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Feilding Star, Volume XII, Issue 130, 25 April 1891, Page 2

The Portuguese seem itching for a fight— especially with England. The trouble in Portugal having been settled or adjusted, it has been started again in Africa, where, we learn from recent cablegrams, they have been very agressive. It appears that it is necessary, in order that access may bad to the British South Africa Com pany's territory, the Pungwe river must be left open, but the Portuguese Government declare that only vessels flying the flag of that councry will be allowed up the rvier. The members of the Willoughby expedition accepted the position so far, and offered to pay duty to the Portuguese. After waiting two clays without receiving any reply they proceeded up the river, but the Portuguese opened fire, and seized the two steamere, which were towing lighters laden with provisions for the garrison at Fort Salisbury. Owing to this actiou Martial Law has been praclaimed in Mashonaland. The excuse offered by the Portuguese Grovernor is that another English company had already broken the recently arranged modus vivendi, and, therefore, he felt justified m seizing the mails and fusilading the vessels. Bather a queer mode of reason i rig, but one from which we may deduce that any excuse was good enough if it gave them a chance to fire on the English flag. This is a humiliation which ought not to be tamely submitted to by England, nor do we suppose it will be, although the British Lion will take his own time to reach out his paw. The Cape people, on their side, are not very well pleased with this prospect of delay on the part of Eugl.'ind, and some of the newspapers there are even advocating ! the hauling down or the British flag in Afriua altogether, but that is merely vapouring. The unpl«sisant fact remains that if England came into collision with Portugal, that ■would be the signal for an outbreak of an European war, a calamity vrhich the best statesmon of the day are striving with their utmost strength to avert. To-day wo publish the Borough Estimates for the year ending 3tst March, of the probable revenue and expenditure. The

evaluated receipts iroui all resources is 7^3, and expenditure Jt64l 8s sd, leaving **i'B4 18s lid for contingencies and newV works. It is a matter of cCingrattilafiort' that the Borough began the year npw Current with the small overdraft of £2B t tiiid had the £28 3a 4d outstanding rates been sued for and collected, tiiia liability would not have existed. However, , it gives xis pleasure to compliment the burgesses on the condition of the Borough finances, and the Mayor and Councillors on the good management which has brought it about. We feel quite certain that much of this is owing to the judicious and amiable way in which the business of the Council is conducted, while, at the same time, not one penny of the ratepayers money is spent without the fullest and most open discussion. Although the mode of electing school eomiuHtees under the Act of 1890 teems with difficulties, the householders of Feilding have not been apalled by them but will have a contest on Monday night. Seven members are required and nine candidates have boon nominated. These are Messrs Lethbridge, Morey, H. Worsfold, Gonld, Curtis, John Taylor, J. C. Thompson, H. Curran and W. G. Shearer. Of these gentlemen Messrs Lethbridge, Morey, H. Worsfold, Gould, Curtis, and J. C. Thompson have already served in a similar capacity, while Messrs Taylor, Curran, and Shearer, represent the new blood. The proceedings will be somewhat complicated, we fear, by the cumbrous details made compulsory by the new Act, but we have no doubt that the good sense and tact of the Chairman, Mr F. Y. Lethbridge, assisted by the exercise of these qualities by the electors, will enable the election to be got through as smoothly as possible under the somewhat exceptionable circumstance.