The Ashburton Guardian. Magna et Veritas et Prævalebit. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 1890. SCHOOL BUILDINGS.

In the general retrenchment that has been effected m Committee of Supply we are sorry to see that £5000 has been docked oft" the vote for school buildings. .In the present House there is a strong party whose aim it is to cripple the State system of primary education, not because of any defects m the system, but simply because of its cost, and because it is feared that the general body of the rising genera tion will become over-educated. On slaughts have been made by these members at various times and m various ways to reduce the cost of primary education, but m every case unsuccessfully. The will of the people has been stronger than the prejudice of a certain faction m the House, and the system of compulsory education, which birds of ill-omen frequently state will topple over with its own weight, has been allowed to proceed m its channel unmolested. A little re trenchment has been effected by the various Education Boards m the shape of reduction of salaries, but without impairing the efficiency of the system j or prerenting the establishment of schools m sparsely settled parts of the colony, where the children of pioneer settlers may reap the benefits of a I fairly liberal, but not extravagant I education. Advantage has now, how ever, been taken of retrenchment m Committee of Supply, and the anti education party, assisted by Govern ment supporters and the '• Skinflint" party, have lopped off £5000 from the school building vote, while other extravagant votes ,have been allowed to pass holus bolus without even a mur mur being raised against them. For this the Government are primarily responsible. When Sir Harry Atkin son brought down his budget this year it will be remembered that a proposi tion was made to shift the school build ing vote from the consolidated revenue directly on to the shoulders of the people by means of continuance of, the primage duty. The Premier, knowing the tenacity with which the people will cling to the advanced system of free compulsory State education which obtains m the colony, selected the edu cation vote as a means to continue the primage duty m order that, he mignt meet the country with a surplus, squeezed from the pockets of the people at a time when it could j-be ill afforded. This astute move having failed, the Government havo now joined issue with the extreme economists, and the education vote has been substanti ally reduced. The friends and sup porters of free State education are not so blind, however, but that they can see through tins sub rosa method of breaking down the State school system, and we may expect to bear constant murmurs from the sever.il educational districts throughout the colony during the incomingyear as to the insufficiency of funds for school purposes. When these cries arise the cause will bft sufficiently apparent, and our object m thus early calling attention to the matter is to place the responsibility m the proper quarter, and not upon the moderate retrenchment party, whose aim lias been to cut down extrava gance—not to abolish necessaries.

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The United States .Senate rejected a J motion to place wool on the list of articles to be admitted free from duty. J A ,i;i)'l jiiiined Simpson, aged ses*on years, daughter of a settler lieurTumnkii. was acci- J dentally burned to 'lentil kst night hy her clothes catching lire. » In Liverpool during the past seventeen years no less than 109 licenses have cither | been refused or allowed to lapse, and 1 m Sheffield seventy-eight licenses have similarly ceased to exist m ten years. Mr Gladstone, while recently walking m Hawanlan village, was approached joy an | amateur photographer, who begged him to stand while his picture could he taken, and ( the G.O.M. good-naturedly complied. The business of the Transcaspiau railway ' has reached a value of 120,000 roubles (about ■ £12,000} per week, chiefly from cotton, ' which is now largely cultivated m Central H Asia. A new street railway motor is being in troduced m Chicago. The motive-power is | * gas generated by naphtha ignited by elec tricity. It claims 15 miles per hour. Tests indicate that it is a success. Florida has a peculiar fly called the " horseguard," which has the apperrance of a hornet. This fly follows the horses and catches the horse flies that settle on them, but does not bite the animals. Of 2759 duels fought m Italy during 11 t yeava, 1141 terminated by insignificant f wounds, 1400 by wounds speedily healed, ! and 50 only by wouuds subsequently pro ducing death. ■ • The Moslems of Delhi have op/sije/l a seminary m which preachers are taught all j jtijO objections of Western infidels against Christianity, that they may go forth to oppose tlie jUhplstifyn preachers m town and country.. There is a fashionable and wealthy West end tradesman who owes not only his fortune but his life to the late I^ord Fahnouth > who j took him from a garret, where his parents were dying of smallpox, and had the child 1 cared for and apprenticed to trade. Unless there be m Scotland something like a national uprising against the national viee— for it it is nothing less—of squalor, thnt siuialor will remain the badge of the , land's inferiority to England m a true reality of modern civilisation.—"Scots ObsetVe,"," . * A young ftwsfci&n lady named Olga Louha nowski has, says tit* jß,xchange Telegraph Company's Bucharest correspondent, made a hot to ride on horseback from »Ht Petersburg t<> Origsna, a distance of 1500 kilometres, Niunerwtys }*gflvy wagers have been made on the ftttwmjjt, No otIMJP peJigWws SMcet eft*?, show such a record of longevity among its Bjifc/af^r,? <is the Quakers. Last year 206 members qI jtijut ■Society of Friends died m dvmt jjrjtafaji Ireland, and out of that total 124 were over 70 yg!#.rs of age, and 65 of these were above 80, ' ! HoM,l>W.*y.!S OINTMKXT AXD PllLs. — Colds, Cougks, .Sfoodness of Breath.—These maladies require .ea^ly and unremitting attention, for if Neglected ithay often end m asthma, bronchitis, of cwaiMvp^n. The ointment well rubbed upou tits fAtgifa fjjil back, penetrating the skin, is absorbed aui (Sarrfejcl directly to the lungs, whence it expels ftU impurities. All the blood m the laxly U WiWkt&Uy passing through the lungfl, MW tlvore a.-l«L j^pstigtj.s particles* tend f m ("'"to dweafie «o» be quickly, ami permanently newtrafejed,, ve,ucle,r,td \^^. t «less, or ejected from the systei??. JJolloway'.ss Ointment, and Pills perfectly nmomf^k this purification ; and through the blood thus cifcsswpd the influence of these woixtepftjl I medicMwents reaches the remotest part of \ the human tod^ and thus cures all diseased j action, wto%r jpfyp&l °f Wtfemal. f

