Taranaki Herald. PUBLISHED DAILY. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21, 1899.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 11553, 21 June 1899, Page 2

Taranaki Herald. PUBLISHED DAILY. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21, 1899.

" The Temperauco Prob'em nnd Social Reform" is the title of a volume of 611 pages with numerous appendices, written jointly by Messrs Joseph Rowntree and Arthur Sherwell. Mr W. T. Stead, himself an nrrlent social reformer, has so high an opitiion of the volume that in his Review of Reviews under the heading of the Book of the Month he gives an appreciative notice of it, On that ground it may be accepted as a reasonable and unbiased exposition of views gained as the results of careful and thorough investigation into all aspects of the drink question. A large portion of the book is taken up with exhaustive enquiry into the dimensions of the problem, and it will perhaps come as a Furpriso to many people to learn that despite all that has b^on done by temperance refoioiers, despite the notices able advanco of public sentiment on the question, the per capita consumption of alcohol in the United Kingdom is greater to day than it was in 1840, when the temperance reformation was in its infancy. Extraordinary as the statement may 9eem, it is supported by authentic tnbles which make it clear. The authors also go deeply into the effect, and take pains to show the economic wastefulness of intemperate drinking. They also nrge in vigoious terms what they consider the social and polit : cal menace of tho " Trade, " showing what enormous influence it has at its commantl. So far, however, the condition of things into which tl'eir researches have extended differs. mater ially from what obtains in New Zealand. It is in the sections of the book dealing with existing attempts at reform and with their suggested solution of the problem that we ate most interested The question as to whut extent prohibition in various States of tho American Kepubiichas been successful is examined in detail, und tho conclus'on of the writers is that prohibition has a fair chance of success in ruraj districts where it hns the support of public sontiment, but that in t >wn> it has been a decided failure. They lire not hostilo to the priucip'o of prohibition in bo far as it can bo made operative through a system of local option. As opposed to this opinion, however, wo have tho reports of the Licensing Comm"ssion which recentlj sat in England. This Commission was composed of twenty-four members, oight representing the brewing and distilling interests, eight representing extreme abolitionist opinion, and tight of a neutral and presumably impartial character. This Commission held lengthy sittings, examined numerous witnesses, and then could not agree upon a report. Thereto! c, two reports were presented, and i*> is noteworthy thnt they ngreed that local optic, n in any shape or form is out of the question, and the House of

Commons endorsed this view Ly reject ing by a very large majority a Local Veto bill for Scotland. It was shown in debate that sach measures for dealing with the drink question had been lamentable failures in the United States and Canada. To return to Messrs Rowntree and Sherwells book ; after condemning prohibition as a failure they come to other suggestions for solving the problem, and it is to the Scandinavian experiments that they look with most approval, pointing to the lact that in Sweden the consumption of spirits per head of the population is not more than about a third of what it was in 1850; and that in Norway it is only a third of what it was in 1876. These results, they say, have been brought about by the joint action of temperance effort and wise national legislation, and tho deductions they draw from the experience of those countries are : (1) the bed rock upon which any fabric ot effective licensing reform must be built is to take the trade out of private hands; and (2) that the trade, when taken out of private hands, should be worked locally, not by the State, and should be subject to no other State, control than that which is necessary to secure honest administration and the complete carrying out of the conditions determined by statutory law, under which the localities carry on the traffic. Thoy believe that local option must nccessaiily form a part of any measure of licensing reform, stipulating, however, for not less than a two thirds majority ; but they do not claim that this would solve the problem. They wonid eliminate private inteiest fr<sm the conduct of the traffic, confer ring upon tho localities the power of granting a monopoly of tbe entire retail traffic within their borders either to conipnuies formed for that purj O6e upon which the municipal councils shall be directly represented, or, under clearly defined safeguards, to the councils themselves. In addition to this, they would establish counter attractions in the shape of social institutes. This is a branch of the subject to which we have no space to refer to-day. So far the principal point to be noted ib that these gentlemen, approaching the pubject with per fectly open minds, dismiss prohibition as a failure even in the towns and cities of sparsely populated States, and impossible of application in larger centres of population.

