SUMMARY FOB EUROPE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 9381, 22 March 1892, Page 5 (Supplement)

SUMMARY FOB EUROPE.

POLITICAL AND GENERAL.

Nothing of extraordinary moment has occurred in the political world during the last month. Ministers have occupied themselves in addressing the electors at different points with the ohject of repelling the attacks almost unanimously made on their policy by the press of the colony. It has been estimated that of the 115 newspapers in the colony only some 15 have supported the Government. In addition to the Lyttclton Times, of which the Hon. Mr Reeves was until a comparatively recent date editor, there must now he reckoned in support of the Government tlve New Zealand Times, published in Wellington, which has been purchased from Captain Baldwin and converted into a " Liberal" organ. It is more than suspected that the acquisition of the journal named is directly due to the urgent necessity which Ministers recognise for increased press support. The Hon. Mr M'lCenzio has been in the North Island a great portion of the month busily engaged in preparing for the settlement of the unoccupied lands there, which are either to be acquired from the Maoris, or reclaimed, or opened up. •SThe Hon. Mr Reeves addressed his constituents at Christchurch ou February 25, and generally defended the policy of the Government. He devoted considerable attention to the allegation that the taxation proposals of the Government were frightening away capital, and, quoting au advertisement, said that money was seeking investment eagerly at 51 per cent., and that he himself knew of some offering at s£. The Christchurch Press has successfully disposed of the illustration, which was the only one, excepting some articles of approval from the Melbourne Age, which the Minister for Education adduced in support of his argument. It is easier for the Government to advance reasons why capital should not be scared than tj meet the daily recurring proofs that it is so. At the beginning of the present month one of the Dunedin representatives, Mr W. Hutchison, who was elected on an out and out " Liberal" ticket, addressed his constituents. In an address of considerable length, but which has aroused no controversy, he gently chided the Government for their finance, which he characterised as their weak point. The more timid of the Ministerial following are, therefore, it would seem, beginning to have doubts of the efficacy of Mr Ballance's " safe cure" for the depression.

Meanwhile, the financial path of the Ministryis strewed with flowers. The revenue for the eleven months of the financial year to the end of February has far exceeded the Colonial Treasurer's estimate. The Customs revenue anticipated for the eleven months of the financial year was L 1,407,083, and the amouut collected was L 1,4-78,141, leaving a surplus of more than L 71.000. But the present Colonial Treasurer initiated no new impost, and the results therefore were really achieved by the action of the Atkinson Ministry. The revenue for February was the largest on record with one exception, that of November 1888, when heavy clearances were made in anticipation of the imposition of the primage duty. The Customs revenue for February exceeded that for January by more than L 30.000, and that for the corresponding month of the previous year by L 18.343. The enormous impetus given during the last few years to production from the landi of the colony has created a fundamental buoyancy which would speedily make itself felt in every branch of industry were the Government only able to convince the world at large that their policy was not directly calculated to throttle enterprise. Other features of the customs returns to hand are that Duuedin takes the lead over the other three large ports in respect of the amount, and temperance reformers may take heart of grace in the circumstance that the beer duty for the 11 months has fallen short of the estimate by L 2830.

The past month has been emphatically one of conferences. The Senate of the New Zealand University held its meeting at Wellington, but nothing transpired to disturb the' academic decorum of the gathering except a. lively debate on the propriety of continuing to present

.diplomas of graduation in public. The students

fit Dunedin utilise the annual occasion to daojpoon the University. prof essors, and have givea grave ofEence to some, and a select comimittee of the Senate recommended that in jfuture the diplomas ■be also publicly presented at Wellington. The suggestion was aiot adopted, and some of the professorial speakers evinced unmistakably how (deeply the gibes of the students had pierced. These have undoubtedly on several occasions been most offensive, and if continued may have the effect of causing a revulsion of that public feeling of curiosity which at present attracts crowds, and convert it into one of sympathy with the professors. The Wesleyan .and Congregational bodies- have held their finnual conferences for business during, the smo»£h. A feature of the former was the ;intiraa£ion of a splendid result to the efforts to jraise a Jubilee fund, which will enable the coninexion to jresume aggressive work. The fire brigades haye fustconcluded their annual conference and competition at Christchurch, and have made some further progress towards placing the important life and property-saving •institution on a permanently satisfactory basis. •The acclimatisation societies have also held a .conference, at which they adopted recommendations to the Government to make the game seasons and the regulations uniform thvough-,-oufc -the colony. There is yet no definite information as to the result of the experiment in salmon acclimatisation. The fry which were liberated in the Aparima have not been proved to return from the sea, and the conference recommended that the Government should continue to provide for further trials until success or failure should be assured. At the annual meeting of the Medical Association at Wellington, Dr Grace (the president) adverted to an anomaly in connection with the clinical teaching in the medical school at the Otago University. The anomaly to which Dr Grace referred consists in the fact that the University has no voice in the appointment of clinical teachers, these gentlemen being selected by the Hospital Trustees, who are elected partly by the ratepayers indirectly and partly by the contributors to the funds of the institution. - The difficulty of rectifying what is manifestly -ji position likely to lead to complications is .iDbvious. The University is responsible for the , quality of the teaching in the medical school, ; and the trustees are responsible to the public for the proper administration of the hospital. It must be said, however, that the trustees have .done what they could to further the interests of ',the medical school, and that they are fully ; »live to the public jealousy for its reputation. ilt is the only medical school in the colony, and ut is recognised on all hands that the credit of the institution must not suffer. Good sense and mutual consideration have hitherto made for this object, but the position is only one of many which might be cited as examples of the far-reaching effects of brand-new legislation, of ■which the Hospitals and. Charitable Aid Act is the best exponent.

