The Wairarapa Daily. FRIDAY, JUNE 15, 1888. THE FREE TRADE PARTY.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 2925, 15 June 1888, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. FRIDAY, JUNE 15, 1888. THE FREE TRADE PARTY.

The member for Master ton who is one of the most modest of Colonial politicians, occupies at the present time a prominent position in the Hons;!, The freetraders in parliament have formed a little party, and Mr George Beetham is apparently leading a contingent of some fifteen M.H.K.s. A party even of fifteen is a very substantial factor in a Colonial House of Representatives, and when, as in the present instance it includes men, who by character, ability and experience, stand a head and shoulders above the average rank and file of either the Ministerial or opposition parties it practically decides the fate of the Government, Of course, on the particular question which has called it into existence as a distinctive organisation it is powerless, The House is pledged to the tariff, and the protestations of the free trade party will avail nothing. Sir liftrry Atkinson lias won ihe tariff Iwttle, and we are not sorry that the, financial dilliculty is solved, perhaps not in the best way, but in as good a way as wo could reasonably expect. Men are but mortal and Iho Atkinson team must have got sick of retrenchment, and feel averse to the further slaughter of officials, But, when the tariff question is finished Mr Beetham's little party will be the masters of the situation. Without their assistance Sir Harry Atkinson will be unable to continue in power. Just now he is independent of them, because on the tariff question lie has the opposition at his back, but this auomalous arrangement must necessarily be temporary, and lie will have to depend upon the freetrade party for a permanent majority in the House, If this new party which Mr Beetham is leading keeps together it may by-and-by be extremely useful to the country. Sir Harry Atkinson has radical proclivities which require to be kept in check, It is not Mr Beetham's party which Las deserted Sir Harry Atkinson, but Sir Harry Atkinson who lias deserted Mi' Beetham's party, When the tariff trouble is over, Sir Harry will be extremely anxious to put himself right again with his old friends,

Notico is given by the Masterton Road Board of tlioir intention to striko a t;oncral rate of seven-sixteenths of ut penny in tho £ on the rateable value of the property within the district. Tho Officers of the Wairarnpa Rifle Companies meet at tho White Hart Hotel, Carterton, to-morrow morning.

Tho Masterton Rillo Volunteers paraded at the Drill Hall last night, Thirty-eight rank and file answered the roll cull, including eleven of the band Lieut. Thompson was 111 command and assisted by Sergeant-Major Bexar, put the company through some new movements, pt was decided, at a meeting hold afterwards, to hold the annual ball on the 19th July.

We aro glad to bo able to inform the many friends of MrE.M.D, Whatman that he is progressing favorably, and was out for tho first time last Wednesday by the aid of crutches. Mr Whatman, it will be remembered had his lep broken in the football match against the English team, and was removed to the Wellington Hospital, where, as was to be expected, lie has received every attention. The many friends of Mr P, H. Cox, of the Bank of Australasia, Masterton, will rejoice to hear that he is shortly to bo promoted to the Invercargill branch of the Bamo bank. At the samo time, his gain will be their loss, as he lias taken an active part in many local affairs. He is at present vice-captain of the Masterton Football Club, and Secretary of the Tennis Club. He plays in the football match against Greytown to-morrow for the last time in Masterton,

The Tuapeka Times is responsible for the following " Tiie children 111 an upcountry school had occasion to complain lately of the wator in the school tank, The committee ordered to have it cleared out. when among the contents were found a dead cat, one boot, two caps, a girl's bonnet, a doll, a ball, a hymn-book, a parcel of love letters tied with crape,'My Love' waltz, a lady's bustle, a fifth reader, a Latin grammar, and the programme of a dunce committee," An exchange says" The burning at sea, or just before or after their departure of forty-nine ships within five years, laden with cotton for Liverpool alone, has brought to light- gome singular instances of cotton burning spontaneously. A piece of fabric immersed 111 linseed oil and shut up in a closed box commenced to smoke in three hours, and as soon as the air was admitted burst into llames. A few pieces of oiled cotton mingled with some dry cotton, and put under pressure took fire in a few hours. An artist was rubbing with a wad ot cotton a painting freshly varnished. When he threw the cotton away it immediately took lire in mid-air.

