NOTES

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1481, 12 February 1887, Page 3

NOTES

>Vhile we have already expressed th< >pinion lhat it would lnive been !o the t<!vantage of N'cw Zealand that this colony should have been represented ;u 'he Imperial Conference by the Premier and the Hon. Major Atkinson, it is not to be denied that the next .session ;>( Parliament would have been much lik.. ' Hamlet" without either the Piii.« • i hr Ghost hmd the iwo lr-a ;ers par excellence of the Housn been abs -it fr >m their accustomed places. Still n dull session fmight have been put u\> with, and a little rest from the active work of law-making might have been beneficial rather than otherwise, and taking, as we do, the view that the Conference may lead to important results, we think it is on the whole to be regretted that Sir Robert Stout has Hnally decided not to go. Fortunately the services of two excellent representatives are available m those of Sir Wm. Fitzherbert and the Agent-General, who, we have no doubt, will watch wish care and intelligence all matters m which our interests are involved. But the reason why what was evidently i he Premier's wish was not carried out strikes us as a very peculiar one, it being alleged that that reason was the objection of other members of the Government to Major Atkinson, being associated with him as his colleague. We confess we do not understand this at all, and are of opinion that the feeling of the public generally is quite the reverse. A great many people think that the Maj >r has been unjustly overlooked when knightly honors were being distributed, and, if for nothing else, it was desired that he should go Home to the Conference as the almost certain preliminary to his returning as Sir Harry Albert Atkinson. Indeed, why should he not go as Sir W. Fitzherbert's colleague? He would be back m plenty of time for the electoral campaign, and we do not anticipate that he will be wanted to lead an attack upon the present Government until after the elections have taken place. It is a fortunate thing for those gentlemen who attain to the honors of the Shrievalty — a position of considerable social distinction m the Old Country — that they are always able to obtain the services of a deputy willing to perform the duty of executing the last penalty of the law, as otherwise it would fall to their unpleasant lot to act Jack Ketcb themselves. But it is not by any means a pleasing thing to see, whenever the services of a hangman are required, the position eagerly sought for, often by numerous applicants. Yet only the other day some one, to make sure of being first m the field, before the fate of at least one of the condemned had been finally decided, wrote to the Minister for Justice tendering his services for the execution of Caffrey, Perm, and Hall. We do not known what the remuneration for this ghastly sort of work is m New Zealand — at Home we believe it consists of m money and the clothes of the convict — but, even though it were thrice that amount, it is not a very cheerful reflection to think that there are ameng our population individuals willing to take life when under the a;gis of the law for the consideration of a few paltry pounds. Of course, while hanging is the penalty for murder, there must be hangmen, but m the spirit of the Scripture which admitting that " it must be that offences come," yet denounces woe upon them by whom they come, public opinion will always continue to regard the executioner as an outcast and a pariah. And m viewing such individuals askance, the public instinct is undoubtedly right, for that state of society which exhibits the greatest number of persons willing to act as hangmen is precisely that m which there will probably be most need of their services. They are having a perfect eruption of public companies m England just now. Capital accumulates enorfnously from year to year, faster indeed than it can find profitable outlets, and with money seeking investment at t<vo per cent, it is not wonderful that bogus enterprises designed to net some of the spare cash of the unwary are springing up like mushrooms. It is a pity that we can't get some of this cheap money out here. Lots and lots of enterprises of a legitimate sort could be carried out profitably to all concerned if only capital could becommanded at.say, 5 per cent., which would be splendid interest from a Home point of view. By and by a stream of capital for investment must inevitably set m towards the colonies, but until then we have to pay 8, 9, 10, and even more per cent., because the colonies and their resources are not understood. Meanwhile it is perfectly ludicrous to see what wild-looking ventures succeed m luring the cash out of the Britisher's sanctum sanctorum, his breechespocket Tor example, there is now m course of formation a " Sea of Galilee Fishery Company, capital to be followed, we should imagine, by a " Dead Sea Salt and Patent Chemicals Company," and perhaps a " Red Sea Chariots Recovery Company." Why not also a " Mount Pisgah Prospecting Company," an •' Eschol Brobdignagian Grape Company," and a " Promised Land Milk and Honey Company, Limited" ? By-Tiiii-iiYE, writing of milk companies reminds us that without going to Palestine we can put our hands upon examples of very flourishing enterprises m this direction. As witness the Gore Dairy Factory Co. This company, as we learn from the Southland Times, held a general meeting on Monday last, at which a very satisfactory state of affairs was disclosed. The milk supply, which be^an at 250 gallons per day, has reached 1200 gallops, the company's milk bill for November and December last being and for January and the value of cows m the district has gone up from £<\ to £i per head. The cheese has realised 52-^d per lb, and the assets of the company, reckoning its stock of cheese m hand at sd on ty« tota l U P t0 as against a total of liabilities (including paid-up capital) of showing a profit of for the year, upon the employment of a called -up capital of only A dividend of 10 per cent, at least is looked for. These are facts which go to show that properly managed co-operative dairying 1 can be carried on m New Zealand with entirely satisfactory results*