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Otago Witness, Issue 1934, 19 March 1891, Page 22

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of moral purity to make it the slave of avarice. This is the curse which blasts all our reforms. These be very bitter words, and only less bitter because more daringly metaphorical is the wind-up of the letter I am quoting :— Mammon always strives to ride on the back of meek generosity, and sit in the seat of dethroned .philanthropy. There is a world of meaning in this if one could only get at it, but it's as dark as the beast in Daniel's vision. Perhaps Mr Brunton could explain it. He ha 3 the spirit of divination.

Cr Fisher, of the South Danedin Council) sto be congratulated. His speech when Mr Wardrop was installed as Mayor, rose to he height of an oration. Conjecture might perhaps surmise that he had followed such models of eloquence as Mr Potts, of the Eatanswill Gasette, and Mr Lee Smith, of the Pactolian sands ; but if so, he bettered their instruction. Like most great speakers, he began by observing that he did not intend to say anything on that occasion, but, &c. — an exordium that alway3 makes an effective background. He then proceeded to say a great deal, rising steadily in vigour and invective until be perorated in this wise i — The very essence of Mr Wardrop'a address is so foreign to the spirit cf truth and fairplfty that it is not necessary for me to criticise it in detail. Tha one tbing conspicuous about it ib its unsophisticated hypocrisy. What it tells ma ia (his : That if bom* an adept in 3curri- j Idus abuse, tinged with vulgar saTcasm"^=THb Mayor : I really cannot allow this. Or Fisher : I hava every right. You are a public man. The M&yor ; Say what you have to Bay in a proper way, and I have no objection. Cr Fisher (continuing) : Well, if being an adept in scurrilous abuse, tinged with vulgar sarcasm and varied by low wittioiema, oonatitute ability, th&n is Mr William Wardrop likely to achieve eminenoe in municipal politics. Ido not intend to say more ; and I wish you to distinctly understand that what I have said has cot beon actuated by any personal or party Bpleen. It is rather the outcoma of an honest desire implanted in my breast to oppose, on all occasions and as far as I am able, the nefarious machinations of chicanery, malico, and falsehood, and to defond and vindicate the priuciples of truth, of justice, and of fair play. This, and this only, has always been the lever of my thoughts and the instigator of my aotione, and will continue so to the end, for, while I live, no base, ignoble slave Bhall knowingly walk tha world in honour to his grave. — (Laughter ) Comment, as the reporters say, is superfluous.

Bishop Moorhouse, good man, has been presiding in Manchester at a demonstration against betting and gambling. When in Melbourne, Bishop Moorhouse declined to pray for rain as requested by his droughtstricken parishioners, assigning as his reason that the age of miracles was past. It seems to me that nearly as much miracle is wanted in the one case as in the other. Gambling is no doubt wasteful and tends to poverty, for which reason the French Government are now making a Quixotic attempt to suppress it by law; tut you will hardly get the Wellington wharf labourer who the other day drew a £3000 horse in a BWeep to take that view. Gambling is demoralising, but there are some highly moral people who are quite ready to take the risk. When they hear o£ the Englishman who last week broko the bank at Monte Carlo, winning £700,000, it is with envy, not with pity. If they could have this gambler's demoniacal luck they would chance his demoralisation. We are all built very much on the same pattern, consequently the fascination of betting and gambling is hard to kill. Nevertheless Bishop Moorhouse made one good point. This was against the hollow hypocrites who say that they bet at the races only to improve- the breed of horses, and gamble at cards only to lend an interest to • the game. Said the Bishop : Then let tbe winner refuse his winnings. Jjat him pay it over to charitable institutions. Will gamblers agree to that ? If they did, how long would gambling last ? Why, we should get rid of gamblers and gambling ia a year. So we should I The Bishop undoubtedly scores one. CIViS.

In reply to a deputation consisting of Miss Morrison and Messrs D. Piukerttm and W. Hutchison, M H.fi.'s, which waited on the Minister of Lands asking that a grant of five or six acres should bo made far the establishment; of a girls' convalescent home in connection with the Tailoresses' Union, Mr M'Kenzie expressed his willingness to meet the views of the deputation. He thought that the object Miss Morrison had in view was a very creditable one, and he would be only too glad to assist by giving a small piece of land if he found that the Government had any suitable. He really could not say if they had any land — he was afraid all at Moeraki was sold — but he would make inquiries at the Land Office, and if he found that any was vacant that would be suitable he would take steps to give it to the union for the purpose mentioned, after arrangements had been ma>ie for handing it over in trust — that was to say, he would not give the Crown grant if the land was to be sold, but in would bo for the use for which they asked it, aad if they failed to use tho land for that purposo it wonld revert to thij Crowu. Moenki would, be considered, be <i very suitable place for a home, as it enjoyed a nice climate and there was a nice beach. On Tuesday afternoon Messrs D. Pinkerton, H. S. Fish, W. Hutchi3ou, W. Daw-sou, »nd W. Earnsbaw, W.H R'a , with Messrs Warner, Campbell, Webb, and Lister (being members of a committee appointed at a meeting of the unemployed, interviewed the Minister of Lands on the subject of tho unemployed difficulty. The deputation showed that, summed up roughly, there were batween 500 and 600 unemployed in Dunedin— mim who were not street-loafers — but bebides thtse ttere were a few who picked up a few hours' work, and who, by thrift and industry, had managed to get their sections aud cottages clear. Including these, be felt sure, febat taking ft strict list of the unemployed, there were 700 or 800 persons out of work in Dunodin. The Minister of Lands thought it was very much to be regretted that so many men were out of employment, and he believed that every right-minded man in the community would agree with him in that. It was a source of great regret that so many men should be out of employment in a country like thi*, where there should bo plenty of work for all. He did not think il. ww accessary that he should repeat what he sui i JO days ago with regard to providing a remedy in the future by which men might live on small plots of land when they were out

