COMMERCIAL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11797, 28 July 1900, Page 6

COMMERCIAL.

Daily Times Office, Friday evening. The amount of revenue collected at the custom hpuse to-ilay on goods cleared for consumption was £23CH- 17s sd. The proprietors of the Union Bank of Australia, liaye declared a dividend of 17s 6d tor share for the half-year, equal to 7 per cent, per'annum,'which is now payable to colonial shareholders.. .

The successful flotation is reported of the Mandl Brewery Opmrjany (Limited), situated at Hokitika, with a capital of £4Q,000..

THE TEA MARKET.

A cablegram was received in town yesterday from Colombo advising an advance in Ceylon teas, and withdrawing-former, limits.

THE SLUMP IN THE RABBIT MARKET.

In its issue of June 7 the following appears from its Smitbfieid reporter in the British Australasian: — .

. The Australasian rabbit season just closing has been the worst known. At no time throughout its .course has it been lively; it closes in a condition that mieans loss to nearly everybody engaged in it, and may be disastrous to same. The causes are not far to seek. In the beginning it suffered from customers being led to fight shy of rabbits on account of the ■large number of old stored New Zealand rabbits worked off, These were hardly cleared away.long enough for the market to gain tone when the salvage of a large consignment of dainagpd rabbitp began to be dribbled out, and so continued for nearly, if not Quite, a couple of months. This was clearly a mistaken policy. Had . the good rabbits been separated from the bad in store, repacked, and put on the market in the ordinary way, no harm would have been done. By weeding them out gradually, and selling those that escaped condemnation for what they would bring over a long period ol time, the whole market was so affected that prices, met by this check, sank again just as they were beginning to recover, and remained at low and lower levels during the rest of the season. These causes, though sufficient at any time to affect the returns sensibly, would not of themselves have had such a very serious effect in other years, but when, an was the cass this year, the quantity coming in was unprenedently large, sellers could do nothing to resist the tendency created by these untoward circumstances. English rabbits were far more plentiful than they have been for many years past, and, favoured -by the protracted cold weather, which warded off the breeding' season till late in the year, they contii'ued to come in great numbers up to a much later period than is ordinarily the case. Australian rabbits have literally poured iv. Returns show that the arrivals since January 1 are three times as great as last year. Here are the figures of the last three years, for the four months ending April 30 in each year: —

05,402 cwt, valued at, £82,570 21,789 cwt, valued at 28,8-14

20,731 cwt, valued at Q7,G6a

It does nqt take much acumen to enable one to realise something of the effect which this crushing weight of stock in hand has had in paralysing the efforts of agents and salesmen to mecjt the depressing circumstances already recounted. Their hands are tied. There was nothing for it bjit to accept the inevitable, and take what they could get. Even thus the quantity sold is ceitainly not more than lust .year, at the very highest estimate, and \here is'practically no market for rabbits now at any price. The other day a few cases of selected New Zealand rabbits, freshly landed, and averaging 221b were sold for G^d. The seller would willingly let a good many more go at 6d if he could meet o. buyer. The result is that, unless some quite unforeseen contingency arises, the enormous stocks now on hand must be carried over in cold stores until August or September next at a cost of lj ; d to'2d per rabbit. Anyone with a taste for calculation can arrive at a rough estimate of how much this will amount to in the whole by taking the difference between last year's and this year's arrivals as the quantity on hand. The prospect is clearly not a pleasant one for heavy holders, even when theae are so fortunately situated as to be able to. bear the stram without injury io their position or credit. For those who have speculated largely on limited resources the chances of extraction are not rosy.

It is a far cry to next season, but anyone who contemplates shipping to this market then would do well to bear in mind that he must reckon with, an immense stock of stored rabbits, of which the holders will doubtless be glad to dispose at any fair price obtainable.

NORWICH UNION FIRE INSURANCE

SOCIETY.

