THE Thames Advertiser, TUESDAY, JULY 24, 1888.

Thames Advertiser, Volume XX, Issue 6155, 24 July 1888, Page 2

THE Thames Advertiser, TUESDAY, JULY 24, 1888.

Tin-; question of retaining the population I of New Zealand, is day by day forcing 1 itself upon the attention of the Government. For the past few months, every outward bound steamer has carried a large number of people from this country and though it is true the vessels which have arrived here have brought a

number of new colonists, yet the fact remains that the emigration from our shores has oxcectletl largely the immigration thereto for a considerable time. It is estimated that within the last six months over 30,000 people have left the colony, for New -South Wales, Victoria, and other countries—where they hope Fortune may be more kind to them than she has been in New Zealand. Even at the present moment there are many thousands of people in the colony who wish to leave it—and are only waiting to [carry their design into execution. In consequence of the continued exodus, the Government will very shortly, have to consider how tho population may he retained within the colony—for one thing is evident, that if energetic steps arc not taken to keep the people who urcj W here, ;tud MCIU'O tlicil' pGIMIUGUt 1

gettlomeu.t—tlioy (tJie Government) will be in a worse plight at the end of this year than they were last. In order to meet the deficiency in the revemic the Colonial Treasurer has had recourse to various expedients—such for instance as increasing the customs duties. He has also reduced both the salaries and number otthe civil servants, in order that the cost of administering the business of the various departments shall be as small as possible. Large savings have been made in this direction, but of what value are they so long: as the people continue to leave the country? We venture to say that at the present moment, and despite the retrenchment effected that the country is not a whit better off in consequence—simply because, has been saved by retrenchment, it has been lost through the departure from this colony of many people who, while here, contributed to the revenue—and whose contributions have been lost in consequence of their going away. It is useless for 1 an individual, whose income ia £200 per i annum to endeavour to save £50 a year by economy, if his employers reduce his salary to £150 during the period. And yet this is precisely the position of the State, whose controllers are endeavouring to save money, while many of the people who support the State are withdrawing their annual contributions to its coffers by leaving the country. It is certainly time the Government faced 'the question, and adopted measures calculated to check the exodus, for the greater the number of people who leave the colony, the heavier will be the taxation which the remaining settlers will have to bear; while, putting aside the increased burdens the people will have to bear— the Government, if they have any real desire to assist the colony out of her difficulties, must know that every person who leaves the colony occasions a loss of fully £20 a year to the Treasuryand that unless strong, immediate, and successful efforts are made to. secure the permanent settlement of the present population, each succeeding .year will find a continued deficit in the revenue,' with fewer people to raise it,

After the meeting of the Thames County. Council had concluded yesterday, it was announced that the successful tenderers were Messrs Trainor for No 1 contiaot, and Billings for Nos 2 and 3,

Mr James Marshall announces in our advertising columns that great reductions in the prices ot winter drapery, millinery, ulsters, mantles, clothing etc. has been made in his establishment, ; ,• . f'» !

The eolipse of the moon was witnessed by, a larqe number of people last evening. The sky'was cloudless, and the passage of the earth across the moon's diso was clearly observed, and was' a most interesting spectacle. ,

The New Zealand Gold Extraction Company Newberry-Vautia Process (Limited) by advertisement in another column, invite tenders for the ereotion of plant and machinery at the works. ; Plans, etc,, can ba scon at tlw company's works, and tenders must be in by the 31st inst.

Wc would remind our readers of the cantata which is to be sung in the Oddfellows' Hall by a choir of 70 voiocs this evening, Anyone who has not heard " Under the Palms" should make it a point of going, as they will miss a treat by neglecting to attend,

Tne following will constitute the football teams for Saturday's representative practise match: — Probables : Steward, Jordan, Poland, H. Steadman, J, Buohan, Moroney, McGregor, McNieoe, Cantley. J. Steedman, Watene, Sullivan, Tetley, Dare, Brownlee Emergencies: T, Comvay, Dennerley, Rae, Possibles: Saunders,Daldy, Waite,Pearce, T. Conway, ltyan, ft, Buchan, Dennerley, Kae, Kennerley, Payne, Ladner, Mann, Scott, MoLough'in, Buckland, Johnson, Allen. Emergencies: Robinson, Carter, Torrens,'tßota, Knpa,

