THE DAILY OTAGO TIMES. SATURDAY,MARCH 31,1888.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 8145, 31 March 1888, Page 2

THE DAILY OTAGO TIMES. SATURDAY,MARCH 31,1888.

It cannot bo said that Mr Larnach's iuWr»s to his constituents at South Duncdin is interesting. But that is no fault of his. He treated the various questions of last session and those arising out <-,r the present political situation in a businc.-s-liko and practical wanner enough. But it is not possible now to resuscitate interest in the events of last ses. sion, and we are all in the dark as to what is eoing to bo done, next session. Although finding fault with the Government for excess of zeal in the matter of retrenchment, and still more for not rushing headlong into Protection, Mr Larnach showed himself ready to do full justice to the measures of the Government where lie thought they deserved it, and after so bitter a party fight in which his Government were defeated, considerable credit is due to Jlr Larnach for the fairness of mind he displayed in his references to his opponents and in commending so warmly the Land Act, the Local Bodies' Powers Act, tho Railways Act, the Xavai I Defence Act, and die Representation Act. Looking at his own commendations of these measures it is a little difficult to understand how ho could say in another passage " what " lie felt annoyed over was that the " Government would only deal with "a single question, that of retrenchment, " and were overlooking very great measures i'of policy," f.nd again, "they (tho Govern--11 merit) seemed to have made up their minds ''that all other policies (except that of re- " trenchment) that might have been for . "the good of the country should stand • " aside, and that none should be considered " but this one of drastic retrenchment." Surely there is, if not inconsistency, at least some confusion of thought here. What Mr Lar- - nach really means is, however, evident from ' the context. The great grievance he has - asrainst the Government is their postponel merit of the revision of the tariff, which he is 3 bent upon having carried out on ultra-Pro-tective lines. To this question we will return in a moment, but first we would point out that with so considerable a list of beneficial measures as Mr Larnach hinvelt allows to Ministers, the answer is supplied when they are criticised for not doing enough. The reason for postponing the revision of the tariff was that business of so difficult and delicate a nature ought not to be taken in hand in a hurry, and required the mature consideration of a recess. Air Larnach seems to have been converted to Protection by his sense of the import- ,. ance of keeping up the population of the Colony and preventing the exodus to Victoria, which has become so marked during !t the last few months. He would spend £100,000 upon the Otago Central or elso- "• where, he told his audience, rather than lot this exodus go on. No colonist can view the departure of so many m good workmen without regret, and the loss Xi of their consuming power is no doubt widely felt; but if they can do bet re* for themselves over the water, it is surch better for us and for them that they should leave than that our burdens should be in. creased in order to retain them. All con sumption and no production makes New _ Zealand a dull Colony, and the only roai out of the depression lies in the increas< of our productive power, not in the re tention of consumers for whom work ha to be found at the public expense New Zealand has so many attractions o climate and society that we feel confiden that many of those who arc now leaving v will find their way back here when bettertime come and the demand for labour is givatei JG The desirability of endeavouring to retain ou population in useful employment is cleai but it is another thing to cany on work of which are not wanted in order to keep her men who are crowded out of the ranks o ;e a remunerative labour. We foar that this ide; that it is to the advantage of the Colony I spend money to give employment, irrespec tive of tho remuneraliveness of the worl upon which the money is spent, goes fo much more in the government of the conn • try than is openly acknowledged, and ha '' oeen the source of more extravagance am difficulty than is yet appreciated. Wit regard to the North Island Trunk railway we are glad to see that Mr Larnach has give the Otago members a lead which we hop will be generally followed. "He doubted he said, "whether there was any nocessiii " in the present state of the Colony, for inal " ing the line at all, especially considerin " the simple and easy communication tbei " was by sea. AVith regard to the lan " through which the line was to go, he w;i " thunderstruck on travelling over ii, to fin r " how poor the quality of the soil was. Tliei " were many million acres of it on whic " even rabbits could hardly find a living This is a very different story from the sat guine version of Messrs Bruce and Newmai and from all our recent experience of railwa construction a far more probable one. I conclusion, we congratulate Mr Larnac the upon the excellent tone of his speech, whic a a if it has not added much to our stock < [ ree political information, has at least dca straightforwardly with the leading questioi of the day. izes Passing Notes by "Oivis" will be found < our fourth page. Telegraphic communication has. now bee partially restored throughout 'the colon although last night the