The annual meeting of the above society was held 'at Norwich on June 5. The report submitted showed that the net premium income for tho year ending 31st December, 1890, amounted to .£901,558. The net premium income for 1898 amounted to £'341,010. After setting, aside one-third of the premiums (£320,519) as a reserve against liabilities on policies not run off, the balance at the credit of profit and loss account, including Uie unappropriated balance, £217.023, brought forward from the previous year, is £268,450, out oi which an interim dividend of £1 per share was paid in January last, and a further dividend of £2 per share, with the addition of a bonus of £1, had been declared, by the board, payable on the 7th .Tr.i-.s, The undivided balance is £213,450,

degree effective. Among other changes he suggests that Chinese should either be prohibited from keeping laundries or bs obliged to observe the same hours as women workers. In dealing with a proposed "Workmen's Compensation Act, the method successfully adopted in some parts of the Continent of Europe is recommended, whereby employers insure themselves collectively against claims for compensation foi accident. The report says with perfect truth.:—"lt is only by some similar system in which there is a common interest among insurers to see that no single member of their league invites loss for the whole by careless and criminal exposure of his workmen to dangerous conditions, that safety is to be found." It appears that some important legal decisions have been given during the year by the Court of Appeal in cases of accidents and disputes, and about 30 pages of the report are taken up in detailing a number of these cases, some of which are exceedingly interesting. A somewhat sweeping alteration is proposed in the constitution of Conciliation Boards. Mr Tregear suggests that instead of a permanent and continuous Board of Conciliation in each district, there should be a board appointed for each dispute, consisting of such men as are well acquainted. with the technicalities of the trade the case concerns. Their decision would be more competent and carry greater weight than that of a board constituted under the present Act, whiqh may consist, say, of a tailor, a baker, a butcher, and a carter, with a clergyman or a lawyer in the chair, and be called upon to decide on technical points of -dispute concerning trades with which they have absolutely nothing in common. There are difficulties in the way of the proposed scheme, and it would be well to obtain the thoughtful opinions of men whose interests are likely to be affected before sc serious an alteration is attempted. Suggestions for another vital' amendment have been received from various representatives of both, employers and empleyed in different' localities—namely, that in case both parties to a dispute agree, the Conciliation Boai-d should be passed by altogether, and the case commenced in the , Arbitration Court. It is pointed out j that "' valuable time is lost by suitors before the Conciliation Board when there is an expressed determination not to take notice of the board's recommendation whatever it may he, but to proceed to the Arbitration Court, whose power to bind is not possessed by the board." The institution of the Conciliation Board is, however, an integral portion of the Act as it now stands, and its abolition cannot be considered until public opinion has pronounced it obsolete. Mr Tregear in the course of his report deals in a kindly and sympathetic spirit with the questions of overtime, earlyclosing, etc., and points out that much is yet to be done before the conditi}us inidei which young girls are employed ia factories and shops are placed on a thoroughly satisfactory . basis. He also states that ■ many complaints are made by clerks, and by storemen in warehouses, as regards the. hours of overtime extracted from them without any adequate remuneration. Office employees are not only worked at night, but it is; asserted they have often to be in attendance for several hours on Sunday,, and this numerous class of person requires more protection than is "liow afforded by the existing law. As a remedy, it is suggested that- the provisions contained in section 55 of v The Factories Act, 1894," relating to hours, ,etc, should be made applicable to them. The officer in charge of the women's branch of the Department of Labour—Miss Helen Staveley—makes some excellent remarks with regard to the question of domestic service. She states that each year this seems to grow more distasteful to working girls, and points out what she considers some of the principal reasons why they prefer factory or laundry woi'k, no matter how small the weekly pay is. We fear that her somewhat severe strictures on the conduct of mistresses towards their servants are not altogether without foundation, although there is much to be said on the opposite side of the question. There are many other interesting questions touched upon in the report which we are compelled to pass over. We find that between three and four hundred men are now employed in the construction of the "Otago Central railway, which is practically the largest public work in the South Island, and lias absorbed from time to time large numbers of the unemployed. The total number ef employees in the colony under "The Factories Act, 1894," at the end of the present financial year was, as we have already stated, 48,935, and the total number of factories 6438, the bulk of these being sawmills, boot manufactories, printing, bookbinding, and stationery establishments, engineering works, etc. The various woollen mills employ an aggregate of 1469 hands. Parliament having decreed that the control of the State farm at Levin should be vested in the Stock department, the whole of the plant, etc., valued .at considerably over £4000, will be handed over to that department very shortly. The land, which was originally bought for £4 per acre, is now valued by competent persons at £16. There is now about 650 acres felled, grassed, and subdivided, with wells, windmills, new cottages, and dairy buildings, and everything complete for carrying on dairy farming. Generally speaking, the whole of the report points to a degree of commercial prosperity that has seldom or never been equalled. Wages are high, work of every kind plentiful, and the outlook encouraging; and although, as we have pointed out, there are many matters in connection with the working of the labour laws which require revision or amendment, even in the opinion of Government officials, to render them thoroughly beneficial and effective, it would, perhaps, be hard to find any other country in the world where the conditions of life for. the average working man (and woman) are more favourable, or more conducive to social and domestic happiness, than they are in New Zeab'.nd.

