CURRENT TOPICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2289, 13 January 1898, Page 3

CURRENT TOPICS.

An impression seems to be prevalent that tha only route for an "all-ied" an cable line to tho antipodes is "all-red" via Canada and tho Pacific, bu*; line. as a matter of fact the British Government has under consideration a proposal for an alternative cable to Australia, and those qualified to spsak with authority consider it mnch better than the Pacific-Canadian one. Tee first parfc of the project is to lay cables from Porthcwrnow (Cornwall) to Gibraltar, thenoe to Sierra Leone, on to Ascension and St. Helena, and from there to Capetown, so affording a triplicate route to South Africa, largely clear cf existing rabies, and not likely to be sffeefced by tho causes of lha frequcn'o interruptions upon the lines already in use, such as earthquakes, or, in the ca?e of cables on the eo.vfc, river floods. The (second part of the scheme is to carry a cable frcm Natal to Mauritius, and this, in conjunction wit.h the Zanzibar-iSeychellcs-Mpuritius li»e, will have the effect of providing au alternative to tbe ZinzibarM(z j mbiquts, Mozambiquo-Dflagon Bay, and Delagoa Bay-Durbeu sections should they at any time cive out. S?rom Mauritius the routo

would probably be by way of Rodriguez Island. ! to Cjcos or Keeling Island, and thence to J Perth. The longest strttch between any two I landing point? is that between Gibraltar to ' Sierra Leone, which is 2379 knots, and this is j an undoubted advantage in case of breakage i and in tbe matter of insulation. It is further j pointed out that the new route would ba free ; from danger from volcanic disturbances, while ' the depths of water are not greater than ihoso i afc which cables arts already Itid. It is j ro- j poeed that these cables ebculd be laid by tha i Hastern, the Extern and Sooth African, and the Eastern Kxfceusion, Au«lrAl*sian, and China j Conjpariiea. Ib is, however, significaatiy j oraHttd from mention that tha coaetruetiou of i this ne'y line by the companies named would : sfcrecgtheu the present raoncpoly, and postpone i iadefiuitely that reduction in charges which j was so attractive a feature of tho Pacific csbla , echeme. |

Ths t! tpfoJmen" 4 're!orra!i toby a correspondent | whose letter appeals in S&ttir- | stoats .and day '« Daily Tims* <*es «petoeed in "weasels. 6foaH what bulky earcHsoard box. , •which, vrt^n opened, was found , to contain a plump duokjiog that h*d been ! done to death by raeana of a fir.a put.etuis ia j tbe neck fend evidently irflirtrfd by the dead i we&«el which lay beaidt* U>. Tb^ taarAtiJer had cvi<loivtly beou caug'ab and punisf.ed in jlayyavte dtlicto, for it was still farmly abtJAched to its victim when it ar.-ived. . If ihero i^" one thivig vAlcoUdsd to ro&ke \ a thrifty householder bam with angt-ritis stsnU ' occurrences, which tsob only dondvc him «r hor ' of valuable pfoperty but ovcato misjjiiingd as to | whether these pests -will noii attack She chii- ; dren. There i1?i 1 ? probably no subje-d; «« T»h;ea , more bitter controversy exUfcs thtin tae ?*s«e sis _ r&bhitdeatrojerfi cf fctoa^s, ferrei;', &nd vstaiels. Unhappily them is none, ftbtub their poultry- . de&trnyiag proclivioies, an 3 it se^oa? thi-y C"Hi- ; menco' their deprc-dafciona afc a very early ag«, , for tbe specimen sfinfc to us is qu'ce dinciinubiva ' —nob nearly so bulky a^i tho auckling it had j killed. No dcubs i' will bo necc?&<«y »t some future flale to introduce a pcifc to evafiicite these pe*l»<, aad so reverse ths s,a.viß(< sbont | small fl'-ftahHvi:'gifmallerfleA3 upon tfee-ic backs .

to bit<j ; 'em.