In our cables to»day (Wednesday) it it mentioned that the question of choosing a successor to Pope Leo XIII. has betn considertd by tho Cardinal' Conbistory at Rome. The present holder of the office was born in 1810, and was elected on February 20th, 1878. Leo XIFI has been in a frail state of health for Eome time, and the statement that tho appoint mentof bisfuccefßorisunder consideration points to tbe Fact that he caucot Lope to have a much longer lease of life. Until quite recently, Cardinal Pd-occhi, Cardinal Vicar of Rome, was the principal favourite for the aucctssion to the papacy. He has given evidence of an txtraorciuary degree of tact and sagacity in dialing with the Italian Government, all relations between the latter and the Vatican being canied on through him, since he administers the entire metro politan diocese as its Bishop. But he has recently, by an interview of the most amazing indiscretion, destroyed all bis chance of wearing the papal tiara as long as the present dynasty of Savoy occupies the throne of Italy. Tbe Cardinal, in the c#urfie of this interview, which he does not deny, expressed himself in favour of the establishment of a federal republic in Italy, which would restore to the papacy the temporal sovereignty over the Eternal City and reconstitute the former petty sovereignties in the shape of a selfgoverning republic, joined together in a federation similar to that of the United States, under the Presidency of the Pope. That ideas of this kind prevail at the Vatican is notoriou°, but Cardinal Paroochi is tho firs, Roman prince of the Church to gi»e public expressions thereto. His remarks might be taken by the Italian Government aa an -idle threat, were it not for the fact that at the pre-

sent moment more than 60 per cent, of Unparliamentary electorate, reprc-entiug the conservative and well-to'do element throughout the country, abstain from taking any part in parliamentary elections by orders of tho Vatican lEsued nearly 30 yearj ago by Pope Pius IX., and never yet rescinded. The rcnult of this abstention is that the polls are at the mercy of the advanced radical and soci.tlist element, who constitute a grave danger not only to the throne, but to property and to capital there. The Vatican hss repeatedly been approached by the government with the object' of rescindiog this prohibition from participation in parliamentary elections ; but without avail. The papacy holds its hand, and can to-morrow send to the polls 60 per cent, of tho entire elec'orate to vote in favour of the throne or o£ the establishment of tbe republic, just as the church may tee fit. It is this possibility which constitutes an o jet of suoh deep concern and apprehension to the Italian Government. The latter, under the circumstances, can not tolerate the^ election as Pope, or the presence at the Vatican as head of tbe Church, of a pi elate who has openly proclaimed hiirself in favour of a republic and of the overthrow of the Italian throne. In fact, tho election of Cardinal Pnrocohi uuder thb present circumstances might entail such measures of hostility on the part of the Italian Government a? would render necessity thu abindonment of the Vatican, an eventuility of whioh tho Roman curia stand in mortal dread, a dread which constitutes, iudeed, tho principal means of preasu'o which tho Government has on the Vatican. Cardinal Parocchi's prospects of election as Pope may, therefore, be considered as at an end, and his removal from the position of Cardinal Vicar will take place as soon as the Popo becomes .ttroug enough to make tho selection of his successor to that offico. Ho w.i 9 the favourite candi> date of the Austrian Emperor and of the French Governmeu^ as well as numbers of Catholics throughout tho world, who Inve until now admired him for his breadth of view and his profound piety.

Several tin kettleru will prof-ablv hive an early interview with the Mugisfc-ate. Messrs U. W. Oottibr & Go. athortiso their unnual sale prior to stock-taking. The fli£»»bip lioyal Arthur and the squadron are expected to visit Auckland next month. A Dunedin lawyer is siid to have mide £20,000 out of promoting dredging companies and navigating them to the haven of registration. The officerfl and crew of tho Takapuoa are erecting a stone at the hi ad of the grave of Andrew Hughson, the seaman who wns washed overboard and drowned as tho vessel was entoriDg Wellington Heads a few weeks ago. Second consignment of Oape* and Mantles juat to hand. Very choup goods — 5..8. White, Draper,* 1

Attention is directed to th^ new ».dvertisement of Messrs J. and W. Jeukinson, appearing elsewhere.

In printing a special Federal issue of the Sydney Morning Herald, 41 tons oi paper was used.

Constable Stackpole will replace Constable Roche at New Plymouth, not Constable Duddy, as originally intended.

