The Otago Witness, WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE SOUTHERN MERCURY. THE WEEK.

Otago Witness, Issue 2284, 9 December 1897, Page 29

The Otago Witness, WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE SOUTHERN MERCURY.

THE WEEK.

(THURSDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1897.)

" Nunquam aliud natura, aliud sapientia dlxit."— Juvknal, "Good nature and good sense must erer join." Popk.

It always rather worries a body of Englishmen to have to arrange in cool blood for a serious festivity gome time ahead.

The Coining Jubilee,

They don't show to the great-

est possible advantage when engaged in the task. On the occasion itself they come out all right— at any rate th%ir wives and children do, and the men don't actually dif grace themselves in comparison ; —but the anticipatory details are apt to be evolved in a somewhat painful fashion. The Queen's Jabilea arrangements were shirked till dangerously late in the day, and taking warning by the narrow escape we then had from comparative failure our leading citizens have taken in hand the arrangements for our own particular jabilea some four months ahead. The discussion was not exactly marked by feverish enthusiasm, and was at

time 3 decidedly vague. Mr Oargill'g suggestion, for instance, was .to the eSeot that " thera should bo a display which would as far as possible represent what he had always looked upon as the most interesting and inspiring sight here — a great turn-out of the psople in their beßt — to join, in one great common act of rejoicing." An exhibition of " our,' nobla selves" " (to ourselves) is a good idea till you oome to look into it, when it appears to somehow elude the grasp of the' practical mind. Mr J. H. Morrison's idea of holding a winter show (in the middle of ' harvest time) was the most original and novel, but it unfortunately requires for its execution the development of a corresponding originality on the part of the clerk of the weather. Mr Israel complained that "there was a disposition'to j amp the arrangements already made," but we confess we did not observe anything so actively aggressive in the attitude of the assembly. He gave the meeting distinctly to understand, in a spirit of friendly warning, that he represented there 3000 children and a prospective committee " of no less than 60 members," and that none of them were going to be jumped upon. We are glad of this, as we believe the demonstrations by the little ones were among the brightest and most popular of the festivities last Jane, and we have no doubt they can still be improved upon. Two i or three mild suggestions. as to the probable necessity of fundß met with less encouragement than perhaps they deserved, but' will' be heard of again. Mr Lee Smith had an' eye on D; Hocken'a collection (the doctor's secure possession of which has nor, however, been seriously threatened by anything that has happened yet), but was interrupted by | Mr Oirgill, who again insisted that " what J they wanted to do now was to arrange a grand demonstration of the whole people. What he was anxious to secure was the devotion of the 23 rd to briDging together the whole of the people," to which Mr Lee ' Smith tartly retorted that " that was really what he had advocated." The meeting could not be persuaded to follow these two worthy gentlemen into clondland, however, and went on patiently reducing things to terms of everyday life. The co-operation of the Presbyterian Church was heartily offered, and if there was a somewhat noticeable tendency to add, " but, mind you, on our own term 3," it was a proviso which no true bine settler of the province will dream of objeefciDg to. The settlement is under great obligations to that church, and is moreover indebted to it for many bright examples of the true spirit of colonisation amosg its ministers. Otago is, historically and sentimentally, bound up with Scottish Christianity in the closest of ties, and every reasonable claim of the church for a foremost place in the celebrations should be gracefully and gladly allowed. The discussion of last week will, we are sure, lead to the hearty co-opera-tion of all the participants in a programme of celebrations which shall worthily mark a great epoch in the history of the evolution of the colony. ,