Bro. George Robertson, P.G. secretary, New Zealand Constitution, has received advice that the Grand Orient of Italy has fully recognised the Grand Lodge of New Zealand. An exchange of representatives is being arranged. London lunatics are largely on the increase. The addition of 300 or 400 maniaci every year to the roll of the insane adds very consider ably to the incubus which has to be borne by the ratepayers of the metropolis, and no sooner is one asylum erected than it becomes flieceesary to lay the foundations of another. At the "Rink on Saterday evening Professor Manola gave a varied exhibition of his skill as a magician and acrobat. His perform ances on the slack wire and flying trapeze were greeted with well-merited applause, and the various exhibitions of legerdemain wers really clever. The attendance was fairly good, and those present thoroughly enjoyed themselves. The "Timaru Herald" says:—A boy named Barkley, aged 5 years and 4 months, son of Mr John Barkley, farmer Claremont, was drowned on Saturday afternoon. Mr Barkley was engaged m ploughing on Satur day and took his son out with him. After a time the boy was missed, and on the father going m search of him, he found the body m a dam which is situated m the pad dock which was being ploughed. The dam is of fair size, and the water m ib is about five feet deep. We would remind our readers that no time ought to be lost by those of them not yet upon the roll, or who are uncertain as to their being upon the roll, m sending m their claims to the Registrar. The writs will be out shortly, and every man entitled to a vote should at once take: steps to have his name registered. The old proverb, "it is better to be sure than sorry, has often been quoted to disappointed electors who at the last moment found themselves unable to vote for the man of their choice, simply because of their own carelessness m not looking after their rights. The fishing season draws on apace, and sportsmen are beginning to look up their old petbaite, lines, reels, etc., and generally to fet their gear into fettle. Mr Wilhelm lander, too, is taking time by the forelock, and has imported as nice a supply of every .requisite that the most fastidious Waltonian could desire-^-soleskins, whitebait phantoms, soleskin phantoms, derons, enakas, quill devons, angel baits, the latest kill-devil minnows for live bait; ferrules, gut, reels, and lines ; nets, scales, minnow mountings; gaff hooks of every size and description ; fash bags and baskets; waterproof stockings and crack proof boots; minnow and trace boxes ; and rod« without end. Mr Zander has been authorised by the Ashburton Acclimatuation Society to sell licenses to fish to the public, so that no one need now be put to any inconvenience m regard to supplying himself with the means of enjoy ing a turn on the river, and possessing him self of the necessary legal authority. The " Dunedin Star's " London correspon dent writes :—" One would imagine that the recent terrible disasters which have over taken ships bringing flax from New Zealand would have caused a tremendous rise m the insurance premiums m the trade. Ap parently, however, the underwriters are still content to accept such risks at comparatively low rates. ' Fair Play 'm its current issue, remarks : "In 1867 the Blue Jacket, from New Zealand, with specie valued at over £100,000, and with a large quantity of flax onboard, was burnt at sea, and a couple of ships bound from New Zealand, also with flax, were about the same time missing. Now we have the Merope, from New Zealand , with flax, etc., burnt and abandoned; and two other ships (having flax) from New Zealand, the Marlborough and the Dunedin, missing. This is a striking coincidence. Is there any thing special about the season's flax, or wns the weather at the time of loading such as to affect the condition of the cargo." At the Canterbury Trotting Club's Spring meeting on Saturday, Mr Standish's mars Caliata —by Berlin out of an Albany mare— made her debut on a Christ"hurch course, and the " Lyttelton Times " m writing of her performances, describes her as the best trotter ever seen on a Christchurch course, and the way she trotted away from her field on each occasion, without apparently being extended, was extremely ludicrous. She beat the New Zealand record m the two-mile Saddle Troo, winning hard held by two hun dred yar is, notwithstanding