The Wanganui Herald. PUBLISHED DAILY. THURSDAY, AUGUST 23, 1900. THE TRANSVAAL.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10120, 23 August 1900, Page 2

The Wanganui Herald. PUBLISHED DAILY. THURSDAY, AUGUST 23, 1900. THE TRANSVAAL.

It is difficult to form nn opinion of the Transvaal, its future and capabilities, from the ninny and varied reports that have reached us from those at the front. Sonic aver tluit they would not live there under any inducement, and describe it js a barren wilderness, while others again speak in glowing terms of the richness of the country, both fiom an agricultural and pastoral and mineral point of view. Mr J. I). Robinson, the South African millionauc, who is probably more intorcstcd than any other man in tho development of the Tramvaal, maintains that it is the richest country in the woild, a'ld R.iyß that when once annexed tv the Hutmli Empire there will be a period of development on every line Biteli as the world has never witnessed Ijcl'orci "People in this country," Mr Robinson recently tod a London journalist, " have no idea of the potential riches of the Transvaal, riches that .is yut h.uo been barely scratched. You have d territoiy twice the size ot France, and a territory that possesses mineral and agricultural wealth unequalled by nny land of its size anywhere. Up to now the development of the Transvaal has barely begun. To open up a land you must have railWays. Great stretches of gold-bearirtg land have remained untouched because it was impracticable to bring machinery to work them. The first groat step in the expansion of the Transvaal v.il' be the building of railways in all directiona. Many companies will lio floated, many lines built, and milhoiiH of pounds' worth of rolling-stock mid plant will be sent out from England With the building of railways will come a development of thp coal fields. The Transvaal is one of the richest coal territories on earth. On our own properties we find great seaniß of coul running parallel with the seams of gold, and we have already worked our coal to some extent. But theso scan,') of coal are running all over tho land, they aic at au easy depth to work, and will give an unlimited supply ol very cheap fuel. Abundant transit and cheap fuel must mean the beginning of other mining, apart from gold. There are extraordiniry amounts of copper in the northern parts of the Tiansvaal, literally mountains of copper, as well as silver, cobalt, lead, and diamond mines. But the growth of the Transvaal (still assuming that the British Government annexes it) Is not going to be only a mining development. Farming wil l progress, too. You ask me if it ib possible lor English agriculturists to do well in the Transvaal. I answer that during tho past few years many English agriculturists have made fortunes by faming there. They -have secured land and have largely gone in for stockraising and sheep-breeding, with the most profitable res-ilts. You understand that if the British Government takes over tho Transvaal it will con.o into possession of great expanses of real estate All ovor the territoij thoro aro enormous stretches of State lands, the same as the Crown lands in England. Well wooded, well watered, mountains and valleys, with nvrrs running through them, and fountairs springing up, it is hardly possible to exaggerate their value. Such Stale lands will form admirable centres for the Government to parcel out to immigrants iv the country, if it wishes, for the purpose of tilling the land and raising stock. These State lands ate also highly auriferoiiß, and gold and other minerals will bo found in large qunntities upon them. In the past all that has been done in the Transvarl has been accomplished in the face of very great difficulties. Permission has been refused to build neceßßary railways, and enterprise his been checked on every hand. Hence most of the growth has been around Johannesburg, where everybody has lived on tho gold mines. In the future the development will be more evenly acattercd all over the country. I tell you," said Mr Robinson, emphatically, "you baie Been nothing like what is now coining. Given a fair chance, tho fertility and resources of tho dominions are such that not only in a few years will millions find employment there, but tho inciease of trade and tho now demand for English manufactures will bring frosh prosperity to tho Motherland."

Transvaal and commercial news will be found on our first page. Messrs Williams and Harper will hold an unreserved sale of furnituic and household goods on the premises next Mrs Bcaven's, River Bank, tomorrow, commencing at 1.30 p.m. sharp. The goods are all nearly new, and should cause keen competition. At the Raetihi Police Court on the 14th instant Ernest Adama was convicted on a charge 1 of using threatening woids in the public school at Raetihi on tUo 9th, and ordered to pay eo&ts 7s. Mr P. Brass, J.P., occupied the Bench. At a special meeting of the Wanganui Jockey Club last evening, Mr Jamc3 Watt's notice of motion, reducing tbn entrance fee payable by active members from seven to three guineas, waa carried, an amendment moved by Mr Fletcher, that the entrance fee be abolished, not finding a seconder. One night last week, at one of tkp camps of the River Trust working at tho Taugarnkau, the party was sadly disturbed during the night by the ter.t being brushed away. On examining the cause of the trouble, it waa found that a large land slip had come dow alongside* of them, from tho height" above, sweeping trees and undergrowth before it. Some of the branches of the trees iiist shaved the Usnts. Doubtless, had tho slip been a few feet nearoi the tent, the party could not have helped being swept into the Tangarakau, which at the Ume was in high flood. Tho American papers are filled with amusing instances of tho difficulties encountered by the enumerators engaged in taking the census. Much ingenuity was exercised by recently arrived iminigiaiits in discovering pleasant soundinp titles for their trades and professions A gicasy looking Italian, with blacl< hands, for iiibtance, said he waan artist, and when pressed tr tell what branch he was engaged in admitted "shined shoes," but though! that artist sounded better. A jolly Irishwoman, when asked her businct-' was, replied, "Music teacher on the pi ano." Tho Ecptical enumerator rrques ted to ba shown the instrument, onh t^ hare tbs waditub pointed out to bin "F,i,i!io J don t loiV» to be put down a» o, wabhei woman. It' 3co common loiks ' she explained. Laundress was eventually suggested, and accepted as a compromise.