It is singular how invariably democratic leaders confess themselves in

The the end as having run their Slain Chance, democratic professions' on

strictly commercial lines. They go out. of the business with unfailing regularity as soon as - something better turcs up. Mr W. P. Rseves made quite afi^cting professions of having attained to a sphere of usefulness in which his life could ba devoted- to the benefit of the workers — until a better thing turned up with a 50 per cent, increase in salary, when he promptly disappeared, and has not since been heard of. The Agentgeneralship since Mr Beeves's accession has been an absolutely dead thing — we appeal to any politician whether this is not so — and the only reality left belonging' to it is the salary, which has mopped up the late i Minister for .Labour and left hardly a trace. Sir Patrick Buckley made a bee-line for a similar salary on the first opportunity — that was number two of the great Liberal Ministry. Mr Ward, who was number three, sought his particular requirements by way of legislation (which*, however, ultimately failed in its object through causes beyond political control), and also by way of a royal trip to England on his own business at the colony'a expense. Mr John . M'Kenzie— number four — made the professions of a lifetime as to the wickedness of syndicates and landowning a stepping stone to a lucrative service under a foreign syndicate (which is controlled largely by a gentleman who avowedon a famous occasion that one of his principal business ideaa was to ".embrace a .Cabinet Minister") and to a family speculation in land under conditions which craftily excluded the free competition of the public or the exaction of any terms except sucb as might be convenient to the purchaser himself. The astute leader of these unselfish patriots has been in the syndicate business too ; he has snapped up a well-paid "oddment" thoughtfully created by himself for himself in addition to bis Ministerial duties; he has enjoyed a £600 trip through the North Island, a £500 ditto to Australia, a £1750 ditto to England, &c. ; he has bad in addition hie salary, bis house, his four secretaries, and several hundreds a year for indefinite " expenses " and " allowances " ; and signs are not wanting that he isn't satisfied yet. He has got, it seems, pretty well all he can ; the ship shows signs of sinking, and it is freely asserted though strenuously denied that he is off like the rest — bent on annexing a better thing and letting his party and his principles go bang. We don't grudge him the good luck which is said to await him ; but we think a little less cynicism in snapping bis fingers in the facss of those he has for years cajoled would become him better even if it does not fulfil the onegrand necessity — to a democratic leader — that it should " pay."

The Banking Bill appears to have nothing

in it but the creation of

A Bogus Bill,

new and mischievous billets for various political sup-

porters of the Governmsnt. The bank does not want nine directors instead of five any more than it wants 18 instead of nine, or 36 instead of 18, which may be taken as pretty sure developments in the near future* if the present Government remain in power and continue to use the bank as a means of attracting or .rewarding political support. There has been no reaion

ehown for introducing the absolutely rotten principle of- "looal directors."— a principle which depends for' its- acceptance by the* public upon the crafty use of speolous and plausible phrases. Let any resident of a small country town who may be dissatisfied with the attitude of the local bank manager (under instructions, as the disappointed resident may be apt to complain, from " people in Wellington who don'fc know anything about it ") consider how much matters would be improved if his rival in business over the way were to be appointed a " local director " with power to swagger into the bank parlour and overlook the acoounts of the various tradesmen in tho street. That is the kind of thing that the local direotor principle means in practice,' however beautiful it may sound in theory. The appointment of local directors of the Back oE New Zealand will result "in 'good to nobody except the. shareholders and managers of the other banks. They will strongly approve of it, and for the best of reasons. With regard to the president, the colony seems to have been made a fool of by the Government, -the members of which made long speeches to the House declaring that the whole success of the banking legislation depended upon the choice of a president, which the Government would proceed to make under the highest and loftiest sense of responsibility, &c, &c.' We are now told that this was all humbug, that there is no reason for any president, and that j if thera were, the man whom the Government 'so eagerly sought and to whom they offered the highest salary ever provided for a public servant in New Zealand is no use for the place. This is shilly-shallying of the feeblest and most puerile kind. The changes proposed in audit are of the tweedle-dum and tweedle-dee order, and not worth the raking up of new banking laws to effect. There appears to be no necessity for the bill, which has evidently been conceived for two objects alone — namely, to create billets to reward G jvernment supporters, and to create conditions to punish certain people who have incurred Ministerial illwill. These . may be objects dear to Ministers, but they in no way tend to the advancement either of the bank or of the colony, nor do they justify the disturbance of public confidence, which must be the inevitable result of this perpetual tinkering and wirepulling with things of which the Government have already made so disastrous a muddle.

The Technical Education Bill may perhaps

not be perfec 1 -, but there is A Statesman's one thing that it certainly is Measure. — it is highly creditable to