that Hurrold, her joeksy, was doing all he knew to prevent the mare winning so easily. In the Maid n\ everything pulled up except Miss Small, so great was the lead Calista gained from the field. In the other saddle trots Dewoy's Sambo won the two miles for ponies; Leitch's Maid, of Roclea the one mile handi cap ; and Parish's Demon the Consolation. In the harness trots Buggey's My Dream Won the four miles ; and Mcßae's Mountain Maid the two miles for ponies. In the two mile harness for ponies, Mr Standish's (irace Darling ran third. The annual meeting of shareholders m the Mataura Dairy Factory Company was held on Friday last, there being about twenty four present. The report and balance-sheet showed that the Company had lost £156 11s 2d on the year's transactions, this includ ing amount written off for depreciation, etc. The Chairman explained that although their cheese had brought top prices there had been considerable losa m weight through shrinkage which, had there been better ship ping accommodation, might have been avoided. He also stated that the manager had been re-engaged to make cheese at the rate of 5s 6.1 per 1001 b free on trucks and finding everything. This was (kl per 1001 b more than last y«ar, but the advance was necessitated by the New Zealand Pine Com pany having raised the price of timber; they having a monopoly. A discussion having arisen as to the fairness of non-milk suppliers who are shareholders receiving no dividend it was resolved that no dividend be declared until 3d per gallon is paid for milk. After some discussion it was resolved to join the New Zealand Dairying Association. —" Southland Times." A correspondent of "Notes and Queries" writes :—" The threatening aspect of affairs m Newfoundland, arising from the disputes as to the fishery rights of the French, causes the thirteenth clause of the Treaty of Utrecht to be of interest at the present time. Ac cording to Brodrick's "History of the Late War" (London, 1713) it runs thus:— The island called Newfoundland, with the ad jacent islands, shall, from thi3 time forward belong qt right wholly to Britian ; and to that end, the towns and fortresses of Plac entia, and whatever other places m the said island are m the possession of the French, shall be yielded and given up within seven months from the exchange of the ratification of this Treaty, or sooner if possible, by the most Christian King, to those who have a commission from the Queen of Great Britain for the purpose. Jfor shall the most Christ ian King, his heirs and successors, or any of their subjects, at any time hereafter lay claim to any right to the said island and is? lands, or to any part of it or them. More over, it shall not be lawful for the subjects of Franco to foi'tjfy any place jn the said island of Newfoundland, or to eye^t any buildings there, besides stages made of boards, and huts, neceßsary and usual for fche drying of fish. But it shall be allowed to the subjects of France tc catch fish and dry them on land, m that part only, and m no other besides that of the said island of Newfoundland, which stretches from the place called Cape j^jnavista to the northern point of the said island, a^d from thence running down by the western side, readies as far the place called Riche." Statutory Declaration.—l, Jfranz Raabe, Ipo^bark, Sandhurst, m the colony of Vie: jtoiia, Australia, do solemnly and sincerely declare tfc*,t r f -n the 2sth June, 1877, my son Alfred, sijc years qf age, was accidentally hurt with an ajce on his knee, fat oucje took all pains to secure medjeal assistance. How ever, m ajrifce of all efforts, oil the 27<;V August, 1877, the opinion was given by J)r Macgillivray that an amputation of the injured limb had become imperative, m order tft save life. At this juncture I called on Sander and Sons, procuring some of their ißx^r.^ ,ci Eucalyptus Globulns, and by the application ,9! l)j« same I had the satisfaction of seeing ifty so/f -^<¥-/ii« n. fort night out of all danger, and to-day' hg us recovered. I may just add that it was when jthe crisis had been reached that the Extract ir'ef fcr^ac], to was first applied, and I make this <3,t.cty£u.tion, etc. — Franz Raabe, Declared' &£' {^udtutySjl, m the colony for Victoria, Australia, i>his s^y«t^li day of o<ftg])sr f ,©ue thousand eaglet hundred 'and seventy.awea. before me, J^oritz^ohp, Jv£ ' f ~'<vdvfc.s : '•" ■■■"■ $

