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01 Feb 1890 - The Brisbane Courier. Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933), Saturday 1 February 1890, page 4 THE BRISBANE COURIER SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 1890. AMPLE evidence was furnished at Thurs-day's interview with Ministers on the sugar question that not the planters only, but the Government itself still hanker after the thrice rejected panacea of coloured labour. Mr. Perkins, indeed, was promptly put down when he interrupted Mr. Morehead's remarks with the characteristic advice that the members of the Government should have the courage of their opinions; but apart from such indiscreet call to candour, there was more than enough to show that, however the courage might be wanting, the opinions were present all the same. Mr. Philp's statement that the real (though at present unfortunately unacceptable) solu-tion of the difficulty was the employment of coloured labour, was in fact endorsed by Ministers in so many words. Mr. Black "had fought the battle of the planters as long as he thought there was the least chance of fighting it successfully on the lines they advocated, but experience had taught him"—what? That those lines were wrong, and should he abandoned because based on false prin-ciples ? Not at all; but simply that "it was hopeless to get relief in this direction." That there might be no mistake about his sentiments, he stated that he was " reluc-tant to make that admission," that lie was "forced to it," and that he was forced to it again, not because he had discovered the untenableness of the rejected course, but "because the voting power of the Southern provinces of the colony was so great as to overwhelm any request of that kind from the North." And yet again he urged the planters not to advocate the ex-tension of the black labour system, not because it was evil, but because "no Government could carry it in the present state of public opinion." That Mr. More-head agreed with these sentiments is obvious from the fact that, though he did not give expression to them as plainly as Mr. Black, he spoke no single word indicative of dissent from his col-league, or of objection to the coloured labour solution on its own. account. It is scarcely possible to over-estimate the seriousness of the attitude of the Govern-ment as thus disclosed. The admission that their hands have on this important question been forced by the people, and that their own convictions or, predilections are all the other way, is impressive. For it indicates that, however their overt pro-posals or recorded votes may be on the people's side, their arguments and influence must be against them; and it amounts to a declaration that the moment the people are caught napping the policy of the previous Government will be reversed, and the Act which fixes the termination of coloured labour in Queensland be rescinded or nullified in favour of the planters. Further more it is a direct encouragement to the party of Northern separation, and of separation for the distinct purpose of perpetuating or reintroducing black labour. For the one reason which, according to Ministers, prevents such per-petuation or reintroduction is that the voting power of the Southern portions of the colony overwhelms that of the North. If this be so, if there is no right or justice prompting the action of the South on the merits, and no special clearness of vision arising from disinterestedness; if, in other words, the situation is exhausted by repre-senting the South as a tyrannous majority, then assuredly the North has the most righteous reason to seek separation as the only cure. And it is the frequently re-pudiated wish to secure the possession of coloured labour that again comes to the front in the separation platform. The language commented on amounts to an avowal from the most authoritative quarter that if separation be granted the first and most strenuous use made of it will be to flood the North with an inferior race, who shall be hewers of wood and drawers of water to the whites, because they are content to work for next to nothing, and who will submit to conditions of labour which experience has shown to be inseparable from such relations between the strong and the weak, It is so far satis-factory that the Government should be so impressed with the offensiveness of all this to the people generally as to earnestly warn the new committee against even suggesting it. But the fact that their own sympathies are pointed in the opposite direction must rouse the community to distrust, and operate as to a standing call to watchfulness. That the sugar industry is in a peri-lous position, and that if conducted on sound lines it would be of immense impor-tance to Queensland, may be conceded, without involving the further concession that its decay