The Oamaru Mail. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1909.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVI, Issue 10067, 8 February 1909, Page 2

The Oamaru Mail. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1909.

The social accorded to Mr David Buddo at ICaiapoi. by his the member for constituents and adkaiapoi. mirers from all parts was a graceful tribute to a man who may be faithfully described as an exemplary politician, a ,good settler, and a. model citizen. Mr Buddo who had just, quite unexpectedly, and we are justified in thinking, unsought, been made Minister for the Interior and Public Health, was the subject of encomiums which are customarily reserved for a public man's memory, ill' ford, the -ex-member for Jiiirunui and not by any means an emotional Liberal, bestowed unqualified praise upon the guest of the evening with whom he liad been long and intimately acquainted. The mildmannered gentleman was, indeed, treated, from every part of the largco assemblage, with testimonies shewing that, after all, real merit is sometimes rewarded by appreciation which is not forced by the warmth of mere expediency. It is said, on the highest authority, that "He that humbleth himself shall be exalted." The Hon. David Buddo is an exemplification of this axiom. With marked modesty he listened to tribute on tribute, in which he was referred to as the "guide, philosopher, and friend" of men who have loomed larger in our political circles. Such is the humble Kaiapoi farmer who lias been exalted with almost universal concurrence. . Mr Laurenson, who, it was expected, not without good reason, might have been one of the chosen, testified, with as much truth as generosity, that his old and highly esteemed political associate was richly entitled to his promotion. The occasion was one of which the subject of it might- well feel proud, and, though the speeches were so long that they lasted nearly three hours, and a dance was to follow, even the young people evidenced keen interest in what w T as said, and, as there were no strong waters on the board, they were-in possession of all their wits. Mr Bud-do has had a delightful send off and we are more than ever convinced that- he will be as popular as a Minister as he has been as a., private member, though it is hard to keep up one's reputation when clothed with Ministerial responsibilities.

There ap} ?ared to be an unconscious agreement that serious " riccabton" politics were to be barred ; R.T7SSELL." but legislation and administration so intimately concern our everyday lives that they creep in unsuspected'ly and often unsought. Mr C*. W. Russell, who will be better known to our readers as "Riecarton Russell/' and who returned to the arena of active politics last election, has not improved by the rest which gave him time for thought, fix years ago he left the House of Representatives as opposed to the land policy of the Liberal party as he was to that of the Opposition and he has seized the first opportunity of demonstrating that he has not returned to a more reasonable frame of mind. He asked the Ivaiapoi gathering how many of those present had received the slightest benefit from the expenditure of the six millions expended 1 in acquiring estates. He took advantage of the mistake concerning Gulvcrden to Tead the Government a lecture, by inference, as though unduly large-sub-divisions were usual in administering resumed properties. He should go about amongst the settlers of Waikakahi, Ard.ffowan, Tokarahi, Maerewhenua, Elderslie, "Windsor, and Totav, and they would confer such enlightenment upon his mind that he aniglit be induced to admit that the Land for Settlements scheme has not only been beneficial to settlers but also to the Government and the whole country. How could it be otherwise? The properties resumed; by the Government cost about onehalf what they would have cost if they had been settled in any other way. Would it have been better for the settlers who were assembled at Kaiapoi, or for the countrv, if the estates which have been, taken "under the Land for Settlements scheme had oeen taken as Clydevale was/ Who will dispute that it is advantageous to all that • those who are put upon the \land are not handicapped by monetary obligations imposed upon them by the land speculator or the mortgagee? Whatever benefits the man on the land contributes to the advantage of all. But the holders of Land for Settlements areas do not gain any improper -benefit. They pay interest on every penny that the properties cost, including roading, and ill addition provide a sinking fund which in about 62 years pays off the money borrowed to make the purchase. Moreover, the settlers being unhampered by unfair and intolerable exactions, are vigorous in their operations and provide business for the railways, pay taxation through the Customs, and contribute to the consolidated revenue in other -ways. If Mr Russell desires to make himself useful by a judicious use of his abilities, he Tvill investigate the subject before he again expresses his opinions concerning'^.