Mr Caracross's Libel Bill was rejected in the House of Representatives on Thursday night by a majority of three. It is only too clear that some members are prevented by personal feelings and animosities from doing justice to a proposal which merely represents ordinary fairness, and is by no means over-gener-ous to the press of the colony. The Bill provided that " fair and accurate" reports of judicial pi-oeeedings and public meetings should be privileged, with full provision against the publication of mi-

desirable matter and against unfairness on the part of newspapers. It also provided for the consolidation of actions brought against two or more defendants in respect to the same libel, with a view to limiting the receipt of greedy and unscrupulous plaintiffs, who, under the present law, have an inducement to become adventurers, so to speak, in the libel action business. The proposals were obviously reasonable, but the majority of members could not rise to the occasion, j and we are sorry to note that the Pre- ' mier set au example of misrepresentation. "It was his duty to protect the rights and privileges of the people"!— yes, and consequently it was his duty to support Mr Carncross's Bill. As for the absurd assertion that the Bill " might lead to homes being invaded," we are bound to suppose that Mr Seddon had : not taken the trouble to read the Bill. ; Either this, or he wantonly misstated ; the facts. The Bill sought to privilege ; nothing but " fair and accurate" re- j ports of public proceedings: how, in ! the name of common sense, could the i granting of such privilege " lead to j homes being invaded" ? Very paltry j were some of the speeches delivered by members, obviously smarting under press criticism, but we shall not answer these foolish persons according to their folly. '"Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers," —wisdom and -fairness, —but the lingering will not last for ever, and newspaper people must possess their souls in patience, knowing that justice will be done to them at no distant date. In the meantime the opponents of Mr Camcross's Bill may be left to their consciences, which should plague them in the still watches of the night.

What Frenchman was it who expressed his approval of the abolition of capital punishment but insisted that "• messieurs les assassins " should make the first move in the desired direction? The epigram hits the situation to a nicety. The House of Representatives appears to have been in an unwontedly sensible mood on Wednesday night: at all events it had the wisdom to send Mr Collins's Abolition of Capital Punishment Bill to the rightabouts by a vote of 49 to 9. The New South Wales Parliament rejected a similar Bill the other day. Ultra-sentinieirtalism is not the fashion just now : according to Richard Le Gallienne, war and Kipling have hardened us all; anyhow, we arc hi no mood to weep o.rer the murderers fate. For our own. part, we believe that Mr Collius is wrong in supposing that the fear of the rope does not act as a deterrent. The terrible experience of the "United States (where capital punishment is practically a dead letter) is against the contention of the senior member for Christchurch, —most of whose arguments, by the way, smack of the debating society. Mr Morrison tellingly cited the case of Switzerland,, " where capital punishment was abolished in 1874, but so grea.t had become the increase of murders and crimes of violence that capital punishment was re-enacted." Many a miscreant, who will not risk hanging, would risk imprisonment for life. The one little bit of solid argument on the side of the abolitionists was thus stated by Mr Collins: " Again, no matter how carefully the jury may act, cases arise where men are innocently condemned." True, but there is reason to believe that such cases are very rare, and we cannot agree that murder should go inadequately punished, and possibly become rampant, for the sake of guarding against the possibility of a tragic mistake being made, say, once in a decade. The other possibility is by far'the more tragic of the two.

