THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES MONDAY, JULY 30, 1900.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11798, 30 July 1900, Page 4

THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES MONDAY, JULY 30, 1900.

Does the Government wish to burke inquiry into the conduct of the Stoke Industrial School? The attitude taken up by Mr Seddon in the House of Hepresentatives on Friday afternoon certainly lays it under that suspicion. It is perfectly true that the Government has, in compliance with the request of the Nelson Charitable Aid Board, appointed a commission to inquire into the conduct of the school; but it has not appointed such a commission as the Charitable Aid Board asked for, and it has not granted an inquiry such as the board asked for. The board requested that a judge of the Supreme Court, whose findings would command general respect, should be appointed the commissioner. It is probable that a judge could not be spared to undertake the inquiry, and, although the judges are the only servants the colony has whose tenure of office renders them absolutely independent of Parliament and politicians, we have fortunately not yet reached that stage when absence of bias and perfect

impartiality are to be found only on the Supreme Court bench. The Government, instead of appointing a judge, appointed a stipendiary magistrate and an ex-magistrate as the Eoyal Commissioners to hold the inquiry. And this appointment would be quite satisfactory were it not for a circumstance to

hich we shall refer later

But it is

most unsatisfactory that the Government, in issuing the commission to

Messrs Bush and Wardell, limited the scope of the inquiry to two years. The immediate effect of this is to hamper the Charitably Aid Board, which is the corn-

plainant, and to narrow the inquiry down to limits under which it cannot be so exhaustive as, in the interests- of

the public, is desirable. In the interests of the institution itself, if its management lias been what it should have been

—if the regulations have been complied with and the conduct of the school has in other respects been free from impro-

pricties—it is obviously desirable that the inquiry should bo as exhaustive as is possible. Now, there was an inquiry

—only a departmental inquiry, perhaps, of a perfunctory kind, but still an inquiry—held fivo years ago. Why should the scope of the present inquiry not embrace the whole period since the last

niquiry was held? It would seem the most natural thing in the world to make the inquiry cover the interval of five

years. Hut Mr Seddon declines to recognise the desirability of this, and has definitely asserted that the Government

not extend the scope of the investi-

gallon from a period of two years to one of five years. Once more, therefore,

the " orcler^ of reference " is to prove an obstacle to* a full and satisfying inquiry. The greater part of the evidence accumulated by tlio Charitable Aid Board is as a consequence to bo excluded. Wo do not venture to suggest what the motives of the Government are in thus limiting (he inquiry, but we do say that, whatever the •fincliiv.; of the commission may he, the effect of the limitation must Ihi prejudicial to the Stoke Industrial ftfhool. The refusal of the Government to accede to the wishes of the

Charitable Aid Board upon this point will at once create .a feeling of uneasiness. Why, it will be asked, should the Government decline to allow the inquiry to cover a, period of five years if there is not something to hide? Now that there is to be an inquiry, why should it not be searching and exhaustive? Why should it be limited to a period of two years when the complainant asks that it should cover a period of five years? These ara questions which will inevitably be asked, and it is no satisfactory answer to them to say, as the Premier has said, that "the Government would be no party to setting up an inquisition"; and that "it was quite clear that persecution was underlying the whole thing." Indeed, these statements by Mr Seddon will only strengthen the belief that the Govern- i mont really wishes to burke the whole inquiry, for they suggest at once a spirit of partisanship in him, and not only that, but also a disposition to preiudo-e tho matter. It is unfortunate that the Premier should appeal-, when the conduct of the school is being made tho subject of inquiry, to adopt the role of advocate for it, but it is more unfortunate, in the public interest and in the interest of the institution itself, that lie should contrive to prevent the inquiry being as thorough as it is obviously desirable it should be. The Government is acting unwisely in limiting the scope of the inquiry, for it is plain that the rumours and insinuations respecting the school which are certain to obtain currency through the exclusion of evidence which the Charitable Aid Board has collected, will be infinitely more damaging to it than direct evidence of mismanagement would be should such be'forthcoming. But it is not only in this respect that the Government has acted with questionable wisdom in connection with this matter. The Stoke Industrial School is a Roman Catholic institution, the management of

which is in the hands of members of the order of Christian Brothers. The Government has nevertheless thought it 'fitting io appoint a Roman Catholic as one of the Commissioners to inquire into the conduct of the school. - "We "refer to Mr Wardell. We do not suggest that Mr Wardell will not approach the consideration of 'the evidence tendered before the Commission with a perfectly judicial mind, or that his sense of fairness will for a moment desert him. But he has been placed in a position of peciiliar invidiousness. The Government ought not under the circumstances to have offered him a seat on the Commission, and he would hare been wise, when it was offered to him, if he had refused it. His presence on the Commission is a direct challenge to a section of the community, which will not hesitate to place a sinister construction iipon it. And if the report of the Commission is favourable to the school, is it imaginable that,

the Commission being constituted as it is, the finding will be accepted by the entire public as fair and satisfactory? Is it not plain that the personnel of the Commission will'give to those who may be' displeased with the finding a con-venient-peg upon which to hong their grievances? It must be evident that the Government both' in settliug the scope of the inquiry and in deciding the constitution of the Commission, has adopted the very course that will pro-voke-whisperings' and create a feeling of< dissatisfaction with the whole proceedings in connection with the investi- .

