The Southland Times. PUBLISHED DAILY. Luceo Non Uro. FRIDAY, 4th SEPTEMBER, 1885.

Southland Times, Issue 9004, 4 September 1885, Page 2

The Southland Times. PUBLISHED DAILY. Luceo Non Uro. FRIDAY, 4th SEPTEMBER, 1885.

Some three months ago Mr A. O. Begg brought forward a motion at a meeting of the Utago Education Board in regard to the travelling expenses of its members. It seemed that the expenses in question had for some time shown a Btrong tendency to increase, and Mr Begg, figuring in the character of a just steward, desired to keep them within reasonable bounds. He showed, according to the then existing scale, that one member gained 15s, another £1 18s 7d, a third £2 5s 7d, and bo on, every trip they made to Dunedin to attend the meetings of the Board ; and one of his proposals was that country members should receive simply the amount of the railway fare, and that only when such fare was " actually paid." These words which we have quoted were understood to refer to tbe case of members oi the Board who might happen lo be at the same time members of the House of Representatives. Mr Begg thue_Beemed to imply or insinuate that an MIHIR. might use his railway pass in travelling on the errand we have mentioned, and yet charge, or at any rate allow the Board in its thoughtless generosity to pay him the full amount of the railway fare, of which he himself, being a privi» leged person, had not paid a single penny. The profoeer of the motion did not say that any member of the Otago Education Board had ever done such a thing ! and we can hardly believe that any Old Identity would be mean enough, or rather dishonest enough, to accept money on a false pretgiice-=*a tacit pre« te"ilce, indeed, but none the less false. Bat Mr Begg's proposal showed that he was sound in the faith as far as the doctrLe of the corruption of human nature, and especially of official human nature, is concerned, If he did not say that any member of the Otago Education Board had ever traded with his pass, he yet contemplated the, possibility of such a thing. All men, even M.H.R's, are liable to err, and Mr Begg evidently thought it was the safest course to put temptation out of their way. But now it appears, that some M.H.R. member or members of some Education • Board or Boards have actually been guilty of the— whatßhali we call it ? — well, of the peccadillo which Mr Begg's motion was intended to prevent. So at least said Mr Koss in bis place in the House a few days ago ; and the member for Roslyn would not knowingly bear false witness against a fellow representative. Nor would he have ventured to make such % grave statement except on unquestionable authority. The thing mast be trae, But of course the peccadillo could not have been committed by any Otago or Southland "member. It must have been some degenerate Pilgrim,or peradventure some more degenerate North Islander. But whoever it may have been, the fault is one which reflects a certain amount of disgrace on the whole colony. To think that a member of our eloquent patriotic and job -detesting Parliament should have sank so low in his own estimation as to make a little illicit gain oat of that token of his dignity — his railway pass ! And if one member could do such a thing, why not another, and another, and another? Mr Boss's statement t has disclosed a possibility which is not at all flattering to our colonial vanity. Some men, we. know, allow -themselves in small transgresjjidfos who. would yet "ttupnk from committing a great crime; and it is possible that sMr Ross's remarks may have touched the consciences of the railway-pass offenders. 'However, in order to put temptation still farther out of the way of frail members, it would perhaps re advisable to abolish the pass system altogether. The Press pass was withdrawn, gome time »£o ? ani 8B the.