Mr Seddon ' and to the Government. It is an example of a measure devoid of humbug and tending to real usefulness and progress — an example > the Government only too seldom affords the country the opportunity of commending. . .It is, of course, more or less experimental in the present stage ; but nobody complains of a statesmanlike attempt, being somewhat crude provided it is really statesmanlike. Qaite' enough funds are devoted 'to the purposes of the bill for ~a beginning, and we Should be disposed to exact stern proof of absolutely tangible results before extending the support of the State" in any notable degree. That proof we baveevery hope may be forthcoming. . The efforts hitherto, made in this 1 province, a"hd we believe elsewhere as well, to promote technical education have been worthy of all praise, and amid many discouragements and a certain proportion of admitted failures there has been on the whole an encouraging body of results. But the instruction, in the. only shape ia which it has hitherto been available, inevitably lacked some of the seriousness and str.enuousness which are characteristic of the national system of non-technical education. That way seem a somewhat vague direction in which to find fault!, yet to all who have watched or participated in the work it will appear an eminently practical comment. The direct assumption by the State, for State purposes, pf a leading part in the work, and in fact the virtual grafting of technical education upon the universal system of instruction in the three R.s — which is the principle of Mr Seddon'u bill — constitutes a wholly new departure, and one which, crudely as it may be instituted in its initial stages, contains the potentiality of a most favourable influence in the future upon the prosperity of the country. Sir Robert Stout's thoughtful contribution to the discussion, "of the subject should not be lost Bight of in the working out of • details. We are always pleased to hear from Sir Robert on any educational question, and on the present occasion we find no falling off in the value of his presentation of the case. The complaint made *by. one member that this is a town and not a country bill may- be justifiable literally, but- the fact is a necessary resultant of its tentative character, and if success follows it will cure itself in good time. The Premier will have the support and commendation of all good men in endeavouring to secure that success, and to justify the sacrifices' which he bo'dly asks the country to make in order to achieve it.

Settlers in the Shag Valley district will probably sleep sounder at sights for the temporary disappearance from their midst of Walter ' Murray, a man who, as Judge Williams remarked in sentencing him to nine months' hard labour, " stole his neighbour's goods with all the deliberation and cunning of a practised sheep-Btealer." It has become almost an axiom of the courts that you can convict a man of anything on earth except sheep-stealing. Why exactly it is that juries of late years have so persistently let off criminals of this kind no one seema to know. Probably it is that they get muddled about the mysteries - of brands and earmarks, to which rustic witnesses swear with spch cheerful comprehensiveness, but the intricacies of which are veiled in impenetrable fog from the perception of the city man. Anyhow, the fact is so. Possibly the disastrous Meikle case (in which, by the way, the sentence was seven years) is held in mind in the courts to this day, as well it may be. Walter Murray seems to have arranged the evidence against himself so effectively thathis counsel advised him to plead guilty to prevent its coming out, so that this time the jury did not get a chance. The judge took a merciful view of the case and awarded a light punishment — led thereto by a demonstration on the part of the prisoner's, friends, which was doubtless pardonable under the circum-

stances; but, judging from the reports 00 the earlier itfeges of the case published ia the local newspaper, the -♦' practised aheep•tealer " view is the one current among some of the prisoner's neighbours. • At any rate, settlers will congratulate themselves that at last whitt his Honor described as " a criree to honest farmers " has met with a oheck ; while the Walter Murrays of various rural districts may rest assured that the nextr of their company to be caught 4 will certainly not get . off. with nine months' imprisonment.' '• • '

An instinctive perception that something Is held back will be generally acknowledged by those who have taken an interest in the successive deliberations on -the Meikle case. Meikle was oonvioted of theft and sentenced to a long term of imprisonment upon evidence a material part of which was afterwards proved to be absolutely false. The perjurer is now himself in gaol, but the man whom he helped to convict had meanwhile undergone his punishment. It ia obvious, without going into particulars, that this case is not necessarily the same as one in whibb, after the conviotion of a certain person, another person altogether has been shown to have committed the crime. Cises like' that have happened. Meiklo's may be an analogous one", or it may' not ; and we do not think that snch means of judging as the authorities may possess have been - unreservedly communicated to the public. It will Ibe nbticsd that there is no controversy as to the. principle of awarding compensation ' t'c Meikle under the circumstances , detailed ; the difference of opinion . relates merely ti the question of amount. We are under tht impression that the matter is one that can safely be lef t_to Parliament. It is certainly not one for party action; and though it obviously lends itself readily to pictnresque treatment, we do not think the time has even yet arrived for unrestrained indulgence in the temptation so offered.