Two meetings of the Presbytery of Dunedin held during the month have not been enumerated among the ecclesiastical gatherings referred to above because they are specially noteworthy—some ministers present even went so far as to say that the circumstances were unprecedented. The circumstance specially referred to Jias reference to the resignation by the Rev. Mr Ryley of the pastorship •f the Port Chalmers congregation. Mr Ryley, with the consent of his congregation, entered further into some business engagements into which he had been drawn, and, finding these becoming exigent, resigned the pastorate, stating that it was his intention, when he had disentangled himself, to resume the wort of the ministry, and meantime to continue in active church membership. The congregation, having been consulted by the Presbytery, intimated that they concurred in the step, and that they desired that Mr Ryley should be appointed senior minister or pastor emeritus, their unanimous desire being to maintain the connection between themselves and their minister. Upon the matter in this shape coming before the presbytery a second time, it was decided by a majority to recommend the synod to accede to the application But so much hostility-was shown to the proceeding by the minority that Mr Ryley desired to withdraw

tao application and resign unreservedly. The

Synod will consider the matter in the shape in which it has emerged from the Presbytery at its next meeting.

During the month the education system has been subjected to much consideration and criti-

cism. The Anglican Synod'passed a motion .declaratory of their wish to see denominational

schools assisted by tho State; Bishop Moran has renewed his attacks upon the system, and

his demand, as a right, for State assistance to Catholic schools ; the Wesleyan Conference expressed itself in favour of Bible-reading in schools; and, finally, the Presbytery of Dunedin has drafted a petition, and wi.'l organise a campaign for the pm-posu of obtaining signatures to it within tho bounds, asking Parliament to assimilate the system as regards tho religious feature to the English, with a time-table and conscience clause. This concurrence of assaults on the system is no doubt largely conventional, but the danger is of spurious agitation being mistaken for that which is sincere. The voice of the country alone should decide upon so important iv modification of the national, free, and secular system.

It has now been ascertained that the damago done by the Hoods mentioned in our last summary has been largely over-estimated. The farmers.on the Taieri plain were the largest sufferers, and the total loss is locally estimated at something under L 20,000. Accounts of the harvest further south are highly encouraging, some reports stating that such a bountiful return has not been experienced for 12 years.

On the 22nd ult. Mr Thomas Cunningham, employed at the Oainaru refrigerating works, while engaged in unloading a truck of coal, fell

heavily on to the side of the truck. His injuries were so serious that he was at once taken home, and medical aid summoned. Death was caused by peritonitis. Deceased (adds the North Otago Times) was an old identity having been one of the earliest residents of the town.

The Christchurch police have received word to the effect that a man named Robert Jack-

man died at the Rangitata on the 24th ult. through having his back broken.

The body of Mrs Black, 'wife of a storeman in the Telegraph department, was found in Wellington harbour on the 28th ult. Deceased, who had been separated from her husband for a considerable time, had been drinking, and had

threatened to commit suicide. She was last «een alive the previous night.

During the voyage of the barqucntine Elinor Vernon, to Auckland from Port Chalmers, and when the vessel was three days out from that port, a seaman named Ernest M. Peterseu, a native of Sweden, fell overboard while furling the jib and was drowned.

A girl'of about 16 years of age, Miss Winifred Wallis, who fell from a tree about a month ago, at Okete, near Raglan, Auckland, and was impaled upon a stake, died on the Ist inst. from her injuries.

A boy named David Gent, aged 13 years, was drowned in Waihola Lake at 5.30 p.m. on the 13th°inst. The deceased was cut boating with a

boy named Duncan in a skiff, when it sank.

His companion got ashore, but Gent could not swim, and sank before assistance could arrive. The accident occurred at a distance of 100 yards from the shore, and in a depth of about Bft of water when the tide is full. Constable King, of Milton, with some residents, were dragging the lake for the body till 2.30 a.m. on Monday, but without success. The deceased was living at Clarendon with a farmer named Applegate, whose nephew he was. The police sent out dragging apparatus, lent by the Harbour Board, to Waihola by the 4.20 p.m. train on Monday, and the body was recovered on that eveaing.

Martin Macmahon was killed near Epsom, Auckland, on the 3rd by the explosion of a charge of dynamite, in a paddock behind the Royal Oak Hotel. Macmahon was a single man, believed to be between 50 and 60 years of age. A youth named M'Caa, employed on a farm at Pleasant Point, South Canterbury, accidentally shot himself on the 26th ult. He was dragging his gun through a wire fence, when a piece of wire caught the trigger. M'Caa died next morning.