NOTES.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1863, 9 June 1888, Page 2

NOTES.

Tho Government do not seem m a fair way to sccuro tho services of such a genuis as they require to manage tho railways m New Zealand. Latest accounts go to show that for £2500 they can only get a £2500 man and they want, and liopo to get, one whodo value might be assessed at £10,000 for the position. That the railways are not managed as they might be, is what is generally conceded, there being too much red tape and return s connected with the whole affair. As a commercial speculation they are not worked m the interests of tho Government, nor of the travelling public Perhaps when tho Chief Commissioner has been appointed and tho present heads of the departments shaken up a little, railway matters will be brighter and better for all concerned. Our cable news informs us of troubles among the Zulus which seem likely to bo for ever continued until the savage warlike spirit of the Zulus fs subdued, and the country has been farther opened up. to civilisation, Denizulu, a noted leader of tho Zulus, is reported to have attacked another Chief, named Usibepu, who was at enmity with the famous Cotewayo, and British reinforcements have been sent to punish Denizulu and quell tho disturbance. During last year tho British Government annexed the whole of Zululand except a portion known as the New Republic. Towards tho end of the year Denizulu and Underbuko, two notorious Chiefs, refused to acknowledge British rule and m consequenco havo talcon every opportunity to harrnss the settlement and Government of the country. The rebel chiofe have a following of over 2000 ! warriors, and more fighting and bloodshed will bo the result before they are placed m Bubjection. They are allied with the Boers to some extent, and before the peaceful settlement of tho new British territory is arrived at, the local authorities will have rather an unuleajaut time of it. , (

The Chinese question is somewhat less talked of now, bnt, thore is no doubt the agitation has not been without its effect. The Bill, to restrict the Chinese from coming here, has not passed the Council m the same state as it passed the House, and it will have to be further considered, and perhaps it may be a considerable time before we see it passed into law. In Sydney the Chief Justice has decided that it is illegal to detain Chinamen on the steamers or refuse to allow them to land, and has intimated that anyone preventing them from landing would be held guilty of murder if any of the Chinamen were to come to their death m escaping from restraint, and not only that, but if the Chinese killed anyone while endeavoring to escape they would not be held to be guilty of murder, but on the contrary the person who detained them would be indicted for the murder of the person or persons who met their death at the hands of the Chinese. This may be good law, but it Bounds harsh, and it has had the effect of allowing a number of the passengers by ' the last arrived steamer to land. It will be remembered that the Union Steam tfhip Company promised that they would not bring any more Chinese passengers, over a certain number, from Australian ports to New Zealand, but sixty Chinamen have been brought over by the Wakatipu. It is claimed that bringing over this batch is no infringement of the promise giv* n. It is now said that the promise given by the Company m consideration of their being allowed to take the Te Anau's shipment to the West Coast was that they would not bring any Chinese from Australia as a starting point, but this did not preclude their bringing on any who had left China direct for New Zealand. Government have not the slightest intention of taking any legal action m the matter. These sixty Chinese that came by the Wakatipu were shipped m China for New Zealand, and do not therefore : come within the scope of the Union Company's pledge. Until the decision of the Conference, m which Now Zealand will be represented by the Hon Mr Oliver, is known, the Chinese difficulty will not be removable* Sympathy is ; generally with the colonies m their , desire to have their ports closed to a Mongolian influx and there is ample room m the Chinese territory to absorb their own population without impoverishing struggling colonies. In town last evening nothing was talked of butthedaripg escape of Roberts, and, strange to say, there was not one, from the oldest to the youngest m a large circle, but hoped he would get clear away this time. The opinion expressed is that, he certainly deserves to get bis liberty after getting away ao cleverly. Very much spmpathy is expressed with Hoberts, and as a hero he is being rather overworshipped. That he is a clever, daring, athletic young fellow is all m his favor with the general run of people, and the talk of his escape monopolised all conversation. It doeß not say much for the men m charge at Ripa Island that they should have overlooked his escape, but the very fact that he appeared resigned to his fate must have thrown them off their guard.