The Oamaru Mail. TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 1903.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXVIII, Issue 8089, 6 January 1903, Page 2

The Oamaru Mail. TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 1903.

It .appears that a number of the Windsor Park State tenants are disappointed because the Otago Land Board has refused to allow them tie ten per cent rebate on promptpayment of their rents. We recommend them to- send one of their number as a deputation to the Board, in order that the position may be fully discussed and under.The Board has always done its utdeal gently with lessees under the Land for Settlement system, and we have no doubt that' the Windsor tenants will get justice.;: It will always be remembered to thecredit of Sir Joseph Ward that when he recovered from the financial ruin in which he was involved a few years ago, largely owing to-the machinations of political opponents, , his first step was to pay in full all his creditors. Even in the face of this remarkable'display of a desire to meet obligations that had no more than a moral foundation, there ore, we know, some people, animated imbre by: political feeling than a sense of justice, who are not disposed to speak well : of the Minister for Railways in his capacity as a business man. They.ask, What about the J.'G. Ward Farmers' Association? To these inquirers we commend the following from the Christchufch Press: —"A Gore correspondent states that several district firms and individuals have received cheques enclosed with circulars to the effect that Sir J. G. Ward, in fulfilment of a promise made some years ago, is personally paying ■off the creditors of the defunct J. G. Ward Farmers' Association." Those who. are in the habit of referring to America as evidence of the. unsatisfactoriness of No-licence would do well to profit mentally by the fact that its annual drink bill is less than half that of .the United Kingdom, even after the splendid and well-meant efforts that have been made in the Home Country to reduce drinking by means of the Company system. But the consumption of drink in. Canada is only onefifth that of the United Kingdom, and this is attributed, not to the Municipal or CbniEany system, because neither exists there, ut to prohibitory Federal and Provincial, laws.

The Minister for Lands (Hon. T. Y. Duncan) left by this afternoon's express for the north, en route to Wellington, intending to join the Rotomahana, leaving Lyttelton to-night. On the 24th December last probate of the will of the late iMr "George Paterson, of Otepopo, was granted by his Honor Judge Ward in chambers on the application of Messrs Newton and Borton.

Complaints are thus early being made in reference to the small birds' nuisance. It is reported that the earlier sown fields of wheat on the plains seaward of Ashburton have suffered from these destructive feathered pests. The 'Mead Estate, on the north bank of the Rakaia, recently acquired foreclose settlement, wni shortly be open for selection. It comprises 5906 acres, subdivided into 21 fawns," varying in size from 11£ to 794 acres, at rentals - varying from Is to 6s 9d an acre per annum. - The land is generally level, and of fair quality. A Motueka grower is • informed that the hop. crop all over the world is short, and as high as 3s a pound may be obtained in New Zealand.

At the monthly meeting of the Trustees of the Benevolent Society, held last evening, there were present, Messrs M'Farlane (in the chair), Mollison, Cottrell, Jennings, Eraser, Kennedy, and Finch. The master of the home reported that during the month 4 were admitted and 4 left, leaving 22 in the home—-17-men and 5 women. The following donations for the month were acknowledgeol with thanks: Mr Norman Lane, lamb; Mr Montagu, clothing; Mrs John Reid, £l, a lamb, and clothing; Mr J. J. Spence, 2s 6d; Mr Wm. Bee, provisions and clothing; 'Dr Whitton, provisions and clothing; Mrs Stratford-Hen-niker, £1; anonymous, parcel of clothing; 'Mrs Crawford, cake and lamb; Mrs Buckley,, cake and lamb; Mrs Meek, provisions; [Miss Chase, sweets; Miss Mollison, cake; Mr Jas. Steel, 2s -6d; Mr Adam Mackay, cake; Dr and Mrs Douglas, cakes and tea bread. The Trustees wish to intimate that gifts of fruit will be thankfully; received for the use of the inmates of the Home. Messrs Finch and Jennings were appointed the Visiting Committee for the month.

