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South Canterbury Times, Issue 2455, 31 January 1881, Page 2

Anotiikh adventurous yacht voyage is on the tapis. The Zephyr, a tiny craft of seven tons burthen, belonging to Mr Gibbs, of Gunedin, sailed from Melbourne for Port Chalmers on Wednesday lust. What between ocean steamers of 5000 to bOOO tons and yachts no bigger, than whaleboats performing

perilous trips in mid seas, navigation seems to be advancing with wonderful strides. The day seems approaching when every man if he chooses, to invest a small amount of capital may be his own navigator. By and bye the school geography with its wearisome lessons will be superseded by children and students being despatched in tiny,crafts’ study it For themselves conjointly with the laws of navigation. 'Jhen again, life-saving apparatus has been brought to such a state of perfection that man can afford to pursue an amphibious state of existence in case of emergency, his only risk being death from starvation. There are evidences of extremes meeting —of the human nautilus making himself as secure and as comfortably at home at sea as on land, while huge Heating grainerics and butcher shops, and produce warehouses keep the waves cool and vary the monotony of his voyages. France, Germany, and America arc putting on a grand spurt as regards maritime enterprise, and Great Britain will have to work energetically if she desires to maintain her commercial supremacy. This is good news for our producers. The high seas can permit of no monopoly, and we may depend upon it that, active competition will speedily reduce the freights which, in New Zealand and (ho Australian colonies, have long been cxborbitant. The success of the frozen meat and butter experiment on hoard the Protos should lead to the establishment, in Now Zealand of branches of the companies that have lately been organised foi carrying out this export trade. It would, perhaps, he premature to suggest that the youth Canterbury Farmers’ Cooperative Association should take steps to secure lirst-class vessels for the transit of the produce of this district, but we certainly hope that by the time the Timaiu Breakwater is so far completed as to admit of large ships and steamers being berthed securely at this port, this organisation will he so far advanced and solidilied as to bo able to take the fullest advantages of direct shipments.

Tim Minister of Public Works is not wanting in the quality of firmness. Few Ministers have been more pestered with deputations, or at various times more roundly abused than the Hon. Mr Oliver. Put abuse seems to have as much effect on him as ruin on an umbrella. He assumes the attitude of a stoic ; allows himself to be pestered nncomplainly. Like Gulliver assailed by the Lilliputians he is provokingly unconcerned. Even the reproaches of a portion of the Canterbury press he regards about as much as the bite of a West Coast sand - fly. What is the secret of his imperturbabili(y?We cannot understand it. Ilis Ministerial demise has been repeatedly prophecied and no doubt ardently prayed for, yet still he lives. The other evening he met a groaning, howling, egg-pelting crowd at Invercargill, yet he walked to his hotel as unconcernedly as if only a pet spaniel was dogging him, Mr Oliver is simply impervious. In the estimation of certain literary Te Whitis he must have a charmed existence for he has brought universal ridicule on their sage predictions. Yet Mr Oliver is not altogether bad. He has been trying to make our railways pay—a terrible enormity we admit—and he has been cruel enough to permit the introduction of a high tariff. But he has preferred to laugh deputations to scorn rather than beguile them with false promises like his predecessors. Mr Oliver has earned a reputation for being provokingly blunt and candid. On Saturday during his visit to Invercargill he was asked to get “a small sum placed “ on the Estimates for the better worku ing of the Preservation Inlet coal. “ Mr Oliver was sorry lie could promise “ nothing in that direction. Sufficient “ coal workings were accessible now to “ supply the colon}' for years to come.” The Minister’s firmness was quite equal to the barefaced audacity of his interviewers. What interest could the colony possibly have in the developement of Preservation Inlet coal? The coal industry is a long remove from enterprises that may be termed doubtful or novel. It has been well established, and every week the value of the dif-ferent-fields that have been opened up is becoming better demonstrated. We do not blame the sagacious promoters of native industry at Preservation Inlet for endeavoring to get some of the sweets of the Treasury into their clutches, but the Minister of Public Works would have been greatly to blame had he given them the slighest encouragement. The coal mines of New Zealand are beginning to walk alone without any assistance beyond their merits. Local prejudice is rapidly disappearing and the splendid fuel of our own fields is driving out foreign competition. Within the last few weeks we have had an example of this in Timaru. A depot for G-reymouth coal was opened by the proprietor of the Brunner mine at the beginning of the year. Up to that time West Coast coal was hardly known in this district. Now that its valuable properties as a household coal are becoming known, it is gaining a universal popularity and driving the Newcastle completely out of the market. The result is that the money that used to travel from New Zealand to New South Wales—thousands of pounds annually—is circulating in the colony assisting the further development’ of her mines. If Preservation Inlet coal is of any value no wet nursing on the part of the Government should be necessary —if it is worthless to prop it up with Government aid would be cruel to every one concerned. The Minister of Public Works has rendered great service to the country, and the department over which he presided by planting his heel firmly on mendacious applications.