THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES TUESDAY, JANUARY 22, 1895.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10263, 22 January 1895, Page 4

THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES TUESDAY, JANUARY 22, 1895.

We do not think that Mr Sedbok's apology for the departure of the Colonial Treasurer for London puts the action of the Cabinet in a better light than it was in before the Napier speech. The excuse now tendered is that there is postal business that requires Mr Warm's presence in London. Mr Seddon has great faith in the gullibility of the public, else he would not have put forth such an apology. Presumably the " postal business " can only have reference to the suggested mail service via Vancouver—-that is, that the present service started by Mr Huddart should connect with New Zealand. When this was mooted in the House last session during the discussion on the San Francisco service the Cabinet did not receive the discussion kindly, and amendments to force the consideration of the new Canadian service were negatived. What, then, has so suddenly induced the Cabinet to send Mr Ward Home on this mission, if such can be believed to be the real explanation ? But let us assume that what the Premier says is true, and that Mr Ward's sole mission is to make arrangements for a new mail service. Then we consider the Premier has demonstrated that the Colonial Treasurer should not leave New Zealand. First there would not be the slightest difficulty in arranging the preliminaries of such a contract by telegraph or by letter before Parliament meets. Parliament has given no authority to enter into any arrangement. There can therefore only "be negotiations; no contract can be concluded. The whole question of a new contract must be considered and determined by the Parliament. What need then of the Treasurer going to London on such an errand ? Further, the negotiations have not to be only with steamship owners in London. The other colonies are interested, and no final arrangement can be come to without the concurrence of the New South Wales Government, and the Postmaster-general of New South Wales resides in Sydney. Further, many important mail contracts with the colonies have been concluded without anyone being sent Home to arrange them. How then can it be truthfully said that our Treasurer requires to go to London for such a purpose on the present occasion. It has also to be borne in mind that the contract referred to cannot be made without reference to Canada. Is Mr Waed going to Ottawa also? Nothing has been heard of such an intention, and it is additional evidence of the absurdity of the explanation of the Treasurer's visit which has been put forward by the Premier. There is another way of testing the value of Mr Sbddow's assertion. We have a capable Agent-general in London, and no one can say for one moment that Mr Ward could by his visit accomplish anything that Sir Westby Perceval could not

obtain. Sir "Westby has proved himself to be a capable business man, and is well and favourably known in London. What is the use of an Agent-general and an Agent-general's office if, to obtain preliminary information for a mail contract, the Colonial Treasurer

has to leave for England ? The whole proceeding is a slight on the Agent-gene-ral—both on his office and his capacity. It has been said that the reason for the Treasurer going is in connection with certain new loans—to induce the granting of fresh accommodation by English capitalists. Is this the real reason? and is this, then, the goal of Liberal administration? The supporters of the party in power have been in the habit of denouncing both " absentees" and " capitalists." Is the Treasurer to be sent on a mission to beg for assistance from those whom many of the Labour party have so persistently abused ? If so, it is a strange ending to all the past abuse. Do we need to further rely on foreign capitalists or absentees—to have more reliance on them than at any previous period in our history? Is this the goal of the Seddonian regime ? Our country is surely an unhappy one, and does not occupy a very dignified position if this be the case and we have to send our Treasurer to beg for money. Even were the mission not to ask Home capitalists for their assistance, but really to arrange for a new mail contract, then we again protest against any such arrangement. Parliament, we repeat, has not been consulted, though, we are sorry to say, our colony is ruled Iby a Ministry who care nothing for Parliament or constitutional methods of performing their functions. The Treasurer's duty to the colouy should preclude him leaving it at present |on an absence of four months. With a j j revenue -,vhose steadiness is at the least i ! very doubtful, and with fresh burdens I ito mcct —burdens that have been i | unnecessarily cast upon us by an cxi travagant and unscrupulous Ministry,— it is necessary that we should husband every penny of our revenue, and Mr "Waud ought to be in the colony to assist in doing so. We regret that his decision to visit England is persisted in, and as ] to the excuse for that visit offered by ! the Premier—well, silence would have been preferable.

We are again this morning without any European cables, an interruption having been canßed on the Port Darwin lino.

Mr ,1. A. Millar, M.H.R. for Chalmers, will address bis constituents in the Nortli-JSasii Valley Public Hall tbis evening.

I Tlio Hon. J. Q. Ward, Colonial Treasurer, was a passenger for the Bluff by thn Xaluno yesterday. It is possible he may visit Dnuedin Rguiu before leaving for Hobart on the 29th iu&t., an there is a rumour to the effect that a banquet will bo tendered to him iv this city prior to his departure for England.