It appears to the Premier "a wholly un tenable position " that a Minister of th« Crown should be accountable to an officer oi the Government. The persistence witl which be and hi* offending colleague" invent plaußible.pbrases and a>k that they should be accepted in lieu of the actions of manliness ia becoming monotonous." It is hopeless, however. If there is one thing more than another that a cemmunity infallibly knows how to do, it is to recognise cowardice when it sees it. The particular roundabout exculpation chosen by any given coward to excuse his reluctance to oome* out into the open really does nob. matter. The public takes no note of the phraseology — it has -too keen a perception of the thing itself. There was an in'atanca in the Labouobere case whioh we have* mentioned once or twice . lately. There were 21 columns of elaborate denunciation" by the editor of Truth with regard- to the charges he. had to, meet, but the incidental announcement that he did not mean to prosecute or sue .his detractor "for libel or refer again to the charger wasjbhe only point of the whole thing for the' general* ' ■public. They knew what th|t meant; They -know equally well what the premier's pom- . japus phrases about '^■Minister of the:Cro.wn * i.b^ing a person superior.to any responsibility | to a mere •* officer of the Government ''(for a 'cowardly slander really mean. - Judge Kettle is partially avenged by the mere fact of sucb an answer to his demand for reparation. Nevertheless, the hope of the Premier and of. the actual slanderer that it will prove' an effective refuge may 'yet be disappointed. Apropos of Mr L&bouchere and bis troubles, the' Jfficglish papers by the mail contain snob a chorus of scathing denunciation and such an outpouring of unmeasured contempt as surely never fell to the lot cf a man in English public life before. This time the leading provincial papers — such ■as the Glasgow Herald, Birmingham Diily Gazette, Liverpool Courier, Leeds Mercury, Newcastle Daily Chronicle, the Scotsman, and many others — deal trenchantly with the case, of whioh hitherto the nrst*class journals hare evinced a desire to fight shy. They mostly treat the editor of Truth straight out as a convicted swindler, and if he were not one ho could collect showers of gold in the shape of damages from half the papers in the kingdom. Many of them point out, as we did ourselves two, or three weeks ago, that Mr Labouchere's evasion of a libeL action on the ground that some South- African millionaire - might pay the damages is transparently ridiculous. Mr Hess, indeed, has promptly offered to advance Mr.Labouchere-£IOOO to enable the-latter to Indict -him criminally — not "that that was-wanted, for~Mr Labouchefe himself was an exceedingly- wealthy- man even before be came into the £200,000 which was left him by Lord Taunton. The leading London dailies alone still avoid reference to the matter. This hardly seems like honest journalism. As one London financial paper puts it, "It is not a oreditable feature in the I metropolitan press to coalesce in the maintenance of silence upon what we must regard as a confession of swindling by a | member of Parliament, The reputation of our public men is dear to all Englishmen, and should be especially so to our press. It is therefore a bad sign when the character of such persons is of no importance in their estimation, while all their indignation is reserved for some ordinary criminal who robs a bank or a building society. The doves are condemned, while the crows are pardoned. Such is the case with Mr Labouchere, the member for Northampton." The Glasgow Herald, in making a precisely similar complaint, declares that " no respectable newspaper would retain for a day a man who should be found doing what Mr Labouchere confesses to kave done." From these. extracts oan be judged the oharacter of the storm of comment which is descending upon "Labby's" devoted head.

Thb Bey. Mb North, who is a member of what Anglicans are fond. of calling a "dissenting" denomination, has been pitching into the local organisation of the latter sect, and having been pulled up for doing so writes a letter to. the Times to deny the fact, but in the course of the same latter admits it. The rev. gentleman, we are afraid, has been reading Hansard on week days,- and has borrowed! his id«a of an " explanation " from the right hon. Premier. We do not, however/ refer to>< the matter for the purpose of Intervening ia i any sectarian auarfel thara'imav bajbobl

merely to express surprise -from the lay point . of "view at the announcement, apparently ' authoritative, that ■" there 6ould be no fellowship j>r co-operation in leligiooi work betwean the Anglicans so. led [i.e., by their present * bishop] and the evangelical ohurches." " Evangelical," we suppose, has the .Same elastic signification as " orthodox " —every church 1b evangelical to its . own member*, and the reverse to members of other geots— and there is therefore nothing surprising in the Anglicans being, in Mr North's opinion, outside the "pule ; but we' confess it is news to us -that .co-operation in religious work with .other denominations is unknown to the Anglicans ,in Otago. It does not coincide with what one observes at 'the Patients and Aid Society, for instance, as well as in connection with various other movements that are religions in -the highest sense of the term. Tbe bigotry - does not, we should judge from Mr North's letter, lie with the Anglicans at all. He says th*t principles which he declares to be specially characteristic of their bishop libels on the character of God "—" — -which utterance is quite sufficient to enable the average man to determine where tbe prejudice and narrow-mindedness is to be found.

