Untitled

Feilding Star, Volume XIII, Issue 38, 26 September 1891, Page 2

A step in the right direction has been taken by Mr S. J. Thompson of the Bed House, who annource^ that on and alter October 3rd he will close his establishment at nine o'clock on Saturday nights. We hope that the other business places in the Borough will follow this good example. We believe that everyone, no matter what their circumstances in life may be, can manage to do all their shopping within the time indicated, and thus allow employes to get to their homes at proper hours.

The travelling expenses from the • 5 i January last to the 30th of June amcun ad to £696 19s 7d. The Minister for Public Works heads the list with <£89ti, including i's9 for the En^ineer-m-Chief ; the Minister for Lands comes next with iilOO ; the Postmaster- General drew _;71 ; the Colonial Secretary £66 ; the Premier £32 17s ; the Native Minister £22 ; and the Minister for Justice £1.

The London Daily Telegraph hints that China is in a state of agitation, and like a beehive ready to send out a swarm to invade Australia. This possibility was pointed out some few months ago by Lord Wolseley, who was of course laughed at. Whether the Daily Telegraph has just made the discovery which was made before it by the gallant general, we do not know, but it is clear enough that things are not as they should be in the Celestial i Empire. It seems rather a contradiction though, that the Chinese should on the one hand find it a pleasant and exciting amusement to slaughter guileless foreigners, and on the other look to a land peopled by the latter, as a place of future refuge from tyranny and injustice in their own country.

In our last issue we said that in the event of a European war the Emperor of Germany would be largely to blame. Since then we have been informed by cablegram that the centenary of Korner — honored because he hated the French — was celebrated at Berlin with great enthusiasm. Publicly the Emperor said nothing about war ; but privately he is reported to haye declared that he would never precipitate war, as there was much to be gained by a few months more peace. The natural inference to be drawn from this statement is that he hopes by continued insults, actual or implied, to provoke the French into committing an act of war. It is sad to think of the awful loss of life which appears to be inevitable, with the concomitant destruction of property, the creation of years of industry. When too late Germany may remember that history repeats itself, and as the French had possession of Berlin before, they may become its masters again.