Employers' Meeting.

On Saturday afternoon, a meeting of employers of labor was held m the Orange Hall. The meeting was called by adver tisement, and two o'clock was the hour fixed for beginning business. It was fully half-past two, however, before a beginning was made ; but when proceedings did open, the hall was crowded to its utmost capacity, fully 150 people being m the room. Many trades' unionists were among those present, and there was a good attendance of farmers. On the motion of Mr Hugo Fried lander, Mr C. J. Harper took the chair, and I expressed his pleasure ai< seeing so large a meeting of representative farmers. It showed that they were alive to their own j interests, and there was no doubt the ' trouble brought about by the Maritime Council m Austialia would affect the farmers here m a short time. The time at which the trouble had come on was opportune for the farmers, as all fcheir grain was sold ; had it been otherwise, they would have been m a terrible fix. They were mcc that day to discuss the matter c«olly and calmly, and to look the labor crisis m the face. Farmers had a right to protest against this disturbance, aa they were all working men m a sense, and their produce was the backbone and foundation of the whole fabric of the colony's commerce, and this fabric was now jeopardised by the extraordinary conduct of the seamen. He would not waste time m going over the reason of all this disturbance, but would just mention that t^here had been much talk about me diation. He could not see what there was to mediate about. Labor had full right to form itself into unions—farmers had the same right; but every disturb ance such as this must affect the whole trade of the colony, and very materially affect the farmers. The news that day from Lyttelton was very satisfactory. Ships were being loaded by free labor, not as speedily, to be sure, as they wOuld have been m the ordinary state of things, but the work was going on satisfactorily. Still, they ought to be prepared for any emergency, as if they did not exert them-1 selves they might be left m a very nasty .position. Farmers were not ready to unite to look after their own interests. ; That had often been subject for regret m connection with agricultural meetings, at which it was always difficult to get an attendance. He hoped to see meetings held frequently at which agricultural matters would be discussed. But m regard to the matter more immediately m hand, he had to move —(1) " That this meeting strongly disapproves of the unwarrantable action of the Maritime Council m calling out labor without any grievance against New Zea land employers, and those present pro mise every support by labor or otherwise to! prevent the trade of the country from being paralysed." This was a very general resolution, but the time may soon come when they would have to contribute labor to prevent themselves from being very seriously hampered by the gross tyranny they were being subjected to. He had yet to learn that the laboring classes had much to complain of m New Zealand. He himself had always paid fair wages— the men's own prices m fact—and when a man got his own price he could not grumble. In speaking to any motion at that meeting, he hoped speakers would be brief, and avoid as far us possible any personal or other remark likely to raise any ill-feeling. Mr G. W. Leadley seconded the motion. He agreed with the remarks of the Chair man, and hoped no expression of feeling would occur nor personal remarks bo made, but that the subject they had met to consider would be discussed coolly and dispassionately. So far ;is he could sco, from the public papers, the Union Shipping Company, doing businens m New Zealand waters and carrying on .m intercolonial trade, thought it advisable to join an Association on the other side. That action was resented both on the other side and here, and had brought about the strikes. That w;is the ro.il cause so far as lie could see | why this colony had been involved m so much trouble. If those involved m the trouble were put to any very largely increased outlay, that increase they would endeavor to recoup themselves, and it must ulti mately come out of the pockets of th*e farmers. No sovereigns were to be dug from the bottom of thesea—all their ' wealth was got f rom the soil. He had had several conversations wirh men who were on strike, and had heard from them that there existed a few minor grievances among men working on small coasting vessels, as to time, etc., but these could have been remedied without involving the trade of the colony m all this trouble. It seemed to him to resolve itself into this : If labor unions here were entitled to join with labor bodies over there, it w;is right for shipowners here to join with shipowners over there. He cpnld see no right that either side had to object to the other affiliating with Australia. But the question for those present was that every farmer and farm laborer, and every store keeper too, must m the end bear the cost of all this trouble. Mr James Brown, Netherby, Wakanui, objected to the motion. The Maritime Council had been quite justified m acting as it had done, and the Unionists had be haved nobly, and acted quite within the law. It was time for labor to unite and defend itself against the treatment it had been subjected to. If they had read the report of the Sweating Commission they would have seen how young people had been sweated, and how they had had to work for money that was not sufficient to live on. In the case of Whitcombe and Tombs, the Typographical Society were perfectly justified, m the attitude they had assumed towards that company. All the other offices m Christchnrch were quite willing to pay their men Union races, and work on Union lines, and when Whit combe and Tombs declined to do so they could only expect to have the Society against them. It was the same with the Seamen's Union, and, unless these Sooie* ties united with each other and federated for their mutual protection, they must be powerless, As a farmer, he himself had had to run the gauntlet of bad seasons and shipping rings, and he was now asked to take part m shipping produce. He had done his part m regard to grain, and he declined to do any more. It would be more m keeping, he thought, for capitalists to throw m their influence and urge the withdrawal of the Shipping Com pany from tha Shipowners' Association. He Avould move as an amendment.— " That this meeting is of opinion that the present difficulty m the shipping trade of the colony has been largely brought about by the attempt of the Union S.S. Company, and certain employers of labor to crush unionism, the poor man's weapon of defence—and that the most satisfactory Avay to end the difficulty would be for those capitalists to comply with the present demands ,of labor, sub mit the matters m dispute to arbitration, and endeavour, by Legislative means, to fjq justice to, bo,th parties, and sp prevent suclf an qocvjrrance from t^ljii^ place m the future." Mr P. McGulre seconded. Mr Hugo Friedlancler would not have troubled the meeting with any remarks, but for the misstatements made by the mover of the amendment. He had seen the Secretaries of several of these Associations, and they had all said they had no grievance, but, belonging to the Maritime Council, they had had to obey orders. The farmers of the colony hud had a hard time, but they hadgot over it, 1 and everybody was doing very well, and was managing his own business, when th^s labor trouble came on and dis organized perythjn§f. ' He had no

