THE OTOGO DAILY TIMES FRIDAY, MAY 7, 1886.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 7557, 7 May 1886, Page 2

THE OTOGO DAILY TIMES FRIDAY, MAY 7, 1886.

The Indo-Oolonial Exhibition promises to achieve a success only second to that of the Great Exhibition of 1851, and for similar reasons. To begin with, it possesses a larger element of novelty than any of the intervening exhibitions. • -Of these, those that -were international were little more than copies, each successively on a larger scale, of the original; whilst .-..the rest were comparatively small affairs, developing national industries or special branches of industry, which did not excite any wide interest. In the search after novel attractions, moreover, there has been a tendency to give prominence to elements which scarcely /showed themselves in .1851. The bazaar and the casino overgrew the serious industrial object, and the international contest degenerated more' and more into a large advertising engine, attended by a paltry scramble between rival tradesmen.. The series of exhibitions at South Kensington during the last, three years have brought matters to a head, and a healthy reaction has set in. There are to be no importers or commission agents exhibiting in the Indo-Colonial Exhibition, no retail sales, and no judging or /awards, though probably the casino element will reach its acme. .;.:." "V. ' : ■ : •■'

But the success of the present Exhibition will not be due.vmerely to its novelty nor to the variety of. amusing features which. it presents. Like the Great. Exhibition of 1851, it represents a noble sentiment and meets a practical want. The long peace after Waterloo prompted the revival of Milton's idea that "Peace hath her victories no less rehowh'd than war," and in ;the decade preceding the Great Exhibition Freetrade had given a special impulse to industry and commerce. Our fathers dreamed of universal concord and the abolition of tariffs all over the world. They succeeded in improving British manufactures and extending the market for them at some expense to the patriotic sentiment. The series of terrible wars from. 1854 to 1870 has shown internationalism to be premature, whilst of late the overpressure of population and the lack of employment for capital in England have turned attention to the Colonies. In 1886 we significantly sing, " Britons hold your own." It is only to be Hoped that the national and federal ideas of which this Exhibition is the symbol may not meet with the same fate as the ideas of universal peace and international brotherhood which brooded over the Exhibition of 1851. In any case, we are confident that as from its prototype great practical benefits will result from this Exhibition. The stimulus given to the transference of capital and population from England to' her Colonies will be of enormous advantage to both parties, and not least to us.

The Oolony heartily re-echoes the sentiments expressed in the telegram •which the Governor sent to the Prince of "Wales yesterday. The success of the Exhibition is mainly due to his Royal Highness, without whose personal exertions it would never have been held. The history of the Exhibition goes so far back as the impression made upon the Prince by the Colonial —though,' alas ! not the 2STew Zealand —exhibits at the Paris Exhibition of 1878. Acting, upon the ideas of a pamphlet writtenby Dr Forbes-Watson, of the Indian Museum, the Prince in the year 1879 addressed a circular letter through the Colonial Office to all the Colonial Governments advocating the establishment of a permanent Colonial museum in London, but the Governments addressed were not prepared to incur the permanent expenditure involved, and the plan fell through for the time. The idea was next developed a stage in the Colonies. In March 1883 an elaborate proposal was advanced in New Zealand, and subsequently in Australia, for an Australasian temporary exhibition, to lead up to the permanent museum advocated by the Prinoe. Failing of acceptance

here, this proposal—enlarged to include all the Colonies—was forwarded to the Colonial Office by Sir William J ervois and Sir William .Robinson, and brought privately under the notice of Sir Philip Cunliffe Owen, who had been secretary to the British Commission at the Paris Exhibition, of which the Prince of Wales was president. The success achieved by the Fisheries Exhibition opened in May of that year probably brought the matter to a head by providing the nucleus of a building, which formed the principal difficulty of expense. His Royal Highness then issued a scheme for theExhibitionin its present state, and has throughout taken a warm personal interest in the undertaking, exerting himself no little to ensure its success. Her Majesty crowned the work by opening the Exhibition. ' The Exhibition will no doubt be attended by large crowds of visitors from all parts of the Home country, many of whom will inspect it for directly practical purposes as well as for indirect instruction and amusement. It would be difficult to overestimate its effect in stimulating our progress, developing our resources, and enhancing our credit. It is at least gratifying to. know that New Zealand is playing no unworthy part in this great undertaking, for which the thanks of all her colonists are due to the Governor, the Agent-general, to Dr Yon Haast and his fellow commissioners, and above all to the exhibitors, who, with no hope of reward, have unselfishly contributed for the public benefit.

