PUBLISHED DAILY. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 1897.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 11019, 9 September 1897, Page 2

PUBLISHED DAILY. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 1897.

It was only to be expected that Mr Seddon would mcct i with a cordial, even enthusiastic, reception on his return to the colony after participating in the proceedings of tho Jubilee. The Premier AYent Home as the representative, -not of a party, but of the colony, and Si stach he has comported himself in a manner creditable hoth to the colony and to himself. First in the field, he attracted the early attention of the British public and succeeded in holding a foremost place among the colonial visitors throughout the whole time of his visit ; and whatever else may result from the great gathering that took place we may rest assured that wherever Mr Seddon went, he succeeded in dispelling many illusions as to New Zealand. The ordeal through which he had to pass was more than ordinarily trying. In the midst of a round of gaieties and banquettingß ho had constantly to be delivering speeches, not to such audiences as ho has been accus tomed to in New Zealand, but before gatherings of the foromost men of the Empire, and bis remarks, even on tho most trivial occasions, havo been reported and criticised. The occasion of his visit to the Mother Country has been such too that there must have been constant temptation to indulge in high falutin talk calculated to please the ears of his auditors, whoso guest he wa3 for the time being. Therefore it is all • the more creditable to him that we find in all his utterances sound common sense and a duo appreciation of the dignity of liis position as tho representative of an important colony. By his force cf character he has succeeded in earning .the respect of those with whom he came in official contact, while his genial manner, we are told, won him friends wherever he went. What effect, if any, his visit and the wider experience of Imperial politics it has given him, will have upon his future conduct of the business of the colony has yet to be seen. In the meantime, it must be gratifying to him that the colonists hare shown, by the extremely hearty welcomo accorded him on Wednesday, that he has carried out his important errand to their entire satisfaction. It will, we feel sure, be equally gratifying to all good colonists that Mr Seddon has returned in good health to take up once more his position at the helm of tho state. There ib much for him to do, and his actions in the forthcoming session of Parliament will be watched with more than ordinary interest.

In their review of tho Australasian dairy produce trade for 1896-97, Messrs W. Weddel and Co. eommeßt upon the comparative absence of those rapid fluctuations in values which have characterised previous years. Former seasons have all been noted for sudden downward movements in values, more or loss avoidable and frequently due to the mil-manage-ment of lome agents, wha allowed Btocka to accumulate until they could be carried no longer aud had to be clearod by sacrificing prices, thus bringing values of the whole of tho supplies down to the same level as their own. During the past •eason this undesirable state of things hai been virtually unknown, but there was nevertheless room for improvement, and the injudicious action of some Australian shippers who happened to b« in London early in the season affected the price of Australasian butter to an extent which it never wholly recovered. Messrs Weddel and Co. recommend greater regularity of supply, which they say should be by weekly steamers, the quantity increasing regularly as the season advances, and decreasing gradually as it declines. With only a fortnightly service from New Zealand it iB obviously impossible for our butter to be landed in London every seven days, but bo far as Taranaki kutter is concerned, the arrangements between the Freezing Company and the shipping companies are about as perfect as can be expected at present. The time may not be far distant when a direct steamer will call here every week during the seaßon to take on board the weekly output of butter and cheese of tha province. Of last season's output of Taranaki at least two-thirds was shipped at Now Plymouth, and we venture i;o say that no butter from any port in Australasia was laid down in better condition than that which passed through the Freezing Works at Moturoa. This season the shipping arrangements will bo even more perfect, and the amount of produce shipped is likoly to considerably exceed last season's. The present outlook promises good prices on the Home market, which we trust will be realised.

