South Canterbury Times. FRIDAY, MARCH 12, 1897.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 8777, 12 March 1897, Page 2

South Canterbury Times. FRIDAY, MARCH 12, 1897.

The Christchurch Star points out the ‘ ‘ feminine impracticability ”of the members of the Christchurch Women’s Institute, who have a scheme in hand to obtain 100 acres of good land, near town or near a railway, and to erect thereon a two-storey brick building, to cost £16,000 for the reception of two hundred desti tute boys and as many destitute girls, all under seven years of age, under tne management, control and instruction of “ refined and cultivated ladies,” the Government to be asked ter find all the necessary money. “ Feminine impracticability ” is a very nice polite term to apply to such a foolish proj ect. Indeed, in the face of the experience of the “ barrack ” system at Home, it is almost a wicked project. But so far as its impracticability is concerned, it is not much if any worse than the masculine impracticability that resolves “ almost unanimously,”that it is desirable to establish a second freezing works at Timaru, and then runs away and leaves the subject for somebody else to find the money and carry out the work on his own responsibility and entirely at his own risk.

The break up o! “ New Australia” does not mean that the whole of the crazy adventure has “ come to grief.” The original “New Australia” settlers quarrelled and a section of them under the original leader, Lane, separated and moved off to another location and founded a settlement which they named “Cosine.” We have seen occasional references to the Cosme colony in Home papers, which indicated that the people there were managing to “rub along” fairly well, and that if they were not making much money they were making more than “tucker” and did not work very hard for that. Cosme is a communist colony to a certain extent, and if we remember rightly those who remained on the original New Australia block repudiated the mutual help principle, which all uncivilised people in similar circumstances, have found to be indispensable. If this is correct, the founders of New Australia will take a lesson of encouragement from the fate of the individualistic colony rather than one of warning against communistic schemes.

The news we received yesterday from Athens shews that Greece will stand no more shilly-shallying by the Powers, but will take her own course. And she will probably do so safely, as the jackal may steal a carcase while the lions are glaring at one another about it. Something will be done soon, for the position of the Powers is becoming simply ridiculous. All are supposed to be acting in accord to prevent Greece from occupying Crete, but Greece by her actions tells them that it is all humbug, and that they know it.

A telegram from Wellington to-day regarding the insufficiency of the city drainage loan, should be posted on the desk of the Mayor of Timaru, as a warning that when the Borough has got its drainage loan, the most important works should be done first, and then the less and less important, so that if the loan is not enough to do all the work set down, what remains undone can be held over for a good while. This is especially important, because one of the works that should be provided for is the replacement of the wooden sewer through the shingle bank with some more lasting material whilst it can be easily done, and the extension of the sewer in wood through the face of the bank. The Borough may be called upon any day to make this extension by the Harbour Board, who may—and certainly ought to—object to having their future building ground sodden with sewage.