GENERAL NEWS.

Tuapeka Times, Volume V, Issue 251, 21 November 1872, Page 8

GENERAL NEWS.

A. great demand prevails for English•bred horses fk>r exportation to .Germany, ,]?i;ance', and other parts of jbhe Continent,, as illustrated by the sale now going - on, at Middle Park, qnA foreign, agents, are now exploring liiu-colnshir-ey Yorkshire, and other horsebreeding counties, and buying up suitabledlags horses. f( Commissioners " are "on tha gui vive, visiting dealers' homesteads, and purchasing ftocses which were intended for the forthcoming great Hprncastle fair.

The " Man at the Corner " writing in the " Charleston Herald " remarks : — " I don't see it matters who's Colonial Treasurer. They are all death on taxation. In fact the office would, be useless unless there was something to do in that line. Eeally now it must be a comfort to the working man. to know that he's not denied the privilege of being taxed, from his hoot upwards, so long as the present Parliament lasts. In my opinion the " only " taxes wanted in this conatry are an Income Tax. a Property tyxx, and an Absentee Tax. Tow the Custom House out to sea, and sink it (with Yogel inside if possible) ; abolish tolls j sweep away all dues; and- make, JSTew Zealand " really free." ' Thais' the>ay to say it. Make her a pattern foif 'the world. Let her stump orators, and tub-thumpers tell the public who now pays the piper ! ' Gentlemen,' say people of the talking sort, 'see hov^^ the finances of the Colony flourish-; se^H how we prosper ; see how we spend your money, and what a lot of it we have to spend ;" but these persons don't go in to remark that this money comes out of the pockets of the. rich, but of those who well know what to do with it if they had it; — out of the pockets of struggling miners, artisans in the cities, clerks, tradesmen, arid so forth. They'll wake up and find it out soon, especially as nobody" wants to stop 'em from paying taxes if they want to. ' I will be drowned.' said Paddy, ' and nobody shall save me.' ' I will bG taxed, and nobod y shall say nay to me.' says the free .and enlightened elector of New Zealand. Jf ha likes it, nobody has a right tq pomplain. Yogel sings out thaj; tho country's distractedly fond of taxation ; fish-fags bawl that eels are partial to bein.^ skinned, but then the poor, eels can't speak for themselves ! Isem,arking on taxation in America, a s.hrewd Yankee said once ' things aresq c|ern,ed much taxed in this country now, a felwon't be able to put on his boots without a stamp soon !' That's what's the mttaer in New Zealand, or will be very soon."

New discoveries are constantly revealing the enormous wealth \yhieh still remains latent, almost unthought of, in New Zealand. Tin in.BUgii Sound, galena in Collingwood, coal in several localities has been readily discovered, but the latest discovery is one of almost greater importance than these, especially to a gold mining community. This is no less than the opening of a mine of quicksilver at the Bay of Islands in the North Island. Several gentlemen recently went from the Thames to inspect the locality where this valuable metal was alleged to be. On return they brought with them several samples containing quicksilver of a superior quality. The discovery was made at a place about twenty miles north of *|p the Bay of Islands, near an old crater. The explorers sunk a shaft near the crater, until they came to water, and they then carried in an open cutting froth a small creek. In this they found two sand veins, each about nine inches thick, containing mercury in large quantities.

Mr. Pope was good enough to inform us that " a little learning is a dangerous thing." The adage has been almost hs frequently disputed as it is quoted, but that does not matter. What we have to do with no«v-a-days is the fact that a little learning — and very little too, the three ll 's to wit — is a very expensive thing. We do not know Mr. Wm. Stanyer, " Gen. Sec. National EducationUnion," and cannot make any remark about his veracity, but until his letter to the "Times" is contradicted we shall, without hesitation, believe what he says. His statement is one which will bear a little looking into:— "Out of a total of £34,562 Bs. 4d. there was expended on the elections £10,872 Bs. 7d., or nearly one-third of the gross, and this is an oft-recurring item ; educational census, .£4llß 4s. Id., also required from time to time; fees of children attending denominational schools under the famous 25th clause, and set forth by the disaffected as an enormous abuse, a concurrent endowment, £749 Bs. 2d. ; salaries of officers of the Bx>ards t £6333 f Bsr *7d. ; Salaries «f .teachers, £49$ 16V It follows that for the educatinnal 'distribution of little moro than £?20£j"Uthe country has had to piiy^ift^oste £82,000, while the net amouiit paid to denominational sofiools, "and ' about" which tha.-' Birmingham; League and politicalh&oncdmforansts have made so muchiitfbbab, doQ^^ot reach 2$ per cent, of the total. <3t?Qay." As we have said, we bjive noy4)££ns.of ascertaining the nccnykty ~ris Sfcariyer's statements, bnt:^be| which h.e. puts certainly . merits the attention and the reply — if proaeible-e of the education authorities. A wbrstid is, no doubt, an admirable . nrusical iff"? stru.tnenfc, bu.fc it is just withiCL tb.ft bounds of reason that we may pay iofc mucn s for it-.— r" Sportsmai}. I *. '*^