Manawatu Herald. SATURDAY, MARCH 4, 1905. NEW ZEALAND TO DAY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 3492, 4 March 1905, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. SATURDAY, MARCH 4, 1905. NEW ZEALAND TO DAY.

In the “ Review of Reviews” appears a summary of an article contributed by Mr Edward Trkoear, who is dose cribed as Secretary for Labour in the “ Commonwealth ” of New Zealand, to the “ Arena” on the subject of “ How New Zealand is solving the problem of popular government; After epitomising the Various statutes which illustrate the course of present legislation the writer expresses an opinion that in New Zealand 11 Nature itself has a democratic tendency,” and that “if New Zealanders are democratic, to the influence of locality and environment I hey inay owe rilore than they yet acknowledged’” theoretically, be says, the possession of the country by a class of hardy yeomen tilling their own fields, approached the ideal. But war, bad times, and seasons of depression threw hundreds and hundreds of such farmes into the grip of the banks and private money* lenders, and the proud freeholders became a phantom. Outside credit was bad, the people were emigrating, “ financial institutions tottering, and ♦he Government had to descend to that last resource df incompetent politicians, a levy upon its own civil servants.” But “ fortunately at the psychological moment a disaster affecting the workers in towns gave the spark which kindled the cleaning fires. A widely extended strike, involving thousands of persons in its disastrous failure, broke the power of the trade unions, and ruined their finances ; so it was decided, almost as if by inspiration. that some new method, some vital icorganisation of political and social affairs, was necessary, and was to lie attempted. A new Ministry came into power,” and relief followed immediately, in the shape of the abolition of the property tax, taxing land mines improvements, the institution of the graduated land tax, and the advances to settlers scheme. To relieve the “earth hunger” which had become apparent the Government resumed large estates and cut them up for settlement, In the towns and in all avenues of labour disputes are minimised by the operation of the Arbitration Act, but the article does not relate how overworked is the court which is the medium of the act’s application, nor is mention made of how delicate is often the balance between industrial peace and the real old-time strike, with all its terrors—not really for the workers, but for thousands of helpless and innocent sufferers—and ail for the riding of a hobby horse almost to its death. Mr Tregear concludes : “ The prosperity of the colony is not to be attributed to the labour laws, nor to commercial enterprise, but to all three directed in unison for the public good. It is : the government by the people for the people.’ ” There is just one little thing that must rise in the mind of any reflective person reading this article. Mr Edward Tregear is, all will admit, well qualified to write on such a subject ; but as a civil servant, we have always understood, he should be debarred from discussing in the press any matter which might by anv means seem of a political nature. Not so long ago a member of the public service was practically hundled'out of his position because lie was connected with a political body which, unfortunately for him, happened to be working in opposition to certain existing authorities. The article under revitf\v cannot be considered in any other light than as an advocacy of the cause of the powers that be, and while there continues the wholesome rule regarding civil servants and (he press its publication should not have been permissible.

An advertiser desires to bear of some one willing to adopt a little child. A parcel of books, picked up in the street, awaits an owner at the Herald office. Members of the Foxton Rifle Club are reminded of a meeting to be held on Tuesday evening at the Post Office Hotel. Captain Edwin telegraphed at noon to-day : “ Moderate to strong Westerly winds, glass rise, tides good, sea moderate.” A meeting of the committee of the Manawatu Rowfng Club was called for Thursday evening to consider a report • s to tresspass on the club’s nron°rty by non-members, but owing to one of the members whose presence was necessary being absent, the meeting was allowed to lapse. Another meet ing is called for next Thursday, at 8 p.m., in the secretary’s office. Very disquieting rumours, according to the “ Taranaki News,” are afloat as to the state of the New Plymouth Exhibition finances. It is said that the deficit amounts to over £BOO, which amount is being added to daily. The day after the “ News” published this information the guarantors of the Exhibition received notice to pay up 50 per cent, of their guarantee. The “ News ” says it is informed that it is oossible that the actual amount re quired may be something less than ffiat asked for, hut that some fun might be realised before the final clearing up. And this is after a surplus of £3OO to £4OO had been contemplated by the managing committee. Messrs Dalgety and Company, Limited, Wellington, have received the following cablegram dated Ist March, 1605:—“The quantity of new arrivals to be included in the third and fourth series of wool sales in London is limited to 150,000 bales each. The quantity of new wool to be admitted to the fifth and sixth series of the sales is not limited, and all arrivals up to within eight days of the ooeni n g of the sales will be admitted. The following 'are the dates of our own safer.: \fa--ch Sib. March 14. and March 22nd. The tallow market is nominally unchanged, but weak,”

Part of Himatangi No. 2, 100 or 200 acres, is advertised 10 let.

