THE POST AND TELEGRAPH OFFICE.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XIV, Issue 3962, 14 October 1880, Page 2

THE POST AND TELEGRAPH OFFICE.

The Wellington Chronicle has an attack on Dr. Lemon, his chief offence being his adhesion to a policy of disintegration. Our contemporary gives the following illustration :— " We have alleged that the policy of Dr. Lemon has been one of disintegration not amalgamation— that everything concerning his department has been tapu to the general public. Instance : during the period when business was most flourishing in the colony, the Wanganui office transmitted nearly double the number of messages it does now with only half the present wire facilities ; and the dual duties of postmaster and telegraphist were efficiently performed by one officer. Immediately the work decreased — and as a natural consequence the revenue — Dr. Lemon determined on separating the two offices. The people of Wanganui objected almost to a man, and petitioned the Government to allow the two offices to remain as they were, under one local officer, alleging that their requirements and convenience were best suited by the existing arrangement. But the Doctor was deaf to all entreaty, and an officer was sent to Wanganui to take over the postal branch on a higher salary than that paid to the previous officer for performing the two"*duties of postmaster and telegraphist. Foxton is another case almost similar, and has with many others, been separated since the beginning of 1878, after the revenue had commenced to show a decided falling off. What wonder then that the working expenses of the Telegraph department were £5000 in excess of the receipts for the last financial period." No misrepresentation could be more flagrant. It is not true that the business of the Wanganui office has fallen off "nearly" one half-=it is not true that, so far aa tho public aye concerned, the dual duties were efficiently performed by one officer. It was not Dr Lemon who determined on separating the two officers, the recommendation first coming from Mr Gray, tha Under Secretary of the Post Office. The revenue had not decreased when the change was made, as the published returns show. Now, is it true that the people of Wanganui objected to a man to the change ? On tho contrary, the people of Wanganui were very gjad of the change, and if a petition were got up it would be signed almost to a man to allow things to remajn $s they are. The change was made chiefly because it was.de? termined Wanganui should became a postal centre. Is it likely the people of Wanganui don't appreciate such an advau* tage aa that ? There is ample work ' for both officers, if the officer at the head of the Telegraph will take his turn at the wheel the same as ilia other operators. The ofiicer who was sent to Wanganui was one of the oldest and most efficient officers )n the service, and there were no " jumps " inhis salary. The secret of the agitation about the affair was that the Telegraphist made night and day hideous ?v.ith his howls about "injustice," inducing some influential people to write and talk about him in strains pi the most fulsome and exaggerated rhodompntade. If the truth were exposed it would be found that the officer violated the rules of the ser-

vice by bringing political influence to bear to upset the arrangements of his departmental superiors. Tho church also came upon the scene, and exercised* its influence as it generally does, without regard to justice, and steeped in prejudice. This was the nature of the agitation. If the arrangement is now to be altered, it. will certaintly be contrary to the wishes of nineteen out ol every twenty people in Wanganui ; but we cannot say that after recent events, we should be much surprised at any act calculated to humiliate and injure the district. The attack on Pr Lemon is most unwarranted, and is simply an appeal to every disappointed subordinate. At the same time the arrangement made by the Government in putting Dr Lemon at the head of both departments is not defensible. The Doctor is not one of the best departmental organisers, though his great technical skill, his entire devotion to his profession, and his unimpeachable integrity are qualities which cannot be overlooked. Mr Gray, on the other hand, is beyond all doubt one of tho ablest organisers in the Civil Service, and might well have undertaken tho departmental oharge of the Post and Telegraph departments, in which case Dr Lemon would have fallen into his appropriate place as Superintendent of Telegraphs. We believe it can with truth be said that whenever it has been possible to do so, the process of amalgamation has been carried out, but as in the case of Wanganui separation became unavoidable if the public convenience was to bo at all considered. The Post and Money Order returns of the Colony show the position of Wanganui, and prove the truth of our statement.

