CURRENT TOPICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2242, 18 February 1897, Page 3

CURRENT TOPICS.

The Hon. Mr Duffy in the course of his remarks to our reporter spoke very neglected plainly about the coanuer in | beauties, which the people of this colony minimise the benefits which ! might be derived from its natural beautias. He ! intended to visit; Mount Cook, bub was feared by the complexity of tihe direction* for getting j there. Cerraiuly the arrangements have beeu ; accidentally out of gear this season, but *veu ' at the beat of times the tourist for Mount. Cook ! has to exercise coniiflerabie ing-muHy in iiada«g ; hi« way. It should be fmid that the Govern- .■ went arc now endeavouring to put things en a [ better tooting. 11l the Rotorua district, also, ; Mr Duffy complains that the visitor is annoyed l by a number of petty charges, individually i small but numerically so great as to lead the , victim to suspect that he is being flstend. There »l*o, however, the Government are 1 eadeavounug to remedy, thii.gs. But ths J graveHt part of the indictment ho far j as Dunedin is concerned is that where Mr i Duffy describes the manner in which visitors I to the waterfalls are treated. This is a sore , point with local people, and no doubt step* ought ( to be taken to put an cod to the pre*enfc stv.e of ( things. A private pernou has been allowed to i obtain posaetsinn of the land in which these j loveiy waterfalls are situated. For the mere i privilege of access to that which should be open to all, visitor* are charged 6d each, and the proprietor has dove nothing iv the shape of making a track. He merely si^s down at the entrance and levies toll, thus appropriating for his own private benefit a natural beauty which should bo the uomnion property of all. This sordid appropriation is extremely annoying, and steps ought to be ■ taken at once to resume possession of the land j for the beuefit of the public. It would not ■ cojfc very much as the -land is of little value, | and the owner did not make the waterfall. < As Mr Duffy sayg, if that beautiful spot were ' within 10 miles of Melbourne no private person , would be allowed to fatten on the proceeds j derived from the privilege of stumbling up ibe rocky bed of a creek, or tearing a way through a tna<s of scrub, which he is too shortsighted or too indolent to remove.

A. LESSON TO NEW ZEALAND.

The Argus of January 85 ban the following paragraph, which, lias a lesßon fof I New Zealauders quite different 1 from that the wrifer was desirous I of drawing with resp<:ct to Fro- j lection and Freetrade :— " That manufacturing can be carried on in Victoria without Protection is shown by Messrs Jam'en Miller and Co. commencing to make the bags known as ' gunnies,' for potatoes and onions. There is no duty on the article, aud hitherto we have been dbpendfnc upon Calcutta, but M«ssra Jameß Miller and Cj. are now utilising for the purpose the waste products of .New Zealand flax, and arc producing a bag which is stronger than the jute 'gunny,' better newu, and all in one piece (not ' butted'). Ib is being told, moreover, at a moderate price." At the rate at which fiax is being dressed ia this colony the supply of <s« waste j product will soon be overtaken, and j there is uo fhx to replace that destroyfd. j For our part we are heartily sick of the flis question. Mention of it cannot be made in ' public without a host of buzzing correspondents filling the air, each one trumpeting his own | tiny suggestion, or, it may be, empty warning j or vain regret. No one seems to be doing any- j thing, while out practical neighbours acroia ' the Tttsman Sea eagerly purchase our wante products and convert them into merchantable goods. It is occurrences like this that make one impatient with the lack of enterprise in New Zealanders. It immediately occurs to us to ask why it is that something of this kind has not been done in New Zealand. The Argus speaks of the process not as an experiment but as an assured success, mechanically and commercially. Possibly we shall next hear of Messrs Miller and Co. cultivating New Zealand flax for the putpose of continuing their manufacture.

