THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1889.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 8595, 10 September 1889, Page 2

THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1889.

Among the various letters we have received in connection with the Sew Hoy Gold Dredging Company is one from Mr James Gore, which makes insinuations of fen offensive character, to which we think it best to reply. We have to state, then, in the most unequivocal manner, that the imputation that the article which appeared in our columns was either "inspired"' or written by any person having the slightest interest in either of the Companies referred to is utterly unfounded. We have been actuated solely by a desire to protect the public from what we considered was an unfair demand of an enormous price for a very partially developed claim. We admitted that the claim is a good one. We even estimated the probable net receipts from four dredges at £20,000 a year. If five dredges in all are put on, the returns might be increased in proportion, but it is unreasonable to suppose that they could be all continuously worked all the year round. One or other would be stopped now and again for repairs, alterations, shifts to new ground, fee. Even as it is, the present dredge has been working while the river is very low, and it remains to be seen what will be the effect on the dredging capacity of a rise of a few feet in the river. The estimate of £250 a month as the net earnings of the present dredge applied to the whole time of working, after deducting all expenses, repairs, alterations, &c, except such additions as could properly be claimed as additions to the sapital value of the dredge; and it is here, no loubt, where difference of opinion may fairly irise; but we have challenged Mr Callender ;o publish the working account, and we shall ;hen have some accurate data to go on. We snly want the truth, and our columns are >pen to make the truth known. We are jlad to observe that, whether the new company floats or not, lour new dredgea vill be put on. This is a very jroper resolution, and must meet with general approval. If it is so good a ihing there ought to be no difficulty in irranging for £16,000 of capital to be all applied to'new plant, though we think there fill and should be great objection to grantQg the present proprietors a three-fourths r two-thirds interest in the result. If the xorbitant demand of £30,000 in cash is withdrawn and the proprietors are prepared o go in on equal terms' with those who upply the capital to develop the claim 3 its full capacity, this would be reasonble; and should the results be as magiflcent as the sanguine promoters expect, sen their shares will rapidly rise in value, ' nd their profits will increase in the same ' roportion as the profits to those who supply ' w hard cash. Our reference to the Frankcon ' ompany was a purely accidental one, arising 1 aturally from the juxtaposition of the two ! rospectuses in our advertising columns, fe do not for a moment say that le prospects of the Frankton Com- \ my are any better than those of i amerous other dredging claims which" E :e being brought before the public, and in- c jed in the very next sentence to that in which ( c alluded to this Company we said, " Would c not be much better to divide £1000 c itween half a dozen such companies as this, J :.," in order to exclude the idea of any h ecial preference. 8 , 3 )T less remarkable than the enormous P ignitude of the Jabour strikes in Britain is 3 wide extent of practical sympathy which a s been evoked for the sufferers in every n rt of the English speaking world, and it was , t to be expected that New Zealand, and ~ nedin in particular, would be behind g nd in the expression of an intention to help t£ >se who are the innocent victims of social ] a aditions as jet, happily, unknown in the a. onies. It may thereforebeexpectedthatthe of ieting which has been called for this SI jningwill be largely attended and prac. de al^ in its effects. Here, as elsewhere, all qt isiderations of opinion on other subjects pr k been forgotten in the one desire to feed "h >se who are hungry, and clothe those who foi cold. Such a movement is entirely in- ™1 jendent of the merits of the question in- Hi ved in the strikes. Such feelings as have ua n aroused in this and the other colonies do 6al stop to argue abstract questions of right ye [ wrong. It is sufficient that wives and aJ Idren are silently enduring additional 9tl ration in order to support their bread- ) ners in their protest against a condition t; 0 things which means a constant hovering I rea

upon the edge of starvation. There is the testimony of Cardinal Manning that the orderly conduct and the heroism of the strikers havo been unequalled since the days of the cotton famine; there is the active intervention of other eminent men on the spot who are not given te false sentimentality, and it may be assuredly believed that the distress caused by the labour troubles is both genuine and extensive. It is obvious that in such a case empty resolutions of sympathy can be nothing but a mockery. If it be decided to help, and we imagine such a meeting can have no other object, what should be done should be to form an organised canvassing Committee, each section of which should take a district and each member a sub-division, in order that no one shall be able to say he was not asked; but we believe that the desire to actively assist is so spontaneous that few who can help will need asking. It is the privilege as well as the duty of every trade organisation to loud aid in a cause so nearly concerning their own objects, and this has been happily recognised in the other colonies by the large sums promptly raised. The public ear is swift to incline to tales of national calamity, and this strike is nothing less. But it has this redeeming feature: There never was in the history of strikes so complete an organisation and such perfect power of self-control. The widespread ramifications of the revolt from the central point, the docks, to othe 1 branches