The Melbourne Argus says : — "An instance of what a friend can do has just occurred. A man cashed an order for £1570, which he had received from England, and foolishly went on the "spree" with, the money on his person. He was met by a friend while in this state, and knowing that the man's money would probably be stolen if kept by him while in that condition, the friend managed to take from him his purse, and allowed the drunken man to go. On going into a hotel shortly afterwards the man discovered for the first time that his money had disappeared. The discovery ©f his loss sobered him in an instant and he reported the matter at once to the police. The detectives were soon busying themselves to find supposed thief, aud suspicion of course rested on several. Meanwhile, his friend, not knowing what had occurred, called on him in the morning, supposing he was sober, and handed the money to him, much to the astonishment of the bewildered man who had given up all hopes of seeing his money again." It would have been very awkward for the friend if the detectives had pounced on him before he had time to restore the money. The Otago Daily Times says that the parcels rates on the railway have been raised and lowered, and, as far as Dunedin is concerned, a system of delivery at the house of the receiver has been arranged .at the small charge of fourpence per parcel. We understand that four railway vans have been provided for the Christchurch Express, which will bring up parcels, fish . and light goods, and take down fruit during the season. In the latter article a considerable trade is likely to spring up in consequence of this arrangement, and the additional cost to the department for haulage power will be simply nothing. A Russian Baron, Mollwo by name, has been lecturing in Christchurch on the Easbern question. There are still some people who are firm believers in Oliver Cromwell's advice to his soldiers. One of these went to law. On the afternoon of the day of trial he met a friend, and said in mournful accents, " I've lost my case. By the way, are you a religious man ?" " Not much," was the discouraging response. "Well now, I am, and I prayed this mor» ning that if my claim was unjust I might lose my case. I have lost ii», but for all that my claim was just. I think Providence must make mistakes sometimes. " ' 'Perhaps, " | said his friend, "Providence might see differently if you applied for a new trial and retained Browbeat. " He did, and won with i costs, and his trust in Providence is now, he says, "stronger than ever." Among the list of English properties locked up in Chancery aie the Townley estates. The property is said to be worth £10, 000, 000, and the Bank of England is supposed to have over £35,000,000 in its vaults to the credit of these estates, being the accumulatied rents of a century. Colonel Richard Townley, last of the Earls of Clarenceau,died about 100 years ago, and being without issue or known next of kin his estates were thrown into Chancevy,pencTing determination of tho rights of the claimants. The American heirs are represented by Colonel Jacques, who, according to a letter received by Joseph J, Dv Prat, of San Francisco, from his mother, Mrs Elizabeth Dv Prat, of New Orleans, has just taken possession of the three estates of Townley, Oorby, and Ashton, under tho Act of Magna Charta. Through the taking of this step it is claimed that the Government or contesting claimants will now be compelled to assume the aggressive. The Auckland Herald states that Mr Ehrenfried, Mayor of the Thames, who recently paid hia creditors 20s in the L, received from his Dunedin creditors an acquittance engrossed on parchment and a silver tea service. The Sorata, recently wrecked at Adelaide, was built at Glasgow by Messrs Jno. Elder and Co., in 1572, and in appearance did not offer many points of difference from the Lusitania, Cuzco, and others of the Orient fleet. Her dimensions are as follows :—: — Length, 401 3-10 th feet; beam 42 8-10 th feet ; depth of hold, 34ft 2 inches. Her gross register 2573 tons ; ami the measurement under deck, 3982 tons. Mr Stratford, who was to have replaced Mr Guinnesa in the Resident Magistracy at Ashburton, has been ordered to Greymouth, and Mr Guinness is to remain at Ashburton until further orders. The condition of Palestine can never cease to be a subject of interest to Christians throughout the world ; but the latest report of the British Consul at Jerusalem is but melancholy reading. Mr Moore says that at no former period of his 16 years' residence in Palestine has the conditfon of the country beeu so deplorable as at present. The drain of nearly all the ablebodied men for the late wax', scanty harvests, insufficient rain, high prices, and the ruinous loss inflicted on hundreds by the stoppage of the payment of the interest on Turkish Government securities, have produced their natural consequences jn widespread destitution and industrial and commercial stagnation, The one garriageable road in the whole Liya— that between Jaffa and Jerusalem— has been allowed to fall into such disrepair that it is now dangerous to travel upon it, and the deforestation of the country contributes.to the short rainfalls, with all their attendant evila. Yet the right possessed by foreigners of holding real estate in Turkey is already producing good fruits. Russian colonies dot the neighbourhood of Jerusalem ; Germans are already settled in many districts, and arc prospering as they prosper wherever they settle, and at this moment tlie" French are particularly active. Four imposing Latin edifices are rising simultaneously — three at Jerusalem and one at Jaffa — for educational and charitable purposes. Here, as elsewhprp, the rule of the Turk brings rujn aud decay, and iii Western energy and resources vests the hope of the people. " Professor Proctor says that sensation travels along a human nerve at about one«touth the rate of sound, and hence if a child were born with an arm 92.010,000 miles long, and he stretched it towards the sun and got burnt, he would have to live for 132 years before }}o poijld know that the tip of his finger had been burnt, A contemporary very pertinently asks, " If the rest 'of l>is. bpdy were developed in the same proportion what time would elapse between a good skelping, and the awful squall that usually accompanies it ?" Messrs Salmon and Lyall are cultivating the' smoked fish trade with considerable onei'qjr, JTVJ'ast eonsignmont _from ' Auck-_ land consisted oTSOOOlcttnfpper, mw&, $<?,