or collapse as at present conducted would be a serious colonial loss. For who are the profiters by the present industrial method, or who would be the losers by its failure? It is very well to sum up in huge figures the acreage under sugar tillage, or the value of the exported product. But how does it affect the colony? The great bulk of our population, that is our working classes, are untouched. The sugar industry adds little to their earnings, for the vast majority of the employees are kanakas. The planters surely do not mean to tell us that, to provide so many thousands of im-ported blacks with weekly rations and a few shillings in name of wages, is to confer a boon upon the colony. Besides these blacks the white employees are compara-tively few, since the spirit of the black labour system reduces them to the lowest point. Of colonials, therefore, there remain to be benefited chiefly the planters themselves, capitalists whose wealth, when increased as they hope and mean it to be by black labour, goes in all probability out of the colony to purchase an estate and found a family in the old country. And the loss to the colony of the suppression of the black labour sugar industry. will be correctly gauged when set beside the very doubtful profit it has hitherto bestowed —a profit which, so far as the colony and its white population are concerned, may well be termed a vanishing quantity. Profit in-deed of a kind there might be to the colony at large if the result of the black labour system was to provide us with cheap sugar. But there never has been nor is yet any indication of a tendency to advantage the colony in this way. The tendency is all in the other direction. From sugar which never seemed to be cheapened even with black labour it is proposed that if black labour is given up we should pass to sugar dearer than we can buy it in foreign markets, or that we should offer the planters a gratuity for the privilege of getting it at the same price. This is what is meant by the two proposals mooted at Thursday's meeting—the one that a bonus should be granted by the Government, and the other that we should reciprocate with the other colonies and protect ourselves against the outside world. On these pro-posals, indeed, the planters arw themselves far from agreed ; and there was some reason in the acerbity with which Mr. Morehead asked how they could expect the Govern-ment to settle their differences for them when they could not agree among them-selves. On this ground he very pertinently declined to take the responsibility of ap-pointing the desired committee, and suggested that his interviewers should appoint it amongst themselves, promising to give every consideration to its sugges-tions. Looking at the vague and conflicting views of the deputationists, it were idle to forecast what these suggestions may be. But it is tolerably certain that, if they still find themselves prevented from reopening the labour question, the proposals to be submitted to the Government will take the form ot recouping or rehabilitating the sugar planters at the espouse of the country. Much will be said, as much has been said, of the importance of preserving the sugar industry to the colony. But we are mistaken if the colony will be as easily persuaded now as it might have been even a year ago to enter, under colour of bene-fiting itself, on a system which drains the blood from the entire body to sustain a distant and subordinate member. __________________________ AN interesting phase has now been assumed by the movement in connection with the assurance of Railway employees. As the public are aware, the executive officers of the Railway Employees' Association have communicated through the Railway Commissioners with the various offices doing business in the city, in order to discover whether special terms might be arranged with any particular society. But so far as the matter has gone at present, it is clearly im-possible for any mutual life office to accede to the wishes of the men if these are not very considerably modified. Unless the meagre amount of information already gleaned with reference to the affair is grossly misleading, the majority of the men have decided, in a spirit of laudable self-sacrifice, to stick by their weaker brethren, and in a solid phalanx to force the barriers erected by some mutual life organisation for the protection of its members. For not only does the association desire the admission of the whole of the railway men by a society, but it wants every risk accepted without medical examination, and would also wel-come a reduction in the rates quoted to the public. But the very facts which render this scheme a sacrifice on the part of most of the men concerned impose an insuperable obstacle in the way of its acceptance by any mutual office which remains true to its principles or seeks