It is Bttid (but for the truth of the statement we .cannot vouch) that an old lady resident 'of Grahamstown had a rare slice of luck a few days ago. She had bought an old house at this end of tho town, and had engaged the services,of a carpenter to make certain repairs and alterations, In order to carry them' out it was necessary to tear down one of the walls, and in the course of this operation she discovered a canvas-bag containing £80 in gold, which some former tenant had securely stowed away behind the lining boards, As the lady who is said to have made the discovery is not blessed with a large portion of this world's goods, we can only hope that the statement is correct,

As illustrating the apathy displayed by the present Government in regard to the establishment of local industries, the case of Captain Whitney (of cartridge factory fame) may be mentioned. The gallant oaptain succeeded in produoing very fair cartridges, with locally made machinery in England—but in order to seoure the manufacture of a better class of article—he arranged with Messrs, Greenwood and Batley of England, to supply first class maohinery. Up to the present time, however, the New Zealand government have given him no encouragement, On the other hand- the Victorian Cabinet have de'cidcd to give a piece of land at Saltwater ! Creek,(about two miles from Melbourne) ! valued at £14,000 as a site for a cartridge factory; to offer £5,000 as a bonus; and agree to take all the ammunition used in that colony at English prices plus the cost of freight ancl delivery at the Government stores, Unless the New Zealand government ' offer more inducement to Captain Whitney to continue the manufacture of cartridges in this colony, the machinery will be transhipped to Victoria, and another labour absorbing industry will be lost to New Zealand,

The otter clay, an amusing incident oooutrccl in a place not a hundred miles from the Thames. The wife of a denominatfonal paraon who entertained a strong objection to the music of the Salvation Army band, and also to their processions in the public streets, concoived the idea of putting a stop to both. The meiUo/i by which this was to be accomplished was by petitioning the local authorities to prohibit the Salvationists from marohing or playing in any public place. In furtherance of this design she prepared a petition, and started out in quest of signatures. After obtaining two or three, Bhe interviewed a very old, and notby-any«meaus intelligent lady resident, and succeeded in persuading her to aflix her mark to the petition (writing not being included in the venerable dame's accomplishments), Presently, and after the objector to Salvation music had taken her departure, the old lady's daughter returned home, and on hearing that her mother had had a visitor, and bad signed her mark to the petition, she exclaimed Well, you are a simpleton, mother; you have signed a paper to do away with your own band I"—The people were Salvationists, and the hunter for signatures had taken advantago of the old woman's ignorance to obtain hor signature to the petition-the,' real and ciact nature o£ which uhc did not, us a mutter of uuurfk, iMosu to her,

MrTheo, Cooper, speaking at a public meeting held at Otara, on Saturday last, is reported to hDve said in the oourse of his remarks, that" the members o£ tha House only wanted to grasp as much a3 they could of the borrowed money, and many of the members by their effrontery obtained for their districts a lot or useless expenditure and their great debt now was caused by the money being recklessly expended on political works not constructed for the good of the country or of the districts, but for the glorification of members. Why, taking their looal loans into consideration, they found the Thames Harbour Board sounding the note of repudiation, and the (iisborno Harbour Board were paying interest out of loan, the money having been advanced on the personal security of the member,"

The special correspondent of the Herald telegraphing from Wellington on the outbreak of scab at Southern Wairoa says

"In an interview with the for Lands to-day on the subject, the Minister placed the following telegrams at my disposal. They arc from Inspector Elliott to Superintendent Bayley. He has been inspecting the Manukau since the 9th inst,, and discovered scab this morning in sheep caught in Huuter and Nolan's yards on the 2nd May last. He cannot traoe at present any connection with the Miranda flock, In a subsequent telegram he states: " The saleyards were at Newmarket. I have found that Hale Brothers, in whose flooks I found the scab, have bought sheep from several different places within the last sixmonths, It is extremely doubtful if those sheep wore ever in Nowmaket yards, The flocks round Hab's are all right."