THE SOUTH AFRICAN SERVICE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 12419, 31 July 1902, Page 4

THE SOUTH AFRICAN SERVICE

U itti the idea, doubtless, of trying to covcr up the very black tracks made by the Blue Star bungle, the Lyttelton Tillies is rc-vh'in<! the old story that I\ew Zealand producers cannot be very anxious to ship to South Africa since they have not taken advantage of the shipping facilities wbioli have been offered them in the past. And then we, are treated once more to the. old, old story of the Tvser line steamer which left- New Zealand half-full of cargo, and by which trip, it is stated, the owners lost £(5000. But in all such rehearsals the real point at issue is altogether missed, for it- cau easily bo proved that offing to the failure of the Government to provide a suitable steam service with South Africa, the colony lms lost, and is continuing to lose, right up to the present moment, a considerable and lucrative trade. One instance out of many may bo quoted. A New Zealand merchant—at one time a staunch Government supporter—after, visiting South Africa and being duly impressed with the opportunities for it-ado lvliich that country offered, interviewed Mr Seddon and urged liim to establish a direct service without delay. Fortified by the promise then given, he entered into a correspondence with South African firms, with the result that considerable credits were cabled out, and orders duly followed. After \Vaiting in vain for the Government service to start, he was forced to ship his first 'consignment of produce by a steamer casually put on the berth, with the l-esult that the Now Zealand cargo was carried on to London, and sold at a- considerable loss, As a natural outcome, the South African firms promptly recalled their credits andy washed their hands of all future New Zealand trade, whilst the merchant before mentioned', vowed vengeance against the Government, which had deluded him by promises and robbed him of much lucrative business. Such initial blunders, although serious enough in all conscience, might possibly have been remedied bad the Government steamers been ready to sail shortly after peace was declared, but the continual coquetting with Mr H. C. Sleigh and the inexplicable desire w'lneh the Government has displayed to assist, that gentleman in floating liis joint stock company has involved such delay as to relitlor New Zealand's chances of South African trading well nigh hopeless. It cannot bo too strongly reiterated that this was not a matter which private enterprise could

j properly cope with. The very purpose of ' a Government subsidy is to ensuro regu.lyr sailings, whother the steamers have | full cargoes or not, in order that a ; permanent market might gradually be established. .An advertisement that a : steamer will sail on such and such a date "if sufficient inducement offers" is of no use whatever. New Zealand can neyer hope to trade with South Africa j until oin* shippers cau definitely promise : to deliver goods at a fixed price and on , a certain date.

In connection ivith the moyoment to place the finances of tho University of Otago on a sound basis, tho following letter was forwarded yesterday by tho managing director of tlio Otago Daily Times and Witness Company:—"A. Hamilton, Esq., Registrar Olngo ynivorsily, 1 Dear Sir,—l am pleased to. observe from tho report of tho meeting held yesterday to consider tho question of fho University finance that a resolution was passed endorsing tlio proposal to call a meeting of well-wiahors of the institution for the purpocc of dovising means to place it on a permanently sound basis financially, a course which tile University Council will no doubt adopt. Tiic.ro can be little doubt that were the public' to bo officially asked by tlio University- Council, through its Chancellor, to meet them' and discuss the unfortunate position in which tho University is placed through its crippled- finance si hearty response would lie evoked, and that a splendid result might with -confidence hnvlooked for to an appeal to tlio people of Otago and Southland for tlio funds ncecssary to place the finance of tho University on a thoroughly sound bast'. I have pleasuro in enclosing a cheque for £100 as the Daily Times and Witness Company's contribution to the University funds; and in doing so I wish to say that I fool suro it is only the first of many similar, donations that will be given by tho public, when the effort is made to provide the council with an assured revenue sufficient to enable it to carry on its important work in a generous spirit, instead of being obliged,to saovifico important features of tho University course, ar.d generally live a hand-to-mouth existence. I may mention that, in reply, to a letter.! addroesed to tlw Westport Loal Company in advocacy of some plan for assuring the University ample means for the future, I have just received a reply from the general manager in which he informs me that his hoard, in subscribing £50 for the Univeiaitys.present needs, quite approve of a strong effort being mado fo restoro the University's finances, and wilt bo prepared to consider further contribution to the larger scheme of aid when it is fully formulated. This practical • expression of support by the Westport Company is gratifying, and I feel stiro will;be followed by many other companies, firms; and citizens, a number of whom have already intimated to me their, intention to assist,—l ■ am, etc., Geohije Fen wick, managing director."

.In the Legislative Council yesterday a number of bills yvcre introduced, A motion was carried in favour of a travelling allowance ■ being paul to railway servants equal t.) the amount necessarily expended.

