THE PREMIER'S VIEWS. THE COLONY SHOULD KEEP CONTROL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2396, 1 February 1900, Page 19

THE PREMIER'S VIEWS. THE COLONY SHOULD KEEP CONTROL.

WELLINGTON, January 29. The Premier has expressed the opinion that it would be a mistake to send the moneyHome that is being subscribed to the patriotic fund. He thinks the colony should keep the control of it in its own. hands, and so sava

a. lot of trouble in future. "Besides, he points out, the allowance thought ample at Home is inadequate in New Zealand. H« favours putting the whole of the subscriptions into a common trust, and then settling how much should be sent to England and how much retained here. He also wants to see more nurses sent, as the six who have gone are quite inadequate to look after New Zealand's 600 or 700 men.

A very successful concert and dance in aid of the patriotic fund was held in the Otakou Hall on Wednesday last, and should result in a creditable addition to the fund. A contingent from Port Chalmers, who assisted in making the concert a success, were taken down and back by the steam launch Kate. Mr E. G. Allen, M.H.R., presided, and opened with a brief patriotic address. Patriotic airs were played by an orchestra consisting of Miss Minnie Bishop, Messrs F. HendrjHardy, Waltsgott, R. Hendry, and a gen tleman from Port Chalmers. Songs were rendered by Miss Wilson, Messrs Donovan, Hardy, Dick, and Prendergast, and recitations by Mrs Hastie, Miss Fletcher, and Mr Cook. The ladies and gentlemen from Port Chalmers contributed vocal quartets. Mos., of the items were encored. The concert concluded with a vigorous rendering of " God save the Queen." A dance followed, in whicn Mr Donovan made an efficient M.C. ; while Messrs Hendry, Hardy, and Dick supplied the music. Refreshments were generously pi-ovided by residents of the district. Credit is due to all who took part in a most success ful social evening. _ Mr George Mitchell, of Christchurch, who is attorney in the colony for Messrs John Dickinson and Co., paper makers, of London and Herts, (desire 3( desire 3us to state, in order to obviate any unpleasantness, that the exclusive right of publishing Kipling's famous ballad " The Absent-minded Beggar " has been purchased by Messrs John Dickinson and ■Co., and that permission to publish for patriotic purposes must be , obtained from their attorney.

A Westport telegram states that the patriotic fund there amounts to £263 17s Bd.

A Wellington telegram says: — The New Zealand Railways War Relief Fund Committee have remitted £1000 to London. The .fund now amounts to £1400.

The amount credited to Dr Waddell's lecture as at Evansdale should be Taieri Beach. It was a most unfortunate night, pouring rain, otherwise the collection would have been much larger. The marine parade at Wellington on Saturday produced £365, which will cover the expenses and leave an ample margin for the patriotic fund. As this amount only represents 7300 people, several thousands must have managed to get on board without tickets.

The various patriotic funds in Timaru total £800, and collections are still being made. So far only £27 15s has been earmarked for the war fund. The general feeling is that the contingents should be paid for out of taxation. -

As the result of the performance at the Princess Theatre on Wednesday Mr R. Brough expects to be able to hand to the treasurer of the patriotic fund a sum which will certainly exceed £150 n.et, and may possibly reach £170 or £175. The country takings are not yet known exactly, and until they are the precise profit cannot be stated, but it will be a handsome addition to the fund.

The total of the patriotic fund in Auckland is now £4969, of which the horse purchase fund totals £643.

The War Fund Carnival at Hokitika was an unprecedented success, the weather being glorious and the attendance a record. The concert at night was also of a record character. The theatre being crowded to overflowing, the doors were thrown open, and the people stood across the street. The receipts for the day came in the aggregate to over £170. The war fund now stands at over £900, and money is still steadily coming in. A meeting is to be called immediately to consider the matter of sending from five to ten Westlanders in the third contingent. After paying expenses, the Wellington Demonstration Committee have a surplus of £140 for the patriotic fund. The receipts were about £361, and the expenses £221. The chief items in the latter were £17 19s 8d for staging, £35 for corporation labourers, and £31 10s for the insurance of people on the steamers.

A concert and ball at Waipiata on Friday, 19th inst., resulted in a sum of £18 being collected for the patriotic funds. The pilot boat's crew's subscription should have been acknowledged as per Captain M'Callum.

The total subscriptions at Wyndham to date in aid of the patriotic fund amount to £100 6s.

A meeting was held in the Tuturau School on Tuesday evening in aid of the patriotic fund. Speeches were delivered by the Rev. Mr Davidson and Messrs Lowden, Mac Gibbon, and Macandrew, while a number of songs, recitations, etc., were rendered. The sum of £17 10s was collected for the fund. A patriotic concert at the Thames realised £30. The patriotic fund now amounts to £14-5, exclusive of the concert proceeds., " A Southland Farmer " has a stirring appeal to fellow-farmers to contribute to the

patriotic fund, in the Southland Times. Th*. arguments are quite as applicable to Otago farmers. The writer points out that last season the oat market opened at Is per bushels Afterwards they rose to Is 2d, and stood at' that till war rumours got about. They then worked up until to-das^, A grade are worth 2a per bu&hei at country stations. The incoming season will open with a bare market, and all good samples will sell readily at 2s. Kruger is responsible for this. If Kruger had kept quiet oats would have been worth Is 2d, which means a gain of 8d and lOd per bushel to the fortunate farmer that still held part of his oats ; and for all oat-growing farmers a similarly enhanced value of their incoming crop. Now getting this extra 8d or slOd leaves the farmer in a good position, as far as his oatgrowing is concerned. Seeing that the farmers in this end of the colony are the greatest gainers by the ' war, let them dip deep iij Lheir pockets and give some of their extra oat profits. They will never miss a couple of guineas. It only means 8d per bushel on 63 bushels of oats, and there are not many farmers who have not at least 10 times that amount to sell. After quoting a stanza from " The absent-minded beggar," the writer urges farmers to come along with their peck of oatmeal. Great Britain's loss is the farmers' gain, so the latter are urged to pay up and look pleasant.

While Mr Robert Craig, the popular driver on the Lawrence-Roxburgh coach, encouraged his passengers to join in the singing of a number of patriotic songs to beguile the tedium of

The Auckland Working Men's Club voted £50 to the patriotic fund. the journey, he seized the opportunity to request a collection for the patriotic fund. This was accordingly taken up ,with the result that Mr W. H. Fahcy was entrusted with the duty, of handing over 15s to the fund. This duty he performed last evening.

The Tapanui patriotic fund list stands afc £138, and further means are to be adopted to increase the amount.

A special horse sale at Feilding on Saturday, the autcioneer's commission from which goes to the fund, resulted in about £55 being added to the fund, which now stands at £340.

A " souvenir of New Zealand's Response ta the Empire's Call" has been issued by -Mr Malcolm Ross. It contains numerous wellexecuted photographs of scenes in the camp life of the second contingent that recently left Wellington for South Africa, and photographs also of the scene at the departure of the Waiwera. The letterpress has reference to the despatch of the first contingent, which is described in concise but admirable terms. On the inside of the cover of the souvenir ia a reproduction of a typewritten message addressed by the Premier to the first contingent, and the little book contains also nicely-written poems by Mrs M. Ross and Mr D. M. Ross, through each of which breathes the patriotic feeling that is finding expression all the Empire over in verse at the present time. The little book, the cover of which is appropriately bordered in red, white, and blue, should find a ready sale as a handy souvenir of an interesting occasion.