Those -who dwell so affectionately on | depressed, trade and the gloomy prospect should seek enlightenment and relief in contemplating public gatherings for recreation or other purposes. The subject- - was referred to at Kaiapoi on Friday night, but no one would have thought that there could "be depression any nearer than the South Pole when he beheld the happy faces of those who came together to do honor to their' friend Mr Buddo. Havinc reasorf to believe that the old Royal Hotel, now occupied by Mrs Crook as, a boarding.house, was being used! for purposes otherwise than for . legitimate business, on Saturday afternoon Sergt., Barrett (armed With a search warrant) and Constables Madden, Doak, and' Sollands visited the house at 3.30 in the afternoon, with the intention of making a search for sly grog. The raid was well arranged, several of the posse entering back arid, irorit doors simultaneously, while others, were left to watcEyoutside.' One. of the first rooms-to receive the"" Sergeant's at-

tion was ill's Crook's private room, situated near the refreshment bar. Here two bottles of .whisky (one of which was opened) were discovered hidden about different parts of the furniture, ail attempt to pass one of the bottles through the window to somebody outside while the police were waiting for Mrs Crook to dress having been frustrated by one of the policemen outside. A search through the house seemed-to indicate that a large quantity of liquor was being consumed by boarders in their rooms. There were in and 1 . about tlie establishment several empty wliisky bottles and straw envelopes, and in the back yard the remains of two empty whisky cases. It is likely that a prosecution will follow. Our Duntroon correspondent writes : —Weather permitting, almost every farm in this district will have the reaper and binder . goings on Monday. The wheat crops will be below the usual return, the oats about tie average. l'otato, turnips, and rape crops are very good. The rainfall for January, as taken from the school gauge, was 3.96iifr" A special meeting of the Waitaki County Council, called for the purpose of electing four representatives to represent the Council at the deliberations o[ the Oamaru Harbor Board, was held this morning, the interest taken by members being very keen. Those present were the Chairman (ill- D. Sutherland) and -Messrs Nicolson, Porter, Thomas Heid, Livingstone, Wylie, Newlands, and Oats. For the four seats Messrs D. Sutherland, (.1. Livingstone, W. W. Wylie, J. M'Cullough, and 1). Borrie were nominated, and the ballot- resulted in the rejection of >Jr Borrie. ilr .Borrie therefore ceases to be a member of the Oamaru Harbor Board, and he and Mr J. C. Nichols, the Council's other representative, are replaced by Messrs D. Sutherland and J. M'Cullough. At the inquest on the body of David Given, held in Timaru on Saturday, William Meechen, laborer, employed at St. Mary's Church bujlding, said that on Friday afternoon he was working at the back of the church opening up a drain, and at about a quarter past four deceased asked him to give him a hand to move a stone at which he and Leonard Tubb were working. They had sawn the stone through, and wanted to slew it round to saw it in another direction. It was a block of . Oamaru stone about Bft long, and was standing on end close to other stones. It was not level on the bottom, a corner being knocked off, and in slewing it round it was oil a kind of pivot. Deceased was on one side of the stone, witness was a; the other side, and Tubb was packing pieces of stone under the uneven part of the bottom. They were slewing the stone from right to left, when, the stone swerved, toppled over towards Given, and striking his head, knocked it against the corner of another stone -which was standing close by. There was a high wind blowing at the time, and witness thought this was the cause of the stone falling. The stone would weigh about half a ton. There was a derrick there with which the stone could have been lifted, but it was not considered necessary to use it merely to slew the stone. Deceased never moved after the accident, and he did not regain consciousness, but died on the ground shortly afterwards, Drs Burns and Talbot being botli present at the time. Deceased was a steady man, and a good workman. It ■did not occur to witness that there was any danger in slewing the stone round. They had slewed round lots of others, and this was the first accident that had occurred on the job.