In the Legislative Council yesterday the Westport Harbour Board Bill, providing for the borrowing of £50,000, was passed. Progress was reported on the Workers' Compensation for Accidents and Education Board Elections Bills.

In' the House of Representatives yesterday questions engaged attention for the whole afternoon. The Imprisonment for Debt Limitation Bill was passed in the evening, the Premier promising to amend in the other Chamber the clause which provides that no commitment order shall be made for sums under £20. i'he Public Contracts, Native Interpreters' Classification, Liinatics Act Amendment, and Noxious Weeds Bills were also passed. In the latter a new burden was imposed on landowners, who will be required to keep free from noxious weeds onehalf of the width of roads abutting on their properties.

The case of Aitchison v. the Kaitangata Railway and Coal Company (Limited) lias been fixed to come on for hearing at the Supreme Court on Friday, August 17, at 10.30 a.m. Mr F. R. Chapman and Mr W. C. MacGregor (instructed by Messrs Sievwright and James) are to appear for the plaintiffs, and Mr Solomon and Mr Woodhouse (instructed by Mr Allan Holmes) for the defendant company.

The jubilee of the Baptist denomination in this colony falls due next year, and it is proposed to celebrate it, especially at Nelson, where the first Baptist Church in the colony was formed under the care of the Rev. Decimus Dolomore. In connection with the celebration, the Baptist Union has invited the Rev.. J. G. Greenhough, M.A., of Leicester, to visit New Zealand as a representative of the Baptists of England. Mv Greenhough has just sent word of his acceptance of the position. He proposes to spend October and November of 1901 in visiting the Baptist Churches, and will attend the annual meetings of the union pt Nelson. Mr Greenhough is one of the most prominent and popular ministers of the denomination in the old country, and one of the most influential Free Churchmen. He has recently been elected president of the Evangelical Free Church Council. He is a powerful and eloquent preacher, a capable and i popular lecturer, an ardent advocate of : foreign missions, and his public deliverances j will, it is expected, prove exceedingly effective in advancing the religious interests of the colony. The polling in South Taieri special rating j district for a loan of £6000 for metalling the roads in Heuley and Maungatua took | place, on Thursday, when. 101 votes were re- j corded for the proposal and 43 against it. Several of the- voters travelled long distances to vote. From a Home paper it appears that Mr j Andrew Sharp, well known in connection j with the Phcenix Company, of this city, who i went Home with Mr Wilkinson some months j ago, effected a plucky reseuo from drown- I ing recently near Gourock pier, in the Firth ! of Clyde. During the passage of his steamer j up the Firth a small boat, in which were ! three men, capsized about half a mile from the pier. The captain of the steamer at once issued ins^ ttions for the launching of j a life boat, but before this could be done j Mr Sharp had plunged from the steamer | into the water. He reached one of the vie- j tims of the accident, who was clinging to j the boat, and held him above water till as- ! sistanee arrived. Tho other two occupants j of the boat were drowned. !

Farewell will be taken at the Hanovor

street Baptist Church on Thursday next, Angaist 2, of Mi?s Beckingsale, who is about (o resume her missionary work at. Chandpore, in Eastern Bengal, India. Miss Beck- : ingsale left Dunedin five years ago as an ' at>-ent of the New Zealand Baptist Missionary Society, and iuler spending four yeiirs

ill India returned for a year's furlough. Her health has been sufficiently recruited to warrant her in resuming the beneficent work to which she has dedicated her ability and experience. Her skill as a nurse will be of jpecial service to Dr North, the medical missionary of the society, for whose work a hospital is shortly to be erected. In addition to nursing the sick, Miss Beckingsale will visit the women in ti-eir zenanas. At the farewell meeting the Rev. A. North will presfde, and Revf. F. W. Boreham and John Muirhead will speak.

