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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5517, 2 December 1878, Page 2

The “ red” funnels winch are replacing the “ white” funnels of so many of the steamers which now enter the port of Wellington, are outward and visible signs of the extension of New Zealand commerce and of New Zealand enterprise. Whenever a Colonial Treasurer shall seek to restore equilibrium in his Budget by taxing joint-stock enterprize, he will not be met with the striking example of the crudeness and unfairness of bis fiscal proposal which was lately afforded by the fact that, whilst the incidence of his tax was short of Messrs. McMeckau and Company whose ships were trading on the New Zealand coast, it reached the Union Steam Ship Company whose fleet were engaged in the same pursuit. The Union Company having become now the purchasers of the Melbourne Company’s ships, if, next year, it should still be the opinion of our “ real Governor,” Sir George Grey, that the investment of capital in joint stock enterprise is an invasion of the rights of the human race for all time, and ought to be discouraged or suppressed, Mr. Ballanco may have a wider gathering ground for his fiscal exactions out of the profits of the new undertaking. It appears clear, however, that the Union Steam Ship Company are not afraid of our Premier, and that they appeal against him to the people of the Colony by an exhibition of enterprise and spirit which deserves commendation, and will, we hope, meet what is more important to the shareholders—a reward in the shape of substantial pecuniary advantage, A complete round of communication between Sydney, Melbourne, Hobarton, and all the chief porta in this Colony, is arranged in he time-table for this month just issued by the Union Company; and although the proclivity of the directors’ inclination may he towards Dunedin, which is the head-quarters of the company at present, it is impossible not to note that, in the details of the arrangement, this port is the point from which the principal lines are made practically to radiate, and that the exceptional natural advantages which Wellington enjoys from its position are steadily and surely exercising their power of attraction, and are making it the great central distributing port of New Zealand. What is wanting in the way of artificial accommodation will be supplied in time, and we shall then no doubt see the principal establishment of the Union Company placed here, where its now large interests and the movements of its fifteen ships can bo most conveniently superintended. Whilst Mr. Macandrow is doing so much to make Dunedin the centre of the great railway system of the South, and whilst the interests of the North in that matter are still, like so many other things, “ under consideration” by the Government, it will not be unreasonable to expect that the system of sea lines should have its centre here at Wellington. Whatever be the will of Ministers or of directors, however, trade will follow the ” flag” of natural advantages in a port, and on that ground a comparison between Dunedin and Wellington is needless.

Announcement is made that, in a very short time, the portion of the reclaimed land which is estimated to be required to produce £IOO,OOO in cash will bo offered for sale by the Government. When the reclamation was undertaken by the Colony it was understood that one of the principal objects of the work was to afford room for the railway station, so that it might be in close proximity to the business portion of the city, to the deep water, and to the wharf where shipping discharge and load. The construction of a railway wharf in connection with the station was always declared to bo a part of the scheme for public accommodation provided by the railway. The advantages of such en arrangement aro obvious, and need hiurcPy bo insisted on. In Lyttelton the trucks of the main lino go upon the wharf and alongside of the ships lying there. Wanting such a convenience, the enormous traffic of which that port is now the centre could not be carried on as it has been. In Christchurch the railway station ‘is at some distance from the city, and the inconvenience which has been thus caused, unavoidably perhaps, is a constant source of complaint, annoyance, and expense to travellers. In Auckland the railway station is on the site of the old Fort Britomarfc, and partly on land reclaimed from the sea for the purpose, A railway wharf has been built in connection with it. The distance of the station from the end of Qucen-stroot and from the Queen-street wharf is about equal to the distance from Mills’ foundry to the wharf here, and yet complaints of tho inconvenience inflicted on travellers and upon those engaged in commerce, have been so loud and persistent, that tho Government have been at length forced to go to the expense of reclaiming land and making a now railway station, beside the Queen - street wharf, some 20 chains distant from that now used.

