Manawatu Herald. SATURDAY, AUG. 6, 1898. Tuesday Night's Meeting.

Manawatu Herald, 6 August 1898, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. SATURDAY, AUG. 6, 1898. Tuesday Night's Meeting.

The meeting convened by the M*yor for Tuesday night must be mado a successful one. There ia too mr.oh at stake to every inhabitant in this district to allow the occasion for urging that some prompt action be taken to preserve the flax fields on Mofcoa, to pass unheeded. We have only to picture the present financial position of the inhabitants with what that position is bound to b*, if, by he destruction of flax, the hands employed by the four hemp mills drawing flax from the Motoa estate were thrown out of work, to illustrate the great importance of our being all of one mind in pressing on the Government the acquiring of thpse flax areas from the Assets Board. We have before expressed our extreme regret that the Government who above all others have been loudest in the assertion of the interestin the workers, have not yet seen their way to assist even in this one small matter. The proposal is no new onf\ as last Spssion the Minister oflnndswas requested to do what wa« iKO?sary to conserve thi<« fl*x, hut ho excused bin indifference by asserting he needed a special Act to carry out the wishes of the petitioner?. Parliament, was then sitting and pvpry Bill the Government really desired passed was easily accomplished with their big battalion of supporters. It is then no wonder ♦Vmfc men a sk why a simple little Bill to achieve this object could not have bof-n put through. The evidence shows that tbo Government were wholly indiffprent to the rpquest made. It, is well known that, th° export* of hemp in 1889 amounted to 17.084 tons, and wao valued at £861,182, and in 1890. 21.158 ton* wpre exported valued at £881.789, h** next, year the valua wan £2R1.---514, and the next; £214.542, and in 1898 the value, had fallen to £219. 875 In 1894 the value was only £12,097. and in 1895 £14 658, and was £18,228 in 1896. The objec^ we have in quoting these figures is to show that though the mills were started when the price of "fibre was extremely high, still a certain few millers had the pluck to carry on during the times prices fell, thus benefitting labour more than they did themselves, and secured, what, wa<* a most important oonsicleraHon to the colony, a steady export of th'? fibre. This kept the manufacture s^eidily before thp London market and was thus a standing advertisement for the colony, that afc any time there happened to be a shortage ff Manila, New Zealand could quickly -t *p in and satisfy the demand. Wp hold that these millers deserve wel' f f the country and any little assistance it was possible for the Government to give, should have been given with pleasure and speedily. In this town two millers have always kept their mills running, taking their flax from the Mofcoa estate, and should the flax be dest.roy^d therpon, an industry worked by capab'e men with good plants, will be driven away, and just one more blow aimed at an industry which during the last eight years has brought in £1,498,---880 into the colony. In the year 1889 a Flax Commission reported in the favour of the Government of the day off ring £10.000 as a bonus for improved flux dressing machinery, ■n't w a hfive n ■■> doub 1 - i~ will yet ho fr sh in the minds of those interested in thi« industry how long ik took to jqnepz^ any bonu« out of the Go^ v- j rnmen% and how at last n paltry £1750 was voted—a sum utterly useless to obtain the point desired. On Tuesday night the object of the