Reports from dairying districts show that the weather continues very dry and supplies of milk ate decreasing; A meeting is being held in Palmerston to ; day to consider, the proposed cstablislirilont of a produce exchange there.

The New Zeal and Loan and Mercantile Agency Co., notifies entries for for the Himatangi stock sale on Monday; n.h inst:

At Wellington on Thursday Alice Maude Milbourne (nee Maude Beatty) was granted a divorce from John Ashbridge Milbourne The local Literary and Debating Society meets on Monday evening at 7.30 p.m. in Mr R. Moore’s office, to open the session for 1905.

Ligbtfingered gentry are operating in W . iganui. A sum of £25 was re moved a d iy or two ago from a boardinghouse bedroom, and other losses are reported. Mr Paul Ciirfofd was In town to'day arranging ior the appearance of the Kellman Company at the Public Hall on Wednesday night. A real good entertainment is promised.

Reports received in New Plymouth state that destructive bush fires have occurred in the country north of the Mokau and Awakino aivers, a lot of damage being cone to various properties.

A man named Joseph Hall, an em : ployee of the Tonloana freezing Works, was rim over by a train at the Tomoana station on Thursday evening and killed. No one witnessed the accident.

According to expert evidence given in a case at the Rangiora Magistrate’s Court, the cost of keeping a' sheep dog on a farm is from id to ad per week, and his value to the farmer from £2 to £3The Southland Hospital Trust received no fewer than 17 applications (three from outside the district) for the two vacant positions on the probationary staff. The salary for each was £’ls per annum. Ihe lonic, which sailed from Wellington on Thursday for London, took 44,031 boxes of butter and 5,594 of Cheese, There are two steamers yet to sail, the Rimutaka and Athenic, before the season’s shipments close. At the next hearing of the Flaxbourne compensation case, T. Crosse, of Hastings, Hawke’s Bay, will be the assessor for the Government, and G. Anderson, ot Christchurch, assessor for the owners of the estate.

At Yarmouth (England) a number of the townspeople have formed an All-the-year round Bathers’ Club. This New Year they bathed during a violent snowstorm The father of the club has bathed daily through thirtysix winters.

A bite from a katipo spider dangerously poisoned a resident at Karaka Bay, Wellington, about three weeks ago. An operation had to be performed to avert fatal effects. It is feared that the patient’s recovery will be very slow.

The proprietor of the Herald desires business people of Foxton, and residents generally, to note that job printing is now undertaken at this office, and patrons may rely upon get ting work done promptly and at reasonable charges.

At the Supreme Court sittings at Palmerston two youths, Joseph Nirman and Walter Baker, were found guilty of arson and Feilding, and remanded for sentence. G. Coley, on a charge of obscene language, was sentenced to a month’s imprisonment. The Defence Department has decided that there are to be two camps in the Wellington volunteer district during Easter week—one for the East Coast and the other for the West Coast. The sites have not yet been selected. Arrangements are being made for a sham light in each district. The Government is paying to A. and J. W. Harding, £93-369. for the purchase of the Mount Vernon estate. Hawke’s Bay; and to James Smith and Sons, £79,300, for the Greenfield esstate, Otago. These sums are as fixed by the Land Purchase Board for the properties acquired for closer settle meut.

The officers of the Rimutaka, which arrived at Wellington from London re cently. reported having observed three large sun spots during the passage accross from Capetown. The largest spot was estimated to measure about one-thirtieth of the measure of the sun’s di;c, and was visible for about five days. The following are extracts from the “Diary of Leading and Misleading Events of 1904,” published by London “ Punch,” May 28th It is officially denied that the Czar intends to go to the front. The Japanese have already got far, and it is feared that they might get a Little Father. August 12 : Heir to the Russian Thrown born. Cried when he heard who he was. Evidence before the N avigation Commission at Sydney revealed some extraordinary conditions under which the coal lumpers of Sydney labour. The secretary o( their Union affirmed that the men frequently worked twenty hours at a stretch, with the exception ot three hours for meals and smoko-o. This, he explained, was enforced by the employers, who objected to the men ceasing their labours during the unloading of a vessel. Naturally, the Commission was surprised at the statement, and closely cross-examined the witness. Ho- explained that this arrangement had been compelled by owners or agents since the lumpers two years ago filed a case for hearing before the ' Arbitration Court. The employers wished to show the Court how much the men earned a shift. For twenty hours’ work, a man would earn 30s. But the coal-lumping calling appears to be a somewhat hungry one, for the witness said that there were 700 men engaged where 400 could do a!' the work oa offer. Con-sc([-i .vit.lv. the; v;ecwiy viruiugc averaged only 19s uh .

