The Timaru Herald. THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 1884

Timaru Herald, Volume 2990, Issue XL, 24 April 1884, Page 2

The Timaru Herald. THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 1884

The Attorney-General is the third Minister who has addressed the public during the last fortnight, but wo cannot say his speech has thrown much more light on public affaire than that of either of hia colleagues. It was m ' better taste, than tho Premier's and m ' better temper than the Minister of Lands' ; but mno other reaped; was it ! superior to them. In one rather important point, indeed, it contradicted the' Premier's speech point blank, and t betrayed the fact, we fear, that the c Attorney-General had not read his J chief's notable oration. Major Atkinson, it will be reineni- t bored, m discussing tbn deficit, dwelt n particularly on the circumstance that 1 the falling off m the revenue during { the paßt year was mainly on the neccsnaries of lii'e, and not on luxuries such v iih spirits, tobacco, nnd imported beer, r Hence he clrew the strxnge deduction J tbat there was no real depression, but only a diminution of " wastefulness m c tbe necessaries of life." Now let us turn to Mr Conolly'a speech and see - what he had to say about the c deficit : — " There was a falling off ?' of 16120,000 m Customs, m which ]j Government possibly made a bad b (inlculation. A large portion of the d deficiency arose through the increased \ sobriety of the people, the falling-off n being under the head of importation of ], spirits, which was not altogether a b subject o? regret, but rather of gratifi- o cation. The money was not spent but " saved, and did not go out. of the colony, ?.' but was ready to meet the necessities of t'l the hour." This, it will be seen, is O jxactly the opposite of the story told by tl Major Atkinson. The most remarkable " part of the thing, however, is that, while M Major Atkinson said tho falling off m g ( 3onolly deulurud it wan on luxuries, both ol Irew the same deductions that the fact "I nclicatrd a favorable stiite of affairs. V' .'here is nothing to be alarmed at or re meii3y about. m tie deficit of an ! 120,000 m Cuetomn, said Major n

rVi.kiuson, because it merely sigiiifies a liuinislied waste of the necessaries of if e. The people saved their money mtead of throwing it away. If it were ■m luxuries Buck a3 spirits, then it would indeed bo a serious business. Diere is nothing to be alarmtd at or iii.easj about m the deficit of £120,000 n Customs, said Mr Conolly, because it merely signifies a falling off m the importation of spirits, which is a subject of gratification. The inDney is not spent but saved, and is kept m the colony, instead of going out )f it. If it were on. necessaries, then it would indeed be a serious business. Tjus it appears, on the positive authority of two Ministers, that whether tfce deficit results from a falling off m the consumption of necessaries, or from a falling off m t;lie consumption of luxuries, it is a healthy sign, iind the natural accompaniment of thrifty habits, and an accumulation of wealth among the people ; and at the same time an unhealthy sign and a ground lor grave anxiety. A more extraordinary proposition, we think, we nover heard of ; and we hope some o:ie will endeavor to get an explanation o:l it from Major Atkinson at one of his coming meetings. The Ministers have one and all been ridiculing Mr Montgomery's speech, and endeavoring to show that nothing is so absurdly incorrect as bis facts except his figures. Mr Rolleston alluded to him thus : — " I say this, that my friend Major Atkinson has not much to hi frightened of from Mr Montgomery m his financial ability. Carlyle said that he wished the devil nothing worse than a perpetual attack of dyspepsia. I wish Mr Montgomery nothing worse than to sit upon the benches opposite to Major Atkinson, and have his facts and figures pulled to pieces by him." It is all very well for the Ministers to constitute fieruselves a Mutual Admiration Society m this fashion, and for each to praise up the others and depreciate their opponents. But to any ordinary intelligence it would seem that men who, having all the advantages of a Ministerial position, with all the resources of the department at their disposal, yet make such palpable and stupid blunders as these which we have pointed out, have not so very much reason for selfliiudation or for laughing at Mr Montgomery or anybody else. Several invidious comparisons have leen made between the muster at the Omaru Volunteer Encampment and That held on the shore of Lake Forsyth. It is true that the muster at Oamaru v/as over a thousand, while the total strength at the Lake was not more than some two hundred End fifty all told. It should be remembered, however, that the latter was purely a district affair, confined to Canterbury only, while the former wais attended by men from at least four different districts. We must say that Colonel Lean's idea cf a camp commends itself to us. Camped m a healtby spot m the open country, removed i'rom all the dissipations of town life, supplied with rough and plain food, and kept hard at work, i; is no wonder that the Volunteers thoroughly enjoyod and benefited by their outing. Their drill, we are assured, vras good, and their discipline better, nnd we can forgive them if they rbeyed one order with visible relictance, i.e., the command to strike tents. Though wo must perforce agree mth the principle of making a volunteer encampment t* much like a camp en active service as; circumstances will allow, — that is, so far as the volunteers iire concerned — wersally cannot imagine v;hy these supposed conditions should Ie extended to tho public and the Press. It is now x recognised axiom that newspaper correspondents m war time, when allowed m camp at all, are t} bo hoodwinked, deceived, and rendered as useless as possible. Press representatives were allowed, nnd for that matter well and courteously treated m tho Lake Foray th camp, but ag the telegraph operator at Birdlings Flat had strict instructions to send none but Government messages, and only one train left for Obriutchurch during the term of i he encampment, their pens were practically stopped. Lord Wolseley himself could hardly have done it more effectually. We are glad to hear that a movement is on foot to hold a grand encampment of Artillery Corps m the South Island at Timaru, commencing on tins ninth of November, the Prince of Waieii Birthday. We lope there will be no more clashing m future between Otajjo and Canterbury V oluntoers.