objection to the men having unions ; he had always been able to work with them ; but it was the Maritime Council itself that first began the affiliation by federating with the Australian labor system. As to Whitcombe and Tombs, that firm's name had no right to be dragged into that meeting. He was not m any way con nected with Whitcombe and. Tombs, and they had never done a shilling's worth of work for him; but there waa another side to the question of that firm's position, which m common, justice ought to be stated. That firm had taken up a class of work which had hitherto been sent out of the colony, and to be able to do this work, so that they could compete with outside, they had employed boys and girls to do the. work upon it. The Chairman, before putting the amendment to the vote, wished it to be I understood that the meeting was one of employers of labor, and only employers of labor would be allowed to vote. The vote was then taken, when the amendment was voted for by the mover and seconder only, and the motion was carried almost unanimously. Mr Donald Williamson would propose the next resolution as follows :—(2)"Thak an Association be formed called the Ashbur ton Farmers and Employers Association, the object of which is to secure for its members unity of action and protection of their just interests, and with a view to affiliation with other kindred Associations, and that this meeting resolves itself into a Committee to carry out the object of the Association." He felt himself man awkward position, because on all occasions when: the rights of labor had been dis cussed, he had taken the side of labor. He was doing so now, for it seemed that the labor party's heads were running away with them, and the leaders were running away with the men's liberty. He hadspokenwith several railway hands, who regretted that they had joined with this Council; but having done ao, they were bound m honor to come out. The trouble, as had already been stated, began on the other side, for here there was no grievance between the Union Shipping Company and their men. The officers had joined the Seamen's Union, and the shipowners had declined to treat with the officers while they were affiliated with that Union. The officers, however, had declined to withdraw. On the other side, it was thought if they were able to keep out New Zealand produce, they would be better able to fight capital on the other side, and so the Unions of New Zealand were called out. He was quite with the Unions for the protection of the interests of the men ; but now' it seemed that all sorts of interests were drawing together for mutual protection. The Maritime Council had no right to dictate to the Shipping Company that they must not unite with the only Association they could unite with, while they themselves had united with Australia, and this dictation had very greatly jeopardised their cause. 'He rather fancied if the Maritime Council had known at the beginning what they knew now, their action would have been different. The result of the Maritime Council's action had been disastrous. The Woollen Factory here was stopped, and important industries all over the Colony had been brought to a standstill, while traffic on the railway had been very seriously reduced, not for want of men, but simply for want of business. All this agitation meant a rise m freight, and farmers had too much to pay as it was, and many good men had gone to the w;ill. If anything could be done to save the laborers from themselves there would be good done. It did not require much foresight to see that, as a result of all this turmoil, many workers must be thrown out of employment, and if any •thin<f could be done to end the trouble, much misery mould be averted that now seemed inevitable. He had been a worker all his life, and he believed that he did now as much work as many members of these Unions. (Laughter.) It was much to be regretted that any attempt, such as the present agitation, should ever have been made to set class against class. Mr A. E. Peache seconded the motion m a short speech. Mr James Brown believed the farmers had no grievance at the present time, and the best they could do at this crisis was to remain neutral, The motion was carried unanimously. Mr Hugo Friedjander said there were a few business men m Christchurch who, having the courage of their opinions, had taken action m face of much opposition and opprobrium to help to carry on the trade at the Port. He felt the employers m this county would only be doing a graceful thing if at that meeting they passed a resolution acknowledging the efforts of these gentleman. He would therefore move—(3) "That this meeting desires to express its admiration of the moral courage and determination shown by Mr Stead and others m the prominent part they have taken m carrying on the shipping at Lytfcelton during the present crisis, and accords them a well-earned and hearty vote of thanks." Mr Somerville seconded the motion, which was carried unanimously, as well as a further resolution asking the Chairman to forward to Mr Stead a copy of the third-resolution. Mr Duncan Cameron, Springfield, was much pleased to see the third resolution passed. He had been at port last Thurs day, and had there seen thousands of sacks of potatoes lying exposed, and m a very perishable condition ; and piles of sacks of grain but poorly protected, were also lying there waiting for shipment. ■He had nothing against the men. Most of the. men he had ever employed were always willing to come back to work with him, and he always got along well enough with his hands, But the men were as much interested m the sale of this pro duce as those to whom it belonged, for it was by its sale that they were paid their wages. Many men would be glad to earn the wages the lumpers earned. He understood the earnings were as high as £3 a week all the year round. Work was going on very well now, however, and the Tekapo had got more grain aboard last week than had been shipped m any week for the last eighteen months. (Groans.) It was a pity to see the produce, (the gift of a kind Providence), that had been grown and gathered with so much labor and anxiety, lying exposed m a perishable condition at Lyttelton, and m danger of being lost at the last moment. The Chairman thanked the meeting for their behaviour towards him, and stated that as work was now going on satisfac torily at the port, it would nob be neces sary to give effect to the second resolution. Should it become necessary to give effect to it, he would make it his duty, as Chair man of that meeting, to call together another meeting to do so. Mr Brown having moved a vote of thanks to the Chairman, which was carried by acclamation, the proceedings closed, •

The Pygmies of Central Africa.

(Manchester " Weekly Times.") In his address before the Royal Geo graphical Society, on Monday night, Mr Stanley spoke as follows of the^ race of pygmies whom he met with m his recent travels m Africa—Near a place called Avatiko, on the Ituri river, our hungry men found the first male and female of the pygmies squatted m the midst of a wild Eden peeling plantains. You can imagine what a shock it was to the poor little creatures at finding themselves sur rounded by .gigantic Soudanese 6ft 4in |n height, nearby double their own height and weight, and black as a coal. But my always" jqqfe tjenderhearteil