Being much pressed for time in the attendance to his ollicial duties a New Zealand coroner, who makes it a rule to overtake his work as quickly as it is possible t" do so, this week issued his precept for an inquest on a child, and (says the Press) followed it up with himself, the doctor and constable arriving on the scene at midnight, after a tedious drive in the dark to an out-of-the-way village settlement. The coroner came on to the dwelling of the settler whilst a " wake," at which there were a number of persons present, wa3 in full swing. There was no difficulty about a jury, of course, but the foreman appeared to consider an inquiry uncalled for till the law affecting the question was forcibly explained. Then proceedings were conducted with becoming decorum, and the jury having found a verdict, the officials withdrew, allowing the " wake" to proceed. Yesterday afternoon, the Wanganui Yeoman relates, some cattle that were being drafted behind the Landguard Bluffgave their drovers no end of trouble. First they rushed over one of the cliffs, which resulted in two of their number breaking their necks, and the remainder then took to the water. Twice they were turned back by some, boatmen, and on the third occasion tried to rush the boat but they were again turned. Then one of the drivers became the object of their attention, and was rushed, with the result that he had a leg broken. A stampede across the sands followed, and a fisherman, who was on the beaoh, had things made lively for him for a time, while a party of ladies and gentlemen did a best on record in making for their boat and just got there in time. The cattle were certainly very wild, and at one time looked like taking a dip in the briny. We understand that it was Mr Neil McDonald who n.et with the accident,

An excellent description of the hydra, an animal frequently found in freshwater pools in most countries in the world, was given by the President of the Wellington Philosophical Society (Mr W. M. Maskell) last evening, and for the benelit of those of our readers who are not acquainted with it we (Post) quote from that gentleman's remarks" 'llie hydra consists only of a collection of cells, clustered together so as to form a tijbo closed at one end and open at the other, and prolonged at the open end into half-a-dozen arms, which wave in the water, It has no head, no eyes, no internal organs, heart, liver, or stomach, no mouth, properly speaking, though it takes in food, which may be caught by its arms, and drawn into the opening of the tube. With the exception of some peculiar mid excessively minute needles which it uses to paralyse its prey, it has no 'differential' organs whatever, and it is seemingly nothing but a basr which can be tilled with food. It is really all head, all stomach, all mouth,; it can digest food in all its parts, and in all ways, It is endowed with extraordinary vitality, Cut off an arm, or all its amis, and it \yjll push out new ones; cut it in half and you y/ilj gut two hydraa; cut it in ten, twenty, or fifty pieces, and each piece will become a perfect hydra—nay, more, turn it inside out (as Tremblcy did 150 years ago), and the former inside will become the outside, The former skin will become the lining of the tube, and the hydra will go on living, moving, eating, and digesting just as well as oyer,"

The matittiuvrea of the German torpedo fleet are attracting iw little attention just now in Europe (says the Scientific American), and it is not at all surprising if the reports of its eii'cctivencss are not exaggerated. Germany cut but a very sorry figure on the sea even when-her armies in 1870-71 ivere carrying all before them, and tlpa yas ;•» belief when she began to build the big ships of the Koenig Wilhelm type, that she would beyin to vie with the other powers in collecting a great Hcofc of these monsters, Bat the Germans, a long headed people, soon satisfied themselves that more was to be gained by torpedo boats plian srrcat ships, and they began to devote themselves to fqnninp a fleet of these powerful craft; and ijov/, though they have an ocean line of battle of only twenty-three heavy armor dads, they possess considerably over 100 torpedo boats, comprising two great fleets—the one at Keil, the other at Wilhelmshaven. Each division is divided into t\yo Abtlieilugen of three companies or srjuadrons, A discipline like unto that maintained among tlio land forces prevails, manceuves andexperiments are constant and thorough and there is reason to believe that a hostile fleet, howeyer ptiong, would hayo itshands full shojjjd jt approach tlie Q'ernpi coast, in any other tnan atomy yeather; and under such conditions, it would bo employed battling the elomonts-

Notification of tho bankruptcy of John Frederick Ward, of Masterton, grocer, appears in this issue. First meeting 011 Wednesday, June 20th, at tho old Court Room.

