Daily Circulation, 1500. The Oamaru Mail. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1892.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XVII, Issue 5208, 15 February 1892, Page 2

Daily Circulation, 1500. The Oamaru Mail. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1892.

The Wairarapa Daily, in a wholly gratuitous outburst of literary genius, has been indulging in a metaphor. It says : —" We have an apt illustration now before us of the old fable of the wen and the head—the wen that grew so big that at last it claimed to be the head, and declared the insignificant head to be the wen." After having announced this elegant fact, our contemporary proceeds to elaborately explain that Mr Ballance is the head and trades unionism the wen. The application lies in the fact that the Trades and Labor Union recently requested to be consulted in the matter of the appointments to the Legislative Council — a requestwhich the Government very properly ignored entirely. Apart from its poetical and romantic beauty the chief characteristic of this charming metaphor is its mixed nature. To employ a simile which will, we hope, be about up to the level of our contemporary's delicate appreciativeness of the niceties of literary construction we should say that the happy metaphor is as mixed as the average haggis. The theory broached by the Daily that the making of a request constitutes the dominance of the requester at the expense of the '■ party of whom the favor is begged is ingenious, but hardly, in our experience, warranted by facts. The possible ramifications of the theory, incidental to its application to the world at large, are somewhat paralysing to the ordinary intellect, and are calculated to upset generally conceived notions on the subject. Perhaps, however, our contemporary does not really mean what it says. The introduction of such a genteel metaphor into an article more than compensates, perhaps, for the absence of sense, and it would be captious to cavil and exacting to require both. Nevertheless, we cannot but think that the article is wasted in its present position, and that it would, with trifling additions, have made a really very respectable patent medicine advertisement. Our contemporary might do worse than turn its attention to this branch of literature. It seems a pity that it should waste such an exceptional faculty for apt metaphor on ordinary journalism.

Amoxgst the matters dealt with by Mr Battley, the General Manager of the N.Z. L. and M.A. Company, during one of the interviews which were held with him by representatives of the Press, was that of the frozen meat trade. Speaking 011 this subject, he said: "In the space of nine years our export of frozen mutton alone has assumed vast dimensions, but there is still much to be done in insuring that the people who want New Zealand meat really get it. A large quantity of the secoiul-olass article is offered for sale in various parts of the Old Country conspicuously marked as New Zealand meat, when, as a matter of fact, it has never seen New Zealand." This is no new discovery. The fraud has been the one great drawback to the trade ever since its inception. One is constantly being tantalised by reminders of its existence. Whilst we are writing we have before us the remarks of a Canterbury (England) correspondent to a Home paper 011 the question. He says:— " The supply of old ewe sheep by army and navy contractors is now prohibited. These animals are, therefore, selling cheaply, and London dealers are making extensive purchases of them 011 the Kentish markets, admittedly with the view of decapitating and freezing the carcases, thus giving them the appearance of imported meat.' This is only one phase of the fraudulent competition to which the New Zealand grower is being subjected, and though from time to time attempts have been made by colonists whose interests are largely prejudiced by this systematic robbery to discover a preventive, it flourishes as rankly as ever. Mr Battley may have arrived at some conclusions regarding the matter while in England, and it strikes us that Mr Burbury, prior to his visit Home, might, with advantage, have a talk with him and others who are interested, with a view to probing the stubborn difficulty, and, if possible, discovering some way of meeting it.