gation. Mr Seddou would have done much to reassure the public mind if he had consented to enlarge the scope of the Commission. His obstiuate refusal to depart from his original determination upon that point will only serve to intensify the belief that he does not desire that the inquiry shall be full and convincing. -' '

While we entirely agree with Mr Seddon that it is expedient that facilities should not be given to members of the New Zealand force in South Africa to leave their contingents in order to join the local mounted police, and even that obstacles should be placed hi the way of their leaving so long as the war is in.

progress, we. are utterly at a loss to

understand upon what} principle he proposes to refuse the New Zealand medal to the men in our colonial contingents who will accept commissions in the Imperial Army. 'Everyone who remains in che New Zealand contingents will receive a

medal, but the decoration will not be granted to any. who exchange into the Imperial Army. That is the decision of Mr Seddon. It is a decision which may deprive absolutely the best officers in the New Zealand contingents of the privilege of wearing the medal bestowed by thejr own colony. It is for that reason an un-

just decision. It is for another reason a quite extraordinary decision. Only a few months ago the intimation that the Home Government had agreed to place a number of commissions in the Imperial Army at the disposal of each of the colonies was received with a chorus of satisfaction in' the colonies themselves. This, it was felt, was a step that would promote in some measure the establishment of the Imperial connection. Mr Seddon, who has deservedly received a great deal of credit for the loftiness and strength of the Imperial sentiments to which he has given utterance, himself expressed the highest appreciation of the consideratoness of the action of the Imperial Government. Now, as Captain Russell well said on Friday last, the men who will go from the New Zealand contingents into the Imperial army are " the men who will cany on the Imperial idea :

they will become more than colonial soldiers." Yet these are the men, even

thotigh they may be the pick of the New Zealand contingents, who are not to be

allowed to wear the New Zealand medal. What is Mr Seddon's reason for punishing these men by excluding them from the privilege of wearing tho badge bestowed by their own colony for service in the war? Wo have it stated in these

—his own—words: "If any of the New Zenlanders got a commission in the Imperial army it would simply be because their parents could afford it, and he was not going to give medals for that reason." Could anything be more paltry? It strikes us as Inexpressibly petty, and, indeed, jjositirely mean.

On Saturday afternoon a young man ■ mod Hush Hannn, employed by Messrs J. ibson and. Co., noticed smoke issuing from

Mos-tb J. Rnttray and Sons' free store in Ovawford street. With commendable promp-

tftiido lie called up the Fire Brigade by telephone, acquainting them with the fact, and :i minute or two later the brigade turned

Forcing' an entrance, Captain Mitchell

and ln's men found a bag of sawdust on fire, from which the flames bad spread to three cases of castor oil. Tho wooden covering-

was ■ just about 'burned through when discovered. Close by was a quantity of kerosene, and had tlie lire got a little better start the consequences would have been decidedly

I • It will perhaps be interesting to cyclists to know that for the five- weeks ending July 23 the tollkeper on the Portobello road extracted £9 6s from wheelmen. If the cycle traffic yields nearly £2 per week in midwinter, it may be safely assumed that this amount will be more than doubled during, the summer. This payment for the privilege of using the road is frequently the subject of attempted humour, and the other day a stranger cyclist on the way down to Broad Bay inquired of a passing wheelman the distance. " About five miles, I think," replied the wheelman, " but if you go on you will be told" (tolled). The stranger looked puzzled, but perhaps the significance of the remark appeared to him when the tollkeeper collected a njodest con-' tribution. towards the maintenance of the

road.

