DAILY NOTES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7978, 6 April 1904, Page 2

DAILY NOTES.

The "New Zealand Minmining. ing Journal" is probably quite justified in assuming that the mining industry of the colony is destined to make further progress. The output of gold last year was larger than any previous year's production since the early days of the gold rushes, and there is reason to believe that even it did not exhaust the colony's annual gold-bearing capacity. No doubt all that the industry requires, to enable it to expand considerably, is capital. Unfortunately, capital is not easily procured. As far as goldmining is concerned, New Zealand does not bear a very good reputation in the world's financial exchanges ; and this fact, combined' with the present tightness of the money market, prohibits the likelihood of investments being forthcoming for New Zealand mining enterprises for some time to come. Evidently the dangers of masculine Colonel Younghusband's exdangeks. , pedition will not cease when it reaches Lhassa, for the Tibetan capital is said to be a veritable city of women. The entire population, excluding priests, scarcely exceeds ten thousand persons, and at least two-thirds of these are females. The clerks in the shops, excepting those kept by Kashmir and Nepaul merchants, are nearly all women. Not only Lhassa, but Tibet itself, can be described as the land of women and women's richts. This is due to the vast number of ; celibate priests. The results of this institution tb a large part of the female population are , complete independence, both, in business and in personal conduct. In family life, both polygamy and polyandry are mot with. The marriage of several brothers with one wife, or of several sisters with one husband, is regarded as the ideal condition. Judging from, the tone of Chinese the remarks at the Trades labottr. and Labour Conference, yesterday, the feeling among the workers of this colony, regarding the frnportation of Chinese into' the Transvaal, is quite as deep as might have been expected. A resolution supporting Mr Seddon's action, in protesting against this terrible blunder, was only withdrawn because it, was not considered strong enough, and an amendment, which was carried, expressed in most emphatic terms, the opposition of the conference to the action of the Transvaal authorities. It is too late to recall the decision in favour of importing Chinese labour, but. nevertheless, resolutions such as | tts.it passed by the conference have a certain value. They assist to swell the volume of hostility to the action of the Transvaal >< authorities, and, in doing so, to impress both the Transvaal and Imperial Governments with the fact that 'the* step which they have taken is unpopular all over the.Empire. The Premier is on the the premier, warpath again. Either the nature of his recent illness was magnified: by over-anxious . (friends , or he has declined to be made an invalid. Whichever of tkeise.. surmdses is correct- the fact remains that on Monday he journeyed from' Wellinsrton to Featherston and took part^in a picnic organised by the Liberal and Labour Federation. Moreover, it was announced yesterday that he was none the worse for his exertions. This is good news, although in company with many of the Premier's friends we could wish that he had abstained ! a little longer from participating in public i matters. Reports irom Wellington are to I the effect- that he will have to "go easy " j for a period, and if they are true it will ; I occur to most people that he had betfcer do > I so at once, while Parliament is out of ses- • ; sion.