The same difficulty aud the same complaints have arisen in Dunedin ; but the means of obviating them have not been so easily found in that place. It is understood that the Government propose to make what is called a “ cheap” reclamation at Thorndon, and that the Wellington railway station is to be kept there. The difference in the cost of the reclamation alone, as it would appear, is to be allowed to determine the choice of site. We think that the people of Wellington, as the people of other places, m-iy not unreasonably claim to have a voice in the settlement of a question which so nearly affects thoir interest aud that of their City. Tho traffic by the railway now is but a very small instalment of that which may be expected when tho lines to Wanganui and Napier are connected with it, and the inconveniences of having the station at a distance from tho wharves, and from what may be called the port, will bo fully realised only when, the reclaimed land having been sold, the remedy may bo either impossible or inordinately expensive. The question whether or not, for the sake of a few thousand pounds paid nowinto the Colonial Treasury, tho prospects of the future should be left out of tho account, is very serious. It is true wo have a City Tramway, but if the City Tramway were called upon to carry goods as well as passengers to and from the railway through tho crowded thoroughfares the difficulties placed in tho way of business, aud the extent of the charges necessarily imposed upon commerce, would be at once apparent. The subject is ono which is worthy of prompt consideration by tho citizens, and it is with the view of ventilating it that we now make reference to it. It is a question purely of public convenience, outside of politics altogether, and it should be discussed and determined upon its merits, with the experience of other places in New Zealand as a guide.

We are never weary of giving assistance to the present Government in the matter of their public works advertisement. We reprint today two advertisements from the Ministers’ own newspaper and one from an evening contemporary, all upon our usual terms—nothing per inch—ink, paper, and labor included. Yet another has to be added to the lamentable list of wrecks which have been reported within the last month. The Southminster, a fine American vessel of some 1200 tons burthen, owned in London, went ashore on Friday last on Kelp Reef, while on her voyage from Lyttelton here. It will be seen from the report, which appears elsewhere, that though happily no lives were lost, the vessel is a total wreck. The particulars of the occurrence reached us at midnight of Sunday, so that we have had no opportunity of ascertaining the amount of her insurances and the offices in which she was insured. We are indebted to Mr. T. Sidey, the purser of the Southern Cross, for the report which we publish. The Court of Appeal will ait this morning for tho purpose of delivering judgment in the cases in which argument has been heard. Mr. Justice Gillies leaves Wellington for Napier to-morrow. He will hold a sitting of the Circuit Court, aud having disposed of the business will proceed to Auckland. Yesterday was an unusually warm day, and the atmosphere was exceedingly close and oppressive. The first warm day of the season, though it followed a heavy rain, rendered palpable the great want of drainage in the city. The following is the return of patients in the Provincial Hospital for the mouth of November :—Admitted —Males, 16 ; females, 8. Discharged—Males, 14 ; females, 4. Died— Males, 3. Left in Hospital—Males, 43; females, 15. Total, 58. Wednesday next is to be observed by all congregations in connection with the Church of England as a day of special intercession for the success of mission operations. There is to be a full choral service in the evening at St. Paul’s, Thorndon. A large shark, over 12 feet long, was caught in the harbor yesterday morning. Sea bathers, outside the baths, had bettor beware. Tho man John Murphy, alias Smith, who was committed at Masterton for an indecent assault, was lodged in the Wellington Gaol on Saturday afternoon. Inspector Johnson and a gang of men had a rather pleasant time of it on Saturday removing a quantity of offensive matter from off the Te Aro beach. Amongst the stuff taken away was a ton of putrid fish, a wheelbarrow full of dead rats, one dead horse, a quantity of cats aud kittens, half a dray full of partly decomposed poultry, three dags, and a sucking pig, These things were buried in holes above high water-mark, so that tho water will not be able to wash them out again. Surely it is time the Te Aro reclamation foreshore was proceeded with.

