The Feilding Star. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1891. The Ships of the Future

Feilding Star, Volume XIII, Issue 51, 27 October 1891, Page 2

The Feilding Star. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1891. The Ships of the Future

lir' our last issue published an Australian telegram in which it was stated that communications had recently j passed 'between the various Goyerniri^nta calling attention to the . insufficient sailing appliances carried by: ocean going steamers to provide against accidents to machinery, and suggesting' that' joint action should be taken to compel the steamers to carry mori sail i power. Wihether this ib merely a fad started by some ignorant busy body,V£r is the.out.gome of. legislative wisdom, we are not informed. It seems, however, a very strange coincidence, that at the very time the quid nums of the Australian Governments worrying minds over this siibjecf, a ' steamer without any •' sailing appliances" .at all, had made a successful, voyage across the Atlantic ocean from the American lakes to Liverpool. This new vessel' is called the McDougal Whalehack, and if^ it can: do all 'the inventor dfaimViPit will be thtfship of the future. The hull is built like the body of a whale ; the men's quarters are in a structure perched upon the •. deck. There is no freeboard offering x&r iistence to the waves or the storms which may destroy other vessels, and they are able to carry or haul cargoes over-the sea at an expenditure of one third the coal used by other steamers, The voyage now referred to was made in twelve days. At present this "Colgate Hoyt" the name of this «« Whaleback "5 is 'used only for freight, but a passenger one is being built which'Js to 'steam twenty-two knots. Owing ,to their construction the wafer r|^hes over 'them, and it is said to Jle/lafer^to, have a " Whalebaolt' bargain tow in; a storm than to be without one; The inventor, Mr Mcl)pugai,^haß^now eighteen of ithese vessels on the American lakes, with a tonnage of 50,000 tons, and more are being built. In the face of this wonderful invention we doubt very much whether, the "^Great Maritime Powers " will follow the lead given by our colonial alarmists, ; and legislate in the direction of compelling steamers to go back to the old style, when "auxiliary screws "-.were considered good enough for the British navy.

Those who are J now thinking about leaving this colony to try . their fortunes in other lands, should pause, and consider what .Mr G. M. Grant, in Harper's Magazine for August, says about us. He travelled over both Islands and , likes them : well. He says " the production of ,. cereals and root crops, of butter and cheeße, of sub-tropical fruits and flowers — in|a word, of everything raised in temperate climates Or in the favoured lands along the shores of the Mediterranean — is steadily increasing. And better than richness and variety of soil, is climate. There is no climate botter suited to the Anglo-Saxon race, and no colony has been settled bo exclusively from the British- Islands and from the best classes of British people. I Saw fewer alterations from 1 the original stock than in Australia, the southern coast from Gippsland to Adelaide excepted, and any changes in physique were not for the worse. The climate, too, is far more pleasant than that of Britain, simply because there is far more sunshine. One is tempted to ask, for what other spot on earth has the Almighty done so much ? After describing tho natives, the scenery and the characteristics of the islands he sums up bis observations as follows : — Nowhere is there a fairer land. Nowhere is labour more sweet, or recreation more shared in by all classes. Every township has its park, racecourse, and playground ; the cities have these and everything else that can be imagined. Picnics are universal. The long summers and bracing winters make open-air amusements delightful. Sports are taken up eagerly, .ftom coursing matches over rough ground and pig-stalking, to cricket aud fopt-ball, and volunteering. From the beginning generous provision was made for schools and colleges, the people— in the South Island especially— having . the spirit of the men who colonised New England. No one. with eyes in his head can fail to see that the New Zealander of to-day is laying the foundation of a mighty state.

In our telegrams published to-day, our readers will see that Sir Soul Samuel, the Agent-General for New South Wales in London, indignantly denies that' the Loan recently issued by that colony was absorbed fey ftcpominodation bills with the local banks, and asserts that not one shilling Vas so applied. In his wrath lie warns the newspapers and Magazines, that misrepresentations of colonial affairs is^the quickest way to alienate the good feeling existing between the Mother Country and the colonies. We do not think that the editors of England will take much heed of this warning,

but will.pursue.the even tenor of their several waya,-' regardless even of the threatened of "alienating" .the.- good feelings of anybody. Sir Saul. Samuel seems to forget—if he ever knew — that writers in English papers and Magazines, are largely dependent on their colonial contemporaries for their local infprmation, and therefore they are not likely to accept the mere contradiction of a report by an interested person outside the charmed circleof journalism, asproof positive that such report was without foundation. They will require stronger evidence than that of a mere AgentGeneral. In this connection we may remark that while we think it unwise for colonial journals to give way, as they sometimes do, to the practice of holding up each other colony asa" dreadful example, " yet the part of the " candid friend" is sometimes not only justifiable but beneficial. Yet, when we know that English journalists will readily accept "without discount the statements of newspapers in one colony anent the financial condition of a rival, each set of writers should exercise more care and moderation, malgre the pleasure' there is in the act.

With to-day's issue the Feuding Stab, is further enlarged, and now appears as a doable-royal sheet. The two enlargements recently effected have added six, columns of extra matter to the paper, a fact which wo trust our readers and subscribers will duly appreciate. Further improvements are shortly contemplated, amongst them being a " Ladies' Column" by a Feilding lady, and also " Sporting Notes "by a local sportsman. We would like here to record our thanks to our several contemporaries for their kindly notices of bur recent improvements.