declared i (ms jjryer been any fiction lov 1-ft iwci; the Borough Council end City Oiificil.” Nobody said there ! :nl brim. There Inis been an action si jay -,vHli the tenant. Again the ■'fever: “There is an unsettled account i t e'o. neei ion with the nniintenancc of : . ye, ; Jon of Hip public marl on the ■ ero ,-.;ib’ of Hie Botanical Gardens, r Inch tiie City Council has been ‘ rive'ber the Karoi’i Council .£3O per ev." The unsettled account, we may j see,, "oir-i tr of throe halLycarly paya-; Dintlrr of fact about X’li. Vf .;, r p. Client on the road in qncsi rn terra rd<: n h:< b the city should cont vibiTe C.'O. rnslem/ of (bat, tho city | e-infe-ses to a liability of £3o,’ but does ••ip pry even that. Every f-tntement ; "‘do in our article was undoubtedly e.i-rect. This instance of what bungI r ay lead> to is not n reflection on the Mayor or Councillors, except in so far ns they tolerate inept adminisTration.

THE CLYDE QTTAY ESPLANADE. Judging hy some remarks made bv (.ouai'idor Devine at the City Council meeting on Thursday night, some agitation is likely to take place shortly m reference tp the erection of boatsheds ;i!mig the Clyde quay and Oriental Bay sea frontage- Nobody at the meeti;r; ;;.;-emcd to have a very clear idea as to what negotiations had taken place hot Sfen the Council and the Haroour JJpard in regard to the question, but from inquiries which have been made it seems that the Harbour Board bus, with the consent of the City Council, made an arrangement to erset, m ccnnooton with the boat harbour which is to be constructed in the vicinity, as runny boatsheds of approved architecture ns the necessities of the -water-lov-ing section of the commnnitv seem to warrant. A question hav'tig arisen as to whether the marine parade wall should bo perpendicular or in the form of a pitched slope, the Harbour Board spread to pay the additional ninoiinf necessary to secure the perpendicular (or more costly) stylo of erection, the object being to prevent the pitched slope and the sloping roof of the hootsheds in conjunction being made a place of depository for dirt, dust and refuse. This .‘hows that the Council knew at the time that it was contemplated fo erect boatsheds at the spot, and assented to tbn proposal. Now it appaics that the residents of the locality are exercised at the idea of having their sea view obstructed, and they are likely to protest vqroj-onslv against the erection of boat* •sheds being proceeded with. In their a si fa lion they are likely to be backed no by a large section of the populace which has dreamt for some time of the pleasures of promenading an tmobsonred p-n. front, The question arises; What nrn the yachting and boating fraternity to do? Thev have been hunted from nillar to post for some time past, and have not received the encouragement and consideration to which they are assuredly entitled. A large section of the community sympathises with their point of view, and until it is shown that some sw’table alternative site is available for the ypc’-tstnen. any proposal to cast them .-idv'ft onee again will he stemlv e-sou 1 "-! i|j mmiv quarters. To avoid friet-V i it would he a good thing if a enn c '-r.""’''o ”-o-e hold of representatives of Hio r 'i ■■ Council, the Harbour Board, th- vppVliw ami rowing chibs, and the Tqtop -rr • directly interested. MOHNT.-t INS UNDER THE SEA, The majority of people do not realise that there are mountains under the sea, yef the cable-layers often meet with these annoying obstructions, and have 'to go to great pains tp circumvent them. Thus when the cable steamer Britannia was recently proceeding from Australia to Norfolk Island making a survey of the proposed Pacific cable route, and had got out 110 miles from the Queensland coast she came across a range of mountains 13,000 feet high running north and south for "seventy miles, but probably still further, with a least depth of 220 fathoms, where it was previously supposed to bo 2500 fathoms, and having a gradient of 13,000 feet in sixteen ,nrli*". A new track for the cable was found to the southward of this, along which .soundings were continued to Norfolk Island. The soundings on the route as finally selected showed a good bottom for the bed of the cable with po excrs«ivo depths, Anson Bay, “Norfolk Island, having been selected as the landing place of the proposed ca.de. Dm Britannia came on across to New Zen. land. A good route for the cable was found along the track gone over, in moderate depths, the majority of which did p.nt exceed 1900 fathoms. Mr Logan, Superintendent of Electric Lines in New Zealand, joined the vessel at Russell and came on down the coast. YVrv rough weather was experienced nil tbn way down, and great difficnlty was experienced in making the soundings, which, however, were nearly completed, a gap of twenty miles having yet to he bridged over. The Britannia is now on her way back to Norfolk Island, end wi'l proceed thence to Fiji and Fanning Island and then for 100 miles to dho northward of that island: thence to Hololulu which completes the work of surrov. The cable steamer Anglia is expected to be out to lay the cable early next year. MB GILRUTH AT HOME. In selecting pedigree stock in England for the Government, Mr Gilmth found his work - seriously hampered by the publicity which had been given to his mission. Stock-owners imagined that because a Government agent was purchasing pedigree animals there vas no limit to price if the -stock pleased him. In securing milking strains of shorthorns another difficulty faced Mr Gilrv.th—the very few herds in England, the great majority of shorthorn cattle being bred to beef standards. However, thq stock he secured were from very fine milkers on both sides- He saw tbe dam and great-dam of each bull but one, and in regard to this he had authentic information. When visiting Lord Roths child’s breeding establishment, Mr olira th was shown a Jersey cow-, ten years of age, which gave 13,0001 b of seven per cent, milk last year. He was informed

