The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. GISBORNE, APRIL 28, 1902. KYABRAM.

Gisborne Times, Volume VII, Issue 401, 28 April 1902, Page 2

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. GISBORNE, APRIL 28, 1902. KYABRAM.

There are some people who think that small organisations arc insignificant. They, are inclined, if rot to cast ridicule upon, at leaSt. to i.eat lightly movements that have in them the germ of great accomplishments. 'J’lie keynote of this article may lave surprised some who have not keen keeping in toueli with recent colonial history. Kyabram is a little town in Victoria which a few months igo was hardly known beyond its own secluded circle. It made its mark by initiating a movement for the reform of the State of Victoria. The farmers of Kyabram discussed the situation. They realised that each year ilie burden of taxation, especially upon the producers, was increasing; they were aware that eacli year the earning power was being lessened, that the population of the State was stationary, and that trade was stagnant. They resolved upon a programme demanding Unit tlie number of the members of tile House be reduced from 05 to dfi, and of the Council from £8 to 23, while the number of Ministers should be reduced from 0 to 5, and that tiiere should be severe retrenchment in the cost of Parliamentary services and in the Civil Service. At first little heed was paid to the small ha/,id o! (fanners ; (hey were spoken of derisively as “those idiots of Kyabram.’’ But they persevered ; the influential morning journals took up the cause and showed among other things that tlie annual cost of the State Parliament could, without impairing its efficiency, he cut down from £111,0(10 to £50,000. It was further shown that while the. petty State Parliament had .05 members, the whole of Australia was represented in tlie Federal House by 75 members. Comparisons were made with America ; California, which is looked upon as the extravagant State of America, lias 80 Swmbers, receiving only 8 dollars per Hay for g, (50 days’ session and there w.hs no Hansard, while in Victoria Hansard costs' £3O Ipf ,every hour that Parliament sits and the .expeijse rjf the Government Printing office amounts to £60,000 a year. Steadily the roar of reform increased in intensity until at last tiie small voice from little Kyabram worked up a great storm to which tiie Government of Victoria, iwwfiVfif reluctantly, found it necessary to submit- Tlie whole countryis now united’as was 11 e,vep known to lie tiie ease before ; tlie 1 labor representatives, who looked askance at tlie farmers, have fallen into line, and there is every reason to believe that, the’ gijcafc movement initiated by tlie farmers of Kyabram wjli bp successful accomplishing a grand work toy Victoria.,

Turning to our /jjy.n .colony we may. also- take a lesson from the small town called Ivyabram-. At first there were some who sought to belittle the organisation of Farmers’ Unions. To/ifl.y it may fairly be claimed that the jFarnier;?’ Unions have taken a very iniportant place hi moulding the destinies of New 'Zeala'iid. The Trades’ ifeWlMi have had a big- innings. 1 Labor has great.ly profited'by Unionism, and lJe -“ caii'he no .doubt (Juit, unity is Wo politician of to-day strength. .. «. iw uJp ‘future who has any conu~. <. n)ortil nce will fait to recognise the ... _

of the Farmers’ Union. Recently was stated in Canterbury that the membership of these Unions now nr.mliered 2! 1,000, while Trades and Labor Unions have a membership of 18,000.. What the controlling bodies or the< Farmers' Unions have now to guard against is any trifling with principles. They should cautiously keep clear of party politics, excepting when party is brought into conflict with the right, ful interests of the farmers, and thenthere should be no kid-gloved political warfare, but the farmers should enter 'into the fray with a determination to stamp out the injustice. In past years the setting up of barriers between what may be termed the small and the big men of the farming community has prevented organisation to insist on the rights of the farmers being upheld. It is to be hoped there will be none of this disorganisation in tiie future.

A meeting of footballers in the City and Haiti districts will be held at the Masonic Hotel to-night for the election of officers. All footballers in these districts arc urged to attend. Yesterday a splendid lot of cattle arrived from the Coast for the Tarulieru Freezing Works. A mob of t'9 were from Mr G. G. White’s station, and were in charge of Mr J. Talbot. The other mob, 60, were from Mr Williams' station, and were in charge of Mr Bremner.