to defend tho interests of its members. A large number of the railway employees happen to be already assured, and it is only fair to assume that those are working side by side with numbers whose lives have been declined. The remainder, having either neglected or considered it unneces-sary to provide for others, have probably been less careful of themselves, and have consequently deteriorated from the highest standard of insurable life. And by their present proposition the men appear to put the best lives among this residue forward as a set-off against the others from an actuarial point of view, while from their own standpoint they doubt less view with equanimity the future position of any company foolhardy enough to welcome them on such terms on the ground that the strong men in their ranks are willing to suffer for those who arw weak. But such a contingency is not likely to occur. Several offices are reported to have already rejected the proposal, from which it is clear that the weight of some actuarial advice and experience is against such an innovation. And it were safe to add that if the question could be submitted for con-sideration to the members of any Australian office opinion would bw unanimous against it. There can be no doubt that the scheme as presented avoids much of the expense usually incurred in the conduct of a life business, but the saving of a guinea or a percentage on the amount of the policy would be of very little consequence if the greatest safeguard of any assurative organisation were once removed. The medical foe is a sine qua non if the safety of an office is to be considered essential. The business of any society which drove out its agents, abolished its medical staff, and advertised special rates for labour asso-ciations, would certainly be assured—but so would its fate. Nor can the proposal be defended by pointing to the class of men which it is proposed to benefit. The majority of assured persons in Australasia are poor men, the average amount per policy being considerably under £300, and many thrifty expedients have doubt-less to be contrived in order to meet the accruing premiums. And it is totally at variance with the prin-ciples underlying trades unionism for an association such as that of the railway employees to cut into any mutual society supported by men of their own class over whose heads special privileges are to be granted. It is scarcely justifiable that the association should expect members who are in receipt of, say £3 a week, to be taken at a special rate without medical "examina-tion, while men in other and less steady employment have to pay ordinary rates and submit to the doctor. The deliberate ad-mittance, moreover, of a single impaired life would be an injustice to all existing members, and were such a thing to be done in the wholesale manner now suggested the old policy holders would undoubtedly avail themselves of their privileges, and demand a hearing at the next meeting of the society in fault. Then, again, the men may not be entirely unanimous upon the main point at issue. It would surely be better to permit a choice of offices than to tie them to one contracting society which had obtained the business simply through being the lowest tenderer. The advantages offered by the different associations represented in the colony are varied, and it seems only reasonable that the railway men should have some option in the matter. In the Southern colonies ' three or four of the best offices are left open ; for selection by the railway employees, and by this means safety is amply guaranteed, but such an advantage would scarcely be rendered absolute were a single office chosen on account of its frantic eagerness to enter upon a dangerous ex-periment. A proprietary company would of course be free to accept such a risk, but we take it that mutuality would be pre-ferable to the men, as well as more con-sistent with their anxiety to stick together. Everyone desires to witness the initiation of a thoroughly reliable scheme, and the public would sincerely welcome any plan by which proper provision might be made for those dependent upon a most deserving and industrious body of men. But the project upon which their committee seems to have set its heart is one which can neither be recommended on behalf of those already connected with life societies or in the real interests of the men themselves. _____________________ TO-DAY, FEBRUARY 1. MEETINGS.— 8 p.m., Y.M.C.A., Elizabeth-street. 8 p.m., Queensland Naval Brigade, Naval Stores. LOCAL ELECTIONS. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Polling Nundah Division. Noon, Toombul Divisional Board, special; 3 p.m., ordinary. 8 p.m., Mr. Midson's Committee Treasury Chambers. 8 p.m., Address, Mr. Hellicar, State School, Coorparoo. 8 p.m., Addresses, Messrs. Mullins and Williams, Ithaca Hall. 8 p.m., Address, Mr. J. Willard, St. Mary's Church School. 