West Coast Times MONDAY, JANUARY 4, 1897

West Coast Times, Issue 10461, 4 January 1897, Page 2

West Coast Times MONDAY, JANUARY 4, 1897

Tug unanimity with which the Irish p,eoplc are protesting the unequal weight rof the taxation falling upon them augurs well 1 for its early adjustment. It is" very significant that all classes and all shades of political opinion are at one upon this important subject. The Tory landholder is quite as pronounced in the expression of his views as the peasant farmer, whilst . olergymen of all creeds meet upon a common platform. It must be obvious that when fivo millions of

people^ governed under representative institutions, and forming- a distinct community, are unanimous in their determination to remove an evil, the day is not far off when they will get their desires. The question of- taxes is not one like self government, which involves issues beypns the grasp of most people, it is determtnable by conditions which are or can be made within the knowledge of all, and possesses a distinct finality." It has long been a grievance in Ireland, and especially amongst the manufacturing classes, that the trend of legislation and taxation has been in the direction of dwarfing and starving their irterests in favor of those in England and they point to numerous industries which would now be in a flourishing condition were if hot for the unequal conditions under which they labour. We are aware that this contention has been warmly controverted, and with some show of reason, but it is no less a • fact that several Irish industries have languished or died whilst those of the sister island have flourished because of altered conditions. It is wellknown that the Irish Home- Rule party intended, should they obtain an autonomy like those of the self-governing colonies, to frame a customs tariff on the lines of that in force in Victoria, and so foster the development of industries which cannot now exist in the face of the competition of Great Britain. To Irishmen the question wears a patriotic as well as an industrial aspect. They see the pupulation of their country not keeping pace with the re v sfc of the Empire and thus losing in relatiyo importance every year, whilst were a number of native and exotic industries fostered their country would not only keep pace with the rest but Ireland would retain a very much larger portion of those born on her soil. Hitherto there have been too many dissensions to enable them to combat the opposition sufficiently to obtain local self government, and consequently the policy of Protection which that government was to inaugurate is still a long way off. This question of taxation has, however, a distinct trend in the direction indicated and as it is narrower in its scope cannot involve the vast potentialities which the | larger question may compel and which consequently excites the fears of the I timid. From the unanimity which now j prevails and from the recognised feeling amongst the political leaders of both sides at Home that "Ireland must be I conciliated " we have no doubt but that I the present agitation will be productive qf the relief sought Jfor and that one step injadvance will have been made to increase the prosperity of the country.

The first day's races of the Westland Racing Club's Midsummer meeting will be held to-day. The course is in capital order, the running track never having been ii) better condition. A number of improvements have been effected including the fencing of the track from the straight. The Kuraara Volunteer Band have been engaged for both days. Fourteen hoWes arrived on Saturday and special train arrangements have been made for bringing an additional contingent this morning. Everythins augurs well for capital races'. The first event will be started at 1 o'clock sharp. Bernard's circus, which gave such gen- , eral satisfaction when here a few weeks ago, arrives in town to-day and will ops n in the reserve at the back of the Town Hall to-night. It has been, doing, splendid bnsiness in' the north, having evidently hit the popular taste. The Theatre was crowded .on Saturday night to witness the second exhibition of the Cinernatographe. The building w^s packed £6 the doors arid at length Mr M'Mahon found it necessary to send people away as there was not even standing room. The exhibition excited as much wonder and delight as at the first 1 performance and so evident was the expression of public approval that Mr : M'Mahon acceded to the generally expressed wish to give two more exhibitions. As the Theatre is engaged, he has shifted 'to the Town Hall where the exhibition will be continued to-night and to-morrow night. '> The doors of tn"e Theatre to-night will , be opened at a quarter to eight and ,fche . performance will commence at 8.30. This alteration from the usual times has' been 1 made in order to give people attending the races ample time to be present. We have also been requested to staise that the performance will be ov^er pefore the train leaves for the north, A boy named Thomas Buchanan, aged about 12 years, soft of Mr Buchanan', shipwright, died 1 at Lyttelton on' Wednesday, Dec. 23rd, from tetanus. The unfortunate little fellow, stepped on a piece of wood from which was protruding a rusty nail, fourteen days previously, and* tetanus displayed itiself on the Sunday before his death.