by Lon! Rothschild’;, manager that the •Jersey.-, did very poorly on ueavy _ lino. !)jfc that they were all right on lighter .soil On the other hand, the .shorthorns Iv, ere xvonderfuly successful on heavy | litjid. I SPREADING THEIR V/INGS. 1 Complaints have been made from time • to time by those persons whoso duty it i i ; lo attend to lire disbursement oi rale,, jibat tho Government tabes an inM«.uhI cant part in pavinent lor many services i in this community. the benefits of whnai i in eoninion wi*h other citizens, its men-,. ! hers and ohicials or.jov. Gradually. bow. lever, the Crown i, bocf.mn.f' more ami | more a rent payer, anj;. therefore, a j ratepayer. Department! mßc<’ depart- ! merit is smergieg from its original ebryai alls in “ the largest wooden building,” I me , and taking Wing to (daces where ! its development may find less retarded scope. Thus, we hud the Labour Depart. I 111 e-!;I:. (be Census find the Conciliation Hoard in one building, and I Hie Tourist Department end the H-vdlh Department in another, and now i.ae General Post Office authorities have had to push the savings bank and money order and old ago pension officers out ef “ tho building under the clock, ’’ and they will take refuge on Monday next in promises provided and very nicely furnished for (hem in the old Bank of New Zealand premises on Lambton quay, opposite Martin’s Fountain. Of course when Hie railway offices arc transferred in Hie course of time to their now {remises in Feather*!on street there will bo f-nnio space available in the buildings, but this will probably be swallowed up by encroachments of departments already ensconced there. In tho meantime, also, there is a crying need for new Supreme Court premises in thin city, and this is a question which must be faced immediately to avoid continuance of what is growing to be a po-d lively scandalous stat o of affairs. AN EXTRAORDINARY BILL. “Wanted, the name and address of tiio person who incited or inspired the Shops and Glfices Bill.” That might very well stand as an advertisement in our daily papers to-day. Everybody wants to know the nam© of the author of what has been described as “a burlesque on labour legislation,” but it has up to the present time remained a “Cabinet secret” of the most px-ofound and inscrutable clmi’actor. Nobody Ssivt-d for the Bill, nobody wants the Bill; nay, everybody concerned appears to bo satisfied at a glance that it would bo a most pernicious measure. Employers condemn it with caustic epigrams ; employees ridicule it and its authoi’, and point out that it is a Gilbertiau parody on all that is sane and reasonable in legislation. Tho bank officials, whose alleged wrongs have wrung tears of agony from deponents on many platforms, comprise the latest section of the community which has risen up in revolt against rhe oppressor, said oppressor being not tho typical, grasping, exacting bank director, with one eye on the ledger and the other on th© clock, but the maker of Bills who has foisted the Shops and Offices measure into perspective two centuries before due date. The Wellington bank employees have been tho first to take the Bill by the horns, so to speak. Last night seventy of them took counsel together on the px-ovisions, and decided to oppose it with every weapon available. A committee of eleven was appointed—including four accountants — and it was decided to take steps to at once petition Parliament to kill the measure whenever ■it comesi within shooting distance. The bank officials all over the colony are to be given an opportunity of petitioning against the measure, and if they are as enthusiastically thorough in their detestation of it as their Wellington confreres, the wretched thing will hav© a short shrift. Meanwhile employers in the warehouses and other places of business affected are also taking steps to make’ their views on the whole question positive and clear to Parliament, and will probably hold meetings within the next few days to arrange a plan of campaign.

DAIRY PRODUCE REPORT. Referring to Now Zealand dairy produce on the London market for the past season, the Produce Commissioner for the Government in London reports: The season for th© sale of Now Zealand dairy produce may be now fairly said to have ended. Since last reporting, one or two small arrivals of both butter and cheese have come to hand. For butter prices have continued satisfactory and the demand has been good. Of course the increasing receipts from other countries have slightly depressed the price, and about 96a to 98s for “choicest New Zealand” may be quoted. The season in this country has been so far usually hot and dry and consequent, ly grass has not been in a forward condition, with the result that the quantity of new season’s butter being placed on the market is rather less than was anticipated. The cheese market is not at all brisk, although possibly trade may bo slightly better than it was a week' or two ago, tho lower prices now reported having apparently induced buyers to operate more freely. White choose this season seems to be scarce, and there is a difference in value between that and coloured of about 4s per cwt at present. Finest white cheese is now realising 47s per cwt and coloured 43s per cwt.