The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. GISBORNE, MARCH 13 1902.

Gisborne Times, Volume VII, Issue 363, 13 March 1902, Page 2

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVER Y MORNING. GISBORNE, MARCH 13 1902.

MR BALFOUR’S SPEECH. Full reports to hand concerning tire tie bate ill Hie House of Commons in connection with the war estimates are very interesting reading. When Mr Balfour’s turn came (a special corres[J pendent writes), he danced a delightful fandango around the unhappy Camp-bell-Bannerman, the time being so pmigentiy piped by Mr Lloyd George. “ I am perfectly awaye,” said Mr Balfour, 11 that it is allowable for one's friends to use much stronger language about one than it is for one’s opponents. i cannot match the .epithets which have been hurled at the eiead of the right lion, gentleman opposite hall an hour pgp by Mr Lloyd Geoige m a speech of extraordinary conciseness and pungency. He gave Ins views, not merely of expediency and propriety, but of common honesty • of the amendment to which we arc now asked tp address ourselves, and unless I do the lion, gentleman great I injustice, I think that the epithet shuffling was almost the mildest with which his ample vocabulary supplied him to hurl at the proposal which, after all, was made by the leader of hjs party in the House of Commons, and which, therefore, according to my views of Parliamentary procedure, might have been objected to, or at all events, need hardly have been used by him with (he violence he adopted. At all events, he has nb- . solved me from the task which I should otherwise have had to undertake, and I am sure that anybody who heard the hon. member’s speech will aetpiit me of flattery when I say that no amount of premeditation would have enabled me to accumulate so

much bitterness in so short a speech as that'delivered by the lion, gentleman.” From the vein of sarcasm Mr Balfour twitted ,Sir William Harcourt With the way “he had become tied In tile chariot wheels of Lord Rosehery. Coming; to tlie main point, Mr Balfour said ; 1 ‘ There is only one reason why there is not peace,’ and that is because the men lighting in the field

;ue fighting for their independence, and because \vc do not mean to give it to them. That is the whole in a nutshell. May I point out that any theory would amount to a criminal responsibility under which any set of men would shrink ? Would not all civilisation shrink from men who allowed a state of things to continue which produced such enormous suffering, not only to their own countrymen, but also to their helpless women and children ? They know that ..S/jlTering is being caused, however much it is being diminished by this country. They know it is'being caused, and they deliberately accept it.” Then Mr Balfour proceeded to deal with the amendment. , “ Surely,” he said, “ it 'is time that we should abstain in this House from these parade lights which the right lion, gentleman has to-night provoked. Kverybody here knows , jliat the result of lliis division, he it what may in actual numbers, will [ not turn oilt Ill's Majesty’s Govern- i menu ; lvijl not affect party history in ,

ibis country ; will not change its course even by a hair’s breadth. Within the constituencies which sent us here the division is of no moment. It matters not whether we lake a divi-

[ rion or abstain from it. But there pm much bigger issues being fought in South Africa umn Z; wltJliu tliCse "tills, and it, is these bigger 'issues which we cannot profoundly "modify by any course we take. I confess it may be- too late to make the appeal, but as * tun speaking before the right lion.

gentleman, the Leader of the Opposi lion, I would earnestly beg of him

even at this last moment, to re-con-sider the course upon which he has rashly embarked. He must by this time know that lie is not likely to leap much in the wav, if I may veil-

lure to say so, of success either in the debate or in the division lobby, from the course lie has entered upon.” The

way in which the Opposition were encouraging the Boers to carry on the war was tersely alluded to by the speaker, who said : “ I seriously believe that in South Africa, if 'it be re-

cognised that the Leader of the Oppo-

sition has moved a vote of censure on the Government in connection with the war, he it worded never so cunningly, it will drive still deeper into the hearts of the Boers the conviction which they have already imbibed, that their hopes of success are not hopes l.uilt upon the possibility of their relatively small force defeating our much larger force iu the field, but that

■hey depend solely upon Their power of prolonging the war until such a lime as the Opposition may be in power, and the present Government displaced. 1 think it is a lamentable conviction with which to inspire our enemy. 1 can well believe the right lion, gentleman had no desire to produce any of these effects. 1 would appeal to hint —and if 1 cannot appeal to niia with success, I would venture to

appeal to the units who sit behind him —and remind them that to-night a division which would show strength in ibe opponents of the Government will give renewed vigor to our enemies in the held. Hon. members may well acquit: me of any desire to snatch from them any party advantage, if a party advantage is to ne got from this debate. Cannot von allow that for the

months, I hope the few months, that it will still last to be neutral territory. on which no party controversy shall be allowed to take place ?” Unfortunately all the advice given to men of Bannerman stamp is unheeded. They think that the tide of popular opinion, which is lickle, will yet turn in their favor, and “patriotism” with them seems to be merely a desire for office.

Business premises close at noon to-day_ Messrs Dalgety and Company’s monthly sale of stock takes place at the Makaraka yards at one o’clock next Thursday.

