Our Colonial Empire.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XVII, Issue 5722, 19 March 1890, Page 3

Our Colonial Empire.

The "Morning Post" quotes from the statistical abstract published with regard to the colonies to show that the upward progress of every part of our dominions in population, wealth, and commerce can be traced step by step for a period of fifteen years, forming a record without parallel in the world's history. In fifteen years the gross amount of public revenue in the colonies has doubled, and the public indebtedness also doubled, representing expenditure on railways, harbors, and other public works. With the unimportant exceptions of St. Helena, the Bahamas, and the Virgin Islands, there is not one of our numerous possessions which lnis not largely increased its shipping trade since 1874 ; and the activity shown in the ports is reflected in the official records of commercial transaction. The colonial import trade has increased nearly 50 per cent., to a total of L 217,000,000, while the exports have risen in almost the same ratio to L 215,000,000. Here again is renewed evidence of the value of the colonies as markets for British produce, for whereas in 1874 the Mother Country received from them L 80,000,000 worth of produce, and sent them rather less than that amount of British goods, in 1888 they imported from this country to the value of upwards of L 113,000,000, their exports to the United Kingdom having increased only to L 93,000,000. The time has long past, the " Morning Post" remarks, when English politicians were disposed to let the colonies cut themselves adrift. The ties of common interest and mutual independance, no less than the bonds of blood relationship, have created a new and better feeling, and this has been fostered and strengthened by the cordial understanding between the Imperial Government and the Governments of the colonies.

Lewis Morris is regarded in England as the heir apparent to the laureateship. It is calulated that more than 40,000 Jews have been expelled from Russia within the last eighteen months. In the last Gazette a Nelson lady, Mrs Mackay, applies for a patent ' ' for exterminating rheumatics. " The totalisator at Wanganui putthrough L3OOO less last week than for the corresponding meeting last year. The bad handicapping is credited with much of this falling off. The Society for the Protection of Children in England has an income of L4OOO a year, while that for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has an income of L 20,000 a year. It is estimated that the Victorian Railway Department will have to meet a deticiency of over LIOO,OOO at the close of the financial year on 30th June next. Whilst the receipts for the current year will be about equal to those of last year, the working expenses will be greater, consequent on the opening of a number of new lines which have not had time to become developed, and therefore are not yet remunerative. There is much rivalry between the Napier and Wanganui papers over "big gooseberries." Whenever one town gets a big lunatic, an escaped prisoner, a large bankrupt, or a new lawyer the other goes one better. The Feilding Star says :— A Wanganui brewer has, it is said, come into a fortune of about a hundred thousand pounds. Napier will go one better in a day or two, and the editors of both evening papers are already dodging after a suspicious-looking customer who looks promising. A terrible fate threatens Mr HennikerHeaton. The supporters of the universal penny post system have come to the conclusion that if it is to go through they must have a man (vide Mr Thomson Hankey in ' The Times') with the energy of a dozen Henniker-Heatons at the head of affairs. Poor Henniker ! If this doesn't mean that he is to be deposed, what does it mean ? And after working up the subject all these years, too ! —London correspondent. A London correspondent writes on sporting matters : - Ready-money bookmaking does not always pay. Andy Anderson, whose turnover per season touches LIOO,OOO, complains that he lost L4OOO last year. On the other hand, MiFry netted L 40,000. This shrewd old gentleman is trying just at present to lay all he can against the four favorites for the Derby. His theory is that the contest will be a very open one and that even longer prices than are now on offer against Surefoot, Haume, Le Nord. and Riviera will be forthcoming on the day of the race. Sir Waltor Buller is sick of company management, and means to cut the city as soon as he decently can, (says a London I correspondent). This, he considers, will be when the New Zealand Antimony Company have paid a dividend, and the Blue Spur Company are in fairly smooth waters. Sir Walter seems still undecided whether lie will stay in New Zealand when he gets" there, and enter the arena of colonial politics, or return to England and give rein to his literary inclinations . He has received a very flattering offer from Messrs Sotheran, who appear to think that a carefully and artistically illustrated history of the Maori race, (such as Sir Walter Bullet* could, with time at his disposal, compile) would be eagerly bought up by ethnologists. A writer in a contemporary tell this yarn : — ln Springfield, Canterbury, a short lime ago, a young man who had just been appointed a J.P. had possession of the bench for the first timo. The only case for hearing was that of an unfortunate " drunk." Having heard the charge and the prisoner having nothing to say in self-defence, his Worship pronounced judgment in a solemn tone of voice, but with palpable mixing of pounds, shillings, and pence with the hours of the day, and the offence of drunkenness with the crime of murder — "Twenty-four shillings; and may the Lord have mercy on your soul !" Having disposed of all the business the excited young justice descended from the ! bench, and calling the sergeant aside asked if "the poor devil had any money." *' Nob a pint, yer Worship," was the reply. On which, "his Worship" rejoined: " Well, here's a Jive pound note ; give it to him when he comes out to majce a fresh start with !" An Act has recently been passed by the Parliament of Great Britain to regulate the sale of horee flesh for human food. It enacts that no person §hal} sell, offer, or expose it for sale unless on a label, in letters of not less than 4in. in length, is indicated that horse flesh is for sale. No one shall suppjy it to any person who has asked for beef or mutton or other meat, or sausages nob ordinarily made from horse flesh. Various penalties are indicated for infractions of the Act.

