WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 1896.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10616, 11 March 1896, Page 2

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 189 6.

" The Opposition had an uphill and very heavy task, but their object had been to make a National party for framing laws for every class, to restore confidence to themselyes and the outside world." So said Captain Kussell at •Hastings on Monday, and the aim of the National party could hardly be expressed more adequately and tersely. The object of the present Government has been to attach to itself a party without national principles or generous motives —a party which should be kept' absolutely subservient to the parliamentary leader by means of trjickling to its class interests and prejudices.' The Government has framed laws, not for every class,, but for one particular class, and the result has been to impair the colony's confidence in itself and the confidence reposed in it by the outside world. This system of government for a class is often successful enough for a time from a party point of view, provided that the favoured class be powerful; but a day comes when the futility of such a policy becomes obvious even to the people who have apparently been most pampered. A fair trial of empiricism shows the favoured workman, for instance, that the favours which have been bestowed upon him have done him little good because at the same time slights have .been offered to interests in the body politic with which his own interests are inextricably connected. It is tbe old old story of the belly and the members. The " people's Government" has now been in power for more than five years, and Captain Russell asked on Monday : " Was the country more prosperous? The answer was No. Employment was scarce, wages more difficult to earn, and a depression was settling down on the country instead of its being one of" the brightest places in the southern seas." This, we believe, is an unnecessarily gloomy view, of the present state of matters, but at all events it is an unquestionable fact that the policy of the Government, of which so much was expected in some quarters, has impeded rather than furthered the return of prosperity. The public debt has been increased; a general sense of insecurity has been aroused ,by the adoption of spurious political principles and the passing of shoddy legislation; all confidence in the purity of administration has been I destroyed by deliberate indulgence in

party, if not personal, nepotism; Parliament has been bullied and demoralised by an unscrupulous tyrant, posing, forsooth, as a democrat and a friend of the people; the finance of the country has been- made a thing of jugglery and mystery and opportunism; Ministerial- utterances have become a synonym for claptrap and all manner of tortuous humbug; Ministers have broken the law vith easy nonchalance, and sheer petty partisanship has been the standing order of the day ; —and all this in the name of Liberalism ! Who would not laugh if such a story were ■told of some half-forgotten Tory Ministry of the past? Who would not weep if the culprits were present-day democrats and professed Liberals ? No doubt the worst offences belong to the time which has elapsed since Mr Ballance's death ahd Mr Seddon's accession to the Premiership. In Mr Ballanoe's . policy there was much of which we disapproved, but in .comparison with that of his successor it was' as light is to darkness. . He at least established the claim of his Government to be regarded as selfreliant;' but self-reliance now seems the pathetic dream of a distant past. Captain Russell compared the Government to "the boy's knife, which, although its blades and handle had been separately renewed, the boy declared to be the same knife" We may add that the knife was not very precious to start with, but the repairs have at least made it a miracle of worthlessness. ■ . '

■ Captain Eussell's speech was full of effective criticism and damaging exposure: so much is obvious even in the condensed telegraphic report. As wis remarked in commenting upon Sir Robeet . Stout's recent address at Wellington, it is right that the indictment against Ministers should be presented . again and again until the country has had its final opportunity of pronouncing a verdict; and Captain Russell appears to have given a fresh and attractive setting to the old points. We question whether the bulk of the •electors have ever thoroughly realised the full culpability of Mr Seddon's conduct, in that matter of last session's Public Works Statement. Let our readers refresh their memories ■with Captain Russell's summary of the affair. " The Public Works Statement, authorising an expenditure of £765,000, was not brought down until the 21st October, and then between 7 and Bin the evening. It was not read* as a debate -was progressing, and the following morning they sat in Committee. The House met and had no time to read the Estimates properly through, and the Premier claimed under the Standing Orders that he had the rightto pass that Statement through. Notwithstanding their protests this course was adopted without members knowing to the present day what the expenditure was for, and without any debate this enormous sum of money could be squandered at the will of a Minister." Does someone say that this is ancient history? We answer that it is the kind of incident which is likely to occur againr and again, and remain portentously modern, so long as the , present Government holds the reins of power. Let the electors confirm Mr Seddon in his place ' at. the general election, and such escapades as that just mentioned will "probably be "matters of everyday occurrence. Indeed, tha public sanction will have been given to them. Very telling; too, was Captain Russell's treatment of the tariff question,—in regard to which we think that the memories of electors may be trusted. No one, surely, can have forgotten poor Mr Ward's indescribable floundering—his utter ignorance of the subject—his pathetic inability to grasp the situation. And yet we ourselves must confess to having forgotten, if we ever knew, one thing—the number of the Treasurer's proposed tariffs. Tariff followed tariff as day followed night, until the mosfc watchful observers lost count, and the real number we suspect that no man knoweth unto this day. Captain Russell made good fun of the tariff finally passed—which is all that it, was worth, —and it would be interesting to hear whether tlie workers of the colony feel themselves to have reaped any practical benefit.