of labour quite remote indicate that a movement is on foot which will not stop at the remedy of a merely temporary grievance, and that the voice of labour is determined to make itself heard. The attention which it has attracted on the Continent shows that it is regarded as something quite different from a dispute between one set of masters and men, and that it has a social significance indicative ol a deeply determined desire for reform. II needs not the recital of harrowing details tc call attention to the misery endured bj hundreds of thousands of the unskilled labouring classes, and help rendered nov will not only alleviate present immediate want, but perhaps do its part in averting social revolution. Telegraphic communciation both North anc South was interrupted last evening. On th< northern line the break was some little distanct past Oamaru, and on the south some mile or B( beyond Invercargill. Line repairers were seni out from Oamaru as soon as the interruptioi was discovered, but no news was received as t< the cause of the interruption. As a northerly gale was blowing at the Bluff so strongly that the llararoa was unable to leave the wharf it is surmised that a fierce squall, felt to som< extent in Dunedin between 8 and 9 o'clock, up set the telegraph poles, and brought the wire, into contact with the ground. The meeting called to express sympathy witl the labour strikers in England will be held thif evening, the mayor, at the request of the pro moters, having altered the date again. Th< meeting will be held in the Choral Hall, ant there is sure to be a large attendance. At i similar meeting held iv Melbourne hundredi were unable to obtain admission to the Temper anco Hall, and an overflow meeting had t( be held in an adjoining hall. Many members o Parliament and several clergymen were present The amount taken in the room amounted ti £75, but promises brought the total up t< £1604. The Otago Harbour Board received a cable gram yesterday afternoon announcing the arrival in Melbourne of their dredge No. 222 under charge of Captain Stewart. The Rev. Father Lynch received a letter fron Most Rev. Bishop Moran last evening statin) definitely that he had taken passage for himsel and party in the Orizaba, which was timed ti leave on the 17th August. The Orizaba is ex pected to reach Melbourne by the 30th of thi month, and as the New Zealand steamer leave; the following day, the bishop should reach Dun edin on the Bth October. The Athenffium Committees' monthly meeting was held yesterday evening, when there wen present—Messrs J. Q. Moody (in the chair) J. E. Sinclair, J. A. Barr, W. S. Fitzgerald, D Reid, jun., W. M. Bolt, D. White, W. MAdam W. B. Harlow, and Dr Colquhoun. The Hous( Committee reported that the alterations recon* mended at last meeting were being carried out The suggestion book was gone through, and i number of books ordered. Among the works t( be obtained are 12 volumes of the " Dictionary of National Biography." Accounts amounting to £83 14s 4d were passed for payment. On Thursday morning (says the Southland Times) a settler at Tuturau named Joseph Burgess, whilst clearing bush struck the limb of 8 tree to which a lawyer was attached. The creeper sprang up in his face, and as he made a sudden movement, to avoid it one of the formidable thorns tore one of his eyes clean out of the socket. Mr Burgess suffered greatly over night, and was sent on to Dunedin by Friday's express, At the inquest on the body of a child found buried in the yard of a boarding house at Camperdown, Victoria, the jury returned the following verdict:—" That the child's death wae caused by strangulation on or about the 16th July, aud that Mrs Fleming .was accessory before the fact." The coroner announced that he considered the verdict equivalent to one of wilful murder, and he committed Mrs Fleming for trial at the Geelong sessions, on September 12. Betting, professionalism, and rowdyism at football matches in Victoria and South Australia are becoming very 6erious matters and are attracting considerable attention. The leading clubs in Melbourne have a trainer to attend to their teams, and the men are treated more after the style of racehorses or professional pedestriaos than players engaged in a friendly game, each player being rubbed down and his body oiled by the trainer before the game commences. The latest case of rowdiness occurred at Adelaide in the match between Norwoods and Port Adelaide which resulted in a draw three goals each. It waa a terribly rough game, three players being injured and one knocked insensible. Fifteen thousand people were present, and the ground was rushed by roughs, and at the conclusion of the game there were several free fights. Some of the females present fainted, and the secretary of the Port Adelaide Club dropped insensible through excitement. At the Victorian National Agricultural Society's Show Messrs A. and J. M'Farlane appear to have been about the only New Zealand exhibitors, though New Zealand stock recently imported were shown. In the milkißg tests there were only four competitors for the dairy cow prizes, to be awarded upon a milking or butter producing test. The results of two days' milking were taken into account, and the quantity of cream and butter carefully ascertained, the centrifugal cream separator being used in the trial. Mr W. Woodmason's Cowslip scoured the prize for the greatest quantity Df butter, and Messrs A. and J. M'Fariane's [New Zealand) Dandy that for the greatest juantity of milk. Cowslip's yield was 62|lb nilk, 111b cream, and 31b 15Joz butter. Dandy's field was 74Jlb milk, 171b cream, and 31b ljoz lutter. Although Nanny, which came third, ;ave only S9lb of milk this gave 101b cream and lib 2Joz butter. Messrs M'Farlane took second irize in hams. Our report of the stock and share market this Horning (says the Argus of the 6th) records a otable transaction by Messrs Clarke and Co.. rokers—namely, the sale in one line of 2250 bares in the Broken Hill Proprietary Company Limited) at £50 per share on account of Mr P. M'Caughan. The purchase