We publish in thin issue an account of the first accent which has beon made of Mount Cook. As our readers are aware, many havo been thn unsuccessful attempts to scale the skypieraing Aorangi, bub on Christinas Day Messrs T. C. t'yfe, G. Graham, and J. Clark had the supremo satisfaction of congratulating each other upon being the first pei'son3 who had ever set foot on tho actual Summit of the highest peak in the colony. Our acconnt is from the pen of air Graham. A meeting of tho Council of the Bimetallic Leagiuj was held last evening, the president (Kr Melland) ia the chair. A large amount of touliue business wks put through. A letter was read from Mr J. V. Grossman, M.A., of Christchurch, who is an able exponent of bimetallism, Eccopting the invitation of the league to Give an address at the Oddfellows' Hall, Rattray street, on Thursday evening next. Mr Grossman has selected a3 his subject "The immediate effects of the present state of affairs upon the colonial wage-earner, and the objections brought against bimetallism as a remedy." Tho league have written inviting the attendance of the following bodieß :—The Knights of Labour, tho Trades and Labour Council of Otago, the Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners, the Amalgamated Society of Engineers, the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, tUc Dunedin Boot Machinists' and Fitters' Union, the Dunedin Operativa Bootmakers'

Union, the Dunedin Operative Tailors' Society, the Dunediu Pressers and Factory Operatives' Union, the Federated Seamen's Union oi New Zealand, the New Zealand Federated Tailoresses' Union, the Otago Typographical Association, the Shop Assistants' Union, and the Chamber of Commerce. In their advertisement the league also invite the attendance ci M.L.C's., M.H.R's., the mayor and city councillors, and the public generally. In answer to an invitation by the league a letter was read from Mr SSoreton Frewen, one of the leading authorities on bimetallism, who is on a vioit to Australia, saying that i£ ho found it possible to visit New Zealand he would do so. Twenty nsw members were elected. A party who returned last Wednesday from an ascent of the Euahine Kange had an arduous and exciting trip. It rained nearly the whole time (s&ys the Hawke's Bay Herald), the mountain streamlets were in constant flood, and in crossing and re-crossing these members of the patty were placed several times in considers bio danger, being washed ofi their feet and carried down a considerable distance. When they Etiived on the summit of Parke3's Peak the country around was obscured in a deuss fo^ but while they were yet at luncheon the vapour J lifted s.s though by ths hand of a magician, and the Hawko's Biy country for 50 miles around was exposed to view bathed in the radiance of the mid-day sun. The sight was described as marvellously picturesque, and tho tourists felt themcelves well repaid for all tlieir hardships in having witnessed it. Mr Andrews, second master of tho Wangauui College, who was in charge of the expedition, and who is an ardent naturalist and botanist, was enabled to collect a numbsr of rare plants and inceets, among them 50 different varieties of tlie Rpecies commonly known as " daddy louglegs," which he had never seeh or heard of before. He also chanced upon a number o£ flies of the boletophilus species, the larvto of which proved to be luminoun, and, more than that, to have a opider-like facility of casting a web for the entrapment of mosquitoes and similar small fry. Mr J. Dnfeie, H.H.R., who during the Christmas holidays visited the Pomahaka estate, described it to his constituents at Wellington on Friday night. He said it consisted of 7200 acres, and was intersected by many gullies, but otherwise it wa3 ploughable. The land was a hungry-looking white clay, with a thin coating of soil from decayed tussocks. Co-operative labour was, he Baid, employed in carrying out the work of roading, and he was told that a considerable number of inexperienced supervisors were employed—evidently men who had to get billets, but knew nothing about; road-making. The cost of this labour added to the value of the land, which the poor settlers would have to pay, bat if they failed, then the cost would fall on the taxpayers. It had been said that the land would grow from 40 to 60 bushels of oats per acre. It was not strong enough to grow wheat, and no grass, excspt perhaps ccckjfooti, would grow upon it. Now, in Canterbury and Otago at this season of tbe year oats could be seen four feet; high, bat in going over the land he saw only six paddocks of bats, of which he produced a sample, consisting of a few stalks of oats about six inches high, tha sight of which wa3 greeted with much laughter. He left it to the audience to judge what earthly chr.nce there was of pcor men making a living in a country that produced oats like those. A piece of laud lying between tha estate and Clinton, which was in grass aud crops and had metil roads (Pomahaka was not metalled), had since been ?old for £2 153 3d par acre, and yet this misorible block of laud at Fomaliaka, without a road, was bought for £3 17s 6d par acre

The Hon. J. G. Ward writes to the New Zealand Times that he asked for tha Postal Conference to be feed &t Hubert iv order that ho might meet other Ministers there who would then be at the Federal Council. At the same time he informed the Postmaster-general of Victoria that he was going on to Melbourne, and could attend ihere if the conference could not be held at Hobart. The other colonies, however, considerately fixed the date and place to suit him.