His Excellency the Governor hag been pleased to appoint Mr Walter Gibb, jun.. and Mr Herbert Grocott, both of Oamaru. to be public auditors for the purposes of the Friendly Societies Act, 1908. The appointments are made by reason of Messrs Grocott and Gibb being certificated accountants. The appointments are made not only on behalf of friendly societies, but for all provident and industrial societies.

The s.s. Pukaki will arrive at Oamaru ■early to-morrow morning from Westport with a cargo of 200 tons of coal to land. The Pukaki will proceed to Jhmcdin immediately after discharging, and will take up her usual running oil Thursday. -

The s.s. Wanaka- is due at Oamaru abou 1 Wednesday to load for Napier, Gisborne and Auckland.

At a meeting of the Sydney Cremation Society, Sir Julian Salomons delivered an address on cremation. Jle said that he was personally interested in the success of the society, lie had once been strongly opposed to crcmati .i. Butlong before becoming a vice-pr'ddent of the society he had come to the conclusion that this was a most important movement. It- did not touch the sympathies of the body of the people, because most men thought everyone mortal but themselves : yet anyone who had seen a disinterment must have been shocked and horrilied. The necessity for cremation could not be exaggerated, it was a mistake to imagine that its advocates were persons allied with unbelievers; they were strong supporters of religion and of the present constitution of society. Sir Alfred Stephen and Sir George Dibbs had been among the supporters of this method of disposal of the dead; so was Sir Frederick Darley, and when an Englishman of importance died it was almost always found that he had left directions for his cremation. Xor did immortality depend oil the material part of the being. The movement- was making slow but -certain progress, and a day would, come when everybody would bo startled to think that so little interest was once taken in it. A rumor was current in business circles in Wellington on Saturday that insurance rates are to be raised 15 per cent. On inquiry of a prominent insurance man, a Post reporter was tola that no such increase had been decided on. The council of tlie Underwriters' Association holds its annual meeting on the 18th inst., and it is possible that the subject of rates will be discussed then.

While fishing at the mouth of the Opihi on Saturday evening, as the tide was coming in, Mr Franks, the Acclimatisation Society's ranger, saw what can only he described as ail unbroken procession of eels about six feet wide coming in from the sea- and passing into the lagoon. The water looked as if it was full of seaweed, and Mr Franks had only to east in his line and draw it out- to secure fish, sometimes as many as three at a time. Xone of the eels appeared to be over 21b in weight. The eels continued to come in as long as Mr Franks remained, and there must have been hundreds of thousands of them. Another angler said that many years ago, with another friend, he was a witness of a similar occurrence.

Owing to the wireless telegraph service saving the lives of the passengers on the Republic and Florida during the recent djsaster, a Bill lias been introduced into the United States Congress making it compulsory to instal etliergraphs on all ocean-going vessels. The new Orient liners now beinnr built under the Australian mail contract have provision for wireless apparatus. The contract with the Australian Government provides that the vessels must be fitted with these installations within six months after the Government has established stations at any point on the Australian coasts between Fremantle and Lribane.

Melbourne newspapers contain a striking echo of the land boom that was so disastrous to so many at the close of last decade. The valuable wool, grain, and skin warehouses erected by the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Co., in Collins street, Melbourne, were-last month sold to the Australian Estates and Mortgage Co. for £50,000. These premises were sold in 1887 by the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Co.- for £210,000, and rtsold by the purchasing syndicate shortly after for £265,000. After the original sale, the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company., in common with other large wool and produce companies, retained city offices, but built extensive.? premises at Newmarket, a suburb of Melbourne, close to the railway line, with convenient sidings, that- saved them many thousands per year in handling produce, whether for 6aie of shipment." Great interest is being taken in the poll for members of the Harbor Board to-day in which seven, candidates are standing for'the three seats. It is anticipated that ■'progressive" members, or those who supported the loan, will carry their "ticket," although it is just possible that one of the seats will go to the opposition. Messrs J. M. Brown, E. Lane, and Paterson are the representatives of the party of progress, while Messrs S. Crawshaw, J. Taylor, G. Snadden, and I. Hurst are standing ..in the interests of the opposing faction. Both sides are working hard to get their friends and supporters to the solitary polling-booth at the Harbor Board's offices, and for the purpose traps and mptor cars have been called into service. The present is probably the first time in the Board's history that its personnel has been the subject of so much public interest. - '

