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Oamaru Mail, Volume XIV, Issue 4542, 4 December 1889, Page 2

The North Otago Horticultural Society's show, which will be opened in the Public Hall to-morrow promises to one of the teaS, If cot the beet, held by the Sojiety. The entries received nsmbar, wa believe, considerably over 150, and embrace all descriptions of fhwers in bhom at this time of the year, while the list of exhibitors ioolndaß the namei of many who compete for the first time. In one respect the show will be far ahead of anything seen in Oamaru for many years. We refer to the promised display of roses, the of flowers. The determination of the Committee to hold the show a little later than usuil hai enabled this result to be attained, and the season has been highly favorable far the production of an abundance of gool blooms of roses, as miy re-.dily be oonolnded from the appear* ance of the gardens in the neighborhood, lhe Committee have added to the attractions of the dleplay of beautiful fbwera tbe additian>l attraotion of a promenade concert, for whlah they have obtained the kind aid of several'c f our beßt vooallsts. lhe U arrison Band have also given their services, and, in addition to other selections, will p ay their contest seleotlon " Beminiacences of Beethoven," which was generally conceded to be the finest pleoa heard during the late oontest at Ciirlstchurch. With each a bill of fare to tempt the paople of Oamara, the Society should have no oause to complain of lack of i material support. A cricket match was played yesterday on the North Road oricket ground between the members of tbe Walshe-Seymour Company and a team of the Oamara Club. An enjoyable gime resulted in a victory for the latter by 40 runs. The company batted first, and put together 36 run*, Baker contributing 20 by sound oricket. The Club, going la scored 96. W. M'Donald contributing 30 (not out). For the Club Martin and M'Qhee bowled well, as did also England and Walls for the company. |

The Dantroon School Committee announce a concert; to take place in Harris' Hall on Friday night. Somehow the efforts of our amiteur vocalists in giving renderings from the great masters have not beea appreciated by the piblio in the past, and, although It is comen hat disheartening ti them, we are pie .aed t > hear that they do not despair, but intend to repeat Handel's oratorio, the " Messiah," on thaunci ay evening preceding Christmas, in the Public Hall; and that, if possible, some Danedin talent will be introduced on the occasion. We may safely promise the pubMo a musioal treat worth hea'iog, There will be no charge for admission, bus a cjlldotlon will be taken up ia aid of the Bene l olent Scciety, which alone ehonld bemfficlent to draw our worthy fellow cit'zans t.'gather, if only to give their mite in sid of the poor and needy, remembering that there are people even in our own town, who cannot get the necessaries of life, muoh less afford to celebrate the old Chrlatm'.a festivities.

Judgment in the oase of the polici v. W. D. dasher, chsrging the defendant with a breach of the Licensing Sot, by selling one g llon of bser, not botfc'ed or capsuled, to Jane Lawson, heard at the Courthonße yesterday, was given this morning. His Worship, in the course of his remjrite on the cise, said that it <vas contended by the defence that the di fendan 1 ; d:d not get any benefit fiom the sale of tho beer. He found, however, that there was a certain amount of profit accruing, inasmuch as the defendant had aopropriatel the money Mrs Eawsoa had given to him for the beer, and h«d not pild it ov- r to tho brewer. Ke also found that Mrs Law Eon h\d no account with Mr Williams for beer. A file of L2 and ooßts lis would be imposed. Mr Now ton asked that execution might be st»yei to give the defendant the opportunity to appeal. This was conceded by his Worship. The Southland Timei has a leading art'e'e dealing with the depres ion, whioh it aays has not passed aw,y in lavercargill. fur contemporary attributes the dulness of tr;de in In-ercargill t« the oompetition cf Dunelm mcrchsnts, which, i& says, n not always fsir, and which is fostered by the railway tariff. It advocates the coaatruction of railways which would open up country whose resources are now, through want of communication, unutilised, as a means of reviving the trade «f Southland,

The Napier Harbor Board, considering LIODO par annum too much to pay Mr Goodall, their Engineer, intimated this to that gentleman. Mr Goodall declined to retain tha appointment uudor that figure, except as consulting engineer, to visit the works ever/ three months. and for this he asked the modest sum of L 509 yearly, with a guarantee of threa years' engagement. The Board declined both offers, and resolved to invite applications for the post at a salary of LSOO, Jn an article on the colonial education system the New Zaaland Herald writes These colories have m-de a great njjtake with their eduoation system. Thay would be right enough for a country like Prussii, whera everything was managed ia a bn eancratic way where the power o! the monarch conld always come in to set things straight, end where those connected with administration oouid never become a politic 1 power. Oar education system ought to have been locally managed, and the entire funds ought to have been locslly raised. The Education Department is running away with us. It is alien from the genius of the race. So long as the education s>stem is supported by a lump vote from the Colonial Exohequar, bo long will it be absolutely beyond control. If the funds were r;i ed atd managed locally, there would soon, we feel oeitain, be a vast improvement in every way. Double the results would be obtained at half the coat, /-n enthusiasm for true education would be crested in tha minds of tha parents and of the children which would be ot incalculable value to the nation,

