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Oamaru Mail, Volume XV, Issue 4723, 18 July 1890, Page 2

We have before us a return of the " Expenditure npon the maintenance of eaoh department of the Colonial Government," laid npon the table to the order of the Honse npon the motion of Mr Barron. The retnrn gives a comparative statement of the expenditure under the headings of the Governor, Ministers, Legislature, and Departments for a number of years, and is an extension of an old return, which is brought down to the end of the l»8t financial year. It shows that nnder thirteen Bub-headings expenditure last year excelled that of the previous year by the aggregate sum in round numbers of L 98.000, while under other sub-headings there were reduotiona aggregating roughly L 26.000, the general result being a net increase of about 172,000. The totals for the two years were—lßßß-89, L 1.923,313; 1889SO, LI, 995,283—1 he largest deoreaas is found under the heading of Eduoation, the reduction here being over L 15.000. Hallways show an equivalent increase, and there is almcst the same amount of increase in the Post and Telegraph Department, while in each of the departments of the Colonial Secretary and the Minister for Jaatlce there is an Increase of LII.OOO. Defenoe, Customs, Native .Affairs, and Government Houses and grounds all show substantial Increases, while several other items have grown to a small

extent. Bat the largest Increase is fonnd Id the expenditure of the Minister for Publia Works, whloh has risen from 429,341 in 1888-89 to L 56.616 in 1889-90, being • jump of over 127,000. This is in some measure at anyrate due to the transference of expenditure from loan to ordinary revenue, but the figures nevertheless indioate that as there are few works in progress at present a substantial Baving might be effected in this department. The return as it will appear to the casual observer indicates that there has bsen a decided baok-slidiog from the eoono. mlsing fit of the year 1888-89, and we are not sure that the opinion of the oasu&l observer would be far from oorreot. John Gribbiu was charged before Mr W. Milne, J.P. at the Courthouse this morning with baving been drunk at Kurow yesterday. Accused wis fined 2Us or three days' imprisonment. Two first offenders, one a female, were alsochareed with drunkenneaa and eaoh fined 5s or 7 hours' impriroament. In an artlole on the retrenchment arrangement, the Post says:—"The House has placed in the handß of Ministers a potent instrnment of intimidation over the electorates at the very moment when • general election is pending. It is probably the knowledge of this faot whloh renders Bir Harry Atkinson and Mr Mitohelson so oook sure of oomlng back from the oountry la a majority. The House haß Instructed them to save 150,000, and they have declared that they can only do so by a ourtailment cf the neoessary eervices and conveniences at present enjoyed by the public. C'n whom will the inoonvenlenoe fall? Not we may be sure on Ministerial friends. In aooordanoe with the ordinary laws of' warfare the subsidy will be levied on the enemy, In reply to a telegram reoelved from Kakanul, Mr S. Boreharo, Peoretary to the Shearers' and laborers' Union, vhlted that place on Wednesday evening, to enrol members in the Union, Fully 60 persons gave in their names. The Oaroarn branch hai now a numerical strength of close on 400. Mr John Church will deliver the first of the Athen&um leotures on Monday next, taking for his subjeot Robert Burns, the national poet of Scotland, The lecture will oommenoe at 8 p.m., and tickets may be obtained from members of the Committee and Messrs Fraser and Cottrell,

During the dlsousslon on Mr Edwards' appointment as a Supreme Court Judge, Mr Hlslop said, in effeot, that there was no law to compel the payment of a salary to a Judge, This was a reply to the contention that a Judge ought not to be appointed without provision being made for bis salary, and might reasonably have been taken to mean that Mr Edwards was superior to considerations of salary and that the Government had no intention of paying him any. If this waß not the meaning there w»b no sente in the remark, or.it was made with the intention of avoiding as long as possible a full and open statement of the transaction. It now transpires, however, that Mr Edwards has been paid L 491 as salary out of unauthorised expenditure. It is very appropriate that suoh a fund shonld be drawn for the purposes of unauthorised aots.