The entrance totlie Municipal Firo Brigade Engine Shed lias been lowered to a level with the side walk. This will enable tho engine to bo got out and in with more expediency and less exertion 011 tho part of the men.

The adjourned annual meeting of the Mastorton Agricultural and Pastoral Society takes place in tho Central Chambers to-morrow morning at eleven o'clock. The Executive Committee meets afterwards,

Mr J. Williams has a colored plate in his shop window which is a very attractive one. Tho subject of the picture is tho departure of a steamer with" Fied" on board, In frantic haste a " high-class" young lady has just reached the vessel's aide and is just able to hand her lover a packet of Old Judge cigarettes. Her mamma is hangint'on to her skirts liko grim death to keep her horn falling over the wharf.

This day's issue contains notices of auction sales by Messrs Lowes & lorns. The first event comes oil' to-morrow (Saturday) at the Masterton Rooms, at one o'clock, when iivo hundred assorted fruit trees will be competed for, together with a number of flowering and ornamental shrubs. At two o'clock the firm sell land (on which may bo grown the trees previously sold) in the neighborhood of Eketahuna, 011 Wednesday next, at their Stock Yards, they will offer about three thousand sheep of all classes.

The third match of the first round for the Senior Cup of tho Wairarapa Union will be played at Masterton to-morrow between the Greytown and Masterton Football Clubs, This game is being looked fonvaid to with a great deal of interest, as in the first heat Greytown beat Carterton by six points, and the latter in tho second heat made a draw with Masterton, bo that to-morrow's match will show pretty well the relative strength of tho three senior teams, and will give a good idea as to where tho cup will finally stop.

A story is going the rounds about a briefless barrister, who engaged a boy recently, and as he had suffered to some extent from the depredations of his former lad, ho determined to try the nenv boy's honesty at once. He therefore placed a five-pound note under a weight on his table, and walked out without a word. Upon his return half an hour later, the note had gone and half a crown iii silver had taken its place. '' Boy, when I went out I left five pounds under tins weight," " Yes, sir; but you see you hadn't been pone live minutes when a man came in with a bill against you for four pounds seventeen and sixpence. 1 believe the change is correct" " You paid a bill " Yes sir; there it is, all receipted. The nun said it had slipped your memory for the last four years, and so—But the lawyer was stricken insensible [with horror. When he recovered !ho boy was discharged instanter.

There is news from China of a remarkable affair Buddhist monastry near Canton. A number of monks and ntuis appeared to take the vows of the order recently, and among the applicants were two unusually beautiful young women, Two of the monks, after the others had gone from the temple, made a desperate assault on the youns' women, whose screams brought the others to their rescue, The abbot decided to turn the moults over to the civil magistrate, but later he deoided to send them over to the monastry for trial and punishment. Each offender received 20 lashes on the bare back in the presence of the others. This punishment so enraged the culprits that when released they armed themselves with knives and attacked the abbot, This time it was determined to make an example of them. It was resolved to burn the offenders to death in the crematory of the monastery, and the sentence was carried out. The two priests were carried, bound, into the crematory, and in the presence of the brethren and a large crowd of spectators from the village they were burnt to death.

The detention of tlio steamer Afghan in Port Philip furnished several "incidents" for the local payors, Ono day there was a row on board, wliioh gave the police in charge some trouble to quell. It appears that all the crew, even to the quartermasters, are Chinese, and of course eo are the cooks, It appears further that the feeding the passengers was done by contract by the cooks, the captain having nothing to do with it. A number of passengers complained that a certain cook had treated them very unfairly on the passage and whilst in harbour, and he boasted that lie could do as he liked with them; the captain would not interfere; the authorities would not allow them to land to prosecute him and if they went back to China they could not punish lnm there. One, day in harbour, this hi«lihanded cook wenta littlo too far, Ho was seen by half-a-dozen passengers to deliberately pour kerosene into the rice pot, They told tlioir mates, and an angry mob set ii])on cooky, who was keeping tlicm off with a bar of iron when the police interfered and rescued him, and lie was then locked up out of arm's way. Working-Men,— Before you begin your heavy spring work after a winter of relaxation, your system needs cleansing and strengthening to prevent an attack of Ague, Billious or Spring Fever, or some other Spring sickness that unfits you for a season's work. You will save time, much sickness and great expense if you will use one bottle of Dr. Soule's American Hop Bitters in your family this month, Dont wait, "Biniin?toii Haivkcve." A Good Horo;B\v]FE.---Thc!»ood housewife when giving her house its spring renovating, should bear in mind that the dear inmates of her house are more precious than many houses, and that their systems need cleansing by purifying the blood, regulating the stomach and bowels to prevent and cure the diseases arising from spring malaria and miasma, and sho must know that there is nothing that will do it so perfectly and surely as Dr, Soule's American Hop Bitters, the purest and best of mediciues. "Concord N. H. Patriot,"

