Passing Events.

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 3, Issue 93, 13 December 1892, Page 2

Passing Events.

• According to the New Zealand Trade Review, the annual produce of wool in New Zealand in 1882 was 66,602,7121b5, and in 1892 the production was 113,860,0501b5, or 70 per cent, increase in ten years. Dairy produce is also rapidly increasing in volume, and a large export irade is assurred. ' — '■ ——

A* bill has been introduced into the Congress to suspend immigration into the'United States for one year, It is very possible that. this question will have to be considered by the New Z&aland Government at no distant date, for it is. quite evident that if the surplus European population are stopped from going to America, and Ausjtrajja. does. not. offer sufficient attractions, New Zealand will be looked upon as a fair field for foreign emigrants, not altogether of.a desirable clasd in many cases'.

The American manufacturers are agitating for the free admission of wool into the United States.. .Should a Bill "be jessed carrying out their desire it would considerably increase the price of wool, for a time-at all events, which would mean a big lift for New Zealand.

■ It is said that London has been greatly disturbed over a rumour of an impending mercantile crisis in Melbourne" and Sydney. After the recent failures one would have thought that it would have taken something 'more' than a rumour to digj&r.b so mighty a city where gigantic financial transactions are of daily occurrence. But it only shows what a little it takes to. cause a .panic in the monetary world, and how necessary it is to be carefu) in dealing with financial matters so as not to materially alter existing arrangements.

A lawyers clerk in Edinburgh has been arrested on a charge of forging a number of letters alleged to be by Burns, Macauley, and Scott, and has sold them at enormous, prices. He must.have been reading the life of Chattefton surely, and hit upon a good idea for making money by gratifying the vanity of his fellow men. It is very evident that those who bought these forgeries were greater fools than this promising young man was a knave.

The other day it was stated in evidence that a certain director of a Melbourne bank had taken out £28,000 more than he had put in. Now we are told that Baron Runach paid his private debts out of the funds subscribed? for the- Panama Canal. It shows that it is quite possible to get the right side of a bank manager or the public, but the rijan who succeeded in doing- so in this country would require the persuasive eloquence attributed tofbis majesty.

One hundred and twenty-five candidates have entered for the Matriculation Examination at Dunedin, including U ladies —l7 for the University Junior Scholarships, and 21 for the Medical Preliminary Pass. In many branches of trade women have taken the place of men, and now there seems every indication that the women will take possession of the learned professions, or in other words, there will be a return to those times when the women did "all the work, and the men did the fighting and hunting. With this difference, however, that in the future tlie men will to stop at home and mind the babies and become domesticated generally while the women attend to their professional or public duties.

The temperance orator, Mr Tennyson Smith, says that the publicans had better' t take notice, the Prohibitionists were only going to give them two years longer. Mr Smith is very considerate to give such a long notice, but thoiu'h he may be an orator he is certainly not a prophet. We might say of Mr Smith what Sir Robert Stout said of Mr Wakefield, " That he was a Cassandra in trousers," for there is every- possibility that at the expiration of the present notice it will be necessary to give an extension of time to the much abused publicans whom the Prohibitionists have doomed to destruction in the Course of the next two years.

Jay Gould specially bequeaths a million pounds to his son George in recognition of his remarkable business ability, and the remainder of his vast wealth equally among all his children. Nothing is left to. charities or public institutions out of an estimated fortune of £12,000,000. Surely the time is not far. distant when such large accumulations of wealoh by one person will not be permitted unless the possessor of so large a sum devotes some part for t£e benefit of his fellow-men who are not so fortunate in possessing such great business capacity. Men with great Intellectual gifts devote their whole Hve,B to the public good, and why «hould not men directly gifted with the power to accumulate large gums of money be likewise called upon to do their share in the work of social and intellectual advancement ?