THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1893.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 9926, 20 December 1893, Page 2

THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1893.

A poet of some ancient repute remarks that of all the good things of the world the . best is water; while another df our own blood and nation-calls a .blessing down on honest water, "which, is too weak to be a sinner." The very simplicity of the elemental substance is, perhaps, the source of. the' endless and. brow-racking controversies connected with it. A" .well-known figure of'early.Victorian fiction asserts that of all animals the most seductive to the paths of wickedness and vice is.the pigeon. Once : a man .-. or boy gets devoted to pigeon fancies lie is alost being; once also, let-it be added, that a man becomes drawn into the current of water politics, he is a perplexed and distracted, creature. „ J?or unfortunately, as serious and thoughtful temperance men: must -secretly admit, the teetotal question has passed into,the hands of political parties, and the strenuous efforts of. reformers .should now be addressed to .the disentanglement; of the cause from its present sinister associations. . But the fact is that the worst enemies of temperance reforms are temperance reformers. Their dissensions and their unappeasable animosities strangle their young Hekctji<es. Fifteen years ago Mr'; GHAMBiiEiAJCK brought forward for the guidance of. the most enlightened < municipality ,of } Great Britain, perhaps of, the Empire, a scheme based upon: the Swedish system of liquor traffic control. He had been mayor of: the' city and: town councillor; knew its requirements as well as anyone is ever likely to know them; had studied the' Gothenburg system with assiduity on the spot; had persuaded his fellow councillors by a majority of 46 to 10 that his scheme was salutary; and had secured the co-operation of the Board of Guardians should they have/, the opportunity afforded to co-operate. Altogether his supporters : numbered, 120 gentlemen elected as representatives o£,ap6piilatioio£*4OO,OW But by the combined efforts of the trade and the teetotallers, the optimists and the pessimists, the designs of Mr Cham-, BBELAiif, and his colleagues; were .thwarted and:his schemes for Birmingham defeated. About the same time a committee of the House of Lords, under the presidency of the Duke of .advised and recommended that facilities for the adoption of the Swedish system, or some modification- of it, should be afforded by the Legislature. But the obstruction of the trade and of the teetotallers was too hearty and too persistent for even this mildly aristocratic suggestion to secure for itself discussion on its own merits. The' men who' are \ H fain to dine and sup with water and bran " and the men who think " a quart of-ale is a dish for a king" kissed each other with the kiss of reconcilement and pulverised the proposition. The Gothenburg system is now established in Sweden and in Norway and in Finland, and partly in Switzerland. The highly enlightened republican Swiss, after very careful consideration, now apply the Scandinavian principle to the manufacture and distribution of spirits, although- they do not apply the principle to the sale of wines and beers.' : Yet in every ease the consumers of corn brandies and the teetotallers join forces to make strenuous, resistance to any measure of reform of whatever ■character. Again, at the recent International Anti-Alcoholic Congress at the Hague nothing substantial was effected either, by. way of resqlu-v tion or recommendation. The Extreme Left trampled on every proposition as it was brought forward, while the only fact of importance that was generally noticed in the transactions of the congress promulgated the view that Belgians drink five times as much alcohol and Frenchmen drink three times as much alcohol ,as is drunk in Great Britain. This at any rate will be news to many, who iiaye been persistently told that the British race is the most drunken people of the globe. Of course at these internecine squabbles the brandy kings, jshe whisky rings, and the beer barons chuckle. They remain in comparative safety so long as the opposition is willing to join them at any juncture to strangle any attempt in the direction of moderate reform,

Yet, notwithstanding the optimists who reckon our licensing systems the best of all systems, and .the pessimists who regard with an increasing doom. aU legislation for the control of the liquor traffic, reform moderate, sensible, and iuat moves on.. America will doubtless provide the object lesson we desire. It i 8 to that country wo must turn for the most scientific research into the Scandinavian system. Professor (aouLD, ot the John Ilopluns University, whose article in the "Contemporary Eeview for January 1893 attracted so much well-merited attention, has recently made a most exhaustive study of the Scandinavian system, the fruits of his labours being comprised in a report to Congress, which, while it is generally accessible, has also been characterised as the "most complete and correct Work on the subject in the English language." He .considers that the chief merit of the Scandinavian systom is the complete divorcing

