Untitled

Gisborne Times, Volume VI, Issue 232, 9 October 1901, Page 1

Mr Bowles, member, for King’s Lynm in a letter to tlie Times, bitterly attacked the Government for their indifference in holiday-making during a period of anxiety. The people of Wellington would know nothing of the enmity alleged to bo existing between this city and the city of Auckland were it not that, from time to time, some lierce newspaper diatribe on the subject is wired down by the Press Association from the Northern city. The Auckland Star, purporting to voice the sentiments of the people of that city, in reality does nothing of the kind, and, viewing affairs through a pair of extremely smoked glasses, thunders fo.ith a one-man opinion that Wellington and Auckland need but little encouragement to commence civil war. The discontent, if any exists, is the sole property of the Stas. When any event occurs in the discussion of tho Sail Francisco mail service is mentioned, up goes tho red rag, and the bovine Star is wildly rampant, Free Lance.

The tint has gone forth, and the country duly trembles at the dread verdict. The Solomons of the press and the people, who have discovered that Premier Scddon has gulled the public for eight years, without being found out, are rejoicing with much pc-n and ink and are exclaiming, “ I told you so 1" The “ Dawning of Reform ” means, of course, the overthrow of the existing Government, the breaking of the Premier’s long record as a leader, and the peace and joy of infinite satisfaction. — Free Lance.

A quotation made by Dr Bendy in his paper on Maori relics, read at the meeting of the Philosophical Institute in Chvistchu'ch last week, biought up the question of the existence of a Melanesian race in New Zealand prior to the advent of the Maori. Captain Hutton said it had been a theory of Sir Julius von Haast. but he did not think there was now a single person in New Zealand who believed in it. He thought that in his last papers Sir Julius had abandoned the theory, but his previous paper having been widely circulated, it was still quoted. There was, in his opinion, no evidence of it whatever. Before the big emigration in the historic canoes there were evidences of New Zealand having been inhabited by a Polynesian race, who iiad the same methods of cooking, and the same tubal organisation as the Maoris They were, in fact, an earlier emigration of the same race as the Maoris. Before that earlier emigration no Melanesian race had inhabited thise islands. The fact that the Maoris showed a mixture Melanesian blood was not evidence of a Melanesian race having been in New Zealand, because the mixture had taken place before the Maoris came here. There was hardly any place where pure Polynesians could be found, even the Tahitians ’have a certain admixture ot Melanesian blood. Among the Samoans were to be found some pure Polynesians, but the rest of the Polynesians were more or less crosses.