The Taranaki Herald. PUBLISHED DAILY. MONDAY, JULY 10, 1899.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 11569, 10 July 1899, Page 2

The Taranaki Herald. P UBLISHED DAILY. MONDAY, JULY 10, 1899.

Given a fair field and no political interference, there 13 no reason why the Bank of New Z°aland should not have a highly successful future. The balance sheet for the year ended 31st March last is a satisfactory one, and shows that the management of the institution is in thoroughly competent hands. The actual capital of the Bank is £912,354, of which £500,000 represents preference shares subscribed for by tho Government, the balance bsirjg ordinary capital. Upon this amount a gross profit is shown of £379,331, of which working expenses absorbed £187,911 and interest on £2,000,000 of guaranteed stock, practically a Government deposit, at 4 per cent., 'another £80,000, thna leaving an actual profit of £111,420. of which interest on the half million of preferred shares at 3£ per cent, absorbi £17,500, a net sum of £93,920 remaining to be otherwise applied. I'he whole of this goe3 in reduction of dead assets, £50,000 to the Assets Rea'isation Board, ia accordance with statutory requirement, £30,617 written off the Bank of New Zealand Estates Company's assets in liquidation, £8802 written oft tl c debenture conversion account, and £5000 written off tho Colonial Bank goodwill account. Tho net profits exceed those o? the previous ypar by £8887, and would have siifficed to pay shareholders a dividend ofl2i per cent., but for the necessity to write down tho d^ad assets to so large on extent. The actual ! amount thus written off in tho last three ! years is no less than £204,052, of wl.ich £150,000 1 as gone to tho Assets Realisation Board. In addition to this, duo provision has boen made for bad and doubtful accounts in the corronfc business. This procoss of writing down dei d assets in not over yet by any means, but with a continuance of tho present; prosperity of the 0 >lony the realisation ot tho various properties held ought to proceed sf ti-factorily. Those assets are shown in t'no foalanofls sheet a 9 follows : — B.N.Z. ICstatos Co., usscts in liquidation, £455,008 ; B.N.Z. Estatos Co., debenture conversion account, £50,009 ; Colonial BaDk property and premises JC!)S,-i57 ; und Colonial BankPurchasp, goodwill account, £70,000, a total of jCG70,529. In addition there arc tho properties in tho hands of the Assets Realisation Board, nguinst which the Bank holds guaranteed debentures for £1,805,285. The debenture conversion nccounf, togetlior representing £120,009, have nothing at tho back of them and will have to bo written off in their on.tir.ety, i

j The 6ther items stand at book va'.ue, I and the bank's liability upon them j depends upon the successful lealisation of the properties. Probably there will be a substantial deficit to be met, so thai the possibility of a dividend for shareholdpl'3 is still somewhat remote. Regarding the current business of the bank, a comparison with the figures of the previous year shows a steady improvement. The note circulation has grown from £593,905 to £666.223 ; and deposits from £7,626,140 to £7,834,481. Bills discounted are less, as also are other advances and securities and debts due to the bank, but the falling off in the latter item i 3 more likely to be due to the repayment oi temporary advances to the Government than to loss of business with the public On the whole the balance-sheet is a decidedly favourable one, and considering tbnt the economies in the working expenses recently made have not taken effect during the year under notice, and that the extraordinary payment of £4500 compensation to the late president will not occur again, it may be confidently expect 'd that the current year will show an equally satisfactory result.

