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Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 19, Issue 1467, 29 October 1872, Page 2

The New Zealand Herald, Oct. 23, gay S : —There are seven vessels loading with timber for OUigo and Canterbury, and two for Melbourne. Without rain the present absorption of logs will enhance the value of sawn, and it will be a bad lookout for all during the summer months.

The secretary of the Nelson Acclimatisation Society has written to the secretary of the society in San Francisco, requesting to be supplied with salmon and sea trout ova at the end of the present year, which will be the suitable season for sending trout ova to New Zealand.

An extraordinary panic has lately prevailed, and had a severely depressing effect upon the market far breadstuff* in ; Melbourne, caused by news from California. A telegram sent to. Sydney was t : Q this effect:—"The harvest is the largest ever known." But the hope is expressed by the MelVpuvne Journal of

Commerce that before many days "a better feeling will prevail." The figures as given, however, if correct, will not fail to affect the price of flour and grain. It is expected that equal to from 400,000 to 500,000 tons of wheat will be shipped from San Francisco to Meh bourne within the next twelve months; and the tonnage known to be on the way to that port is* set down at the enormous figure of 15 8,219. Kef. • rring to the above, the Otago Daily Times says :—" As our relations are intimate with both ports, and we are regulated to a considerable degree by our near and influential neighbor, it were impassible to avoid being affected in the same way, and in a relative degree, with Australia."

The Superintendent of Canterbury is to lay the foundation stone of a German Protestant Church, in Christchurch, on the 6th November. The Thames Advertiser, 21st inst. says :—William Phillips, who was so severely injured by falling iron plates in Messrs. Motrin's store, under circumstances described in our Saturday's issue, expired yesterday from the injuries sustained. His recovery was from the first hopeless, as besides paralysis which ensued from the injuries to the spine, there were doubtless severe internal injuries from the pressure of the iron against the diest. Phillips had been for several years in the employ of Mr Seager, engineer, by whom he was much respected as a steady workman and good tradesman. Tn the August number of Colburn's United Service Magazine is an able article on mastless sea-going ironclads. Glancing at the reasons for anticipating that the mastless type will prove sue cessful at sen, the writer observes :.- "After the Devastation has been tried, probably in the autumn of this year, the question will be set at rest; but there need, we think, bo little fear of anything but a satisfactory result. From the estimates of her initial stability or ' metacentric height,' and its comparison with the corresponding values in very steady ships like the Monarch and Hercules, it appears prac tically certain that she will also prove a remarkably steady gun platform, enabling her guns to be fought wi'h accuracy even in heavy weather. No comparison can be made between this type and the American monitors, al though it has been much the fashion to argue from the supposed steadiness and good behaviour at sea of the Mian tonomoh an J Monad nock that the. Thun derer and Devastation would also behave well. Nor should it be lost sight of that while American monitors have made ocean voyages they have done so under convoy, and with their turrets so caulked up and blockaded to keep the water out that it would have been impossible for them to have fought, even if the necessity had arisen. In short, the American type is essentially fitted for fighting in smooth *ater, when the lowness of their decks and the nearness to the water of their guns is not objectionable, but rather advantageous. On the contrary, our breastwork ships are essentially fitted for sea service, and for fighting in the heaviest weather— their guns being carried above high water, and their turrets always remaining in working order ready for immediate action. ]t appears most desirable that our armour fleet should include both mastless and rigged ironclads, the one kind being complementary to the other, and the development of each requiring continuous and skilled application on the part of our designers so long as it shall be considered desirable to continue the use oi armour-plating on war ships. The recommendation of the Committee on Designs as to the discontinuance of the construction of first-rate rigged ironclads appears unwise in view of the policy followed by other naval powers, and the necessity for efficiently protecting our world-wide commerce, and our numerous trans-marine possessions. Their scheme for local centres of naval power from which mastless ships could operate has been shown to be imprac ticable without great changes and vast expenditure, besides being doubtful as a question of policy. Under present conditions to take their advice would be to throw the protection of our commerce mainly upon small ironclads and

The unprecedented /high summer price of coal in England is attractingmuch attention from the public and the press. In the Times a short time ago,, "A Midland Coalmaster" showed to.--what cause this alarming increase of charge for coal, and consequent rise of: the prices of iron and other manufactures, is attributable. Amongst them,, some may perhaps deem it surprising to find the drink traffic enumerated. But let them see what the Midland. Coalmaster says upon this head :—-" We are all now raising oar prices, owing to. the impossibility of supplying half our orders on hand, and this at a time of year when generally we are either working half time or stacking coals to, meet the winter demand, and I will venture to say that there will not be an ounce of spare coal on any pit-ban <v at Michael mas r when the winter tradeis generally supposed to begin. I leave your readers to judge of the probable effect of this on winter prices. The main cause of it all is the continual shortening of the hours of labor, and; consequent diminution of amounting to from 10 to 12 J per cent for every hour so. taken off; and even where the shoit hour system is conceded there is the utmost difficulty to, get the men to work out the stipulated time. The worst of it is, however thevery injurious effect that is being produced on the men. The requirements, their families being far below the present high wages, they diink away thesurplus, and numbers are found tho : day alter pay lying about the roads, ami fields in a state of the short hours giving them more time to* frequent the innumerable pothouses, besides instilling habits of idleness which it will be difficult, if not impossible, to get them out of whenever tradeis slacker.

We take the following from the. British Trade Journal, August:—Weie any one asked what is the most, patent and undeniable fact of the day, he would probably answer—at least,., he could with perfect safety—that it is. onr immense prosperity. We no longer talk of its growth or its progress. The fittest words Mr Gladstone could; find; to express its pace the other day were, its "strides" audits "bounds." It. advances by no measured, speed, but suddenly flies ahead of our tardy observation. It, is not confined to-us happy neuuals, or to our victorious neighbors;, the conquered have even more than, their share of it. The Exchanges of the three great Empires ace thronged, with eager crowds only too anxious to. lend at a moderate interest the savings of industry and thrift. Capital, which rather hid itself during the late war, and ts proverbially sensitive and shy, overflows like the accumulated' waters, of a reservoir which has once burst its. bounds. But in one language or another the same fact is expressed by all; classes. Enterprise is rushing, into, schemes of which it can only be said that they are as good as any other kind of gambling, and that if you wish to. play double or quits now is your time. Luxury and enjoyment and ostentation are surpassing themselves. Labor seizes the opportunity for pressing its old demands. Since there is so much; money, it asks for a fairer distribution; since'the world is enjoying itself, it. asks for more rest. Everybody is discovering that he can no longer go on without something enjoyed by his. neighbors, but hitherto denied to his scanty means. Better houses, more servants, prettier drawing rooms, healthier localities, seaside holidays, continental trips, firstclass schools,, good entertainments, brilliant receptions, are the still-growing aspirations or claims of those who have accomplished the lower rounds of the social; ladder, and find that not to rise is to go down. Everybody joins the race;, everybody sets every inch of sail; everybody adjusts his plans; to his. hopes; everybody expects that which he desires. In all this, we see a unk versal testimony to the fact of unexampled prosperity. It is discounted so, to, speak; and, upon the credit of resources which can never be exhausted, and a momentum which will never have a check, all the world is drawing on the future. The testimony is the same, though the language is various,