The Empress Needle Company, according to advertisement, will positively close on Wednesday, the 14th January, after a long season of successful business. '. Therefore, those who have not already secured one of these needles have only a short time now to make up tlieh? minds, as the Empress needle will not be obtainable after the Company leaves the town. The Home mails which were despatched from Melbourne on the 26th November reached London on the afternoon of December 28th. ■

A meeting of members of the Duntroon Caledonian Society-will be held at 8 p.m., torinojsrrpw, in Orr's Hall. Messrs Dalgety and Co. advise as follows, undee daie London, "January 2nd : ."The prices of New Zealand frozen mutton and beef are rathe? lower,'' to-day's quotations being for prime frozen mutton 5£.. JFrqzen beef, hindquarters,: 4|d; forequaHers, 3|d. Prime New : Zealand frozen srob ?: :sid;to 4fd." ■ " ;. '? In'xs9Bnection with the induction of Mr il'lvor at "the Otepopo Presbyterian Church •on. the T4th instant a soiree is being arranged for upon, a very complete asafe. In addition' to all the ministers - of the Oamaru ■Presbytery, the Revs. Geo. Lindsay and Joha Jtyiey, former .ministers of the parish, will be-present. A good programme -of music will also he presented under the baton' of Mr D. Thomas.

"The annual statutory meeting of contributors of the /Oamaru Hospital will be held in the Athenaeum Hall on Thursday,. Bth instant; at 8 p.m. -

According to a Johannesburg letter recently received in town from Mr E. W. Swindley, he says he may return to the colony at any time, but thinks it unlikely for two or three months yet. As far as can be ascertained yet the officials of the Oaniaru Caledonian •Society expect to clear at least £IOO by the recent gathering. This should be satisfactory. The exact figures will be available in a day or two, and a meeting may be held on Friday evening. The Wellington correspondent of the Lyttelton Times writes:—At the present time the Lands Department has 100,000 acres yeady for closer settlement in .the North Island, I have been informed on very high authority-that at the present rate of progress the whole of tiie Crown land in the colony will have been surveyed jn about .two years'-hence.

We are in receipt of Messrs Mills, Dick, and Co.'s Almanac and Directory for 1903. The present issue well maintains the high reputation for completeness and usefulness attained by this old-established publication. Mails for United Kingdom and Europe, via Monte Video and Teneriffe, per Waimafee, specially addressed, will close at Lyttelton to-morrow, at 8 p.m. ; and will be due in London on February 19th. Some days ago a. Melbourne express messenger company protested against the institution of the postal boy messenger service as an interference with private enterprise. The firm was not a. little horrified when it received a polite note pointing out that if was carrying on an illegal business, which was permitted nowhere in Great Britain or Europe, where carrying letters for a fee is a complete 'Government monopoly.

In the North Canterbury district more seasonable and summer weather has improved grain crops (says the Press). These are heavy, and those which were laid by rain have recovered for the most part. The allegation that rust had set in is not supported by fact. "" Some time ago the Government adopted a scheme of Maori industrial villages, and decided to make the first experiment at- a place on the Wanganui River, known Pamoana, better known as Corinth, or Koriniti. The survey of the land which the natives have agreed to give for the purpose of this village has now been completed, and it is hoped (says the Wellington Post) I that in a few days the Government will be placed in possession of the land. Ihe workshop, plans for which have been prepared bv the Public Works Department, will be the first building, to be erected, and the whole scheme-will be pushed on early in the year. Mr Grace, who is at present in charge of the native school at Corinth, has been given charge of the village. Another well-known Wellington, resident --James Holtori. Williams, an inmate of the Home for the Aged Needy, celebrated his 1100 th birthday yesterday. The tall, spare figure of Mr Williams, with his frock coat and tall silk hat, was (says the Post) a familiar one on [Lambton iQuay for many years. For many years he was in business in Wellington as a commission agent, etc., •and old residents will doubtless remember the prominent part he used tb take in amateur theatricals. Up to the past year or two Mr Williams used to regularly walk into the town from the Home and back again, but his visits have since then grown less frequent. Considering his age, however, his health is very good indeed, and he enjoys his "constitutionals" about the 'Home.