At a meeting of the Wairarapa Relief Fund Committee in Cnristchureh, held on Saturday night, the following telegram from the Mayor of Duneo'in was read:—" Have not understood that any committee desire any money to be returned to donors. What we proposa is thai; all the money collected shall in tho first place be put into one common purse. Then that after all claimants on the fund have been properly and sufficiently provided for, the surplus if any, should be resumed to each committee pro rata to its contribution to the general fund, to be held by it for the relief of future disaster of a similar or kindred character. To distribute tha whole of the money collected, whether wanted or not, so as to make the position better than it was before the loss of the bread-winner, would, in my opinion, be an ast of insane folly, and would, if carried out, prevent people in the future contributing freely iv simitar disasters; and speaking for myself personally, and I think also for my committee, I will have nothing to do with such si scheme,"

i The Wauganui Herald learns that owing to j ili-heaith consequent upon overwork, Judgs Kettle has been advised by his medical attenI dant to apply for three months' leave of I absence. The special reporter of the Christchurch Press, who visited the Cheviot estate, says that the future prospects of those who have purchased or leased suburban or village settlement allotments there do not appear to be very bright. It must be borne in mind that iv cutting up land into small allotments for close settlement one of the first considerations ruust ba the probable amount of employment the j persons who take up holdicgs may reasonably I expect to obtain. It is true that many of the village (settlers, and those v.-ho hava suburban ! ! sJlotmsnts at M'Kenzie, are engaged at the I [ present time upon road works, but the question J is already being aoked whai aio they going to do -ween this expenditure of public money ceases. The gsr&ziers and small farmers will not require much of their help, being able to do all their own work or to assist one another, and • here will be little casual eciplojmant boyond | road m&intjnauee to engage in. The dairy j factory will be of some assistance to those who have sufficient land upon which to keep a icit! cows, but it in only as the settlers Earn sufficient to enable them to purchase the necessary stock that they can well avail themselves of it. It is j suggested that the Minister for Lends, in his desire to appeasa those who were clamouring j for the Government to place people upon the ! land, han overdone the business at Cheviot. The general opinion there is that far too many Email sections were laid out, and that a man with five er ten acr.es will be quite unable to i make a liviog.

A disgraceful exhibition ws.d witnessed at South Kukftia on Friday night, when Mr J. M'Lachlan, M.H.R. for Ashburtun, was to have addrcssud his constituents in that portion of the district. The two mornicg pnp«\s in Cliriutchurch concur iv laying that Mr M'Lachln.u wag not in a condition to addrcsa a twzntiiuj, but at 8 o'clock ho rolled into the lull and 6ts.>;goreil on to the stuge. No arrangements h&d been mado for a chairman, but eventually one of the electors said ho would take tho chi.ir and did so, only, however, to suggest au adjournment, bocsvuae, ho remarked, Mr M'Lachlan waa very much under tho influence of liquor, nud unabla Ito address a meeting. The member, who was staggering about a good deal, resented the remark of the chairman that he was the worso for liquor. He said that ho thought he was the " better for liquor," and ho would go on. He mada two or three attempts to address the meeting, but the eu'ort was too much for him, and as the elector;) w«ro dispersing he fell off the stago with a thud on to the floor. The Lyttelton Times calls upon Mr M'Lachlan to resign his seat. The Welliugton correspondent of the Lyttelton Times says that the Government have made offers for several estates in the Canterbury and Otago districts, but have not as yet received any replies. At the recent Cabinet meeting various sums were placed at tho disposal of the Minister for Lands for the purpose of land purchase.

The Westland Education Board, by Qva votes to four, refused the requefifc of the Roaiaa Catholic bishops to have tho Catholic schools in tho diatrict examined and inspected by the board's inspector.