The Weekly Examine)' says :—“ The anticipations as to the decline in the export of wool from Australia have been fully borne out by the completed returns for the year ending Ist October, which exhibit a decrease of 41,435 bales—say 10,485 from New South Wales, 31,201 from Victoria, and 973 from South Australia. Queensland shows an increase of some 1200 bales.” Wo are somewhat amused at the manner in which our Christchurch friends count their won games in the late telegraphic chess match. The \ Lyttelton Times of the 20th November says:—“ Christchurch won the games played by Hookham, Jacobsen, Wood, and Peez; Wellington those played by Benbow and Brown; total for Christchurch 4, and Wellington 2.” They include in their won games an unfinished game, which, however, will decidedly be theirs, but they exclude from us an unfinished one, which is equally bound to be ours, and thereby make it appear that they have two won games to the better of us. Such is not the, case, for they are only one finished game the better. With regard to one “ impression,” viz., “ that the majority of tho other games will be in favor of Christchurch,” wo trust for their sake that this impression will not prove a disappointment. Our readers should not forget to attend tonight tho lecture on “The Threefold Writing on the Cross,” to be delivered by the Rev. W. J. Habens, Inspector General of Schools, in connection with the Young Men’s Christian Association. This closes a series of lectures which have been productive of great good to tho association and tho public generally, and it is hoped the lecture to be given to-night will meet with the same success as has attended tho previous five. A Tasmanian paper says that of “ The Tasmanian” goldmine the hackneyed saying may be repeated, that the shareholders possess in it “a potentiality of wealth beyond the dreams of avarice.” It is generally admitted that there is no mine in the rich goldfields of Victoria which can be compared with' it at tho present time, and it seems only to be a question of increasing the crushing plant in order to increase the yield of the precious metal. The next cleaning up is expected to be quite as good as the last, and some good judges think it will be oven better.

The “ Athenroum” says:—Wc learn from the mineral statistics of the United Kingdom for 1877, just issued by tho Stationery Office, that the total value of the metalliferous and earthy minerals and coal raised last year was £58,398,071 sterling. Tho coal raised was 134,610,763 tons, valued at £47,113,767. Of iron ore we raised 16,692,802 tons, of tho value of £6,746,668. The metals obtained had a value of £18,742,960, and the useful earthy minerals and salt are valued at £2,424,679 ; the total yalue being £68,281,406, Under tho heading Adelaide wheat an exchange says:—“South Australia has carried off the first dijplomc cVhonneur for wheat, the jury describing its exhibit as a collection img* nijlquc; also a gold medal for flour. It sent seven specimens of wheat and flour, and to each a prize has been awarded. Adelaide wheat obtained a gold medal in 1851, and hag always fetched tho highest prices at Mark-lane,” Under tho heading “ Hawks” the Wanganui Chronicle says :—These peats aro fast increasing about Wanganui, and are playing havoc among the young pheasants. We were shown ouo of tho latter yesterday which had boon struck by a hawk and carefully stripped of its feathers by tho same tyrant of the feathered tribe, who had evidently made up his mind for a dainty meal, of which ho was baulked by some boys who came suddenly upon him and frightened him away. In times past the Acclimatisation Society rised to pay a small sum per head (sixpence wo believe) for hawks destroyed, and tho result was that their numbers were kept down, to tho benefit of tho imported bird, which spread and multiplied rapidly. Since the stoppage of this reward hawks have largely increased in number, and pheasants have had a bad time of it, as most sportsmen know who tried to got full bags last season in places formerly well stocked. Wo hopo tbo society will return to its beforetime effectual plan of getting rid of thebe destructive birds. • The wot weather of Saturday put a stop to all cricketing during tho afternoon.