8 p.m., Candidates Address Ratepayers, North Ward Shire of Toowong, Milton State School. SPORTING.— Centennial Pony Handicap, Breakfast Creek. ENTERTAINMENTS AND EXCURSIONS Queensport Aquarium, all day. 1.30 p.m., Excursion to Redcliffe by Garnet, s., Howard Smith's Wharf. 1.30 p.m., Excursion to Redcliffe by Natone, Campbell's City Wharf. 2.15 p.m., Excursion by Beaver, s., to the Bay, Howard Smith's Wharf. 8 p.m., Gaiety Theatre: Variety Company; Songs and Dances. 8 p.m., Band Practice, Queensland Irish Volunteer Corps, WEATHER FORECAST.— North Queensland : Unsettled generally, fresh winds in the east, rain in central and western parts. South Queensland: Cloudy and unsettled with strong winds and rain in the east ; fair for the present in the interior. SUN, MOON, AND TIDE. Sun rises, 6.36 a.m.; sets, 6.54 p.m. Moon rises, 4.23 p.m.; sets, 1.52 a.m. High Water Brisbane Bar,6 .53 am .; 7.24 p.m. SALES BY AUCTION. Messrs. A. J. J. Warby and Co., at their Bazaar, at Half-past Ten o'clock : Country Horses. Messrs. J. C. and A. W. Ham, on the Ground : at Half-past Two o'clock: Deagon Railway Station Estate. Mr. J. S. Buckland, at the Haymarket, at Eleven o'clock: Produce, Horses , Vehicles, and Harness. Messrs. Arthur Martin and Company, Limited, on the Ground, at Half-past Two o'clock : Allotments Eldernell, Hamilton. Mr. John W. Todd, on the Ground, at Three o'clock : The Grand View Estate. RELIGIOUS SERVICES(To.morrow,2ndFebruary).— 3 p.m., Y.M.C.A, Meeting. Wickham-terrace Presbyterian Church, Rev. W. Anson Smith, 11 a.m.; Rev. J. Ewen, 7.30 p.m. Wharf-street Baptist Church, Rev. W. Whale, 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. St. Paul's Presbyterian Church, Rev. J. F. M'Swaine, 11 a.m. and 7.30 p.m. Wharf-street Congregational Church, Rev. Wm. Scott, 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. Evangelistic Services, Courier Hall, Rev. Jas, Stewart, 7.30 p.m. Oddfellows' Hall, Brunswick -street, Mr. A. H. Brooks, 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. Salvation Army Barracks, Thomas-street, West End, 11a.m., 3 and 7 p.m. A despatch from the Secretary of State for the Colonies covering an order of the Queen-in Council assenting to the bill for the further re-striction of Chinese immigration passed by the Queensland Legislature appears in to-day's issue of the "Government Gazette." The measure was reserved for her Majesty's assent or rejection. The third section of the North Coast Rail- way will be opened for traffic this morning. Trains will leave Landsborough, the terminal station of the section, at 5.50 a.m. and 4 p.m., and Brisbane for Landsborough at 9.45 a.m. and 4.55 p.m. The section is 19 miles 54 chains long, and its completion extends the Coast line to 54 miles from Brisbane. There are two stations on the section, the first being named Coochin and the second Landsborough. The station buildings and yards have not been quite completed yet, and it has been decided in con-sequence not to open the railway for more than passenger traffic for the present. It is fully anticipated, howover, that everything will be ready for opening it for goods traffic at an early date. There will be no ceremony in con-nection with the opening. The Chief Engineer for Railways, Mr. Stanley, has postponed his intended trip to the Rock-hampton district until Tuesday. He had pur-posed leaving this morning, but decided to put off his journey in consequence of the sad death of Mr. Roehricht. While up North Mr. Stanley will make an inspection of the rail-ways, with the object of seeing what damage has been done by the floods. He will probably return via Maryborough and Bundaberg, where he will also make an inspection of the railways. A meeting of the Dock Strike Relief Fund Committee was held at the Town Hall yester-day morning for the purpose of deciding in what way the balance in hand-something over £400—should be disposed of. There were present Messrs. J. D. Campbell, C. H. Buzacott, T. Finney, F. T. Brentnall, and A. Hinchcliffe (hon, secretary). Mr. Campbell was voted to the chair. The secretary read a copy of a let-ter which had been addressed by the Mayor of Brisbane to the Lord of Mayor of London, with the object of eliciting information as to the manner in which the Relief Fund had been disbursed and as to whether there still remained any distress actually aris-ing out of the strike. The writer undertook on receiving satisfactory in-formation to forward the balance held by the Brisbane Committee. In the event, however, of it being certain that there remained a large unexpended balance in the hands of the London Committee, or there being no distress calling for urgent relief, the letter intimated that an appeal would be made to the subscribers for authority to divert the balance to some local charitable