The ceremony of investing the Sparrow wLb lier commission under • the New Zealmd flag took place at Sydney on Tuesday. The colony’s Colours were hoisted and saluted, and the vessel was formally handed over to Captain Post, RUSSIA’S POLICY OF DEFENCE. An article in the “ Russ, ' eiuly in January, dcalingwiththcnew positions created by the fall of Port Arthur, MutesTo attack the Japanese icduilX'S dri enormous superiority in forces. 'Phis us it j apwese trap ready laid for ns. When we have 500,000 soldiers the Japanese will have 550,000 acting on the defensive. The distance limits the number of troops that we can bring to the theatre of war. Then let ns renounce this, perilous c’ompciion. The Japanese can always bring niure troops and provisions by onehalf than wc can do. , At the same time, we have the possibility, e\cu if we cannot send at once the same number as the Japanese, of sending five soldiers to one in the comae of (irne. Let us then decide for a defensive policy cin land while preparing for an attack on sea. Then w& snail lie acting in accordance with the natural advantages of our position. THE ETHICS OF KISSING. A discovery which cannot foil to be profoundly interesting and gratifying to a large section ofnlari-(dnd woman)kind has been made, according to the London “Daily Telegraph.” by a French physician; A little time ago we were imlildated with professedly authoritative statements ifo to the unhealthiness of kissing. The horrid words “germ” and “microbe” were freely bandied about, and it was boldly declared that kissing was about the best, or worst, method of disseminating disease that could be imagined. All these gloomy and uncomfortable the-, ories, however, are now put to flight by the welcome announcement by the afore-mentioned doctor that_ so far from being harmful, kissing is a remarkably wholesome and healthful process. Kisses carry microbes, he admits; so much the better, tor it is the beneficent and not the evil microbes that get exchanged in kissing and good microbes are not only a useful but an essential element to health. Kissing is, in fact, an instinctive therapeutic process, and is especially good for digestion. Though this view of kissing may seem to ultrasentimentalists a little over-practical, there is no doubt that the discovery will he welcomed by the world at large. “Just one more ; remember that our health depends upon it,” the youth will murmur to the maiden, and the argument ought to be irresistible. STEAM TO WEST OF ENGLAND PORTS. . Mr W. I. Nathan, of the firm of Messrs W. M. Bannatyne and Co., who has been on an extended trip to the Old Country, was asked by an “ Evening Post ” representative if he had made any inquiries _as to the working of the steam service between New Zealand and West of England ports, which has been about nine months in operation. “ The impression at Home,” he replied, “ seems to be that it is not going to be a success —that it will not be permanent. But that is a matter I am not able to speak on from actual experience, as I did not visit anv of the West Coast ports. But I gathered the views of merchants and others in the course of conversation. Perishable products, for instance, destined for West Coast ports have first of all to go from New Zealand to Australia; thence to South African ports, and so 011 to England. The journey is so long that it must tend to deteriorate the perishable goods sent by that line. With respect to outward freights from the West Coast ports, the vessels load at Glasgow, Liverpool, and possibly one or two other porls. Then they go on to Australian ports, and eventually to New Zealand, but the voyage to this colony is so long that it is questionable whether it is much quicker than by a smart sailer. In fact, I heard on the way out from Home that a sailing vessel recently arrived in New Zealand from Liverpool almost as soon as a steamer which left about the same time.”

THE “REVIEW OF REVIEWS.’

The “ Review of Reviews for Australasia ” for February is one of the finest numbers of that up-to-date magazine yet issued. That Australia is able to' supply much interesting material for magazine articles has been evident from the very fine series the “ Review ” has published during the last twelve months. This month we are treated to an interesting, informing. and well-illustrated article on the Sugar Industry in Queensland by Major Boyd, editor of the “Queensland Agricultural Journal." This alone would have made a prominent feature of the purely Australian section, but a second article upon “ Hop,” of the “ Sydney "Bulletin ” (Mr Livingston Hopkins), by Mr A. G. Stephens, of the “ Bulletin ” editorial stall, makes the February issue an unique one. The article on “Hop” is the first authoritative one which has been issued upon Australia’s premier comic artist. It is extremely interesting, and will become historic." It is splendidly illustrated with characteristic specimens of “Hop's” work. Mr W/ T. Stead continues his Impressions of the Theatre, and the cream of the London Punch illustrations is given under special arrangements with the proprietors. A very fine description is also given of the wonderful revival in Wales. Mr W. T. Stead has paid a visit to the Principality, and has recorded his impressions m a most readable way. The “ Review’s ” Bookshop, (giving in a chatty way a review of the month’s best books), the caricatures of the month, the diary of the month, the glance which is given ol the best articles in the world’s best magazines, and the histoi-y of the month, help to make up one of the brightest and most informing maganines. It compares very favourably with regard to matter and production with, the best magazines of its kind anywhere, It is profusely illustrated.