Two youDg men were arrested at Dunedin last week for frequenting Chinese opium dens. After being severely lectured by the S.M. they were cautioned and discharged.

Tho Town School Committee has decided to recommend to the Education Board that owing to the schools being closed so long owiug to the prevalence ol measles (over throe weeks) no midwinter holidays be given at the town schools.

In the Supreme Court at Invercargill the jury gave a verdict for plaintiff for £300, in the action Goldring v. Wallace County, for compeimtion for injuries caused by his borae shying at timber left on the roadside for repair of a culvert.

A resolution has been passed by the Town School Committee recommending to the notice of the headmaster of the Central School the advisableness of instructing children as to the best means of escaping from buildings in cases of fire. Mr F. Bellringer, a member of the r'ommilt o e, and also Captain of the Fire Brigade, will be asked to ec-operate with the headmaster in the matter.

Mr McLean, M.H 8., when addressing his conatifu.-nts at Napier, said New Z^alaud bad now a State Biuk, and any Miniattr oou'.d lo and see what the state of a miv's banking account was Mr Pepetnuir, general manager of the Fank of New Zealand, by order of the din ctors, writts to tho Flawke's Bij Herald siting that if the rein.uk was meant to apply to his Baiik he is directed to give it ut.q'lalifi'id denial

A well-known American writtr has fchis to bay of modern commercial conditions :— "Tho commerce of the world now turns from ore Bide of the globe to tho oiher on a margin of a cent on a bushel o! grain, or a dollar a ton on niL-tal, or a quarter of a cent on a textile fabric, or the sixteenth of a cent on sugar. A cube of coal, which would pass through the rim of a quirter of a dollar, will drive a ton of food two miles on its way from the producer to the consumer. On such terms as these tho fittest now struggle to burv.vo.

The greatest theme iv the woild to 'he mind of all Salvationists, as it is also to many of the most influential people of the day, is the fc'alvation Array's Social operations, inasmuch as both soul and body are tared fiom the deepest depths. The Army are now in the midst of their annual social effort, which closes on Friday next, the 23rd in t. A splendid programme has been arranged for that night", to take place m tho barracks. There is to bo a huge euppor, sale of wok and social gathering, when His Worship the Mayor will preside.

Unusual activity in the coal trade prevails at X litantjaU. A t the present time no Jc6B thin 265 men and bojs are employed at the mine a' ove and below grou - d. Th's numt er has never teen exceeded since tho coal was first worked Duiiug the pnst thne mouths nearly 50 miners have been taken on, and these were mostly strangers, all the local men hauog betn previously engaged. On one day recently the output reached 98 trucks, atiii the daily average output is about 6jo tons.

It is little realised amongat the public (wriUs the Melbourne Age) how often it happens that men who at one period of their lives have had at their command all the elements of a prosperous career havo in the end come to grief. Amongst the numerous family of nearly 700 inmates at the Benevolent Asylum there are many rrien who in their younger days held prominent positions in the community Not more than a week or two ago an exmember of Parliament; was admitted to the fold, and on Monday the Buperintens dent (Mr A. Layer) intimated that two members of the medical profession who had been inmates had left with his approval, some of their friends having agreed to support them outside the walls of the institution. With the advent of winter, there h an unusual rush of applicants, and the committee finds it impossible to pro vide room for all the deserving applicants that present themselves.

Our Patea friends are to be congratulated upon the efforts which they are making to turn their handy little port to the best possible adyan'age. The Western Packing Company have erected cooling chambers at their Can ville works, and the Chamber of Commerce is moving in tho direction of establishing regular service to the Home markets by inducing the ocean steamers to call off the river and pick up meat and other freight. Nego* liationa are pending for the placiDg of a suitable coastal boat exclusively in the Patea tra^o, and an offer hai been made by Messrs Stubbs & Co., of Waitara, to appropriate to this service their new steamer, which is being built it Sydney. This veßßttl is described by the owners as capable of earn ing 120 tons coal, 150 tons general cargo, or £0 bead of cat Je with cargo, oil a draught of 5f c. 6m. She will be fitted wih freezing apparatus and pro* perly insulaiod, and will steam eleven knots. Ihe company propose that the Patea cettlers should put £2000 into the vessel, and on this sum they guiranteea return of 15 percent , stipulating that no single firm or person shall invest more than £100 The company themselves will put £2600 into the venture, and they agree that in the event of loss or injury to the vessel all insurance moneys shall be first applied to make good tho interests of the local shareholders.