of the liquor traffic from politics. "In the American understanding of the phrase the elimination of the saloon element as a political power is complete." The Legislature of Massachusetts have empowered a commission to investigate, the system and to draft thereon a Bill. In the nature of things it does not follow that because an attempt has achieved a reasonable measure of success in one country, it has justified adoption by another country. But as the European world is small, and the area of European temperance reform is still smaller, our neighbours' experiments are useful for instruction. A "wise man learns from a foe; much more from a friend. In this spirit the Gothenburg system has already been tried in many places in England . with conspicuous success ; while the Town Council of Aberdeen has requested'a. committee to investigate and report on this system, with a view to. the promotion; of a private Bill for municipalising the drink-traffic in that toyvn. Erom these signs and from others it is clear the movement forward is steadily going on. That .being so, what are we to do in New Zealand ? Obviously; to keep a close and impartial eye on all these activities, and especially to watch carefully the working of-our own Liquor Act of 1893. It is not probable that, like the Duke of Suffolk, our King Richard is doomed to a watery grave, but his doings should be kept steadily in view. It may be that at the : end of three years the reform effected underjfche new Act will be satisfactory to all moderate men—-it maybe that further changes will be required. To this end the fullest information about schemes of temperance reform should from time to time be disseminated; and trusting to be able to keep.our readers fairly abreast of the whole question, we shall again and again draw attention to the whole subject., .-V .':..'/ ';'■,.■■•'"- '. ; .;...

Mr Paulin advised us as follows last night :- ." South-east to south winds and heavy rains."

. The Alameda left San: Francisco for Auckland at 2 o'clock on Friday afternoon.

-The Minister for Lands leaves Wellington for the South on Friday."

Sittings of the Supreme Court in Chambers and Banco were held yesterday. The vacation will commence to-day.

Some timber placed on an ash heap behind the premises of Messrs Wilkinson Bros., cabinetmakers, Chalmers place; took Sre and blazed up about 1.50, this morning, and led to the ringing of the fire bell. The Fire Brigade turned out promptly and put oat the flames by tie use of the hand-pump. The damage done is trifling. The blazing timber was about 2ft away -from the building.; •. ' , .

The origin of the fire by which the Grey town railway station was destroyed appears to ,be shrouded in mystery. The place was left all secure on Sunday night, but about 1 o'clock the following morning -flames werer seen issuing from the ■ roof, and despite active measures taken to extinguish the 'fire the building was rapidly consumed. Happily the station was clear of luggage and parcels, while the stationmaster had alao taken the precaution before leaving on Saturday/to remove the cash. A temporary building was speedily erected, and telegraphic communication with the stations along the line was restored during the day.

The Witness Christmas number, published to-day, promises to exceed in popularity any that have: preceded it. The issue of special Christinas editions in the colony was inaugurated by the .Witness'/'ls or 16 years ago, and the example set has been followed by most of the weeklies in the different centres. The fact of being first'in the.field gave the Witness a start which ifc has maintained throughout;, and its issue exceeds by some thousands that of any of its compeers. Twelve thousand of the 13,5.P0 printed.have already been ordered, and those requiring additional copies should lose no time in ordering- the number they want. A -review of the contents will be found elsewhare in this issue.

The examinations for the Education Board's scholarships will commence this morning at the Normal School in Dunedhij and in the usual centres. There are 107 candidates for the junior examination and 50 for the' senior. The annual examination of pupil teachers takes place at the Normal school to-day. There are 34 fourth-class, 15 third-class, 21 second-clasa, and 32-firstclass teachers who are required to present themselves for examination.

Frank Hewbert, one of the Spirit of the Dawn castaways,.who lost some of his toes at the Antipodes, is still an inmate of tha Dunedin Hospital. He is making favourable progress.: Another of the survivors, named F. Lauehlin, was found by if, constable lying in a Wellington street suffering from an ugly wound on the head. He is at present in the hospital.

The National Dairy Association shipped per Aorangi on the 14-th inafc., for London, 2790 cases of cheese andl422: cases of butter, of the total estimated value of £11,850.

' The next quarterly communication or the Grand Lodge of New Zealand of Ancient, Free, and Accepted Masons wiil be held in Oarfaru on the 26th January.

. Arrangements have been made for a steamer to leave the Bluff for Stewart Island at 6 p.m. on Saturday, 23rd December, after the arrival of the express passengers from Duriedin, and for the steamer to return from the island on Wednesday, 27th December, in time: to connect with the north express train to Dunedih. This is an excellent opportunity for holiday-makers to visit the island, where a few days can be profitably spent in a most enjoyable manner. The trip can be strongly recommended to those who have not yet decided where to go during the holidays.

