The Socialist Reeves.

Manawatu Herald, 12 February 1895, Page 2

The Socialist Reeves.

« Thb Sydney Telegraph in its report of a gathering at Leigh House, says : — " The chairman read an apology for non-attendance from Mr W. P. Beeves, the New Zealand Minister of Labour, who stated that he wished it to be known that he was a straight-out Socialist." The present Government claim that they are engaged in a great experiment of State Socialism to raise the status of the people, to make them happier, better, more prosperous, less toil-ridden than their fellows elsewhere. Socialism is not sooial-reform :— it claims to be social revolution. It seeks to revolutionise society by political means, by the power of the State. Socialists believe in the possibility of making men good and happy by Acts of Parliament. " Socialism " said Mr Bradlaugh, " denies individual property, and affirms that Society, organized as the State, should own all wealth, direct all labour, and compel the equal distribution of all produce." The Government, for the present, limits its dislike to "individual private property " to property in land, and has expressed the necessity for the destruction of land monopoly ; but Socialism goes further, and deems that the State should appropriate wealth of individuals in order to secure the equal distribution of all produce. Professor Flint, LL.D. states that Socialism has been defined as any theory of social organization which sacrifices the legitimate liberties of individuals to the will or interests of the community ; but that extreme Socialism demands that no individual shall be allowed to be a Capitalist, or a proprietor, a drawer of interest or taker of rent, or entitled even to have a wife or children to himself. Socialist Reeves and his fellow thinkers in the Ministry have set the ball of Socialism rolling. He would be a farseeing man who could safely prophecy where it will stop.

Very heavy rain fell in Wellington on Sunday and made a minature flood, Lambton Quay, for a time being knee-deep in water. A girl named Alice Muir took a quantity of match heads as a means towards leaving this world, at the Panama hotel, Wellington on Sunday morning. Fortunately it was found out in time and she was taken to the hospital. She is pronounced out of danger. At Moscow, in 1810 quicksilver was frozen hard. Vivian Nickalls, of the Oxford University Boating Club is the Champion Amateur Scnller of England. During the billiard season of last year, John Roberts beat the record by a spotbarred break of 1392. The weather in England is reported cold. In 1861, 1874, and 1881 very severe frosts were recorded. On the 22nd February 1855 fires were made on the ice on the Serpentine water in Hyde Park. The extremes of heat and cold are found to produce the same perceptions on the skin, and when mercury is frozen forty degrees below zero, the sensation is the same as touching redhot iron. There are 109 regiments of the Line in the English Army, and a Rifle Brigade. The first regiment used to be known as the Boyal Scots, and the 109 th the 2nd Battalion of the Leinster regiment. The French Government purchased the cattle by the Gulf of Bothina at 7sd lb. dead weight. It is said that the Railway Department has revoked the concession previously in force for the conveyance of polo ponies by rail. Our polo clubs will have to join the tanks of the unemployed when their representations will be differently viewed. The Shaw, Savill and Albion Cos. new cargo steamer Aotea has sailed from London. She has insulated holds capable of storing 1000,000 frozen sheep. The Tariff Commission, by the casting vote of the chairman, decided on excluding the press from their proceedings. Long live liberty, and all the other virtues of a Liberal Government. It is evident that the Premier is discovering the real state of the country. When it was pointed out to him that many young boilermakers were out of employment, he said it was not the only trade that was in this condition. Most tru» O Premier. Yesterday was an unlucky day for the coach proprietors. Mr Keith's coach was drawn op at the Post Office and the mails were taken on board, when one of the pair decided to step in on the proceeding, and put its foot upon the pole, causing a division in that useful portion of the vehicle. With some little labour, more art, and, perhaps language, the pole was mended, and another start proposed. In this case an illustration of an old proverb was given, as the driver proposed and the horse disposed—of the pole again, by laying down upon it. The carriage of mails by wheel vehiole had to be abandoned for that day, and they were taken on horseback to Shannon. After a few years careful running to the railway Mr Stansell met with an accident to his coach at the Levin station. Just coming out of the railway yards one wheel came off, and the coach capsized into a pool of water, and the passengers descended most hastily into it. Mr Startup, we regret to say, was pinned under the wheel, and the coach had to be lifted before he could be removed from his moist position. His feet were rather hurt. Luckily the other passengers, and there were a good I many, Mr Rhodes being amongst the num- ' ber, got off without damage' It was discovered that the accident arose from the cap to the wheel having come off. Matters were soon put right and the coach only arrived a little late.

The Queen of the South Wok a number of passengers on Saturday night, who relished the idea of visiting Wellington via Pioton. Sir John Hall has moved at the Anglican General Synod the second reading of the Bill to give women votes at parish meetings by amending clause 10, canon V., table B, with the proviso that this should not confer the right to be elected as a member of any synod. The debate was adjourned. The committee of the Foxton Boeing Club met last night and arranged to hold another race-meeting on Wednesday 24th April. The programme as drawn up, was agreed to, and will be sent to the Metropolitan Club for approval. The time for'tenders being sent in for cleaning drains on the Motoa estate is extended to Saturday. Contractors will be ahown over the work on Friday morning. A tornado was experienced at Peak Hill, 272 miles west of Sydney, and was accompanied by a tremendous downpour of rain. Many houses had their roofs torn off, and great damage was done to property and stores, besides which some of the mines were flooded. After the storm had passed away an old woman named O'Brien was found drowned in one of the streets. The Wellington boilermakers told Mr Seddon that the trade had been languishing for years. The reason does not seem hard to find, as Mr Seddon pointed out that in the last two or three contracts for boilers let by the Government the prices quoted by Wellington contractors were 30 per cent. — in some instances nearly 50 per cent. — higher than the tenders from boilermakers in other parts of the country. In London and other large towns there are millions of particles of dust per oubio inch. The Atlantio air has only 71 particles, Highland air 141, and the Mediterranean air 891. The annual report of the Chief Commissioners of Police shows that during last year no less than 12,833 new houses were built in London, 101 new streets made, of the aggregate length of 17 miles 1,291 yards. The number of new houses that have been built in the area the metropolitan police cover since 1849 down to last year is 572,830, whilst the new streets and squares formed is 11,888, the length of the new street i aud squares being 1,986 miles 1,171 yards.