TOWN AND COUNTRY NOTES

Western Star, Issue 2219, 5 July 1898, Page 3

TOWN AND COUNTRY NOTES

(?KOM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) FLEMING v. BANK OF N.Z. Reference has been made in these notes on more than one occasion to the above case. Your readers are aware that the jury returned a verdict on the question of damages, and that they assessed the injury done to the plain-

tiff’s credit at the sum of £2OOO. This,

of course, will not be the end of the The Bank will appeal and carry the case to the Privy Council if necessary. “ Let us consider the reason of the case,” said Sir J Powell, “ for nothing is law that is not rea800.’* It is very difficult to believe, now-a days, that this dictum holds good.

THE HARVEST OF THE SEA. The fishing industry being carried on at Pegasus, Stewart Island, was referred to in last week’s notes. A n ef-

fort is being made in Dunedin to

arouse public interest in securing some the harvest of the sea. There are varieties of fish that inhabit the shores o£ v 30 of which have a value for food. Out of 208 British species, it is said that only 10 are considered edible. The barracoota has almost deserted our shores —having made its appearance on the Victorian const, where it was formerly almost unknown, TIMBER FOR KAILWAY DEPARTMENT One of your local sawmillers, Mr James More, has secured the contract for the supply of native timber to the Railway department in Southland. The following are Mr More’s prices per 100 ft First-class sawn timber, for rimu, 6s 6d ; white pine, 6s totara, j second class sawn timber, rimu, 4s 9d ; white pine, 4s 9d ; totara, 10s ; for wrought timber, rimu, 9s lid ; white pine, 7s 9d ; totara, 15s. CHUECfI SCANDAL. The Wyndhani Presbyterian Church enibroglio occupied the attention of the Supreme Court during the whole of last week. The reference in the evidence to the 124th Psalm (second version) caused a general search to be made for Bibles containing the metrical version of the Psalms of David, and in many cases considerable difficulty was experienced in finding a copy of the Scriptures containing the second version of the aforesaid Psalm. When the subject of singing the psalm came before one of the church courts, and when it was stated that the minister’s wife had suggested the singing of it to the congregation, there were cries of “ shame,” and some of the clerical brethren were overheard to remark 11 The old story of Mother Eve ; the woman whom Thou gavest to be with roe, she gave me of the tree and I did est,” etc, etc. A Japanese moralist says that the five worst maladies that afflict the female mind are indocility, discontent, slander, jealousy and silliness, but the worst of them all and f the parent of the other four is silliness. This may be all very well in Japan, but he would be a very bold man indeed who should say that the description applied in any way to our New Zealand womenfolks.

GOVERNMENT LIFE INSURANCE. A very well-timed effort is being made to direct attention to an anomaly at present existing in tbe Government Life Assurance Department. It is pointed ont that whereas the deeartment is lending its accumulated funds on outside security at the lowest current market rate —say, 41. to 5 per cent.—it is actually charging 7 per cent, to its own policy-holders, those who support the department, on overdue premiums and on loans secured by policies It is high time that a change was made in this respect.

THE PHILIPPINES. What L to become of the Philippine Islands when the present war is is over ? President McKinley has stated that he does not intend to make them permanent property, but if Spain failed to pay an indemnity, they would be sold to some European Power, Great Britain preferred. On the other hand, it is stated that if the islands are to pass into the possession of any Continental Power? the least objection would be taken to Germany. The group is made up of islands varying in size from mere uninhabited rocks to large islands like Lnzon (on which is the city of Manila) which has an area of 40,885 square miles. The total area of the group is roughly estimated at 114,400 square miles, and the population is reckoned at seven millions. 1 n 1895 the total trade was £2,150,000 for imports and £7,500,000 for exports, the principal being hemp, sugar, coffee, tobacco, indigo, and copra. Great Britain is their customer, the second best being United States. CUBA. Cuba is the largest of the West Indian Islands. The extreme length from east to west is 790 miles and in breadth it varies from 28 to 127 miles. The area is 55,000 square miles, or nearly one-fourth of the area of Spain itself. Of its extensive coast line of 1790 miles, only about one-third is accessible to vessels on account of r°efs or shallows, but there are numerous fine harbours. The island generally is flat ; the only range of mountains •worth speaking of being in the southwest end, where a few peaks rise to an altitude of 7000 to 8000 ft. Speaking of Spanish rule In Cuba one writer

B j* —“There is but one means of avoiding persecution, but one way of escape when persecuted, but one way of obtaining justice when seeking ordinary redress—it is by bribery.” Another writer says : “ It has been ray lot in life to mix a good deal with discontented people—rebels, reformers, revolutionists, and in fact all categories

of men who look upon themselves as oppressed, but until I listened to the Cubans giving vent to their hatred of Spain, I never had any conception of the diabolical hatred with which one nation can look upon another.”