Generalities.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume IX, Issue 1199, 26 February 1902, Page 4

Generalities.

Hir Joseph Ward, who is an expert telegraph operator, sent the first message over the wires from the new Onebunga telegraph office last week.

Although King Edward did not notify his accession by special ambassador to the Vatican, tbo Pope is desirous, says an English paper, of being represented at tho Coronation ceremony. Accordingly, negotiations are now proceeding on the subject, with special reference to the question of precedence. It is stated that Leo XIII, would be satisfied with a private reception of his mission by tho King, similar to that accorded to the Papal Mission on the occasion of Queen Victoria’s Jubilee. It is stated that tho rate at which tho Ophir wus chartered by the Government was £1 Is per ton per mouth: so that tbo cost of hiring tho vessel represents nearly £90,000 ol the £750,000 outlay which the Empire tour has involved. The Orient Company wore only rospon. sible for the payment of about threefourths of tbe crew, as the Admiralty appointed special naval officers to the vessel, largely augmented the engineering and stoking strength, provided the band of over 30 instru ments, and arranged for tho laundry staff—this department being fitted up at a cost of nearly £2OOO. Excepting, perhaps, Mr Chamberlain, no man has had so much limelight these two years as Mr Heddon, Premier of New Zealand. He lias been “to the fore ” every time thero was anything a rosourceful man could think of cabling or talking about. Whenever Roberts won a battle Mr Seddon wired him congratulations. When Kitchener was nearly captured by the Boers he cabled him compliments on his successful escape—not perceiving, bluff, ardent man, that tho Chief of tho Intelligence Department ,would ruther not be reminded of his nasty little adventure. Did Royalty have a birthday, or get over a cold in the head, the customary cable from Heddon came hurling along. It transpires that when Roberts bad taken Pretoria, his Great White Brother, Seddon, wrote him a memorandum showing how the country ought to be governed. And quite lately, in the action of bursting upon the nation with another consignment of troops for the front, he has loftily expressed his disapproval of the way the Liberals in England are carrying on. No other man ever stood so bravely and so loudly by anything lie had little or nothing to do with as Mr Seddon has stood by his Empire. Beyond a doubt the Imperial Government ought to do something especially big for him—preferably in the way of a Governorship in the heart of Africa, where there is no telegraph office.