Mr James Elder Brown io tbe y^ar ib9s cr.xx-t-ribured to the Bl»iu Couranb " light and Cornier sn article desenpnew zkatand tive of the railways of this k,aii.\v&y&." colony, snd nari'&'iuij tha his- ' tory of their inception and coastruetsou. Mf Bi-own is a weli-kriown rtioidfnii ■ of Miitou. aud the a(t'd-2 was sreyablbbed in j the local journsl in October oi the ysar naiued. t The description is quito inteter.b'vg evr-n «ow, for It is concise aud claar. It teUa of the development &f tbe great puViin works fwra the small beginnings forced en the Provincial Councils by the itiflns of vop"la!.;osi, and minutely and nccmaUlv tlefrribea these con-stdK-tion. After instituting a coruparwon between tin* railways of this colony and those of Victoria, and of_ t*e cl ; ficrout , topographical conditions under which they . are worked, Mr Brown goes on to say :—"I: — "I have not the slightest wish r--> raalca co'svyA;i?oa with Vic'otia to her digadyan f age, bub aufce ' the BiHjpl« ?»cb that from a reti'rn of her railways in IP9I they oo&t £13 153 per mWa ooen, equal to 2763 sviles, whiJo New Z wland in 1892 cos! £7842 par mile, equsl to 1880 rnilc=i open, at which time Victoria had 2"40 m'Jes'fur ev«?y 1000 popnUtion and New Zealand 2*79 for every 1000. This shows tbp.t the latber was as ; far forward for her population a'-s tha former." ] He also quotes from acme remarks by Sir Pangbcrn, president of the American Transportation Commission, in criticism of the Victorian sys- | tern. This gentlem&n is reported to have said that tha Victorian railways had a load of debi that no railways, especially in a new country, could stand. The cost showed an exceos of 50 | per cent, over that of American railways, and in | h's opinion no company in the world would take or lease the colony's railways on their present bapis, with all their accumulated risks and liabilitief. His suggestion, therefore, was that the Government should write off as lost a large proportion of the capitalisation, because tha I very Ligheat system of charges they could I command would not meet tha present fired I outgoing. No'v that light railways are proposed | for seme of the outlying districts, Mr Brown's i article will be again read with interest.

For advocating to the Indian populace the opinion that killing is no mursedition in der — an advocacy that was folrNDiA. lowed two days afterwards by

the murder of two high English officials at Poona— Bal Gangadhar Tilak, editor of the Mahratta paper Kesari, professor in the local college and member of the council of the Governor of Botnbiy, was sentenced by the High Oonri of Bombay to 18 months' imprisonment. He s-sked for leave to appeal to the Eaii )rcS3 on the ground thnt the words used did not bear the interpretation complained of, and that consequently the judge had misdirected the jury. L°ave to appeal was refused. Tilak then appealed to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, and after Mr Aaquith had bean beard on behalf o£ the petitioner their lordships, after a brief concultatiou, decided that no case had been made out for him ; cougequenily Professor Tilak will now undereo

hi-) weli-dftserved seiifcaiie?. The nature o£ tho offeußo shows how iogenions are tho methods by which educated men endeavour to spread sedition amoDg tha Mahrattas. Shivaji was tb.B founder of tha Mahratta nation, and on the anniversary of his coronation a lecture ■was delivered at which Professor Tilak took the chair. Shivaji had killed Afzul Khan, the Mohammedan general of a neighbouring Sfcaie, and the lecture? contended that the ac» was cue cf lawful warfare and not murder. The lecture was duly reported in the Kesatf, as v?ell as two other discourses, and from the incident refetred to, as well as othetß of racderu date, the inference wai drawn and declared to the audience that " if any one was CTuahiug down their country frcm above they should cat him off, and ought not to pufc impc-dijjtienfcs in the way of others." Tilak developed the ethics cf tbe whole matter, ana his utterances, together with the tone of some of bis articles and verses on tbe Imperial Jubilee, were conaideved seditious This was afe a ti&M> w!if.n religious excitement was ab white hja*; h-ciase of the operations to check (ha y»lagu*s, «'> thafc the Importance of the remarks aad she nttsecity for ay ef^vapl? will bo readilr re'T'^a'-sed.