" The five years' policy of Bounce, Bluster, Banquets, and Bunkum had taught the people they had placed their confidence in a rotten reed." There is every reason to believe that Captain , Russell is right, and we are glad to note- the confidence of his tone. " The Government were discredited, and would shortly be hurled from the seat of power." It is the proper tone for the eve-of battle, and those who are inclined to regard it as the tone of either self-delusion or make-believe may be bidden to ponder on the Christchurch election. Thinking of that election and other timely indications of a changed feeling, a patriotic New Zealander might borrow words from the peroration of one of John Height's most famous speeches, and say: "I think 1 see, as it were, above the hilltops of' time, the glimmerings of the dawn of a better and a nobler day for the country and for the people that I love so well."

The Union Company have had advice that the Monowai left San Francisco at 10 a.m. on Saturday— two days late. •

Instructions have been rocoived by Lieutenantcolonel Webb from the Defenoe Office thab it is inteudfd to hold encampmsnts at Easter, Due notice as to location, &c. will be, given hereafter, but volunteer oorps in the 'district will hold themselves in readiness to turn out.

Mr Paulin's forecast at 8 o'clock last erening was as follows :—" Light to strong N.E. to S.E. and S.W. winds and rain in abcut 12 hours; barometer unsteady."

We understand that, pending a decision by the full committee of the Charitable Aid Board, the chairman has suspended the secretary to the board. In justice U_ the official in question, it should be stated that an investigation made Bhows that there is no irregularity in tho aocounts of tha board.

At the monthly meeting of the Duoedin Prohibition League, held on Monday evening, it was ststed that the executive of the Otago Prohibition Council had already received notice of the appointment of over 50 delegates to the annual convention, to be hold in Dnnedin on the 3rd, Wh, and 6th April, and that ib was expected fully 100 delegates would be present.

It was mentioned at last night's meeting of the St. Kilda Council that owing to the disappearance of the sand from the sandhills at the end of the Queen's drive the sea had very nearly made another breach through tho hills. It was resolved to write to the Ocean Beach Domain Board and ask them 'to take immediate action in the matter.

The Dunedin Horticultural Society's Autumn ohow will bo held to-day in tbe Garrison Hall, when an interesting display may be expected, especially of frmt. There will ba a promenade concert in tbe evening. .' ■. i

The monthly meeting of the High street School Committee was held lasfc night, and was attended by Messrs Hosking! (chairman), Melvin, Fleming, Gilmour, Melville, Jolly, and Walker. The head master reported that the number on the roll was : Boy*, 33* I B'rls> 523 ; total, 707. The average attendance was • Boys, 354 ; girls, 294 ;—total, 648.. The weather and sickness had somewhat interfered with the attendance. Two boys of last year's Upper Seventh had passed the junior civil service examination. Messrs Melvin and Walker were appointed a Visiting Committee for the month, and accounts amounting to £7 183 9d were passed for payment.

Messrs C. Colclough and M. Cohen, J.P's., occupied the bench at the Police Court yettorday, wheu Nellie Lewis, convicted of drunkenness, was fined ss, iv default 24 hours' imprisonment; while Jeannie Knight for a similar offence wa9 fined 10s, in default 48 hours' imprisonment. At Pahi&tua, in the Wellington distriot, C. W. Brown yesterday pleaded guilty to having an illioit still on his property at Tutarekara, and was fined £50. The plant was ordered to be confiscated.