Applications are invited by the Borough Council for a carter. Tenders for graning the Borough paddocks close on Friday at noon. The Hon» A Brasaey, M.P., brother of fiord Bfassey, who arrived by tho Alatneda, makes a short stay in Auckland. He goes to the Lake country next woek. A poor Irishman who applied for a license to sell spiritß being questioned as to his fitneai for the trust, said, "Ah ! sure, it's not much of a character a man needs to sell rum." The charge against the Secretary of the late Art Union for breach of tbe Lotteries Act will be heard on Friday morning, at half -past ten. Great interest is taken in the case. Tho Colonial luventor for September is to hand. It contains an illustrated description of the new Victoria Bridge at Brisbane, description of Edison's '97 projecting kinetoscopa, and a variety of other equally interesting matter. It is reported that a member of the Napier electric telegraph staff, smitten with the gold fever, "skipped by the light of the moon," taking passage by the Warrimoo for Vancouver, en route for the Klondyke g»ldfiolds. — Telegraph. Letters received by the mail to-day (Thursday) from Archdeacon Govett, state that he and his party will return to the colony by the Ophir, leaving London on October 15th. All were well And having a good time in Scotland. A medical man who has been collecting information about, the habi's of longlived persons finds that the majority who attained old age indulged in late hourd. Eight out of ten ovor eighty years of age never gating to bed till well into the small hours. A consoling circumstance is that while the gross amount rpent upon drink in Great Britain steadily increases it doos | not quite keep pace with the grotfth of ] population. So that their is a slight reduction in the amount consumed per head. It was £4 9s jftr head in 1878 ; £3 15s 6d in 1896, but this is 2s BJd per head more than 1895. It is stated that rinderpest has obtained such a firm hold in the Griqualand West District, that Dr. Hutcheons considers it useless to continue maintaining the regulations there. This district has suffered terribly through the pest, and it must be a bad case indeed, remarks the Bloemfontein Gazette, to cause Dr. Hutcheons to make such a recommendation. In the Supreme Court, in Chambers, before Mr R. L. Stanford, Registrar, on Bth September, 1897, on Mr Samuel's application probate of the last will of Harriot Andrews Young, Now Plymouth, widow, deceased, was granted to William King Hulke and Alexander Shuttleworth, the executors named therein. The promoters of last year's Floral Fete have, in view of its great success, docided to repeat their venture once again. They hope to ba able to produce on [this occasion quite as attractive a programme as tho former one. Two novel items will be the game of " Living Chess," aud a " Bicycle Gymkhana." " An Australian in London " writing to tho Bulletin, gives the following " personal note " on the New Zealand Premier, and the itnpressioaa be has made in the , Old Country :— "Seddon's bluff, heartjr style seenrj to have impressed those who have met him here, and to have disgusted all those who consider Oxford or Cambridge "culchaw" indispensable to a Colonial Premier." In September of last year it was estimated that not less than £22,000.000 was invested in the manufacture of cycles and the various accessorie » an 1 it ihe present time it is said by those who know the ' business that that amount has grown to nearly £30,000,000, and that every /reek a sum of not less than £7,000,000 is distributed in wages among the working classes engaged in this new industry. In tho course of an interview at Chris tchurch, Mr Cadman, Minister of Bail way*, said that if the lines belonged to him he . could spend £200,000 in their equipment to-morrow. The Department wa« short of engines, truckß, carriages, and 160,000 was required in trucks »lone. This meant i borrowing, as the necessary amount could not be paid out of the revenue. At the Education Board meeting on Wednesday a country pedagogue applied for the use of a paddock wherein to graze his Arab iteed, and urged his suit in these words : " That I may be able to keep my horse in a fit condition to carry me to . At present I am ashamdd to see her Bhe is so thin." The pedagogue is evidently no believer in the efficacy of good sound oats. In the Orango Freo State Volkaraad on June 2nd, a resolution was carried thit the Superintendent of Education be instructed to f»ee that Dutch is taught according to law in all Native schools supported by tho Government. Several members protested ia more or less bitter Urms against the spread of the English language, buc it is evident that they might as woll try to atop tha tide with «, broom.

Everyone knows that dolightf ul pastoral play of Shakespeare's—" As You Like It;" and as " familiar as household words' is the famous speech therein commencing — " All the world's a stage" The Empire lea Company with their modern and up-to-date ideas have made this splendid i speech a peg upon which to hang a notice of their famous blended teas, and we are sure our readers will be interested to read their amusing travesty on the lines which appears in another column. A handicap bioycle road race between three ladies at Johannesburg resulted in a bad spill for the first starter bofore sho had gone half a mil«, the second punctured a tire and had to procure another ■wheel, while the third, the scratch starter, came & fearful cropper on to her face, which was badly torn by the gravel, blood flowing freely. She was full of another kind of grit though, and, remounting, WOE easily, doing eight miles in 40 minutes, No. 1 being second in 43 minutes, and the lady who punctured her tire last in 54 minutes. The San Francisco Argonaut prints a good story of M. Alphonsa Daudet. When hi 3 novel " Sapho " came out an enterprising firm of American publishers bought Rome advance 6heots with a view to considering the desirability of publish ing an American edition. Perusal of the contents soon convinced tbom that the American public would shy at the book, so they promptly cabled to the author : "Sapho will not do." Much mystified by this abrupt message, M. Daudet consulted with his friends, one of whom, by a happy inspiration, discovered its significance in tha fact that the English spelling of the title is "'Sappho," not "Sapho." Whereupon, much relieved, he cabled back^ "Spell it with two p'g," The publishers were even more puzzled by M. Daudet a reply than ho had beon by their message. A matter of conßiderablo interest came under the notico of the Board of Health, Melbourne, rocnntly (saya tho Ago). Dr. Gresswell rape r bed that an analysis had been made of- certain chewing gum, and that this revealedthe presence of 15 per cent, of paraffin wax, which was " utterly indigestible." In England legal proceedings bad been successfully taken to provent tho sale of chewing gum, and it was a question whether the Board should send a warniug to manufactures of tho gum, or advise a prosocution. Mr R* A. [ Forbes moved that the City Conm-il bo recommended to institute proceedings on tho mat cor, and that iho evidence in possfHsion of tha Board be supplied for the pnrpose. The proposal was adopted unanimously, the seconder, Mr W. Auderson, asserting that the gum was freely used by all sorts of pvople, " from Tn(>Tnbi>rs of Parliament downwards or upwaids."