The decimation of the flocks of Mr Samuel M'Caughey, the Moree News reports, has been, enormous of late years owing to the drought. The figures" show that previous to the drought seasons he possessed 1,250,000 sheep, but now he can only boast of the bare 250,000. The loss of 1,000,000 is a tremendous one. Flocks all over the drought-stricken areas have been similarly reduced. Surely (continues the News) this should be enough to waken our legislators to ponder deeply whether the Government should not step in and help by putting down bores and providing water to stock-owners, so that their annual losses might be at least mitigated. A former resident of (Palmerston North, Mr F. T. ißourne, who is now in the Cape Police at Calvinia, .writes to the Manawatu Standard under date 'November 25 :—"I have now been in this country three months, and my opinion is that it is worse than New Zealand for the woi-k----ing man. No one should come here unless he has a good trade and an appointment. There is a tremendous number of people out of employment here, and still they come. My advice to >New Zealanders is to stay at home, especially if they have a billet, for this country will not be settled for a year or two yet." An Auckland merchant has received the following advice from Sydney in reference to the butter trade : "We have had splendid rains all over this State, and the result is that there has been a big increase in supplies, and the milk all round has been exceptionally good. This has caused a big increase in supplies here, which are rapidly accumulating. Another feature of the market is that all the speculators in 'Melbourne (who had stored something like 2000 to 2500 tons) have now found that they have" "made a great mistake, and are tumbling over one another to get out. Their market to-day is nominally for best and down to 9£d for good brands. Our market is certain to come right back here ; and with this state of. affairs I am afraid the chances of with New Zealand butter would be very remote."

As an Irish jury has awarded £5500 damages to a Nationalist who was boycotted by the United Irish. League at Tallow, Mr O'Brien is invited by the Independent to pay the damages out of his "huge, income." The verdict of the jury was attacked by the Freeman's Journal, in an article, which ArchbisKop Walsh lias called "deplorable." The unity of the Nationalists seems to be like the smile of the Cheshire .Cat, after the disappearance of the 'Cat. Lord Roberts has issued an- order that regimental and garrison workshops are to be constructed so that any soldier who has learned a trade before enlisting may keep it up. It will be interesting to have an annual return showing the effects of this innovation.

Dean Fremantie denies the accuracy of the published summary of his recent address to the Churchmen's Union in which he disputed the immaculate conception. The reporter of the Times declares that he submitted it to the Dean at the meeting, and ho objection was then raised. The publication of the full text is awaited with interest.

When Mr Keir Hardie, M.P., was arrested by the Brussels police, who assumed that an English Socialist' must have something to do with the Anarchist attempt on King Leopold's life, he explained that he was a member of the House of Ctfmmons. The commissary of police asked, "What is that!" "It is a sort of a Parliament," said Mr Keir Hardie.

Sir 'Evelyn Wood has pointed out some characteristic mis-statements in Mr Kruger's Memoirs. Mr Kruger gives a wholly fantastic account of his interview with Sir Evelyn Wood at Laing's Nek in 1881 at the close of the first Boer war. .He says, for instance, that he forced Sir Evelyn to come-to terms by crying, "Burghers, saddle!' The burghers in question were two miles off. Mr Kruger has a romantic fancy.

■Writing from Johannesburg to a friend in Wellington, an ex-resident of Wellington, describing the South African city, says it is one of the most dirty places he was ever in. Things are very dear there, especially living, which is very poor at two guineas a week. At a good hotel the price -is £1 per day. An ordinary meal costs about 3s. Of course, wages are high at present, but the writer is afraid they will soon.come down, as people are flocking jn. Business is not in full swing yet, as the military have the railway and'merchants can only get a limited quantity of stuff up. The mines, also 1 , are not properly working, owing to the shortness of black labor and the wages required by the same. The recruiting agents, however, are fetching hundreds in from the back country e?e?y week, and make a Big thing out of •it, the"price for. recruiting being £3 per head. " -The "niggers'* are getting quite independent since the British have taken charge, as they have a great deal more freedom. The correspondent, referring to' the trip up from Durban, says the fare is £4 6s second-class, and £6 12s first-class. Right along the line are hundreds of graves, the result of Buller's advance. "There is no copper coin in circulation here," he adds. "Nothing costs less than threepence—not even a daily paper." The London Municipal Journal for November reviews the operations of the leading municipalities of Great Britain which, during the last five years, have been a.ble to aid the rates by the profits of their civic undertakings. The' figures quoted show that since 1897 thejollowing municipalities ' have supplemented'the rates by tiic sums assigned : Leicester, £608,362 ; Hull. £64,400: Sheffield, £32.000; Bui-ton-on-Trent, £38.363; Bath, £14.509. In the case of Warrington, instead of allowing the rates to be relieved materially, the municipality has by gradual stages reduced the charges to consumers of the municipal gas sold, and sunk £60,000 out of revenue in new works. In the case of Eastbourne the I municipality bought out in 1899 a private