An exceedingly- * interesting physical effect that was observed; in the Balmain colliery, Sydney, was told by Mr Cambage, president of the Institute of Surveyors, in his presidential address. It

became necessary (says tho Sydney Mornin<r HeraW) in the colliery .to reproduce moro than half a mile underground, line which was known on the surface. To get the exact position for the two they hung' down the shaft two heavy plummets on nne wires, nearly 1000 yards long. Galileo discovered., centuries back the time that a pendulum should tak<j' to swing at any depth. They had worked out what the duration of the swing ought to be at 2920t't. under Sydney, and found it exactly right. Tho plummet took nearly half a minute in one swing. The ditliculty at tho depth was to stop it swinging. It was put in oil, water and mercury to bring it- to rest; but at last they took the average mean of the swings rather than try to stop it. An air current rushing up the shaft at ono time blew a piano wire with 301b at the end of it a. foot out of tho vertical, and kept it practically stationary. The -New Zealand Times' C'liristchurcli correspondent telegraphs:—Mr Jack London, the novelist, writing from Tasmania to one of h)6 fellow socialists in (jliristchurch, pays:—"l'lifortunately my illness has been more serious than at first, appeared. The doctors don't know anything about it, and frankly say so. So serious is it that I have caneoiled all arranged lectures in Australia, and have dcdiii'Mi !•> make any public appearance >.li.never. This illness has compelled me u> abandon the voyage of the Smirk, so you see it is no laughing matter. Therefore. I shall be unable to give any lectures in Xcw Zealand. 1 expect to be over there somewhere in'the next month or so. and to sail from there to the United States."

Those people who make li. point of being late for every boat and train they have to catch are going to have a bad time until they learn the necessity of being "up to time," states the New Zealand Times. The Railway Department has decided to enforce its by-law, which directs that luggage must he delivered at least ten minutes before the time a train is to leave, so that, mail trains shall be no more delayed by the late-comer, and the Union Steam Ship Company has now come to a similar resolution. The person who