> Thanks to the wide spread popularity ;of the Christmas card,§ says the Lyt'illeton > Times, the staff of; the Chtf sfchurch Post Office on Wednesday;' dicf the, --biggest day's work ever done sinee 1 a' 1 post offitie was established in' Canterbury. No fewer than (50,000 arficl'e^-letters, packets' and newspapers'— were posted. The work ot sorting, in' which a number of extra" hands were 1 engaged; lasted' .without intermission from* fiVe o'clock in the morning till' nearly half -past fcen at night. Over one hundred sheets of half-penny stamps Jii other Tforflr 24,000 stamps, were sold over the Post Office counter dnring the day. These were, presumedly, all required for either cards or paper's, and' were sdld £ direct to individuals, as dealers do not obtain their stamps at the counter. Tfee letter carrier did not finish their work .till' after seven at night, and carts had to ' be" employed to take out the articles Lobe delivered, the quantity being far too great for the men to carry. <

An Auckland $&|egram says the SJ$. gave his decision in the case police v. Geoi'ge South, a sharebroker. The police had arrested South on a charge of being drunk and disorderly and obstructing a constable in the ejnecutipn of his dutySouth had picked up a stray child and asked the cpnstabje |o take it to the station. The constable refused, and South went to the station to report the matter, and was arrested on a charge of being drunk and disorderly. The hearing lasted two days. Mr Northcrof t dismissed the cases, and commented strongly upon the conduct of the police. He said the constable in the street had acted wrongly, an<3 the other policemen had lost their tempers. South had gqt into trouble through befriending the^child. If he had not been well kno\Vn and had numerous friends he would probably have gone to gapl. The case of Mr South was very generally discussed |n jihe city, and much s^papathy for that' gentleman was. expressed. The offers, of assistance already received are sufficient io pay the expense incurred by Mr South, three or four times over. During the greater part of yesterday Inspector Hickson was occupied holding an enquiry into the wholo ofi the eir oumstances connected with the case. The results of his investigations will be reported to the head of the department in due course. It is understood that the Hon. i the Minister oi Justice~(Mr T* Thorhpaoin), who is now in Auckland, has decided tq suspend, temporarily, pending further investigations, Sergeant Gamble, Sergt. M'Mahon, Acting-DletectiVG Quirk, Odtistable Clark (watchhouse keeper) and Constable M'Carthy. The long-talked-of encounter between Emmanuel Lasker and W. Steinitz for the World's Chess championship did not take place on the date originally arranged. Hostilities vrere, however, commenced on November 6th, at Moscow, Russia, in tho presence of a Mcly large assemblage of visitors. The ex-champion was successful in winning the toss, and selected tfie Giuco Piano for the opening attack. Lasker, who appeared to be in first-class cpndition and played With great coolness and deliberation, Succeeded before the game had progressed v&ry fat in obtaining a v6ry superior position. This advantage he Was not slow to folldw up, and by the time the forty-sixth move had been reached he compelled his opponent to resign. Steinitz evinced cpnsiderable chagrin at his flefeat, buf he expressed himself as" -being confident of wrestirig tjie laurels from- his" redoubtable, though youthful, antstaqnisfc. The match is ten game's tfj3, and a purse of 3000 rubles hangs upon "the result.'— San Francisco Chronicle. % Some excellent specimens of the fibre of the cabbage tree, a palm which 1 grows well in certain parts of the colony, have been shown to the Wellington Post by Mr Freyberg, the Government timber expert,- who. is taking a keen interest in tile utilisation of many of the colony's natural products. The fibre has been converted into a marketable article by a process so simply that it can be taught tq anyone in a few minutes. The strength and softness of the strands, are remarkable, and the material also possesses another merit, viz., that it does not fray like flax. Fishing lines, cordage and fite brush.es have been made from it, and there is ' no doubt that it will also be found to be very suitable for other manufacturing purpos.es. Freyberg points out that little or no care is required to gtfow the cabbage tree, a,nd he expresses a belief oiat jf a leaflet, giving simple directions tor its propagation, were issued by. the Government, many settlers would bd induced to utilise portions of their land in its culture. A man who had been' married only a couple of ydars, took his wife to an entertainment in Wellington on Nov. 5, and during the customary interval in the performance went outside, professedly ifor a breath of fresh air, but tfeally that he might sneak home, get his. clothes, and desert the confiding w~oman' fie had left at the Opera House. He disappeared without any warning whatever, leaving his ■wife to 1 support herself and a three ■ months old baby, Inquiries' were instituted, however, and resulWd in' his 1 arrest at Napier a day or two ago. A^hy Wellington' court last week he admitted th 6 charge against him," but his wife, not wishing to send her husband to prison, asked to be allowed to withdraw" it, ; stating, that he had promised to r behave in' a better manner for the future. "The, ■ Bench, with evident reluctance, agreed to this course. The sheep farmers of the Plate, who are 1 looked upon as among the most formidable competitors with the sheep raiser. 1 ? . of tihis country in the Home ri&r'ket^have to contend with ori'e enemy whi'chis'e.Yen more terrible than the New Zealand rabbit—the locust. A letter from a correspondent at the River Plate in the' Australian, Pastoralists Review of Nov. 16 states that locusts'are devastating the northern provinces; that thousands of dollars have been voted by Government for tn'e de- ' stf uction of eggs and the recently hatched insect, but that neither, the individual nor th'eGovernmS'nfc'has delayed-" by one infinitesimal fraction " of time 'the onwjard march of the scourge. ' The writer says, "It is about a toas^up, I should say, which is the jwbrse evil,' y6hr : rabbits or 6uv l'ocuats. Your rabbits " live among you always, and you may, by the outlay of considerable capital,- , keep > them within a certain district,- but how can we; possibly limit the locusts, which . breed in portions of the country as yet unknown to pivilizgd man? ° o. o fThey &6-ify : arfypttr alfalfa, the leaves arid baric bit yo"ur trees ■;' they g^t' iqt'd your houses, and eat your tablecloths, sheets, or any' linen' thing they can find ' and gefrat— tWe is no hope of their ever being satisfied," It seems a certainty (says the Manawatu Standai'd)Xhat the M^/ori rep'resentiatioji in -.t,he House of Representatives will remain un^'lter.ed,witjrthe exception of the replacement of one of the most useless men who ever sat many Parliament—Ropafa TejA^o— byi Heftare KaiI hau. The, former was" ah Opposition member,if heiwere anything aha we have good gro.imds for jsaying" toat hiaj sue cessorwilibeof the same pol'iftcal-per-sua^ion. There will ffius beWiPeVe arid' Tame Parata a? G^overnmen^r supporters, and Hone Hqke arid Hrenare Kaihau on the ()p|)bsitibh Beucheal . Mr E. Sheen, of Petone, has; aftermariV years 1 of study, succeeded in inventing ar flmm machine. Mr SHe'eii writes to the Wellington Post that he recently made a trial to work this aerial ship from the summit of the Wainui' Hill, atid ; is Highly pleased with the results. Although the machine did not behave quite perfectly' the inventot' claims to be" able to overcome the difficulty, and is perfectly confident of successfully "navigating the machine at no ! distant date.

