CURRENT TOPICS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10722, 10 February 1897, Page 2

CURRENT TOPICS.

As the testimoni*! presented to Mr Ward by

the officers of the Post and MR ware's Telegraph department on MouTESTiJioNIAL. day evening via* entirely devoid

of political significance, it may be considered a grateful- tribute to him and a flattering souvinir qi the pleaaant. relations wbich always subsisted, between himself as the political, head- of -the. department and tho employees. ; Tnough it is an open decrefc tbat far too much is s^id-about.Mr .Ward's connection with the office in the capacity of au official, it is, equal!j , well . known that ho has had exceptional opportunities Of making himself acquainted with the details, and- it wan his complete graßp of these details in connection with the San Francisco service, as shown by him in a parliamentary speech, that •first caused his name to be associated with fche department and himself to be chosen as its Ministerial .he»d..."," To this it must be added that Mr Ward possesses a genial and unaffected manner* and. has pever allowed his high official position to cause him to give the cold shoulder to- thoJnimble. acquaintances, of former dayß. To Mr. Ward are owing many reforms in the service, not the leaat of which is that of classification of the officers, and this has produced contentmeut where. formerly existed friction. .. If it djd not,fall to Mr Ward's lot to be. the parent of a New Zealand inland penny post, he was at least its proposer ; and when the exigepcies of finance^permit it to become an accomplished fact he will be able to point to his Financial Statement of 1893 in proof of his readiness to march with the

It is rather amusing to read tbat the Prohibition League hay* decided to "tied " abstain from taking any part in committees, the selection of a licensing com- . mittee "which must sit with ita hands tied and act as the s'ervalit bf the trh.de " Thin same .league, however, did not think it

i wrong to take.parb iu_jJiiJ T" selection oi a com. j mittee eittifig with its.hands tied and pledged to do all in its power . kill the trade. This I resolve of the. league is difficult to understand, ! afid will oau?q the public to believe that their i action arises from pique^ith the results of the i licensing poll. We have seen that logical der ductiori is not a stro3d^..point with the prohi.but their-option in now standing jirfoof and pettishly caMiug an unsought responsibility upou(the majhrity of the electors is the most illogical' step they have yet taken. They cannot divesi; themselves of a share of the responsibility, and it is their plate duty, to dp all they, can ta_resist_,thp§e,_ evUjpereons who are going to act as the ser- ! vants of the trade. For our part we do not i *nf;i oi P*. tfL. a.,?7. wfo caiainity. "The public have 1 shown,that they-, will resent.any appearance of j undue /av'onr, and it is vijjy ungrateful "on 'the j part bf.'the prohibitionists to forget ..that, a" '. large part of tbeir succbbb"was due to the re" i nctiori evoked^ by a conamittse which neglected j to fulfil its promises of.reform. . Indiscriminate j ■l" °'9'ock closing and compulsory abstinence at ,! public gatherings are .not ; ih accordance with J public desires; sddit'is puerile on the part of I the prohibitionists to'resent being told so. I; I. I I [- Ii I I 3 I ) r i 1 T I 1 1* 3

The Free Library Association may or may hot

accept the,offer, of a free room

._.. the, ■. at the. Athe-.nseutn as a public athenjeum. news rponi, but we think they

*-i-; -..would be unwise to refuae.it, .small though the cooceßsiohbe; It would be a •gppd bs-gihniug to have a central rcomlilrig that at-the Atheneeifti available for, reading the newspapers,, which ■, for .such a-purpose would ■of'Course-paSfifreeof.charge through the- post: office. We trust, however, the proposer of the motion of wbioh notice has been given does not imagine that by.the aiction proposed the claims iof justice and of expediency will be met.' If the.of?er o be Accepted, it. certainly will, pot be, held^to. be ji.-.suffioieiut.concession, iiid.-if.it is refused it will by no meand follow that no real, cenbiindexists'f dr a free library, aud reading robid-' We. think, the. association should, accept tbe offer, as an instalment of what they desirei - «ei-ci»e rigid supervision to see that no -iur^ .vidious distinction is made-in the conductoosf s the room, apd, as tbey feel th^ir way, add a few i books,.and .eventually t!)ey may, .even, as-jvater wear's away - the" hardest stone, soften ; the obauriacy of the" committee arid converfthem to a belief in the" justice of the detiiaud that has' bsen made, and that a way'mAy be found io.] me&t iti '■' • ■ ; " j