rushes on io the wharf as the boat <1 inwts out is a. positive nuisance to every other passenger, and to those responsible for the working of the Ik»-it. Only a few days ago, in trying to keep his bout- beside I lie wharf long enough to allow a late-comer who was sprinting through the gates to get on, tiie captain of the steamer Pateena. put such ii strain on one of hits ropes tliat it broke, all but killing the sailor attending it. The ship was delayed half an hour.in consequence. Some nights .later a woman rushed down to the Maori as she drew out, and tried to elamber on board. Sho was hauled up by some pas sengers, but dropped her satchel witli all her money into the ■water. This narrow escape from a .serious accident cause*] the Union Company to decide that no person shall he allowed to attempt to board :l steamer once the gangways arc down. ]t will not matter whether a. person's luggage is on board or not, if lie is not on board when she is preparing to leave he will not- under any circumstances be allowed to hoard later. Mr Marconi, in the course of an interview in Nova Scotia, gave an account of the progress which his system of wireless telegraphy it> making in Transatlantic business. "Gn October 17," he states, "we transmitted 13,000 words and received BCOO words in reply. My system is «i rrand success. and in a short time we shall be able to handle- all messages offerin'-'. To-day we are progressing very slowJv. only sending- 10 words a minute. We are accurate, regular, and continuous. The scientific end is successful, but our connections and organisations will haw to he perfected before wo can hope to handle all the business offering. \V-e were absolutely ilooded on October 17 It takes ns two hours to send and get a reply from London, but. we Can send a message and get a reply from Clifden. on the English coast, in three minutes. We do not pretend at this time to be able to compete with the cable companies. We have made a. start, and we will work up slowly but surely. It is only a, matter of organisation when we shall be able to handle everything offered to us. We have made contracts with some of the papers to furnish them with news every day. and shortlv we shall be prepared to eivc the .news to all the papem, but not now. At present we do not want, any private business. Sections 18.V and 20a. Mock XII, wiih an area of 31. acres 3 roods 30 poles. Otekaike Settlement, have been opened for selection. In reference to a paragraph appearing in n. northern journal recently to the effect that consumers of fruit had suffered from arsenate of lead poisoning owing to the presence oil the fruit of the spraying mixtures- used almost universally by orchardisis to destroy blight and obnoxious grubs, a representative of the Christ-church Press was told oil Friday by a local fruit-grower that it was highly improbable that any injurious materials would remain upon fruit for so long after spraying. The fruit was treated as soon as it. was iirst

"set," and by tho time it ripened it would grow to three times the siw it assumed

at the time of spraying, so that even if it were drenched with the solution in the iirst place the quantity of solid, matter remaining npon the fruit subsequently would be very small indeed. Exposure to the weather would diminish the effects of the arsenate, and much of it would be washed off by rains. The quantity used

was about 21b to lOOgal of water. -Another expert stated that late spraying or spraying two or three times might conceivably result- ill slightly disagreeable effects to anyone eating such fruit. The digestion would be upset for a. little while, but the quantity of poison was so infinitesimal that 110 very dangerous results could possibly accrue. It was the practice in most good shops to wipe the fruit b* 1 fore exposing :it for sale, and purchasers were advised to follow this practice as an add it 1 precaution.

There is on view at Mr F. T. H. Walker's shop, Waimale, a brown trout caught in the. Waitaki Itiver. The fish weighed 201bs. is 3ft. in length and 20in. iii girth —big enough to make all fishermen envious of .Mr T. Park's good fortune in catching such a booming sample. Mr Park presented the skin to the local society, who have had it mounted.

The residents in a near-by seaside Kiiburl

aro rejoicing just now over the resourcefulness and pluck of a neighboring family (says the Ot.ago Daily Times). The latter lived in a- rented cottage, fur which they paid 8s per week, but, being imbued with a praiseworthy desire to become his own. landlord, paterfamilias purchased an adjoining section, and all went well until the timber appeared oil the ground, whereupon the landlord (a builder, by the way) gave his tenant the option of quitting or paying £1 per week rent. jioth were promptly declined. The tenant procured a large tent, which he erected on his own section, and although admiring neighbors tendered lavish hospitality, the family is residing in the tent until the liouso is built. The enterprising head of this family is employed at Port Chalmers, ami says the only reason he can assign, for the abnormal rise in his rent was the fact thai, his landlord was not asked to submit a price for building the new house. Strange scenes (writes the London correspondent of the Xew Zealand Herald) marked tile final phase, 'in the struggle of a mother to regain possession of her daughter from tho custody of the child':; aunts. The child was born in London nine years ago, and three weeks afterwards the parents, Mr and Mrs Hurley, handed it .over to tile custody of its grandparents, Mr Hurley's father and mother, and emigrated; to Xew Zealand. Soon afterwards the grandparents died, and the child, passed' into the custody of Mr Hurley's sisters, the 'Misses Burley, of Gibbon street, Plymouth, wilh whom she lias lived ever since. Some months a.go Mrs Burlcy came to England to take her daughter out to Xew Zealand, ! but the aunts, being greatly altachod to the child, barricaded the door against the mother. Watching her opportunity, the mother, two months ago, soized the -child in t-lie street and drove off with it in a cab to the station, intending to catch the first train to London. But the aunte followed with some sympathisers, and, arriving bofore the train left, forcibly took the child and carried it offl in triumph. The fight for the child was then transferred to the Law Courts. Tho mother applied for a writ of habeas corpus, which was granted and an order made for the aunts to deliver the child up by noon of Friday. The mother, with her solicitor and a detective, drove up in the morning to the house in. Gibbon street. She found her litt'e daugher in Bed, and one of the aunte clung to her, weeping passionately. Meanwhile a none too friendlv crowd' had gathered outside. It was deemed' prudent to defer the matter, and ( a further postponement was necessary in the afternoon. Finally, reinforced by a doctor and a nurse, the mother bore the child off to her hotel. ;

