News of the Dominion

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLVIII, Issue 4, 24 July 1912, Page 4

News of the Dominion

A Borough With Reserves. THE Borough of Miramar is being provided with public reserves. A few days ago finality was reached in negotiations for the possession of a tine area of eleven acres on the flat (included in the reserve known as Miramar Park} and thirty acres on the hills of Miramar North adjoining the military reserve. Since then, Mr. A. D. Crawford, whose father at one time owned the whole of the peninsula, has presented the borough with a block of eight acres on the hillside (eastern aspect), just b low the signal station. The borough also owns Overton Park (one acre), Seatoun Park (four acres), a four-acre reserve at Miramar South, and several smaller reserves, under an acre in area, in different parts of the district. Mr. Massey and No-license. Replying to representations made by a deputation from the New Zealand Alliance list week, tire Hon. W. F. Massey stated that ever &ik*e he had been in Parliament, and for years before then, the no-license question had never been, considered from the standpoint of party, [allies for the time being were dissolved. every member being free to express his own opinion. That had been the attitude in the past. and. as far as he aa< concerned, that would be his attitude—and the attitude of his colh‘•gue> —in the future. He said there w.-- little chance of Government intro-dut-'ng a Licencing Bill during this session, owing to matters of urgency and importance claiming first attention, but there was nothing to prevent a private member from either side of the House bringing down a bill to give effect to ths views <rf the Alliance, and every facility would be givui for the di-cussion of it. He was not able to ex, -s an opinion on the majority issue, a I was pledged in no way. but his vote ou’d go in the direction his judgment dictated. His sympathies were with minimising, and, if p< -si’/ic. aiicdishing, the evils of intemperance. In regard to the King Country. the European population was rapidly increa.-i ng, and he believed the time must come wlun th.e peopde would be given an opi orlunily to express an opinion for and against the Ik en-ed house. Unregistered barmaids would be aboFshel. Without a Stain. The rinding in regard to the loss of the Star of < ‘anada exonerated Captain Hart and the oilicers of the vessel from I lame and returned their certificates. The ( ourt mnd the ha 1 been caused by th* v. — 1 dragging hr anchor, that there was ho misconduct or neglect, and in answer to the quest : on whether the captain should have put to sea earli r in rhe evrnii j. the Court held that he was quite justified in staying where he was. The captain and ofiicers, said the magistrate, left the Court without the edighte>t -tiin on th ir professional reputation.

Offensive Pictures—" The Card Players ” Condemned. A Storm of controversy arose in Wellington over a picture entitled "The Card Players,” included in the Baillie Collection. The picture, which was purchased by the National Gallery of Victoria for €6OO, was the subject of strong denunciation by Rev. J. H. Mackay, in a short preluJe to his sermon at the-'Clarendon Street, South Melbourne, Presbyterian Church recently. Mr Mackay said that when the “Bent Tree” was p'-aced in the gallery some people said that it was not worth the money. The unobtrusive beauty of that picture scarcely suggested the large sum paid for it, but the public could not say that about “The Card Players.” There they had, naked and their money’s worth. Yet certain surly, inartistic souls were dissatisfied even with that masterpiece. He thought that a pot of paint thrown on the wall would produce a diviner work. People were told that they were Philistines, that their opinions proved the need of such works as “ The Card Players.” In a democracy all classes had their rights. Poets and artists—whose eyes were over in a fine frenzy rolling—must 'he tolerated and even conciliated. To meet the situation Mr Mackay said he would suggest that a chamber of supra-niur. lme or celestial art be installed in the National Gallery. There “The Card Players,” the “Femme Ccun-he,” and similar creations yet unLought could be displayed. There inspired artists could revel amidst the sublimities of the dunghill and the etherealities of the tail end of the human specie*. Souls emancipated from convent: >n could there find their happy grounds. [ a t o that Holy of Holies the iinuik! iiied would not seek to enter. It was sheer cant to affirm that such pictures were elevating. Net for Probation. In sentencing a young fellow, aged 19, ■ n a charge of arson in setting fire to a <ta<k of hay at Wanganui for reasons of revenge. Mr Justice Cooper said he had conferred with the other judges, ami they ail agreed that in the case of a person deliberately setting fire to property belonging to another person, from motives of revenge, it was not in. the interests of the public that the offender should be allowed at liberty without having undergone some period of disciplinary treatment. The Probation Aet was not intended to apply in such eases, and not only the interest of the prisoner but the interest of the public had to be considered. For Closer Settlement. The Land Purchase Board has recommended the Minister for Lands to pur-eha-e the Mount Nessing Estate, in South Canterbury, and Cabinet has derided to acquire it for closer settlement. Tlie estate consists of 6000 acres of Crown land and 30,000 acres of Crown I ’asehold. The estate as a whole is suitable for cutting up into small grazing runs.

Ministerial Power. “Is the Minister of Customs really absolute when it comes to deciding whether Tends imported come under a certain ...ding in the tariff schedule?” was the point involved in a ease before the Appeal Court at Wellington, in which the Minister for Customs claimed the sum of £1,067 from the Waihi Gold Mining Co., duty on imported pumps. The SolicitorGeneral maintained that such power had been given by statute to the Minister. Mr C. B. Morrison held that to give such power to a Minister would be ousting the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court, and conferring upon a Minister the power to take eases out of the court—a privilege which had been denied to the Crown as far back as the reign of James I. Two packages described as “sinking pumps,” were cleared through the Customs in 1910, free of duty. Subsequently it was alleged the machinery comprised ordinary pumps and subject to an ad valorem duty of ten per cent. The Minister supported this contention after hearing evidence, but the Company resisted the claim, and further argued that when once the goods had been passed as exempt from duty neither the Collector of Customs nor the Minister had further power of jurisdiction in regard to them. Further it was urged that the Minister of Customs, who conducted the inquiry as to the definition of “sinking pumps,” was not the Minister at the time of the importation or the determination of liability for duty, and had therefore no right to conduct such an inquiry. Decision was reserved. Hard to Please. The shareholders of the Kaipara S.S. Company have decided to wind up the company, although the operations for the past year were entirely satisfactory, and a dividend of seven and a-half per cent, was declared. The reason assigned for taking this step was that it was impossible to satisfy the people on the Wairoa River. The chairman said that they had been trying for years and years to please the people, but they found that, do what they would, there was no pleasing everybody. It was decided to let the river people run their own service. The decision seems to have been a wise one. Everybody knows how to run any business a great deal better than the people who are actually conducting it. There is hardly a soul in the world who does not know how to run a newspaper much better than the editor, or who has not a patent recipe for filling our churches. If any transport company expects to please even a small fraction of its patrons, it must be a very sanguine company. The most consoling feature of the transactions of the Kaipara Company seems to be the fact that it has made some money out of its discontented patrons, ami the winding up of the company will not mean any great financial loss to the shareholders. One can stand a lot of growling when a big dividend is declared.