The funeral of the late Mr James Harris (son of Captain Harris), took place yesterday, and was- very largely attended. The funeral service was conducted by the Rev. J. G. Paterson, of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, and tiie burial service of the Star of Gisborne Lodge of Oddfellows, A C., was conducted by Bro. Peckover. A mass of beautiful wreaths had been sent by sympathising friends, file young man having been much respected by all who knew him. The deepest sympathy is felt for the relatives. The shipping combine will present

another obstacle in the way of the Gisborne water and drainage scheme, as it is likely to cause a further rise in tiie price of iron pipes. American wire and nails are. already costing Jos per ton more. According to American advices of March 1 it is not yet known whether tiie new freight rates announced there will hold, firm, bat it is now evident that the combination holds sway. The advance iu metals has increased the cost of corrugated iron, sheets, and wire.

On Saturday, Mr Barton, S.M., granted a prohibition order against Dugald Ferguson.

The monthly meeting of the Hospital Trustees will be held next Wednesday evening.

Messrs Williams and Kettle bare received orders from Sydney and Melbourne for 60 tons of linseed.

It is stated that tiie price of mutton must fail 5s per head at Sydney before shipping to England can be resumed at a profit.

One large grain grower in the Oamaru district is said to have lost by the continued rain no less a sum than ,£2OOO. The crop, which is in the stook, is said to be ruined.

The Civil Service is becoming increasingly popular as a lieid for women. Out of 300 junior Civil Service candidates for the colony at the last examination, 112 were girls.

At Broken Hill Police Court recently, a girl, aged 1-1 years, was charged with drunkenness, and was remanded for seven days. The girl’s guardian was fined £1 on a similar charge. Mr McLoughlin’s bridge contracts along the East Coast will he complotthis week. Travellers speak very highly of the way tlie work lias been done. A good deal of interest is being taken in the Road Board elections. The Whataupoko poll takes pjace on Friday next, and Kaiti and Ormond polls on Monday, May 5.

Captain Skinner’s new oil launch, obtained to facilitate tlie work of tlie schooner on tlie Coast, has been much admired in Gisborne.

At Messrs Wyllic and Mason’s mart on Saturday Mr J. Fitzgerald’s property on Whataupoko, section 11, Block Id, on which is erected a sevenroomed dwelling, was offered, hut passed in at £-100. On Saturday tiie directors of tlie Slieepfarmers’ Company considered the many applications lor tlie position of manager. The number was reduced to three, and a final decision wii! he made next Saturday. Tlie premises to he occupied by the London and. Berlin Piano Company and A. Eady and Co., are being thoroughly renovated under tiie supervision of Mr Gittos, and towards the end of the week will be fully stocked and ready for business....

To-night tlie annual meetings of householders for tiie election of School Committees are to he held throughout the district. The Board takes very little trouble to inform the householders of these meetings^ Taking tlie advice of Mr Whinray, a party of travellers, including a Tunes representative, left for a tour of tlie Motu last week. Other people hope to go out that way—when tlie railway is completed !

A business site in Peel street, opposite the Times office, was sold by Messrs Common, Shelton and Co. privately at a satisfactory figure on Saturday. A Palmerston road section, 20 perches, witli four-roomed cottage, was passed in at £lsoj

In addition to the cattle which arrived yesterday for tlie Taruheru Freezing Works, a lot more are en route.; About 200 are on the way down from Mr Macfarlane’s station, and should arrive towards the end of the week. Another mob number 25, from Mr Cotterell’s station.

Tlie C.C. and D. Company cabled cabled last week that tlie London mutton market remains unchanged, hut lamb lias declined one-eighth of a penny per lb.- Quotations are : Best

Canterbury mutton 3-Jd, best Napier, Wellington and North Island mutton 3fd. Lamb : First quality 5Jd, 2nd., 4-JdJ

A train which arrived at Lyttelton station at. 7.15 a.m. ran over a dog in the tunnel. As it was not known what the obstacle encountcd had been, an engine with a van and ambulance was sent back from Lyttelton, and this caused the train which should have left at 7.20 to be delayed till 8 a.m.

