PASSING NOTES. (From Saturday's Daily Times.)

Otago Witness, Issue 2409, 3 May 1900, Page 3

PASSING NOTES. (From Saturday's Daily Times .)

* .it may be that our "local military experts - understand what has been', happening this " iweek in the Free State,, and can read sense into' the confused and self-contradictory cables that have filled bur columns of soialled war news. As a mere layman in these matters I confess , myself without - slame to have been fairly beaten. -To me the* week's record is a mere , h,aos of alarums and excursions, of racings and;chas--dn'gs, ,in which , only " two facts. stand 'out " clear^.the first, that- the "Boers, even in Hfolerably open country, are still able to ■ give us a great deal of trouble ; the other, that-we7 notwithstanding our superiority in Dumfoers,3 re^ a^ c - to, take very little ;satis : factiqn out of the Boers. -It is true that we have . beaten them off from -Wepener— dt would have been horrible disgrace -had fye-sn.pt:; "and that here, and there we have shifted them from ' one kopje to another ; ibut it is also true that we .have not' been able -to bring them to battle in any com- : - jprehensive way, or prevent them — so far — from slipping through our fingers. It may ibe that we , shall' have them yet! My (private conviction is that we_ are bound to shave them presently— it is inconceivable (that a few thousand Boers can go careering about indefinitely in the midst of our - converging columns ; eventually — if not be- • fore, as tihe Americans say — they must be _ snipped. But, in the meantime, there is - assuredly a great demand upon our patience, also upon our faith in Lord Roberts. And sas respects Lord Roberts, I find comfort an the very fact of his immobility, his selfrestraint,- his evident determination to take mo chances. Things must come out right— ihey positively must! This may toe the -unreasonable optimism natural to our Bnt- - ish blood7but (therein I mean to > abide, any- ~ Jhow, call it what you will. The joy bells 'prill ring again — in due season,- ' One chief perplexity at this stage of tiie .iwar is to imagine any rational fP™" ition of Boer obstinacy. What .fib the Boei headers suppose themselves to .be fighting (for? Is it -conceivable that they, hope tor final success? Not, if left to .themselves, , aurely- - Kruger, Steyn, .and Co. Te not imbeciles. It «,ig incredible that Sy think a turn of 'the tide m their -SSttJb'AfiJrtffl- why ■iS'they prolong the struggle? pimply to i;SkeHime for Fortune to comedo Ifoeir aid rdnfthe/shape of European intervention/ J. oS&mindthat^eems the only conceivable

[them" tfce winfc-^" "Contrive ;by any means ( h6ld'b"ut tilKour Exhibition.;is.over ! We LJwill'see then. whether <,we can't put a spoke j-'in ,the_Briti'sK jvvheel for you ! " That' hints I of "ibis" nature^have; readied "Pretoria is not in the least unlikely, -nor tKat~ the- Boers ; would receive, them- as gospels-counting, t ■-.with <reason,' : ;oh.,',the'Erenp!h. hatred of Brit- ■ aiif. ; as"one of the permanent facts of the -universe/ - .Then; if Fraiice". made trouble aiicl found occupation for her ancient enemy elsewhere, the Cape Dutch would rise as one 1 man, when, instantly, ' .the whole situation must change. The position of the •British invaders of the Free State would be that of the French invaders of , Spain at' the -^beginning of the century ; the British in ! their turn -would""- h'aye to undergo a Salamanca and a Vittoria. Thi3 is how the Boer leaders are reasoning, I fancy • every day that they can' hold out is a day gained, they -imagine, to the chance that help may "Come- from -without. If only that unfortu•,ll'ate Paris^Exhibition-were out, of the way ! Luckily "for "W "it- won't be ,out of- the way ;for six monthstrof- more, before which" time, , there is -reasonable' grpimd; for believing, the Boer pdtat'o will be cooked. "- As in J "duty -'boundi"; our Dunedin "mayor j and- councillors^ haye 1 caught the plague. ; scare;-, \vhat ..is Y more, they are resolved 1 r^hat",vee',s^.'all % knbw' i,L; ' ""Civic activities >have suddenly.' taken the form "of" an impromptu spring-cleaning. Sweeping and scouring, .antiseptics and rough on rats, * are the order of the day ; never before was there such a poking of the official nose into neglected dust bins' and forgotten glory-holes; every' councillor conceives it I a duty to his constituents to become a i private detective arid an amateur inspector of nuisances. -And yet, for all the pother , they are 'making, I am . afraid that this 'municipal 'spring cleaning , won't go very deep. It- wiltj amount to little more than a perfunctory purification '"of the ' kind known as. "a lick and a- promise." How otherwise should ,we .read the following item of news in Thursday's Daily Times, under- the heading "Precautions in the 'city"? The Mayor -mentioned at the conference of mayors last night that a , practical plumber has. been appointed to go round the city to see " that everything > in - connection with the houses is. on a: proper sanitary basis. Anybody • not, a, mayor or city councillor sees at a iglance that this practical plumber will' accomplish his task about the date of the Greek Kalends." Then, why a practical plumber? Why jiot a 'theoretical plumber —the kind of plumber who sits • at a desk ■and makes out- the bills, and who, from el room in the Town Hall, would evolve all the facts the mayor wants ou_t of his moral consciousness? His results would be as accurate as the other's, and lie would get^ them -out in time for the plague, which consideration, after all, should be allowed, I venture to think, some weight. Here I bethink me of my literary plumber so cruelly abbreviated in this column a week or two back. He begins, I ,find, ' with phrases propitiatory : "Dear Givis, I often read your Notes with pleasure and profit, though not always agreeing with what you say." And yet I have left this . appreciative and discriminative correspondent in the drawer for weeks, waiting for a. show ! On the subject of plumbing . in relation to the plague he has something really sensible to say. ' Plumbers are often blamed for bad drainage and pipes, but they are not altogether to blame, as they are obliged to do what the proprietor asks them, often against their own .judgment. ~ The plumbers of Dunedin, if allowed to do what they know is necessary, could do more to prevent the spread of the plague than a regiment of doctors could do; but they are not allowed. What is necessary is to make a law to compel the people to drain their property in a proper manner, according to regulations — just "as gas and wa^er fitting is done according to -regulations. Also, that a. sanitary inspector be appointed to see that all drain work is, properly executed; such inspector must be a practical man, thoroughly understanding sanitary work as appliecl to house drainage, and should pass an examina- . tiop by experts. Here is reason and good sense. 'Why should any householder foe permitted to arrange his_^Qmest-ic— drainage so as to -generate ty ; pEoid "or sozue pthef deadly fox'm of filth ctiisease wherewith to poison him-_ self , and his, neighbours? I commend this piactical plumber and '1113 suggestions to the attention of his WJorship the Mayor. Bi}t oU^'dty faljheys p%& seeji tp greatest