In .tlio House of. -Hepreseutativcs yesterday, after formal business and tho introduction of now measures, the debate was resumed qn the Loan Bill, and continued throughout the . evening. Mosws James Allen.and J..A. Millar wore pronounced in their warnings against tho extensive, burrowing proposals of-tho Government. \ 1 Our Alexandra correspondent telegraphs that the Mayor of Alexandra has received a wire froni the Government informing himthat a> £7000 loan to carry out a water supply scheme for the has beon granted, and is now available) at any time. The .council will lose no time in commencing operations, and a cable will be despatched to the Home country for pipes and other plant at once. Our Invorcargill correspondent telegraphs: With reference to the delay in the departure of the brigantiuo Entorprire for the Macquarie' Islands to engage in tho sea elephant snd penguin oil trade, that he is told by Mr Statlh's representative that that gentleman, who has an extensive plant, at the islands, has secured a renewal of his leuso of the' islands ■ from, the Tasmanian Government, and is' now in Australia negotiating for a schooner for tho oil trade. The 'Acting-Premier (telegraphs our Wellington correspondent) has received a cablo from Mr Seddon stating that in the medical examination at Loudon University the lists in three of ting four subjects wore headed by' New Zealand student-—namely, Mr O'Brien (of .Christehuroh) and Mr Allen (of Auckland)! who earned off gold medals and scholarships of die' value of £140 and £60 respectively in open competition.

The arrangement by which the Outlook was reeognisMl as the oflicial organ of tho Congreg'fttioiialists, as well as tlio organ of tho Presbyterians and Methodists, has been terminated by tho Emergoncy Committee of the Congregational Union. It appears tho Rtw W. Saunder?, who was the editor of the Congregational pages, sent for insertion a sermon,on the fliblc-in-Rchools question delivered by the ltcv, J. "Wilkinv of Auckland. This sermon was rejected, by tlie general editor on the ground' that the views if advanced \Vf re contrary to the policy of the paper,' Ho, hov/ever, raid that ho would himself invite Mr Wilkins to state his objee-t-(iii3 to the introduction of the Biblo into our State schools; iii the form of a letter. I'l this week's iss-uo; of tho Outlook the Rev. Mi; $aun(!er.Y ip explaining the position, stated tlmfc this was the first occasion on which lie beeamo aware that the Congrcgaiionalists were bound by the policy of the .(.h'tlook, Tlio 1' following is the resolution passed by tlio Emergency Committee of the' union on Thursday iast:—"Tlint- we cannot agree to the conditions under which a page in the Outlook i:i now granted to us—viz., that the page in question is for news only; nntl on this account we authorise von to at once withdraw from'all further connection with tho Outlook.as Congregational editor."

j The Mines Record reports that carelessi ness on tlio pari of the workmen is a fruitful : I'.'jurcq of acoidcuts in mines. During a ; rcccnt inspection of tlie Otago coal mines ' the inspoctor fouild two miners working with I naked lights in n mine noted for it gaseous condition, ntul drew the manager's attention to the circumstance, A iirfiCeclition will follow in duo coui'io;

At hia farewell meeting at file Salv'alion ! Army Barracks last night Colonel Estill ' announced tliat his successor would be Lieutenant-colonel Gihuour, who has been : filling the position of golifiral secralaiy at | Melbourne headquarters. Colonel Estill • leaves Now Zealand on the 22nd pros., and .T.:outonant-celonol Gilniour will be due here about tho 26th jn-px.'

Mr ,T. N. StcnhoujO, of the local Magis-IratcYCo-.u-t staff, has been promoted to the position of clerk, of the t'ity Police Court, rendered vacant liy • tho transference of Mr Mosley to Cromwell. Mr .1. 13. Scott, of the Timaru Court, succeeds Mr Btenhouse, and Cadet M'Farlane Mr Scott.

A man ■ named John Jones coihmitied suicido at tlio Bridge Hotel, Waitahuna; yesterday by cutting his throat. Tho man, who had been drinking, was about 40 years of ago, a native of Essex, Engl and,, and was unmarried.

