Lite Savanaki Icraltl. PUBLISHED DAILY. TUESDAY, MAY 19,1891.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XL, Issue 9086, 19 May 1891, Page 2

The Taranaki Herald. PUBLISHED DAILY. TUESDAY, MAY 19, 1891.

There is an old and familiar saying in public life—" Measures, not men." Few things are greater hindrances to healthy progress than the personal feeling or the party spirit that will dictate opposition to a policy that is intrinsically sound ; and this aphorism, regarded as a protest a ainst obstruction on such lines, or as an honest declaration of the independence that sets a man- free to condemn the wrong and uphold the right, wherever either may be seen, can never bo safely shut out of remembrance. Its exact opposite cannot be entertained. " Men, not measures," is a watchword that might well involve the State in ruin. It might be a convenient motto for pure faction on the one hand, and on, the other might justify the elevation of well-meaning incompetence to positions of responsibility and power. What we want in public is good measures from good men, and that requirement will not be fulfilled unless we choose our public men upon consideration of both ability and personal character. In England in days gone by, when bribery and corruption at elections were rife, men who obtained seats by such means were honorable in the conduct of public affairs. At the, present day, I owever, if a candidate expects to be returned, he must be prepared to obtain for v his district everything the electors require. To do - this he has towoik with the other members in a " sort of give and take " style — but which is better, known as " log rolling." For instance, if we want any thing the members on this coast will have to assist the Wellington members in getting their To Aro railway. It is a pity things cannot be carried out without resorting to such means as was carried on in the House. It is by this "policy of concession " that Ministries retain their seats ; and consequently " measures " are often carried whioh prove most detrimental to the country when put into force. It is a great pity that the Government cannot be carried on without it, but we suppose it is not in human nature to do otherwise. 1 " Measures, not men, ' seems certainly the fairest way to view all questions, but as local matters affect the electors personally, lirge and more important questions or colonial interest are too often lost sight of, Ministers wgordingly, if tfwy wiib to flirry |

a measure, have to buy support in order to get a bill passed; consequently -we have Acts on the Statute Book which kliouUl never have been there. We sipposo, however, that as we cannot make people moral by Act of Parliament, neither can we expect them to be politically pure where personal interest is concerned.

The s.s. Gairloch will sail from the breakwater to-night for Onehunga, on arrival of the express train.

-A dance will take place at the Westown Institute on Monday evening next.

The Band give an open air concert this (Tuosday) evening.

Tho departure of the Oroti hence to Manukau has been postponed until 5.30 tomorrow evening in order to convey the direct.mails ox Kaikoura to Auckland.

Tlioßo 4 taking part in the Opera H.M.S. Pinafore are requested to attend tor rohearsal in St. Mary's Schoolroom ' this (Tuesday) evening at 7.30.

There has been fearful weathor on tho East Coast. A Proas Association telegram from Gisborne states that tho Union Co.'s steamer Taupo put into Poverty Bay on Monday night short of provisions. Sho was on a voyage from Auckland to Wellingtou, and was five days out, having encountered a fearful gale.

The unemployed in Wellington are being cleared out of tho city, and eightysix men went off to road works at Pahiatua this (Tuesday) morning. About half aro married men, and half single men.

Owing to the Land Board mooting on Monday not being a full one a few important matters wore deferred till next meeting for consideration.

Acceptances for handicaps and entries for the Farmers' Plato at the Bell Block Race's close to-morrow (Wednesday) night.

A train to * join the ss. Gairloch, going north, will leave the station for the breakwater on arrival of the through train to night (Tuesday) .

A well-known knight of the hammer, whilst holding a sale of bankrupt stock in a bash township the other day, raised a laugh against himself in an amusing manner. The day was warn;, and the work was heavy, and the auctioneer had takon off his coat, and laid it down. Presently a quantity of clothing was brought to the hammer, and, time being short, the word was "sharp," and the factotum who was handing, up the articles for sale was continually being exhorted to, "hurry up." Tiring of this consant spurring, he bethought himself to give'his " boss".,, tit for tat, and hanied up liiß^/f^the.j, boss's) own coat,' which the ,&:ictioneer proceeded to offer in the stereotyped form, " Now gentlemen, start this coat! -What shall I say for it?" Then, perceiving a twinkle in the eyes of those near hiai, he looked at the coat, and recognised it as his own property. The laugh that followed nearly lifted the roof off the building, and was enjoyed by no one more than the auctioneer himself.

A statistical return relating to the population of the different colonies of the Australasian group has been published. It is compiled by Mr Hayter, Government Statist of Victoria, and gives the estimated population in each colony on December 31st last year. Victoria is credited with a population of 1,133.000 persons ; New South Wales, 1,146,100; Queensland, 414,716 ; South Australia, 327,770 ; West Australia, 44,994 ; Tasmania, 154,051 ; and New. Zealand, 625,530 ; making a grand total v ot' 3,846,161, Between the year 1881 and 1890 the annual rate of increase was in the case of Queensland, 7-26 per cent. ; New South Wales, 4-65 ; West Australia, 4-65 ; Tasmania, 3-15 ; Victoria, 2-98 ; New Zealand, 2 G3 : and South Australia, 1-73.

Many expedients have been tried in order to prevent wood from rotting, especially when it is buried in tlio. c itb, or exposed to the action of water. It is well known that posts, even of good, sound timber, will not last very many years, save in the case of puriri and one or two other hard woods. It is satisfactory to learn that a new coating for timber haa been invented — a coating that will also protect iron and steel from corrosion." The following are the particulars of the in* gredients :—lato: — lato a gallon of cottonseed oil twenty pounds of pure lead, in a molten state, are thrown, ■ This oil has such an affinity for lead that the gallon absorbs about 31b of it as it separates into minute globules, when thrown in for the first' time. ■ The process is repeated, the remaining lead being re-melted and thrown into the oil, and each time the oil absorbs a smaller quantity, until, after the fifth operation, it has taken about 101 bof lead, which will be sufficient. The compound is then cooled, and is ready for use. Whether it is better than white lead paint, or cheaper, is not stated. If it is, it may prove useful to farmers for several kinds of work ; and hop-growers may. possibly use it instead of creosote.

A continued mystery as to a remarkable discoloration of the waters of Sydney Harbor has been receiving much attention lately. Much light has been thrown on the subject, but the obscurity surrounding it still, seems as dense as the opaqueness of the water itself. The report obtained by , Commissioners of Fisheries is the latest to " hand, and it . touches the phenomenon on the other side — , that of its actual results on the living things that havo been brought in contact with or tiied to absorb the matter — vegetable or animal as it may be-r-by which the water is discolored. These results have been fatal in a high degree. From Parramatta to Watson's Bay the mussels, oysters, and other bivalves are all dead. The limpets and periwinkles are in the same state, and a post mortem examination has shown the " stomachs " of the oysters and mussels gorged with this peridiniutn, whiuh is -the latest name affixed to the vegetable or animal creature that has turned the waters of Port Jackson into a " red sea." Worina, starfish, and a variety of other once living things, which usually enjoy vitality of a kind, have lost what they had of it, an i are lifeless as the mussels ; and altogether, excepting for the larger " class of creatures inhabiting the ' water — and many cf these are sick, we are j told — our harbor has partaken largely of the character of a " dead ,sea." This may or may not be a serious thing, but it is a curious one, and the desire of the public will be greater than ever to know what it all means. The report in question does notiSatisfactorily Bolve the cause of this : fatality.