meeting is not to a9k the Government for a money grant, or for anything that savours of charity or begging, but it is merely to seek their cooperation in a scheme which will react to the advantage of the Gov. rnment, the millers and the district. The very value of the flaxdressing business lies in its giving em pi )yment to working people who bavo no capital, and it thus prevents mill rs from purchasing land upon which flax grows. On the Motoa psta'a there is a large quantity of flax, and the difference between the millers and the Manager of the Assofcs Board, the owners of the sta-e if!, that the millers do not desire flax to be destroyed as they have for so many years bought it, and see their way clearly to keep on ' doing so, whilst the manager expresses a doubt as to the continuance of the flax trade, and prefers to have bis land in grass upon which he could keep sheep and cattle. What the millers and »J1 residents in this dig friot desire the Government to do is to settle the difficulty in a very simple way, either by purchasing or leasing this land from the Assets Board, and allow the millers to con 'inue, as they have been doing for over eight year?, to take the flax on ti'bfi^. Why Mi 3 Ghvprnm^n* aid i« invoked is thnfc by thnr machinery this land could easily be acquired from the Board, even if a special clause was needed. There wou'd be no harm done to any private individual, as the estate? fhe Company are in the market, and theiv onn be no personal feelio» in Mv> m fc~v ; the land is of pracHcally li- 'f vdie for gfaas growing where th P. •< now. is, as it is npon the lowesf- knl on the estate, and t.'mngh grass wauld ha good for a ypar or two, afterwards \t would becnm° covered wiih rushes. This sli'itpnynt <vn lie verified by, a visit to th* land. The estate would h° w.'U quit nf thisc land, a? a great deal of it is in tall fescue, a gras* positively injurious to stock on wet, 'and. It n also of importance that this land should pass out of poses sion of the Board before any private individual purchases it from the Assets Board, as he might think, like the. manager does, that grass would pay bettpr than flax, and then the act r.f taking land from a private person would be obnoxious to some, whereas dealing with a Board appointed to ge.t rid of these lands makes the matter wholly devoid of senlimpnt. The inhabitants have been advised to hold a meeting, in other words to kick up a row, and we can but endorse the advice. It appears that unless there is noise the Government cannot hear, thay are deaf, or at any rate they turn a deaf ear to quiet letters and petitions nicely worded, which we think is a pity, as it is not always the loudest talker that is really the most earnest. We have but to follow the fashion, we must make the Government; hear us, by making a nois9 in Foxton and hy sending a hi» deputation to make a noise in Wellington. What we are asking for is so just, so simple, and, for the Government, so profit nblo, that we ought to succeed, and we are bound to do all that in us lies to do so. We therefore call upon everyone, man, woman and bigger children to attend the m?fttinsr on Tuesday, so that it. can be indis putably shown to the Government 'hat this question i* one. held of the nimo't importance by every one in the district. We reiterate again that though the inhabitants are primarily concerned yet the business people in Wellington and the Shipping companies have very great stakes in the trade, and it would be a matter for very much regret if, owing to obstacles being thrown in the way of the millers of Foxfcon, the exports of hemp to London should caaofi altogether. An export of £12,000 a year may appear a small matter but it represents the maintenance of 100 families— which cannot be considered of no importance.

The Foxton Dramatic Club have put in rehearsal two pieces — " My Wife's Mother," a two-act comedy, in which the Misses Denham, H. Collins and Austin, and Messrs J. McQueen, T. Mitchell, G. Lamb and T. Betty take part — and a comedietta entitled " Second Floor Apartments," in which Mrs W. Cook, and Misses G. O'Brien and Hamsr, and Messrs W. Hamer, W. Purcell, A. Fraser and T. Betty have parts. Mr Gladstone used gesture with some freedon in debate, and when he was in good spirits and in thorough form his whole body became a part of the speech. He had a habit when he was in this mood of wrinkling up his face — and the face was so deeply lined that the effect was very comic, and the House always laughed with the old man, and perhaps laughed a little at him. When he was in a rage he would pull down his shirt-cuffs, and this was an especially impressive or laughable gesture when he was in evening dress. Public opinion, that is to say, is swinging round. Byron idolised and execrated almost simultaneously, and during the latter half of this century more severely visited by neglect and depreciation, is coming into his kingdon again says the "Argus." If so we are face to face with a phenomenon far more notable than the arrival of any number of the new geniuses who ate born weekly nowadays. The, prophecy of Matthew Arnold, uttered: during the darkest period of the Byron eclipse, recurs. By the century's end, he predicted, two only of the century's poets would he read Wordsworth and Byron. Partial fulfilment seems at hand.

The Manager of the Dresden Piano Co., Wellington, announces that Mr H. J. Fraser, the Company's representative and expert tuner, will hold in Foxton genuine sales of pianos and organs at prices and terms distinctly low for such high class instruments. The Dresden Piano Co. has the confidence of the musical public in New Zealand, which has been achieved by its fair and upright dealings. The excellent opportunity to select from a stock of bright new instruments at the sample rooms of Whyte's Hotel should not be missed.