Tho liiilf-j'oarly Purple Lecture of the J11.U.1.0.0.1 1 '., (l'tago district, and past ofßcon degree meeting was held in tlio district Chambers, Oddfellows' Hallj Stuart street, last evening, Vvov, G. M. Cinmnv presiding, nntl Prov. D.G.M. J. Wilfon, PrdV, C.S. llnpcraft, P.P.G.M.'s .7. Itobin and A, Cablo a.?o being, present. P.P.G.M, Gciklcs Occupied tlio G.M.'s chair, and P.P.G.M. Brun- I lli'H tlio Y.G.'s ulmir. Tliero was a fair nt-! tondnnco of Past- Grand?. Th 6 degree? worn ci)nfarrcd oii thoso brethren who produced certificate entitling them to receive them, ami tlio Prov. G.M. d|livcreil the Icoture in j mi impressive manner. A discussion onsuod as to what steps should bo taken to get a larger attendance of Past Officer?, iind it \vil9 rcsoH'cd that a commilteo;bo appointed to sco what steps can bo tnkc'n to remedy it; r.G. J. Jones to bo convener. |

1 Mr Smith, 3^A., of Greymouth, lim beenappointed to teach secondary suhjtoU it the Mastorton High School. • i- ' ] A sum of £200 having been voted last ' session of Parliament to provide fog-sign a! rockets for use at some of the lighthouses on tho New Zealand coast, inquiries were •made through (ho 'Agonl-gonera! (enyj ■ the o\v Zealand Times) as to tho employment, of this method of fit;nailing at tho light* housos of tho United Kingdom. Tlicso inquiries show that rockets are not extensively used, chiefly becauso of tho danger to tho iiien firing them, There arc many' sirens and reed horns, hut the' objection against .tdeso, so far as Now Zealand is concerned, n that they m too expensive. Tho third class of signal in genoral uao at Homo is that in which cotton-powder is fired. Tho ; automatic apparatus, similar to that ttirendy | installed at Pencarrow, is considered tho more satisfactory plan, however, and it is probable that it will be adopted by tho Marino Department for Gadley Head and Taiaron Head, whoro it is inteuded signals chill be given during fogs.

The report of tho Royal Commission on the Coolgnrdie water scheme laid before, the Wostralian Parliament is largely condemnatory of Mr Hodgson, the engineor, who, until lis was suspended in May last, was in tlmrgo of the work?. The commission finds Mr Hodgson guilty of serious nogieet of duty in not bringing earlier under the liptico of tho ongincor-in-chief the high rate the excavation of the pine track was costing. The report states that in eonsequeneo of gross ncgligence in supervision from the earliest stages the cost of pipe-laying and jointing had been extreme. Regarding tho CoustonFinlayson pipecaulking machine, which the Government bought for £7500, largely on Mr Hodgson's roconirticndation, it is statod that il l' Couston offered to put £1000 of that sum into tho stocking of certain lands belonging to Mr Hodgson. Regret in expressed that Mr O'Connor, the Jatb ongincer-in-chief, too implicitly relied on Mr Hodgson's good faith, judgment, and ability, and that lie did not, a« he should have done, consult the mechanical engineer cf the branch concerned. ' The commission finds that Mr Couston was in the habit of lending* monoy secretly to Mr Hodgson from time to time without interest, and without security. Mr Hodgson is 'also accused of having deceived the engineor-in-clnef in regard to tho capabilities of the caulking machine. A letter was put in evidence, in which Mr Hodgson valued certain machines for tho Queensland Railway Department at £050, for which, on Mr Hodgson's advico, the Wost Australian Government had paid £1350.

• Germany, with all its business skill, is still tumble to make its colonies pay. Figureß submitted to the Reichstag 6how that the Carolina Group, which cost nearly £500,000 to purchase, have an annual deficit (if £17,700. German East Africa, the most important of the Kaiser's colonies,' contain* about 600, and less than 400 white merchants. For every £1 worth of exports from this possession there are imports to the ■vnluo of £2 15s. In the Cameroon*, where the average of white officials iiad "been kept down to one for each merchant, the impprts aro twice and a-half as great iis the exports. In German West Africa, both exports and imports have declined about 33 per cent, in ono .yoar. Here the exports aro lew than one-seventh of the vaUio of the imports. The authorities at Samoa report that the com-, mercinl situation has greatly improved since Germany took over the island, yet the exports there declined by 15 per cent, lost year. There is not, apparently, one Gorjnan colony which does not import more than it exports, and everywhere the official aervieo seems to be overmanned. •

Mr .T, Mill, J.P., sat at the Port Chalmers Police Court yostei'day and inflicted, a fine of ss, with the alternative of 24 hours' imprisonment, on Janws Richwcll for drunkenness.

The social gathering of members of the Otago Early Settlers' Association is postponed to the third was!: in August, so as'to have the benefit of the moon. .