than Soudanese, prevented the clubbed rifle and cutlasses from extinguishing their lives there and then, and brought them to me as prizes m the same spirit as they would hr,ve brought a big moth, hawk, or mammoth longicorn far inspec tion. As they stood trembling before me I named the little man Adam, and the miniature woman Eve, for more appro priate names m the wild Eden on the Ituri than the Vukukum and Akiokwa which they gave us. As I looked at them and thought how these represented the oldest people on the globe my admiration would have gone to greater lengths than scoffing cynics would have expected. Poor Greekish heroes aud Jewish patri archs, how their glory paled before the ancient ancestry of those manikins ! Had Adam known how to assume a tragic pose, how fitly he might have said, " Yea, you may well look on us, for we are the only people on the face of the earth who from primeval time have never been removed from their homes. Before Yusuf and Mesu were ever heard of we lived m these wild shades, from the Nile Fountains to the Sea of Darkness, and, like the giants of the forest, we despise time and fate." But, poor little things, they said nothing of the kind. They did not know they were heirs of such proud and un equalled heritage. On the contrary, their faces said clearly enough, as they furtively looked at one and the other of us, "Where have these big people come from ? Will they eat us ?" There were some nervous twitches about the angles of the nose and quick upliftings of. the eyelids, and, swift, searching looks to note what was m store for them. It is not a comfortable feeling which possesses a victim m presence of a possible consumer of its flesh. That misery was evident m the little Adam and Eve of the African Eden. The height of the man. was 4ft, that of the woman a little less. He may have weighed 651 b ; the color of the body was that of a half-baked brick. So f»r as natural intelligence was concerned within his limited experience he was certainly superior to any black man m our camp. The mysteries of woodcraft, for instance, he knew better than any of us ; he knew what wild fruits were wholesome, and what fungi were poisonous. He could have given us valuable lessons how to find our way through the forest. I also saw that he could adapt himself to cir-i cumstaneea. If the pot was to end him, a very little shrinking only would betray his fear of pain ; if he were to be treated affectionately, none could be so ready to appreciate affection and kindness. We began to question him by gestures. "Do you know, where we can get liananas?" He catches the cue, he grasps his leg to us the size, and nods his head * apidly, informing us that he knows where to find bananas of the size of his leg. One sees that he can exaggerate as well as Mark Twain. (Laughter) We point to the four quarters of the compass, question ingly. He points to the sunrise m reply. f' Is it far ?" He shows a hand's length. Ah ! a good day's journey without loads, two days with loads! "Do you know the Toru?" He nods his head rapidly. '* How far is it ?" He rests his right hand sideways on the elbow joint. " Oh, four days' journey." "Is there much food on the road?" He pats his abdomen lovingly with an artful smile, and brings his two hands to a point m front of him, from which we may infer that our paunches will be becom* like prostrate pyramids. We ask him why Aveliko has has so little food. The little man at tempts to imitate the sound of gunshots, and cries "Do-o-o-o," and we are informed quite intelligently that the devastation is due to the jofanyuema. I ■ suppose we must have passed through as many as 100 villages occupied by the pygmies. Long, however, before we reached them they were deserted and utterly cleaned out. Our foragers and scouts may Jiave captured about fifty of these dwarfs, only one of whom reached the height of 51in. They varied from 39m. to 50in. generally. They are so well proportioned that at first sight they might be taken for ordinary mankind, but when we place by their side a European, a Soudanese, or a Mahdi, they appear exceeding^ diminu tive. By the side of dwarfs of mature age a Zanzibari boy of thirteen would ap pear large. A forest building consists- of from 20 to 100 families of pygmies, and probably m that area between the Ihuru and Ituri rivers there are as many .as 2000 families living this nomadic and free! life m the perpetual twilight of the great and umbrageous forests of Equatorial Africa.

Labor Questions

[PER PRESS ASSOCIATION;] London, September 5. Few shipments are being made to Australia, and the stevedores have little or no employment. London, S»pt. 6. The Trades Congress at Liverpool has closed. Before the closing a resolution to the effect that blacklegs should be boycotted was rejected, and an order was issued to Trades Unions to subscribe to the Australian strike fund. The dockers' shilling levy is not pay able till September 27th. Mr O. Fenwick, M.P. for Wansbeck, was elscted Parliamentary Secretary to the Trades Council by 191 votes against 171 secured byMrG. Shipton. Burns failed to obtain election on the Parliamentary Committee of the Congress. Although the leaders of the new Unionism failed to capture the Par liamentary Committee, the Congress is pledged to forward the federation of labor m all countries. It was resolved that Government and municipal con tracts be only given to firms paying Union wages, and that efforts should be made to secure an enactment for bidding the employment of foreign labor on pain of imprisonment. It was resolved that municipal and county councils should establish work shops for the unemployed at Union rates, and the repeal of all laws making intimidation and picketing illegal, is demanded. Burns made desperate efforts to dominate Congress. This aggressive attitude provoked frequent a scene, during which he was on several occa sions hooted down. He manaced those opposed to him by threatening that their Unions would be punished, but his frequent speeches were rigidly cur tailed by enforcing the cldturei It was decided that the next meeting of the Congress be held at Newcastle. An additional £500 by voluntary collection by London dockers is ready to be remitted to Australia. The Sailors' National Union will forward £1000 to assist the strikers, Melbourne and Sydney receiving £iOO each, and Brisbane £200. The Liverpool dockers send JBIOQO m aid of colonial men. The corn porters at Victoria Docks i have struck. The employers are offer ing 90 per cent increase. Albert dockers and those working New Zealand meat ships have secured an increase of 2d per hour. Coal freights to Melbourne and Calcutta are fixed at 21s per ton. Sydney, September 6 t Strike pay has been isssued to. the

Maritime officers. The majority of members state they can stand till the termination of the strike without as sistance. Sydney, September 7. The Tftieri lids sailed for Wellington, and the Union Company expect to get other vessels away during the week. It is estimated that fully 10,000 of the labor class took part m the demon stration yesterday. The whole marched m procession to the Domain, where the crowd wajr 20,000 strong. The whole proceedings., were of the most pacific character, and although 6000 members of the military and police force were present, their gervices were not re quired. \' " It has. been decided that coal lumpers shall be permitted to discharge vessels m port with cargoes of coal for the Gas Company. The Tasmanian S.N. Company, the Australian United Steam Navigation Company, m addition to the Union S.S. Company, broke through the boy cott on Saturday and got away several vessels with full cargoes. The Government this morning re 'cetvett an urgent telegram asking the assistance; of New South Wales m providing coal for the Victorian rail ways, which threatened to stop owing to want of fuel. The Premier, Sir H. Parkes, replied that every effort would be made to comply with the request.