A special meeting of the Albany street School Committee was held last night, when there were present:. Messrs Barnetb (chairman), Foote (secretary), Summerell, A. T. Anderson, and G. J, Anderson. Correspondence relating to matters in connection with the late deputation from the committee to Education Board was read and approved of. The (Secretary submitted a statement ofaccounts which was considered. satisfactory. Mr A. T. Anderson laid plans of a proposed addition to the Gymnasium Hall upon the table, and was thanked for the trouble he had taken in the matter. It was resolved that the next meeting of thexommittee be held on the second Tuesday in January, (the 9bh) instead of the first Tuesday, the usual date of meeting. The Works Committee were requested to'prepare specifications of'the filling-in and asphalting necessary in the school grounds,. and call for tenders before the next meeting. Matters in connection with the picnic were held over till next regular meeting. ,' I

There are very many residents of Ofcago who will be interested in learning, that one of the pioneer miners whose name is inseparably associated with its history is still in the land of the living. Accompanying an order for the Otago Witness received a few days since was the following note:—" I was in New Zealand about 30 years ago. You may remember Hartley and Reilly, prospectors, who made quite a little stir in Dunedin for a few weeks.— Yours, H. Hartley." Mr Hartley's letter is dated from Qlympja, Washington, United States, and he is almost certain to receive letters from diggers and others whose memories of old times are awakened.

The Maokenzie County Licensing Committee have passed a resolution that the mode of election of the committee under the new act is unfair to outlying districts, the voting power being centred in populous place?) and the people at a distance vitally interested will practically have no voice in the Matter. At an Alliance public meeting at Lumsden it was decided to press upon the Premier the urgency of a January session of Parliament to repeal the retrograde provisions of the Liquor Act. It was resolved to protest against giving lite act a fair trial, p.k to do 'so would involve postponing for six yoars the people's exercise of effective veto power.

One thousand and twenty-five names wero steuck off tins Invercargill roll.

The Posst is indignant at Mr J. K. Logan's appointment as chief inspector of telegraphs, and champions the claims of Mr Bold to the position.

The Hon. G. F. Richardson's election committee have forwarded to him a letter, in which they expressed sincere regret at the result of the contest for the Mataura seat. They say that " the regret is made the more acute by the feeling that yon have lost your seat rather through over-confidenca on the part of your friends than the strength of your opponents, many of your friends being so confident o£ your return that they did not think it necessary to record their votes." . .

An action was brought last week against the Buller County Council arising out of the accident on the Buller road, near Lyell, which led to the death, of Mrs Mitchell and the injury of another passenger. The plaintiffs, Messr3 Dixon and Mitchell, obtained verdicts for £400 and £300 respectively, subject to certain law points reserved.

A contemporary states that a split has occurred in the Salvation Army at Christchurch, the bandsmen and some of their sympathisers having seceded and formed a mission on their own account! The reason of the split is stated to be that the officers in charge pressed the "regulations" too severely on the bandsmen, who say that "officialdom and the regulations have been made more than the Word of God." The quarrel was begun by the bandsmen attending the playing of the bands at the contest at the show grounds on the Sunday, when they had been told not to go. .

Me E. Withy, of Auckland, is. a land nationalise^ and would allow present owners to retain possession for 18 years, when the land should revert to the State. A correspondent of a; contemporary says Mr Withy is a wealthy man—owning stocks, shares, securities of all description excepting land-^and asks: "Why should all these investments of all kinds not also after 18 years revert to the State. If 18 years of possession is going to pay a farmer, why is 18 years not going to pay Mr Withy ?"■ A case of what may be described as Kussomania lately occurred at Clichy, a suburb of Paris. A woman there became crazy and com-, mitted suicide tinder the "spell of the FrancoRussian festivities. She went to the Asnie'res Bridge, waving a French and a Russian flag, and as the train conveying Admiral Avellan and his officers rolled by to Versailles she cried out, " See them and die! : Vive la Russie!" Then she jumped into the river and was drowned. When her dead body was taken out of the water it was discovered that most of her underclothing was made out of French and

Russian flags stitched together.

