Impending Crisis.

Manawatu Herald, 4 November 1897, Page 2

Impending Crisis.

Any man who attempts to do good to his country merits, as a rule, the best wishes of his fellow men, but at times even the best natured persons ; find it hard to accept certain pro posals for the developement of a district in the serious light the | proposer would desire. Public bene- { factors have always one consolation, though a poor one, to fall back upon, and that is, that some of the cleverest inventions have been held up to ridicule when first suggested. In our midst we number a patriot < f this description, one whom the floods have dispossed of some land if of nothing else, which is seriously open to question He, it appears, has decided that the only way floods in the Maoawatu are to be overcome is by taking action in deepening and straightening the river. This would be all very well if the cost and the means of carrying the work out, was found to be of an ordinary and pecuniarily practical character. We regret for the ultimate success of the scheme that the promoter's proposals hardly come under the above de scription, as though desiring to achieve such an ond, the possible effect of such action on the lower settler?, as well as the means whereby such a work might ba carried out, show a want of sufficient consideration. We wouldnot have published the matter were it not a fact that the machine whereby such a scheme was to be executed had been patented. The inventor must have had it fqreed upon him that the project of deepening and straightening the Manawatu was one not likely to find favour with the settlers, for many reasons not now of value to specify, and he thus determined upon an engine that is to do its work whether such meets with the approval of others or not. He thus proposes the building of a strange vessel in the upper waters of the river in something of tha shape of a punt, which is to be provided with wondrous machinery of the nature of a plough, thirty feet wide and we oannot say how deep. Be expects, when this engine is built, that it will be moored in the centre of the river and made fast to the bed, and when a flood comeß he will hoist a sail, and with the combined strength of rushing waters and a strong gale plough the course he will, (when ? ) map out as the new bed. He expects no obstacles will bar him, and that he will be carried from the start to the finish on the wave of the flood and success. There appears to be a great many reasons to authorise one in predicting anything but success, or that the inventor will do more than cause his [ own death by drowning, but that '

such a scheme should have been patented seems to show that there is danger from water in other places than on the earth,

The universal speaking of the English language was shown the other day when the King of Siam visited Paris. There the President of the French Republic addressed to the King eome words of welcome in the English language. At New Plymouth on Monday 91 Natives were eonvioUd for trespassing on land occupied by Europeans, and ploughing thereon, near Waihi, and sentenced to two I months' imprisonment, and were also ordered to find a surety of £25 each to keep i the peace for 12 months. The late storms on the French coast are reported to have destroyed over thirty millions of dyster'sv "tie have to thank the Registrar-General for the N.Z. Official Year-book for 1897. Of little avail. The Porte has informed the Powers that it objects to the appointment of Colonel Sohaeffer, of the Grand Duchy of Luxemburg, as Governor of Crete. A strike in the cotton trade is imminent. Recently the federated master cottonspinners granted the operatives a fortnight in which to consider the proposed reduction of 5 per cent, in their wages. The Operatives' Association has now decided td reject the reduetiOm The Post says Messrs Pronse Bros, are bringing matai timber all the way from Dannevirko to their mill at Levin, and " dressing " it for the Wellington market! Mr Hawkins' mare Reality by Somnus, was sold at Messrs Abraham and Williams yards on Saturday for £18. Mr E. T\ Hooley's representative at P.ekin telegraphs that a contract for the construction of certain lineß of railway in China has been accepted. A Norwegian expedition has been organised to relieve Herr Atidre'ei s*ho recently departed to reacSh the North Pole by means of a balloon. It will sail immediately for Tromso, Spitzbergen. The expedition is provisioned for six months. The Standard learns that Mr fl. Wilson of Selwyn's College, Danedinj will be ordained shortly befdre Christmas and will then be appointed Curate at Palmerston. Herbert Allandale, who is serving a sentence of 10 years, which ha received at Wellington, escaped from the hard labour gang at Lyltelton on Tuesday afternoon. The House on Tuesday commenced the consideration of the estimates. Mr Arbort who lately commenced baking again in lown has sold oat to Mr J. Walls, who has removed into Mr Arbon's shop. This morning the river was bank high at Moutoa and if any more water oomes down it will be over the Moutoa Estate again. The water is over the road now three feet deep. The Manawalu County Council invite tenders for certain works, Mr George Adams, many year3 ago a resident of this town, and afterwards of Feilding, has returned and taken up his residence in the building next to Messrs WaUh and Howan. We regret to learn that Mr Adams has not been in good heal'h, in fact he has been lately living in Wellington with a view of getting restored, but finds, as- all who know this district, do, that Foxton is the healthiest place in the colony. An amusing instance of a misapprehension of a term occurred in a police court in the East End of London, when a costermonger's wife sued her dressmaker for the cost of a violet velvet gown, alleged to have been spoilt. During the proceeding, she appealed to the oourt to bring forward the official dressmaker to decide as to whether the dress fitted. On being told that there was no such person attached to the police court she was unfeignedly amazed. She had heard of " Court dressmakers," but she could not conceive their use if it was not to attend and decide oases of this kind. Wtih reference to the alleged deterioration of Australian horses sent to India, Mr Bruoe, chief inspector of stock in New South Wales, considers that racing as now oonducted has a good deal to answer for. If horses were compelled to oarry a decent weight, and be at least 15 hands high, and two year-old raoing be done away with, it would be possible to obtain useful horses. So far as racing is concerned, the Inspector considers that it is not needed for the improvement of the breed of horses— that the racehorse of to-day is not milch good, while pony racing has a still worse effect in lowering the standard of the useful horse?.