The seating accommodation of the Garrison Hall last evening wa,s quite insufficient for the congregation that assembled there, and a number of persons had to go away, while nearly 100 stood throughout the service. The Rev. W. A. Sinclair, in. sppaking about the lack of seating accommodation, said the overcrowding happens so frequently thai the mission would have to apply to the trustees of the hall for extra chairs. Mr Sinclair took his text from James i, 23-25, and addressed himself specially to the young women present. . At the close of the service a special meeting for young women only was conducted by Sisters Ruth and Marie. A very large number remained, and appeared to take a deep interest in the proceedings. The North-East Valley Brass Band mustered in strong force yesterday, and, under their bandmaster, Mr Cook, marched up from the Valley and attended divine service at St. Paul's Cathedral in the morning. At intervals in the service they played the anthem "Bright and beautiful is the,morn" (by Newton) and a march from "Rienzi." The - congregation was a large one, and the preacher was Bishop Nevill, who chose . for his text the forty-second verse of the twenty second chapter of St. Matthew. The band also played both going to and coming from the church. A public meeting of ratepayers in the Portobello Road district was held at Portobello on Saturday to hear objections against closing a dotted road line through section 2 of 2, block V, Otago Peninsula district. There were a dozen ratepayers present, and Mr Dickson (chairman of the road board) presided; There was no objection to the proposal, and a resolution was unanimously passed in favour of tho road being stopped! Persons in the habit of using hair dyes should take warning f^om a case which was occupying the attention of the Paris police last month. A large number of elderly persons, who, attracted by alluring advertise-

ments, sought to make themselves look

younger by the aid of certain colouring pre-

parations, are now suffering from eczema and

other skin diseases.

The police seized an

enormous quantity of these alleged youth re-

storers, which the analysts declare to /be more

appropriately termed death hasteners.

A Chicago telegram, dated June 4, says:— An important organisation of former British subjects, now naturalised American

citizens, has just been formed here.

members pledge themselves to vote only for

candidates of the political party which shows

friendliness to England. In Illinois alone there are 50,000 voters knitted to England by

the closest ties, while the British voting ele-

ment throughout the United States will, if

combined, constitute a powerful factor in

American politics.

TJie organisation will

support the Kepubliean party at the coming

election if the pro-Boer resolution is omitted

Tom the platform,

Hunting men with bloodhounds is becoming a popular form of amusement in some of the

Southern States. The Deep Run Hunt Club, a "swagger" organisation of Riehmolid, Virginia, took part in an exciting chose of this kind recently. A white man and a negro, hired for the occasion, having been given two hours' start, three ferocious bloodhounds were

turned loose on their trail, followed by tho mounted huntsmen. The hunt started from Suffolk, a village on the edge of tho famous Dismal Swamp. After a few miles' run the hounds, baying furiously, caught sight of the men, who were terribly frightened, and barely managed, by climbing a tree, to escape being

mi to pieces. This inhuman sport is inignantly denounced by tho press.

Tho news that Lord Kensington has icen wounded in South Africa reminds

M.A.P." that not many of our aristocracy uive been born under a more unlucky star,

so far as accidents aro concerned, than this peer. Once, when he was playing polo, ho had a severe accident. Hardly had he recovered when he had a bad smash in tho

hunting field,

At the beginning of tho pre-

sent war he left tho Household Cavalry to join a Hussar regiment, so as to get out to South Africa. He left England iv a trans-

port which first had to put back into Milford

Haven, and subsequently went ashore near

the Cape of Good Hope.

Hardly had he

landed and joined General 'French's Cavalry

when he got among some barbed wire, with the result that his horse fell, and he was in-

jured in the ankle and had to go into hospital. No sooner had lie recovered and re-

joined his regiment than, ho was wounded

again—this time, however, by a Maivw bullet!

serious. As it was, the burning material was removed and danger averted. The damago done was trifling.

About three months ago' attention was called in these columns to the fact that the Anderson's Bay bridge was in a dangerous condition for traffic. For a long time the Portobcllo Road Board had been aware of this,- and in May last took in hand in all good faith in the work of renewing the bridge and loweiing it. It will perhaps be remembered that the 'bridge was raised some years ago by an Order-in-Council at the request of the now defunct ferry company, to enable their steamboat the Pioneer to pass under it. No sooner had the board pulled down the anproaches to the bridge than they were confronted with opposition, and, having failed to obtain the required authority to undo what had previously been done by the Governor in Council, they found themselves in an awkward position. Like moßt local bodies, their credit was hardly as good as that or the Electric Dredging Company, and if they were compelled to spend Bcfmo £300 in replacing the bridge, bankruptcy stared them in the fade. Matters having thus come to a deadlock, the board closed the road leading to the bridge, .and for the 'last two months the traffic to and from North-East Harbour, has been compelled to take a circuitous route through Anderson's Bay. The board then deputed their chairman (Mr Dickson) and Mr Macandrew to proceed to Wellington and to seek relief f rom tlle Minister of Public U orks; and incidentally, as it turned out, the member for Caversham. Mr Morrison, it appeared, had evidently first obtained the ear of the Hon. Mr Hall-Jones, and perhaps this accounted partly for .the uncompromising attitude of the Minister. " You will never get the bridge lowered as long as I am in the House, said Mr Morrison ; while the Minister said he would listen to nothing until the board replaced the bridge, and he would hold members of the board personally responsible for what had been done. Mr Morrison, evidently drawing on a vivid imagination, talked about the yachts that he had seen sail under the bridge, and in the face of such evidence the deputation felt that they were hardly prepared to present their grievance on its. merits. Eventually, however, with the assistance of Mr E. G. Allen, a promise was obtained from the -Minister for assistance, and. the sum of £200 has been granted by the Government to assist the board out of their difficulty. 1" is not to be wondered at that the board do not find much pleasure in the situation, and in expressing his feelings on the question at Saturday's meeting of the board the chairman made-use of a- rather remarkable metaphor: "It is a" bitter pill, indeed," he said, "to have to climb down." There tvere 24- patients discharged from the hospital during the past week and 26 admitted. Three patients (named James Watt, Catherine Medex, and John Hunter) died, and the patients remaining number 198. The number at the end of the previous week was