Sir W. H. White, in hia presidential address nt the meeting of the Institute of Merhinicil Engineers, remarked that in 186 J (he Briti-h mercantile marine included 8242 sailing ships of over 3,000,000 tonß net register as against 527 steamers of 307,000 tons ; at the end of 1897 the figures were 1604 sailing" ships of less than 2,000,000 tons and .^715 steamers of nearly 5,756,000 tons net. Tho U3e of iron for shipbuilding commenced about 60 years ago," and in. 1880, oud of 404 000 tons built, 384 000 tons were of i.on and 20,000 tons wood. Steel was used to a very limited extent prior to 1875. In 1881 the total tonnage of steel sbius won less than 6 per cent, of the aggregate tonnage of iron and steel ships In 1892 98 per cent, and in 1898-00 per cent of the now tonoago launched was steel, iron being only used for trawlers and small vessels of less than 250 tons. Iv all these changes mechamcal engineering had, ho said, played an ircnortiiit part. British supremacy in shipbuilding and nhipowniug was not an aceUeut, it having been won by ths enterpri-e of shipowners and by the readiness of shipbuilders to make new departures in mateiials and methods of. construction, in types of ship and character of tquipment. Tho Germin beet sugar growers and refiners, fiudiog that the export bounties j are infufnoieno to jield them adequate 1 profit, hive suggested a new scheme. Tho formation of a combine is proposed under the name of a Kartell — literally signifying a challenge — which &liall further adjust prices so as to nuke the industry remunerative To do this it is proposed to ruis-e the price paid by the Germin consumer 2* per cwt. This is | quite poa iblo under the heavy protective duly lovied, which absolutely excludes tho importation of Mig-ir. Tho German home cou«umptiou is ono third of the total production The 2s per cwt spread over the whole production would 'hii.s amount to 8d per cwt, and would . . uable exporters to accept t'tis inudi lcs j than nfc present. This is, howover, liofc proposed ; but in Englaud it h considered that buyers with a full knowledge of the circumstances of tho case will simply wait till it bo handod over to thorn, as whs done when tho extra bounty was granted a year or two buck. At this rato We; many will, in course of time, provide Briti.sh consumers vioii fjvo augur, perhaps pay thorn to uao it.

Tuesday (June 20th) was the 62nd anniversary of Her Ms jaßty's accession to the throne.

A body, much decomposed, has been found on the hills at Kuhaka, near Gisborno. It is suppostd to be that of W. P. Foreman, settler, wbo mysteriously disappeared some ten months ago.

Mr F. Bellringer 1 has notified his intention to move at the next meeting of the Town School Committee, "That this Committee recommends the Board that all teachers be submitted to periodical medical examination?, to show tb it they aro free from infectious or contagious liseases " Iv a paragraph in Tuesday evening's issue with reference to the approaching eclipse of the moon, an error occurred in the days of the month. The eclipse will commence at eleven o'clock on the nieht of Friday, the 23rd inst., the middle of the eclipse being a little before 2 a m. on Saturday, just the time tho moon is at the full.

Dr. Home's First Aid Class will hold its meeting 'on Friday evening next, at 6.30 o'clock 'J he class includes a number of youthful members, and growing interest is being manifested in ile operation?. '1 here is still room for a few more new members, as there a!sj is in Dr Hut'-hinson's nurfcing class, which L hcl>l on Friday afternoons &t 3 o'clock.

A firm in Dunedin received from a North I-land deputy official assignee stamps to the value ot 3d, being a divi dend at the ra'e'ot 2 7-161 in the pound on the amount of their claim against a bankrjpfc estate. Accompanying the Biamps was a request for a receipt, which, if complied with, meant an expenditure of Id for postog -, and the reduction of the dividend to the munificent fum of 2d.

Marsland Xl ill is sadly in need of a little attention, the paths and banks being overgrown with weed*, which give the place a very forlorn appearance. If a gang of prisoners cannot be obtained for a few days to put the place in order, a " tarpau'in muster ' wouM soon realise sufficient to employ tho requisite labour. It seems a pity that a 8} ot. to fn quanted for tho sake of tho viow aud fresh air should be so neg'ecte t.

