SUMMARY FOR EUROPE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10263, 22 January 1895, Page 2

SUMMARY FOR EUROPE.

POLITICAL AND GEKEKAL.

Stbont thrae weeka ago it began to be ljumoured that the Colonial Treasurer (tho JHon. J. Q-. Waed) waa meditating a visit to England on either public or private business, fend on January IS the following typewritten statement was handed to our Wellington correspondent by the Treasurer himself :-^-" Tha Hon. J. G. Wakd, Colonial Treasurer, proceeds to England with the; Wtanimonß approval of his colleagues, who have deputed him to attend to matters of an Important character affecting the welfare of the colony. He lias been appointed to represent the colony at the Intercolonial Postal Conference, which sits at Hobart on the Ist proi., and be has further been empowered by the Cabinet to meet tho Premiers of the Australian colonies who "will be assembled at Hobart to formulate and discuss proposals for reciprocity. Mr Wakd will return to the colony about the, middle of May, and during his absence his various departments will be administered by 3bis colleagues. Treasury matters will be

dealt with by the Premier, whilst the HemMr Jl'Kejtzie will conduct the Government

Insurance, Public Trust, the Advances tc Settlers, and tbe Industries and Commerce departments; the Hon. Mr Rbeves will direct the Customs and Marine departments end the Hon. Mr Cabman the Post and ja'elegraph departments. Sir P. Buckle? iwßl relieve the Hon. Mr Cabman of the control of the Government Printing Office.'l JEbe announcement has called forth a good ideal of criticism of one kind or another, and certainly the country seems to have reasonable, ground of complaint at the attitude oi Secrecy which Ministers are adopting in regard to the Treasurer's departure. What pre the of an important character affecting the welfare of the colony " which iMr Waeb is to attend to ? We cannot sayThe Premier has stated that the reason for Mr Wash's visit is that postal • business requires his attention in London, but this is very obviously a weak evasion, and does not flisclqse the real object of Mr Waed's visit. In fact tha country is in the dark. The Premier addressed his constituents at Hokitifca on January 9, his speech actually occupying the space of four hours in delivery. There was a good deal of controversial repe- . Jtition in this record-breaking harangue, and We need only draw special attention to tha assurance that the Government has no intention of bringing forward farther large proposals of a borrowing nature. "He could only tell them the Government were hot going in for a borrowing policy, but ■would go on as they had done in the past "— a statement which naturally provokes the reminder that there has been plenty of bor- ' rawing in the immediate past. The Premier Cieo spoke for over three hoars at Napier on January 18. A Royal Commission has been appointed, to inquire into the necessity of modifying the customa tariff, seven members of the House of Bepresentatiyes having been chosen So serve as commissioners—the Hon. Major Steward, and Messrs Duthie, -Tanneb^ W. Hutchison, Stevens, M'Gowan, and JT. Mackenzie. The absence of experts and persons directly connected -with the commercial world has been noted as a weakness in the constitution of the commission, which to all intents is little more than a parliamentary committee. The Hon. W. P. Beeves, Minister for tabon^ and Education, returned from a vJsit to Apstnxlia on December 29, and i 3 understood to have acquired a considerable amount of information during his tour, which he hopes to turn to account chiefly in connection with industrial questions. A certain amount of controversy wa» recently caused by tha^blication (in mor« than one newspaper) of lists of appointments to the public service made by the Hon. John M'Kenzie, Minister for Lands, the most noteworthy qualification of most of the people appointed being either their relation jehip to the Minister or the active political Support which they have given to him at .various times. Tha exposures constitute tittle less than a public scandal, and the replies offered by Ministerial apologists fcave been very lame. In the course of an interview on December 28, Sir Bobebt Stout expressed the opinion that the call recently made by the Bank of sSew Zealand was in no way ultra vires, .remarking that he did not think it right of JEhe Bharaholders to have first accepted the Guarantee Act and then to try to repudiate ione- of the conditions o£ assistance. " When ■■ &a Bill was introduced" (said Sir Bobeet) . (Vthiß can of one-third of the reserve liability pf the shareholders wsjs compulsory. It was on the suggestion of Mr Geobge Hutchison, ' made-optional at the discration oftheOokmial treasurer. It seems to me that the sharer |jolders a*a now too lata in objecting to Bach a condition. No donbt they might . fcave taken up this position: They. might pave said, 'We decline to accept the colony's guarantee on the issue of stock or , ahareaif we,the shareholders, have ito sabma to snch a call.1 Bnfc the shareholders neither In Losdon nor here took np that position. They accepted the conditions of Ja» Act, and were, I understood, grateful fo* jft* Legislature^ interposition. It is now Stop^ato to jaisei points about the call." lEhe Hon. John M'Kenzie was installed rb- -chief of the Gaelic Society in Danedin Bn January 2, delivering an interesting speech on the traditions and present state of his native country, Mr j aMKEsziH hopes to go back to Rossphixe some day and lead an agitation in jfavour of a Land for Settlements Bill! i At a meeting ol the Otago Central Railway jEeagne on-Jannary 7, a resolution was passed protesting against the Premier's insinuation phat the league is a semi-pojitical organisajHon — i&, an organisation hostile to the present Government We regret to say that pSx Seddon replied to the resolution by leiterating his previous remarks, going so 'far as to say that the semi-political character jof-the league was an admitted .fact. There Js not the shadow of justification for iftis statement, though we regret to say ■that some of the parliamentary repreflenta'Hves of the province are prepared to follow the Premier's unworthy lead in this matter. Meanwhile very littie information is available in regard to the progress of the line, and there is considerable anxiety concerning the expenditure of the L 45.000 voted by Parliament last year, as whatever portion remains unspent on March 31 will lapse, Happily Home of the industrial organisations of Dunedin show signs of taking up the question and resenting the-Premier's impertinent attitude. • The Shopß and Shop Assistants Act, which enforces the closing of shops (with a few exceptions) in town districts on the after* noon of one working day in the week, came £nto force on January 1, and on January 15 a conference of delegates from the various local bodies within the Dunedin district unanimously decided in favour of the halfiioliday being on Wednesday. Many shop assistants are disappointed that Saturday is not the selected day, but there can be no question that such a choice would have militated seriously against the prosperity of ' the community, Saturday being a day on which many traders do a much larger amount of business than at any other time. It has to be noted, however, that it is still open for 'any shopkeeper to close on Saturday Instead of Wednesday if he chooses to do so. The Yen. Archdeacon Bdwaeds, who retires with the good wishes of the community, preached his farewell sermon at St. Paul's ©tereh on December 80,.and^onfthe^first day;

of the year the edifice became the cathedral of the diocese. On January 4 the installation of the Dean (the Very Ray. A. R. Fitchett) a^cl Obaptcr took place, this function being followed a fortnight later by the dedication festival, when the preacher was the Lord Bishop of Salisbury (the Bight Rev. Dr Wordsworth), wh . o is at present on a visit to the colony, and who was entertained at a .conversazione on January 17.