electric supply company, which was charg- j ing 74 per Board of Trade unit. the corporatioA had to pay £2O per £lO sh.ro. Nevertheless, it at once reduced the charge to 6i per unit, and expects shortly to induce it to 54d. A raid was made on a boarding house in Dunedin yesterday morning by » «• grant and three constables, on suspicion that sly grog-selling was being practiced on the premises. The constable* found a 10-gallon keg, containing about nine gallons of beer. A prosecution will probably fellow {says the Otago Daily Times). In connection with the forthcoming r ire Brigades' demonstration in Napier, the committed has decided to otter £25 towards the expenses of any one team from Australia. Already three brigades have written over .asking to he selected to' furnish a team for the competitions. These are the Wangaratta. (Victoria), Corowa. (New South Wales), and Hobart Brigades. It has been suggested that, the committee should extend its offer so as to ensure the presence from Australia, of two teams, one representing brigades that use manual engines and other representing brigades that work with high-pressure, water supplies. Large shipments of"" Califomian barley have reached Melbourne during the past two months, which cannot but luave some effect on the market for New Zealand barley. The Australian Brewers' Journal notes that the ship Battle Abbey brought to Melbourne, shipped to order, 34,374 sacks of barley. On November 28 entries were passed for 12,036 sacks of Califomian barley. The barque Boomerang, wliich arrived lit Melbourne on December 5 from San Francisco, brought with her 46,442 sacks of Califomian barley. On December 12 entries were passed" for 6150 sacks of Califomian barley. This brings the total imported in two months up to 99,002 sacks. The Archbishop of Canterbury, who lias just died, made an interesting speech at the Mayoral banquet in the Cathedral city. Dwelling on the clia-racfer of the English clergy as a whole, he expressed satisfaction that they had got rid of the shooting and hunting parsons. He did not blame men for ' hunting-and shooting, but he confessed that he did not like to sec clergymen doing it, and he did not think that members of the Church of England approved of it either. The Archbishop said he had noted a steady upward progress going on in the character of the clergy and the work done by them during the whole of Iris life. In different parishes in London he had seen such devotion as it would bo very difficult to match anywhere else. By arduous labor the clergy were more and more winning the affection of the people at large. In the North American Review, that edifying'moralist, Mr F. W. Reitz, says L. 'F. Austin, explains that the terms of peace are not binding on the conscience of the Boer people, because they were compulsory. Compulsion, I believe, is customary in terms of peace, as these are imposed by the victor, and not by the vanquished. Mr Reitz thinks that the vanquished should have the terms that suit them best, and that, failing these, they are not morally bound by surrender. I wonder what Lee would have said, after Appomattox, if some casuit of- the Reitz type lind told him that the document- to which he put his signature was not binding on his conscience. Mr Reitz assures the world that ho signed the terms at Vereenijjing in a "representative and not an individual capacity," and that Lord Kitchener recognised the distinction. I surmise that Lord Kitchener did not think it worth while to argue with a man whose signature was to represent everybody but himself. Even that curious pledge is now repudiated, and Mr Reitz's signature remains, so to speak, like Mahomet's coffin, suspended between heaven and earth. As he is lecturing in America, I shall be curious to know how his sympathisers there reconcile his attitude with any existing code of obligations. And what do they think of Viljoen, Kritzinger, and others, who fought valiantly against us, but now declare that the ifight to a finish ended the feud for good and all. That was Lee's doctrine for the South. Perhaps some engaging Anglophobe in America will show us why it does not apply to South Africa; also why it is so like British perfidy to help the Boers with free grants instead of leaving them, as the Southerners were left, to sink or swim. Referring to the Irish land question, Mr H. .W- Lucy, in the Sydney Morning Herald, writes :—"What is popularly assumed on the subject is that the King earnestly desires to make his reign memorable by bringing Ireland actually within the union in whose bonds she has fretted for more than a hundred years. 'What is actually known is that next year the Parliamentary session is to be primarily and chiefly devoted to consideration of a new Land Bill. The only basis upon which such a measure could be usefully established is purchase. A poll just taken of the landlords shows them to be in an overwhelming majority favorable to such a scheme. As for the Irish peasant and farmer, earth-hunger is his strongest passion. Everything will depend upon the terms proposed, and Mr Wyndham's confidence that the question is on the eve of settlement, implies knowledge of determination on the part of the Government to make those terms acceptable to both parties to the bargain. That inevitably means the introduction of a third party, the British taxpayer to wit, with contribution either in the form of actual cash or security for a loan." In an article on the effect of the great drought on animal life in the New South Wales back districts, the Sydney Telegraph says : —"Kangaroos and wallabies are now almost extinct on the plains. Hardly- one has been seen for months past. Yet they were very plentiful up till last year. 11 is not so long -ago since in a big drive organised on a large north-western station, they rounded up as many as 20,000 kangaroos—a, great sight. A sportsman could reckon on eight or ten in an afternoon almost anywhere ; and men who "kangarood" for a living have been known to accumulate as many as two thousand scalps in the space of a few weeks. But it will probably be a long time before the marsupial assumes the proportions of a pest in the west again. The drought has also been very severe on the emu, the most majestic thing in the way of bird life that our bush can show. There are very few emus left. What remain are nearly all to be found round the Lower Lachlan and the Murrumbidgee. If you suddenly come across one in the north-west, he is generally too weak to get out of your way." Disquieting rumors (says a London paper) have been current concerning the health of the Grand Duke Michael (the Tsarewitch), who is said to be -suffering from a pulmonary affection. The health of the Grand Duke has for long caused some anxiety, on account of the reported weakness of his lungs. Last winter he went through a course of physical drill under the tuition of a Dr Phelan, an American inventor of a system of body culture. After the Gand Duke Michael, the next male in direct Hue of succession is the Grand Duke Vladimir and his two sons—a possibility to which' all Russians look forward with distinct distaste. The Grand Duke Vladimir and his sons are tho reverse of popular,- and the younger son, Boris, has several times had to be exiled from St. Petersburg; more recentlyJie hasj by lus misconduct, caused some anxiety to the Imperial family during occasion once to dismiss the Grand Duke Michael, on the other hand, is exceedingly popular, and is particularly esteemed by the more liberal section of the Russians owing to his wide sympathies and liberal views. Indeed, his views have, at times, been somewhat embarrassingly liberal to the Imperial family, and particularly to the Dowager Empress; who, it is said, had occasion once to dismiss the Gand Duke's French instructor,'owing to the eagerness with which the pupil imbibed the liberal principles of his Instructor. HAMPDEN.—MR SWINDLEY, Resident Dentist, will visit Hampden on Thursday next, Bth inst., and may oe consulted at Mrs Horner's Hotel.