When the solicitor for Messrs R. Bell and Co. was addressing the Arbitration Court in the match factory case (says the Post), ho said that if the wages demands of the Matchmakers' Union was adopted- by the board the company's operations might- be so seriously hampered as to threaten the carrying on of the industry. The President of the Court (Mr Justice Martin), replied, that it was a consideration with the court whether it would not be better to stop a trade or industry altogether which could not give to girls or women a wage which would enable them to live, honest lives. The colony was .not bettered by. an ■ industry which forced girls on to the streets to supplement their darnings. His Honor foresaw such a set of circumstances arising which would compel the court to face the question and decide whethei an industry should be allowed to exist which could not pay a living wage.

A singular case came before Mr Stanford, stipendiary magistrate,: at New Plymouth, the other day. The Herald reports that' a roan, whose hair is whitened by the snow of many winters of life, prayed that his wife be made to contribute towards his support. In his evidence he stated that during the 32 years he was in receipt of a, salary, lie had always given his money to his wife, who had purchased four houses, and at the present time was drawing rent from three, besides having £300 in the bank. All he received was 9d a day Queen's pension, which he often expended in the purchase of-:coal. Now that he was destitute, the wife had turned him out of doors, and refused to give him anything. The defendant did not appear. His Worship made ah order for the payment of 10s per week, and to prevent the disposal of the property; a copy of the order is to be filed in the Supreme' Court.

At a meeting of the Labour Day. Association, held on Friday evening, the president (Mr G. A. Pearce) Hi the chair, the; programme presented, by the Sports Committee was, .with a few alterations, passed. Among the principal items is one of a military display, to include night alarm, tentpegging, cutting the Turk's head, etc.; the Labour Day Handicap, value £21 15s, and a, Wheel Race of the value of £22; besides the usual sports programme of wrestling, walking, running, etc. Substantial prizes will, also be given to trades' processions, etc.

At a general meeting of the Dunedin. Starr-Bowkett Building Society, held jasi; night, the forty-first appropriation of £500 was balloted for, when cluster No. 60 - was drawn, the five shares being held by one

member.

Some 140 couples attended at the. Garrison Hall last night on the occasion of Messrs A. and T. Burt's annual ball. The hall was ■quite transformed by the tasteful decorations, of Mr Sutton, and presented quite a festive spectacle when the floor was crowded with the dancers in their, bright evening costumes. Mr Burt led off the grand march, and dancing was carried on with spirit to the strains of fiimmel's Band until 4' a.m. A large* number of visitors occupied the gallery during the early part of the evening. The. arrangements of the secretary, Mr Hopkins, and his committee were all that could be desired, and the catering, in the hands of Mr Kroon, gave general satisfaction. A number of solos were rendered during intervals between the dances.

The Pollard Opera Company successfully revived " The Geisha" at the Princess TKeatre last night, and the popularity of. this lively Japanese opera shows no sign of .diminishing. The audience evinced the warmest approval of the tanging and acting of the performers, and especially singled out the principals on several occasions during the evening. . Miss May Beatty was as charming as over in the part of 0 Mimosa. San, while Miss Wilmot Karkeek, as Miss Molly Seamore, and Miss Gertie Campion as Juliette Diamant filled their respective parts in a way that could give nothing but satisfaction. Mi- Percy, who is perhaps the most consistent member in the company in regard to the innumerable impersonations he has at his command, caused unlimited merriment in the character of Wun-tu, and was recalled several times for his rendering of " Ching, Ching, Chinaman." This afternoon a matinee will be given, when the gaily-dressed opera "The Gondoliers'- may be safely, calculated to draw a full house. In the evening the old-time- favourite "Pinafore", \yill be staged, and its reputation in addition to the merits of the company ought to ensure a successful close to a successful season.