We have been informed of a couple of instances of marked instinct in animals in connection with the late flood that are worth recording. In the first case four horses were upon one of the many islands in theKakanui River, amongst the number being a mare with foal at foot. The river was at the time in high flood, and the horses were imprisoned on the island, without a blade of grass to eat. But the old mare was equal to the occasion, for venturing cautiously into the stream she caught with her teeth sheaves of grain that were being carried away by the flood, and carefully drew them up on to the island, thus providing food for the whole of the animals. Time after time she wont through the performance to the intense delight of a number of onlookers. The other case is one of a different nature. For some time a mare and filly have been grazing on an island in the Waitaki River, where they were imprisoned by the flood. Whether from starvation or some other cause we cannot say, the mare died a day or two, and, though the island has been left almost bare of feed, the filly refuses to leave it. She picks about a bit now and then for a mouthful, but ever and anon she returns to the body of her dead companion, over which she stands mournfully, a touching example of strong affection even among animals. These cases bring to mind another that has been related to us of the care with which a mare protected her foal from the force of the current while fording a stream by walking slowly alongside it on the upper side of the stream. Of course hundreds of instances of the sagacity of animals of an equally striking nature have been chronicled, but that fact does not detract from the interest attaching to the cases recorded above. The railway line from Borton's to Duntroon will probably be opened again by the 24th instant, and the line from Duntroon to Kurow is expected to be available for the resumption of traffic by the end of the month. Mr J. Annand's grocery cart was capsized in the Kakanui on Saturday while fording the river. No damage was done, except the loss of some of the contents of the cart and a good ducking for the driver. Mr Marmaduke Dixon, who son.e weeks ago warned farmers to hurry with their harvesting, as bad weather was coming, thus making a good shot indeed, now says more warm rains may be expected about Friday, 19th inst.—Timaru Herald. The death is announced of Mrs Martin, wife of the Hon. John Martin, M.L.C., at the age of 73 years. Deceased was well known and highly esteemed as the wife of an early settler of Wellington, where she had resided for nearly half a century. Some months ago the Oamaru Pigeonflying Club had a number of birds taken to Balclutha and liberated. We learn from the Clutha Free Press that " some of the birds went straight back, and others loitered about the township, but a short time after one turned up at the farm of Mr fllasgon Logan, and has lived ever since with his domestic fowls." Those who have lost birds might make inquiries. Marriage is, after all, sometimes a failure, as a woman in Western Australia recently discovered whan she .eloped with a boy of 16 years of age, and was subsequently arrested for abducting her husband. The Financial News calls the Timaru, Oamaru, Gisborne, Napier, and Taranaki ports " bogus harbors," but says that New Plymouth is not altogether of this class. What is to be thought of the opinions of a paper that does not even know that the New Plymouth harbor is also the Taranaki harbor ? Equally funny (says the Wanganui Herald) are the same writer's remarks on the harbors of Auckland, Wellington, and Lyttelton, which are described as '' good and solvent harbors !"

The following voting in the Education Board election is recorded :—l'ort Chalmers, Messrs Clark, Jago, and Reid. Mails for Australian colonies only, via Sydney, per Wairarapa, close at Auckland on Tuesday, 16th instant, at .1 p.m. Mr Burbury, local manager of the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company is about to visit England, for the sake of a holi.lny. During his absence, which will probably be for six months, Mr A. 11. Maude will act in his place. Charles Kiugslev's youngest daughter, Mary, married the Rev. \\ . Harrison, rector of Clovelly, in Devon, and is known to the world as "Lucas Malet," author of "The Wages of Sin r ' and " Colonel Knderby's Wife." The former work is regarded as one of the books of the decade, and, in the person of Colthurst, the painter, contains a most powerful character study. 