Other countries are taking precautious, against j - the- spread-.-bf the bubonic'j thi l plague, and ''The "plague. in an interesting article, dig-J

' cusses the- probability :of ;it attacking England. :' -It .points- out that the plague disappeated from BuropeiH the seven-■ teeutb pentury without inowp c^use.. V.-With sadnessvwe have to accent,the -fact that we do pot .know -<tn -what depedds'• the periodical' development of-epidemiu-viruleace iv plague.We, kno-«v j that plsgue "remalnti endemic iv; certain districts in a minor form for long iierip'ds, and then breaks bounds, .''&pre&,difig far and wide as an: .intensely fatal epidemic, but why this happens, we do. not kuow.- Weknow that,., whether in regard :to ,endemi(3 prevalence, or -epidemic. *plfead,-the pfesence" of filth, and especially of pollution of the soil, seems to be a determining agent in regard to the localities to be attacked. But in view6f t'nefaeb that plugue vanished of iW 6_ accord, frpm 'Europe.:during the seventeenth century, it would be presumptuous to say thatthe improvement whichhas taken place in such conditions will prevent its recurrence. So fatas our. sanitation helps to protect us from other. zymotic diseases, so.it will do from plague, for plaguens ess?fatiaily a filth disease.'But sanita--tion.is.a,wide.,term„.,\Ve.are told that, over-, crowding of dwelliug houses is a powerful contributory cause of plagufe;:- but have we no overcrowding"? We are told,that 'of, all-social conditions, poverty and - gel-ierU Jocial misery, teem to be the most influentisl in its produe-;. tion'. (Allbufct's-.f.Sy^m of bub nave we no poverty and-sodisl, misery,? And as., for ...dirt_ and _pollutloU ,;-._o{_ the soil, although ourti well-drained;, towns _may.,probably assume ■ thst they;'are safe- from a disease bo. peculiarly allied with filth as plague is, we would.aik: Are there ho tniddeh towns in Ehglan^?; Axe there-no 'village* "yet. n.., drained ?,, Are.tbere,n.o„h«im|ets. yet unprovided 4 with water except such as soaks into the wellsfrom neighbouring , cesspool? ? Andiwe.would' jisk doubfiei's-'to Jpeiu»e some.of:-the- reports-of. the medical: < Officer :.td ' the .Local .Government board.on 4uch:"subjects; We.do not wish to be. alnrmists, but to; those who boast that England is immune to shch diseaaesi that by her cleanliness she ii saved,.We'say 7 Do tiot biast poo soon." ' '■'- -'--•.--',-.--.

I The Union ' Gom^apy'.'-Jaart;'feOnVed advice that the .Monowai left S»n Francisco at 2 p.m. pn the sth .inst!, one day late.

: The Coupjliatidri .Boi&rtl. gab again for"the (Fourth time^ yesterday -afternoon,: in.order to deal-with the shipping' dispute, and after another hour of conference and. consultation a recommendation waii inside "fluaninffiualy.Tlealing Trith \}l the. points .inVol^ed, , t ßy tins an increase of 10s per month is to be granted in wagtt, overtime and holidays are to remain as it'pre'serit.'knVi metnbership of the' Udion, Company's Benefit Sdeiesyis to be made optional at |he endbf the present -'financial year. Other matters are _deait with, .as, Will be seen oh reference to the full report of the proceedings, which appears iv another, .sqlumn. All the partie§.totfee^inpute,giade_._ siplanafcsry statements, and they were unanimous in thanking the board for its gtrobg aud "per»istent: efforts to promote coneilisiion. Mr J»mes-Mills-and Mr Ramsay accepted' the "recummehdatioh bf theboard, and its acceptance by the'seamen-is almott a certainty, since their accredited repre-gentative-(Mr-Bfllsher) uaderfcook to- do-all-he qould to recommend its acceptance by the men. At the close of the proceedings Mr Belcher explained that it-would- probably take a week in which to communicate with tbe executive of the union. Whan that is done the result will be made known; tind probably an •» industrial agreement" be entered into between > the parties

