MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1890.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 8952, 3 November 1890, Page 2

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1890.

The defeat of the Gillies Government in Melbourne may be taken to mark the beginning of the end of the period of political peace founded upon commercial prosperity ■which Victoria lias experienced for nearly eight years. The Gillies Government, or more properly the Gillies-Deakin Government —for though Mr Gillies was Premier, Mr Deakin had the selection of one-half the members of the Cabinet—was a continuation of the coalition formed between Mr Service and Mr Berry early in 1883, as an outcome of the weariness of both parties of perpetual struggles conducted with great bitterness, to the ; serious damage of all classes of the I community. For some 18 months previously the breach had been stopped by an Administration formed by Sir Bryan O'Loghlen, which was supported i by the Constitutional or Conservative i party. But at the elections of January, ■ 1883, the country with one voice refused to put up with what i was probably the weakest Ministry the colony had known, though return--1 ing no decisive majority in favour of ! either of the legitimate parties. Then Mr Service, with true statesmanlike instinct, recognised that the time had come to heal the Breach and give the country the strongest Administration that the House could furnish. In the <x?«th of not a littlo opposition froii) 'his own side, he made overtures to Mr Berry to form a coalition Government, one-half of whose members should be nominated by himself and one-half by Mr Berry. The disputed questions of increasing the progressive land tax, the payment of members of the Council, and others, were by agreement left over, and the Government devoted itself to reforming the civil service and the railways, and ; generally establishing good govern- ; merit. With Mr Service as Treasurer, the finances were in strong hands, and the Government got the benefit of the progress which the colony began making, and not altogether undeservedly. That progress was largely due to the free investment of British capital in Melbourne, which liberated Melbourne capital for profitable employment in the back country of Queensland and elsewhere. But for the restoration of confidence in the good government of the colony which the political peace produced, the investment of British capital would never have taken place, for the political quarrels from 1877 to 1881 had so alarmed the propertied classes that capital was withdrawn from Melbourne in many instances. When Mr Service retired from politics and Mr Berry took the Agent-generalship, the Government lost nine-tenths of its strength, and it is pretty safe to say that under any ordinary circumstances it would not have had a long life. But in a time of prosperity advancing by leaps and bounds it is as easy to govern as in the proverbial state of siege. Politics have been the last things thought of in Melbourne for the last five years. People have been much too busy making money to trouble themselves about criticising their Government. Ministers have had little else to do but to sail before the wind, and, with abundant surpluses at their command, they were easily able to provide for every requirement. When the prosperity began to wane their very weakness stood them in stead. A strong Premier, like Mr Service, would almost certainly have refused to embark upon a large loan policy to check the ebb of the tide. But Mr Gillies, after indulging in a four million loan two years ago, brought down a scheme last session which proposed.^ eight millions, and, -with the consent of the Government, was extended to 14 millions. Meanwhile doubts seem to have arisen as to whether the revenue was quite as large as it seemed and the expenditure quite as small. We in New Zealand know how convenient it is for Treasurers to have a loan fund to fall back upon. The Argus nearly 18 months ago sounded a note of alarm, which Mr Gillies' explanations failed to silence, and the conviction seems to have gradually grown that Mr Gillies himself did not know the position of the finances, nor was anyone competent to clear up the muddle into which they had been brought. Upon top of this state o£ things has come a scandal about one of the Ministers, Mr Dow, who had already injurec1 his business reputation by bis connection with the Premier Building Society. The leader of the Opposition, Mr James Munro, is not a strong man, and the Ministry practically contains all the talent on either side of the House, except Mr Munro and Sir Bryan O'Loghlen. But at last they have fallen. What will be the consequences it is difficult to tell,

The Opposition has no coherent principle unless it is denominational education. The worst of a genuine Coalition Ministry is that it leaves the Government without an effective Opposition. A reconstitution of parties would seem improbable, because no one wishes at the present time to bring up any party questions. The difficulty is financial, not political. What is evidently wanted is the construction of an Administration in no way connected with the last, who would make it their business to make a thorough exposure of the position, such as the Hall Government made of that which the Grey Government left. But whether there is sufficient ability in the majority Mr Munro has got together to form an Administration without including some of the members of the late Government is doubtful. Altogether the position is an interesting one.