The steamer Bucephalus, which le Calcutta for Melbourne on January 27tl was placed in an awkward position throug running short of coal. The steamer calle into Albany on her voyage and took i fifty tons of coal, but on leaving that poi a strong north-east wind with a heavy se was met with, retarding the ship's progress and throwing the calculations out. Whe: about 700 miles from Melbourne it was dis covered that the fuel was getting low, am the course was altered for Cape Eorda When thirty miles off there the engine stopped for want of steam, and the vesse drifted with the current. The sails ha( little or no effect, and it was found impos sible to get steerage way. The chic officer, Mr Francis, together with tin third officer, the third and fourth en gineers, and three Lascars, volunteered tc pull to Cape Borda. This they accom plished, taking twenty- four hours to row thirty miles. A tug was despatched tc relieve the Bucephalus, but although il cruised about for two days it was unable to find the distressed vessel. The tug had to return to Adelaide as she had only a short supply of coal. Another steamei was despatched and she was succesful in finding the disabled steamer. An English Engineering Trades Journal says : — lt appears likely that the ammonia-compressing system, which has been so successful for cold stores on shore, and which has been introduced on some of the largest recent steamers, will supersede the use of compressed air on board ship also." Church of England services — Karaka 11, Ormond 3, Te Arai 3, Makaraka 7. —Adv. No chimneys to clean, a splendid heat.and a cheerful fire obtained by using Coke 2s bag at Gas Works. — Ad vt. Lecture. — Whinray's Hall, Thursday, 7.30, The French Revolution— lts Cause and Result, as bearing on Christianity. Mr Hare. — Ad. Characteristics of Cook County — Oil Springs, Lawyers, and Hennessy's Boots.— Advt

The Clivistch'avch Press reports that d daughter of Mi' Ackroyd, aged about 12 yoaw,,Wß9 cU'GWimd in the Tomuk& j?lve* on m 6th Ittftfe. while Wthlftg. ®M eiippfd trrte i foeg t?ool, nvul ono at hat eomjs&nlens .wont to hey aaatanao, bu| yn\n soon in dißiouJfetoa, arid would also havo been drowned, bub for the assistance of a; third girl. Meantime the girl Aokrpyd disappeared. The body was ret , covered iv the evening in about 16ft of water. ,AiiaefcioiiWAs irecently brought against the Victorian Railway Commissioners to recover LSOO damages for injuries caused to Elizabeth C. L. Douglass, a girl fifteen years of age. Miss Douglass was passing over the Green street level crossing at Richmond when she was knocked down by a passing train. She suffered severe injuries. - The damages were claimed on the ground 'that there had been negligence on the part of the defendants or their servants in constructing a signal-box, which pre? vented persons seeing an approaching train, and that a gate on the line had been wrongfully left open at the time. The jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff with damages L4OO. Here is an instance of sweating " from ' the Melbourne Age : — " Some twenty girls, the children of respectable parents, had been lately working for an employer afc Clinton Hill, making stockings like those worn by footballers, and they were paid lid per dozen for their labor. In making the stocking!* the girls could not help occasionally dropping a stilch or two but instead of allowing thy girls themselves to repair them, the employer engaged different hands, and actually deducted from the girls' wages Is per dozen. Thus, in many cases the girls found that they were not only making the stockings for nothing, but were actually paying, to their employer Id per dozen for the privilege of making the article. The natural consequence was that the girls struck , work, and having done so the employer ordered them off his premises, threatening to kick them off if they were not soon gone." A funny story conies from Alsace-Lor-raine apropos of the passport regulations on the German frontier. The other day a familyfrom Deutsh Avricourt were expecting for lunch a party of relatives who were living at a village a few miles over the border. But the German official at the customhouse insisted on having a passport, a thing which the French family had thought to be unnecessary for a few hours' visit to a border village. At length they turned back for a few yards into France and alighted. In the meantime their Lorraine relatives, who had seen their retreat, had gone home, and returned with knives, forks, plates, glasses, and a hot dinner. The cloth was laid across the frontier upon a patch of smooth grass, and a merry picnic was held, each party sitting on its own soil. The German officials stood by the whole time, ready to arrest the strangers in case they overstepped the imaginary line, but they were careful not to do so.

Holloway'B Pillsand Ointment exert a rapidly avorable effect in all diseases which are induced by exposure to damp or by great changes in temperature. They will therefore be found eminently serviceable to those who work in iron foundries, copper mines, and colleries. These well known remedies present manifest advantages in respect of use jind effectiveness, being entirely compounded of vegetable drugs selected with the greatest care and regardless of price. When used in accordance with the ample printed directions which accompiny them, they act surely but mildly, and do not interfere with the daily work. There are but few diseases which are not capable of cure — or, at all events, of jjreat relief —if Holloway's remedies are periieveringly used. Strangers visiting Gisborne and desiring to know tho best establishment in which to purchase' Watches, Clocks or Jewellery will please note that S.McLernon offers special advantages. 'He imports direct and buys for cash from the leading manufacturers, consequently he claims to be in the best possible position to serve the public well. One month's trial given with each Watch repaired by him. If not satisfactory, money retuaed.—Advt. WHY REMAIN DEAF. If you have failed to be cured elsewhere write ! x>r reply to Professor Harvey, of th "Aural Clinic," 145 Collins street East Melbourne, for a description of the new scientific, and entirely successful Electro, Medication Treatment, which completely cures Deafness, Noises in the He id, Pischarges/etc., no matter of how long standing Ear-drums no longer necessary. " This treatment is perfectly simple, self-applied, and painless." Advice and illustrated descriptive Pamphlet free. N.B.— The Aural Clinic's Electric Head Battery is the only one patented throughout the civilised world