The police hays been m»king inquiries into the disappearance of "a suth of £13* from' the office cf the railway stationmaster at Balclutha lasf Friday." A couple of "flaßfigof" whiykyTbaVe also (probably,at,the same time) been.abstracted from a6aBW->*hich'waiicoiißißneVf'T;o'aißalclutha resident and .wjifl lying in the office,

Drs Renton!, •Robinspn,. and. Macfarland, of Melbourne, having concluded their angling touc in Southland !;and Otago, sailed on the 26th ult. for Victoria: They bad a rather startling experience at the mouth ot the Waiau, to which tbey made W fishing'exfredition. When leaving ou the 21st.of January io cross again to the eastern side of the river, the boat, rowed b? young Wilson, of O'repuki, was cs-ught in mid-stream by the force of the ■ gale, and was unable to recross'to '" tie huts" to briog off the party's luggage' and 'Charlie Morrison, of Invercargill, a ,sp\\ng surveyor, who had accompanied the angling party. Ifc was' not till 24 hours later that those could be retched aud brought off. After that the party was centred at Thombury, working the Aparima. These geutlemah Speak' with--enthusiasm as' to" the result of their month'/! augling tour in New Zealand. "They^epfc^tesGy to fly fishing when this was possible." * Tbey" have proven some rivers usually regarded as only "minnow rivers," to be. equally good for the hy— e.g., the Wyndham, they having caught troiit in ifc up to 4-^lb. . They &l«o tOokybaok with,them to Mcl; bourne, some iArge-sized:trout.ciugbt in the Aparima and in the Waiau. During a brief visit to Diptou th(>y caught wi&h the fly a large number of trout.

Until the death o£ Mr Henry Fell Pease, the Peases conld claim that, with'four members, they made.the.laiyjfisfc.party. of any. one family, in. the House of .Cqtiimpns.,. Tho three.Tvhoreipain are Sir Joseph" PeW and his son "(Mr'J1". A. Pease) and Mr Arthur Pease, who is Sir Joseph's brother. To send- three members of a family to Parliament at the same time is, however, still a distinction,- and ifc is very seldom that there are three brothers in Parliament, as there are no-v inthecaae of the Messrs Healy. Ailillerenfcfamily party of three is made by Mr Leonard Courtney, Mr Heuiy Hobhouse, and Mr Cripps, Q.C., who married three sisters. Instances of two brothers, or of father and sou, flitting in the House together are miibh more numerous.

I« a. recent issue we published the extra- ' ordinary story of a youth in Victoria, who married,^ almost at.._ sight a girl and suddenly l«ft hisf- bride' :«fc Horsham a day or two afjer the wedding. The missing husband, Mr John Williams, has since reappeared. He explained that he h»d been from Horsham to Minyip, and had forgotteh tb tell his wife of his intended trip. The happiness anit mutual confidence of the^pair appear to have been completely restored, and they havo gone on together to' Adelaide, where the husband has obtained employment.

The Hon. W. J. Steward has been in correspondence with the Minister^ for Railways upon the question of the carriage of wool between Oamaru and Kurow, apd bajs received a" reply notifying that the • Minister; after careful considerfifibu, does not see his ..way to alter the existing l'ites'. '' " ' ;

, The-Southland News reports that Mr G. ftl. Bell,has recei,ved_noiice. from the chairman of the land Purchase Board that it is intended to inspect the Washpool property, comprising 1500 acres, some time during this month, with a view to acquiring the land under the provisions of the Land for Settlements Act:

. At' tho. Tallernaclei Great King street, last Suiidsy evening, there was a large gathering when Mr Wattjireacfied on " r A Riy of Light," and duriijg his remarks referred tb the faminestricken'in India. A collection of £9 was taken up on behalf of the ijufferers, and it is hopecj that this good example will bs followed by the other churches, in t^e citi;.