The account which was given at the meeting on Thursday evening amply justifies the warm anticipations which have been entertained about the success of the Technical Classes Association. The band of enthusiasts who have taken this work in hand have reason to feel gratified by the result of the second session's operations. A glance at the tabular list of the occupations and ages of the students who take advantage of the classes shows that at least 125 young persons who have left school were anxious to qualify themselves more fully for the battle of life, and these, as well as their predecessors and successors, will no doubt cherish in after years the recollection of good work done. Without wishiDg to dilate even for a moment upon the self-evident advantages which such classes offer, it may be said that gratification in after years constitutes a large portion of the reward of those engaged in them. It may be hard for the student to devote the necessary time and effort to evening study where the temptations to be idle are so many, but, persistence surely leads to after gratification; and if the student reaps this gratification as one part of the reward for previous self-denial, the pleasure which the teacher derives is no less tangible. Nothing can gratify a teacher more than the warm handgrasp of acknowledgment with which the successful studentgreets bis teacher—indeed were it not for this acknowledgment and visible token of success, few -would care to undergo the mechanical drudgery of teaching. The classes which Mr Thomson has so successfully started arc practically a continuation of the classes carried on by the Caledonian Society for many years. They were instituted to supply the rudiments, if necessary, and many a successful lad at the present time owes his position in life to the education begun there. It is now.'presumed, and with justice, that no children escape the educational net, and the Technical Classes,as is well known, exist for the purpose of enabling such as are compelled to leave school early to still further prosecute their studies, up to, if desired, the standard of the matriculation examination. Begret was expressed that the class for manual instruction had to be abandoned because of the impossibility of obtaining a workshop. For this omission the petty provincial jealousy of certain members of the House is solely to blame. The money which was set down on the Estimates, and afterwards also on the Supplementary Estimates, would have not only provided for this, but would have had the further result of preserving a souvenir of the exhibition. The cessation of manual instruction makes the classes technical only in name, and it is to be hoped that' assistance will yet be given to provide instruction, not ouly in carpentry, but in the fundamental theory and practice of other handicrafts. It would not only make handicraftsmen better tradesmen, but place in the hands of those who took advantage of it an unfailing resource in after life. The young man who has a " hobby" for some technical pursuit such as turning, carpentry, or fitting, is safe to succeed. From this point of view Sir Robert Stout's remarks are weighty. He himself is a conspicuous example of self-achieved success, and the glimpse he offered of the personal habits necessary to assure it are worth noting. Every one must coudomn the habit of youthful smoking, and it would be a good plan if the New York sumptuary bye-law which prohibits it by youths wore put in practice here. But in our opinion youthful smoking is deplorable rather as an indication of idleness than its cause: as an accompaniment of depravity rather than depravity itself. The cigarette 'would be abandoned were a healthy pursuit presented to the youth before the habit became confirmed. It is next to impossible to judge from measurement' by rule and line of the extent of the work done by the association. The habit of concentration acquired by the necessary study is itself of immeasurable benefit, and leads to greater possibilities. It is earnestly to be hoped that the few pounds necessary to carry on these classes will not be wanting. Every sum spent in this way has unknown possibilities of fructification, and we trust many " five shilling boys," as Dr Stuart happily called them, will come forward and make next year's work still more successful than that just ended.