newspapers are quito as' useful to the' colony as the members of the General Assembly," we beg to propose that they should, be treated alike in this matter. Let M.H.R.'s and* M.L.C.'s as well as •^pressmen pay their own fares when they trayel on their own private business. Their 200 guineas ought to satisfy them, ! especially in these dull times when^the .revenue from the railways, is falling' off, and!.th'e Department has been compelled to impose a charge for private sidings. •Jt was, we believe, -never -intended tfcat members should use their pass for their own private gain ; and certain motions which have been brought forward in the House show pretty plainly that the Parliamentary conscience is not quite at ease, with "regard to tbe manner in which this privilege is used. — x Pbobatb. — Mr Jones applied to his Honour Mr Justice Williams, in Chambers, on Wednesday, for probate of the will ot Bichard Home, of Wyndham, and the application was granted. Supreme Coubt.— After sitting for nine days the Supreme Court adjourned yesterday afternoon sine die. The previous Bitticgs las v ed one day longer, the session then being the longest on record in Invercargill. RETJ.BED. — Mr D. McFarlane, one of the candidates nominated yestsrday for the representation of the Second Ward in the Invercargill Borough Council, has withdrawn, and Mr J. B. Hannah, the retiring councillor, is there returned unopposed. AT Liberty.— -The young woman Elizabeth Jones, charged with deserting her illegitimate child, was brought up on remand be-fore-the Resident Magistrate yesterday. The police consenting, the information was dismissed, on the accused undertaking to proceed at once to Dunedir, where she Das some friends. STILL in Difficulties.— The Telegraph Department have rot been able to repair the lines north of Christchurch, owing to the fact that the break has occurred at the crossing of a flooded river. In consequence our telegraphic news from Wellington is curtailed, the Department refusing to accepr. an} 1 thing but urgent or public messages. Licensing.—- The quarterly licensing meeting for the district of Campbelitown was held yeacsrday, -wlaen <* tian»fer of tbe license of the dub Hotel from Joha Bergin 'o Thomas Reseigh was granted. The police reported that the repairs in the Golden Age Hotel ordered by the Committee at last meeting had been executed, and that the Albion Hotel was undergoing the required -repairs. It was decided to inform the lessee of the Albion that it was requisite to have the repairs finished without delay, ( A Novelty in Pianos,-— To-day some hijzhttiasß pianos will be sold by public auction by Messrs Wilson, Tame and Co. Among the instruments is a Kenardi, fitted with a novelty in the shape of a transposing key-board. With this there need no longer be a difference of opinion between the vocalist and the piano, as the player can by a turn of the wrist so alter the key-bo*rd as to entirely transpose the music and bring it within the singer's range J the pianist meanWhile playing as written, A Misapebbhension.— At the Invercargill Council Lominations yesterday, Mr Btorie was asked some questions re the har« hour's indebtedness to the town, and his answers were, to say the least of it, alarming. It was easy to see, however, that Mr Stode and his questioner were on opposite tacks, the former evidently referring to the overdraft of the borough, not to that of the harbour, We have been requested by bira to state that the harbour is due the borough the sum of £1258 at present, or abjut £100 Der councillor | not an alarming liablity. It would be a good thiDg for all parties if the harbour owed each of our leading merchant* that sum expended in improvements. St. Paul's Literary and Debating Society.— The members of St Paul's Presbyterian Church Yoar,g Men's Literary and Debatiog Society held a social and harmonious meeting yesterday evening. TheTe was a large attendance, the hall being quite full, and the Bey, D. Gordon presided. An ad« dress was delivered by the chairman, piano ssli were played by Mi«s Fraser and Miss Leckie, and songS) recitations, and readings were given by the fo' lowing ladies and gentlemen s — Mrs Geddes, the Misses McKay and Fife, and Messrs Cooper, McAllister, Matbieson, McLeod, Prentice, and Porter. The very enjoyable proceedings were opened and closed with devotional exercises, Mathematical Policemen.— The Napier delegate, who visited the South Sea Islands, says that in Tonga, before a native can become a policeman) he must have reached " quadratic equationa" a* least, After learning thi?, says the delegate, " 1 looked upon native policamen with awe. One weak point in the system, however, is that although the natives may be au fdtt in algebra or mathe* matics generally, they are not tawglit English, and a« this is the commercial language amongst all the Islands, 1 could not but feel that their time would have b°en better employed in acquiring a knowledge of a language that might ultimately fit them for higher positions even than native police* men," The Tbamway Company,— Tbe adj > raed general meeting oi tUe shareholders of the Southland Tramway Company was held yeste?Jay afternoon in 81oan's Theatre, There waa not a very la ge attendance when Mr Di L, Matheson, Chairman of the Company, opened the proceedings by informing the meetiDg that in response to a circular issued Oaly two or three &ad tak^n up additional shares. In these circumstance* be did not himself see what was to be done, save go into liquidation. He was only aware, however, a few minutes previously that it was necessary to giva seven days' notice of such a motion. All that could be done then was for gome one to move such a resolution. Mr Moirj after expressing regret that the Company could not carry on, gave notice that at a meeting to be called for tha purpose he would move that the Company be voluntarily Wound up. Monday, the 14th irj3t., having been fixed on as the date, the meeting closed. Thr Gabrison Band Entertainment —So frequently do the Garrison Band provide musical entertainment for the iubl:c, and so readily do they give their services for any deserving object, that when an appeal is made on tbeir behalf onr citizens are in duty bound to promptly and liberally respond. To-night an entertainment will be given in Sloan's Theatre for the purpose of assisting to defray <he band's expenses to Wellington, whither they *ill shortly proceed to take part in the band contest and it is to be hoped that a crowded house will prove how highly they are held in the public estimation. Those who acc&rd thdr support wil^, have the satisfaction of knowing that our representatives in tbe competition will render a good account of themselves, and, when all is over,be found not very far from the front. The entertainment will consist of a farce and a drama, plajed by capable local amateurs. The pieces have been in active < rehearsal, and will probably b? played ia a most creditable and acceptable manner. AVENAL — The ordinary meeting of the Borough Council was held on Wednesday evening and was attended by tha Mayor aud Councillors Anderson, Cheyne, Tait, Thomas, and Weir. The Secretary to the Sou-hiand Tramway Company wrote in reply to a letter from the Council complaining of the bad state of the centre of the road, The Com* pany, it was stated in the reply, were dung their beat to keep tbeir portion of the road in repair, and they did not think it either fair or reasonable to atk them 10 do more! It was asked if the Council would' be willing to take over the maintenance of the road within tbeir borough on similar terms to those lately arranged with the invercargill Corporation, On the motion of Councillor Anderson it was resolved — " Thnt as xhe Council only asked the Company to carry out an. agreement entered into When the conces* sions were granted, it fails to see that any* thing unreasonable «ai ask^d for, and t? at. the Council decline to enter into any atr-anee-ment re road maintenaice.'^After -eotne accounts had been passed for payment the Council adjourned, 4 * , , y > T "5 he Exhibition.— Receiving by nearly, every steamer goods direct from the best British and Continental makers, bought on the most favourable tfrms. T TBOJ»£QN AND BbaJTiß,

