ECHOES FROM THE SOUTH.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume VI, Issue 23, 7 June 1890, Page 10

ECHOES FROM THE SOUTH.

It goes without saying that < hri-tie Murray tells *ome stories. Have you hear! that one about the professional deserter t Well, you ought to hear him tell it to appreciate it properly, but I " ill give you the substance. It is in the course of Mr Murray's journeying* in the guise of an ■ amateur casual in search of curious characters and phases of life that he came across a man who made a practice of enlisting in one regiment. remaining until he got his bounty, and then deserting. He would t..-n goto another j-art of the country, enli*t again. get ias bounty, and desert again. He earned on this little game very successfully for a long while, and. had he een Russian and so had some thousands of regiments to enlist in. he would undoubtedly have become a millionaire. I nfortunately for him. he was an Englishman, ansi the number of regiments was so limited that he inadvertently enlisted in one which he had already honoured. The result was. of course, detection ami punishment. I hear the gentleman's real profession was discovered, and the records were searcher!, the result being that it was found that he had solemnly -worn to serve • Her Most < iracious ’ for twelve hundred years ! Dr. Frederick Fitchett. M.H.R. for one of the Dunedin seats, who went for a tour of America and Europe with Mr T. McKenzie. M.H.R. for Clutha, did not return with that gentleman. Dr. Fitchett had the good fortune to lose his heart on the trip, and on 16th of April was quietly married, at St. Saviour's Church, Cadogan Square, to Miss Lina Valerie Blain, eldest daughter of Mr -John Blain, of London. The doctor met the lady on the trip Home. He and his bride will return to the colony shortly, having secured passage* in the Drizaba. By the last San Francisco mail Mr McKenzie, M.H.R. f >r ’ lutha. returned to the colony afteran extended trip through America and Europe, made in company with Dr. FitchettMr McKenzie's attention was chiefly devoted to an inquiry into the prospects of New Zealand products in the markets of the older communities. He round that on the Continent of Europe, and even in England, there prevails among al! classes a lamentable ignorance of this colony and its resources. In conversation with some of the leading men of the other colonies he found a growing desire for intercolonial free trade, one of the most important step** towards federation. It is satisfactory to learn from Mr McKenzie that there is no immediate danger of a serious fall in the flax market, ihough he says it must be remembered that ~isal be a dangerous competitor. It cannot be too strongiv impressed on manufacturers that they will ruin their show of making the ind a-try payable an 1 permanent bv sending an inferior article. There is a good market for dairy produce. especially cheese, but the butter must be more earefullv packet!. New Zealand mutton is gradually overcoming the prejudice that existed against it. On the whole the result of Mr McKenzie's investigation nra-t be ■considered satisfactory to the colony. It w..uld seem, from the utterances of the Hon. Mr Fergus to his constituents last week, that an attempt will be made next session to throw on the general taxpayer the burden of several of our bscal bodies. such as the New Flvmouth and < lisborne Harbour Boards. These bodies raised loan* for local purposes, paying a pretty high rate of interest, owing to the fact that there was more risk to the lender than in the ease of Government borrowing. Now they find the paying of that interest a somewhat troublesome work, and they naturally wish to relieve themselves of it. ''f course they don't care who bears the burden so long as they can shake it off. Mr Fergus is inclined to help- them, an-i hi* argument i* that the credit of the colony must *uffer if these local bodies cannot meet their engagements. But the credit of the colony was never pledged in regard to these loans. The lenders knew the risk they were taking, an-i they got a higher rate of interest on account of that ri*k. The local bodies were allowed to borrow on the distinct understanding that their own districts were to be responsible. It will he a very nice thing for them, no doubt, if after borrowing to their heart* content they can get somebody e!*e to pay for them. We may expect an interest, mg discussion w hen Parliament meets.

How busy the Trades Councils, an-i especiallv the Maritime • ouncil. have been of late. If they get all that they demand they will be well off indeed. ime of the most curious features in this programme was the different contrivance* for securing the representation of *eamen in Parliament. The delegates suggested that seamen should be disfranehised as citizens and return a member--!their own. the master of the ship to act a* returning officer. This did not commend itself to the Premier, so another delegate proposed 1 that *eamen should be able to record their vote at the first port that they came to. and 2 that the poll might be open to them -ix weeks earlier than to -ther people. It is easy to see what power would be place-1 in the hands of *hipp-ing agents if the first of these propositions were accepted. A rendezvous of a dozen C.S.S. Co.'s ship** in one port on p-olling -lay might upset many calculations. And ■igain. if the principle were extended t-» other countries, one •ioes not exactly see why tire same men should not take the opportunity of voting at Melbourne. Sydney. and Hobart, as well as in New Zealand ports. Then as to the suggestion to open the p*-II to -eamen six week* 1-eforehand, is it the lowest p-eri-xl for which a man employed on New Zealand vessel* may expect to be absent from the colony And how about sailing ships, upon which no man can dep-end I And again, if six weeks were the fair period, are the names of all the candidates alwav* kn-.wn *o long l-ef-re polling day’ A great -leal may happen in *ix week*. A candidate may die. or be put in gaol, or abscond from his creditors, or be otherwise disqualified. ■At present,' complained the sailors' rep-resenta-tive, • we -eem to be considered out of society altogether—a sort of animal. Now. lam far from wishing to deprive -eamen of the privilege of the franchise, but men who spend their lives at sea cannot *tand upon quite the same footing a- their brother* ashore. Though they may forfeit —me of the privileges of -irizenship, they are certainlv exempt from many of its burdens, notably, from that of Serving on juries, escape from which I am *ure many would he glad to purchase at the price of their votes. As to bein--a sort or animal. I have always considered myself to be sucK and an extremely ill-used sort of animal too. Nor does the j-esession of a vote the least console me. I never voted but -nee in my life, and then Ihadtotravel4oomilestodo it. The journey lost me a night * rest, a new umbrella. £3 10s. and in return I received nothing but abuse. My man was indeed elected, an-i I tried to comfort myself with that : but no. I was told that he was the biggest fool in the Home, so my pride would not allow me to believe that I was worthily represented. Since then I have abstained from voting and now Sir Harry Atkinson say* that he would almost go to the length of crossing men who do not vote off the roll*. Let him cross them off the jury lists a* well, and I quite agree with him. Parliament will meet in a few weeks hence, an-i of course rumours are flooring in the air. I am told that Sir H. Atkinson will retire, and that Sir J. Hall will succeed him, that Mr Bryce will have a p-laee in the Cabinet, that the • ip-position meditate a serious attack on the Mim'-r-y an ,i a great many other things equally prob-able. The session will be a short one. no doubt, and loth partie* will be speaking ‘ to the gallery ' in view of the approaching general election*. It i* not likely that any determined attempt will be made to oust the Government from office during the session. The real fight will be after the House dissolves, and much will then depend on the skill with which the elections are fought. The increased aetivitv of Sir John Hall, and the rumours about his ~uceee-iing the Premier, point to the fact that there will be a movement on hi* part to lead on the Conservative forces, while there are more unlikely possibilities than that Sir Robert Stout will again be to the fore on the Liberal platform. Altogether the next few month* will -rfve plenty of interesting j».litieal food for reflection.