A new device has been tried on the electric and cable street cars in Brooklyn, called a life

guard and safety fender. This man catcher consists of a wire netting on an iron frame, which hangs in front of the car, within a couple of inches of the rails. When a pedestrian is struck he is thrown backwards into the wire Betting and carried safely along.v To lessen the shock the front of the netting frame has a heavy indiarubber pneumatic cushion strung on spiral springs. In the experiment made it was shown that persons could be picked up by the car while- going at full speed without their having experienced anything worse than a sensation of being violently thrown from their feet.

" TheMessiab." is to be produced this, evening at Knox Church, and to be a success. At the final rehearsal,last,evening the members of the chorus acquitted themselves most creditl ably. A large number of tickets have been disposed of, and the funds of the Patients' and Prisoners' Aid ' Society should be largely

augmented.

The following cablegram was received from Hobart yesterday, addressed to the New Zealand Press Association:—"Messrs Brough and Boucicault's Company sailed, last evening after completing a brilliant season here. Enthusiastic reception, and nightly patronised by Governor and leading families. The company received a . perfect ovation; at; the closing performance, and crowd of friends saw them off at midnight," The season in Dunedin opens at tho Princess Theatre on Boxißg Night with Pinero's farcical comedy " Dandy Dick." We "are requested to state that the box plan for the opening performance and the remainder, of the week will.be opened this morning at 10 o'clock at the Dresden, and that the seats will be allotted in the order >of application. This notification is;made necessary by the fact that several people are offering a premium to obtain the .best seats, a echemS which the management is discountenancing. "Dandy Dick" will be played for two mghts, and will be followed by "The Idler,";" Sophia," "Niobe," "The Village Fries V.and ; "The Amazons," each of which will be played for two nights.

Messrs James Samson and Co. will sell household furniture, &c. to-dayi Messrs William E. Reynolds and Co. will hold their wool sale to-morrow in High street, next the dress circle entrance to the Princess Theatre.

Mr John Solomon announces tho last four days of his auction sales. -.-; -...

The programme for the Sloeraki regatta on New Year's Day appears in our advertising columns, with other particulars. Messrs Park,' /Reynolds,; and Co.. will sell on Thursday freehold property at the corner of George and Albany streets.-' ' Captain Proudfoot has received1 the full programme of the New Zealand Rifle Association's next prize firing meeting. Those interested can inspect it at the Garrison Hall.

! The annual .meeting of the Port Chalmers Marine Lodge, N07'942, E.C., will bs held this evening. « . . i. We have received the December number of The Mutual Provident Messenger," published in the interests of the A.M.P. Society. The paper has now enteved on its second year of publication, r From Mr John Gore, of the Prince ofJWales's Livery Stables, we have received two nicely gotup pictorial, almanacs. One is a hunting scene entitled "Yea or No," in which a youn?gentleman insists on receiving a definite reply to his suit from a young lady who has dismounted from her horse. The second represents the final of a course for the Waterloo Cup,, and there is given a portrait of Colonel North, the owner of IFullarion, the winner. From Mr it.Maris Clark, the local manager, we have received the South British Insurance Company's card calendar. A Fact I—Peter Dick is the most reliable Watch maker, Moray-place, Dunedin (opp. Coffee Palace). Watches cleaned, sa; mainsprings, 4g 6d.—[Advt.] John Hislop, Watchmaker and Jeweller, 74 Princes street. The oldest, established house in town. Repairs of all kinds. Good assortment Watches, Clocks, and Jewellery.. Spectacles to suit all sights.—[AdvC] .■■ Mr T. J. Collins, dental surgeon, has removed his offices to 41 Princes street (over Burton Brothers'). Entrance from Moray place.—[Advt.] Taylor's Bowling' Green Bowls on sale bY G. and T. Young, 88 Princes street:—First quality Bowls, 21s a pair; extra quality, 253': silver-mounted, 33a, 445, 57s 6d, 635. All size 3; bias 2 and 3.----[Advt.]. . : . Messre Thomson and Co.—Gentlemen,—Please forward one case of your soda water per New Zealand Express Company. I dare say you may think it strange of me writing for this small order, but it iB for-a sick person, and the doctor expressly stipulated for your brand, and will haveiio other, which I look upon as a great compliment to your manufacture. —lam, yours truly, A. J. 8. Blead land.—Oamaru, September 11,1S93.—[Advt.] Messrs A. and J. MTahlane beg to call attention to their advertisement over the leader. Any orders Entrusted to them will receive the best attention.—[Adyt.]