The Daily Telegraph. THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 1881.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3063, 21 April 1881, Page 2

The Daily Telegraph. THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 1881.

From trade circulars we learn that during the past twelve years the English consumption of French clarets has very nearly doubled, and there is a marked increase in the use of champagnes since 1869. On the other hand sherry has fallen off from about five and a-half million gallons to three and three-quarter millions. Port wine consumption also shows a decrease. The consumption of port and sherry taken together has shrunk to about half the quantity consumed ten years ago, while there has been a growth nearly equal in the consumption of clarets. Thus quite a revolution in the English taste for wine has been accomplished. As a nation, England appears to be abandoning the use of the strong wines. In spirits, however, a different tale has to be told. In rum the consumption has increased by a million and a quarter gallons in the twelve years; brandy shows a plight decrease. For old bonded brandies the demand is surprisingly small. Consumption has fallen off, and the efforts that have been made to use the privilege of bottling in bond to compete with French bottlers have not been crowned with success. Australia is spoken of as the best foreign market for British spirits. The consumption of whisky in England has increased nearly ten per cent since 1872, while in the same interval it has slightly declined in Scotland. Ireland shows a decrease of 17£ per cent. The Irish consumption for the decade reached its highest in 1876, since when a reduction of very nearly 25 per ceat has occurred. In spite of this, however, the whisky trade is reported to be in a comparatively flourishing condition, and whisky itself the most popular of alcoholic drinks. Last year Mr Gladstone promised in a sensational supplementary budget a reduction in the small duty on light French wines. But it soon afterwards appeared that the great financial wizard had reckoned without hia host, for the negotiations with France for a renewed treaty of commerce turned out to have been barely initiated. And these negotiations have not been much advanced since then. Probably there will be no reduction, as French financiers are much keener bargainers than British statesmen, and they must be sensible that a saving of is. a dozen in the cost of wine to the consumer would not appreciably cheapen the article so as to bring it within the reach of a new consuming class ; and in France there is no disposition as in England to take care of the consumer. On the contrary, all the care of French statesmen is bestowed upon the interests of producers, and nothing would induce them to take off protective duties from certain manufactured goods unless it were clear that the wine-producing interest would gain more than other affected interests would or might lose.

the salaries of the permanent staff of the Corporation, and he caused to be submitted *o the Municipal Solicitor the following question :—" Can the Corporation pay any portion nf salaries not directly incidental to labor involved in draiuajre scheme without an illegal act:" The answer to the above was read at the Council meeting last night, and was as follows: ~" If the payment of the salaries referred to is really necessary, whether directly or incidentally, to the effectual carrying out of the construction of the drainage and sewerage works, I do not think it is illegal to pay such salaries out of the proceeds of the loan raised for drainage and sewerage purposes. It is therefore, I think, legal for the Corporation during the construction of the drainage and sewerage works to pay a fair proportion of the engineer's, town clerk's, and municipal solicitor's salaries out of the drainage and sewerage loao. Subsection 4 of' the 12oth section of the Municipal Corporations Act, 1876, expressly declares that the interest account of the loan is to be charged with the cost of collecting the special rate, and a fair proportion therefore of the salaries of the collector of rates and the server of demands is chargeable to such interest account." Armed with the above legal opinion there is nothing to prevent the Municipal Council payiug everybody employed by the Corporation out of the loan. A loan is raised for drainage purposes, and to cavry out the works it stands to reason everybody officially connected with the Corporation must be either " directly or incidentally " necessary to the effectual construction of such works. The office messenger must be employed at times to convey communications to the engineer ; the engineer goes to the Town Clerk to obtain the official stamp and signatures to contracts; the municipal solicitor has to be consulted ; the road overseer keeps an eye upon contractors, and the Mayor, in theory, directs the whole. So on this basis of reasoning everyone can be paid out of loan, and no objection could be raised to His Worship receiving a substantial honorarium from the same source.

evening,