On our fourth page. we give a resume of Professor Salmond's opening lecture at the Otago University on Mental Science, letters to the editor, and other matter.

At the City Police Court yesterday morning Mr Carew said: "In dealing with a case of assault against a constable the other day I gave it as my opinion that the effect of section 3S of the Police Offences Statute was to repeal section 35 of the Offences Against the Person Act. Shortly after sentencing the prisoner it came to my recollection that there was a general provision of the Police Offences Statute (section 45) whict did away with any implied repeal that there would have been without that general provision. The Police Offences Statute is something in addition to any law already in force'. The case might have been brought either under the Police Offences Statute, and dealt with by summary conviction, or under the Offences Against the Person Act, as an indictable offence. However, as the man is undergoing a cumulative sentence of seven months, I dare say he will be sufficiently punished and that he will not be likely to repeat the offence. Of course it is not possible for me to keep in my memory every section of acts like these, although I certainly regret nothaving done so."

There are at the present time 226 men engaged on the relief works'- provided by the Government, and 48 on the Harbour Board relief works. Some of the men at work in the city are, after this week, to have employment found for them at the heads. The number of unemployed has. remained about the same for some weeks, but for the present week| compared with the preceding one, there has been a falling off iv the number of men who have undertaken the work offered—the "number being 226, as against 250. * ' ' ''.'"'■.,..'.

The gold escort;arrived in town by the express train last evening in charge of Sergeantmajor Bevin and bank officers Cogan and Braimigan.vwho brought down eight boxes and one bag of gold of the value of £25,000.

- A very large crowd assembled at the Rattray street wharf yesterday afternoon to witness the departure for Melbourne of the Union Company's steamer Waihora. This is the first occasion on which one of the company's Melbourne boats has left Dunedin direct for sea. The steamer was drawing about 17ft 3in on an even keel. She was attended by the Plucky, and a few minutes after 4 o'clock she steamed away from the wharf amid the congratulations of all interested in the success of the.Victoria channel. On Wednesday the Te Anau, for the North, and the Hauroto, for Sydney, left the wharf direct for sea; while the ship Lyttelton.'drawing: 18ft 3in forward, was towed up' the channel, having on board close on 1900 tons of general cargo. The condition of the approaches to the Rattray street wharf is hardly creditable to the City Council, and Melbourne'visitors who left yesterday/will carry with them from Dunedin the memory of having to wade through a sea of mud to gain the steamer. Crossings are also badly needed in the vicinity of the Union Company's offices. ~'■•".

An application was made'at'the City Police Court yesterday to have a little girl about three years of age committed to the Industrial School; It transpired that the mother of the child died in the hospital, but prior to that she made the child over to a young woman, who adopted it for some time and represented to her husband, who was a seafaring man,'that it was her own... Ultimately, however, this young woman grew tired of her charge, and left it with a little girl one day, telling her to take care of. it until she;-returned the next evening. When the evening came, however, she did not put in an appearance, and if was subsequently found that she had gone to Canterbury. The police communicated with her with reference to' the child, but she said it did not belong to herj and would have\nothing to do with it. The child was committed to the Industrial School, i

About 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon a. fire broke out in a row of cottages situated in Alexandra street, Caversham — two houses being totally destroyed, and two others nearly so. The former belonged to Messrs Panton and Price, and the latter to Messrs Louden and Price. There was no fire brigade present, and had it not been for the prompt measures taken by the Salvage Corps to subdue the fire by the aid of a hand, pump arid a spall hose, there would ho doubt have been a greater destruction of property. The origin of the fire is unknown. It commenced in the house of Mr Panton, who was away from home at the time. His house was insured in the South British office for £150,; and the furniture in the same office for £50. i Mr Prices' house adjoining, which was totally destroyed; was likewise" insured in the South British office for £125; as also were the other houses owned by him. The contents of both houses were uninsured. Mr. Loudens house was insured in the Standard office for £100,Jand in the New Zealand office for £75. '.

