SUMMARY FOR EUROPE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 8756, 19 March 1890, Page 6

SUMMARY FOR EUROPE.

-»- -OPOIiITIOAIf AND GEKKRAL. 'The only two events oE any politic significance daring the month have .bet addresses to their constituents by Mr Kisbe at Wellington■ East, and Mr-Mille.iat; Po Chalmers. Mr Fisher's address was main] a condemnation of the Ministerial lan policy and'- a denunciation of the Conscrv; tivo tendencies o£ the party in power; ,11 alsoexpros'sed.regret at'supporting the re duction of. vdenibers,. and asserted ; thn . many womb'erg. who also supported th measure would, now gladly repeal it. M Fisher received d , vote of confidence. M Mil's addr&sed ' his' constituents at i Por ;;'■ Ohalmers-last week, and subscquontljr re . peated his address at various outlying points • "■ Mr "Mills''concurred that the property ta: was a most objectionable impost, inasbucl as it, tended towards 'frightening awaj capital, but admitted that it was unavoidable. Like all' tho rjther Otago ..inenibers excepting Mr Larnach, Mr Mills ad'vqcates the''construction .o.f- the Otago Centra; ' railway, but. would no(i; have expenditure upon it made the pretext for a rpturn to lavish public expenditure. With regard tc ' federation, Mr Mills would like .to sco ; New Zealand join Australia, but he prefers" a"n alliance to complete federation, owing fo tho exceptional position and circumstances of this colony. Mr Mills stated that his reason for addressih'g-tho' electors at this. Juncture was that he intended to visit Europe, a(id ho therefore placed his seat in their hands, as fie would probably be unable to return bjeforo the close of next session. His constituents unanimously desired that---hsj retain his seat, and promised him a'hearty welcome on his return. The health of Sir Harry Atkinson docs not yot show thoso signs of improvement wliich ..his would like. He intended to make art inland tour of the South Island, but was unequal to the effort, and is> now at Hawera among his private friends, intending to prolong his rest "fiito'an* easy journey southward irf'his return. It is expected that Parliament; will assemble in June. Meanwhile tho Commis-_ fion appointed under the new tion Act to adjust tbe new "electoriitcs for the reduced number of members has, progressed well with its labours. It has |been stated that the North Island has bcejn already " plotted," and that considerable progress has been made with regard -to the South Island. . . : • [ The Senate of the New Zealand University licld its annual meeting at Dunedinjthis year. The Chancellor (Sir. James Ilector) submitted an exhaxistive report on the pro- •-.. gross, which, had been' made, and inj the course. o£ his-address stated that the number of students on the books in January, last was SGO, and that since the affiliation of the Southern colleges in 1875 199 persons: had yr.vlnated. Tho figures which he adduced showed a'most gratifying degree of'advancewent n.s compared with-Sydney and Melbourne whose universities have been established 40 years. At the former university 2025 students have matriculated, and iii-the year ISSB there were 257 stndents. At Melbourne, isi 18S0, 44 persons , graduated; in Jfow Zealand 48,-and at Sydney 51. Of the New ' Zealand graduates 37 took the Bachelor's degree, and of those at Sydney 40. ! Sir James Hector alluded, further, to the nature of the examinations for degrees, pointing out . that New Zealand candidates submitted themselves, not only. to. their own teachers, but to examiners in Britain, whose instructions were that the pass standard should not be lower than that of - the- University of London. Sir James Hector was' "unanimously 're-elected chancellor for a further term of flvo years, and Rev. J. C. Andrew.was also unanimously re-elected yicechancellor. The seat at table of the 'Senate vacated by the lamented death of Mr Justice Gillies was filled by the election o£ Professor Scout,.of. tho Qtago. University. The business of the Senate was chiefly in progressive routine. A motion by Sir Maurice O'Rorke to begin the gradual discontinuance of! the system appointing examiners in England by selecting a colonial successor to Professor Niven,-whose term as examiner in mathematics and chemistry has expired, iwas negatived; as was also a' motion: by tho -vice-chancellor ■ prescribing,- •" spme Greek book, as well as a Latin one, '.-. _ in- • the -.medical preliminary examina- ■ tion. "'.The sessioh of the' Senate has been ■ ' attended with an uncommon amount- of interest, and its deliberations have shown that, the cause .o.f. higher education, is,m'eeting with an amount of solicitude befitting its importance. ... '■~.. : ■ ' There have also sat during the month Wo Mining Conferences. Tho first was :thc annual meeting of delegates from various mining associations scattered over the gold * -.;. fields. It was presided'over by Mr M. J. S. Mackenzie, M.H.R. for Mount Ida, and; its moving spirit was Mr Werner, a .member of the I..ow.burn Association. . A cumber; of matters of interest to the mining community .were discussed,, and resolutions arrived at in -• " the form'of recommendations to the Govern- „;. ment.-' The .'most' important of these were mainly a recapitulation of resolutions passed at the last annual meeting at Clyde, find were a protest against the export gold duty of 2s per ounce, and the substitution-for it • of-a-local rate -leviable by county councils; the unrestricted right of entry to search'for gold upon land leased from Government, iind the provision of special protection loi open ■- --mining-claims against trespass by night; by making it a special offence. A number of other cognate matters were discussed, ' having • for' -their object [the fuller recognition oE the mining industry?: but the somewhat impetuous tendency, of the delegates was tempered by the advice of the Chairman, whose parliamentary experience was of great value to the Conference. The other Mining..Copferencp. was., tjiab in connection with the Exhibition, and was ■ -upon.a far more.imposing scale, and upoh a ' .'■ higher plane of deliberation. It was presided ; .: over.:by:the''tHon.- Mr' Fergus, Minister- of '"■■•" Mine's, and 'the- vice-president was Mt J § Allen,- M.H.R. for Duuedin East, whose technical and general knowledge of tho subject was .conspicuous.-.Papers' incidental' to 5 the working of mines were: read by several ■■' -gentlemen.-practically.engaged in the pur- .'' suit. These.;.papers,.'as. well as the discus. '' sions on them, were'of a very high order,' and the transactions of the Conference, when published, will form a reliable collation; of progress to date, and present knowledge! of .... the subject of mining.generally. I - "' '" Fresh attenlion-Jias. been called to the auriferons deposits of the South-West Coast of this island by the discovery of a payable - although -small gold Held' ab Ooal^ lelaisd, situated.at the mouth of_Preservation' Inlet, and about 40 miles from the Bluff. Although the field'is"smalt,*as the islaiicl is only ab'put: three miles long, the discovery is-aconfirma- -• tion-ot the long-established beliof-4n- theexistence of large goldfields about the fiords.* The primacy dispute seems-.as far1- "6ff s,et-; tlement as ever.- It was- under stood that a' — compromise had been- arrived'at, bnt it riow transpires that Bishop Had field is: firm, in ■ -his :intention of- abiding ..by. his election by the synod, while Bishop Suter ■ as firmly contends that t-He' election vyas -V illegal, and that he, as senior bishdp r, ougTiti to, be Primate. One effect' of this' 'deadlock, >. ■■-■which-is a most inimical.-one to the-, church, ■' 'isthaf Archdeacon.; Julius, pf.jßallarat, who was elected Bishop of Christchurcb, canaot •'"'be" consecrated,, until; it., is //settled..,'.. That prelate has already left Ballarat, where jhe appears-to have been most popular wi!h jali; classes, and will'spond the interval in relaxa-' tion in (iiirl/ake district. -•■"• ■ . The Sweating Commission has concluded Us .- '.labours in-Duuedin and Christchurch. Its in,-,. - ' vesti^il-lons have taken a'wider'view tlikn was at Ii rat ar.l i(.i[.ntfil. Among tho things it- -,- jnvitcd^cvidonct; upon were the.lio.urs which clerks and ='Oth era "to- offices-were employed,