money amounts i £112,500, and it is stated that this is the irgest single transaction ever effected in the .ustralian share market, and falls not far short E the gross value of the total sales of the took Exchange of Melbourne on the busiest iy of the " boom "—viz., £127,000. The price loted is equivalent to a total of £500 a share, :ior to the subdivision, for each original £25 tare, and is by far the highest price ever paid r these shares, being £87 above the maximum te reached in the " silver boom." The Broken ill Proprietary shares, which opened in Janry 1887 with sales at £84 10s, closed that year leable at £77. At the beginning of the next ar an active demand set in, and after the first le at £180 the price rose rapidly, reaching 13 on the 22nd February, falling to £184 on j h June, and finally, after many changes, wing at £302. After considerable fluefcuams since then these shares havo gradually iched tho equivalent of £500 each. j

A Wellington correspondent of the Oamaru Mail telograpbs :—" Unless tho members of the Opposition can induce thu local candidates already in the field for the Oaniaruseat to withdraw, Mr Jellicoo will not oppose Mr Hislop." Mr Charles R. Chapman announces his intention of being a candidate for the mayoralty for the coming year. Under tho heading "An important Mission," the Montreal Gazetto of July 18 writes .—We are able to announce this morning that the Hon. J. J. C. Abbott has been appointed Canadian Commissioner to Australia for the purpose of promotine commercial relations with that important colony, and that he leaves to-day for England in pursuance of his mission. Mr Abbott's commission, we understand, authorises him to deal with questions of trade • and tariff, as well as with direct steamship communication with Canada and cable connection. The mission, it will be observed, is a highly important one, and could not possibly be entrusted to better hands. The project of enlargiug coinmercal relations with our fellow colonists at the antipodes has been in contemplation by tho Government since the completion of the Canadian Pacific railway brought the subject within the domain of practical politics, and at the last session o' Parliament authority was given to grant an annual subsidy of £25,000 for a lino of steamships between British Columbia and Australia. Tho elements of a large and profitable trade already exist. At present steamship communication is established between San Francisco, New Zealand, and New South Wale 3, but anticipating closer relationship with Canada, the Governments of these two Australian colonies have renewed the mail contracts to San Francisco for a year only, in order that advantage may quickly be taken of the new route via British Columbia. New Zealand, indeed, has practically manifested her desire to promote intercolonial trade by voting a subsidy of £18,000 annually to a steamship line from Canada, and the New South Wales Government, it is believed, stands ready to reciprocate when a feasible scheme has been evolved. Mr Abbott's duty will be to convince the Australians that as speedy, as economical, and as convenient a communication can be maintained between the antipodes and British Columbia as with San Francisco, that the facilities for trade will be in no wise diminished, and that an alternative route to England reliable at all seasons, can thus be established. Fortified with the grant of £25,000 yearly already made by the Dominion Parliament, with the authority to propose reciprocal trade relations based on tariff concessions, with his full and accurate knowledge of tho resources, capabilities, and transportation facilities of Canada, we have reason to expect that Mr Abbott's important mission will be fruitful of highly beneficial results, and that it may be so must be the wish of every intelligent and true Canadian. ♦- Mr W. Hutchison addresses tho electors of Hleh Ward at the Mission Hall this evening Messrs Wright, Stephenson, and Co. intimate that their usual sale on Saturday next (race day; will be postponed till Monday. Mr John (Jriudley's weekly sale takes place today at 11 o clock at the Farmers' Agency Company's stores. ■ J Mr John Barron invites the ratepayers of High Ward to meet him this evening at the Oddfellows' Hall, Eattray street. Passengers and periodicals, exEimutaka, arrive by the Manapouri to-morrow. ~,M^ W- Swan ret> ue3ts the ratepayers of Leith Ward to mtet him tin's evening at the Oddfellow's Hall, Albany street. Catalogues of Messrs Holland and [Holland, gun and rifle manufacturers, London, can be obtained from their agents, Messrs Hose, Wilson, and Co., Crawford Btreet. Tho "Illustrated Australian News and Musical Timeß " for September lias a two-page engraving of Stirling Falls, Milford Sound, some fketclies at the agricultural Bhow, and other pictures. The music supplement contains the words and music of a song, " A garland of roses," by Sir W. V. C. Robinson, and a portrait of the author. We have received No. 2 of the New Zealand Wheelmen's Gazette, published by the Pioneer Bicycle Club, Christchurch. Wheelmen will be glad to learn that the first number met with so much success that the issue is to be continued for six months on trial. To clergymen, lawyers, merchants, clerks, and all persons, male or female, engaged in sedentary pursuits, Heuter's Sybup No. 2 will prove a neverfailing source of relief from the overpowering seme of exhaustion from which they too often suffer. It opens the pores of the skin, purifies the blood, cleanses the liver, spleen, and all secreting and excreting organs so thoroughly, that disease has nothing left on which to operate. It will remove melancholy and low spirits, quicken the dull and clouded thoughts, and impart new life and vigour to the worn-out and exhausted physical powers. 3 Keutkr's HEALp-a Soap for the toilet, nursery, bath, and the healing of skin diseases of every kind and at every stage. 3 Never has Barht's Tbioophhroub failed to strengthen, thicken, lengthen, soften, and impart a gleamy lustre to the hair to which it has been applied. __^________ 3