A supposed increase in the number of cases of tetanus, csmmonly known as lockjaw, induced a representative of the Auckland Herald to interview Dr Baldwin nt the hospital. The medical gentleman referred to is inclined to regard the matter as serions. There had been four cases since the beginning of the present year. Two had a fatal termination, and another was not expeotsd to live. He attributed its prevalence to bad drainage and dirty gutters. Tetanus was caussd by bacillus, as .in the case of erysipelas and diphtheria. The bacillus thrives mold heapsof stable manure that have not been turned for somo time, for it loses its strength when exposed to pure fresh air. Bad drains ,and dirty gutters would he favour, able to tbe growth of the baoiilus. " The prevalence of the disease," the doctor proceeded, " is, I think, to be traced to the warm weather combined with accumulations of dirt, and its greatest enemy is, probably, general cleanliness aiid better sanitation. For instance, one ease we had was that of a man who was thrown from a horse into a gutter and simply got a out on the nose. Yet he was dead in a few days. It is not the cut that is to be feared, but what gets iuto the wound ; aud the fact that tetanus is generally the result of wounds on the hand er foot is explained by the fact that these are the parts of tho body which naturally come oftenest in contact with the ground. It will thus be seen that ohildren should not be allowed to ran about barefooted in the vicinity of stables and drains. Three of our cases were children of 9, 10, and 11 years of age respectively. Sufficient care is not taken of small wounds.'' ,

Mr Thomas Thompson, engineer to the Buller County Council, has received news of the death of his brother by the wreck on the coast of Vancouver of the Greenock barque Janet Cowan, of which he was in command. The Janet Cowan was bound from Capetown to Vancouver, when she was wrecked on December 31. Howell (Ihe second mate) and two others were drowned, but the rest of those on board managed to reach the shore. Thoy remained on this bleak and barren spot for 12 days, undergoing intense suffering, having little food and lees protection. Captain Thompson and three sailors were frozen to death during this terrible period. The first mate, a man named Leyuall, and 13 of the crew were taken off by a tug and brought to Port Townsond. Owing to the high sea running the tug was unable tp take off five of tke men, who were too ill to make an effort to save themselves, and it was feared they would snecumb before relief could reach them. The names of the seven men who have perished are:—Captain M. Thompson, a native of Shetland ; Howell, the second mate, from the County of Kent; William Selkirk, of Glasgow, tho engineer; William Sleete, an apprentice, of Hull; George Feniral, of Hull, a seaman; and the cook, George Kinne&r, of Dundee.

Professor find Madame Davis give their flrst entertainment in Dunedin at the Princess Theatre this evening, when they will reproduce under the strictest conditions Mrs Mellon'a spooks. In addition to this there will be ventriloquism, mimicry, songs, and what is termed Rosicrucian psychomanoy.

Mr A. Morrison, M.H.U., will address his constituents at Green Island this evening.

Messrs Moritzson and Hopkin will sell fruit this morning. ' The University Cricket Club play a- match against A. and T. Inglis this afternoon on the Oval, following aro the toann :—University : Adams, Dunne, East, Gibson (captain), Neil, Nicholson, o'She3, Hall, Micara, Dunne, Macdonald, Robertson. A. and T. Inglis: White (2), Birnett, Wood. Brown, Booth, Fraer, Roach, Duncan, Harrison. Spraggon. Mr 11. Stamitnn, of 157 High street, Christchurch, suffered for 14 years from indigestion in all its forms. One bottle "Wahoo" made anew man of him. 2s 6d, all chemists aud grocers.— 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.--[A ttvr.l.

Oahter and Co. are now making their first autumn ghow. Large shipment just arrived ox Aoraugi Novelties in all departments. Prices strictly moderate. See Oartt-r's windows.—Advt.

In Mollison and Co.'s advertisement it will be noticed that their first display of this season's autumn and winter goods wiU be on Tuesday, 10th March, and following days. Lady customeis are specially invited.—Advt. Mestrs limn and Co., surgical aud mechanical dentists, notify lhat theyhavecommenced business opposite Cargill's Monument, Princes at. —[Advt.

Mivsis A. and J. M'-F.uu.ac-k Ijeg to call attention to their advertisement over tlie leader. Any orders entrusted to them will receive the best attention.—'A nvT.l

Xmas and New Year Presents.—Three shipments opened this month. Stock full in all departments with latest novelties. —G. and T. ■You Ml, o ii ect importers, 8S I'rinces street.—Advt.

Who is Peter Dick ?— The must reliable Watchmaker, Moray place, Dunedin (opp. Coffee Palace). Watches cleaned, 5s ; mainsprings, 4s 6d.—Advt. Wendkl's pure grape wines may be had from Mercer Bros., IJ. Booth, Wilsons, C. B. Miller, Peterson, and Carolin, grocers.—Advt.