The Alhambra Theatre was again capitallyattended last evening. To-night there is to be a complete change of programme. Mr Chas. Fanirig will introduce new comicalities, including "The Bush Whacker's Contingent." Miss Rose Belmont will make her last ap. psarance to-night, and sing " For old time'j sake."

TO-MORROW'S CHURCH SERVICES,

St. Paul's" Cathedral.—Holy communion, 8 a.m.; matins, 11 a.m. (preacher. Rev. A. Neild); evensong, 6.30 p.m. (preacher, the Bishop). St. Matthew's Church.—Holy communion, 8 a.m.; matins, 11 a.m.; evensong, G. 30 p.m. Preacher (morning and evening), Rev: W. Cur-zon-Siggers. First Church.—Morning, Rev. I. Jolly; evening, Rev. D. Pryor. ' ■'.-.. St. Andrew's' Church.—ll a.m. (" The Way to Liberty") and -6.30 p.m. ("The Evolution ol Sin'"'), Rev. Dr Waddell. " '' Trinity Wesleyan Church.—Jl a.m. and 6.30 p.m., Rev. P. W. Fairclough. " Wesley Church, CargiU road.—ll a.m. (". The Law of Liberty") and 6.30 p.m. ("The Unanswered Question.), Rev. T. G. Brooke. .. Methodist Central Mission.—ll a.m. and 6ißp p.m., Rev.' W. A. Sinclair. 'Special address4o young women. Subject, " The Two Mirrors." Catholic Apostolic Church, Maclaggan street. 3 p.m., Sermons on the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. Subject: " Redemption Complete and universal—lncludes Restoration of the Kingdom."

Messrs Park, Reynolds, and Co. will sell an assortment of trees'at their rooms at noon toC leasts James Samson and Co. will hold a. sale of furniture on the premises, near the corner of George and D.unclas streets, on Wednesday, August 1. ■ . . . , , At the Theosophical Society's rooms tomorrow evening, Mr D. W. M. Burn mil deliver a lecture-on "The Temple of the Living God/. The.annual meeting of the Society for the Protection of "Women and Children will be held in the Town Hall on Monday evening. Particulars of alterations in the railways time table appear in bur' advertising columns this morning-. . Applications are invited for the position of dred"emaster for the Electric Extended Gold Dredging Company. _ ' Applications are invited for the position .of dairy instructor 'at Hawkesbury Agricultural College, Richmond, New South Wales. Messrs Donald Reid and Co. will sell a freehold farm in the East Taieri district on Saturday, August 11. The first grade football match Union v. Pirates will be played on the Caledonian ground this, afternoon.

A special meeting of the Otago Rugby Football Union will be held'at the City Hotel on Saturday, August 11.

Tenders are invited for the supply of fencing anil cattle-stop timber for the Waipara-Cheviol railway.

The opening of the High street School Kindergarten will take place on Wednesday, August 1, at 10 a.m.

A notice appears in our advertising columns this morning with reference to a charge against a sanitary inspector at Roslyn. • •

The Dunedin Horticultural Society's prize schedule for the ensuing year may now be obtained at the seed shops in town or from the secretary of the society.

The programme for the Dunedin Liedertafel's concert on Monday evening is both varied and interesting. ' Miss Wignall will sing Gounod's " Aye Maria,' with organ, piano, and violin accompaniment. Hiss Wignall "studied with Mr Burns Walker, and the press reports of her performances say she possesses a dramatic voice of considerable power and good quality, and shows the results of careful training, producing her notes evenly throughout the whola range and enunciating with clearness and finish. Messrs Earth, Timson, and Taylor will play the " March " from " Tannhauser," while the society wilt sing two part songs, besides taking paxt in " The Desert." The opportunity should not be lost of hearing this symphonic ode, and, as the concert will be concluded in time for patrons to catch the Port train at 10.15, and suburban cars, wo anticipate a bumper ]ioi]s?i