object. A cablegram in reply was read, in which the Lord Mayor gave the required assurances, and asked that the balance should be forwarded. It was then pointed out that the letter sent to the Lord Mayor, in that it absolutely committed the committee, had gone beyond the resolution authorising it to be written. A long discussion took place on the point, and ultimately the meeting was adjourned till Monday to allow the mayor to be present. At the land sale held by Mr. W. M. Watts, Government land agent, at Veresdale, on Thursday last, nine lots out of ninety-four were sold, all at the upset price. The total sum realised was £223 15s., and the purchasers were as follow:—Lots 1, 4, and 21 at £4 each, and lot 22 at £3 5s., Mr. V. Hinchcliffe ; lot 61, £43 10s., Mr. J. Willson ; lot 89, £50, Mr. P. Garithy ; lots 92 and 93 at £39 each, and lot 94 at £37, Mr. D. Tait, sen, An order under the 15th section of the Cus-toms Duty Act of 1888 appears in to-day's Government Gazette," directing that gela, tinised grist and flake, goods possessing sub-stantially the same properties as starch, shall on importation into Queensland, be liable to fixed Customs duty of 1d. per lb. avoirdupois. The Brisbane Sports, Trotting, and Pony Racing Club have decided to discontinue the pe-destrian events at the Breakfast Creek Grounds as the management have come to the conclu-sion that foot racing cannot be conducted on lines consistent with honourable sport. A cablegram has been received by the Colonial Secretary to the effect that on Thursday morn-ing a fire occurred in the offices above those occupied by the Agent-General of Queensland at Westminster Chambers, London. The Agent-General's offices were much damaged by water, which will necessitate the transaction of business being suspended there for a few days. At a meeting of the Central Board of Health yesterday, it was resolved to write to the Colonial Secretary drawing his attention to the fact that the licensing bench had granted a license to a slaughter-yard, in spite of evidence as to the non-sanitary state of the yard, and suggesting that in future the licenses to slaughter-yards be granted by the special licensing bench. A motion that the Colonial Secretary be requested to ask the Governor-in. Council to appoint a commission to manage the sanitary affairs of North Brisbane was defeated. In fulfilment of a promise made on the occa-sion of his election to represent the North Ward in the City Council, that he would give an account of his work at the end of a year, Mr. John A. Clark announces that he will address the ratepayers in the Protestant Hall, Ann-street, on Monday evening. The first annual meeting of the Toowong Rowing Club was held on Thursday evening, to the Regatta Hotel. There was a large atten-dance. Mr. Thomas Finney, president, occu-pied the chair. Mr. D. J. Brownhill, the hon. secretary, read the report, which stated that the club had been well supported. In all £357 18s. had been promised, of which £259 4s. had been actually received. There were 100 members enrolled, exclusive of those who were members by right of having given donations. At the end of December the tender of Mr. P. Christensen at £198 was accepted for the erection of a boat-shed, and it was expected that the building would be ready for occupation about the middle of February. Two outrigger skiffs with convertible seats, and two pleasure boats, were being built, and the club was also negotia-ting for the purchase of a four-oared boat. It was proposed that the shed should be formally, opened by the president. It was also intended to hold a ball in aid of the funds of the club in the Toowong School of Arts, about the beginning of April. The report was adopted. The following officers were elected Patron, Sir Thomas M'llwraith president, Mr. Thomas Finney; vice-presidents, Hon. W. D. Box, M.L.C., Messrs. W. Kellett, R. Gailey, G. Kibble, J. Mayne, and T. Unmack, M.L.A.; captain, Mr. W. C. Eyre ; vice-captains, Messrs. V. Tabart and A. C. G. Dye ; trustees, Messrs. T. Finney and W. Kellett ; treasurer, Mr. A. Russell ; secretary, Mr. D. J. Brownhill committee, Messrs. C. H. Bussell, R. T. Mathe-son, W. Kaye, J. F. Arnot, M. Sapsford, and W. M. Mayne. The following undefended cases were heard at the Petty Debts Court yesterday, before Mr. G. P. M. Murray, P.M., when verdicts were entered for the plaintiffs for the full amounts claimed:—M. J. Quinn v. J. and Mrs. Drinkall, goods, £1 8s.; Mrs. Crellin v. George and Mrs. Wilson, goods, £114s. 9d.; J. Moylan v. James Houlahan, goods, £4 4s. 10d.; Thos. Benn and Co. v. W. Stansbie, goods, £7 5s. 1d.; same v. B. H. Mann, goods, £1 12s.; J. Moynihan v. G. A. P. Hurst, goods, £1 6s. 5d.; same v. Thomas Manton, goods, £2 13s. 3d.; R. S. Warry and Son v. D. Cosgrove , goods, £6 4s, 7d.; Punt Owners' Association v. James Hellman, sand and