Mr Harry Riokards wan so satisfied at 'tli* result of the CinqucvalH tour that hp intends sending another strong company through New Zealand to play in Mr'Dix's theatros. The dates are as follows i-rfiity Hall, Auokland, August 26 to Soptember 8; Theatre Royal, Napier, September ■ U to 13; Theatre Royal, Wellington, Soptember 15 to 27 j Opera House, ChriEtchurch, September 29 to Octoher 4-; Alhumbra. Theatre, Dunedin, October 6 to 14. . Tor tho farewell benefit which is to. He given to Mr E. W. Dunne at the Gw'riedn Hull on tho 6th pros. eevoral of the leading vccplists and instrumentalists of Dunedin have proffered ihoir cervices for the occasion, among these being Misses Roso Elaney, May Donaldson, Kate Robertson, R, Marls', Mrs Todd, Messrs Jiigo, P. Birkett; E. Hapr, and Phillips. Messrs Vallia and Ilariii will play the acconipauimcrite. The entertainment is to be under the pntrouago of sivei'al of the athletic clubs and mtisical societies. Mr Dunne was always ready to assist others, and hia friends anticipate that a large attendance will be present on the occasion of hia benefit.

Tenders are invited for (ho erection of a' new | (ire brigade utation at Invercaigill, Particulars of all claims against the Horseshoo Band Gold Dredging Company, now in liquidation, should be forwarded to Mr John Ferguson Harper, Vogel sheet, Dunedin, on or betoro August %. ■ ■ . A notice (torn the Registrar of the Auckland University College giving particulars of.tho Sinclair scholarship, which is offered by that institution, appears elsewhere in this issue, Mitra Merchant will deliver a lecture on "Venice" at the Girls' High School to-morrow evening in aid of the High Schuol branch of the Ministering Children's League. Carpenters and labourers are advertised for by the architect for the alterations to the Princes Theatre. Adelaide advises the Telegraph Department that on and after Wednesday, July 80, the cable traffic •for America- will bo forwarded via Cocos, in addition to that for Great Britain, etc. Continental business messages, specially marked vj» Indo Hud T.H.K. and S.R's. relative to business ieceived vii Darwin, will be sent via Darwin as hitherto Berne advises telegrams for places in Peninsula of iucaUn are subject to delay. ,Teltgtaras for places interior of Columbia may again be accepted. Hongkong advises land lines interinpted all routes by typhoon. Messages forwarded by boat from Sharp Peak. 11l our report of Mr A. It. Burton's rending on Tuesday evening, " A Solitary Summer" wa3 erroneously stated to have l»en written by Hiackeray, instead, of by the authoress of "Elizabeth and Hor'Cleriuan Garden," ' Yi'e have reseived from Messrs Horace 'J. AVcoks.fLimitcd), Christchurch, samples of poht csriis printed in colours from plates by -thoi Jlnrvdlo colour photographic process; They inform its that they have turned out 12 designs. 'I'hose pent to us lira '■ the Coronation post card,' with portraits of the King and Queen ajid on allegorical representation of the British l-.nipire. second specimen i 3 u vignet-t? uf the Dart Kivpv from Pmadine. llr Hei-.Oy, hairdresser, nas G. R. Sims'l ' .Tatclio," the great Hair Promoter, for sale, in all sizes. Try it.—Advt. G. and Young beg to draw attention la their appointment as Watchmakers and Opticians to his Excellency the Governor, Inspection of their magnificent slock is invited.— Advt. • Don't be humbugged by the offer of Guinea Prizes with your Tea. How ninny of you could obtain them Golden OuinoM?'. Only a few out of thousands. Save yourself disappointment by using " Book Gilt" Jl'ea, with every 61b of which you can choose, ft book from our extensive catßiogus free, and thus obtain wisdom, beside which gold ig dross. Ask your grocer for catalogue.—Advt. luit£ Tea and King Cijffee prize competition closes December 1. Get a good start by starting now. Quality to please n king.—Advt. ! Who is PEI'ER 'Dltsxi'-Tlie most' telikbli Watchmaker and Jeweller , opposite CofTei Palace. Moray place, Dnnoa' % Charges strictlj moderate.—Advt.

Prevention is Better than Cure.—" K.P.'' Fluid is a certain preventive against plSgui ond other infectious diseases when freely uset according to directions. When diluted it doei not stain the containers'.-Advt.

— liclgium has a place where alcoholic ! drinks nve sold for oycry 26 persons j Prussia, 0110 for 180 i Austria, one for 220; Ritssiii, <>no for 991 j Norway, only one for 52,000. The Greatest Danof.h from colds pnil j influenza is then* tendency to result in pneitmohia. If tdasohable care is used and Chamberlain's Cough Remedy taken, ill danger will ba avoided; It will cure a cold or an attack of influenza ill less time than any otlmr treatment. It always cures, aud I cures quickly. All dealers sell it.