The death occurred in the Invercargill Hospital on Sunday of Mr William Blackloek, who was 69 years of age, and a very old resident of Southland. He was the eldest son of a wellknown Glafgow lawyer, and in the early days of Invereargill ha was associated with his brolhero in the well-known firm of Calder, Bkchlock, p-nd Co. lie laft this colony over 30 years ago for Britain in the Wiicb. of the Tee 3, the first vessel that sailed from Invercargill for London. After a lengthened sojourn in Scotland and America ho returned to this colony some 10 or 12 years ago.

The manager of a coalpit, two wheelers, and 15 minors were charged at Lithgow, New South Wales, on the 9th iast., under, an old act of the reign of Charles II with carrying on thfiir usual occupation oh tha Lord's Day. Tbe police deposed that all tha men were seen to come out of the shaft in working clot'ue3 and covered with coal dust. They admitted having worked, and some said "It was the boss's orderg, and we had to go whether we liked it or not." They also told the police that they were not aware of any particular necessity for the work. All thsy know wai they had been told to work. Ths Bench fiued. each of the defendants sa, levy and distress, in default two hours' in the stocks. As there are no stocks at Lithgow the defendants were informed that they would hava to go to Bathurst if the flns was not paid, but no costs would be imposed. The fines were alt paid, but had the penalties not been recoverable by levy and distress the miners would have ''taken it out" ia tha stocks, in which case tha difficulty of accommodating so large a numbsr in the Stocks would Slave been considerable.

Mr J. L. Larke, of Oohawa, Ontario, who arrived in Sydney recently as commissioner from the Government of the Dominion of Canada, has been cent for the Bole purpose of furnishing merchants with information in regard to the possibilities of trade between the Aus-

tralian colonies and Canada. Questioned with regard to the wool trade, he aaid there was s, market in Canada for light merino and finer qualities of wool. They had there some crossbreds, Cotswolds, and Lincolns. Their supply

waa at present chiefly derived from tho United States and England; but, as the high-class wool was duty free, no reliable statistics in regard to the matter could ba obtained. At present the market for dead mutton was somewhat restricted because of the reduction in

value of live sheep, which come chiefly from Oregon, from where they could ba bought at l£dol. Mr Larke then explained how tho duty, which had been reduced to 35 per cent, on the

value of the mutton, had brought this about. Bat, he added, the result of this is that tho Oregon people sro killing off all their ewes, so

that with the facilities offered by the CanadianAustralian steamers, which aro now insulated for the carriage o£ dead meat, there are great possibilities for this trade in the future.

The Jiji Shimpo expects that the pressut war between China and Japan will bring about a great development of the maritime tride of tho

latter country. It gives the following comparison of the merchant shipping before aud after the outbreak of the war, taken from the register of the Marine Bureau in the Department of Communications :—Tha total number of Japaneso vesselo ia tho country at the end of May last waß 417 steamers, with an aggregate tonnage of 181,819, and 212 sailing vessels, with sn aggregate tonnage of 33,553, making a

total of 629 vessels of 215,372 tons. This number had increased at the end of October last to W steamers, with aggregate tonnage of 252,796, and 212 Bailing veassle, with an aggregate tonnage of 33,553, making a total of 653 vessels of 236,3*9 tons, 29 steamers with an aggregate tonnage cf 70,977 tonß having been purchased since June last. The Jrji adds that the marine transport business of Japan has continued to develop year after year, but ihe total tonnage of the merchant vessels in Japan was considerably below 200,001) at tha end of laet year. This ruse at the end of May last to over 215,000 tons. Since the outbreak of the war a considerable number of the steamers engaged in the coasting trade have been withdrawn trDtu that Berries, the Government, as well as private individuals, had to purchase many foreign steamers, and the Government arranged to allow foreign steamers chartered by Japanese to engage in the coasting trade. But the scarcity of vessels is still felt, as the high rate of freight resulting therefrom ia still maintained. At present no business is known to be more reinvmerstivo than the shipping trade, and consequently many cipitalists are anxious to invest their money in shipping, and a still farther increase in the number of vessals ia expected before the war is finished. "VYuea the war ends in the complete victory of Japan, it is well understood that the trade of Japan will considerably increase, causing a great development of traffic, and the staam services abroad will be considerably extended. But it is doubtful whether all tha steamers which have recently been purchased, or ara to be purchased, will be able to find employment. Panama papers of 21et November, comeneuting upon the resumption of work on the unfinished canal, says that the excitement caused by the news received a month ego regarding the formation of a new canal company is wearing down. The extraordinary low rate of 70 cents per day—which at the exchange to gold is only worth about 33 cents—being paid to tho workmen finds but very few eager for tha hard labour of the canal work. All the negro ! labourers along the line recently struck for Idol a day, but, finding that tho company wca not j anxious about them, some of fchsm returned to 1 work at, the old figure. The high price of food stuffs makes it almost impossible for the men to live on these wages. One item aloiio may be cited: Meat, formerly sailing at 10 cents per Ib, is now

ticketed at 35 cents. Everything else is in proportion. A numbsr of Europeans, chiefly

