South Canterbury Times, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1900.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2951, 24 November 1900, Page 2

South Canterbury Times, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1900.

The question of providing,a public morgue has been raised again, and it ■will no doubt be further ventilated at the next meeting of the Hospital Board, whose order that the hospital morgue shall not be used for public purposes has been broken through. We understand that th® Borough Council asked for an estimate of the cost of erecting a public morgue, and were scared l.y the mention of £2OO or so. But it r, not necessary to erect a place of the size and architectural pretensions of the 1 ost Office for this purpose, and if the Council were determined to do their duty, and provide a place just suitable for the purpose, the expense need not stand in the way.

This week’s “War Cry” contains a jubilant note on the Australian Century SelfDenial effort, the financial result being £30,003, and “an extra special lift to the Indian Famine Fund of £IOO into the bargain.” It is worthy of note that New Zealand is along way ahead of any Australian colony as a contributor, the figures given for each colony being: —New Zealand £8740, New South,Wales £5930, Victoria £5154, Queensland £3671, South Australia £2908, West Australia £2700, Tasmania £7OO, Java (!) £200; total, £50,003. Referring to New Zealand’s total, the Australasian Commandant says “It is an astdunder. . £8740 from a colony with a population of 756,000, 'with only 106 corps and 226 , officers, is a result which deserves the unstinted praise of the whole Army. A list of the amounts ■‘urnished respectively by different corps in the colony, shows that of New Zealand’s total Timaru contributor £110; and is twentieth on the list of 54 towns in the colony which raised £SO ano over. Wellington heads .the list with £620, Dunedin £585, Christchurch £SOO Auckland £225, and Invercargill and Gisborne are close up with £2OB and £207 respectively.

A return lias been seen by the Wellington “Post” of the war material supplied to the New Zealand Contingents, and the following represents a part of the return: “A grand total of 244,540 rounds of .503 ammunition was served out to the Contingents, the First taking 10,000, the Second 173,540, the Third 9000, the Fourth 32,000, and the Fifth 20,000. The Second Contingent had 6610 rounds of blank ammunition, and the Fourth 6000; ano Major Cradock’s men received of Maxim ammunition 5000 rounds of blank and 6300 of ball. The officers of the five Contingents had a total of 17,072 revolver ammunition.” Our readers will note (he great inequality in the quantities of ammunition supplied. But what will puzzle them is why the men were given so much “ blank.”

About half a dozen deaths have occurred at the various Maori settlements in Waikato during the last month (says the Hamilton correspondent of the Auckland “Star”), from a complaint resembling a severe form of influenza, which is supposed to have been brought from the Taupo district. In one instance a man buried his wife, and a couple of days afterwards was seized with the complaint, which carried him off on Sunday. Little or no inquiry is made into the matter, and the sufferers

receive next to no attention, no one seeming to care whether they live oride.—Yet the Government boasts of its regard for the “noble race*” our predecessors in the possession of New Zealand; and is so satisfied with its success in the management of their affairs as to be anxious to undertake a similar duty for the natives of other islands.

“The Minister of Railways, speaking a! the banquet to the Hon. Mr Mills ten days ago, strongly urged.” says the “Post, “that the time had arrived when New Zealand should be represented, in both the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The colony had spent thousands of pounds and sent its sons to fight ami die for the Empire in South Africa. They could nob have taxation without reprosentation, and leaders of public opinion and representative men should advocate, that New Zealand had come to such a position that it could not tolerate*'the present stale of affairs any longer, hut that it should he represented in both Houses of the British Parliament, and have a say in the future destiny of the Empire to which they were all so loyally devoted. The lion, gentleman’s remarks were loudly applauded.” Now, it would not bo difficult to create a. few Imperial Parliamentary constituencies in New Zealand, to return members to the House of Commons. But what on earth should we do ' Lords

in these ultra-Democratic isles? We could not make Lords of our own; we could not be content with delegate Lords; we have no ecclesiastical Lords (and Mr Ward had not lawn sleeves in his eye). What then could be done to carry out his idea? Nothing less than cany the reform of the House of Lords which has been the Radical demand for so long at Home. It would be decidedly odd if the British Constitution is reformed' at the bidding of one of the smallest of her colonies. Mr Ward’s language was truly Imperialistic, in a sense that would not find favour in England. He talks as if the Empire should govern England as a mere fragment of it, instead of England governing the Empire. But what would the Imperialists of Lngland( say to that?