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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 197, 16 August 1873, Page 4

The Post says:— The rapid extension of tho telegraph in this colony, and the increasing extent to which the wires are used, of coarse creates a great demand for, skilled operators, and we learn that with a view to meeting this demand it has been; determined to follow the example of the * English offices, and employ a number of young lady operators. In England it has been found that girls learn the art more quickly and practice it more deftly than boys, and altogether the experiment has proved highly successful in England, and also, we believe, in America. Tasmania and New Zealand. — In commenting upon Tasmanian statistics the Australasian makes some remarks that are not altogether inapplicable to this colony We are told that ,f owing to the peculiarly favorable conditions of soil and climate enjoyed by Tasmania, that island is destined to become the hop-garden of Australia." Substituting the words " Nelson " for " Tasmania," " province " for "island," and "New Zealand" for M Australia," this paragraph might have been written of the Blind Bay district. Our contemporary then goes on to aay — and we recommend the suggestions to our Nelson readers — '* What will strike roost persons with astonishment is that Tasmanian enterprise has never thought of competing with the British brewer in the Indian market for the supply of bitter ale to that portion of the empire. The temperature of Hobart Town is especially favorable to malt-making and brewing; tbe water from the mountain is pure and soft, and the hop-gardens of New Norfolk are close at hand. Witb all these advantages as regards production, the island enjoys, by its geographical position, much better access to India and the East generally than Great Britain does by tbe long sea voyage; and we cannot help regarding it as a fact little creditable to the enterprise of the Tasmanians, that the total value of the malt liquors exported by them, in 1872 represented the small sura of £1635. Another, although a minor illustration of the want of local energy, is supplied by an incident referred to by the Go?ernment statistician. He mentions that in and about Launceston, during the past season, large quantities of fruit were suffered to rot on the ground unused, because there was no jam manufactory in that town. It can scarcely be pleaded that tbis brauch of industry would not pay; because tbe exportation of 1,648,403)bs from Hobart Town in 1872, three-fourths of which found a market in New South Wai es aod New Zealand, shows tbat iis manufacture must be remunerative; while tbe Indian market is as yet unexplored. Among the articles of export it is interesting to observe rabbit skins figuring so conspicuously; 656,808 of these were shipped in 1872."