The man ThomM Willir.tn Brady, for whose ! murder "Willie" Phillips hag been committed for trial in Melbourne, seenis (the Argus says) , to have carried method aimoet to the lengths of madness.""His lead-pencil entries in the little monthly diaries fee carried showed that he re? corded ill his day's doings and the expenditure of all moneys—-even, to a. pfeiiijy—with ihe exactness of a man to whom all toa incidents of life'wer^ exactly proportionate. iri'he maida foi storing up scte.p»;'su'.-h as-'eipired railway tickets, buttbh-hole' bouqUetß,- and trifles of that" •kind was pronounced, while amongst -the heWs-. paper clippings, in his pocket book, were short scraps of verse, pointless; as a rule, even to a commonplace- niaifV"' One only had "some significance, in view of the statements made as to Brady's Conduct, 'Vfhich {have yet tp be .confirmed. This was a; dli'ppibg iv which some Wise man had expressed' the* vie* that women admired a masculine injin, and. the more he 'was ftdmired hy other, women the more ihey loved him. Amongst his,papers, was au invitation card to-a wedding,, which,,was to,b&ve been celebrated oft.,the.-day th§ inquest was beiug held on his body.

Mr'A.ißraudoii-Cremer- has secured the City Hall for the race-nights of this month. He intends producing Sydney Gcuudy's - fareicsl comedy in - three-'afcts; '''The ■' GnttSrpfiroba Girl, which,ran .for".nearly 500.nights at the Globe Theatre, London. . . ... ,

f Mr D. M.'Spedding will sell fruit at his rooms this morning, ■' .-_■ - . -'-.;; .. \ Messrs -Pa' k,.Reyncllds,' and Co. will sell Indian and'Ceylfin teas to-day. , '■-.■.. Messrs Dajeety and .Co;, announce that they will hold stock sales sit Wedderburn on the 13th, and at Kyeburn on the 15th iust..' .' ' - - .-' The Mai.'rt'Hiiri' uhcil notify:their intention to stop certain streets ; Messra W.rUht, .Stephensqn, and . Co. are prepaid to'sell privately, the Roxburgh estate, near the Lovell's Fiat "railway station. : ■ Tenders- for the; lease or sale of a Bull Creekproperty of 50 acreß are invited- ■ A notice is iunerted ,to. consignees by the Firth of forth, the captain of which disclaims responsibility for debts contracted by the crew. '■ As wiil'be riotice'd by bur -Amusement column, the Garrison Band purpose .giving a military conpert , xhortly. Judging by;the ability of those taking part, these should be 3 full house. : • The kineraatojraph will be at Outram and Mosgiel this week. ; " ~::. '■■':- .' Notice is given of intention'to construct a water jane on Fortification Crrek, Mount Hyde district. ■ The solid-.silver.casket: presented to Mrs J-.-G". Ward was mide : to otder-iiy the Mes-tra Lill/ Bros.', jewellers, George street, on whom-the work and design of the casket reflect great credit. We . have.. received the first number of the ."'Australian-Chess Annual," edited by Mr'H. B. Bignold, and published by Messrs George .Robertson and Co.

I Joh.n Hislop, rWatchrpaker, and .Jeweller, 47 rriijces sjreet. Thfe-bldeSt established house in town.'^l-teh'airsvbffaU .kinds: ; Good;assortment Wfttches. Clocks, and Oewellfiry; Spectacles to suit all,Mghts.^Aflvt:.'../ . .-■■['> ' '■■•/.'"■■ "■' :-' .

■ The Sale of the Season.—The general verdict is. after looking through all the, sale bargains in town, that Car*er and' CO. offer the" "best bargains, their goods beihf; fresh and ne* and useful and their prices, io many cases;des's than makers' prices: .Copie early ithd. see for yourselves. •

: j£looo worth* of special .-lines-at .enormous discount .for cash; of ,:meu's, youths', and boys' clothing now. selling at Moi.HSON and C6;'S,"IDS and 197 George Street.—Advfcr

Cr. ANDiT., .You«a'3 jailiiCed price list ;for rei paire: Watches thoroughly examined and cleaned; fe; best mainsprings fitted, as-; all other repairs at equally 16w rates. Only competent workmen omijloyed, aud all, work .under - the immediate supervisibu.Of Mrfl. ,G. -Young, a practical watchmaker.—Advt. .:■• i. ■- : .-.-: .... -, ... ..'■:. .:■ .. r

, Messrs A. and J. M'FABt.AKE'beg to cull attautiun r,n -eir advertisement over the leader. ' Any pr'.ers entrusted, to them, will receive the best attentioii.^-Adyt.': _•' ;....v7 ;..-.-'-.' -' -.' .' lv L