MISCELLANEOUS.

Inangahua Times, Volume XI, Issue 1726, 5 July 1886, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS.

The Melbourne Age complains that certain facts which have come to light lead to the conclusion that the agricultural industry of the colony is being seriously injured under cover of the regulations which permit of wheat from other colonies being admitted to the colony duty free on the understanding that it is to be gristed and exported from the colony in the shape of flour. It states *that a Melbourne firm of mil lers secured a contract to supply the Sydney Government with 9000 tons of flour, but the price of Victorian wheat bavins gone up, the firm bought New Zealand wheat at a lower price to mix it with the flower ground from Victorian wheat. The Age states that the way it is done is as follows : — " Supposing a milhr imports 400 tons of wheat from New Zealand for the purpose of gristing, it is admitted free of duty ; he sends 200 tons to his mill to be ground into flour, and mixes it with 200 tons of Victorian flonr. This makes up the amount originally imported 1 400 tons), and the miller retains the other 200 tons free of dnty. By this means the quality of the Victorian article is lowered, the revenue is defrauded, and tbe farmer brought into unfair competition with the foreign grower," It will thus be noticed that

our Melbourne contemporary bas a very poor opinion of New Zealand wheat, while our farmers are classed as foreign growers wbo unfairly compete with his Victorian brother. Apropos of intercolonial relations, the Sydney 'Echo' remarks : — " It must lie clear to every one whose survey overlaps the present time'that, however keenly a certain class of producers may feel the inequalities of the tariffs of onr neighbors, the grievance can only be temporary. When the trumpet sounds for| the real and for the snmmoning of a central and.coramanding Parliament, the intercolonial barriers will fall as fiat as tbe walls of Jericho. In view of the foot that this event cannot be very far off, it hardly seems worth while to multiply intercolonial provocations, if tbey are of a character -.to* retard union. The question of Protection for the nearer future will not apply as between the cobnies, bnt only as between Australia and the rest of the world, and it is tbat larger view of the case that is alone worthy 'of the attention of all controversialists. These colonies will soon be towards one another as the different States of America are towards their Union. "\ We shall have but one customs and one tariff."

This is the manner in which onr East and Wes< Coast Railway is quoted in the London money market : — The New Zealand Midland Railway Company has been formed with a Share capital of £500,000, of which £250,000, is now offered fot subscription in £10. Shares, Lloyds, Barnetts, and Bosanquets Bank will receive the money. The line is to lie a " trunk " one, and the Government of New Zealand is to give the Company a free grant of land of the nominal valae of £1,250, 000., for which the Company expects to get double the money. Debentntes may be issued to complete the line, whose estimated total cost is £2,775, 000

Mr. Justin tf'Carthy, M. P., in an address on the Irish Question at Battle, near Hastings, said he felt sore tbat tbe more the English people studied Irish history the more they would be convinced that in granting Home Rule tbey would be making a friend and not a foe. The Irish wanted nothing but tbe right of managing their own affairs within the line of Ireland's coasts. He denied most emphatically that it was a question of Catholic against Protestant, and that Protestant Ulster was in favour of retaining the Act of Union. They might make a Union by Act of Parliament, but they never made unity hy Act of Parliament. He regarded the Home-rule Bill as a measure of justice to Ireland and a mercy to England.

Thirty-three out of the 481 telegraphists in the colony recently held a competition for the prizes offered by the Department. The most proficient all-iound operator proved to be Mr Talbot, of the Dunedin office ; Mr J. Kivell, of Wellington, being second ; and Mr R. H Keys, of Blenheim, being third. Mr Hale, of Blenheim, was the best sender, and Mr Morley, , of Christchurch, the best receiver. The

prize for the best cadet was secured by Mr P. Thompson (now of Napier) ; Mr Marryai, of Timaru, gaining second honours. There are 230 town and 69 country operators, whilst 132 postmasters also act as operators.

A strange case occurred at North Harbour, Syduey, George Griffiths reported to the police on the 10th inst. that he had found the body of a young woman, a domestic servant, named Eliabeth Martin, on the shore of the harbour, she having been apparently drowned. Griffita stated that he and a man named William James met the diseased and another young woman, Jane Brown, also a domestic Servant, in Sydney, on tl c previous evening, and that tbey all went to Manly together. The woman a -cepted an invitation by the men to go to tlieir camp at North Harbour, fnUtayad there all night. About 3 o'clock on Thursday morning the deceased hft t c tent, and after being absent f< r s me time the two men and the w me * B own went in search of lur, and at 7 o'clock they found her as described. At the inquest evidence was given that the deoeased was a highly respect W ■ girl. Brown **M//JRHfo acquaint d with the two m^nHwilltnged the meeting which resulted i i a trip to Manly. Brown says she d d not intend to stop all night at the men's tent, but that she fell out of the boat and got her clothes wet, and had to put on men's clothes till her own dried. As serious suspicion attached to the two men and Brown, they were arrested. Both the men are well connected, being clerks in Sydney, and the deceased is a daughter of a very old colonist at Linton. Her father is one of the oldest servants of Railway department. The doctors who conducted the post-mortem examination formed the theory from the appearances presented that the deceased got into the water and received a shock which caused fainting. The heart then ceased to aot, but the longs continued to perform their functions and the deceased took water into the lungs. They expressed the opinion tbat she came to her death partly from syncope and partly from asphyxia by drowning. Marks fonnd on the breasts, the npper part of the arms, on the bridge of the nose, and a bruise on the forehead, were, pronounced ante-mortem injuries. Griffiths is charged with having committed a capital offence on deceased, and James and the girl Brown with being accomplices.

We (Sportsman) hear so seldom of a punter having attained the summit of his ambition, and succeeded in backing every winner dnring an afternoon's racing, that it is refreshing to learn from Sydney that on Saturday last one of the Melbourne "battlers" not only spotted every winner, but, commencing with an investment of a couple of ' sovereigns, played them np so effecj tually that he went homo more than nine hundred pounds richer than when lie stepped on to thr Randwick tram four hours earlier. After starting with an investment of £2 on Veronique at 5 to 1, he pocketed his original stake (2), and put the tenner on Keith at 7 to 2. He then, being possessed of £45, pnt anothei £15 in his pocket, and took 45 to 80 about Ellington in the Selling race, then staked £75 on Stud ley at 3's to 1, and pat the whole lot (300) on Dunlop at 2to 1. Dunlop won as he liked, and the baoker cleared just £915 on the day. We have known this game to be tried many hundreds of times, but during oar experience only three authenticated instances of its baring "come off" have ever been brought under oor observation. The first wa« at Caulfield on Boxing Day, about four years back, when ail the favourites won, and a tacker with an investment of a sovereign won about 4800. The other case was at Randwick, when Acolyte won the Metropolitan, and the same individual ran into a thousand pounds as a result of spotting every winner during the day and playing his winnings up as he went along

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