The Daily News MONDAY, JANUARY 14. CURRENT COMMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVIII, Issue 81916, 14 January 1907, Page 2

The Daily News MONDAY, JANUARY 14. CURRENT COMMENT.

New Zealand is generally considered to be a land Dial "is never all'ected by droughts, bill Hie conditions that have and are prevailing in many purls 0,l the count it as we write arc very like tlie rea! 'thing. Tlieie are stories of big luisli and grass lires. Hi.: perishing of crops through lack o! water and the necessity of either selling or removing stock. Some southern station-owners are sending liuiiis to the boiiing down works uud others have been selling good sheep at live shillings (and le r ,s) a head. A drought docs incalculable harm in .Sew'/casual because, the colliery, not being used to thee viMtiilion.., takes vcrv niucli longer lo recover from a g. iierul scorch than does Aii-,-;trul.'i\, where dniughtii are expect-d and where the country is niai'vcl'.ousIv adapted lo rapid recovery when lain at hist comes.

It is of course gratifying that these conditions have not visited us during a trade depression or general poverty and thai the country is Wealthy enough to regard losses, with more or less eiiuanimify, but it is sincerely to ,be hoped that the sun-spots or whatever dispensation of providence is keeping Air l'luvius from performin" in his usual brilliant, fashion wi'l shortly vanish and that a parched countryside will once more be elolhed with glorious green. In Taranaki the rains, slight as they have been., fnive kept the grass from reaching a driod-up slate during the almost unprecedented speli o,i hot weather we have experienced and are experiencing. Taranaki has been a favoured province and no mistake this reason, for which all of us should be dtilv grateful. [Since we penned these lines., word :,•!•, reached us from the South ot Hie ■ iro-iUiii" up » l tho "drouS'iV wlulu iU taranaki the rain is descending ma manner that should gladden the hearts ol all on the land.]

,t is unhappily " colou,;U U ! Ui regard J"'' JJl '" as a '' gumptious person, who knows ~ good deal less than the average Hods ov.il countryman, and thcie. leiliv has been '"' itll;a "' U " s CUU " ;r'y "that New Zealand was in »o>"'= nagmlicent way helping Join, t0"... }.:>-• waves l.;> J-pending foi'.y l -' o "' '-.md pounds a year on the upkeep o lU(! lintish First J-'iiu ol i> «- ;■ iilo "Waipoke Warbler' and Mom. Lake Mcrcurv," not to mention. U" ■'jiush Uuglc" a"'l ol''"' 1,L,ll ,L, l' c "' '"'"J, at various limes lately as..-d Job Uullhow dare he decrease the .V • Climates and play Old Henry w' | U IC defences of the Empire In., arm-chair Admirals who have =t.iL,ou the great service with then' pen. wi, u «;ad to know per cable that men I prowsts against a •l"™"*'"" "I -il strength lws made the J.oi Is o ie Admiralty positively ul ". that their Lordships-vvho rea. } M~ ,ea-going folks themselves nowaday,- , m o dcc.ded-on the adviee ol tne Jutor „i the "Waipokc L hal the reconstruction ul In ■-• ,vill enable, them to construct a m« iiome Heel and that the men, guns L stores, eoal and little o sau en.is'likc that will not be - '. uu and°increased ciVccUvcu.ss <>l J uavy that was never anything I dlecAivc is the surest insurance ioi the world's peace. There is no -ci viee in the world where *>*" u .. , eiciicy is so eagerly sougnt atlei >i oniccrsuud men and mote !en.anded by the responsible K.d,.. „, the liritish -Navy, lo anyone wi ,L vl „ne,tlV..niliarity wilhlb^vork- ,,, ,',f(hc great engine <>( ' ,s'obvious that sleepy old .Mm Jm.l understands the iniportanee ol an i> nneible navv as mueh as do t'■ •p.e.sh I'auiie." And if we kvu'. ■ ">- , iH ,i to continue <o fake a tf.n-.iv i„ U .re,t il. '"■■ young live, ,>■:-■• ~, ; U , „,.,„• future, ,navc :l> J..'.; • , r ,„ t er sum than one teat might jiaiid th.Aarships in l-orl-n.."-.' lockvards fer six months.