The Department of Agriculture bolieves the disease which is supposed to exist in the Southland potato crop to be macrosporiutn, the cure, or rather preventive, for which'is spraying with a mixture of 41b sulphate of copper, 41b fresh lime, 4oz Paris green, 31b common treacle, to 45 gallons of water. The mail steamer Ventura, which left Auckland for San Francisco on Saturday, took away a record number of passengers. The saloon accommodation was full, as well as the second saloon and steerage. During the few preceding days, booking in the second saloon had to be closed, on account of the large number of passengers offering. The Poverty Bay exhibitors at the Hawke’s Bay Show were:—J'. Atkins, Patutahi; J. H. Colebourne, Kaiti; W. K. Chambers, llepongaere : G. Dunleavy, Matawhero; J. Puyuter, Xe Karaka ; M. J. Joblin: W. Hutchinson, Puhatikotiko, G. J. Parker, l’e Aral; W. F. Stephenson, Matawhero; JG. Cameron, Toanga ; T. Saddler, Patutahi; and it. T. Lewis. The exhibits attracied'ihiicli attention. A correspondent writes : —“ Might I ask through your paper a question that has been discussed by a number of iate in view of the elections on Monday ? Should having a personal interest in a school prevent a man from standing for the membership on Monday ?” Out: correspondent lias not explained what he mean's by personal interest, if be means relationship with teachers, as is sometimes set forth as an obstacle to nomi/uiti.cHi, Vp thjiik that np fair‘man would pay any heed tu it, unless jt bp

;; , ' the candidate would make thought -. notation. Every improper use of tile , - . , Iln ' parent who lias a child at a school a personal interest in it, and 'it is very desirable that the parents of children attending a school should offer their services on the committees.

A message from Rotorua on Thursday states :—The most severe thunderstorm felt here for many years was experienced last night, when there was vivid forked lightning, accompanied by terrific peals of thunder. , The concussion was so severe as to shake houses. The thunder at certain times was continuous for ten minutes. The storm was accompanied by a sharp shock of earthquake. The Wairoa geyser was soaped on Sunday, and gave one of the finest exhibitions witnessed for many mouths. The geyser commenced to play about 10 minutes after the soap was introduced, and it shot up over 100 ft, with a great roar. The duration at that height was short, but it continued playing at a lesser height for about an hour and a-half. There was a magnificent display of geyser action at Whakarewarewa on Tuesday. Pohutu geyser had been quiet for two days? but early in the morning the Feather geyser commenced to play much higher than usual, and later the Waikorohihi geyser showed more than usual activity, and finally Pohutu went up with a magnificent burst, and continued playing for two or three hours. A Wellington telegram states :—lt is | calculated that the slip of the town clerk, which allowed the claims for compensation for land taken at the “ Byko ’’corner to go unchallenged within ihe statutory time, will, under the decision of the Privy Council, cost the city corporation altogether a clear £SOOO above what it would have had to pay had the claims been brought before the Compensation Court in the ordinary way. Theiand was taken for widening Willis street, and belongs to four daughters of the late Mr Sehultze. Something under .£4OOO was paid to one I claimant, who settled without any dispute, i Another daughter got £SOOO through the claim being allowed to go bv default, and the owners got the remaining two quarter shares, whose claim also was allowed to go by default. They divide £12,000 between them. The Corporation has to pay the costs of the proceedings in the local Courts, as well as those before the Privy Council, which will probably run to about £3OOO. The expensive error made in this case has probably expedited the proposals for the reorganisation of the Corporation staff, under which the present town clerk becomes the city treasurer, and a new clerk is to bo appointed at £SOO a year

The mail steamer from San Francisco is due in Auckland to-day.

A conference of State Premiers will beheld at Sydney cm May 15th to discuss a number of important and interesting questions. At Wellington the other morning upwards of a hundred dozen flounders were sold at 2s -id per bundle of three.

Farmers from South Taieri to Clinton have been badly hit this year. The crops are rotting on the ground. Fortunately some portions of the province have escaped. On the Waimea Plains and the greater part of Southland a fine yield has been safely harvested.

While a member of of the Hawthorn Ladies’ Benevolent Society, Victoria, was on her way to the bank with £9 7s, which she was about to pay in to the credit of the Society, the bag containing the money was snatched from her hand by a thief, who escaped. At Bundaberg, Queensland, Jonathan Linedell. an engineer connected with a steam riding gallery was about to start his engine for the last ride of the day, when the boiler exploded, and he was thrown some 60ft in the air and fell some 50yds away. His injuries were terrible, and he died in the hospital the following morning. No one else was injured.

