West Coast Times. MONDAY, DEC. 27, 1897. POLICY OR PLACE.

West Coast Times, Issue 10671, 27 December 1897, Page 2

West Coast Times. MONDAY, DEC. 27, 1897. POLICY OR PLACE.

A singular feature k in connection with the proceedings of the recent session is the altered attitude displayed in reference to questions Jof Government policy in contradistinction to matters relating to the emoluments of Ministers. In the last Parliament the Premier was very fond of challenging the Opposition to a trial of strength whenever a difference of opinion arose, in fact he was as fond of picking a quarrel as the wolf familiarised to us by iEsop's fables. In the present session there was only one trial of strength which Mr Seddon accepted as affecting the position of Ministry— the motion expressing an opinion that he should not hold a seat on the Advisory Board of the Anglo- Continental syndicate. This motion, which affected his Qwn emoluments, he regarded as one of no-confidence, and, as we know, succeeded in defeating it by a narrow majority. Since then there have been no questions of no-confidence. Government policy measures have been hacked about in, every conceivable direction by Government sup-

porters and members of the Opposition, but there has been no attempt on the part of Ministers to enforce their policy. Division after division was taken but the House was not led, nor, strange to say, was it driven ; Ministers resigned themselves to their fate and made a show of carrying out their policy without attempting to exercise control, having by this time recognised that their power of control had gone. In course of time these measures — trimmed out of their original shape so much as scarcely to be recognisable — emerged from the House and were sent to the Council, theieto be promptly slaughtered. It is in some ways a humiliating spectacle but is not without its ludicrous aspects, and we cannot wonder that the political cartoonist has seized upon it as a means of graphically presenting a sketch of the doings of Parliament , Divested of all unnecessary verbiage we have the plain fact that the Premier— and thereby meaning the the' Ministr y—has preferred a seat on the advisory board of the Anglo-Continental Syndicate to the legislation brought down by the Government during the last session. The seat on the advisory board was worth fighting for and to retain it he employed all the strength of the political organisation at his back, the Old Age Pension, Young Persons Protection, Wages Protection, Alien Immigration Restriction, Technical Education, and other bills were not worth running any risks They were sent' tp the Council in a state their parents would not recpgnise them and the Council obligingly furnished Mr Seddon with opportunities of using all his force of denunciation by throwing them out. We don't know whether the public will still be foolish enough to pay any attention to Mr Seddon's denunciations when he hurls them at the devoted Council - probably by this time they have learnt wisdom. If not they have still the op-

por.fc'iinifcy, of learning from the G,reat Sham -Liberal leader how the mandates of

the people were disregarded by the Tories in the Upper House, and consequently the country was deprived of the blessings theGovernmentwere so anxious to bestow upon them.

The funeral of the late Mr James Murphy, which took place on Friday afternoon, was very numerously attended, there being more than 30 vehicles besides a number of equestrians, whilst several attended* the procession as far as the Borough boundary on foot. Others joined in on the way and by the time the cortege reached- the Stafford cemetery it formed one of the most imposing functions of the kiud seen for some time. The Very Dean Mai-tin held a requiem mass in St. Mary's Church in the morning and also attended the ceremony at the grave. There was a large gathering of old friends from all parts of the district. Mr A. B. King, Secretary of the Hokitika Tennis Club, has received a telegram from Westport proposing to bring a team down to play on Monday next, January 3rd. Mr King replied that though some of our best players are away for the holidays, the local club will be very pleased to meet their visitors. The sports gathering promoted •by the Hokitika Cycling Club takes place on Cass Square to-day, the first event starting at one o'clock. The various nominations have already been published, and as all the West Coast cracks are engaged at the meeting, the racing should be generally interesting. Judging from the amount of training done locally, some good times should be put up, and the five mile bicycle championship is sure to be keenly watched. The town band will be on the ground during the afternoon, and the general arrangements for the comfort and enjoyment of the public being otherwise cared for, the meeting should draw together a large attendance. Owners of dogs are specially requested to leave their pets at home. Cards for. the events may be had on the ground. The Fire Brigade Bazaar will open this evening, the inaugural nddress being delivered by the Hon. J. A. Bonar at seven o'clock. The committee of management have been very active for some days past completing the general arrangements, which are all now, practically, ready. The Theatre now forms a very pretty appearance, the wealth of color adorning the several stalls forming a most effective sight. The display of goods is very fine. The Japanese wares naturally predominate, but as they are all very attractive they add to the general effect of the exhibition. The several side stalls also look very attractive, and the whole sup • plies a very striking scene. At 8 o'clock to-night the free entertainment will begin. The bazaar bears promise of being a great success. On Christmas Day the patients of the Westland Hospital were regaled with a very sumptuous dinner, every kind of poultry with t all new seasons vegetables, and suitable" drinks being on the table. The dessert was represented by every fruit available in the town. The House Committee were present making themselves useful as carvers and waiters. The staff, under the management of the matron, were at their very best, causing all to enjoy themselves. The patients were delighted at the consideration paid to them, many expressing their satisfaction. The Obairman of Committee made a few appropriate remark 3 suitable to the occasion. The patients then gave three cheers (rather hearty for invalids) to the Trustees and three foi the nurses and cook. The ' Committee returned to their own homes to enjoy dncelmore the festivaljamong their own families and friends. We learn from Mr Hansen that he has arranged with the St. John-Haymaa Company for their re-appearance at the Princess Theatre on January 4th, sth. and 6th, race nights. The Company sre playing some pieces entire new to West Coast audiences and are meeting with very substantial success. Don't forget to pay & visit to Kanieri this evening when a gvand dramatic entertainment and ball i 3 to be held in aid of the local hospital committee and as the arrangements are on jv most elaborate scale patrons may rely upou a treat. Special trams will leave Hokitika m time for the entertainment, leaving after the performance is overhand leaving Hokitika again in time for the ball. We learn with very deep regret that Mr F. M'Gregor has received a letter f rom.his brother, who resides in the Wanganui district, stating that his plaoe has been burnt down and his wife died of the injuries sustained. We have not yet heard the particulars of this distressing calamity aud must express surprise that the Press Association agent at Wanganui should ha /c neglected to telegraph this matter. The County Chairman has received a telegram from the Et. Hqn. the Premier staling that he expected to leave Wellington for the Coast by the Hinemoa on Wednesday and \yould probably reach Hokitika on Monday. The Ball after tho Rimu and Wood- ' stock picnic promises to be .be a great success, as the services of Mr Bremond for the supply pf music have been secured. Refreshments are provided and an efficient M.C. will be in charge. It is pleasing to see that the bad season has noc knocked the life put of the people of the Kokatahi. We are informed that a meeting was held in the Public Hall and seven young men of the district formed themselves into a Committee, Mr William Keljy in fche chair, with power to add to their number. It ,was resolved to hold a picnic on the usual ground, to finish up with a ball in the evening on or about the 6th Jan., '98. The meeting then adjourned to Saturday first. We are in receipt of the customary Christman greetings from the officers of the General Pose Office, Wellington, whicli we ■ hearlily reciprocate: Their card furnishes the following interesting statistics of the Post and Telegraph Department, New Zealand for the year 1896: --Employes (exclusive of mail-contrac-i tors), 30§0 ; post, telegraph, and telephone offices, - 1552. ; letters posted, 27,874,353 ; letter-cartfs pasted, 654,290 ; letter's- registered in the colony, 315,247 ; newspapers posted, 9,521,525 ; books, packets, &0., pasted, 10,048,597 ; parcels posted, 166,702; post-cards posted, ' 1,226,550 ;.telegrams forwarded, 2,520,169; miles of telegraph-line, 6284 : miles of wire. 16,470 -telephone-exchanges, 29; telephone-subscribers, 5747 ; miles travelled by mail conveyances; 4,406,309 ; -