The complimentary concert by the Dunedin Liedertafel tendered to their lion, conductor, Mr Jessie Timson, tnkes place at theGarrison Hall to-night.

The entertainment to be given on Wednesday evening to raise funds for the improvement of the Carisbrook ground promises to bo very successful. Cricketers, athletes, and the public are now recognising that they run the risk of losing this ground altogether if this appeal is not heartily responded to, and the committee promoting the entertainment confidently anticipate the assistance of all who take an interest in athletics and sports generally. At a meeting of the Entertainment Committee on Friday the excellent programme submitted was adopted with one or two' slight alterations. It now remains with members of the Pirates Football Club, Carisbrook Cricket Club, and Dunedm Amateur Athletic Association to push the sale of tickets. If the matter is taken up spiritedly they will meet with few refusals.

Sales of grain and produce will be held today as follows:—Messrs Donild Reid and-Ca., at 10 a.m.; Messrs Dalgety and Co., at 10.30 a.m.; Messrs A. Moritzson and Co., at 10.45 a.m.

Messrs Park, Reynolds, and Co. will hold a sule of furniture, etc., on the premises, Dowling street, on Monday, August 6. ° ■ The Railway department invite tenders for the supply and delivery of castor-oil. The annual general meeting of members of the Eoslyn Bowling Club will .be held thin evening. The annual general meeting of members of the Tnhuna, Park Trotting Club will be held this evening.

Applications are invited for the position of liandicapper to the Dunedin Jockey Club. The Otago Harbour Board invite tenders for the supply and delivery of broken metal. A trial of the Osborne riding spring-tooth

Larrow will.be held at North Taieri to-morrow . Messrs Dalgety and Co. will sell 50 fat bul lodts at Burnside on Wednesday next. ■ The Otago Education Board invite offers for tie purchase-of a section at Pomahaka and for the tenancy of a section at Naseby. Moat of us have ceased to believe in fairies, biu we Have not discovered the philsophy of their tales yet. It is a- very fascinating subject. That is to be the theme of the Rev. P. ] v- Fairclough's lecture to-night in the St. Andrew's Hall, under the auspices of the Literary Institute. In Mr Fairclough's hands it will be sure to have an able and interesting analysis.

. Notice of Romovel.—James R. Scott, commission agent, produce exporter, secretary . -National Dairy Association, removed to Agricultural Hall Buildings, Crawford street,, Dunei3in. New' telephone number 861.—Advt. The place, to purchase presents is undoubtedly G. and.T. Yobsg's, watch and jewellery establishment, 88 Princes street. You can always rely upon getting value for your money thero, See advt. first page. John Hisw, oldest established Watchmaker and Jeweller, 74 Princes street. Good assortment, patches, Clocks, and Jewellery. Spectacles suit all sights.—Advt. The most Reliable Cough .Curs is Baxter's Lung Preserver; it is a really excellent preparation; it will cure. coughs, colds, sore "throats, the terrible hacking cough of consumption, and all affections of the throat and lungs. It is also unequalled . in, cutting short the paroxysm in Asthma. Baxter's Lung Preserver is the cough cure of the century; it can be given to youn" and old with perfect safety. Sold.by all chenTists in bottles—ls Gd- and 2s 6d.—Advt. ■ _Who is Peter Dick?— The most reliable Watchmaker and Jeweller, opposite Coffee Palace, Moray place, Dunedin. Charges stricth moderate.—Advt.

. To-day.—Carter's Great Sale. Tremendous bargains in all departments. Come early and see for yourselves. Carter's Great Sale.—Ac!vt. • Monster sale boots and shoes, slightly soiled by recent fire, grentiy reduced prices.—llender--80N and Gray's, Rattray street.—Advt.