Accctdixg to the annual repjrfc of Com missiouer Tunbiidge on the Police Force of the colony, the strength of the force on the 313t March list was 554 of all ranks, au increase of 18 during the yerrThe criminal s-t itisUcj, including all offences reported, show an aggregate increase of 1159 as compared with the previousyear. Ih3 principal increases are as follows :-- Abusive and threatening language, 28; assaults occasioning bodily harm, 22; assaults on police, 41; conspiring to defeat the ends of juUic*, 24; cruelty to animal-, 68; deserting and failing to provide fcr wives and children, 66; disobeying orders of Court and sum mouses, 60; drunkenness, 328; forgery and uttering, 23 ; gaming offences. 116 ; illegally on premises, 69 ; neglected and criminal children, 48 ; stowaways on board shi(s, 22; theft undescribed, 151 ; and theft from dwellings, 14!. The principal decreases are : -Assaults, common, 78; burglary, breaking into shop.", dwellings, etc , 60; filling to support parents, near relatives, etc , 55; malicious injury to property, 2(J; sly-grog selling, SG; and trespass, 39. These stat'stic, tho Commissioner re» marks, are not by any means satisfactory. They show that as regards petty thefts the criminal class c s were more active during 1808 than in tho preceding yeari and that ihe police as a preventive force were not to . flkient. as coul I be detired. On the oth-T hand, the uaepber of more sarious i fauces against proper, j his de» crejBtd-by 15 per cent., tbus showing that ■he more dangerous class of criminals have been well in check. Offenceß against women and children continue to increase, the number last year having been 79 as com pared with 71 in. 1897 and 23 in 1892. The proportion of illegitimate births, though rather lets than in the three preceding \ears, is still mu'-h higher than it was 10 years ago, the figures being 305 out of every 100 births in 1888, and 4-23 in 1898, thus proviug that immorality is a growing evil. Drunkenness has, the Commissioner regrets, a decided upward tendency, Wellington being the chief offender in this respect. Mr Tunbridge ascribes the increase (a) to the general prosperity of the colony, and (b) to the large iacrease of shipping, especially foreign-going} attending the various ports. The crews of these vessels, he say*, contribute very largely to the number of drunks, and it is only fair to the permanent residents of the colony that this should be understood. Sly-grog sailing, although not generally so prevalent as a year or two ago, is still rife in many distriots. The C'ommisfcioner remarks upon the txtreme difficulty of obtaining the neees 1 tary eviJence to justify proceedings, owing to the oblcquy that falls on ali persons who assist the police in these cases. Public sympathy, he" says, U always with the sly-grog seller. Ab long as this is so, how is it possible for Prohibition to be anything but harmful ? Does it net show that the people love their liberty above all things ? Under the gaming laws there were 140 convictions, being an increase of 115 on the figures of the preceding year, and the Commissioner regrets to say there is little indication that the evil is decreasing. Other features of the report must be left for a future issue. The Borough Council meets this evening. The direct liner Tekoa is at present loading off the Waitaia roadstead Correspondence and other reading matter will bd found on our first page. The secretary of the Recreation Grounds Board acknowledges donation of £2 2* from Mbj >r Parrii. Siuco January, 1893," operations in the Soudan hive cost Gr at Britain £7,890,1 12 The Directors of the New Zealand In* surance Company have declared an interim dividend of 2j per share. Tho Mends of Mr Qailicie will regret to learn of his death, which took place at Wel'ir.gton on r I hursday night. The certificate of Sheridan 0. Ball, teacher, Wanganui, has been cancelled by order of the Minister for Education. Returns which the Agricultural Department has received show that the estimates of the yields of the graiu cropa in the colony have been largely exceeded. The appeal against the decision of the Taraoaki Jockey Club, in connection with the Coral inn case, will be heard before the Now Zealand Racing Conference on the 19th instant, at Wellington. The Mayor (Mr K. Dockrill) has recoiv. d ihe following telegram: — "Government offices in Taranaki will be closad on 20th instant instead of 19;h for Arbor Day.— Haali Pollen." Tho Commissioner of Police h"S iesuei an order to tho police throughout the I colony to report on all cases where pensioneis squander their pensions on diink, and they tire not to wnit till pensioners are convicted of drunkenness before reporting. The intend in is to appoint receivers of pensions in all such cases. The police bavo been making very careful enquiries during tho past two or three days concerning tho whereaboutH of Mrs Pearson, but f>> far their searches have been futile. It was reported tos<Jay (Mour'iiy) that the missing woman had be.en Keen in thodircotion of Wiiiuukaiho, and enquiries are being n n lo thore. Tho flon. John McKenzie, Mrs and Misi MoKenzio reached Glasgow on the 27th of May, where Mr Molvonzie was introduced to tho ineraberrf of tho Corporation by Sir David Richmond, the Lord Provost. Many will rogrot to learn (hat Mr McKonziw has had threu attneks of hia old complaint since loiving the colony, but, generally, ho is somewhat improved in health. After paying a visit to tho Hi^hlauds of Scotlaud, Mr McKenzie and family will repair to London, whoro tho Minister of Lands proposos placing himself under examination by tho best doctors, Mr J. llurlo has been appointed to receive entries for tho Wanganui Poultry, Piguon, and Uugs Bird Show, to be helJ on August 2gn(} $nd 23rd. Jintrioa cloho 24th July.* a