A scar from a burn or scald is often dreaded more than the pain that is inflicted. Chamberlain's Pain Balm heals the injured part in less time than any other treatment, and unless the treatment is a severe one, no scar will be left. One application gives relief. Try it. G. M. Procter, chemist, sells it.

We are now showing a lavg4 variety of New Season's Goods. One line we excel in, and that is Ladies' and Girls' Hats for summer wear. We have a magnificent assortment in all the newest shapes, and arc selling fast. Our Trimmed Hats and Bonnets cannot be beaten for neatness and good taste, and the prices are always the

very lowest. We have n f„|| ron go of Ladies' Corsets. We keep „ n j y t j lo best wearing and best fitting makes. Wo b-WO just opened up a special „{ Cotton Delaines. Splendid goods, worth 8d l wr yard : we will sell them at /ij,j pf, t yard. Our Prints lire noted for r lieapnosi! fastness of color. We lia\.- H,,,,,, ft t 44d, 5Jd. 6}d, 7Jd up, and „n r Mercerised Sateens, Lawns, and Cambrics »r0 o' beautiful designs and colors f r „ m 7jd to Is 6d per yard. At L. H.' TKMTBIiO'B London House.

Unusual interest is taken ;„ (, n0 great auction sale of drapery and clothing > ,oW '" progress at PENROSE'S Pi\i|>ory Establishment. People call to niind the w<i y this firm conducted their aitrtion •al® ast ' year. Their memory has nut. failed them. They were told then that every item offered would be without reserve ,',f any kind. It was true of the last Mil,-. It'it'to bo n genuine clearing sale under i| w direction of Mr Peter Williams, auctioneer. Dates ol future sales will bo duly announced. In the meantime all goods will !»,, go ld at auction prices. Wo sell dtvsse-;, silks, miHinery, jackets, mantles, skiru, aprons, sheetings, towelß, quilts, cnilanw, men's and boys' suits macliintoshos, V | r , C [ C ., PENROSE'S DRAPERY ESi .\lt|,|silMlsNT T Peter William*, auctioneer. At this week « sales 200 pairs White WanUts will bo offered to the highest bidder