money-orders issued, £902,159 15s 7d ; postal notes issued, £129,011 18s ; moneydrdera pliia, £7,94,309' dd ; saving- bank deposits, £21881,152 Ids' 33 ; standing to credit of depositors?, £4,311,634 15s 9d ; revenue, £392,117, Is ; expenditure, £353,699 14s sd!

A tragic episode in connection with the disastrous storm which visited Victoria on

Friday, November 26th, is reported by the Argus. Mrs Boyle and her two daughters, young ladies of 20 and 17 respectively, were seated in one of the back rooms of their house at Armidale. The storm was raging outside with such intensity as to cause a certain amount of alarm, but none expected the fearful crash which shortly occurred. Without the slightest warning there was a deafening sound, and at the same time the roof parted, as if it .had been torn asunder by unseen hands, admitting a ,- sheet of blue flame. All parties wero precipitated ,tp the floor, and when they recovered their senses a second or two later, it was seen that the dress of i>he eldest Miss Boyle was on- fire. Her sister, whdse dwn skirts had been torn to pieces by the falling debris, went to her assistance 1 , and the flames were extinguished without further damage. Both young ladies escaped with a few superficial wounds,* 'but the mother, though unscarred,.was less lucky. The fright and shock of the visitation left her in a state of collapse and in a critical condition. An examination of the premises showed that all thrde had had a miraculous escape, from being. , killpd on the spot. Six feet of chimney had broken off, and the mass' of brickwork, weighing nearly a tori, had crashed through the roof; knocked - the • table to matchwood, and penetrated the floor, ultimately embedding itself over a foot in the earth below. Every article in the room was broken to pieces, aud little else than the walls were worth preserving.

• Sir Robert Stoufc,-in a letter referring to the Technical Education Bill, after explaining what transpired before the Statutes Revision Committee, says :—lt: — It is certainly very peculiar that in New Zealand, where we have a national system of secular instruction,- Parliament should insist on power being given to the Ministry of the day to , subsidise schools wherein religious creeds and formulas are taught, whereas in England, where State aid is given to denominational schools, there can be no religious creed or formalities' taught in a Technical School. My sole object in moving the amendment above mentioned was to prevent our Technical Schools from being utilised for the purpose of teaching ireligion under the guise of providing technical education for our own people. The action of the Premier on this question only affords proof, if proof were necessary, that he wishes to utilise the vote for technical education for the furtherance, .of his own political and party ends. One church benefited him greatly at the recent election, and he' wants to give that church some reward, careless as to whether dr not our national system of education will be endangered by hi 3 action. An Oamaru resident, who has been on a trip south and north of Oamaru, informs the North Otago Times that feed for stock is scarce in the south',- and sheep are selling cheap. A line of out of condition sheep failed to reach the reserve of Bd. The wet and cold weather is responsible for the scarcity of feed. The crops, however, look well. North of Oamaru, and more especially towards Ohristchurch, the crops are wretchedly poor, and the grass has bean burnc off. There was a brass band in attendance at the Premier's meeting at Carterton on Saturday , night 1 , which did the wrong thing witha'musing results. Theaudienae had assembled and was awaiting the arrival of the Premier, and when a portly figure was seen advancing through the glbom of the fast gathering night the band struck up "See the Conquering Hero Comes." As it happened it was not the here of ' the hour at all,- but quite auother fellow,' who appTopfiated the , intended compliment with the, utmost Bonhimie, arid ih,e band never Ipew that anything had gone wrong until the real hero arrived a few minutes later.