SUMMARY FOR EUROPE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 5896, 31 December 1880, Page 2

SUMMARY FOR EUROPE.

POLITICAL AND GENERAL. Theee is an almost absolute dearth

of political intelligence. None of the Ministers have yet spoken, and during the holiday season they are nob likely to speak. There has been a change of portfolios, Mr Dick taking the Education Department, which Mr Rolleston resigns ; and as the latter was a bigoted believer in the system as it is, and the former is not, it is regarded as probable that the change denotes some pending modifications in the Education Act — most likely in the direction of school fees, or local taxation to defray part of the enormous expenses, and the limitation of the school age to children over six, there being'several thousands under that age at present in the schools. Mr Wakefield, M.H.R., made a very good speech to his constituents at Geialdine, and in the course of it laid particular stress on _thegg^|- alinesa of the_ jpfft^ "£f its growth! The annual charge, including school buildings, is about .£400,000, and it has been growing at the rate of about £30,000 a year. In our present overburdened condition we must be content with absolute necessaries, and not look for luxuries to be supplied at the public expense. There is a growing feeling that we are attempting too much in the extent and character of the instruction to be imparted in our primary Bchools, that; we shall have to content ourselves with less, and that secondary instruction should almost wholly bo at the charge of the parent. In Native affairs there is no change of importance, but the Governor's Aide-de-Camp has paid a visit to Parihaka, for reasons as yet unknown, but supposed in some way to be connected •with proposals for a final settlement ■with Te Whiti and his followers. That -worthy entirely disowned all connection with or responsibility for the murder of Miss Dobib, and Turn, the wretched man who committed the act, has confessed his crime and Las been executed. Ho seems to have had no motive in the first instance but "robbery, and after he had obtained the feWßliilUiigsJthejFQUOg lady h&d-abuut her, she threatened to inform the Armed Constabulary of his conduct, and then he killed her, apparently without pre- . meditation.

The second sale of land on the Waimate Plains was even more successful than the first. There was eager competition for the rural sections up to £6 and £7 pei* acre, and small suburban sections went as high as £19 per acre, while township allotments fetched very high prices. Altogether, over 14,000 acres have now been disposed of, for over £100,000, and bona fide settlement of the best sort will be the result. The Buryey of the Parihaka block will he pushed on as quickly as possible, and no opposition of consequence .has- as yet been experienced. The Government are performing what the Grey Ministry only promised—they are settling the Native difficulty in the most effectual way. The Native Minister, Mr Bryoje, is engaged in selecting another batch of Maori prisoners to be released, those previously set at liberty having gone peaceably back to their homes -without giving any trouble. Twenty-nine are being sent from Otago, leaving eighty-one still in durance vile. They are well treated, .however, and seem quite contented. It is generally believed now that Native wars are a thing of the past, and to be no longer dreaded. But had Tjs Whiti proved a bloodthirsty fanatic, instead of throwing all his influence in the scale of peace, there is no knowing what might Live happened. Sir F. D. Bell, our new AgentGeneral, left for Melbourne, en route for London, on the 16th. He is a capable man, and possesses a polished exterior and courtly manners, and will, mo doubt, make a good Agent-general. It is not known whether Sir Julitt "Vogel will como out to the Colony or not. He would readily find a seat at the next election if he does.

• We have dealt with several misstatements made by journals in London concerning our financial position in other articles, to which we direct the attention of our Home readers. If those unthinking persons who take si panic every now and then about our heavy indebtedness would only reflect that we have, besides a good deal of agricultural land, about 12 millions of acres of pastoral land yet to selJ, before default could be made in the payment of the interest on our debt, and that before the principal has to be paid Wew Zealand will number at least three times, and probably six times, its present population, these false alarms would appear as ridiculous at Home as they do here on the spot. Our prospects for the coming year are certainly brighter by far than those of the past year were 12 months since. We are setting our house in order, and there is no fsar but that we Bhall overcome all our difficulties and be little the worse for them in the end.