Just two days before the tariff resolutions were accepted by the House, and acted upon by the Customs authorities, we passed entries for our latest imports of flannels and blankets, for the season, at the Wholesale Family Drapery Warehouse, Ic Aro House, polling, ton.

_We consequently escaped the rigorously high duty that, in accordance with protectionist proclivities, is now levied 011 these goods. Whether this step is one in the right direction or otherwise we are not disposed to argue. One thing is very certain that we have now a splendid stock of flannels and blankets, that in spite of the increased duties v/e shqll sejl fqr the old prices, at Te Aro House, Wellington,

We were never better able to supply the public with both quantity and quality in flannels and blankets, and we venture to assert that no house in trade has so large a stock, or is able to soil such good value for money, as wo are at Te Aro House, Wollington, It would, therefore, bp wise, prudent, econ ; omical, money saving on the part of cyery : one to see our flannels and blankets first before laying out a peni]y on these articles elsewhere, Time is money, and worry would be saved in buying all that may be required of tljese articles, at the Wholesale Family Drapery Warchoue. Te Aro Houso, Welling: ' 1 " '

Messrs R. Aitken and sons will hold their usual auction salo to-morrow at their rooms at 1.30 p.m. Sir J, Whitmore will movo 111 tho Legislative Council, that the Council at its rising adjourn tor fourteen days,

Tenders arc invited for the formation and metalling of 18 chains of road. Particulars can be obtained at the office of Mr John King, surveyor, Kuripuni. Mr Robert Burton, of Masterton, lias deposited at tho Patent Office, Wellington a specification of an invention for an improved elevator, to be called " Burton's Eclipse Attached Folding Elevator."

Wairarapa sheepowners aro notified that where sheep returns are not sent to the Sheep Inspector, Masterton, in accordance with clause 21 of the Sheep Act 1878, defaulters will be proceeded against without further notice.

A motion by Mr Peter that tho Live Stock Committee be requested to consider and report 011 tho question of admitting live stock from the United Kingdom into New Zealand was agreed to in the Legislative Council yesterday.

Wo understand that the Wellington Guards are to be invited to Masterton by tho Mastorton Volunteers 011 the 19th July to fire a match and also to take part in a football match 011 the same day, In the evening they will be invited to take part in the annual ball of the Masterton Volunteers

In the House yesterday, the debate on the Customs and Excise Duties Bill was resumed. Mr Taiwhanga caused some amusement by stating that the cause of depression was the difficulty with the N Maori race. If those difficulties were not removed they would be in debt ninety millions mure. He contended that the Natives paid more Customs taxation in proportion than the Europeans did, For instance, 110 said a Maori lady used a pound of sugar in one cup of tea; they were extravagant. (Laupliter) The House divided on the question that the Speaker leave the chair in order that the House might go into Committee 011 the Bill; ayes 50, noes 27. The Houso went into Committee. Progress was at once reported, and the House rose at midnight.

In the Supremo Court, Wellington, the motion for a new trial iti the case Martin v Blundell, judgment was given in favor of defendant. The grounds for the motion wore;-That the verdict was against the weight of the evidence; that the Judge misdirected the jury; (a) that the proceedings at the coroner's inquest were a mutter of public interest; (b) that the question for the jury was fair comment, instead of directing them to lind whether the defamatory article was true or false, Mr Morrison appeared for the plaintiff; Mr Gully for defendants,