The faot that the Government intend reducing the charges on the telephone servloe, whilst they refuse to assist country libraries, is a striking and unfavorable commentary on the ideas of beneficent and righteous Government held by onr Legislators, Yesterday the Exoelßlor Football team, journeyed to Waimate to play a representative fifteen cf that place. A hardly-fought game resulted in a win for the visitors by 2 points to nil. Neither aide soored in the first Bpell, but a certain try for the Excelsiors was nullified by the ball striking one of the spectators, who mustered in strong f oroe all along the goal-line. In the second spell M'Ghle and M'Laren orossed the Waimate line, but the tries at goal although good were unsuccessful. The ground was very heavy, wbloh rendered a fast game impossible. The Auokland Herald says:—The remarks made by Mr M'Mlllan at yesterday's meeting will be read with assent over the colony. The property tax is ho doubt driving money and people out of the country, and is really far more injurious to the poor than to the rich. The difficulties in endeavoring to reduce the education vole are unquestionably great from the number of, those who are interested, and the, way in which they are planted all over the colony. But it mutt be done in the oiroumstanaes of the oountry, and for the sake of the system itself. It U easy to meet and to defeat a retrenchment crusade whloh attaoka individual salaries In detail. We have been favored by Messrs Duthie, Maodonald and Hood, shipping agents, Glasgow, -nith a copy of the Evening Citizen containing the following paragraph :—Among the visitors to the Royal bxohange to-day was Mr John Beld, of Blderalle, Oamaru, one of the moßt prominent agriculturists in New Zealand, and who has been largely Instrumental in furthering the shipment of frozen mutton from that oolony to this oountry, In reply to Mr Dunoan, who asked the Premier if he would give any concession suoh as a remission of duty npon oolonUl made spirits, so as to encourage the pon. sumption of grain now almost unsaleable In the oolony, the Hon, E, Mitohelson regretted the present condition of the oolony did not warrant this being done. * The Rev. W. G, Parsonson delivered hla lecture on " Blsmarok, the Dethroned Chancellor " last night in the Weiiley Chnrob. There was a good attendance in spite of the cold frosty night. The leoture, whloh was listened to throughout, was an exoellent ao* oonnt of the Ufa of Blsmarok from 6 years of age up to the present time, bringing in, as It neoessarily would, the events whloh founded the German Empire and united the Fatherland in whioh Prince Blsmarok had for years been so ooosplouons a figure. The snbstanoe of the leoture showed that Mr Parsonson bad been very : oaref ul in the seleotlon of the material, and the' audienoo at the olose aooorded him a moat hearty vote of thanks. Mr John Church occupied the ohair, and during a break in the leoture Mrs Oliver sane; the solo "I'm a. Prusßlan " with ohoros, and during"another break Miss Grenfell sang " The Fatherland,'

On Sabbath next the Eev T, Spurgeon will begin a wesk'a evangelistic! mission services in the Baptist Churoh, when he will preach both morning and evening. 1 his evening, Friday, the rev. gentleman will give an address at the Chuich, and a cordial welcome la extended to any person who maybe desirous of attending. A farther address will also be delivered to-morrow evening. The Lyttelton Times sbvb :—"To judge by the result of two recent debates on the present administration of the Government of this oountry, it beoomes apparent that the publio in this looallty are awakening to the fact that there is a great de»l of mismanagement at headquarters, The voting at the New Brighton Debating Class showed only a small majority against them, but at the Y.M.C.A, on Monday night the majority opposed to the Government was a very decided one. Surely coming events are oasting their shadows before them." We oan add to this that at the recant sessions of a Parliamentary Union in Oamatu, the Government were defeated by a good majority. The Star of Oamaru, Proteatant Alllanoe Friendly Society, will oelebrate their anniversary this evening in St, George's Hall, by a tea and concert. Tea at 6.30, oonoert at 8 o'clook. The Auokland Btar Bays :—Legislation must be framed so as to stop this tendenoy to the accumulation of princely fortunes, if we wish to avoid the undesirable and unfailing concomitant of dire distress and pauperism. A plutooraoy more Insolent, proud and haughty than the old aristooraoy of England is aeouring itse f ia the country by the acquisition of ducal possessions, It must have its growth and pretentions nipped In the bud, if we would avoid the painful experienoe of older lands. A land tax is at present tbe most effeotive and practicable method that presents Itself of securing • more general diffusion of vast wealth produced annually by the fertile soil and climate of New Zealand.