gravel sold, £16 3s. 9d., with £2 2s. professional costs.; Richard Rendle v. John Hill, medical advice, £8 13s. 6d.; H. J. Pollard and Co. v. F. W. Kempin, hire of piano, £18 8s.; R. S. Warry and Son v. Messrs. Willett and Dix, goods,£3 13s. 3d.. The follow-ing defended cases were also disposed of :—A. Burrell v. Wm. Hood, dishonoured promissory note, £27 18s.; plaintiff nonsuited. Hannah Learmonth v. Richard Neale, fencing, £2 16s. 6d.; verdict for plaintiff. W. R. Bickerton v. Claude and Agnes Storey, money due, £1 5s.; verdict for plaintiff. H. Burke v. A. Koenig, rent, £6 ; verdict for plaintiff. H, J. Pollard and Co. v. Isaac H. Brier, dishonoured pro-missory-note, £18 17s.; verdict for plaintiff. Undefended case ; J. Peirson v. H. Francis, goods, £9 ; verdict for plaintiff. Our Herberton correspondent writes as fol-lows :-" To judge from the last issue of the Queenslander to hand the farmers on the Darling Downs are very exultant if they can realise £4 10s. per ton for English potatoes. Is it generally known that they are selling here for £24 a ton, and not over plentiful at that There ought to be a good thing to be done in this line of business very much to the advan-tage of consumer and producer." A meeting of gentlemen favourable to the proposed complimentary benefit to Mr. D'Arcy Stanfield was held last night at the National Hotel. Mr. H. W. Chapman was voted to the chair, and the acting secretary (Mr. Frewin) read letters of apology, including one from his Worship the Mayor, who promised the move-ment his support. After some discussion it was decided to form an executive committee consisting of his worship the Mayor, Dr Purcell, Messrs. J. B. Hickie, John Liddy, F. Fowler, A. Schneider, T. Coward, E. Baines, H. W. Chapman, T. Gross, L. H. Nathan, R. Benson, K. Benson, J. Glen Cameron, F. C. Lea, and W. Frewin, with power to add to their number. Messrs. J, Liddy and W. Frewin were appointed secretaries. The gratuitous use of the Opera House was pro-mised by Mr. J. B. Hickie, and it was decided to accept the generous offer for, if possible, 14th February. Mr. Stanfield intimated that he had received many promises of support on the stage, and he had every hope of being able to present a first-class performance. The meet-ing was adjourned until Monday next, A meeting of the underwriters concerned in the cargo of the Glenrosa, wrecked off Beach-port, South Australia, was held yesterday at the Marine Underwriters' Association Room Advices to hand stated that some 300 tons of cargo had been saved out of the wreck, and as the vessel was now a wreck and the cargo under water, the underwriters decided to telegraph to Adelaide to ascertain what prospect there was now of further profitable operations being carried on at the wreck, or whether it would be better to suspend salvage work. It is under-stood that the underwriters here are averse to any heavy expenditure without the prospect of good salvage. The usual weekly meeting of the Hope of Milton Lodge, I.O.G.T., was held on Thursday evening last. Two candidates were proposed and duly initiated, after which the election w officers for the ensuing quarter was proceeded with, and resulted as follows :—C.T., Bro. J Gibson; V.T., Sister L. Voisey; secretary, Bro. Spendlove; C, Sister, E. Turner; F.C Bro. Ansell; T., Sister H. Whiting; M., Bro. W. J. Edds; G., Bro. J. Walker; S., Bro. Thomas ; P.C., Bro. E. J. Edds. A vote of thanks to the visitors was responded to on behalf of the Hand of Friendship Lodge. yesterday Captain Heath delivered the de-cision of the Marine Board with reference to the collision which took place between the screw steamships Konoowarra and Ranelagh, in the Mary River at 1.30 a.m., on the 1st December last. After recapitulating the facts as given in evidence, he went on to state that the board were aware that the "elbow" where the accident occurred was an awkward place for vessels meeting at night, when it was often difficult to judge accurately the distance from an object, and when the side lights became useless as far as the sailing rules were con-cerned. They considered, however, that it would have been more prudent if the Konoo-warra, coming against the tide, had not at-tempted to round the elbow until the Ranelagh had passed her. There appears in our advertising columns the fifty-first annual report and balance-sheet of the New Zealand Insurance Company. It is a most satisfactory document, showing an in-crease in premiums of over £20,000, and a sum of nearly £23,000 available for division amongst the shareholders. £5000 is placed to the reserve fund, £5475 carried forward, and a dividend of 12½ per cent declared. The A.U.S.N. Company's new steamer Arawatta, which arrived here on Thursday after-noon from Melbourne and Sydney, en route to Cooktown, was open to inspection by the public between 3 and 5 o'clock