wires were working vei badly, and delays were frequent. A Gazette extraordinary issued on Wednesdi further prorogued Parliament to the 4th Apr A Chinaman named Ton Wa died in a cab the street yesterday afternoon while being r moved to the hospital. The deceased was sufft ing from some illness, and had been attended 1 Dr Brown. He was apparently getting wor rapidly, and some of his countrymen decided ,„„ remove him to the hospital, and were doing when he expired. His body was taken back the house, near the Royal Hotel, in Walk street, and the matter reported to the polii and by them to the coroner. It is not j known whether an inquest will be deem -^— necessary. A very large crowd was attracted to t Victoria wharf yesterday afternoon to witness t departure of the Mararoa for Melbourne. T approach to the vessel was completely block > uae some considerable time before the hour fixed I the vessel's departure, so much so indeed tl ,hat it was only after a severe struggle and a go •'cd deal of squeezing and elbowing that passeugi :°"n and those who had business to transact on boc iost could get near the gangway. This crowding 1 3,$ become so bad that it is evident the Harbc ?In Board will have to take such steps as will kc ?}?■ those attracted by curiosity from complete »go blocking traflic, as was the case yesterday a lU- last Sunday. The number of passengers book ION from Dunediu was 33 saloon and 47 steerage, bted About 1500 people were booked by the cxci 1?,',? sion train that left Dunedin yesterday morui ined for Mount Allan, and the department found •""8 necessary to despatch a second train, the fi '" with over 20 carriages proving insufficient. Be ■ent, trains made a halt for some time at the Winga <*: viaduct, and at Mount Allan the passeng were allowed two or three hours to explore I - country. They were fortunate in altogetl avoiding the rain that fell in Dunedin, and turned to town highly pleased with their ti By the excursion traia for Christchurch, wh B> left on Thursday night, 120 passengers w booked. A threshing mill owned by Mr James Far harson was destroyed by fire at Mr Westlak Ngapara, on Wednesday, and also about bags of wheat the property of the latter. r. mill was insured in the South British office £175, and the loss will be about £200 beyi 30jy that sura.

At the City Police Court yesterday morning, ha John M'Kenna was convicted and discharged on tic » charge oi behaving in a disorderly manner ■ .vhilst drunk in Princes street on Thursday <v iiirht. Robert Cooper was charged with steal;n ° from the Diuiedin Coffee Palace, on March 21° £23, belonging to Donald Alexander Ross. On the application of the police the accused was remanded till Tuesday, bail being allowed him in his own recognisance of £100 and two sureties 'j" of £50 each, or one surety of £100. Mr H, m Gourley, J.P., occupied the bench. Sir James Hector proceeds to Melbourne two months before the opening of the Centennial m Exhibition in order to make full preparation for m tho due representation of the colony there. Applications for space in the New Zealand tl Court, executed in accordance with the regula- St tions, have been passed by the commissioners, with the proviso that upon openiug out the exhibits in Melbourne should any inferior specimens be' found amongst the shipments the same will be returned to the owner forthwith, and n shippers will render themselves liable for pay- fj ment of all expenses incurred in the despatch of a a-id in the returning of specimens. Mr Seed re- h turns to New ZeAland at an c.irly date, having fully accomplished his misrum to Melbourne. Mr ii. H. Scale?,.of Wellington, who has c recently shipped a large quantity of dairy pro. I ducn to England, to ccrn-spondi nis in tho trade q in London, ha-i found tha resulv. so perplexing and variable that he is delenmiud to proceed to " ( England with a view to probo the mystery to £ the bottom, and discover the causes which prevent New Zealand cheese and butter always taking their proper position in the Home market. £ During the voyage of the steamer Staffa from HoUianga to Kaipara, M'Lellau, the engineer, was washed overboard and drowned. ( Captain Hewitt, of the Survey department, ] has received notice that with the view of re- . treuchment his services are no longer required, i Another enjoyable excursion f«r Monday is arranged by the" Railway department, when a special train will leave for Warriugton in connection with the races there at 9.15 a.m. This will no doubt be largely availed of by others than those who attend the races, as the locality is very suitable for picnic parties, being close to the sea beach, with plenty of fresh water and native bush. Thelnvercargill Mimsters'Association adopted the following resolution:—" The association, having regard to the existing unfavourable weather ami the depressed condition of things, agricultural and conimerci.il, thinks it advisable to invite ihe memners of the community to a special meeting for humiliation and pr.iytr." The meeting was held on Thursday evening. Mr Valentine has received intimation from tho Mines department that the application to hf.ve the Cbarlton block declared a mining district cannot be complied with, as the land is private property, unless the consent of all the owners is obtained. Tho Rev W. Finlayson having accepted a call to the Methveu-K.uigitata congregation in Canterbury, ha? resigned the charge of Pukerav. Waipahi, and Otaria. Mr James Lemon, farmer, Laureston, was ■ found on the road on Tuesday cveniug, about a * mile from the Ashburton woollen factory, in an i almost lifeless condition, and died some hours afterwards in the hospital. From the manner ' iv which Mr Lemon's clothes were torn off his back, and from traces to bo seen aloug the ' road, ho must have been thrown out of the 1 saddle ami dragged for n considerable distance * with his foot hanging iv the stirrup. r A correspondent write.