Manawatu Herald THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 1899. Political.

Manawatu Herald, 6 April 1899, Page 2

Manawatu Herald THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 1899. Political.

♦ It will be only a few months before our readers will have enough, and perhaps much more than enough ot political reading. It is well therefore to be in time to remind settlers both o; their duty to see that they are enrolled as electors, and to carefully study the line in politics they deem best for the future of the colony as a whole, and afterwards, the best for the district they reside in. We have had the excellent points, as well as what are bad, of the present Ministry brought very prominently before us, and, at last, we are being informed of the views the Opposition are said to be agreed upon. We trust all that may be said on both sides will be studied and that a choice will be made from individual selection rather than made at the dictate of either Party. Our present representative will, we expect, be seeking a return, and it cannot be denied that as regards local works and private local wants, he has done his best to represent them to those whose duty it was to attend to them, and nearly always successfully. Whether he will be returned lies much in the Party feeling that may rule, and the trouble that he is an out and out supporter of the present government may be much to his disadvantage. But no other member has been able to show the same fortunate results to his representations that Mr Stevens has. We understand that the Opposition, with but little regard they pay to the local feeling of a district, intend to thrust a gentleman who resides out of the district, and who, since last election has never paid us a visit, again as a candidate. Nothing could be more suicidal in their case, and it appears almost as a contemptuous act, as there must be two or three men living in the district better fitted for the position than the Party's chosen one. We have heard it said that Mr John Davies of Wirokino would be willing, if requested, to represent ManawatU

in the Opposition interest and he holds enough acres to qualify him from that party's standpoint. Indeed we, knowing Mr Davies well, believe he would have an excellent chance of success, if he devoted the energy he possesses into the battle as well as he does in o his own private affairs. It is also said that there are others in the district who could be induced to try their tortune it started with a fair promise >f support. We would rather have a rncuibcr residing m the district thou^a differing frpm him in politics, than have one of our own views who might be practically an absentee, and we know there are many of the like opinion.

An advertiser wants to buy young fowls. We have to thank Mr Monynihan for a complimentary ticket for the races to be held at Shannon to-day. Mr Allan Strang when leaving with the polo team will not return to the district till about Xmas as he and Mrs Strang will visit England from Melbourne. . Mr John Harris so long identified with this town has, after much journeying to and thro returned to his old shop where he hopes his past customers and friends will give him a calL Mr P. F. Tancred, the well-known racehorse owner and farmer at Taracdiii, recently dug out no fewer than 410 potatoes of all sizes from under one stem, and secured a potato-top which when measured, proved to be 7ft 7^m in length, at his place in the Wairarapa. Sergeant Wilson, of Palmerston Nortn, has been appointed, sub-in-spector of the police force. At the Hawera Court, Judge Kettle made scathing reference to the increase of unreliable evidence given in the law courts. The amount of false statements he had to sit and listen to at times almost made his hair stand on end. The railway revenue for the financial year which ended on Friday is expected to exceed the estimate of £1,370,000 by over £90,000. The expenditure for the year was estimated at £916,000, and this, it is believed, has oeen slightly exceeded. The losses w.iich the Department will sustain over the Rakaia disaster will be c.iarged to the current year's account. A bill has been introduced in the Missouri, U.S.A., legislature making it a misdomeanor, punishable by a fine, for widows and maidens to reject an offer of marriage from a widower or bachelor. I ispector Emerson died at Napier on Monday night, aged 73. The other day we paid, with others, an unexpected visit to Mother Aubert's Orphanage at Jerusalem on the Wans;anni river. There is no doubt that the building is kept scrupulously claan, and the children also. There were 47 little ones then at the Home. We saw the class rooms and the dormitories, and everything was open to the closest inspection. Earl Clanwilliam, Admiral of the Fleet, is socially the most exalted officer,, apart from royalties, in the navy. He entered the navy 53 years igo,. and in 1857 nearly lost his life at Canton. His eldest son and heir, Lcrd Gillford, who narrowly escaped death when the Victoria was run down, is one of the smartest of our naval lieutenants. We understand that the Town Band was asked to play at the Sports on Monday, but as it was not by moonlight they did not see their way, or from some other equally excellent reason. We had been led to believe that the idea of supporting a Town Band was that they would be so useful on an occassion like the Sports. Perhaps the bandmaster would like to explain the reason that the public were denied the privilege of listening to the music of the band. President Kruger was welcomed at Johannesburg. In addressing a gathering of 5000 people he said the Government of the Transvaal discriminated only between loyalty and disloyalty. There must be no bigamy, he said, on the part of Outlanders, and newcomers must forswear the old country if they Jesired burghership in the new land. The petitioners to the Queen, he said, where those who wished to come under mother Government; but they were fishing in troubled waters, and were impeding th 3 reforms. If they were loyal the full franchise to them would not long be delayed. Major Marchand, the officer noted as the leader of the expedition which sought to establish Fi - ench power on the Upper Nile a few months ago,, and came into collision with the British at Fashoda, is now getting near the coast of the Gulf of Aden in the course >t his retirement from the Nile basin through Abyssinia. The French cruiser D'Assas, a vessel of 4000 tons and 9500 horse-power, has been ordered :o Jibutil, on the Gulf of Aden, for the purpose of bringing him home to France. In recognition of his efforts in the course of the expedition, Major Marchand has been gazetted a Com.nander of the Legion of Honour. Anyone travelling up the Wanganui river in the summer time receive the information with astonishment that the sea-going steamer the " Gundagai" lad steamed up to Pipiriki. When last at Wanganui we mentioned that .ye had heard this stated, but the ;>erson to whom we had narrated the yarn very strongly doubted the fact, nore especially as he knew the river thoroughly. We then put the question to leading W-mganni citizens and they all expressed their belief but only from what they had been told. At last Mr i". D. Cummins, an old volunteer of /ears back said he would m.ke it his ousiness to find out, and courteously las sent us the following :— ' Major Brassey, who was in command of the >eleagured garrison at Pipiriki about t364 tells me that the "Gundagai" reached Pipiriki on one occasion. This is absolutely correct." There is nothing like being certain and we thank Mr Cummins for the trouble he has taken,

The death is announced of Baroness Maurice Hirsch. She was the richest widow in the world, her income being £'1500 per day. A tennis match between the local Club and a combined team from Bulls and Rangitikei will be played on the Foxton courts on Saturday next. The visitors should arrive r.bout 10 o'clock, and play will probably commence at 10.30. The public are invited to wit-nc-.s th? c >n f ■•>•!. The Selection Committee met last night and selected the following to represent Foxt~>n : — Misses Purcell, M. Collins, O'Brien, H. Collins and Young; Messrs W. Cook, Hamer, Furrie and C. Austin. Emergencies — Mrs Stewart and C. Robinson. To-day Mr Whitehead, our local photographer, brought round the views he took of the sports on Easter Monday at Victoria Park. The work has been well done, and shows that Mr Whitehead is a capital photographer, every detail having been brought out sharp and clear. There are five views, and purchasers are requested to apply early.