: The Taiaroa relief fund, so far as the Dunedin committee is concerned, is making very slow progress. The total amount received by the town clerk is £243 4s 7s, and the balance avail-" able for distribution £172'7s 7d. Thirteen applications for relief have been received, and six of them have been finally disposed of by small grants of money and outfits to the applicants, who were men employed on the Taiaroa when she was wrecked. There are now, therefore, seven cases to be dealt with. One of these is a claim made by friends on behalf of Mrs R. Bathgate, of Glasgow, the wife of the messroom steward of the Taiaroa. Four of the other cases are claims on behalf of widows with families, and these widows are in the meantime receiving weekly allowances from the committee.

Messrs C. S. Beeves and J. P. Jones, J.P's., sat at the Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday morning, but all the cases set down for hearing were either confessed or struck out.

An examination of volunteer officers will be held on June 16. Officers who have been elected by volunteer corps require to pass these examinations, or the acting appointments they hold will lapse. '

Mr Ewen Pilling has been recommended by the committee for 'the appointment of teacher of the Miller's Flat School.

The proceedings at the nomination for Sydenharn were) rather inclined to be lively and personal. Mr J. L. Scott, one of the candidates) made an explanation with regard to the contract for constructing locomotives which his firm was now engaged on, and which he said was only taken to get such work as they could for the district of Canterbury and in the interests of the working men of Canterbury. The first contract of the kind was always a losing one. He was altogether out of the contract now. MiAndrews, another o£ the candidates, said Mr Scott's statement about having retired from the firm was too flimsy for him to believe, and he knew for a fact that a motion would be made in the House for all papers in connection with the contract. Mr Scott again spoke and charged Mr Andrews with a falsehood in stating that he had asked Mr Andrews to retire. Mr Scott was subjected to a good deal of interruption, and when his proposer came also forward to speak a second time those present would uot listeu to him, and he had to retire.

At the inquest held at Pembroke on the body of Archibald Chalmers the following verdict was returned:—" That Archibald Chalmers came to his death through poisoning by strychnine administered by himself, he being then in a sound state of mind." The evidence given at the inquest went to show that deceased had taken the poison because Constable Bradshaw had applied for a prohibition order against him, and had threatened to jump into the lake rather than appear before a magistrate. The Cromwell Argus states that the remains were, " as by law ordained," interred at il o'clock at night. Almost all the men about the place attended with lanterns to follow the remains, and a service was conducted by Mr Purves.

The Tuapeka Rifles were inspected last night by Staff-sergeant Ruddle and put through company movements. Forty men, including officers, were on parade. A meeting was afterwards held with a view of taking steps for the erection of a drill hall. The recent disclosures of the grossest frauds perpetrated by high officials in the Ministry of Finance have been followed (says the Cairo correspondent of the Standard) by similar revelations in the department of the Daira Sanieh. Last year it was discovered that the Government had paid away nearly a quarter of amillion sterling in liquidation of claims which if contested in a court of law would all of them have been either rejected i». toto or reduced by twothirds. The Crown Lawyer's Office (the Contentieux), whose business it is to defend the Government, had in the course of less than six weeks compounded these claims aud paid over, perhaps, one-third of th 3 money to the claimants, dividing the remaining two-thirds amongst its own members. No excuse whatever was offered, and the inquiry ordered by the Government came to a sudden stop when it was found who was implicated. Four of the

minor officials were dismissed, all of whom called in vain for a regular examination. Every effort was used to throw a veil over ; .,the past, and the guilty escaped without the slightest punishment. The present scandal at the Ministry of Finance