The Queen of Denmark is seriously, ill, and the Princess of Wales has left for Copenhagen to see her mother. The feeling is growing throughout the United States against handing over the Philippine Islands to either the Spaniards or the rebels. The present time is very favourable to star-gazers. Soon after sunset (writes a contributor to a contemporary) Mercury is now conspicuous in the westerly horizon, and will be so for several nights to come. Venus and Jupiter are rapidly approaching each other, and will be in conjunction about the 2 1 st. Saturn in Scorpio can scarcely be mistaken, lying a few degrees to the north of the ruddy Antares. The four planets may therefore be seen at one view. It is stated that Dr Nansen has cleared thirty-eight thousand pounds from his book alone ; add to this the sums accuring from his lectures, and one has fairly comfortable total even for these days of multi-millionoires. " Farthest North" was translated into no less than seven different languages. In reply to a question in the House the other night the Premier said he would make enquiry into the efficiency of the bi-chloride of gold treatment for drunkenness as carried out at the Hagey Institute. Last session Mr Coleman Phillips presented a petition complaining of the conduct of the returning officer for the Wairarapa electorate (Mr Adam Armstrong), which has prevented him from being a candidate at the election. The report of the Public Petitions Committee on the subject was presented to the House yesterday as follows :— " In the opinion of the Committee the evidence goes to show that during the last general election the conduct of Mr Adam Armstrong, Returning Officer for the Electorate of Wairarapa, was irregular and improper. That the Committee thinks it is expedient that in future the Government should make careful enquiries before appointing Returning Officers. That the Committee recommends the Government to amend the Electoral Act Amendment Act, 1896, clause 15, with the view of definitely fixing the day and hour in which nominations for candidates for the House of Representatives shall close." — " Post." 'she American cruiser Columbia (7375 tons) has gone ashore at Ponce, on the south coast of Puerto Rico. Attention is directed to the advertisement of the Dresden Piano Cos. expert tuner, who has just arrived in Foxton. His address is Whyte's Hotel. The Manawatu " Times " says the advertisement inserted by the Manawatu Racing Club inviting applications for the position of caretaker of the course at a salary ot £z per week and free house elicited 120 replies from all parts of the North Island. The billet evidently is considered an advantageous one. The Ground Committee met last evening and classified the applications, and a final selection will probably be made on Saturday evening. The American cruiser Columbia, which went ashore at Ponce, on the coast, of Puerto Rico, has been refloated. 1 The Emperor has issued a proclamation referring to the late Prince Bismarck as a man whom God created as the instrument for the realisation of the immortal idea of Germany's unity and greatness. Messrs William Booth and T. G. Macarthy, the retiring directors, were unanimously re-elected at the annual meeting of the Bank of New Zealand on Thursday. " Nowadays the public did not think it an honour to serve the country in the Court — in fact, it was not thought to be a very great honour even to serve the country in the Legislature, where payment was made for service." The chief Justic on payment of jurors on Wednesday. The Banking Bill has passed through the committee of the House with, however, numerous amendments. Some fears were entertained (says the Melbourne Age) that, with the cessation of export of hemp from Manila, difficulties would arise in ensuring a good supply of binder twine for the coming harvest. It is therefore, satisfactory to be able to state that the manufacturers are utilising New Zealand flax, which it is found makes a twine only second in quality to that made from Manila hemp. No fears therefore, need be entertained that the supply available of binder twine will not be fully up to the demands, large as the latter are expected to be. On our front page will be seen an advertisement of Mr Loveday's notifying that he has decided to extend his clearing sale to the end of this month. With this issue we enclose an inset being a capital poster prepared by the Town Clerk about Tuesday's meeting. He has brought out all the points in dispute most forcibly and clearly. Mr Alf. Fraser has been appointed agent for the New Zealand Accident Insurance Company, and is now prepared to insure risks under " The Employer's Liability Act, and for all classes of accidents. Dr. Clarke, from Wellington, who is coming to Foxton for a few days on •business connected with the National Mutual Life Assurance Association, may be consulted privately on Monday next at Whyte's Hotel. Mr Joe Tos has the first rhubarb of the season at his shop to day.

Over three weeks ago Mr T. Westwood purchased four dairy-fed pigs from Mr George Hughes, and had them turned into bacon by W. Dimock and Co., of Wellington. The bacon is now on view, and it is a credit to the breeder, the meat being fat and streaky, the flesh firm. It should have a quick sale. Last night a lantern entertainment was given at the Methodist Schoolroom, to the children of the Band of Hope, which has only lately been started. The Rev W. WooUas worked the lantern and Mr T. Westwood read the story, which was " A Sister's Sacrifice." The story is a Gospel Temperance one, and though there were 40 slides shown they were all of a very high order. Owing to an accident to the condensing glass the pictures in the latter part were not so clear. There was, a good attendance of the Band of Hope children as well as a few of the public. The entertainment was over soon after nine, giving the children' time to get home early. uiP,