According- to some of the settlers in the Catlins district, the Acclimatisation Society has indicted upon them a new pest in the shape of opossums. Their complaints have found utterance in letters to the press. Henceforth no one in the vicinity of the bush will be able to keep anything in his garden; doleful pictures are drawn of the predatory habits of the animal, and generally a casual reader would suppose that the Society was composed of terrible fellows, whose chief delight it is to gratify their furor acclimations at the expense of their fellow colonists. On the other hand, those who have been familiar with the manners and customs of the opossum as he is found in Australia and Tasmania allege that he is

quite harmless to the products of civilisation as long as his natural food is plentiful, and that that food, consisting as it does of the tender shoots oE forest trees, is in no danger of running short. "But," says the timid settler, "when the forests are cut., down, '• what then ? Will not the opossum remain, '' an enduring example of the folly of reck- " less acclimatisation, and devastate our " gardens and our fields ? " To this it is replied that such a contingency is impossible. The opossum is an arboreal animal, and cannot exist without trees. It must be admitted, with the remembrance of the rabbit and the small birds before our minds, that there is reason for caution in acclimatisation, although the acclimatisation societies were not responsible for the introduction of the former. And it is a moot point with some whether on the whole the small birds have not been a blessing instead of a curse, as many think them. But there is this danger : Under the conditions which regulate animal life in this colony the things which are imported appear to develop quite unexpected characteristics. The proverb coclum, non animam mutant gui trans mare ourrunt does not apply to animal life at all. As to the precise nature of the change in habits which certain forms of animal life are developing here, Mr Thomson, of the High School, has lately published some interesting particulars in the Otago Witness, and he has set afoot inquiries and systematic observation which may prove of sufficient value to generalise upon. We are under the impression, for instance, that the wild rabbit has degenerated since its extraordinary increase in numbers. On the other hand, to judge from the specimens which have been procured, the opossums seem to have improved by their sojourn in the Longwoocl forest, This seems

natural. The abundance and variety of food | suited to them which is to be found in the New Zealand forests would tend to increase their size, while the lower average temperature would have the effect of thickening and beautifying their fur; thus making them more valuable. As far as the evidence goes, and this is confirmed by the personal knowledge of those acquainted with the matter, we think no harm, and very much benefit, will arise from the introduction of opossums of the dark kind from Tasmania. They produce -very good furs, while it appears to be only the ring-tailed variety which have mischievous fruit and vegetable eating dispositions. The sport which they afford is not unworthy of consideration, although we admit it is not of the most exciting or exhilarating kind, since, if shooting be the method employed, the shots are necessarily sitting ones. But there is no reason why another valuable commodity should not be placed within the reach of all if it can be done without harm to any cne, and, so far, actual acquaintance with their habits is only met by vague and ill defined fears.

On Saturday two boys about 13 years of age— the one belonging to South Dunedin and the other to Caversham—climbed round the cliffs beyond the caves at St. Olair when the tide was out, but remaining longer than they should have done, they were kept prisoners there by the incoming tide till about midnight. Some people living at St. Clair, however, managed by means oE a line to lower some food over the face of the cliffs to the boys, who lit a fire with some scrub, and continued to make themselves as comfortable as possible under the circumstances until the tide ebbed. They were then able to return to their homes. A3 soon as it was reported to the police that the boys were in the predicament above stated. Constable Power went out to the locality, but found that nothing could be done to release them from their position until the tide went out. He also returned to the place the first thing in the morning, but then found that they had gone.

At about 20 minutes past 12 o'clock yesterday a three-roomed wooden cottage, belonging to a man named Patrick Conway, was destroyed by ire in St. Josephine street, Caversham. It appears that Conway, who was living by himself, got up at noon and lit a fire on the top of a colonial oven, putting a quantity of kerosene on the fire to make it burn. He then went out in the yard to get some coal, but when he returned he found tha room full of smoke, and suddenly it burst out into flames. There was no fire brigade present, but some neighbours, by means of a small hose, did what they could to confine the fire to the building where it originated, and as the wind happened to be blowing aw»y from the adjoining houses, these were prevented from taking fire. Mr Conway's house was insured iv the Norwich Union office for £80, and hi 3 furniture in tho same office for £20, but he estimates his loss at considerably over the amount of the insurance.

