THE Hawke's Bay Times. Nullius addictus jurare in verba magistri FRIDAY, 14th NOVEMBER, 1873.

Hawke's Bay Times, Issue 1525, 14 November 1873, Page 14

THE Hawke's Bay Times. Nullius addictus jurare in verba magistri FRIDAY, 14th NOVEMBER, 1873.

Articles of luxury, properly so palled? were imported into this Colony from other parts of the world during the year 1872, to the amount of a million and a half sterling, as appears from the declared values given by importers to the Customs authorities. This fact is very pggestiYO of the power possessed by

tlie Colony to foster its own internal 'resources if so disposed. very largfls proportion—it is impossible to say-bow large—of the imported articles could be :produced within tlie Colony itself, to the manifest advantage, of the people, because our own raw material could be .utilized,' and all expenses connected with the double sea voyage, and Customs duties at cither end would be saved. The raw material for the production of. very much of these at present foreign manufactured articles exists in abundance at'our very hands, or is, as in the case of wool and skins, a constantly increasing product. The forests of the Colony contain timber for the manufacture of furniture, unsurpassed by the produce of any portion of the globe ; iron, and its necessary companion, coal, are to be obtained in quantities practically unlimited ; a portion of the produce of the New Zealand .gold fields could with advantage be turned to account in the production of most of its jewellery ; while for paper, which figures very largely in various forms in our imports, we have raw material in abundance. It appears, then, that New Zealand is really under no actual need to depend on foreign neighbors for much of its consumption in coal, iron, machinery, clothing, furniture, jewellery, &c, &c, but lias ample resources within itself for the supply of much of its need in these respects. There is something cheering as regards the future prospects of the Colony in hearing of the success that has already attended such efforts as have been made in the establishment of Colonial manufactures and industries. The woollen works at Nelson and in Otago are examples in point; the satisfactory manufacture of marketable iron and steel, from the Taranaki sand, as well as from ores obtained in various other parts of the Islands, also speaks well for the future of the Colony, Nor can the prospects of the flax industry be considered doubtful, if only the manufacture of the marketable commodity were conducted in the Colony, as well as that of the raw material; and there are now several promisiug indications of action in this direction. The successful working of the coal mines at AVcstport, is another fact of a highly satisfactory nature. It is now becoming daily more clearly evident that, if the Colony is to prosper, its own internal resources must be turned to account. The fictitious prosperity attendant on the profuse expenditure of the borrowed millions cannot, in the nature of things last long, and will be followed by a corresponding period of depression, when, the capital being gone, the annually recurring charges must be met. When this period arrives, it will not be practicable for the people of the' Colony to send a million and a half sterling per annum away to foreign parts for mere luxuries, most of which they have the means of producing themselves for their own consumption. It will bo well if measures are taken for their production before tlie period of reaction arrives.

It is now some considerable time since wo have heard anything of that sapient body, the. Auckland " Colonists' Protection League," and wc should

have supposed it to have been numbered with the things that were, but for an item iii our telegraphic summary of last night. The telegram, which is some-

what obscure, informs us that having conferred with the Chairman of the Highway Board, this association resolved to recommend to the Government the encouragement of local manufactures, and the imposition of a protective tariff, as measures essentially necessary to secure employment to imml- - The second recommendation embodies the perfection of absurdity. The Colony is better without such feeble and precarious industries as require the cratch of " protective duties" for their support; experience having shown that the soundest and most flourishing industries that have arisen in our midst are those which have had no such assistance. Regarding the unemployed immigrants, the difficulty is—at the present time, at all events—a local one; and is merely a sign that there is " something rotten in the state " of Auckland. No such complaints have yet been heard in this Province; and in the same telegraphic summary which contains the dismal lament of the " League," we find a Duuedin item to the effect that the supply of immigrants in that Province is still short of the demand. Old fallacies, however, are with difficulty extirpated: like imported weeds, they spring up with fresh vigor in a new soil—of which fact the "Colonists' Protection League" affords us a remarkable instance.

That' obnoxious class commonly known in these colonics as " larrikins," has a number of representatives in the

town of Napier, and at intervals, for weeks past, they have employed their midnight hours in various pleasantries, such as carrying off signboards, removing builders' materials, takinggates off their; 'hinges,'"and similar vagaries. These .intelligent youths appear to have ; \ a special objection to the Athenaeum! and have beencarrying on a system of annoyances against the inmates of that establishment. A few nights ago the flower garden was entered and despoiled ; large stones have been thrown against the building, one of the windows having thus been broken, and other offences have.been committed. As yet these midnight depredators have succeeded in evading the police; but we trust we shall see them at an early date before our worthy Resident Magistrate, who will do well to make an example of offenders of this description, when an opportunity occurs. • .

It is in contemplation to form a cricket club in the village of Waipukurau. Some ol the leading settlers in the neighborhood have taken the matter "p, and' a meeting was to be held last evening to take the subject into consideration. ::'.

Two civil cases came before the Resident Magistrate on Tuesday. Brogden and Sons v. F. Smith.—Claim of £l9 3s Gd, passage money, &c. Defendant admitted liability, but said he had never been applied to for payment; he had given a promissory note, which was not yet due, for the amount. —Adjourned till the following day, to allow of a settlement between the parties. Neagle v. Antonio. —Claim of £7 10s 3d. Plaintiff stated that defendant had ordered him to furnish supplies to men engaged in rafting timber, making himself liable for the payment. Defendant denied this, and disputed the claim in toto. —After hearing the evidence, the Resident Magistrate gave judgment for the full amount claimed, with 9s costs. On Wednesday, the adjourned case of Rrogden and Sons v. Smith was called. The parties appeared, having been unable to agree, and judgment was given for the amount claimed, with costs, 19s —£4 to be paid at once, and the balance in monthly instalments of £l. One man, charged with drunkenness, was dismissed with a caution. There were no cases yesterday. It is scarcely necessary to direct special attention to onr telegraphic column, but we may observe that our summary this morning, which includes English, Australian, and Interprovincial news, contains more than the average amount ©f items of interest.

Our English; telegrams record the death, in the nineteenth year of his reign, of King John of Saxony. The deceased monarch was born on the 12th December, 1801, and had consequently nearly completed the 72nd year of his age.

The committee of the Auckland Mechanics Institute have resolved to hold, during the Christmas holidays, an industrial and fine arts exhibition, the proceeds of which it is intended to apply to building class-rooms, and carrying on the technical classes which have been already successfully begun, in connexion with that institution. They invite co-operation, cither by the loan of articles for exhibition (of which every care will be taken) or by donations in aid of the necessary expenditure. Such is the tenor of a circular which we have received from the Secretary, Mr ¥. J. Moss.