Waimatk Races.— Tho winter meeting of Die Waimato Racing Club will be held on tho oth of June next. Hurdle, Hat, und st«oplochase races are announced. Rfsidbnt Magistrate's Court, Waimate. — A man pleaded guilty to the oharge i)f being drunk on the previous day, and was lined ss. Hiß Worship tho Mayor presided. Licensing Committer.— Mr Geo. Morton, :if Wailmo, has been appointed a membor of !li'> Hakatoramea Licensing CoininitUjo, m room of Mr Hillary, resigned. Temuka. — A petition is m courso of signa;uvo to Mr Postlcthwaite, M.H.R. for Gorallino, requesting him tj convono a mooting of iis constituents m I,ho Volunteer Hall, l'omuki", at an early date. !Footd vll. — As thor.3 is to bo a half -holiday ;o-day, lovers of football intend to take full idvantago of it and go m for n. bit of hard •■rnctice, members of the Crusader Football :!lub being specially invited to muster strongly m tho ground nt Waimataitai. Thsiukaßoad Boahd.— ln another column (ill bo found tho usual election notice as m jlishod by tho Returning Officer, Mr Wills. I'll 3 members of tho Hoard who rotiro aro tfcßsrs Jas. Austin nnd Mich. Quinn. Tho lomination day is thn 6th May, nnd tlio lo>:tion is to ho hold on tbo Oth May, Resident Magistrate's Court, TutAnc. -.'. Bcswick, Esq., H,M., presided at this rourt yesterday. J. Bonnett was charged rith a breach of tho Maughtorhouso Act, m lint ho did, on March SKltli, kill a buU on nnicaisod premises, an<i sell tho same without eiig duly licensod. After hearing tho oviorco tho Magistrate flnod Bennett a ihilling. Villiam Stovons, for v similar offence, was lsi> fined ono shilling. The Lifeboat. — It lias boon found very aid work to run tho lifeboat "Aloiundra" nek into hor shod titter being takon out, wing to tho floor bdinj; rough shinglo, and lore being no room for n numbor of men to pr.ly their strength to Iho task. Some stout mbers aro now being laid down, under io superintendence of' tho coxswain, W. ollis, for tho truck wheels to run upon m io shod, so that a few nion can run lior m it i euso. . \Taimate "WesijEyah Mutual Isiprotehut Society.— The r»(;ular meeting of this ■c ety was held m the old church on Moni.y evening. Tho Rev. .T. H. Groy, tho nowly- ' iX'tod President, presided. This was on •• 'Cii mooting, opon m I,lm sonso that jiorsons I >t ineinbors wore allowed to givo readingo, 1., ub if mombert) of the Society, .^overal *c ingß and rccitationti wcro givou und solos l! id duols sung, A numhor of mombors gavo T their numcs ns willing; to contribute essays ''

on various subjects, to be read at next meeting, winch •will be held on the 28th inst. Fire persons were proposed for admission as members of the Society, to be ballotted for noxt meeting. Blus Ribbon Meeting at Pleasant Point. — The third periodical meeting of the Gospel Temperance Mission was held m the Pleasant. Point schoolroom on Tuesday- evening. There was again a very large audience. Mr D. Anderson occupied the chair. Addresses were delivered by the Rev. J. Sharp of Timaru, the Rev. Jasper Smyth of Pleasant Point, and nlso by Messrs Stewart, Hilton and Bishop. Selections from Sankey's collection were sung between the addresses. The direct result was the enrolment of four | new names. Heavy Sea. — About midnight of Wednesday a heavy south-easterly swell began to break on the neighboring coast, and after continuing strong throughout yesterday, increased towards evening and during the early part of the night. No damage was done yesterday that we are aware of. The vossels under the Breakwater pitched a little m the range, but lay m perfect safety, and were worked all day. The waves at high tide poured over tho outer end of the Breakwater m volumes, falling harmlessly inside. Tho surf also ran over the Waimataitai oud Washdyke Spits m large quantities. KorAl FionuiNG Mills. — J. Bruce and Company's Royal Flouring MUlu have been m full swing lutely, working night and day to overtake orders. This shows that the product of the patent roll system of milling is appreciated m the markets, as its enterprising introducer anticipated, and it must be a source of no small gratification to Mr Bruce to find his anticipations are being realised, and his venture proving a complete success. The complex machinery is all working as " sweetly " as could bo wished. It is intended to erect at an early date a grain drier, after a plan devised and patented by Mr Bruce, which when m operation will increase the output of flour considerably, as dry, crisp material will flow through the machines and long spoutingg at a much quicker rate than that which is even but slightly soft from mois-ture. The ironwork for this is now m course of preparation. The drier will serve also as a kiln for drying outs for conversion into oatmeal, and it may be mentioned that the oatmeal will be produced by a modern process as is the wheaten flour, m which thero is no grinding, m the usual senso of the word. An elevator for lifting material from railway trucks to any Etorey, or from one storey to another, is nearly completed, and probably would have been m working order by this time but that the " cage " required somo alterations. Lhctubb at Waimate.