of employment. He understood that the object of the deputation was to get immediate work tor those who were out of employment at the ! present time. He might say that immediately - after the interview 10 days ago, he telegraphed to Mr Seddon, his colleague, and he knew that he (Mr Seddon) was nt the present moment trying to make arrangements for providing work for the unemployed of the colony; for the want of employment was not confined to Dun- > edin, but was prevalent in other portions of the colony as well, and when tbe Government undertook to give work to the unomployed it must be under a scheme by which tha uuemployed would be provided for all over the Colony. They would understand perfectly well that a proposal oE that sort, involving a great amount of trouble and the consideration of ways and means, could not bo matured in a day. All he could do was to place before bis colleague — which he would do by the morning's post— full particulars of the case. Mr Seddon would shortly be ia Dunedin, and if they could not find employment before then they would have an 1 opportunity of interviewing him on the subject. The department of Public Works was not i his (Mr M'KeDzie's) charge, and all he could do was to represent the facts to his colleague, as clearly as he oould, as to the distress which he was sure existed, otherwise he knew the deputation would not have been there. To a very large extent he was of opinion that the work at Milford Sound should not be done by prison labour. He was one of these who thought that to keep prisoners there, and to k^ep a sufficient etafr to look after them, would bo as expensive, if not more so, as it would be to k«pp free labourers at the work. He was prepared to submit that matter fer the consideration of Mr Seddon, or, if it was not in his department, for that of his othat colleague. There wa< no doubt that there was a good deal of distress Amongst the people, and it was clearly the duty of the Government to assist in the matter. He hoped tfce unemployed would be reasonable and endeavour to take whatever work the Government could find. With regard to artisins and labourers skilled in crafts, he did not think it would be possible to find work in their own trades for these, but he had no doubt his colleague would do his best. To find painting for oue, paperhanging for another, house building for another, the Government would require to go in for works which they could not possibly, in the state of the colony, undertake ; but he had no doubt that his colleague would agree with him as to the necessity to find some employment. While a traveller named Hughe Richards was on the 4th inst. making his way through the bush track cut by J. Strauchon and party some five or six years ago from Waikawa to Catlin's River he lost his way, and while he was trying to gain the track again he got further in the busb, and lost himself for five days, without food of any kind. He was almost exhausted when be found the track, after travelling some considerable distance. He is now in a very bad state, bis legs being swollen dreadfully through exposure, a3 the weather was very rough and stormy all the time he was in the bush. However, he was lucky in finding the party surveying the new road from Waikawa to Catlin's River. While in Invercargill tho Hon. John M'Kenzie received a deputation from the Southland CJounty Gouncil on several matters, one of which, at least, was oi more than local interest. This was in regard to the provisions in the Counties Act for preventing the spread of gorse on county roads. Cr Raymond said that according to the act the owner of a property was responsible for one-half the road, but ia the event of the gorse spreading completely across the road the county had to bear the expense of clearing one-half if the owner on the other side had no gorse planted. Mr M'Kenzie said the owner on the other side was responsible for his half of the road whether he had gorse planted or not. He believed that was the law, but to make absolutely sure he would obtain an opinion from the law officers of tha Crowa when he returned to Wellington, for the guidance ' of tbis and other county councils. He might, he said, point out that if the county did its duty and compelled the property owners to do theirs the gorse would j never get across the roads. Mr Raymond Raid that if the act was really intended to apply in the way indicated by the Minister it was against the spirit of equitable legislation, and he knew of many cases where property holders who had never planted gorse, but who had erected substantial fences, would feel huch an arbitrary measure most keenly. He ft-lb that he was expressing the wish of all members of public bodies by saying that thote who initiated the nuisance and failed to comply with the act should be compelled to keep the whole road lino clear. Mr M'Kenzie again admitted that a certain amount of uujustness would in any case ' exist. However, he would look into the matter carefully. The Tapanui Courier remarks that there is • plenty of rabbiting in the country districts of Ofcago to absorb all the unemployed ia Dunedin. If the men could provide themselves with an equipment for rabbit catching now that the factories are afc work, they could earn fair wages. Mr Seddon, Minister of Mines, declares his intention to relieve miners from the necessity of attending Wardens' Courts on formal applications, unless notice is given that opposition is to he offered. 9 We are requested to draw attention to Mr Braithwaito's new list of book* in page 1 of this issue 'i he members of tho New Zealand Post and Telegraph departments have commenced the issue of a " G«z«tte," l{o. 3 of which is to hind. The issue deals with several topics of trade Interest, and the "XB'tf.te notices" and " along the line," &c, must t . lat interest to both branches of the service.