Mr Andrew Mercer had a narrow escape from being run over by a tram car on Saturday morning. He was crossing the road near the Cargill Monument, when a car which had just left the stand for the northern part of the city rapidly approached. The driver biew his whistle, bub Mr Mercer, who is slightly deaf, wa3 unaware of the approach of the car until it was very close. In his eagerness to escape he lost his footing, but just managed to escape 'he impending danger by rolling over and over out of reach of the car. The driver, percaiving the danger, promptly applied the brake aid pulled the horses to one side. Mr Mercer, was assisted by the passers-by, and appeared to bi little the worse for the mishap, save a Bivere shaking and fright.

The drop kick competition in connection with the Labour Day Demonstration Sports came off on Saturday at half-past six p.m. Of the six who entered, M'Keczie did not put in an appearance. The result was as follows:—J. Ross (164 ft 7in) 1, D. Claffey (162 ft Win) 2, A. Lang (151 ft) 3. J. Wintrop (145ffc Tin), R. Parsons (124fb 2in) were the other competitors.

Tbere was very little business to occupy the attention of the Bench at the Police Court on Saturday. One fic3fc offender (for drunkenness) was fined 53 or 24 hours' imprisoument; while another first offender^ who failed to put in au appearance, was fined 10a without any alternative for the same offence. Jauiea Smith (three previous convictions) was charged with being drunk ia a public place, and fined 5s or 24 hours' imprisonment. Messrs A. North aud J. H. Morrison were the presiding justices.

Between GO aud 70 members of the Loyal Orange Institution assembled at the Old Caledonian grounds at about half-past 10 o'clock yesterday morning. They then formed a procession and marched to the Primitive Methodist Church iv Duuilas street, where service was conducted by the Grand Chaplain of the Middle Island, the Rev. J. Sharpe, who preached a discourse (in which he referred to what had been accomplished by Orangeism) from Isaiah lvii., verse 12. Special hymns were sung for the occasion by a large choir.

The anniversary strviees at Knox Church were held yesterday, when there were very large congregations at each service. In the forenoon the pulpit was occupied by the Rev. AP. Davidson, who preached from the texS Matthew vi, 24: "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." In the afternoon Dr Stuart conducted a children's service; and in the evening the preacher was the Rev. J. K. Elliott, of Wellington, who took for his tost, I Corinthians iii, 21-23: "Therefore let no mati glory in mea. For all fchiegs are yours; whether Paul, or Apolloa, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come ; all are yours; and ye are Christ's, and Christ's is God's." The collections for the day were in aid of tho fund for the liquidation of the debt oq tho church, and realised the handsome sum of £225 Os Id.

The Riverton Star of Friday states tbai it. is feared some fatality or case of distress has occurred at Centre Island, as lights have been burning night and day there for the past week' and several attempts have been made by tho Natives at Colac Bay to proceed by boat to the island to ascertain the cause of the signals, but the sea has been too rough to enable anyone to effect a landing there. It is known that aMr William Carneroo, who was on the island, was in very delicate health.

The Ancient Order of Foresters has at length (writes the London correspondent of the Argus) had to admit a tremendous deficiency in its funds. According to the Standard, a recent valuation has shown a deficit of £2,770,000, again&t which there is a set-off of only £137,769. Naturally the high court of the order has set about reform. There have been no malpractices, but the order has been working on a shockingly unsound system. It was founded on the equal contribution system, by which the man of 40 or 50 paid only the fees of the man of 21. And this system being of va3t advantage to the older members of the order, these latter have always been against change. At length, however, tho possibility of living on tha subscriptions of new members has been found impossible, and by a strong measure the high court are seeking to re-establish themselves on firmer ground. The thing will take time, but it may be done with care and prudence.