— Mr Harding, of Hawke's Bay, gave a very interesting lecture hist Tuesday evening, m the. Temperance Hall; on the subject of the chemical and physical changes occurring during tho manufacture of alcoholic liquors from grain, fruit and sugar. Tho lecture was given under the auspices of tho Waimate Blue Ribbon Temperance Society, Mr Goldsmith occupying the chair. Tho Hey. R. Freoman (Primitive Methodist minister) commenced and closed the meeting with prayer. About 130 persons were present. The lecturer illustrated the processes of fermentation and distillation by reference to several diagrams exhibited over the stage. Ho expressed regret at having broken on his way from Oamaru tc Waimale come of the apparatus necessary tc more clearly show tho process of distillation, The chief point urged by the lecturer was the tremendous waste of nutritious human food involved m transforming tho grain or fruil into intoxicating liquors ; and after all this waste tho very bad results flowing from tho uso of theso liquors ns beverages, Mr Harding, at the elpse of his lecture, which was attentively listened to by his audience, was greeted "with hearty applause by tho meeting. Mr Clcmo m suitable terms moved a vote of thanks to the lecturer, which was seconded by Mr D. Hutton, and carried by acclamation. Selections from Sankey's Hymns were sung by the meeting Seventeen persons signed the "pledge at the closo of the lecture. Souin Cantehbuhy Jockey Club's Meeting.— The first day's racing of tin S.C.J.C. annual meeting is to be held on the course to-day, the first race, according to th( " krect card," being set down to start at 12.45 p.m. The train arrangements, whicl are as usual of a complete kind ore as follow — Trains will run from Timnru to tho race course platform at 12.10 p.m. and 1 p.m. and from the racecourso platform tc Timaru at 4.35 p.m., and 4.50 p.m The morning train from Fairlie Creek tc Timaru will run one hour later than usual and, if required, will stop at the Raoeeoursc platform to allow passengers to alight. Anj passenger for tho racecourse platform by this train must book to Washdyke. Tho Express train from Christchurch w"ill stop at Washdyke, if required, to allow passengers to alight there and join the 12.10 p.m. special train from Timnru to tho racecourso platform. The evening train from Timaru to Fairlie Creek will stop at the racecourse platform to take up passengers, starting therefrom at 4.45 p.m. Tho evening train from Timaru to Oamaru will start at 5.15 p.m., and run 50 minutes later than usual. To catch this train passengers from the raeecourso platform must leave thero by the 435 p.m. special train. An extra train will run from Waimate to Studholmo Junction and back, to take forward passengers for Waimate brought by the 5.15 p.m. train from Timaru. Passengers foi north of Washdyko from tho racecourse platform will leave by tho 4.35 p.m. special train and transfer *»t Wnshdyke into tho ordinary 4.35 p.m. train from Timaru. Tho fares to tho Racecourse platform and back, including admission to tho course, are : — From Timaru : First class, 2s 6d ; second class, 2s. From Washdyko : First class, 2s 3d ; second class, Is lOd. Judging from tho acceptances, some good racing should bo witnessed, and as a half holiday has been do clared tho attendance should be well up to, if not over, the average. Population op VicTonrA. — The quarterly abstract, prepared by Mr Hayter, the Government Statist, shows tho estimated population of Victoria for 1883 to bo as follows :— Increase during tho year — Males, 15,578 ; females, 9,982 j total, 25,560. Population on Decomber 81st, 1383— Males; 493,053 ; females, 438,732 ; total, 931,785. Tho apparent increase of population m 1883 (25,566) exeeedod that m 1882 by 1567, and was also much abovo that m any otlieryear since 1871 except 1880— tho Exhibition year— when it was exceeded by 597. The incrcaso by excess of recorded arrivals by sea over rocordod departures by sea (11,030) was greater than m the previous year by 150, not co large as m 1860 by 631, but much largor than m ony other year sinco 