Messrs Williams and Kettle's monthly sale of stock takes place at the Matawhoro yards to-morrow.

A woman who has a prohibition out against her was arrested last night in a state of drunkenness.

Messrs Common, Shelton and Co’s sale of stock at Waerenga-o-kuri takes place to-day. The entries include 0000 sheep.

A lecture is (o be given to-morrow evening by the llev. F. Bennett in aid oi the Victoria Maori Girls’ College fund. Entries for the Waipiro races close on Saturday, 15th, with the Secretary, Mr Durant.

The Waiapu Sheep Dog Trial Clue have received 102 entries for their meeting, commencing at Tokomaru Bay on the 19th inst.

Captain Edwin wired at 12.55 p.m. yesterday : — 11 Moderate southerly winds ; glass rise; tides good ; considerable sea on coast.”

The Cook County Council invite tenders until noon on Saturday for four contracts, including the clearing of drains and the delivery of metal.

Those who desire their tanks or chimneys cleaned should ring up telephone No. IBS, and their orders will be promptly attended to by Mr E. Burch.

The Seddon Memorial Committee do not propose to canvass for subscriptions. Persons desirous of signing the address may do so without being asked to contribute.

The great attraction for to-day will be St. Patrick’s annual sports, to be hold at the Park Company’s grounds. There are good entries, and there should be an excellent day’s sport. The St. Patrick’s Social this evening should attract a very large attendance. It is one of the most popular events of the year, and the arrangements are in the hands of a ladies committee whose management will be of the best. A meeting of the Ballance Tent (juvenile branch) was held in the Tent-room last evening, Bro. J. Dods, Chief Piuler, presiding. Bro. K. Nasmith was elected Guardian, and it was decided to hold a social evening in a few weeks’ time. A meeting of the Gisborne Tent, No. 54, 1.0.R.,5.U., was held in the Tent-room last evening, Bro. M. G. Nasmith (jun.), Chief Ruler, presiding. The delegate attending the District meeting, Bro. A. Georgoson, gave in his report, and received the hearty thanks of the members. One new member was proposed and other routine business transacted. “ Grumbler ” writes :—To the Editor Times : Sir, —While being very pleased with the first-class work done on the Taruhcru bridge, let mo do a little grumble. There should be a rounded offplank temporarily put at the end of the swing where the asphalt ends. Vehicles get badly bumped, and the end of the asphalt is being worn down, so that it will become uneven when the swing is asphalted. Yesterday Auckland reported light southerly wind, overcast, smooth sea; Napier, calm, blue cloudy sky, moderate sea Castlepoint; New Plymouth, S.W. breeze, overcast, heavy sea Cape Egmont; Wellington, fresh N.W., overcast, smooth sea around coast; Hokitika, light SAV., blue cloudy sky, moderate sea; Christchurch, light S.W., blue sky, cloudy at Oamaru; Dunedin, N.N.E. breeze, blue sky, overcast at Invercargill, smooth sea southward to Bluff. “ Pelorus Jack,” the big white fish that haunts the French Pass, and lies in wait for passing steamers, swimming in front of each for a mile or two, has hitherto been considered unique in New Zealand

waters, but he now appears to have rivals on the West Coast of the North Island. Shortly after the Takapuna loft New Plymouth for Wellington on Tuesday, three white fish trade their appearance, and accompanied her south for the space of an hour, exhibiting all the mannerisms of their contemporary in the Sounds. The annual general meeting of the East Coast Mounted Rifles will he held in the drill shed on Saturday evening next, and from a casual look at the balance sheet we can state that the corps is in an exceedingly satisfactory position. Several matters of importance to the company will be discussed at the meeting, and a good deal of

interest is being taken in the election of two junior officers. There are. a few vacancies in the corps! and any intending members should send in their names to the officers or to the Sergt. Major,

An amusing case was heard at Hawera last week, when one native sued another .'or the return of £l, with os interest. L'he defendant suggested the formation of i Maori bank, and proceeded to collect subscriptions. The funds were to be used for paying for food for largo meetings for noth Maoris and Europeans, and also for using for loans for those who required them, including natives from other pahs, [f a man borrowed £L and repaid it within one month he was charged 2s for interest, os 6d for two months, or os for I three months. The interest went to the

bank, which belonged to the tribe. Defendant took account of the money as it was collected. There were also three clerks—himself and two others. When a loan was required, an application was made to the treasurer or one of the clerks, who then consulted together, and, if they agreed, the advance was made ou suitable security. The scheme worked well for a few days, the Maoris, fond of novelty, subscribed freely, and then the bank went “ on the burst,” aud the deposits of the subscribers were expended in grog.