Sergeant O'Oannor, of the Wellington constabulary, has been promoted to he a first-class, sergeant. A meeting of ratepayers of the Hutt Valley was held in the schoolroom, Lower Hutt, on Saturday evening, for the purpose of appointing a Board of Conservators. A report will be found in another column. The Working Men’s Club invite applications tor the position of secretary to the club. Particulars may be obtained from Mr. Barber, at the club’s premises, and applications are to be in on or before Saturday next. The City Rifle Volunteers’ competition for the medals, that was to have taken place at the Polhill Gully range on Saturday, was unavoidably postponed until Saturday next, the weather being altogether unsuitable. At the Resident Magistrate’s Court on Saturday B. H. EcElwaiue was charged on warrant with arson in connection with the late fire in Inglestre-atreet. The prisoner was remanded till Tuesday ; bail being allowed, himself in £SOO aud two sureties of £260. The production of the highly sensational drama “The Flying Scud” at the Imperial Opera House on Saturday was attended with great success. The race scene was the great feature, a live horse being introduced to the stage. The capabilities of the theatre were brought out to great advantage. Of the manner in which the piece was produced nothing can be said but in praise. Messrs. Haygarth, Graham, and others, together with Miss Tilly Andrews, were all excellent, and the large audience present testified their appreciation by repeated applause. The piece will be repeated this evening. There was a good attendance at the Theatre Royal on Saturday evening, when “ Pink Dominoes ” was repeated, accompanied by the burlesque “La Sonnambula.” This went off very successfully. “Across the Continent ”is the entertainment provided for this evening. This drama is stated to be the “ latest American novelty,” aud is sufficiently replete with sensational points to satisfy the most hungry of mortals craving for such food. It has been played with eminent success by Mr. and Mrs. Bates in Australia, according to the accounts that have reached ns, aud as tho management have spared no expense in the production, having specially employed Mr. Neville Thornton to paint entirely new scenery for the purpose, we hope the venture will satisfy their expectations. Responsible Government in Victoria, according to the “ Peripatetic Philosopher " of the Sydney Mail, is becoming a new variety of that excellent institution. The newspapers commence now to strain every effort to secure a report of what transpires at the caucus meetings, as being infinitely more momentous than the debates in Parliament. The condition of affairs seems now to be that the measures to be approved in the Parliament are debated and decided in tho Ministerial caucus, and the way things are to be decided in the Ministerial caucus is settled by the Reform League, and what the Reform League is to ordain is fixed by a party by the name of Mirams. Considerable impatience is evinced at the publication of the proceedings aud discussion in the caucus, and it appears inevitable that before long Mirams will intimate that the Reform League shall ordain that tho caucus shall decide that Parliament shall legislate to make the publication of reports of the debates In caucus a breach of privilege. The San Francisco women, says a correspondent of the Aucldand Herald writing under the noni deplume of “ Silver Pen,”'are remarkably stylish, in their appearance. I consider them among the best dressed women in the world. If pull-backs are the rage, they pull back till every vein and muscle is shown from the outside. If trains are the mode, trains it is—two yards long, with a real lace frill at the edge. If short dresses are in vogue, as now, you can see shoes, stockings, and—well, no, not the garters, for they wear suspenders instead. But their dress is perfect, nevertheless, in spite of badinage. They are slim, very slim, and all have splendid busts, when busts are the mode. Now, however, to be straight up and down is correct; so they come out in natural condition —thin as eels. Their complexions are bad ; but, then, “ oamiline” is plentiful and cheap, so is rouge and black pencils, and color for the lips. The talent for “fixing” is immense. Take an ordinary-looking girl, and ask her to go to a club ball. She’ll just go up stairs and “ fix” herself so divinely, from her lips to her hair puffs, that it is like a Cinderella and fairy wand operation; right away you have a beauty, I don’t care how homely she may be, and that’s more than any other girls can do in any other country. True, at niue o'clock in the morning, when they go out just like wax dolls, their faces “ give them away ” terribly ; but for night, why it’s marvellous ! The old ladies, with wrinkled cheeks and browless eyes, look peculiar after “ fixing,” and impress one with the idea of a resuscitated mummy, but then it’s the way of the place, and when in Borne, &o. Messrs. J. H. Bothune and Co. hold an importan t sale at Kareri to-morrow, when they will offer six acres of tho best land in the district, divided into suitable building allotments.