'I he book was the subject of an able article ■ n " Morality in Fiction," in a recent number of the '•Contemporary Review." Both the book and the review are obtainable at the Athcnanim. The Tauranga correspondent of the New Zealand Herald states some facts which aptly illustrate the conviction we have previously expressed that the "adverse reports" of the effect of the Liberal Government's taxation policy and the rumors of capital being withdrawn from the colony come, not from the colony itself, where the application must be most marked, but from the Old Country, where there is strong circumstantial evidence that the policy is not understood. Our contemporary says:—"A gentleman from Scotland, who had purchased an extensive area of country here [Tauranga] for sheep-farming purposes, cabled Home for the necessary funds. A cable was received in reply stating that the money would be remitted if lie "was satisfied as to the best investment, but he was advised that there were ' adverse reports' regarding the colony, evidently meaning to warn liini as to the estimation the colony was held in in Scotland. In another case a settler who had sent I lonic to got out his principal, instead of receiving the money by the last San Francisco mail, got a letter from his solicitors urging him to leave the money as it was, as it returned just enough to keep him. They said that even though he had a more remunerative mode of investment in the colony, they thought it better for him to leave his small capital safely invested than have it ' at the risk of what might be the upshot of the financial vagaries of New Zealand politicians.'" The source of the "adverse reports" is thus plainly shown. Whether the settlers in question submitted to be dictated to by their agents at Home or not our contemporary fails to state. Of course, being so many thousand miles away, the gentlemen who were so free with their advice were ostensibly in a better position to judge of the financial position of the colony than those on the spot could be. The presumption is that the advice was disregarded ; otherwise our grandmotherly old contemporary, who is a staunch Conservative, would have tumbled head over heels in her hurry to prove the statement that capital is leaving the colony by adorning the tale anil pointing the moral. We understand (says the Wnimate Times) that Sir .James Hector, Government geologist, visited the Waihao Forks about a week ago, for the purpose of inspecting the bed of lignite oil shale on Mr Donald Macpherson's property. He took a small sample of the mineral with him, and arranged for a couple of sacks of the stuff to bj sent, to him at Wellington. We believe that this shale has been analysed and found to yield a high percentage of mineral oil, and that some of it tried at the Oamaru gasworks yielded an unusually high product of gas for lighting purposes. Our Waiuiate correspondent writes : There has been no change in the weather here since Wednesday last. The crops arc drying very quickly. Some of them have changed from their original color into a dark, dirty-looking brown. On several of the smaller farms the occupants have been taking their stooks to pieces and spreading the sheaves about, ho as to get them dry as quickly as possibly. This seems an unwise step, as the sultriness of the air and the heat point out that lain is still hanging around. Somebody in Pahiatua, who is tin enthusiast in entomology, has been studying —piesumably under cover—the habits of the common or garden mosquito. He informs the world that " mosquitos will not venture into a house in which a piano is being played." This argues an intelligent discrimination on the part of the insect for which it lias previously not received credit. The compliment is reciprocated by humanity, most people preferring not to venture out of their mosquito nets when they hear the fastidious insect " wind his droning horn." There is (says the Wellington Press) certain causticity about the Primate which is very entertaining. Speaking last night of a certain Bill, his lordship remarked, " 1 do not think it particularly matters whether this Bill passes or not. It is not calculated to do any particular good, but, it cannot do any particular harm. ' The member in charge of the Bill tried heroically to look pleasant, but only half succeeded. The Cromwell Argus has good reasons for saying that, in the event of commonages being taken over by the Government and sold as pastoral licenses, they will not be each sold in one lot. The idea of the Minister of Lands is to cut them up into 2000 acre blocks. The Christchurch Press on Saturday said that " the reports [concerning the condition of the grain] from South Canterbury are simply heart-breaking. We have been shown samples with sprouts an inch in length, and, from what we are advised, the wheat crop in that district is practically ruined." The Timaru Herald disputes this view, and says that though it has been shown samples of sprouted grain, some of the South Canterbury wheat was securely in stack before the rain set in ; some of it was not cut; and, lastly, not all the wheat which was in stook when the bad weather began has sprouted. It is impossible at present to form a trustworthy estimate of the actual loss sustained, but, if