No less than twenty-four deserted wives with families have been receiving relief from the Christchurch Benevolent Society since its organisation a few months ago. And yet some people are doubtful of the propriety of establishing a system of extradition of wifedeserters among the Australian Colonies, — Ashburton Mail. ' Tho No. 1 Squad of the Wanganui Rifles, under Sergt. Wild, finished the first range of their class firing this morning. The following are the scores; — Lance-Corpo»al Nvtsforcl, 69 ; Corporal McTaggart, 65 ; Bandsman M. Neil, 61 ; Volunteers Goodacre, 59 ; Connell, Si Thompson, 47 ; Logan, <"2. The number of different postage stamps already issued all over the world is about 6000 ; and these are evidently destined to be greatly increased as postal traffic becomes organised in the countries that do not yet possess a post-office system. Among the stamps hitherto issued are to be found the effigies of 5 emperors, 18 kings, 3 queens, 1 grand duke, 6 princes, 1 princess, and a great number of presidents of republics, &c. Some of the stamps bear coats of arms and other emblems, as crowns, the papal keys and tiara, anchors, eagles, horses, stars, serpents, railway trains, horsemen, messengers, &c. Of 4498 specimens of different postage-stamps in the Berlin Museum, 2463 were from Europe, 441 from Asia, 251 from Africa, 1143 from America, and 201 from Australia. One contractor (says the Wellington Chronicle) to the Armed Constabulary is said to be clearing £1000 a month at Taranaki by the existence of " The Native Difficulty." The Evening Chronicle says :— The muchvexed Murimotu Block will be brought before the Native Land Court at Taupo, on the 20th of next month ; and Mr Sheehan will appear on behalf of the Europeans concerned. As the policy of native land purchase is about played out for various reasons, but principally through want of funds, Government will take this opportunity of closing all native land purchases in the Taupo district. An advance in civilization on the part of our Maori neighbours is thus noticed by the Taranaki Herald ; — "Yesterday, previous to the landing of the natives from Dnnedin, an incident happened at the railway station which attracted a good deal of attention. The train from Waitara had just landed its living freight, amongst whom were a number of Maoris, who had apparently come to New Plymouth for the purpose of giving a welcome to Wi Kingi and the other natives. Two Maori women were carrying so.me baggage of considerable bulk and weight, and as as soon as one of the natives noticed the women he gallantly went to their assistance, and relieved them of their bundles. This act of politeness was noticed and commented upon by a number of gentlemen thoroughly acquainted with Maori manners, and they all declared that they had never before witnessed such an act of consideration for the native female sex. " At Kaiwarra a few dags ago Mr Samuel Gorman, the travelling agent for Nobel's Explosives Company, gave an illustration of the superior quality of dyamite manufactured and patented by that firm. About 14lbs of this material having been deposited in a long, well greased' bag, resembling a roll of sausages, it was placed by Mr Gough, the well-known diver, across the keel of the Oliver Lang, which for 20 years past has lain submerged In about 16ft of water. The explosion cast up an immense volume of water to a height of some 12ft or 15ft, and when it had subsided it was apparent that the dynamite had done its work well, and a closer investigation proved this more clearly, for an immense piece of timber was hauled ashore, to which was attached by large copper bolts a piece of sheathing measuring about 4in by 3iin, and some 6ft in length, this it was found had been broken clean off a piece of similar dimensions, and partly doubled up. Not the least interesting part of this explosion was the effect it had on a large conger eel that happened to be in close proximity at the time, the monster must have measured at least twelve feet in length, and his aquatic antics after the explosion were most curious. A large quantity of other fish were driven up to the surface,— N, Z, Times. A man named James Maher was arrested at Hawera yesterday on a charge of larceny from the dwelling of one Hugh Hampton, resident in Wanganui. Maher will be brought down here for trial. A meeting of the creditors of Messrs Bredin and Moncrieff, of Marton, storekeep--ers, was held in the Court House on Tuesday. The statement of accounts in this estate has beeu already published. The debtors assigned their estate to Messrs McMillan of McArthur and Co., Auckland, and Mr Sclanclers, of Nelson. The deed of assignment Avas agreed to by the rest of the creditors. A controversy between Mr D. H. Macarthur, chairman of the Manawatu County Council, apd Sir William Fox, anent the action of the latter re the, Wanganui Harbor Endowment Block has been occupying the space of the journals of Marton and Peilding. Sir William, as usual, treats his opponent with a little characteristic scurrility, and Mr Maoarthur thus replies:— ♦'* * * * I confess I am much disappointed with Sir W. Fox's reply. I expected something mere worthy of one of the few survivers of that body of public men who ruled New Zealand when I came to the colony as a boy some 25 years ago ; something that would be a better example to tho generation that must in the course of nature suceed himself and his contemporaries. Instead, he descends to atone of invective and personality, .which. is quite out of place in discussing a purely public matter, and which strongly suggests a cause too weak to be supported by argument. Better far to have at once candidly acknowledged that he had committed a blunder in saying that " Manawatu was not a shilling the worse " than have stooped to a course so unbecoming a politicien of Sir W. Fox's age and experience."