Tourists are at present surging into this Dominion in waves (says tho New Zealand Times). Local offices used solely for the

dissemination of information to these pie. are generally during business full of oversea visitors mwiring |<, | ;11 1 tho best way to seo things without tlxiubiT Others there are, of course, who ;ltv .J'' p.'irently Ulesiring trouble. One gontbjJ 1 ' of a mild appearance on Tuesday clnJ!! questioned, a clerk as to the Ideality lie might lind tigers, and scenic,'| ,|j j* pointed that ho had brought specially ,|J*' groous rilles to this country, wh,' M o l ' clerk informed him that tigers w,.| V , ® part of the scheme of things in tin,, |j" minion, ''

According to l)r F. \V. Vnllnianu, ( | German arclueologist now visiting \y ( ,| lington. (lie highest railway in t1,,. Wl)| .|j is that which connects Minn with |)|„ V .. in rem, a stretch of about USO inihh, ji' highest point of which is 17.620 IVet the sea. It almost goes without i,avin!! that it is not population that has about the construction of (his w• ni»l,.rfn| track—i(. is something more put nit n,.,, people. Gol<l, copper, and other t j, ,j posits of mineral ores abound in tin. niM|l ,' of Oroya, and transport to tlir 1,,,,* levels was an absolute necessity section of the railway consists of "inul, k >"ll " zig-zags, which OjVonoine ~ ' p mountain side 1110s! iiij;< -i 1 i. mslV i.aere are 'llO fewer than.6o steps or lions in this zigzag, which is mi that at one stage one can look out ~f || (|1 window and see live sections of (he 1 i :u .j. below, looking like tho rungs of a laddit The railway is given the name iik-i 11inm M i because there are no curves, anil tin, i,.,| ( .|. being constructed in sharp angles, t gine has to pull tlu< train up one neitiun push it up the next, ami so on to th,, of the mountain. Though the count Pv j, treeless and absolutely bare of herhait,. ilie towering heights, which might 1.,. (j,,', edge of the earth, and the death tliicaten ing ravines make the journey pani, ularlv inspiring.

Nothing is moro unpleasant than a troublesome cough or a persistent cold Nothing can possibly cure or give relicj more quickly than Baxter's Lung Prc Mr vor.

Headaches of every kind vici<| ( 0 Steam's Headache Cure in a few'miuutej, These tiny, tasteless wafci'H bring efrlajii relief from almost every kind of p a j„ "Used wherever heads iicho." 4 The Bcnicia Disc is the slroiii:i'M anil lightest draft Plough in the world,North Otago Foundry. -Mr GKOKGK KOIiiNSON, Dental s ur . gcon, may bo consulted at his re»ii| WOT tiDKN' STRKKT (opposite Wesley Uiiiivli|| Mr S. J. Davys, Dentist, will visit Kurow 011 Thursday, lltli instant, ; !n ,| may lie consulted at Mr Spiers' Hotel, Skin troubles, chilblains, cracks and chaps relieved speedily with "Ued Crow" Ointment. Is 6d grocers and chemisls,