Weights for the Morton J.C. Hack Meeting will bo declared on or about Saturday next. Mr Eenouf, of Napier, haa Jjeen appointed referee br the New Zealand Rugby Union for tho Taranaki-Wanga-nui match to bo played in Wanganui on Saturday nest. Owing to the removal of tho duty, tho match factories at Wellington and Dnuedin have closed down. About 120 hands in Wellington and SO or 60 in Dunedin are affectedi Of the ,£12,000 required for the completiou of tho Christchurch Cathedral, o^er .£BOOO has now been promised in subscriptions. Tenders will shortly bo called, and it is hoped that active work ii ill be started by Jubilee Day. Mr Cameron, produce expert, in his last renort of tho 29th of June, saya no complaints have reached him as to tho quality of butter, but there were » few occasionally about the flavour of choose, which he thought might ba due t> heating. With the beginning of July prices for mutton weio likely to fall, and forward business was at a standstill. Those who admire the many beautiful torn indigenous to New Zealand should inspect the splendid collection now being shown in baskets and stands it Mcssis Williams and ll<uper's auction rooms. Amongtt (he collection may be mentioned the Prince of Wales' leather, the kidney fern, the Lomnria Fiittersonia, and others. The sale ia a private ono, and will be held for a tew days only. Tho select dance of the Wanganui Gittrda, which takes place on Wedncsdaj c idling next at the Assembly 3:rm>)",, p'tmisPM to be one of the most I'lcisaut functions ol the season. E\ory effort is being made by the committee to securo a good evening's enjoyment, and as tho supply ot tickets is limited, int»nding patrons should make early application. Tickets may be obt«iircd hoin Captain Scager, Lieutenant Duhtin (Avonue), J. 11. Jensen nutl Sons, Lieutenant llaip n r, Serjeant liouire, Corpor.it Miller, Pu\ntc !l>r.h.ain, ami from the secretary of the conipnny, Sergeant Vine. In reply to a deputation fiom the Canterbury Chanbu 1 of Commerce, which waited on him yesterday :it Christchuich, the Piemior said tli.it linporteis had been given full warning of the changes contomplat"'' by tho Go ■vernor's speech and the Financial Statement last year, and he could not understand how merchants had failed to lighten their stocks. The Government l.ad done its best to benefit the consumer, but in previous ca&os tho middleman had profited. Ito could mention cases in which, when taxation was put on, a merchant had made largo silma of money. Ho would brimr t)>c )Pf|Hp«ts of tho deputation before the Cabinet, but pointed out, that the Go vprnmenti had ahendy ghen the matter very careful consideration. ThoiiMf Lovcdav, a hay-presser in tho Woolwich Dockyards, heariiic ho'v cftcn papers mailed in the ordinary way failed to get to the. men at tbo flout, liit uiion a novel method of Bendind light litcratuic to the fichteißHo stuck a papor or magazine into every bundle of hay that passed through Ins hands, and got some, of the other prftssers to follow suit:. The plan has answered very well, for Loveday, who put his niuno and address on o<Hi liteiary item mailed — or rather "baled" — hnH received grateful acknowledgments from several recipients. One nf thorn remarks. — "I don't know yon from Adam, but if I get back a?nin J shall look you up, and stand drinks for you'ro evidently a food sort. The papers camp ns a great surprise, and n very welcome one, too." There, are somo subjects, such an "old violins," upon which the H. H. Jlaweis is an unquestioned expert. The number of forged fiddles of the highest pretensions sold into England, but more especially to the colonies, annually, if, ho declares, scandalous. Only thn nth er day a reputed "Strad." wns sold in r pen market for ,£6OO, and Mr Hawein vows that it has no right to be called so. By this timo the genuine Strads. nrn pretty woll known — even those postmortem nrado up out of the debris of tho great man's workshop. The avpearancn of a new Strad. is, according to Mr Haweis, about as likely as that of a new Raphael — not impossible, but improbable — but it woud be little likeb' to come into a saleroom. It would probibly bo bought for .£IOOO by a doaler Tf the label of the Strad. sold the other day — 1815 — is correct, the master ni'isi bfvo been 98 when he made it 1 When Mr Haweis lectured on old violin lat tho Koyal Institution, he allowed a \cry good copy of Joseph Guarnorin': to lio on tho table. On the htrenKtl' •it this id was sold (he follnwinsr week for i! 300 as a Pennine Joseph. Hut, or roforeneo to Mr Haweis, ho disclaimed it entirely, and the money had to bo refunded. Mr Haweis adds, that he. hap dislodged cabinet specimens from their solemn glass ca-seb in publio museuir.F bpfnro now, and he thinks it a good and icvercnt thinfr to do.