A MIXED Cubbbkcv. —One of the greatest ' difficulties in the way of opening up trade connections with the South Sea Islands is the abserce.of' a perfectly e-tiblished currenoy. On thi» subjectthe delegate^ com the, Napier Chamber of Commerce says :—" As* regards the currency, all sorts and conditions 'of coinsdid duty in the group prior to 1880. In August of that year King George established as legal tender English, French, and American gold and silver coins, also Chilian and Mexican dollars and half dollars. n The Chilian dollars, 'although nominally -'worth 4b, are only equivaleat to 3s l'^d English money, consequently the Germans import large quantities, while the-Fnglish coins are 1 carefully collected and retained for exchange , operations with the outside world, the baser coinage doing duty in ordinary daily transac- ' tions." ' I Catholto Literary SooiETY.—At the ordinary meeting of this Society on Tuesday [ evening there was a good attendance of members although the weather was of a boisterous nature. The programme for the next three months, as prepared by tbe Standing Committee, was submitted and approved. Mr M. O'Brien delivered an interesting and able lecture-on " The Bvila of Intemperance," describing the effects on the human system of excessive drinking, and the commencement and growth of tippling habits. Not only was intemperance a curse to its viutimp, but was a'great evil to the State. He compared tbe home of the drunkard with that of the temperate man in forcible and effec'ive terms, tnd concluded by stating a number of excuses which different persons ia vented for drinking. The lecture was listened to most attentively, and upon its conclusion Mr O'Brien was accorded a most heaity vote of thanks. Forcb ov Habit.— Care ia required in the formation of habit, seeing its important bearing on character. Many characters are spoiled through inattention to the most ordinary and simple matters, dome drink tea and coffee from mere force of habit, " because it is usual to do so," regardless of the penalty often-times of nervousness_and indigestion. Cadbury's Cocoa Essence contains the refreshing properties of tea and coffee, with additional advantages over tbose beverages, whilst it produces none of their injurious effects. Coughs, colds, bronchitis, dec, are quickly \ cured by using Baxter's " Lung Preserver. I This old established medicine is pleasant to the I palate, and highly extolled by members of the medical and clerical professions. Can be re* commended.— G. Bailey, Chemist, Tay street Atrent. A [cheering cordial for the despondent, and the only stimulant which can be safely introduced into the sick-room or used for hospital purposes, is tixG celebr^fcecl Wolfe's Sdinappa, tHe nnrest, snirit in the world.