The Spanish Government has offered the Cubans a tardy measure of respain and form, but it is significantly said Cuba. that the Cuban cabal in New York declare the concession insufficient, and afliim that nothing less than complete independence will satisfy the

Cubans (Spaiu i* willing to grant the Cub&n Assembly the right to frame a budget Hud coutrol stw customs, bat desires to continue to appoint the Gorernor and to 'retain a preferential tariff. That the Cabnun are likely to reject these terms is not remarkable. They are justified iv considering that a» ihey haye — ev<-n though ib be with outside assistance — bafli-d the utmost power of Spain so long they are practically the victor*, and it i» for them to dictate the terms. Were thbj to accept the terms offered the presence of Spain wonld still be felt in the odious shape of & tax gatherer «.nd a privileged trader. Spain will undoubtedly endeavour to compel tho Cubans to pay come at. least of the cost of the war, and this the Cuban* will resent also. If the Cuhftnx were not assisted by the Americans they could not have hold oust six months. Scarcely any attempt has bean made to veil the waffle in contraband goods, and Spain ha* just reason for complaint against a nation which makes the loudest; professions of brotherhood As for the Cubans, notwithstanding their nuccess, it is questionable if they possess the element of *elf-govivumont. Ifc i* evident Spain ht« loct what* ver grip ib had of Cuba, Kiid uule«* the Cubans aro taken in hand by some strong outoido Power their pro* pects are anything but hopeful. *

MA.OBI • STUDENTS.

The snflasr.ce of Ibe Maori student* at T« Aut« Collfgft is rapidly spreading, and ye*r by yesi> young Natives go forth from thero deeply imbued with a desire to elevate the remnant of their i&c? and not unskilful iv the method of doieg it. It has long been matter for regret that thero was no living connection liatween the pa*t ntudcncs of Te Aute aud their school, and step* were recently taken to form & Atadeuts' association. The circular convening a. conference for the purpose ntatud tbafc <6 would be one of the objects of the nvefcing to form * Students' Association as well as to di«cusr mutters of importance to Te Aute bnys and thoir race The idea was taken up readily, not only by the eld boys, but by Europaau *nd Maori friends and sympathisers, who have oftou thought it «ad that so many c/iucated Maoris should make such little ute of their education and training, bub found ie mauy cases that educ&tion unfitted them for their soci*l our* round ings. It wat hoped that such a conference would be the weans of helping pusfe students, adtl of ?ugyeetin(? i<l«n« aud pl»ns which would ultioiatelr tend to the upraising of the Maori racs. The conference was mosi «uos;(ssful. Ifi *.xhe«<3ed ovor two dayn, and subjects of liviDg intensb to the Maoris were keenly discugned. A number of proposals w<!ia formulated, and the association will tike ac'ion concerning them. As set forth io tbo romtitution, the a«sociatiou is formed — (1) Tar keep up communication beAeoii p&sfc au<i present, students of T« Aute College; (2) to aid in tbo amelioration of tl>q condition of the Maori r»c« physical)?, intellectually, eoftUlly, aud tpiritually. In time, ne doubt, practical suggestions will be m*de regarding plans for the be.tteriug of tbe Maori race. Iq the meantime energy will ba expended iv carrying oub plans affecting xnor» directly the past students. Rdfce of the su'o« jectt disousted at the conference were full o£ interest. Thece may be named a few of them. Mr T. Ngata delivered an addrc*s on "Politics and Our Relation Thereto," Mr Hamiora Heiper on " The Influence of Native Clergy," Mr T. Ngufca another paper on " The Employment of Maori Boys After Leaving School," and still another on " Bexu»> Immorality." These indicate the ecupe of ttu I association, which ia fu!l of promise for tk Maoti race.

MR WAIID'S TESTIMONIAL.

At the testimoninl presented to Mr Ward bj the officers of the Post and Telegraph department on Mon< day erc-ning was entirely devoid of political significance, it may be considered a grateful tribute to him and a flattering snuvtnir of the pleasant relations wbich always subsisted between himself as tho political head of the department and the employees. Though it is an open secret that far too much is said about Mr Ward's connection with the office in the capacity of an official, ifc is equally well known that he has had exceptional opportunities of making bitnself acquainted with the details, and it wai his complete grasp of these details in connection with the San Francisco service, as shown by him in & parliamentary speech, that first caused his name to be associated with th« department and himself to be chosen as its Ministerial head. To this it must be added that Mr Ward possesses a genial and unaffected/ , manner, and has never allowed his high official position to cause him to give the cold shouldei to the humble acquaintances of former d*y«. To Mr .Ward are owing many reforms in the service, not the least of which is that oE classification of the officers, and this has produced contentment where formerly existed ( friction. If it did nob fall to Mr Ward's lot to* 1 be the parent of a New Zealand inland penny poßt, he wai at least it* proposer ; and when i the exigencies 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 \j\mes.