THE SITUATION IN LYTTELTON.

Lyttelton on iSaturday presented a scene of desertedness.: There was only one of the Union . Steamship Company's boats at the wharves, and the only other vessel belonging to the Company m port, wafe the s.s. Dingdadee, and she has been moored off to the buoys m Dampier's Bay t& discharge coals to the Union Steamship Company's hulk Lota. ... There-were 180 non-Union laborers m Lyttelton on Saturday, and a number went to Christchurch by the midday train when work was stopped on the Union Steamship Company's boats. The balance left Lyttelton by the 5.15 train. The schooner Albert was loaded with salt for Timaru. and the schooner Croydon Lass with flour for Taranaki. There were very few farmers m Lyttel ton on Saturday. With regard to the barque Serica, she finished loading for London on Saturday afternoon. Since the strike commenced she has taken m 1320 tons of cargo inl thirty-four working hours. A 'large number of non-Union laborers are to arrive m Port to-day to work the ships under the stevedores. , The wharflaborers have received several unsolicited donations to their funds. A. meeting of the Wharf Laborers' Union was held m the Oddfellows' Hall, Lyttelton, yesterday morning, when the events of the week were discussed at some length. From enquiries made last night it has been ascertained that the Railway Servants'. Association was not officially represented at the meeting. Provisions for the laborers m Lyttelton have now to be taken to port from Chrisfcchurch each morning. Cooked victuals' supplied by ladies m various parts of the city are each morning called for, and, m charge"of a reliable man, are conveyed tp Lyttelton for distribution. All the labor necessary for carrying on the work m Lyttelfcon was engaged on Saturday. On Saturday morning one of the men m LyttelUm was struck m the face and seriously injured by a large stone thrown from behind a truck. A non Union laborer who was carrying his swag on his back to Lyfcfcelton was seized by two men, who held him whilst a third pummelled him all over the face. It is only right to say that the Union men are very much annoyed at both these matters, and are endeavoring to find out the men Who committed the assaults.

Auckland, September 6. , The Directors of the Union Company are said, to be considering a proposal niade to them to purchase the Kamo coal mine, so as to ensure a constant supply of fuel. r Th"(| JVf ay or of Auckland, ,MV|Jpton, gave a dinner at the Auckland Club last night to the City Council and representa tive jiublic bodies; of Auckland. The Mayor said, speaking of the strike, that if that which seemed to be its cause was really so, then that cause was an insuffi cent one, and altogether out of proportion to the result; m other words, if this quarrel had arisen from the affiliation of the officers with the seamen, that was not an adequate cause why thousands of men all over the colony should leave their employment and cast their families into a state of destitution. The pickets of the labor party keep excellent order, and there is no molesta tion of non-union labor. .;■.--. The officers who left the boats at Auck land arrived m Wellington to-day by the Penguin from Manukau. Up to the pre sent the Union Company have done their best to keep the officers positions vacant, though numerous applications were re ceived, and even sent captains as second and third mates, to give their old officers a chance of returning. • The proceedings on the wharf both yesterday and to-day were most orderly, and tljere has up to the present not been anything approaching a disturbance; m fact, the Harbor Board and the Union Company authorities give credit to the men on strike for their exemplary 1 con duct. Mr Robert Seymour, Secretary of 'the General Committee of the Federated Trade and Labor Unions, states that although strike pay will not be granted until, next Saturday, the Committee paid away yesterday the sum of £50 m reliev ing cases of distress among families of those on Strike. Dunedin, September 6. It is said Unionists intend to draw all their money from Banks m gold, and where m majority m Friendly Societies induce similar action. Dunedin, September 7. The only development of any conse quence sinoe Saturday afternoon is that on Saturday night the storemen decided to stand by their masters and leave the Union, and that the wharf carters and expressmen, being the other members of the Union to which the sboremen be longed, have decided to strike to-morrow morning." , : Oamaiut, September 6. A disturbance took place this afternoon m connection with the delivery of parcels -,by\ the Zealand Express Company, The man who was employed by the Com pany was called out by the Union yester day, and a clerk oame from Dunedin to carry on the work, The express he was driving was followed rotmd the streets, by a large crowd of larrikins, who cheered when the consignees refused delivery' of their parcels, and groaned at those who accepted delivery. With two exceptions the expressmen of the town had nothing to do witli the disturbance. The young man smiled all through, and carried out his duties- When he had finished some 1 of the larrikies took his horse out of the express, and one of them struck him m fcliG face. The matter has been given iiifcoj, the :hands of the police/ The Unionist expressmen, with two excep tions, disavow all connection with the disturbance. , Auckland, September 7. A demonstration of Labour Unions m Auckland was held on Saturday, and was witnessed by thousands of people. The members of unions assembled near the

Queen atreet wharf, and marched m procession through the principal street 8 to Mount FCden ; they wore accompanied by great crowd,*. It is estimated th*t there wero about fifteen hundred m the pmcasi/on. The meeting was held m the crater of Mount Eden, and addresses were given by Pastor Birch and Mr G. Ald ridge. The following motions were agreed to:—(I) That we, the representa tives of labour, protest against the avowed intention of the Shipowners' Association to prevent the right of labour to combine ; (2) that this meeting has full confidence m the Maritime Council m thel'present crisis. . , , ,-.