was disclosed quite by accident by one of the

victims. Several of the highest officials had formed an association with private agents in all the districts of Egypt. One of the agents would go to a sarrat, or revenue collector, and say that lie had heard that grave complaiuts had been lodged against him at the Ministry, and that an inquiry would probably be shortly instituted into his conduct. The unfortunate man would ask for proofs, whereupon the agent would produce a letter with its official number aud docket, written on Government paper, and signed by one of the band. The agent would then hint darkly that he was a great friend of So-and-so at the Ministry, aud on payment of a sum varying from JSIOjAII £500 ho thought he could arrange matters^^H sum was .".invariably paid and quietly amongst the officials. Lately, howeve^^^^H the sarrats, with amens sibi conscia '^^^^^| not understand the agent's story, a^^^^^^l that at any rate if he had to had better pay it direct to M^^^^^^^f accountant-general, than to th&^^^^^^^H ingly lie quietly came up to Q^^^^^^^^l himself to Mr Palmer, wij^^^^^^^^^^J cat was then, of course,^^^^^^^^^^^^^B commission of inquiry, <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^| has been instituted to^^^^^^^^^^^^H tion. The European Mai^^^^^^^^^^^^f been felt that the adop^^^^^^^^^^^^f purposes of domcstii^^^^^^^^^^^^H become very general n^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H was available in a porta^^^^^^^^^^^^^| has not long since been Greystock, and Co. in a ncr by the design and mffiuTactureTof thW portable electric light. The new lamp gives a pure white incandescent light of about 10-candle power, and it" is said that it wili bum for jast

upon three hours without recharging. The necessary chemicals may be obtained of the makers in any quantity as required, and so simple is the task of recharging that a child may easily perform it. The price at which the portable electric light is retailed brings it within the reach of practically all classes. Amcng the more obvious advantages attaching to this form of lighting are its absolute safety and the absence of either heat, fumes, or smell. : On these grounds, coupled with its inexpensive character, both as regards first outlay and current cost, it is expected that this invention will rapidly win its way into public favour."

The " Thimble League" is the title of an association which has just been formed by a number of ladies who are interested in the present terrible condition of poor women in London. The object which the league has in view is to provide work at fair wages for women whose only means of livelihood is needlework, and many of whom are now said, to be literally starving for waiit of work. The members of the league are pledged to collect materials and cut out articles of clothing, which they give to poor women to make at their iown homes. The work when done is paid for at a remunerative, but not excessive rate, and the clothes are afterwards distributed, partly'by grants to the necessitous and partly by periodical sales. The distribution of the materials and payment of the workers is made weekly at a mission hall or room lent by some clergyman or other benevolent person. These centres are being formed in every poor district of London, and each is under the personal supervision of a lady, who attends at a stated time once every week and herself gives out the materials and pays for the work returned. Over a dozen such centres are already arranged for. . '•'.-"

The writer of "Our Mail Letter" hi the European News says:—" The great New Zealand libel case Bryce v. Rusden has been so fully reported and so fully discussed that it is not for me to add much thereto by way of comment: but I may perhaps be permitted to: suggest that.the master-key to the whole business may be found in the. permanent feud—if I may so call it—between the' Church Missionary Society and the settlers. Mr Rusden may be considered as practically representing the former; and Mr Bryce the latter. We all know that the missionaries are prone to make out that the settlers are very cruel to the natives; and Mr Rusden, unfortunately for his book and his pocket, drew his fact-knowledge from missionary sources, and this was very much as though one were to go to a rabid old Tory for the character of Mr Gladstone. ' He's a murderer, the murderer of Gordon!' would very probably be one of the sweeping assertions made, and most certainly it would noi do to put down in a book as gospel all that came from such a source regarding the present Premier. The prevailing impression, so far as I know personally, among New Zealanders here is simply that Mr Rusden went for his historic facts to highly prejudiced and untrustworthy sources. He wrote his book in good faith, but proceeded on entirely fallacious bases, and has consequently come to utter grief."

Yet another murder in Paris of the thrilling order. A tradesman was taken from his bed. in the early morning to the shop below, and having been made to point out the whereabouts of his treasure, was foully assassinated. A policeman being told that he was being murdered, waited until all was over before proceeding to the spot, and of course the murderers had then made off. .

The Masonic bazaar at Port Chalmers continues to attract a fair number of local visitors each evening. We inadvertently omitted to mention in our report of the opening the name of Miss Miriam Dodds, one of the pupils at the Port Chalmers High School, who exhibited some very skilfully-executed pencil drawings worthy of commendation.

Leon and Cushman's Minstrels had another good house at the Princess Theatre yesterday evening, when Mr Leon's admirable female impersonations and the humours of the Cogill Brothers were as keenly appreciated as ever. To-night is the last time visitors will have a chance of witnessing the present programme, as there is to be a complete change on Saturday evening.