the present seasonable weather continues, there will be a considerable proportion of fair marketable grain, and many of the samples will be excellent. A dry north wind set in on Friday (says the Timaru Herald of to-day), and rarely if ever has a breeze from that quarter been more generally welcome. The grain in stook dried rapidly under its influence, and the sprouting and mildewing of grain received a prompt, and it is to be hoped permanent, cheek. The wind during the night was light, but during the most part of Saturday was rather too strong for those who were reaping. The balance of advantage for the district, however, must lie with the drying of wetted stooks, and the feeling prevalent is one of thankfulness for the change of weather. Yesterday the weather continued fine, and up to noon it was very hot. Early in the afternoon a strong wind came from the north-west, which later on in the day veered to the north-east and made the sea lively again. By dark it once more got back to the north, with light clouds in that direction, sky otherwise quite clear. The farmers have taken full advantage of the favorable turn the weather has taken, and in such places as the Levels Plains, the stooks being dry, stacking was promptly carried on all day yesterday. The temporary repairs to the Kakanui bridge are completed, and so soon as the County Engineer has passed the work the bridge will be opened, but for light traflic only for the present. Until the piles are driven, the heavy dray traflic will have to cross the river by the ford. A private letter received in Oamaru states that a " record " was put up at Park Avenue, Bradford, on the occasion of the football match Fettes-Loretto v. Bradford (Yorks). The attendance'was estimated at 100,000. Two first offenders were mulcted in the usual penaltyfor drunkenness atthc Resident Magistrate's Court this morning. On Thursday next the Rev. W. J. Mayers, deputation secretary for Dr Barnardo's Homes will give an address in the Public Hall on 25 years of rescue work. Eight boys from tho London Homes will play selections on hand-bells, bugles, Highland bagpipes, and other instruments. The chair will be taken by his Worship the Mayor at eight o'clock. T. M'Naught, of the Wellington Technical College, a son of Mr M'Naught, of Ribble-street, has passed the South Kensington examination in second grade freehand and model and a'so in practical plane and solid geometry.

A meeting of the jiromoter* of t in- K, v Mr Mayers' entertainment ami mMni,, behalf of l)r llarnardo'B Homes is to lie to-morrow afternoon at 4 o'clock in S; (.Jcorge's Hall, when, it is to bo hope,!, ( | |( attendance will he an large iui the p||j| #ntliropie object both deserves and i'o<| niii's. The anmnl report of the Otago Braiu-li ~| the New Zealand Underwriters' .states that the Outiiaru Harbor is safe [,„ vessels drawing 'JO feet of water. To be fervent ly loved is not her an ■ unmixed blessing, as Lord and Lady 0iin1,,,,. ate doubtless discovering in connection wit), their leave-taking of New ZenlandeiK. string of banquets in the South is luinj, supplemented by a continuance of miiiil,, junketings in the North, to whirli superadded numerous other little ultcntioiis, just to show that there i* llr , coolness. The bill of fare in \\ «*ll iuglnr, included the following itctus; - r.an,|i Ul by the Mayor on Friday evening, w 1 Sellamy's ; dinner by members of the \V f |. lington Club, on Saturday evening; ntl Sunday evening the Hon. ('. Johnston w;|| invite a number of friends to meet him ; ;unj on Monday evening l)r Newman, M.11.1t., will entertain him at a party. Hi* K\n|. lency and his Indy will also hold aro r|)ti r)ll for those who wisli to say good-bye to tliptu between X and (i o'clock this evening. The police received information last that, the body of a man had been fouinl j,, the Kakanui river bed alwu-o Ineliolme at ; o'clock last- night. The body was discover,,| by a son of Mr IVter Millar, nlid whcii found was partly covered with sand mid dry mud, which lends to the conclusion that Inis a victim of the recent Hoods. 'I lie Ixnly was removed to Mr Millar's place, anil m, inquest is being held as we go to 1 'icsh. There is no clue to the identity of thp deceased. At the Normal School yesterday (says thp Dunedin Star) in the presence of the anil senior scholars of the school, Mr ]) White, head-master, presented Mr .1. I) Don, first assistant, with a valuable am inji| barometer and a silver teapot, for Mrs Umi, The presents were the gift of the stall mn| scholars. Mr While remarked that lie luu! great pleasure in making the presentation, and on behalf of those assembled he wislmj Mr and Mrs Don great happiness in Unit married life. Mr Don suitably replied. The inscription on the barometer is as !n|. lows:—"Presented to >). K. Don, M.A., B.Sc., by the teachers and senior pupiU <i| the Normal School. '2lth December, ISftl,"