CURRENT TOPICS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1821, 21 April 1888, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

One of the constitutional privileges of the people is that the Throne shall always put " the most favorable construction " upon ttoo conduct of their representatives, and .certainly the cardinal principle of Christianity, Charity, requires that the like rule should obtain as between members of society, * and especially members of Christian churches. But unfortunately it every now and then happens that those- who ought to set an exatnplo of that charity that " thinkoth no evil " fall sadly short of its- standard, nay, even act as though tliey declined to recognise any j such rule of conduct. This is very much to be deplored, but it is vain to expect that there will ever bo a time when such instances will cease to occur, for there is tho highest of all authority for the statement that "it must needs be that offences come." Still when a departure from the highest rule of life takes tho form of slander, it is satisfactory to find the civil law effectual as a remedy, and we imagine that -there "will be very little Bympatßy therefore for the defendant m the case of D'Albedyhil v. Brunton, which has just resulted m a verdict of £200 damageß m favor of the plaintiff. The rev gentleman should, at least, have been sure of his facts before writing the letters put m evidence, and even then would have done well, even from a worldly point of view, to have abstained from interfering between husband and wife. That sort of thing is always a dangerous piece of business, as was strikingly evidenced m tho experience of a clergyman of our acquaintance. Walking late one night through a street m Bradford he heard the sound of heavy blows, and the voice of a woman shrieking " Murder 1" and " Help 1 " Being one of the muscular school of Christians, he dashed m tho door and discovered a half-drunken belaboring the partner of his joys and Borrows with a poker. He promptly knocked the rascal down, but was surprised^ to find himself set upon by both parties, and had some little difficulty m effecting his escape, thenceforth determined to leave husbrads and wives to settle their domestic differences for themselves. Mr Brunton would do well to make a like resolve.

BfoT long ago there was considerable excitement throughout tho Colonies of Australasia as to tho possible evil results of tho deportation of recidivistes to the New Hebrides and New Caledonia. Happily diplomacy, set to work through Australian protests, has secured for the present, at least, that the New Hebrides shall not be made a depot of French rascaldom, but tho JScvr Caledonia plague spot still threatens the future well-being of the young nations of tho Pacific. Every now and then a few of the deportes escape and some of them have found their way to New Zealand. For example, only the other day a couple of them named Crury and Gaspard were picked up m an open boat and brought to Auckland wlusro they are still at largo. Its correspondent m that city informs tho "Post" that " the police have sent a communica-: tion to the New Caledonia authorities, but do not expect any action to be taken for the return of the escapees." These, however, are anything but desirable additions to the population of the colony, for it appears that Gaspard was undergoing a sentence for robbery with violence, and Crury a sentence of seven years for fraudulent bankruptcy, Some anxiety is said to be felt m Auckland lest Gaspard should develope his criminal proclivities there as Serial did recently, and it is not altogether reassuring to learn that the police admit that they know of about a dozen more escapees or liberes at work on the gum fields.

It is to be hoped that when the Board of Railway Commissioners is Bet up and the railways pass under the control of the new management, such anomalies as are reported from all parts of the colony will speedily be put an end to. As things are at present there are lots of instance? of business being lost to the lines through the high rates charged, and anent this sort of thing a Napier contemporary (the " Daily Telegraph "), descants as follows: Ithasbeen laid down, as an incontrovertible principle m raitway management m New Zealand that, for short distances, no railway can compete against the ordinary road. Thus, between Invercargill and the Bluff the waggons are doing a merry trade,, and the railway is scarcely paying its way. At New Plymouth strings of ' carts, loaded with bricks, might have been seen wending their way some short time ago to a place that was touched by the railway, and trains of empty trucks were showing to everyone but to the practised eye of Mr Maxwell, why the railways did not pay. Hastings also has lost much of its wool traffic, which now comes by Omahu into Napier instead of by rail. And all because it is quite impossiblo for the official brain to grasp the situation and adopt a tariff that will meet the requirements and circumstances, of localities. Another instance of how not to compete with the road is offered m the fact that persons can travel to and frojn Napier and Hastings m a wellhorsed, comfortable coach for two shillings, while the faro by railway is half-a-crown. Parcels, again, sent by rail havo first to be sent to tho station, and on reaching their destination a»o detained till sent for. In the case of the coach traffic parcels are not only called for bufc dalivered at their address, for about tho same price that the railway charges for carriage from station to station. The suggestion contained m tho above remarks is of course beneath the contempt of the autocrat of New Zealand HailRailways, because it indicates the propriety of bringing tho high and mighty railway down to tho*level of a common carrier, to bo worked on tho business principle of suiting the convenience of its customers." Such instances as those given by our contemporary are ample proof of tho necessity for some change m the management, and it is to bo hoped that the Commissioners will see to it that speedy and through reform is effected.