A number of delinquents have been haled ' to, court this week for "permitting their' .premises to remain in an unsanitary condition " — more specifically for keeping fowls in a cellar, under the- house, in a back bedroom, and so on. -A realistic inspector of. nuisances liorxified the worthy beak"' by. bringing into court a specimen lump of filth which he described as "bacteria itself." } If evidence^ is to be presented in this concrete form," bench and bar will have to do their work under 'a spray of carbolic. Wonderfully suclden this zeal for cleanliness ! I am" afraid that in its nature it j closely resembles a deathbed repentance. We don't really love the . duty, we don't really hate the sin ; if the scare passes, we shall relapse. It is the old story of the Prince of Darkness 'and his influenza : The Devil fell sick — the Devil a monk would be; The Devil got well — the devil a monk was he ! Meanwhile, as long as the penitent fit lasts, let us go oi^ prosecuting people who "permit their premises to remain in ' an unsanitary condition," though, in strict jus,tice, the first culprits to_be put in the dock ,on this -charge should be the City Councillors themselves. Look at their street gutters! Sniff the aronia discharged from their ■ sewers! . Observe — from the jwind ward side 'if possible — their infamous dust carts— a J walking pestilence, scattering microbes" on every "wind that blows ! >. The- blame and the ' shame, I "am well aware; belongs to all of us ; we are rich enough to afford cleanliness, we prefer to live in dirt and save the rates. But you can't fine and "imprison a whole community. The proper persons to drop on are, obviously, the mayor and councillors. They are- our representatives. , Through them we sin ; ■through them let us consent to suffer. Anyhow, I speak for myself — I am prepared to be punished vicariously, as the law anay direct, in the person of his Worship the Mayor, say, or Councillor Haynes, or any other representative scapegoat, selected from their own number, as the council in their wisdom may decide. From the distracted hubbub about rats, drains, quarantine, and the plague, I miss a voice that was wont to dominate all others, though not always by the wisdom of its utterances. The Premier has gone into retreat at Te Aroha. A week or two back -he was hectoring the municipal authorities of Wellington in the manner of a .pinchbeck Napoleon, or, rather — to take 1 an illustration more germane to the subject — in the manner of Mr Squeers before.. an I assemblage of trembling schoolboys- at Dotheboys Hall. If this or that were clone — or were not done, it ' doesn't matter which — he would close the port of Wellington altogether. The Empire City should become as Babylon and Tyre ; on Lanibton quay should flourish ■ — the fat weed That rots itself at ease on Lethe wharf. j This was pretty bad, but worse remained behind. If Wellington 'should be guilty of one single case of plague, he would hold •the next session of Parliament in Christchurch. And then, having discharged himself of this tremendous threat, the Premier left suddenly to take a course of the waters at Te Aroha, presumably for irritated liver. Hon. members are no doubt suitably impressed by this display, of solicitude for the safety of lives so precious to ' the , State 5 but a question arises "as to what would happen if flhe plague should 1 pursue them to Christchurch. The City of the Plain has no guarantee of immunity; we^ are I compelled therefore -to consider the possibility that Mr Seddon and his satellite Parliament, "chased from, place to place by I pestilence, might ultimately be driven out of the country altogether. In that case, even the plague might be considered to 'bring its compensations. Whither would the panic - stricken fugitives betake themselves? I would suggest that as a precautionary measure -the next session o-f Parliament be fixed for the Chatham Islands. For such a relief what thanks could be to,o great ! 'Civis.