1870. Tho inereaso by excess of registered births over registered deaths (14,530) was abovo that m 1882 by 1417, was slightly below that m 1879 and 1881, but wns abovo that m any of tha other years sinco 1874. Sudden Death op a Horse from Snakebite. — Tho following account of a imddon death from suako-bito is furnished to tho Belfast (S.A.) Qazette m a lettor from Mr A. S. Lano : — " Allow mo to direot public attention to tho vonomous nature of snako poison at tho present timo. On Monday lust my son, on my farm at Grafton, Bessiebolle, when m the act of driving somo horses for tho purpose of yarding them, observed ono of thorn — a valuablo one, and worth not less than £30 — mako a sudden jump away from a largo tiger Kiiako. Ho immediately endeavored, and after somo dilliculty and two escapes from boing bitton, auccccdod m killing tho reptilo. In tho meantime ho obscrvod tho horso Ho down fifty yards distant, and thinking it was m tho act of rolling, ho completed his task of killing tho snako before going to it , but whon ho did so, to his surpriso, ho found the horso quite dead. My son is quite certain that thrco minutes did uotelapso from tho timo tho horeo jumped from tho snake till ho reached tho spot where it lay. This seems a nioßt prolific season for snakes, as my sons have succoedod m killing sovonty-throo reptiles, a valuable dog m their possession, of the sottor breed and only about twelve months aid, having found thirty-eight and assisted m killing many of the number." Nabhow Escape from Whoi.bha.iii Poisoning.— Tho Bovrlee Telegraph save :— ' Recently great oxcitemonfc wns causocl m Bourko by tho report that a vroll on tho iroporty of Mrs Connolly m Merlin street had )oon poisonod, and from nine to ton persons Tore suffering more or loss from the effects of Irinking tho water. Samples of tho water yore taken by Dr Sides, who considered that t contained poieon, Tho well was at once

cleaned under tho usual active supervision of Serßß:int Webb, and at the bottom a package with, tho usual lod poison-label wiis clis- g covered, containing about two ounces of corrosive sublimate, with tho words printed on the partially torn-off label. Ah three grains of that deadly poison havo been sufficient to kill a man, it wa3 naturally supposed w that wholesale slaughter was contemplated aI by some person or persons unknown. On of enquiry, however, it appeared that the whole affair was the result of a simple accident. A Mr Frank Grey Faber, overseer at one of the Yanda out-stations, was m Bourke on Tuesday, the 12th inst., and had occasion to pur- ti chase of Dr Sides two ounces of corrosive £ sublimate to make a preparation for a horse's t, back. This he put m his breast pocket. lie j. was temporarily staying at the time at Mrs Attwater's, one of the parties who made use of Mrs Connelly's well. 110 did not miss the packet from his pocket till he got, home to the , run, and lie supposed it must havo slipped from his pocket as he was drawing wuter 8 from the well referred to. Mr Faber being a a married man of the highest respectability, ' is beyond suspicion. No ehildr;n could have t had access to tho packet." f Emigration or Skte Ceoiters.- — Eight families, comprising thirty people from I Braes, where the crofters encountered the c police two years ngo, left m January for Liverpool, via Glasgow, on 'heir wuy to r , North Carolina, to which they have been m- J duced to emigrate through the representations of a Miss M'Leod, who visited them last £ summer. The}" disposed of their stock at Martinmas, and Lord Macdonidd has given them the valuation of their houses. His Lordship has also given each family a handsome present m money, besides a donation 5 from the Lord Mayor's Fund. ' DiscoVEiir AT PontypkidJ). — An antediluvian serpent-fossil was lately discovered at Llaneaiaeh Quarry, worked by Mr John Davis, Forth. Some weeks ago tho quarrymen uncovered what was at the time supposed to be a portion of a fo-sil tree. On Thursday, the VthJFebruary, 31 feet of it had been uncovered, and Mr Davis then came to the conclusion that the fossil was that of an immense serpent. It is 12 inches m diameter, and grows thicker as tha head is approached, and has a peculiar modulating shape, the tail being of narrow proportions. The greatest care has been observed by Mr Cavis so as not to damage this interesting relic. The quarry is within a mile of Navigation Station of the Taff Tale Railway. Mn Oscau Wilde. — Mr Oscar Wilde, the apostle of rcsthclicism, delivered the first of two lectures m the Queen strei t Hall, Edinburgh, recently, taking for his subject " Xlie House Beautiful." There