and the timo'nt; which the suburbaninilk I men were compelled to rise. It is, w ) believe, the general impression tluiß th | " sweating " which was tho origiiia) oau'se o a j tlto appointment of tbe Commisafori ia| nov -"-; almost-a-thing-of the past in nuiie'din ifron a"> thn ins'il.ution of a "log" or scale of price; rt fur work in the clothing trade. | Tin '- y i scnlo i.s not so satisfactory in other towns ii 'd' the'colony,' aiitV relations 'between 'employe: *- | and emplpyo aro occasionally beooininf; to j strained; • Particularly is tins the caso ir '- Wellington and A\icklan(l, where it requires lt all the moderation of the more sensible ol 0 tho labour organisations to restrain tlic iHs•r Uatisfiod'fiom open-rebellion ond-consccjiicnt ■ r j defeat. . . ; 't j The colony has been visited by the in- '■■ fluenza epidemic—it is supposed from jnfec- >• tion by. mail, matter...-The symptomi are s j very much less severe than reported if rein !i j Europe, .'probably because of tho mildness L ..of. tlia.aummei season,-More-serious is the - reported advent of typhoid fever, which lias > j beon induced by the dryness of tbe sdason'.^ 3 In Dunedin esijocially'tho water is rastod 1 _during thoearlypart of the.se_ason, and 'trio i city is consequently put on short allowance * after an absence of rain. This is a direct i inducement to epidemics. The drought has ' affected the North Island in the vicinity of i Tafanaki, where extensive bush fires ihave* ! prevailed. Of gi r6en native llax alone : ..£50 < 00.0...w0i1h . has . been-destroyed,! and i many settlers have been made homeless!. 1 Mr Mason, Registrar oE Friendly Societies, 1 delivered a lecture a few evenings ago tp'thp 1 ass9.mblqclcr.ders.on .the.financial aspects'of their organisations. Hereiteratcd thoyarn- I ings contained fn his last annual reporttb' Parliament, and conclusively showed that;'if' it is desired to implement the promisos^'pf benetits moro adequate provision nius,t be made-for- them -in their scale of-contribu-I tions. -- • -. - ;