The movement for getting the Jews back to Jerusalem will not succeed. To begin with, there are precious few Jews who, whatever sentimental feelings they may. have about the land whioh their raoe onoe possessed, would at all like to live in the Palestine of the nineteenth century. More than all they are not pastoral people, and how folk don't care about farming of any sort could live in Palestine I don't know. By taking in one another's washing, I suppose. One of the most enthusiastic supporters of the idea'of restoring the Jews to the Holy Land called onoe upon a gr^at Jew —a very great Jew indeed— and tried to inoculate him with the notion. "My friend," said the groat Jew, " which would you rather be— King of the Jews in Jerusalem, or Jew of the Sings in London ?"

In this issue will be found the full programme of the Summer Meeting of the Foxton Racing Club. We have previously given the particulars of the events. Permission has been received by the Secretary for the use of the Totalisator.

Not exactly to be called " light-fingered gentry." The Post says :— Thefts of building materials have been very frequent in Wellington of late. Half a ton of galvanised iron was stolen a week or two ago from an allotment in Te Aro, and 2000ft of timber from another. Fully a dozen similar robberies are stated to have ooourred during the past three months. In one case two coppers, whioh had just been ereoted in a new out-house, were abstraoted, and in another a kitohen range was taken away.

Mr Spier3 has commenoed getting the timber ready for the erection of Messrs Hennessy'a new grain store.

The Marton school committee have resigned in a body and have explained to the Board that the step was necessitated by the capitation not oovering their expenses. We wonder in how many districts does the capitation meet the expenses? The local committee has to devise many ways of raising extra funds, and we think parents should all lend a hand in all places.

The Advocate says as tolerably conclusive evidence of the strength of the gale which blew on Saturday, it may be mentioned that the iron roof of a cart bouse, belonging to Mr W. James, of the Upper District, and weighing over a ton, was lifted off and carried nearly two chains, and dashed against another building.

Mr. J. E. Stansell notifies that at the request of the electors he will be a oandi-** date at the forthcoming Mayoral election.

A meeting of the School Committed was held this rriorning, when two exemption certificates were granted to parents far their children not attending school owirig to sickness. The Committee desire parents to remember that these applications must be made to the chairman immediately the cause arises for seeking exemption, otherwise, in future, exemptions will not be granted.

Mr Langdon, the Manager of the Mbtda Estate) has accepted the following* tenders for ploughing the 150 acres advertised for in our columns :— J. Julian, C. Nelson, and Dunn, fifty acres each, .

We have received an advance oopy of the Christmas Supplement of the Canterbury TirAet. It .is on a distinctly novel basis td most stippiemeiits isstiea at this festiae season, as it is as named "a romanoe of civilisation,' 1 being an interesting account of the colonising of 'this colony. The illustrations are very : interesting, especially the Maori incidents, and on that aoceuht they will be highly prised by the dwellers in the Old Country. It is not necessary to do more than draw attention to the most interesting of the views, one being that of John Rutherford the "white chief," a sailor who was saved from a slaughter of a crew, tattooed, and who lived with the natives for ten. years. The monument of Te Whero Whero'd daughter i« a fine eianiple of Maori carving', whiUt the portrait of the Chief of the Ngapnhi showß plainly the wonderful tattooeing of his face. The title page is something quite new and in keeping with the contents. The publishers are to be congratulated on their efforts to produce something new and interesting!

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