Italians, are labouring in place of tha negroes. The people now declare that the show that the new company, which they say is no new company at all, is making is only a gJime of bluff to jjei; an extension of the concession. All tho eld machinery and belengings of tha csmp?.ny, rottiug and rusting for years, hava been puttied up aud given a coat of paint to make a good snowies, but au examination proves that they are almost useless. It H the general impression now that the Frenchman will never complete the canal. The isthmians hivve great faith ia Americans for such an undertaking-, and compare tho great tmcunt of work done by the

American drcagmg company with the cmal! parformance of tie French in the same time. Mr HI. Marcus, who was uhiougU New Zsalaud j as manager of tie Eelle Cnle Concert Company, i proposes to shortly brins; to this colony the | Leipzig Icsiratneatal Conoeri; Company, com,- ! prising 11 instrumeutElis!;'*, all of whom are I soloists of the liiszt Sot-iaty Concerts cf Leip- I zig. The Dunedin season will probably ba ! opened ia the Gairaou Hall about the. middle I o£,aSarch. 1

We learn that Mr I). M'Naughtan, of this city, having completed his training course at Camden College, Sydney, hss received and accepted a, unanimous call to the pastorate of. the Congregational Church at Dwonporfc, Auckland.

The Kennedy Dramatic Company will produce "Oliver Twist" at the City Hall tonight, Bliss Ruby Kennedy re-appearing in the company and playing the name part. Messrs Park, Reynolds, and Co. will bold an unreserved clearing sale of a bankrupt's stock at thfiir rooms this afternoon. The Tiitri horse and stool: fair will be conducted by Messrs Donald Reid and Co. at Greytown to-day. A stock sale will bo held at Wniknuaiti to-day, Messrs Stronaoh Bros, and Morris and the Mutual Apency Company Iwini: tho auoVi incurs. The Tuieri County Council invite tenders for re-forming ami nifctalliug a road at Tlindon and for gorao-cutling on tins Main road at Saddle Hill. The drawing of prizes in rtmuection with tho ralmerston art union will take place on the 7th prox. The annual sports meeting of the Taieri Ramblers' Cycling Club will be held at Moagiel next Saturday.

Tenders nre invited by the New Zealand Refrigerating Company for the purchase of IUO debentures of iMOO each.

The annual meeting of tho Enterprise Gold Dredging Company will be belli on the 14th prox. The attention of householders uning the corporation water supply is specially directed to a notiiication in our advertising columns.

A married couple are wanted as wardsman and matron of the Arrow District Hospital. All our suits aro made to latest London fashions by expert cutter who has never been accustomed to anything but first clisii work. AY. Scow and Co.—[AnvT.l

The finest display of perfumery, Japanese gooiln, toilet cases, suitable for Christmas presents at A. M. Loasbv's, 174 Princes street. See windows.— [Ar>v:r.]

John Kmlop, Watchmaker and Joweltar, 74 Princes street. The oldest eatablishad houao in town. Repairs of all kinds. Good assortment Watches, Clocks, and Jewellery. Spectacles to suit all sights.—f A.nvr.l . Messrs A. and J. M'l?ajii,ank beg to call attention to their advertisement over the leader. Any orders entrusted to them will receive the best attention.—[Aijvt.]

See G. and T. Youno's Christmas advertisement on first page, and note lhat watch, clock, and jeweliery repairs receive personal supervision of Mr T. G. Young. Competent workmen only employed. Satisfaction guaranteed. Moderate prices.—[Adv.] Specially prepared sodawater for invalids, as supplied by Thomson' and Co. to the Dunedin Hospital, Union Company's entire fleet, and other public institutions. In nearly all cases of sickness Thomson and Co.'s soda water is held in hipb. esteem by physicians for its purity and wholesome action in assimilating with milk and other nutritious liquids. Labelled with name and trade mark.—{AD vt.]

Moixison" and Co., George street, are un doubtedly selling tho cheapest line of purses we have seen. Motu the prices : O'd, Is, Is Gil, Is Oil, 2s, 2s b'd, 2s lid ; worth from Is to 7s 6d.—[Advt.J