Captain Kennedy wires: — Barometer I further ri-e ; sea rough on the west coast of North Island, moderate in the south. Mr W. D. Webster has appointed Messrs Wyllie, Stott & Co., at Waitara, »gents to act on his behilf for the Northern Shipping Co. In another column is published a testimonial to the Dresden Piano Company, one of many to ba found ia the company's catalogue. The monthly subscriptions in cons nection with the Investment and Loan Society aie due on Monday, July 17th, not on July H'th, as previously advertised. A Press .Association telegram from Xapier sajs the weather is bitterly cold, and there his been the heaviest fall ot snow on the Havelcck Ranges known for miny jears. Mr Stanford, S.M., remarked afc tho Magistrates's Co'jrfc this ( Monday) morning that ha noticed the Magistrate at Wellington bad objected to the Court granting continua 1 adj jurnments ia judgment summons cases. He (Mr Stanford) did not like the idea of such adjournments beirg made a wtapon to hang over a 06! son's head, but it was a very difficult matter to deal with, and he did not see his way to depart from his pr.sent cus^ toin. . A youth named Thomas Wilkie was charged at the Police Court this (Mondaj ) morijiog with the theft, on or about 28th Juue, of a cigarette holder and other articles, \a'ued at 7 a 6J, the property of J Willis, of Stratford Sergeant Stagpoole stated that he had been asked by the constable a". Stratford to apply for a remand till Monday next. His Worship thought a week was too long to keep ibe lad in gaol awaiting his trial, and put the case back till Friday next. Advices received by the Cape mail «i?e particulars of a shocking fatality ou board the barque Signe at East London. The vessel was alongside the wharf discharging timber, when, about 1 30 on tha morning of May 19, a fire was discovered to have enveloped tha saloon. The first and second mates and the steward managed to escpe, but Caitaiu Isaackson was lees fortunate. On entering the f abin, when it was possible to get inside, the remains of the caitain were fouud in a kneeling position against the lounge. Bis dog lay a charred mass at his feet. The damage to the vessel was not very extensive. During tha past few months large numbers, probably running into thousands, of books, periodicals, illustrated and other magazines and papers, hive been distributed throughout the bush catips and among settlers in the mosi remote pirts of the district, in connection with the Books for Bushmen scheme which was originated in our co'umns Most of these hive baen sent through Waitara, Inglewood, Stratford, Blthim, and Hawera agencies ; but thu week, in response to requests, large parcels have been sent to Okato (Mrs Syni3"s) and Rahotu (Mr Lsngmau's). Among the donors of book-*, &c, not yet ackiow* leJged are Mkses Humphries and Stephenson-Smilh, Mrs A King, Me-srs Newton King, TUrton, O. Daacon, and Sanderson ' The Egnrtont Post has " the atrdngeat reason for believing that we are on the eve of one of the largest commercial enterprises ever entered into in this or any other part of the colony. ' Petroleum, no less. Secret explorations disclosed the existence of indioidioas in the Toko aud Iluiroa "istricts, and a m>sterious syndicate, or something, has acquire j mining rights for 42 years over some 15,000 or 20,000 acres of land. It is strongly balieved that the source of the petroleum deposits has been discovered, and London has been exploited for capital, and on a large scale, too. Our contemporary pictures all sorts of things, and we only hope there may be no such ruie awakening as hai followed similarly bright hopes in times gone by, but " there's many a slip, etc." The Rev. C. H. Garland, who is now touring the colony in the interests of the Wesleyan Century Fund, will hardly meet with-a stranger coincidence than the following, which he relates of a visit to a Thames resident, Mrs Miller, says the Noroh Otago Tim s. Introducing a daughter, the lady said, ' This is my Lily ' 1 And I have a Lily,' responded Mr Garland. ' The next one is Violet,' added Mrs Miller, aud tho rev. gentleman replied, 'The next one" to my Lily is Violet.' ' Here is my third girl, whom we call Myrtle ' ' And my third girl ia Myr.le,' said Mr Garland, and continued : • Have you any more girls ?' ' No, we had another, called Florrie, but she U not living," remarked the lady. ' The only one we bare lost,' said Mr Garland, ' was called Florrie.' At Gisborne last week, Chas Harold Foster was committed for trial on a charge of sttaMDg the sum of £40 from J Fynney, theatrical agent. Afc the conclusion of ih3 case an interesting point cropped up when the witnesses were being bound over to appear at the Supreme Court in August. The informant Fynney explained that he hai booked his pas-age by the Moina, having Auckland on Monday next for Honolulu, and could not possibly attend, as it would mean sacrificing an important engagement. Che Magistrate replied tra l ; ths interests of justice comoel'ed his attendance ; meantime his £40 was impounded by the police, and he would also be held litble for £100 to appear. Mr Fynoey asked for hulf an hour's grace to consult his solicitor as to his poattiou, but the Magis\ trate did no!- see his way clear to lot him leavo the Court, and, tin re being no alternative, Fycnoy ngnoi the bond to appear. In the Christchnrch Press of June26;,h there appears a long narrative, by Major Purris, of some native troubUs in Taranaki from 1854 to 1859. Major Parris Leld the office of Civil Commissioner for many yearn, and const qu ntly is in a position to know better than anyone else the real facts of the history of the period with which he deals ; and, as a gentleman who has been long connected with the public life of NewZ->alind, and especially with the management of native affairs, say?, "no one did his duty with such constant personal risk of life. No greater guarantee could be given of his integrity and capacity duriug a long public service than the events which this paper narrates." In concluding his paper, which is a valmble addition to the history of New Zealand, Major Pa-ris says that he has been r- quested uy many who have held positions, from tint of Governor downwards, to write a true history of the native war in this district, but for special reasons of his own he.has declined to do ho. He has no inclination to revive old sores. While Major Parris' motives must be respected, it is perhaps regrettable that such an interesting and valuable account as he would bo able to give us should not be permanently recorded.