A very extraordinary story is goiag the rounds of the American Press. Edgar Ramsay, a farmer, who lives in taa eastern par!; of CHnborn County, Teun., according to the Cbicago Herald, asserts that on a recent Sunday afternoon he saw a large, green-looking cloud coining from a westerly direction towards his house while the r&in wa3 falling in torrents. It then suddenly grew very cold, and it commenced to hail, and in less than half an hour it became as dark as night. The wind blew very hard, and hailstones as large as eggs fell. Later in the afternoon Jake Warren, a neighbouring farmer, galloped to his house at full speed, and begged him to go at once and look at the extraordinary transformation which had taken place ia his cornfield. All parties concerned were, however, too frightened to venture out till next day, when in company with several friends the cornfield was visitedEverystalkof corn wasfound to havebeen turned into stone. The field was a five-acre one, and everything upon it had been petrified, even to two pigs who had lingered upon the ground. It is claimed that hundreds of people have visited the place since then, and there ia do reason to disbelieve the story as told, remarkable as it is,

There was a strange incident in the crashroom at Drury-lano Theatre recently. Mr H. 81. Moore, of the Hawk, was publicly thrashed by Mr Whistler, the artist, for an article in the Hawk "reflecting upon a deoeased friend of mine." Mr Whistler, however, did not get matters all his own way, since Mr Moore knocked him down with his fist. Later on Mr Moore was struck in the face by Mr Lingard, the hnsbaud of the actress of that name, for an attack on that lady. There was a straggle, but the combatants were promptly parted. Mr Moore denies that he has published any attack on Mra Lingard, and offers £200 to any public institution for proof to the contrary. 16 is iv this way that the Hawk manages to keep itself going.

Messrs Donald Held and Co. sell grain End produco this morning at 10 o'clock.

Mr John Grindley sells grain ana produce this morning at 10.30 o'clock. Mr Lloyd's third and closing leotuM on the " Evidences of Christianity" will be delivered tomorrow evening at the City Hall.

The eleventh ordinary general meeting of the Commercial Property aDd Finance Company will be held on November 13 at the Choral Hall. After the ordinary business has been disposed of, a special meeting will be held to consider proposed additions to the articles of association.

A bazaar will be held on Wednesday and the two evenings following at the King street Congregational Church.

Statutory notice is given of the proposal to bring into foroe certain bye-laws of the Otago Harbour Board, and of a special meeting on November 13 to adopt them.

Mr George Sumpter soils the freehold property, Curtis Knowle, of 240 acres, near Oamaru on November 22.

Messrs B. C. Reynolds and Co. will soil mining plant and tools at rooms on Tuesday. Messrs James A. Park and Co. will continue their sale of books to-day.

A vocal and instrumental concert in aid of the funds of St. Paul's Church will be given on Tuesday evening in St. Paul's schoolroom.

We have to acknowledge receipt of Stone's ABO Guide and the Kailway Time Table for November.

Money can be obtained from 11. Frauds, Octagon (next Athenasum). Kepaid weekly, monthly,—[Adv. 1 John lluiop, Watchmaker and Jeweller, il Princes street. The oldest established houieintown. Repairs of all kinds. Good assortment Watches, Clocks, and Jewellery. Spectacles to suit all Bights.—[Advt.]

Unionists and free labour advocates? ra agreed on one matter - i.e., that the best nerve soother is a Purity Cigarette.—[Ajdvt.]'

See G, and T. Young's etock of watches, olookß, jewellery, sterling illver and electroplated goods. Five nrßt-olass awards received N.Z. and S.S. Exhibition 18S9 90. Prices strictly moderate. Largest and finest stock in N.Z. to select from.—[Advt.] By spooial appointment to his Kxcellency the Governor lord Onslovv for premier quality Aerated Waters and Cordials.—" Of other Sodawaters that have come under our notice, and take a very high plftoe in Australasia, we would be remiss If we did not mention that o( Messrs Thomson and Co., of Dunedln."—" Australian Brewers' Journal," 1890.— Thomson and Co.. Crystal Springs Mineral Waters Works, Dunedin.—fADVT.J