PSs!&entiqtt pn the remarks made by tn^ Hon. J. M'Kenaie at Geraldine "last week, when he reproached with ingratitude some of those " who had been helped by the Government when they suffered through the snow," the Timara Herald says :— " But in making those remarks Mr M'Kenzie unconsciously bore testi- j mony to the rottenness of Seddonian methods and morality. If the Ministry acted purely and impartially in the interests of the State in getting the Act passed and giving effect to it, they did ( not thereby establish a claim to the political allegiance of the Crown tenants. If on the other hand, they got the Act passed for the purpose of using it as a means of staving off political opposition, they were,' guilty of a species of corruption which has long been associated with the term Seddonism, and, which, in fact, is one of its essential ingredients and causes it to stink in the nostrils of right-minded people."

A startling incident occurred at New Bedford,' i U.S.', 1 on' the night qf 'the, Presidential election. Mr Patrick Cunningbam, one of the richest men in the tpwq, who recently invented aq automobile torpedo, which has "been adopted by (he Government, got very drunk on election night, and declared he would celebrate the" event. He accordingly weqt to his foundry, selected a section of his torpedo, consisting o,f- an, ipner and an outer steel sheli, cbhical in shape, loaded with 1251 bof slow burning powder, tightly packed, the whole weighing some 5001 b, and conveyed it Upon a wagon to the corner of two main streets. Placing the torpedo in the middle of the street he lighted it, and the nitt^hifie at once started down the' street tit a terrific pace, flying about a foot above the surface of the ground.. Jn its progress torpedo collided -With a tr6e, Un 9, 'glancing across the street, struck the front of the market biiilditlg '• gfflgwsg.~ r "TB§ building at once collapsed. The torpedo, then exploded, shattering several blocks of houses in the vicinity. The report was heard some miles away. Fortunately no one was killed but four persons who were in the main place at the time were thrown violently oh a hGap of debris, while othets were injured by flying pieces of storie afid timber. A proriiio'fi of th§ torpedo, weighing 751 b, was found in the adjoining street, having rebounded over the roofs, of the intervening houses. Mr CJunningham has been arrested and committed for tr^al. The yield of the Thames goldfields for 1896, so far as retttras, ha"ye been' .received, was £338,741, but the "total is believed to be about half a million. The Upper IThamea gyield was £19,570 from Thames £31.254, '~€foc'6&iittiM Wfs9s\ Kuaotunu £14,685. The' yield of the Waihi for 1896 is £135,865. The Tararu Creek .Gold "Mining ' Company crushed 246 tons f oi 23.70z pf gold, "