The Globe. MONDAY, MAY 20, 1878.

Globe, Volume IX, Issue 1300, 20 May 1878, Page 2

The Globe. MONDAY, MAY 20, 1878.

The Star of Friday last, in devoting upwards of a column of its space to tlio personal abuse of a member of the City Council, took occasion to refer to the Globe as that gentleman’s “ Cashel street echo.” Now small minds, incapable of understanding any motives but purely selfish ones, naturally enough conclude that others do exactly as they would in similar circumstances. Because the views expressed i» the Glope on a

particular question agree with those of a certain member of the City Council, our contemporary comes to the conclusion that wo have but echoed his sentiments. It is hardly worth pointing out that, if the Stars contention is true in this particular instance, that journal daily lays itself open to t he charge of being the echo of some one. But in hinting that our remarks on public questions are guided by personal influence, our contemporary brings forward a charge as unfounded as it is contemptible. There is an old proverb about persons who live in glass houses, which our contemporary would do well to learn and boar constantly in mind. The Star and the Lyttelton Times, as every body knows, are the property of a firm in which Mr. William Reeves and Mr. Thomas William Maude are partners. It is also in the recollection of most people that Mr. William Reeves was for a short time a member of the Fox-Yogol Ministry, holding the high sounding title of “ Resident Minister for the Middle Island,” and that Mr. Maude was his Secretary. During the time Mr. Reeves was a member of the Government the Lyttelton Times and Star wore warm supporters of the Ministry of the day, and lauded Sir Julius—then Mr.—Yogol to the skies as the saviour of the country. But when, after being out of office for a short time, Mr. Yogel returned to power, and on constructing his Ministry cruelly loft Mr. Reeves out in the cold, what a change took place! Road the articles of the days when the senior proprietor of the Lyttelton Times and Star was entitled to the prefix of “ Honorable,” and those which appeared soon after ho ceased to bo entitled to such a distinction. Wo do not for a moment assort, of course, that the events narrated above had any influence whatever on the changed views regarding Sir Julius Yogol expressed by our Gloucester street contemporaries. Their minds wore no doubt enlightened as to his true character and the nature of his policy, and the alteration of view was the result of sincere conviction. Wore the Star, however, commenting upon the facts wo have brought forward, he would bo sure to discover some personal motive for the change. How necessary it is, therefore, that our contemporary should abstain from the least appearance of servility, before ho accuses the Globe, or any other journal, of being the “ echo” of an individual.

A second Intercolonial Conference on the subject of the duplication of the cable connecting us with Europe has just concluded its sittings in Melbourne. The previous one hold in 1877 had the same subject under consideration, but its deliberations failed to bring about any practical result. So far as the one just concluded is concerned, judging from the brief telegram received, it has been decided to duplicate the cable from Singapore to Port Darwin and from Penang to Singapore. In arriving at the decision to duplicate the cable to Port Darwin, the Conference doubtless considered the one great argument advanced in its favour — viz., that if it should happen that either of the cables were out of order, it would not necessitate the employment of a separate repairing staff, hence expense would bo saved. The advantages of a duplicate cable have been so practically demonstrated by the failure of communication at the most critical times, that: scarcely any arguments are necessary in its favour.. But whilst the Conferencehave recognised this, and adopted means which, if carried out, will prevent tho repetition of annoying delays in future, they appear to have overlooked tho importance of tho duplication of the land lino to Port Darwin. Tho telegram informs us that nothing was done in this matter. Now the lino to Port Darwin passes through a wild, and what may be called inaccessible, country, in which hostile tribes of blacks reside. There is, therefore, every probability that a break occurring in the Port Darwin line, as was tho case not long ago, will take some time to repair, and that such breaks may occur at most inopportune times. Whilst duplicating the cable which brings the message to our shores, surely some precaution should bo taken to ensure freedom from delays caused by accidents to the land lino. It appears, also, that press rates to all the colonies, except New Zealand and Tasmania, are to be reduced one-fourth. Tho telegram gives us no information why this is so. It is proposed that wo shall pay our proportion of cost of tho duplication, based upon population, and why wo should be excluded entirely from all participation in a reduction of tariff seems somewhat inexplicable. From motives of economy, possibly tho Government of New Zealand did not think it worth while to send a representative, though certainly there could scarcely' be a subject which w r ould so nearly interest us. Our Government contented itself with representing its views in writing, tho weight of which may easily bo estimated. It is very probable that Now Zealand also will join tho malcontents, which, as reported by telegraph, are Queensland and Tasmania. The grievance of the former is probably that having constructed a lino northwards she was desirous of eeeing the duplicate cable start from Normanton, at the head of tho Gulf of Carpentaria, and that of the latter is, wo presume, not being included in the reduction of tariff. A few days will however bring us fuller intelligence, but so far as wo can at present judge, tho conclusions arrived at by the Conference of 1878, as far as New Zealand is concerned, will cause some slight discussion when brought before Parliament.