Saturday.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XII, Issue 10, 27 June 1884, Page 9

Saturday.

Furious gales prevailed at Gisborne on Thursday night. Early this morning the buoy on Pinnacle or Luna Bock, fixed three years ago by Captain Crisp, broke adrift, and was found on the beach thfe morning. One beacon at the entrance to the harbour was also swept away. No tidings have yet been received of Mr. Downes, deputy retuming-officer, who left last Sunday for Mahia. Constable Tronson went in search, returning yesterday afternoon without any traces. It is now generally believed the poor fellow is lost. The deputy returning-officer at Mohaka was also nearly drowned. He was swept off his horse and under a bridge. A Native, who was passing, threw a tether-rope to him, and saved him. Five chains of the railway line have been washed away at Waitangi by the encroachment of the Ngararoro Biver. Traffic was partially suspended. The Ngaruroro has broken through at its old mouth, and further damage to the railway-line is thus averted. It is, however, evident that some permanent works will have to be undertaken to prevent further encroachment by future floods'. More than half of the beach between the sea and the lagoon has been washed away. At the Auckland Crown Lands board meeting Mr. Tole, the chairman, called the attention of members to a surveyors' blunder of a remarkable character. A certain pieca of land at Whapgarei (89

acres) had been offered for sale at an up* et price of £43, but it fetched £120. The surveyors' report on it was that it contained " a few kauri trees. This sale was made a subject of comment, as it was eaid the amount received was not commensurate with the value of the land as it contained a quantity of valuable timber. The Assistant Sur-veyor-geoeral had made inquires, and found that tbe timber on the land was worth more than the money paid for it, and he had told the surveyors who had furnished the report that they could not be again employed under Government. The Chairman said this was the first case of the kind that had come under his notice as a Government officer.

There is little doubt that if France persists in her action in regard to the recidivjste questicm, England will endorse the measures taken by the Colonies for the exclusion of convicts from the Pacific The Daily 'Mines Wellington correspondent sends a second letter from Sir Julius Vogel to the Post, in which he says :— " Though I think the Government has out-lived its usefulness, I recognise that it has been strong to do much that was unpopular because it considered it was doing right. Major Atkinson, in going to the country, probably does not consult his own political interests as much as those of his colleagues, and whatever the result Major Atkinson will have no cause for regret, for whilst he has recently received ample proof that tbe political feelmg of the country is against him he has received no less ample proof that he is held in the highest personal estimation. I can assure the Times writer I have no object to gain. My wish is to see a strong government and I believe a strong one can be formed if the Opposition have the opportunity of forming a Government, and going to the country or not as may be necessary. It matters little on how many matters the Government may disagree if on broad grounds it can work together, and above all remove the lugubrious impressions which the present melancholy-minded Government have fastened on the people We want a Government that will say to the colonists < Recover from K^? 881011^^ 1106^ 1*066^1 * 066^ for the vast "ineral treasurS of the Colony because a few people in Dunedin lost money. The rewards of mining are unequal ; but you have in the Colony as great an encouragement for a mining industry as can be found elsewhere Sh *} w6w 6 • r ? gnCult £ rr * 1 P ursuits - Ie » true the price of wheat is soS 7%£L EI~ ?V\° \\ a 7 ?u Can = efc 30 bushels t0 the acre > **ile other Colonies are delighted with an average of 10. Do not fear commercial pursuits because of over-importing. Let those who over-import suffer SSK?"' IB™,I B ™, Btill fl s J«*eed.' In short we want a Government that will inculcate confidence, and not depend on dogmas tberatSnal conclusion from which is that the people* should live on roSsand clothe themselves with leaves." 800 mflSrom^tey?'^ *"" diSC ° Vered at Silverton > lt i 9.i9 .i. an^ ounce A thafc the French Government has formally Srl'tf^ oß^ 1 situated in the north-wes? of Coch n China, and hitherto under French protection. At meetings held in Boston and Hew i oik, the most prominent Republicans were oppored to Blame's nomination for the P?es3encv O'Donovan Rossa's paper eulogises the candidature of Blame w ?¥/ mes Btat < es that the Porte has addressed a note to the JSS t G 1 o 7 er ft nment P ro P osi ng^e withdrawal of the Bxitiah troops from Egypt, and replacing them by a Turkish force or a mixed Turkish, English French, Italian, and Spanish force. The Pall Mall £ZfJ cU Tr tb n trUth ,i > l th , e «atement recently current thS a large force of Gallas would be despatched from Abyssinia to relieve the Egyptian garrison of Kassala. The Gazette states that S John of Abyssinia has only undertaken to facilitate the retreat of thl garrison from the town, and not send a force for its relief detach! ments of the Royal Engineers are now under orders to proceed from Chatham to Egypt without further delay. The actual destination 5 the force is not made known. The Marquis of Hartingtoa was questioned in the House of Commons the other night regarding the military available for service in Egypt and the possibilitf of suLess fully opposing the projected advance into Egypt prope/of the rebe Arabs. In reply tne Secretary of State for War declared that the British troops now in that country would, in conjanction with the ■ gyptian National army., be sufficient to defend Upper Egypt againstany attack from the Soudan. Lord Hartington further anfounc^d that General Stephenson, who now commands the' British troops in Egypt, would assume the djrection of any operations that may be nfadc by the combined forces. The latest advices from the Soudan state that the rebels have captured the Shia garrisons. Five hundred Egyptian cavalry have been drafted off proceed to Assouan, where the free navigation of the Nile is interrupted by the rebels. In the House of Representatives yesterday tie Hon. Maior ££!?™ ma<Je tbe FiDan «al Statement. There is a deficit of S f-°f -° m t , the fal l iUg °? iQ railvrfl y toan amoun of *66,000, and in tbe customs duties of £123,000. Durine the year 1882.3 the total expenditure out of the ord nary refenue amounted to £3,638,384, as against £3,681,320 expended lfstvlarb/ 2?JS T' *vT S theref ?. re gleater than tt «* ° f 1882-3 by about £43,000, of which excess 'the principal items are to be accounted for by expenditure on education and railways The STIoo^OnM 8 1!^7« 8 «/^ 05 ' u^ertheesti ma ted y amount 02/5,600). On March 31, 1884, the gross public debt of the Colony amounted to £32,367,710, and the accrued sinking funds to £2 792 808 The net public debt was therefore £29 574,902. Of this *üm however, there remained unexpended £877,912. To provide for the S' n Consolidated Fund the Premier asks authority to issue Si sLT? of , defi « ie ? c y W«N «««» to carry on the public wSS oV ilKf £ f S" 8 S^V* deficienc y Wlta to the extent Th^JSw^f f account 9 fo . r . the depression by three causes. (I) The habits of extravagance arising out of tbe wonderful prosperity which, with only slight and temporary checks, we have enjoyed for 6418 "?^ 8 bich ° U - r real c ir cums:ance S never jSfied *£r™ #■?£ J ' lnd - eed> «* d«»««taiices could be their justificat on. (2) The excessive number of people who are engaged as distributors, and the consequent over- importation of goods, (h The low prices which have obtained during tbe last year for our chief articles, wool and grain. Itisßaid that wool and grain are never

low in price at the same time, and this is no doubt true as a general rule. Unfortunately, this has not proved true during the last year, lhe loss to our spenoing power upon these two articles of export naving been not less than half-a-million sterling. There is, however no reason to be despondent concerning the state of the Colony, and tne deficit cau be provided for without additional taxation, and by reductions in connection with the Civil Service, and hospital, and charitable aid.