The Southern Standard states that the Pomahaka school has been closed for some time, despite the efforts of the Committee. A woman will not look at Pomahaka, while a man comes and puts a few days in, and then he leaves disgusted.

Our Auckland correspondent telegraphs : —“ Dr Pomare, Native Health Officer, arrived here from Wellington yesterday. The Native doctor will he detained in Auckland for a few days. This, week’s Observer announces the engagement, of Dr. Pomare to Miss, W’oodbine-Johnson, of Gisborne. The marriage is to to take place in Gisborne in a couple of months’ time. Their home is to be in Wellington.” Mr Alfred Bond presided over the meeting held at Ormond under the auspices of the Farmers’ Union. An address on dairying matters was delivered by Mr Cuddie, the Government expert: Various Union matters were discussed. A branch of the Union was formed, and the following provisional committee were elected : Messrs A. Bond as Chairman, W. Graham secretary, and Messrs Caesar, Acland Hood, and Benson. At Tilba Tilba, Now South Wales, a young man named Herbert Livingstone, farmer, was cutting a fallen tree, when the axe, gliding oil a limb, out one of his feet. Three toes were almost severed. The sufferer was removed to the Bega hospital for treatment. Livingstone’s father, when proceeding for a doctor, jumped on a barebacked horse', which bolted down a hill, throwing Livingstone into a creek and rendering him unconscious. An employee was then despatched, and, on arriving at the doctor’s gate, a dog rushed out. The horse threw the rider, Matthew McKenzie, against a fence, and he was severely bruise I and cut about the face.

The Noxious Weeds Act is causing farmers a good deal of extra work (says the Norfolk Road correspondent of the Taranaki Herald), but if it succeeds in putting down the ragwort and blackberry pests it will be worm more than all the money and labor it is costing just now. It is astonishing what amount of ground one ragwort plant can cover if it is allowed to seed. It is no use putting killweed on ragwort once it is in flower, nor is it any use pulling it up and hanging it up to dry, as many do, for the stem contains sufficient nutriment to ripen the seed long after the plant has been pulled up, or been sprayed with kilhvood. The only sure thing is to burn every flower that can be seen. Even then the thing spreads by means of its root fibres. Writing on the prospects of the Southland oat crop, the Invercargill Times says it is a subject of general conversation that the excellent prices ruling for oats this season will substantially benefit the revenue of the farming population. The amount of the grain may, perhaps, be estimated with more approximate accuracy than by a guess at a hazard. A fair forecast of the traffic for the approaching season would be 600,000 sacks of four bushels, or 2,400,000 bushels. The price which has prevailed during late years has averaged Is 3d, while this season the average at the lowest has been 2s. A simple sum will show that an advance of 9d per bushel on 2,400,000 bushels is equivalent to an aggregate increase of £90,000 in the value of the crop. It would not be overbold to reckon that the rise in the value of oats will return £IOO,OOO to the farmers of Southland this year, a sum which should very largely compensate for the depression in the wool market at sale time. The two Natives arrested in connection with the robbery at Awanui were brought before Messrs Jackson, Ludbrook, and Boyd, J.P.’s. Hotene Pororurangi, 15 years of age, was also arrainged, but it appeared that he was taken to watch. Accused were defended by Mr A. T. Ngata, who, after hearing the evidence for the prosecution, entered a plea of guilty. The witnesses called were Messrs Geo. Kirk, Thomas Reedy, Etenry Walworth, and Miss Luke. The three accused were committed for trial. They made a statement that they left Tuparoa, where they had been playing billiards, between seven and eight in the evening ; they rode to Awanui, and tied up their horses on the beach about twenty yards from the store. They went along to the store, broke open the door, and carried out the safe bodily. They then rolled it along tq where it was'found on (he beach. 'Going back to the storp, they obtained axes, broke open the safe, and emptied the contents into a bag which they had brought with them. They then rode away 1!1 to a M aori settlement. On their way they threw the books into a swamp, where they were afterwards recovered by Constable Taare Terata and Detective Nixon. The books were found complete, although soaked with water. Prisoners tore up the cheque-book. The statement detailed what each man did with his share of the proceeds. Of the amount Gfolen (between £6O and £7O), about £4O in cash ijnd cfi'eqqesi was recovered. The balance had been spent by the burglars.