wis a large attendance, the hall being filled m every part, and the audience displayed much interest aliko m the lecturer and his remarks. According to tho Scotsman Mr Wilde, who has a lnolodious voice;, and speaks with great fluency; said lie could net believe that the spirit which m former times imbued with loveliness everything made by the hand of man was now dead. An artistic desire had, he said, spring up within the last fow years, and the success of the movement depended entirely on the value and the honor that were attached to handicraft. Pointing out some of the things which he thought should be banished from the ornamentation of a house, ho said some rational limit should be placed on that endless array of antimacassars which m some rooms seemed to indicate that washing-day had arrived ; wood should not be grained so os represent something more costly than it really was ; walls should not be papered to look like marble when it was only paper ; and there should be nothing like stuffed birds m glass cases. (Laughter.) In decorating a room, the first thing to be certain of was the scheme of color. Many rooms were mere chaos of loveliness without any presiding spirit of art, but m a well-regulated room everything was introduced as properly as a not.! of music m a piano. As to the tendency to make a particular color fashionable, he said they might as well make a single note of a piano fashionable, for all colors were equally beautiful. He hoped they would not be led into the heresy of thinking that an artistically-decorated room, where everything was colored sage green, wa3 a very melancholy-looking room, for it really was not. In indicating What they should strive after m the decoration of the interior of a house, he said glare and dinginess were the two rocks to be avoided, and ri.'hness and repose of color should be aimed at ; but it was only by a proper knowledge and use of . the neutrals that wo would ever attain to real decorative art. The walls of rooms were, m his opinion, far too high ; and he condemned the use of gasaliers, as being destructive of all decorative art m six months — candles or oil lamps being preferable for light. The windows which builders now put into houses were filled with huge Bhejts of plate glass, which did not give light but glare, and he recommended the more frequent use of stained glass. The hack of the shutters should also be artistically painted, so tha', wlien closed they would form a rich alcovo of decoration. Mr Wilde went on to refer m detail to the i urnishing of a room, beginning with the mirrors and ending with the. coal-scuttle. In conclusion, he referred to the influence of artisti.r surroundings on children, and spoke m favor of the most interesting part of tho contents of South Kensington Museum being lent for a period to tho schools throughout the country, where they would bo of much greater servieo than they were under the present regulations, for ho did not know of a more depressing sight than a thoroughly arranged museum. (Laughter.) Instead of teaching children tho longitude and latitude of countries where no one wished to go to, or tho criminal calendar of Europe which was called history— (laughter) — thoy should be taught the simple handicrafts iind decorative arts, which would be infinitely more useful to them m after life. (Applause.) Wicked fob Clergymen.— " I believo it to bo all wrong and even wicked for clergymen or other public men to bo lei into giving testimonials to quack doctors or vile stuffs called medicines, but when a i*ea Jy meritorious artielo is inado up of cornuon valuable romiKiies Inown to all, and that all phymoians uso and trust m daily, wo should freely co:nnicnd it. I thoreforo cheerfully aud heartily commend Hop Bitters for the good they have dove mo and my friends, firmly believing that thoy havo no equal for family uao. I will not bo withont them." — Rev. , Washington, D.C. Read Adv. • . Tire Greatest Blessing. — A simple, pure, harmless remedy, that oures every time, aud prevents disease by keeping th) Wood pure, etoniaeh regular, kidneys aud liver aetivo, is tho grqatoat bloaaing over conferred npon man. Hop Bitters is thatromedy, and its proprietors aro being blessed by thousands who havo been cured by it. Will you t;-y it ? Seo — Adv. SYNOPSIS OF NEW ADVERTISEMENTS. K. F. Gray— N'otines that tho Temuka monthly salo is) postponed to tho 30th inst., on account of tho Timaru Hobinson Crusoe-Notifies result of drawing of Clerk to Tonnika Road Hoard-Election uotico Thmtro Royal— Dunning's Opera Company repeat Miinoln" this evening. In Bankruptcy— He John Craig McKerrow.