“ Sundowner ” raises a quite unnecessnry scare about New Zealand in the i Field. He says that those acquainted with > the Hot Lakes district have been ex"wain: to hear of some serious disaster at i '" referring to the any moment. a,... -■ opening of a fresh geyser at R0t0mau...... “Sundowner” declares that the most alarming feature of the fresh activity in New Zealand is to be found in the reports of the Cheviot earthquake, “ from which it is apparent that the action has spread down as far as Canterbury in the heart of the South Island. Many will argue that the magnitude of the new geyser at Itotomahana will enable it to act as a sort of vent for the seismic pressure underneath, but seeing that the disturbances have now spread away from the North to the South Island, far beyond the regular zone of the hot springs district, this comforting theory cannot be thoroughly relied upon. There is no way of staving off or preventing these outbursts, and the only thing for the settlers to do is to keep well on the alert, and be ready to get as far away as j 1 possible from the impending danger at * short notice. Ever since thel’arawera upheaval in 1886 there have been continuous warnings, but these latest have been by far the most serious.”

Turanga Church Services, Sunday next.—lvaraka (with Holy Communion) 11, Ormond (with Holy Communion) 8, Wacrenga-q-kika 7.—Canon Fox.

At the end of hi; term of office a; Mover last year, Mr \V. i,M .v. of Christchurch, was asked to accept a preseuta tioti fiotu the citiaer.c. and to select a present in England, whence he was about Cu stai t. Mi Xteecc decided to have his and his wife's pot traits painted, and ac eoruuigly sat to a son of ijriton lii. iere, a famous aitUt. The portraits arrived last week, and have been hung in the local Alt Galierv.

Writing of the bush liras in the district, the Taranaki Herald comments on the destruction of thousands oi valuable trees. The timber and firewood reduced to ashes in one year alone would more than pay for the cost of a tramway to bring it to town. The day is not far distant. says tiie Her* aid, when we shall regret the wholesale waste of valuable timber. Even now the royalties for timber rights bring in good incomes to many. Une man has already received over 80s per acre—and probably there are others who have received more—and yet we allow thousands of acres of timber trees and firewood to be destroyed wholesale.

The building trade iu this district is at present very biisk, and, in addition to the several huge stiuctures under erection in the town, t’n-.-to are quite a number of •dwellings in the course of erection in tlusuburbs, as well as a number of large wooislic-ds. Messrs Maekreil and Colley have a large number of hands employed on their several wot Its. The chief buildings that the firm are erecting in tjvvn are the Argyll and Gisborne hotels, and it is expected that the latter will be completed next month. They are also erecting a large woolshed on the Huanui station, twenty-six miles from Te Karaka, to the order of the Kia Ora Sheepfarming Company, and a seven roomed dwellinghouse at Tiiuwliarepnrae, to the order of Mr C. J. lteeves. The Maraetuha School has just been completed, as well as a dwelling-house on the Wlnitaupoko for Mr J. O'Connor. With the great rush ot work at the present time, tile firm are to be complimented upon the expeditious manner in which they complete their contracts.

A change in the proprietorship of the Royal Hotel in Gladstone Road lias taken place, Mr J. R. Quinn, who is relinquishing the business on account of ill-liealth, being succeeded by Mr J. Martin, late of the Tokomuru Hotel. The house is one of the most popular in town, and under the able management of Mr Martin should continue in favor. The Royal, which is comparatively a new house, offers excellent accommodation to the travelling public. There are upwards of twenty bedrooms, all splendidly furnished, well lighted and ventilated, and the appointments in connection with the house are thoroughly up-to-date. The sitting rooms are nicely furnished, as also the dining room. An excellent feature in connection with the Royal Hotel is the wide passages and staircase, together with the largo hall downstairs, and it is a matter for regret that this style of building is not more generally adopted throughout the district. The billiard-room is one of the best in Gisborne, and contains one of Wright, Renish and Co.’s finest tables. First-class stabling accommodation is provided in connection with the hotel, as well as several good loose-boxes. There is also a fine paddock handy to the hotel. Visitors to Gisborne requiring accommodation can rely upon receiving every attention at the Royal.

Tho annual balance-sheet of the New Zealand Central District of the Independent Order of Reehabites, Salford Unity, which has just been issued, shows the total funds of the District and Tents to be ,627,777. The funeral fund of the District amounted to 1:6220 8s 2d, and the sick pay guarantee fuud ±lßsl 11s 9d, contingent fund ±lO5 15s 6d, benevolent fund ±193 18s 7d ; juvenile fund (funeral) £25 l'2s lOd, sick ±'27 8s Bd. The statistics of the Tents show that the Gisborne Tent has a membership of 47, with a sick fund of ±147 Is 9d, and a contingent fund of ±9 16s Bd. It

paid during tho year ±7 in sick pay. Though established in 1892 it is tho eighth on tho list as regards membership, and its juvenile branch, the Ballanee Tent, is the second largest juvenile Tent in tho district, having a membership of 26. The Star of New Zealand Tent, established last -July, has tho second largest membership of tho female Tents in the district, having a membership of 2-1. Its sick fund totals ±2 2s 2d, and its contingent fund ±3 10s 3d. One oilier feature of the statistics is that the Star of New Zealand Tent heads the list with the greatest number of honorary members of any Tent in the district, while the Gisborne Tent has tho most honorary members of any male Tent in the district.