It is understood that his Excellency- the Governor has leased Chingford, North-E*ast Valley, the property of Mr P. C. NeiU, for a summer residence. Mr A. (3. Paterson has been, nominated as the representative of the Chamber _of Commerce on the Otago Harbour Board to Jill the vacancy caused by the resignation of ,iho Hon. Thomas Fergus. The inquiry by the Education Board into !

""»»*a^^nii.^^-ii..i l1 i' I^rt>iii^iH»twTiHimJt^y-^Jut*iii^uaEra sington School t is to take place on Wednesday, May 16, at 7 p.m., in the Education Office. «• -Ur J. A. Ruddick, dairy commissioner, has appointed Messrs J. A. Kinsella and^A. A. Thornton cheese and butter experts at the .forthcoming winter-.sh'ow. -The Agricultural Conference to be* 'held during, show week promises to offer a wide scope for the interchange of views and opinions on farming matters, and practical discussions will take place on everything connected with dairying." . Papers and addresses will be given by Dairy Inspector D. J. M'Gowan, Mr J. A. Ruddick, Mr J. B. MacEwan, and several others. The experience. of such practical men as those mentioned above should prove of the highest value, and -if applied it is but natural to ex-, | pect beneficial results in this" important inI dustry. The cheese, as usual, has been placed in the New Zealand Express Company's cool stores. Messrs Thornton and Sawers, the Government graders, haye 1 inspected the entries, and have expressed them- ■' selves highly /.satisfied Avith.'the 'manner in I which the committee have stocked the cheese, ample provision having been made for ventilation. The same stores have been selected, by the Government for the grading of butter 'and cheese "for ~^he intercolonial market. The Railway authorities ' have decided to" change the name of the .Wedderburn railway station," near the .present terminus of the Otagc Central line, to the much more euphonious name of Maruimafo. This latter name has been borne by the school at Wedderburn since it was first built. News has been received of the serious illness of Mr J. Henry, of Cuttle Cove. The Preservation Inlet correspondent of the Southland* Times writes: — "Amidst a howling gale from nor' -west a ketch came tearing along the outer «nd ,of " Long Island. . She turned out" to be the -Belle, last from Cuttle Cove. After manoeuvring about to Wit. the caprices of the wind, she picked up the local medico (Dr Fox),' and made back for the Cove. It transpired that poor Joe Henry whose solitary residence there has become one of its landmarks, had taken seriously, if not dangerously, ill with inflammation of the bowels. The ketch, chartered by a party of North Island prospectors, had—put in to the : Cove for shelter, and, under the circumstances, her presence was most opportune. An open boat or' lesser craft" than 'the ketch 1 could hardly ' have managed , to cross the Sound, so fierce was the wind. Henry's illness is a cause of general regret. He is a plucky fellow, and his long residence at the Cove has made him one of the best-known men in the place. Further developments in his case are looked for with general anxiety. He opened out a claim lately at Big River, and the exposure consequent upon his traffic to and from is attributed as the origin of the trouble." - - The first of a series of health lectures to be given by medical practitioners~during the winter months in connection with the Young Women's Christian Association was" held on the 24th. It was announced that the meeting would be held in the Young Women's Rooms in Moray place, b\it the crowd of persons, mostly ladies, who wished to gain admission was so large that it was apparent the hall would not' hold half the number who came forward. An adjournment was therefore hastily made to First Church, on -the opposite side of the street, and shortly before halfpast 8 a crowd of about 500 persons was seated therep while Dr Cblquhoun, the lecturer of the evening, and his Worship the Mayor, who occupied the chair, took up^ a. position on the platform in front of taapulpit. The lecturer dealt with thec-ruscs of consumption, and the means of preventing the spread of the disease,, his remarks being listened to most attentively throughout. At the conclusion of the lecture, an extended report of which is held over, Dr Colquhoun was, on the motion of the chairman," accorded a hearty vpte of thanks. - Mr Gilruth, and the Melbourne doctors who were studying the plague in Sydney, had some rather amusing experiences. When travelling, it \vas occasionally convenient to maicc some reference to their cormeeTion wuli the dreaded bacillus. For instance, in a crowded train at the Sydney station, the wife of one of the exp'evts remarked casually, lo : the passengers that, her husband and the husJjamfs 9jjjk§ ftt&eS'treo-iadies in the carnage