Latest Telegrams.

(Received Sept, '8; 10.35 a.m.) London^ September 6. • Owing to the resignation; ot the members of the Parliamentary Com mittee of the Traded Congress, who object to eight hours instructions, it was announced that Burns h>s passed on to the committee- , The" announce ment was received with mingled cheers and groans. New York, September 7. The non-unionists on, the New York Central railway haye armed themselves with revolvers for protection against ill-usage by the Unionists. Sydney, September 8. The Taieri sailed for Wellington, via Brisbane, where she will take m; coal. Eleven steamers have got away from Sydney since Saturday. ; f At a meeting of the Broken Hill miners 5000 were present. They con demned the faction of the) owners m shutting down as unjustifiable, and demanded that the men should be called out. The executive met later on, and decided to instantly call out the men. Nearly 9000 men are thus affected* Five hundred pickets pa trolled last night for the purpose of preventing non-union labor entering the mines. Melbourne, September 8. Sailed—Monowai, for the Bluff. Ai rived—Union. Company's new stea mer Taviuni, from Greenock ! The Employers'; Union, m reply to a request from the Trades and Labor Council for a Conference, state that the action taken by the "various Trades and Labor Councils, and'involving all trade organisations In Australia and New Zealand, had deprived the Vic torian Employers' Union of the privi lege of effecting any local basis of settlement, and had, given the dispute quite an international character. Nothing could be done till after a Conference of Employers which) is to be held m Sydney. ■ ; The Typographical Society has given £500 to the strike fund. Wellington, September 8. The Union Company has found Welling ton the worst of all p»rts to work, owing to the> scarcity of labor. The "Times" says the Premier has ' withdrawn from any attempt at mediation for the present. Sir Harry looked into the matteri' but did not find that he was likely to be suc cessful just now. >. ' ;.-. li Over 150 tons of flour, and* potatoes have come m from Waivarapa, besides large quantities from Blenheim and Manawatu. Seventeen officers have rejoined the Union Company. Officers who came down by the Penguin declined to see Mr McLean, but desired, to go on South. Capt. Highman has also asked for a pas sage South. A dray of Oofcterell and Co.'s 'was hooted on the wharf this morning, aiid the pin taken out by the crowd. It was Sent back inconsequence. '. ..-,.,- .;, NkwpN.Sept. 8.. At the Wesleyan Church liakt night, the Key F. Isitt, also President of the Nelson Labor Union, said it was almost un pardonable that, a man of Stout's sagacity and education should give such^ advice as that contained m letter to the Otago "Daily Times." If such,advice,was not the result of political insinqerity^it argued the existence of amazing^, mental and moral "fog." His position was absolutely untenable on any principle of right.

Death of Mr Jones, M.H.R.

We regret to announce that Mr Fred erick Jones, M.H.R. for the Heathcote, died at about 3 o'clock this (Monday) morning. He had been ill for some months, and had received leave of absence from Parliament during the present session. Mr Jones was a member,of the Selwyn County Council and m other ways had taken a prominent part m the..local government of the -district for many years. It will be remembered that he was a member of the Sweating Com mission which sat during the Jaeb recess. Mr Jones was a painstaking and con scientious public servant, and the news of his death will be received with much regret.—" Lyttelton Times."

TO-DAY'S TELEGRAMS

[pee press association.] Football Aceldrats. Neison, September 8. A chapter of accidents occurred on Saturday. In the football Cup match* Town v Albion Club, one man was injured? internally, another broke his wrist, a third' sprained his knee, and a fourth bit his tongue completely through.

CORRESPONDENCE.

[We do not hold ourselves responsibFefor the opinions expweaed by our correspondents.]

FARMERS v. THEMSELVES.

TO THE EDITOR. Sib, —As ib is not every day the fanners meet together for their mutual benefit, I thought I was going to hear something of especial interest to the farmers and to the* public of Ashburton m general. Hair*. ever, Sir, I was sadly disappointed m all 1 heard. I expected to hear fr,am, the-. various speakers the reasons' why' the? meeting had been convened, and why the motions that were carried were put to th& meeting at all. Bigotry seemed to be the ruling order, and there are hone so blind as those who, do not wish to see. As none of the speakers gave the correct ac count of the present strike, neither did they seem to know anything about the Maritime Council, with your permission Mr Edxtor, I will try to enlighten them. In the fcrst place, a great many people are of the opmion, that the Maritinfe Council of New Zealand is affiliated with Aus tralia, buch is not the case. It is self contained. It is composed.of delegates from the Federated Seamen's Union of tf.Z., the Amalgamated* Millers' and Laborers Association of N.Z., and the federated- Wharf Laborers' Union of r'r,' mcc.th« last half-yearly meeting of the Council, four other bodies, includ ing the Railway Servants 1. Association, have applied to he affiliated. You will therefore, s^o (that it is a New Zealand concept and has ho connection -with the Maritime Council of Australia^ except m sympathy. The Union Steamship Com pany is the connecting link between the two couutries, doing business m New Zea land waters, but belonging to an Aus tralian Association. This Association was formed, not for the purpose of strengthen*

TlTtf ASHBUMW GtTAKDIAN, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 1890.



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