Captain Ryan, of the Janet Nicoll, received a surprise on Tuesday morning when coming up to ib.9 wharf at Moturoa with his steamer On arriving off tbe port he was signalled by the Harbourmaster to berth ii'S'Je the wharf, but he could not understand the signal, for ou his last visit here that berth was dry sand at low water. C*ptain Hood, however, again signalled htm to come io, and not wiihcut gome misgiving he took his vessel up to the vrharf and was almost dum founded to learn from the Harbourmtater that the Janet Nicoll, which wa-t drawing 13 feet, would lie there at low water.

It is reported, sijsan exchange, that ■tbe new boat to b 8 put in tbe OuchungaNew Plymouth- Wellington trade is to be a vessel of some 2000 tons, and that the will replace the Takapuna. This is very uulikely, for a vessel of that s'ze would, both here and at Manukau, be dependent on tho tides, while. h°r length would be too great to work Onebunga comfortably. Another report, and cne much more probably correct, is that the Mapourika, which came to g'iff at Grey mouth and is now undergoing repair at Dunedin, will be selecter 1 . . fche is a vessel of 1203 tons gross burthen,. with good accommodation for pßssenger.-', and she would be able to work the trade without difficulty.

Tbe last meeting of the South Dunedin .Council proved to be quite lively. It will be remembered that at the previous meeting the iMayor declared that two of the councillors had lost their seats through the non-payment of rates, and then declined to put a motion sympathising with the bo id councillors on the ground that portion of the motion was a reflection on him At the last meeting it was contended by some of the councillors that the motion should have appeared on the minutes as having been ruled out of order, but the Mayor declined to receive a motion to put the matter on record. In the discussion which followed councillors were ably assisted by ratepayers, a large number of whom were in attendance, and at times proceedings were very lively. But as couucillors were not adepts at stonewalling,' and the Mayor remained firm, the latter carried the day, as those who de.«ired to have the motion placed on record retired from the ta'lo. 'I he roiLUtt s Were then confirmed and ths ordinary business proceeded with.

The example of Mis Be?anfc, who has g"ne in for the Higher Hinduism, squatting cross legged on the floor and feeding 'Mike any Benga'i in Calcutta," appears to be catchiDg; for, accordiog to the Globp, no fewer than throe ladies hive arrived in India to do the tbiug with equal thoroughness Two of these ladies are American, and one is Freuch. One of the Americans and the French lady are apostles of Buddhism, and the other American is a "Sun nyasi," or Hindu mendicant. She started with a basket, instead of a beggiDg dish, but her friends have dissuaded her from tbia part of her programme: which is fortunate, for assuredly a Western lady who subsisted on food begged in the Indian bazaars would bo in her grave before the rains were ended. Another drawback to the complete acceptance of tho "Sunny aai 1 -." i ole is her natural reluctance to wear half a yel'ow sheet for sole costume. They did not tell her about these things before she started. Also the fiuds a pith hat necessary as a protection from the sun; and it makes the other Hindu mendicants stare. The other two ladies have set themselves a less arduous, if less pic-> turefque, task. The elder of tho two is thus Ue«cribed by a nitive writer :- ''Beautifully slim is her make with a Caucasian cut oE her face with a pair of intelligent eyes b nming through a pair of glass while hard at literary j >b." And the younget "has a fair Burden complexion, and the silk or cloth appendage as indicative of her nunish life." She also has "a head surcharged with brain." Is it not time that tha Viceroy took to himself powers to prevent Western ladUs from thus complicating the religious and social problems of India.