The great London fire on November 19 occurred

in wh&t is ktjov7n as the ManS'HB GEBvr chwfcer district, and, iriHE in as u.iual, the incident is replete wmnox. v/sth leissona which shcald ba

taken advautage of, because, und^.r 'he same condition?, no ressoo exrsfcs why tb« nest fcUvk r>tt joining should n«fc go atec. IS sssras thai tha buildings were ail built according io modern plans, and a fire ia übs t.'iigr.!-. to have been confined to th&fc ova ah>ne Tbs insurance managers are distinctly •iigpa' isfied with tha treatment of the fire tbafe wllcwed it to cover so lar£.e an area. The fire brigade was lsvts, and ifc ig alleged that it is infjufSossnt; eiuce to cope with this fire neseasiteted the emplovfjcent of e^ery available vxxa an<l engine, and London generally was ia thft m«ni.ime poorly protected, A gratifying firature of the lire is th<3 equanimity with which the ini-ufftr.ce corupa.jks regard their imnjsnse louses, aad this gives evidence of their stability. Prices o? insurance shares ieil only slightly, and ib is said that only one office ss' in acy risk of finding its loes isFup»rr.ble, The organifation referred to is Lloyd's, which not only figures prominently in the" i «iJjex:d list, but may feai/e comuiUraunts to o'ber offices. As the Financial News puts it, " lfisurar.ee ceropauk-s do nob wiica ir.rga risks on their owe responsibility. To the policyholder, ot coarse, each c.'-aip»ny zaakes itself re»{iousibie ; but it guji««tlly reassures incfc o£ tfce risk Mfch other ecaapaiiies or &h Lloyd's. Toat bcivig go, we should not beat; ali surprised to learn thit a great part of tho loss falls oa un<k>r?.riior3 at Lloyd's." The Daily Telegraph *lso refers bo lha likelihood of eoibarrasßmanfc *t LI');, d's, aad says : " The system vpon which Lloyd's is *vor»fc<l i^ differtjUu frorii the syi-ietns of proTijr &re offices, and this brings as to a jioiflt of coo l «id*-?&b l eia'ipox < !.fc»2<!9, which is eirfaer rob generally known or has been ulieily ignored by insurera in view of th? f.rn.iller prureiivug charg-i.l shire. Esch un«levwriteu a*. Lloyd's has to provide a sum of £5000 as guarantee, but this amouub is, we ars iuforuictl, wholly appli'wble to rc&rine iusuvaaee sud Jsao f j in acy way available for this new clars of buf.ii«;ss laU-'y üßtered into." Insurers, continues ilia journal aaraed, b.avft only the pei'tosial gaaranteo of underwriter* tifemselves, thcie being ■ nothing in tha sh"aps of capital such as ia ; possessed by the -insurancQ coaapanies to ecsiKa [ that their claims will be at all bimes tlaly «i«fe. : We append an aothoutafcivc Cfftim&fce o£ tho ' insuransas: — • royal £50,000 Sottish AliiPheeaix ... 50,000 aace £0,000 ' Lloyd's 45,000 Eastern. CJounSun 40,000 ties 6,000 Guardian ... 30,000 Scottish. Union ■ Law . .. 25,000 and National 5,000 i Royal Ex- AUiaSfce ... 5,000 I change ... 25,000 London ami Liverpool and Lancashire... 4,5t»0 London and National of IraGlobe ... 25,000 land 4,000 Hand-in-Hand £0,000 Magdeburg ... 4,000 1 Union 20,000 Kent 3,000 Manchester ... 17.0G0 Lancashire ... 3,000 , Northern ... 17,000 Law Union i Commercial and Oxown... 2,000 i Union ... 15,000 Lion ... 2,000 London Assur- EqmUbla -. I.EOO ance 15,000 JTine Arts .. 1,500 Norwich State 1,500 Union ... 15,000 Caledonian ... 1,000 North British British Law ... 1,000 and Mercan- Empress „, bOO tile .. 15,000 Patriotic ... 500 Palatine" ... 10,000 West of ScotImperial ... 7,500 land... 500 Atlas 7.°o° Insurances OorCounty"" ... 6,000 poration M 500 ! YSSre^:; SoS Total ...JSUw