PUBLIC OPINION.

Patea Mail, 19 April 1882, Page 3

PUBLIC OPINION.

Contributions, Letters, Inquiries and Answers' thereto, are invited on Fanning. Commerce,Politics,, and. interest tpthePatea district.!; .' Names o| writers jneed not/ be Printed." Ajkirkim} In yonr issue of the 14th instant you drew attention to the profanity of the editor of the New Zealand Times in using the expression, “a tinker’s curse,” He stated that since the Laureate’s “ Redcf of Lucknow ” he had not met with anything in Saxon rhyme or rhythm worthy of a tinker’s curse.

Permit mejto remark that the above y \ j ..i vv is a most innocent expression, though having T an evil imclj is' simply result of lome ancientt-scrib-bler’s blunder perpetuated by one and all of ns. The word “curse” used t;o ! be spelt “ kers,” and is only an old form of “ cress.” The expression is tantamount tbPf don’t care a straw.”

Onr language is fell of similar blunders, retained by conservatism.; -Instance another word' in ~ the passage referred to, namely “ rhyme.” Because -it was 6ftfen v used in connection with “.rhyt^Wj-’vl cp uHtlleho adj s ® to; ihvenT an analog-y-where none existed, the pSa.xfin ..ffiord ,being :-{f.rime :and 1 ’ meaning •number^-'•with- r no relalien tb ; " the Gi ; eek j ' ’ word froni.* :r Which r : .* ‘i'rhythra i> r ''ls^ l deriyeij. * .There iew,. . how-aj.days, ,wJio, .dar-e , .to write, correctly .ff.-plUiejT.iJMf-.f i- ! v;.i<i j iff, -yi.il yrll - >i PaitpLUGISTr. I

I■. 'tinker-s ocurss’ ,,ri is* ; a curse and nothing;' when''used ’in the obvious .Q.ff Ppntemptuous blasphemy. , The' phrase ‘‘has a current, use !i W, literature \ 1 but ’ ifs propriety in.ay : Hml be; questioned ywjbeii' used in the serish 1 poetry' during fhc "last ( Quarter of. ,a‘ 'ceritiiry 'ip such : < wrc^ched ,J "stnff that,'it is notf worth f ■while even"/for*o’ tinker’' to chrse'.it.‘ Th'ef f everdhd' editor’s .proposition' ’is monstrous/and ’ Kis language makes it ’also'indecent;—Ei).‘ siri.iL."." j 2 iiAmOJiA^,AUSTRALIS. >-.«o j ; / ! L Shortly-after 6eyhh b’clock onliibnday evening, an aurora \yas ,jis'ible, ( ; ..thppgh; not, particularly yiyid, ,th,e.manifestationsweresufficiently . varied.;r-: Luminous, streamers*'shot i upwards in greats'ntthiberisj till the so'btft£rft' : sk£appeared to be"' striated with rays'.' They would , ,th,eh ~m‘eyge, into a mass, pf light ; of rps.eftte tinty ;which, would again resolve itself hj to a pale green, and finally-fade ’to give way to a fresh discharge at some other point’.,. This was , accompanied at distant .by .faint,, electrical shocks, the southern sky meanwhile being 3 dightj ; though ’ partially

obscured .by a mass of cloud. The usual snapping sound was not observable. The hypotheses in regard to auroras seem to point to a disturbed state of» ln* earth’s magnetism as the cause. It is mot improbable that the weather may shortly be somewhat disturbed. •• •• v; Whenuakura. . : DIRECT STEAMERS.... NEGOTIATIONS AT ROME. ■' The London Correspondent of the New Zealand Tinies writesf—- . The subsidy of six per cent offered by your : Government i tor , steamers; to , be built under specified conditions, I hear, does not attract favorable attention. A great Scotch shipbuilding firm told a city friend of mine that six per cent was not enough. Five per cent more was’ iifer} ;dOpp?(3aUbnii : ■ THri {feet is, nearly ; f}ll -steamship builders have thcir { hands full of high-priced contracts, and Will only .accept new work : on...their own terms. Another difficulty is, the ships you want must, be built lor you, and to suit your harbors., You are, I fancy, not content to utilise'.sprplus ships of either the P. and 0.. or Orient Line. liovu-d* - ' 'ot-ibiru u '-y ; . > ,t'ir<i,-. ; In that case I fefir, you^will have to wait some time, or offer higher terms than hitherto. Your Agent-General is' actively engaged in promoting and; making known the views of your Govern--ment on this subject. 1 am told that; ad direetbr of “the P i . !i ahd ; G. line Inis '

intimated ’The willingness of His Com- ; pany that, if your Government build the requisite number of steamers they would man and manage them for yon for afive, : pf '^fat' i tfom^tssiphV x " The" offer ;I , presume, ; sna(lmissable.\, - It -looks ;somewhat like a Joke. Still there.are serious' difficulties in-the way of. this ' proposed direct steam- commmucation with your ,}is£ wPllthDLltOigZoss Itliem OVCI’.i ■ vd ■ -A-'-ru ■■■?!-') - |;i!i • , a'dmUt'bd' , bff'aliHa'iids that New iZealjand- r . havingfi this, direct service-; but will it •pay dh tli'e-terhi£ offered by' your: Government ? Victoria has its harbor at Mejibourne; > for i tho : whole- of Southern ■^ustrali^,;' :: '' New ' Zealand, has four principal harbors, with four ports, and T ;J expect w direct steadier won Id 1 na ve 5 to call;. fit., each,',, sq: as’ ! to , .lake away and. ; bring to the exports and imports of only: 600,000 people. I cannot, say,,.ypuf offer may n"6t-, be ..tokVn ; , up -if iu some way or other it is modified ; but it does iibt, ! ‘so' fAr !i As ;T-caff learn, as it how stands, appear likely to be so. If the worst Comes todhe worst, 5 New Zealand can afford ,to vyait for n , while .but judging from the suqcess of your Union Company, which despatches steamship after steamship, each succeed- ; \ingvone) being an/ improvement on its predecessor, the dap cannot be far dip-,: '.tnpi"dwH.idh.;.yiri-ll witness,' the' successfpl inauguration!io-fi'ai direct steam service 'between Gr^it^^