had. been for 'some* time ' past studying the plague. Immediately there was a general exodus, and the experts had the carriage to themselves. Again at Albury, where the curt ■ customs officials are wont to pry into one's , portmanteau, -" the plague" acted like, a charm, and .the experts" were allowed -to take tLei F- kagga&e away- une\-ammecl\ H JJntil -the son of a 1 well-to-do inerchanrfei^ill, and died of the plague, the scare'in Sydney.did not become general, j. Hitherto. the disease had been confined to working men and women. The young man referred^, worked in his father's office, and as shipping clerk he had frequently to pass through the infected area. He was one of. . those .>ho refused to be inoculated with the prophylactic. ' His case was a particularly" severe one. - There was only time to telephone to his parents staging that it w^s a supposed ease of plague, and in a short time he was dead, "_'■ This young man had- the day, before been T ,the, guest- at a fashionable wedding, .and when his sudden death was announced 'there was a rush on the part of scores 'of the,o|her guests .for inocula- . tion. >-".-■_' *"' - '■ - . The Grey River ' Argus says -that dredging is booming in Greymouth:' ' At; every corner of the street it is the -topic of. conversation; ■and the fever r iias even spread amongst "the women, who have-shown great aptitude-- In. ' conversing on the popular subject. .- > A'boufc 2000 claims have'be'en applied-'for oh the'Wesfc 1 Coast for dredging, purposes;" and it is estiI mated that the capital i>£ each claim will be £8000, making"- a tota^ of - £16,000,000. . Each claim will require a dredge, and if, say, 5Q' - dredges ccmld be turned, out every year, it I would take 40 years to supply- them!- - - The weekly meeting of' the Otagd Benevolent Institution Trustees,, held- on the 25th, was attended by, Messrs O; Haynes (chairman), -- ,C. Allan, J. Hazle.tt, '"%. Swan, 0. Ziele, and . the Hon. Hugh Gourley.^ The Secretary re- - posted that Timothy Regan had died in the institution during th week. Accounts amounting, to £202 4s 6d were pasSefl'for payment, and the trustees then proceeded to deal with 20 outdoor relief cases. '- Our Wellington correspondent wires that a series of mining regulations, Irafted last session by the : £jpldfields Committee, but not - yet gazetted, has been handed'by the Minister^ - of Mines to- Mr H.-A. .Gordon, formerly an officer of the' 'Mine's department, bu&now adviser to a' mining "syndicate, for perusal prior to the issue of* the regulations, and that tho , propriety of this course is 'seriously questioned. i A meeting of the committee of .the Society for Protection of "Women" and Children was held at the Town Hall on Friday, last, Mr . R. Chisholm (president)-- occupying : the chair. The Rev.' William Curzon-Siggers," Mesdames 'Macdonald, Denniston, Ensign- Sparks- (S.A.)/ ' Dr s Siedefyerg, Mr G. L. Denniston, and thesecretary (Miss Statham) 'were also present. Apologies were received f rom "Mesdames Wise and Brown and Miss : Rigg. The -President stated that, in accordance with the .wishes expressed by the committee at the last meet- , ing, 'he had waited on Lord and ' Lady Ranfurly on their arrival in Dunedin, 1 and asked if it was possible for them to be present at a, meeting during their visit, but" they found their engagements so numerous that_a meetr ing could' not be arranged.'. Lady "Ranfurly much regretted it, but said she hoped to be able to attend one at no very distant .date, and thus show her , great^interest in", tKe work. The resignation of "Miss Rigg as a member of committee^m" consequence of her leaving Dunedinf-vas accepted with much regret, and Mr^Miehis-was unanimously^elected in her >*tsad. -A- l&i.tei' iroip^-Mrs TVellsT^seftretary Iv.itional Council of Women, was received, aixl consideration deferred till next meeting. The applications for the position of secretary we*£ then considered, -*md Mrs Ansell yva.s ' unanimously elected. Miss" Statham was in-^ structed to make arrangements for an office at the Y^WJO.A:. Rooms as 1 soon as possible, iso thai the work waiting to, be." done could j 15e attended to. It was 'reported' l£hat_ several cases were under investigation, and, in speaking of the work already accomplished," one of th© ladies mentioned that a marked improvement had taken place in a case that had beea - bTdught under her notice after only one visit from Miss Rigg,'> who had acted as hon. 'in- : spectoi whenever she had been .able to find \ time to do so ; and others also" spoke of the - good work that was being done-ma quiet wa&V by the society. •--.'<--- " •■" s t -^t ",*;\ k—A