falking nboia poor ell'cte, Miiul-.-y.-d old J. liu!', reminds rs '"'J '" ;*,:?,', ..-n ~;;., is very ha(i>vaul '" t i ' ,k "''- advice.' John is "duiny lather a dceenl trade OVL-l- '-hi' c-ouuL.-r. Lba' the way, i, why John want, to keep Ids navv «li to --'emul l rl '*■ : ,'' ,t us write-in words the delicious total of John's inula f«r one year, re iiu-mberiiia Hiiit John lives <>n * small huul bank that an L-xprf.-is tram vans across in a few hours and is supposed to be sleeping 23 hours out of the iliij. His total trade lor one year amount ed to. nine hundred and eighty- irco millions, six hundred and sixty thou sands. eight hundred and six pounds. J Bull's'trade during one year m .'•reused nearly ninety million pounds! -'l'h e l-'ii"'ii-h are a nation of shopl,,,„,Vs;' D What a frightful stab! What a dis-raec to he the most pro-•.ni-i-uiis, the ino-t progressive, the richest.'and most successful people in the world! Ami how discouraging »> be a portion of. an Umpire, the head iiuarters of which arc engaged in shop keeping!

Ami then as to the shipping of the ell'ete Umpire, of ours. According to the Kight lion. Lloyd-Cieorge, president of the Hoard of Trade, ill the. present time the gross tonnage or steamers in the Jlritisl. Kmpii'e amounted lo 10(iUU.lKKI tons, which was tiW.IJW tons mole than the tonnage of the whole of the rest of llie world put tueelher. Germany came a very pour second, being ju>l IWJIHUjiW tons behind ii... Iji to June of la-t year there were ju.-t 10U ve,.,oN in Hi,' world of more than ItKHJU tons, and of Ihese :,:! we;-.- under the lii'ili.di Ihig, llie others being dis( rilii.led among,!, the other nation.-. Accoidiug lo the

same liwh authority, liier- wen: only ~i~> in Hie world's niercauiiie marine capable of steaming 'JO knots and upwards per hour, of which number -Jil'lly Hi" l!rili.h i!;iy. Last year 1.1j1j11.11111l toj;s of ji-w shippiile Were launched in tin.' I'uited Kiiieelom, be■■v.g IDO.UOJ liJns more than was ever turned out before durimr a similar period, and TMOOO'.i more than ihe lota I onlput for the rest of the world combined. lie mentioned those Inures nicely to emphasise a. reply lo pessimists thai if other nations were hial.nu; a rapid advance in shipbuilding lliey still had a peat deal of leeway I o make up before they could top i!i" llrilish record.

.. very fie.pienl complaint concerning the 1..,,5 c nidai nilisunc. (In; streets •if Vw I'hni.oitli an.! tin- suburban :i!nl .!idra-i mails. Jn Now j'lvino>ii"i, itself ihe uiti.-auco is well nigh iulul,i!i v a farrw load nl Ioo„e stoiios .•iilll.l !.:• gathered Willlill U few V.U'ds .if tlic pn,l .illico. Anart in in tin-rni-.iiivciiK'iK-.. 1.. cvcbsK pedeMrian*. drivers mill horsemen, tlicre is an c'.eni,.!il of <l:,,r:or. A f.ist huise Ims onlv to tree,! nil a 1005,., siou- to MV...tc ii fall. and a broken shaft may lot. alwavs 1,,' Hi;- sum tola! <.f the ia.ea-e .[..HI', as ill lii.' ea-, rci'civnl :» l.v our cnnv-poa.ioiit. Tlv financial 'aspect "I' ■aitheriug up IOOSL' tone; is important. Itiiii'l metal is worth about seven or eight -In! iu.v ■ a rail, ami I la- val, f a ;rn"il read is almost iuoMiuiabV. Yet IhU valu.l,l ■ stone i; allo'A".! to lie 1,.0.-r]y on L i„. r,;a !. I--.-! ;h lav as any ii'-l'ni ''"' : '.J.:-' .-iriM'-i'' hy ' l'»vakii l; !r' np"'^!/.' . ,-,r;Ve,f There ajv holes injk many I , f ,\,-w l'l?,-ni!Piilli sU-.vis ami l!i,-y ',',„' jmV'uf two inches a<-|.. in wet ,„aliiir V.'.-l hole ruin r Is. •if,.. , „,,.-. -aw (o lili i.!, holes are Una., loo,dy by. wasting. Why not us,' ihcnr.' A !i villi horse and dra>-. e.uM pallia,' up llircc *ur,is of -lorn- any .lay. '.Hull's about lwei.lv on- or twanly lour r. Ira's carnl'd tor tin- expenditure „,• about twelve. Isn't it worth wlii!.--.'