* enclosing s'.n extract 1 from the Birmingham Weekly Post, giving an ac- ■ count of a trial of the cable tramways in that city, 3 with a view to refuting the paragraph which we - republished from the Melbourne Herald, stating X that a gentleman recently from Birmingham had 1 contrasted most favourably the manner in which - Mr Duncan had carried out the work iv Melr bourne with the numerous mistakes in Birmmgt ham. The extract in question is of itself prool that mistakes had been made, and that some had not been rectified when the trial trip was * made It states, for instance,that grave doubts were eutertaiucd as to whether the gripper wa ? r strong enough to hold the rope iv louudmg a ■' curve near the top of Snow Hill, and refers to d " the terrible friction of a crtseentie slot which '■ was smaller than it should have been." Tuesu »" and several other mistakes which delayed the iV opening, are the very matters referred to iv the d Melbourne Herald; the information being given ■c simply to show that notwithstanding the sup- -■ po.-it.il advantages in scientific trailing of Engirt IWj eiigineers.'Mr Duncan had done his work in c. a better uiauntr. Tbe trial trip at Mauchester 3 f on January 21, on the lines between Colmore Row lt and Horliley, w« conduct: d amid a good deal o! , s enthusiasm, audit was with the greatest ihfli- ,' culty that the dummy was kept clear. Among "I the employees there was the keenest enthusiasm '' " mainly ascribvd to a revulsion of feeling lifter " months of mute distress endured at the hands, r' of people who were exasperated with the delay S in ranking the road." re Nowhere in Europe have so many ladies dC crowded into the university lecture rooms as iv ;a ltussia. In ISSG, there were "'■) women students 10 at the Russian universities. Of these, 213 were c" in the philosophical department, 500 in tkc k physico-matheuiatical department, 36 studier jr , )n |y mathematics. The majority were; daughter li- of noble political and military otiicials—namely as -137; SI were clergymen's daughters, 125 merul chants' daughters, ic. In addition to these t li there are several hundred Russian ladies study v ing at non-Russian universities, principally ii Switzerland and iv Paris. The majority studj medicine. j•• Incredible as it may sound (says the Pall Mai ', Gazette of February 3), an octogenarian trice ?' on Wednesday to commit suicide at Budapes because he was no longer able to support hii '° parents. This man's name is Janos Meryest-i 10 He has for tbc last few years been a beggar, au< 1(5 is 84 yrars old. His father and mother are san us to bulged H5 and 110 respectively. Meryuss 1(i was rescued by a Hungarian member of Parlia re m ent, M. Or.-zag, as he was about to jump iutc =h the Daii'ibe off the suspension bridge. Hi ,'." story has since been investigated by the police n- and is declared to.be true, in, On Thursdaylevening the Mortiiugton Presby ay teriau Temperance Uuion gave the first of In series of monthly entertainments in the locc C h hall, the building being packed to the door. Th e h Rev. Mr Porter presided, and with a few apprc o£ priate remarks introduced a lengthy an n attractive programme. Songs were given b Miss Creightou, Messrs A. Newbury, and G. X DB Matthews, and Master Lilly; vocal duets b Misses Muir and Meiklejohn, Smart an Craigie; violin selection by Mr Peters j a pianc CU forte duet by Misses Matthews, and a solo by W Max. Newbury ; recitations by Miss B. Eastoi :eu Miss Button, Messrs Stables and Watson. Th ''>'' dialogues, of which two were given, were take ;r>* part in by Misses Dick, Miller, Howes, and E. J Matthews; Messrs Stables (2), Newbury, Mvi lay Matthews; Masters W. Matheson, Masoi til. Dempster, and Howes. Miss Matthews and M iv Newbury acted as accompanists. The ente: re- tainment passed off very successfully, most ( er- the performers being applauded for their effort by O rse Should Hie weather permit the favourite steam, Inverciruill will make an excursion trip to the Mao t0 Kaik and["outside tbe Heads on Monday , so l'ntrifs for the Otago A. and P. Society s Ham at t0 HlN^S^"An* Agency Con ker pany will sell freehold property at PorS Chalmers i iCe; 11'm«S«&1 Held and Co. will«U .torelmlloel vut ni- Tlnrniiileoii Wednesday ; anil on Thursday tin ed SilS.l. Park, with the... and liwe Fair, Southdown. Leicester, Lincoln, ai the "'ill'T'm™!K,'the' English renal iinU nervoi (liscistl siiccidlist, liiin urrivi d, iirul inn\ iil coii&uiit the at his rooms, ill the Octagon. Kor further partic fhe lars, see advertisement on page ■!.-[« i vt.] L.,i The Grand Hotel, Uimedin.-ltediietimi of tar. c for winter and Epring mouths, trom April 1, ti for families and perimment guests. Terms aerarduig ood Absolute freedom from clr:uijj)its. Special terms f , flrs a party of ladies or gentlemen requiring priva ' sltliriK'ruom. Special wecklv terms lor lunch m arll outside boarders.—[rtDVT.] has Drink Hudson's I'uhk Soll-bi.k Cocoa, fauara teed best aud clieapost In Kew Zealan.l.-tAuvr.j