The death h announced to-day (Wednesday), as having occurred at Auckland, of Mr John Rogao, ex-Judge of the Native Laud Court. Mr Hog in was one of the vv c r} earliest air vm in Taramki, having come he r e in ilu B.'O'igtrim, which arrived on Fubruary 11th, 1841, wi h Mr F. A Carriugton and bii survey staff In addition to Mr Cairington and his family and Mr Rogau, the other members of ihe P'uty were JfesM's llarcourt Aubrey, H lines, O. Carriugtou, Gtorgo Dupp.i, James Dingle, Samuel Horn's, William Likeman uuil wife, Levitt, Charles Nairn, William Poto aud wife, and Samuel Tengue. ''f these but few ire loft. Mr Rng'in W"soncofa party which accompanied Mr Cirriugton to the Waitara River ou a \isit oE inspection to see whether that bite was a convenient one for the now settlement. An incident w hich occurred during this visit finally decided the questiju. On leaving ths river for tho return j mrnry to tho Sugar Loaves, the coxswain of rhe boit, the above named fciaruuol Tongue, missed 1 a strok-*, aud tho boat bro.iclwi to and capsizid, throwing the occupauts into tho surf. According to an early historian, writiug during the forties, this accident was eventually a leading feiture towards re considering the sita of tho township ; and the same writer predicted that the next generation would erect a commodious breakwater, creating thus a seaport conveniently situated at the circling >hores of Mount Egmont plains. A peculiar con cidence in Mr llogan s life occurred not. long ago, when after an abieuco of abtut half a century he re 1 * visited Waitaru. He came down from Onehunga to Waitara, and the tide being unsuitable for tbo steamer to enter tho river, he and others were boated ashore, but through some misbap tho boat was capsiz j .d, and ho was again thrown into tho water. Tho reliable Family Uoaiedyi Wood's Groit Poppermint Onro for (Jouglu und O'olds. 1/(5 and 2 6 °J Smuplo lot of Men's White Shirts S l ii. WmTG's, p

Captain Edwin wired to-day :— Froat ;o night, and low tides.

Apparently it is not -wise to have too many friends In a case of drunkenness at the Police Court this (Wednesday) morning, it was urged on defendant's behalf that be bad met a large Dumber of friends, with ihe usual result— be got gloriously "on the wing.' 1 The Magistrate took a leriient view of the case, end convicted and dischirged the defendant.

At the conclusion of the District Court, sitting in bankruptcy' to-day (Wednes« day), His Honor Judge Kettle took the opportunity of expressing his regret at the death of the late Mr Bauchope, D 0.A., and in doing so raid an eloquent tribute to the deceased gentleman's many qualities. Mr R. C. Hughes and Mr Kerr, senior members of the Bar present, also spoke.

Mount Fgmont has much to answer for. At the District Court this (Wednesday) raorniDg, a witness, speakiDg in extenuation of an alleged partiality for the cup that inebriates, insinuated that he was so impressed at seeing the mountain agiin that he found it necessary " to take a little" lo briDg him dawn from the heights of sublimity to mundane affairs. The witness discovered, before be left the Court, that there are more rappiDg correctives than the Boc'al glasß.

The following figures, which represent the social work of tbe Salvation Army in the Australasian colonies for Jhe. twelve months ending Dec 31st, 1898, will show that their efforts are directed to bodily as well as spiritual wants : — Number of meals mpplied at cheap food depots, shelters, &c, 1,006,600; <heap lodgings at shelters, &c, 368,678 ; meetings held at shelters, slum post?, &c, 3461 ; men and women for whom employment (temrorary or permanent) has been found, 7135 ; men received into prison gate brigade homes, 764; men passed th ough pii-on gate brigade homes, restored to friend?, and sent to situation", 594; applii cations for lost persons, 1459 ; lost persons found, 344; women and girls received into rtscue and maternity homes, 1336; women and girls restored to friends and sent to situations, 857; people in alums read to and prayed with, 11,137; total accommodation for destitute, 1645.

When the matter of re-insuring the workmen against accident was before the Harbour Board on Tuesday, an extract from the Sydney Bulletin was read to mtmberi", commenting adversely upon the operations of the Scottish Metropolitan Assurance Co. Ltd., and these comments apparently carried some weight with members. It has been pointed out to m that the extract in question was taken from the Bulletin of July 2nd, 1808, and that in the latent Bulletin to band, June 10lh, 1899, further reference i« made to the Company, in the cou - se of v h;ch the paper states, on perusal of the latest balancesheet, that the Company appears to have made decided improvement iv tha last five years. The expense rate is admittbdly moderate and the investments good, and the only apparent objection is that the Company do not chirge as high, premiums as their opponents — not a very great obj ctiou from au insurers' point of view, we should imagine.