TOPICS OF TALK.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 202, 10 January 1873, Page 4

TOPICS OF TALK.

' There is a law, binding on the different Colonies, making it compulsory on their Governments to impose the wanie tariff charges, on all imports, whether from a neighboring Colony, (Treat Britain, or any foreign country. That is not stated quite correctly : for New Zealand alone, through a probable oversight in the framing of her Constitution,'has such a power, which, however, is 'practically .useless-—for, so long as JVe.r,neiglibors, cannot reciprocate. ; fcy, \ }o^.ej-ing \ the/ 'ta riff ou New ■ -Zealand-goods, Viift.oltfvio'usiy could not • alone ; . open her ports free to the im--1 ,( ' porta ft'onr'other Colonies: In 1871, the ■' ''•' youth" -Australian, Parliament passed an Act givhig.the Governor, with.the consent of the Executive Council, ■'• power to enter into agreements with the Governments of the different Australian Colonies, for. tse purpose of admitting all Colonial produce (except spirits and tobacco) into any Colonial ■ port-froo of duty, or at/such charges as ' • might be mutually agreed upon. This Act was styled " The Intercolonial Free Trade Act." In the.same year, the Victorian Government entered, into negotiation with, the Secretary of State to effect a similar purpose —not, however, in their correspondence, evidencing anything like such statesmanlike opinion?! as those adduced by the South Australian Government.. These powers sought by the Australian Colonies w:*rognm!od to the. British dependencies in North America in 1868, even to the extent of including the United States 'in partnership on the same term*. The objection urged by the Imperial Government is, that such a p.ivvcr would enable the Colonies to impose tariffs, that would;be adverse to British Trade, and-would-greatly - favor protectionist principles; By far the most masterly ■ document " yet •evolved out of tile last year's "correspondence ou'-.this "question,' 'IV.Is come IVom the pen-of the New Zealand Colonial Treasurer, and contains a complete, refutation-'of Lord Kiraberley's argument-., showing why the' I'mperial consent .should not be given.' - Vfe do not care to go ves-y f;.ir into deLi:!-', wh'eh are dry enough, but as tin's is' a m-'tteivihat will constantly crop [vr> at the sitting of the Postal Conference, at Sydney, it. is just as Avell to know at rate, what is meant by " Interpol nihil 1-tcci pro city " !

It is refreshing, at a time when the clergy, as a rJkj, are so singularly reticent; on all matters agitated in and out of their churches, to read a vigorous, manly protest —aurh as that made by Dr. Yaughan, in ?S[-. -Tamds Chapel 't'uyal. .Even allowing- for the innuenfcial position the Master* of the Temple holds in the Oliurcii of" England, still his words are hold as well as wise. -Speaking in .reference to the Atbanasian Creed, so long a aoro subject in Wughmd, and one on which many battles have been fought, and still, remain to be fought, in trie houses of Convocation, he said : --" Believing every- word of the doctrine; attached by long use to the sound ; ready tomorrow (as of old lime) to subscribe to its sense ; loving its musical cadence as I have listened to it again and again in the Cathedral, Church, and Temple; I yet »ay, and I dare to say it with these true cautions and reservations, that the damnatory parts of the A.t.haniisian Creed (if the Church of England is to stand) are themselves condemned —condemned not more by the sense of intelligent, churchmen fcuan' by some of the Church's wisest and most elo- ■ quoiifc bishops—and that I believe the • peace of the Church to be vitally in- . teres: to ..I. in the. speed inoss, us well. A3 the thoroughness, of the excision."•-' It in, perhaps, difficult for many hero to un f 'ers.tand the fooling on this point in English Episcopalian circles. We know sufficient, however, to recognise cordially the brave utterance we Tiave heivi quoted. ' .Perhaps even narrower ciiv'c;;-. may clraik.a. moral from ibis, ,Y. not altogether, unrequired;';i'rV"'other matters. / "■. , •.''"' ' ' ''"■*":'

Jh h because attraction is required for a fail*'face, and therefore^repGllant force, is', elsewhere, that , ladies'i/uvk'e such' guys of themselves—- .. i.e., as'fn'Nns. flip bock of 1 , the head is

concerned. ' Ladies are very properly shown to front seats at-entertainments, &c, consequently it always liappens to as, who. are modestly inclined, to get what we must call a retrospective view. Now, what do wo behold?. The false back of a gold ear-ring ; the steel ribs of an indescribable bonnet; the rolled sausage-like cud of for a guess we should say. a touching memorial of a • decapitated Communist; and only too often, a dirty bit of trimming that, having done duty in front for a time, is now degraded to the back. Keally, if the ladies were to consider their bacTc-cjct-up with one half the attention expended on their front, the total result mh.rht he. if. not pleasing,' at least .not ridiculous.-

Perhaps one of the most exhaustive enquiries held during the last session of t'h3 was upon the sale of land in large blocks without competition, as specially shown in the'sale to Messrs. Cargill and Anderson. . This Committee examined Mr. J.-C Mr. Donald iteid, the Hon. Captain Eraser, Mr.' Anderson, Mr. W". Fraser (Dunstan), Mr! Bradshaw, Mr. Shepherd, Mr. liallenstein, and several other gentlemen—orally and by telegraph. • -Mr. .'Do'iaid KeidV evidence is particularly suggestive just now, when light, from whatever quarter, is desirable, on the late proposed sale to Mr. Campbell. Mr. lieid's real.opinions should be, if possible, understood, when the Province is on the eve of another of these fatally, useless—so futile, and yet so expensive—Provincial Councils, and when there can be very little doubt but what the Peid party will at once' foist their apostle to the- helm, quite irrespe -live of whatever policy i:-he Tohnie-Turnbull faction may-put forth. Mr. Ivcid said, on being questioned, that; ----" when land is of a purely pa«?i>rai character, .md held under lease for alierm of ten or twelve years, and it is let at a purely nominal rent, I think'it, s better to sell at'2os. per acre, even without*competition" — (The italics.are ours). .=• There we have it-as the deliberate result of Mr.'Eeid's experience, thai; country such as the Teviofc block (a great p.ai-t well known to bo auriferous) i« heftier s.olil at £1 an acre—in reality, in ifiis case, after deducting expenses, KK—th«-=u that the land should remain, a fciir rent accruing from the pastoral tenant, and no obstacle being iu the way of settlement by the bona jide .settler or the goldminer. So far for Mr. Raid's opinion; and he dues not by any means stand, alone : the Superintendent, even, holding somewhat similar' views. The plain meaning is, that the .Provincial Government, frightened that the General Government will soil '.hose lauds i'( the?- don't—at a fair price, are' determined to'raise revenue.lor tneir own expensive existence rather than' act honestly by the Colony. , -Mr. Studhoi me, one of the Committee, showed clearly that the bulk of' the pastoral country of Otago, such a,.-; fcimfc at the Tevioi: i-uir] Maerew'henua, ,is worth £2 an acre the price it all fevc-hes just across the Waitaki. Yet, in spite ofthat knowledge, the Provincial party are prepared to throw away the' country's estate at' a price like i6s. HealJy, ■ when a form of Government, to preserve official life, gambles .with the public estate, it is high time 1 that the people rose ;>.nd drove if, and every adjunct pertaining thereto,, into the quieter shades of Tion-otßcial-existence.-The Provincial Councils, as now' con-' stituted, are ; au incumbrance and a la ughicg-stock. If it is necessary to have a training school, for suckingpoliticians, surely one might be devised more practical, and less expensive.