Judge Johnson of the Porter Connty, Indiana Circuit Court, has rendered a decision holding that the lan lately passed by the Legislature against the Importation of dreesed bsef is unconstitutional, on the ground that such legislation is akin tn the exercise of power by individual States over Interstate commerce, and that whatever may ba the nature and reach of the " police power "cf a State, it cannot ba exercised over a subj ct confined exdus vely to Congress by the Federal Constitution. There will be an appeal, of course, to the United States Supreme Court, which | will reach a decision—some time. Casei for testing similar antl-dressed-beef lawa have a'so been made up In Minnesota and Colorado. A oompatitive examination was held for the purpose of appointing fit persons to some of tbe Government offices in Canada, ''ne of the candidates inadvertantly spelled tha word Venice wi'h two n's, thus Vennice, The examiner, a clever nrau, but not always a correct speaker, stern'y inquired, "Do you know, eir, that there is but one hen in Venice ? " " Then eggs must be very toarce there," was the reply, The candidate pasted. The following is an illustration of the present system of land administration given by the Vv'oodville Examiner :—The sale of the section of land at the Gorge on Monday shows how absurd aie the present land laws. There were 66 applications In for the section. Of t>e;e only three applied for it as settlers. The other 63 considered that there was something to be made out of it and they went in for it as a matter of speculation. Everybody had the same chance—the speculator as much as the man who wanted It, and those who went in for It from the speculative paint of view reckoned they would make a rise of 150 or LIOO out of it by afterwards transferring it to the man who did want it. Snch ia the state of our laud laws—gambling and a lottery when there is anything on the board worch the game. This la not the way to promote settlement. By one law the Government suppress consultations and public lotteries, while by another —the land law—the moßt Important branch of the administration is converted into a gambling machine. What chance has a bona fide settler in all this ? He is often only in the proportion of one to 50. A man oannot get what he wants directly from the Government, even if he is prepared to pay for it. Tbe Government are bo philanthropic that they want to give the spfcalator a special'y good opportunity to maka a rise, and the real settler mast buy from him at a fancy price. These land laws are a curse instead of the blessing they should be.

It is stated that there has been disoovered in the foie3ts of India a strange plant, which possesses to a very high decree astonishing magnetic power, "j ha hand which breaks a leaf from it recaives a shock equal to that which is produced by the conductor of an induction coll. At a distance of six metres a magnetic needle is affected by it, and it will ba quite deranged if brought ner. The energy of this singular inflaenca va'ies with the hour of the day, AU-powerfut about two o'oolock in the afternoon, it is absolutely annulled during the night. At times cf storms its Intensity augments to s riklng proportions. During rain the plant seams to succumb, and benda Its head during a thunder shower. It remains thsre without foroe or virtue, even if one should shelter it with an umbrella, No shook is felt at that t'.me in breaklag the leave?, and the Deedle is unaffected beai ie it. One never by any chance sees a bird or an insect alight on the electric plant. An instinot seems to warn them that they would there find sudden death. I; is also important to remark that where It grows none of the magnetio metals are found—neither iron, nor cobalt, nor nickel—an undeniable proof that the e'eotrlo force belongs exclusively to the plant.

The oricket mitoh on the North Road Groncd to-morrow will be the Ist eleven of the Oamara (/ticket Clab v. twenty-two allcomers. Clnbteam:-Borton, Fish, Francis, Ferguson, Hewat, Laiog, Martin, M'Master, W. M'Donald 6-umpter, and Walla. The twenty-two will be ohosen from all orickstera In the district, who are cordially Invited to be on the ground at 2.45 p.m. sharp. A team of the Oamara Naval Artillery, to fire against a team from Opal on Thursday afternoon, will be chosen this evening from the following :—Lieut, Taylor, C.P.O. Symons, P.O.'a Swinard, Orenfell, Bichardson, Thomas, Seamen Brown, Butt, Bute, Mahin, Ward, Casey, Smythe. Small. France, White, James. Fifteen of ths crew of the Opal will arrive by the first train from Dunedin to-morrow.