". Hhe , perennial pnzzle (to New Z^alandera) Jfctow "sonth : AustraK^n-'fartnera live hasbeen '«.ccentnatedln' myateriousneiß' by" a, formal J „- communication' to Parliament made by the '"Treasurer 'at ," Adelaide. Owing to the ."c!f oughts lie explained, the eßfcirnate of. the wheat harvest would have to be reduced ' Irotn S.ve to a little under four bushels per acre. ■ To a New Zealand farmer It would matter very little whether his returns were' jive or f our— be could not live at twice the higher -figure, and would he out In the cold after two seasons of either of them. The agricultural statistics of thia country would come out very oddly if compiled after the fashion brought about by South Australian conditions. . Oau anyone give a really detailed explanation ? We kaow all about the extra fertility of the soil and high character of the grain overbore, and we are not ignorant of the strippar and its ways. • Sat the puzzle remains afler these thiogs are allowed ior.

The December examination in connection ■with the University 'of New Zealand was commtnved on the 7th ingfc., and will be continued until the 15fch. In Dcmedin 6ome 180 candidates presented themielres for the matriculation examination, 'and there were 21 c»nditlates for janior university scholarship. Of ths former number 85 and i f the latter 10 *re girlf, the fair -sex . thus supplying about one-half of the total number of candidates. The candidate* for the preliminary medical «aminati»n' ■were 22 in number, four of . them being girls. Ihe .examinations are being locally held in the -Agricultural .Buildings, the main AgriculturalHall and the Hall beirrg'both fully occupieQ with candidates, each of whom is providtd -with a separate table. -Mi- E; Donald, M. A., is •cting/'as supem*Dr,' antf he hns •■^he-aaMSbatice 1 «f Ifossn-Ft T. Little, O. Korku; W. Harris; $. G. Hamilton; atrtl T.-H. Beit., - 1 . 3hi ex"tf srjrdinary .general tuseting of share- - lifcldets in/tbXM,osgi6l Woollen Factory Compapy *(^*4it<s3');*wa*, .held in the company's omeewn the' 7tb. >• .Fifteen shareholders jvere T present, slSlnßr A...J-. Bucus, inteiitn chair tfi an r. of direoton*, presided. The resolutions altering

-the memorandum and articles of association pasted at the meeting beld on 16th November were confirmed.

At'Tuetday'* meeting of the Brace County Council " Mr Henry Clark retired from the prsU-ionrof chairman, a' position he has heldun-, interruptedly for the past 20 years.

Tho trouble in then Wyridham Presbyterian Church has assumed a new form, which is likely to widen still more the breach between

the minister and portion of bis congregation. From the particulars published .in the Wycdham Farmer it appears that at a meeting of the Kirk Session, attended by the Rev. Mr Smellie, it -wns decided to supersede Mr James Allan (—ho, it may be explained, was Dne of the members of the Deacons' Court who feti'iied some time ago) as superintendent of ihe Sunday schoall The first intimation which Mr Allan received of the change was on Sun3*y, just before the Sunday, school work com'ttenoed, when Mr Allan Stewart informed him '•hat he (Mr Stewart) bad bsen asked by the ißev. Mr Smellie to tike the position of superintendent. Mr Allan expressed iurpriae at this, 4;nd said he wonld conduct the school for that day. ,He did to, -and at the close said a few parting words to the children, who were "visibly ■ affected j and to the."teactaers. On tfae Monday •foUownig-ftlr' Allan received the following intimation f rein the'Hev. Mr Smellie as clerk of the fiersion :—": — " iVm instructed to . inform -you that the .kirk-session has appointed Mr Allan Stewart - jEup^rintendent of the Wyadham. .Presbyterian ' Sabbath.' School, who begins- work on Sabbath ,jßrsf-.",. Ib . is stated, that 11 -out Vat the 12 teachere are so indiguaut. ab the manner in which Mr AUsn has been., superseded after nearly seven yens' service that they have resigned. The matter has excited much surprise in the Taieri district;, where Mr Allan is well known. -