yesterday after- noon. The Brisbane Newspaper Company have rcceived the following donations towards the fund for the relief of Mrs. Jackson, whose husband was drowned in the Brisbane River on Sunday last :—Mr. P. W. Crowe, £1 Is.; a friend, 10s.; "stamps," 5s.; Mrs. A. O. Herbert, £1. A change has taken place in the plans of the organisers of the relief movement, Mrs. Jack-son having expressed a wish to go to England to her mother. ? She will probably sail by the steamer Quetta, -whioh leaves for London in about a fortnight. The omount in hand amounts to £29, exclusive of some £5 for-warded to the Brisbane Newspaper Company by sympathisers. Of the £29 Miss Coghlan collected £6 6s., and Mr. D. Coghlan £13 19s. The third annual general meeting of the Queensland Employers' Association, was held In the rooms of the association, George-street, yesterday afternoon. There was the largest attendance of members present since the inauguration of the society, and in the absence of the president Mr. Robert Porter was voted to the chair. The Executive Committee's report and balance-sheet for the past year was read and adopted. Alterations were made in some of the rules, and the officers for the ensu-ing year were elected. At the Queensport Aquarium this afternoon a comic entertainment will be given by the company now performing at the Gaiety Theatre. In addition to this there will be the usual attractions. A grand banquet was given by the Druids of Brisbane on Thursday night in honour of Bro. Simpson, grand treasurer, and Bro. Peacock, grand guardian, from the Grand Lodge of Victoria. The dinner was held at Messrs. Murray and Morgan's, Stanley-street ; and about eighty brethren were present, Bro. Ede, dis-trict president, being in the chair. After partaking of an excellent col-lation, the president proposed, the first toast, "The Queen and the Druids," with musical honours, P.R.A.D. Bro. Taylor proposed the health of the Grand Lodge officers, coupled with the name of Bro. Klingner, P.D.P., of Port Mackay, and other visitors. The grand treasurer, in reply, referred to the cordial re-ception he received on arrival, and the great kindness he and his colleague had experienced during their brief stay amongst the brethren in Brisbane. He assured them that they would carry back a very warm opinion of the Druids in Queensland. When he joined the order in 1870 it was very small. In 1873 it had thirty-two lodges, and a total fund of £2936 5s. 8d.; average per head, £2 5s.; average age, 34 years; total membership, 1307. In 1889 there were 142 lodges, the membership amounted to 10,907, and the funds to £72,274 5s. 2d., or an average of £6 12s. 6d. per head, and tho average age was reduced to 32¾. These were facts Which went to show the steady progress made by the order, and facts which actuaries might Be well to ponder over. Grand Guardian Bro. Peacock gave a rough outline of the progress the order had made in Brisbane since its estab-lishment in 1881. Then the members num-bered seventy-two, with a total credit of £80. To-day there were in Brisbane and suburbs 504 members, with a credit balance of £126417s. 8d. He concluded by referring to the advantage ob-tained by belonging to friendly societies, and the feeling of independence working men enjoy in the hour of trial and need. Bro. Klingner, P.D.P. (Port Mackay), spoke of the en-couraging state of the lodge there. The toast of " The Druids of Queensland" was proposed by Bro. Peacock, and responded to by Bro. Lochhead. During the evening several of the members contributed songs and recitations. The Park Presbyterian Young Men's Guild held their usual weekly meeting on Thursday evening in the hall connected with the church. Mr. Warren, in the absence of the president, occupied the chair. After the transaction of some business, including the appointment of a new secretary, a debate took place on the question, "Should publicans whose licenses have been cancelled by the operation of the Local Option' Act be compensated?" Mr. Lloyd led off in the affirmative, and maintained that the State having recognised and given sanction by law to the existence of the trade and the interests which have grown up around it, was therefore in justice bound to indemnify those who had invested their capital in it. Mr. Conley contended that the State granted these licenses yearly under certain conditions without any guarantee as to their renewal, which fact unmistakably carried with it risk to those who invested in public-houses. Therefore the granting of compensation would be a grave injustice to the great body of the people. Other speakers followed for and against, and when a vote was taken it was decided by a large majority that no compensation should be given The guild then adjourned till next Thursday, A petition has been filed for the liquidation of the estate of Bernard Heinrich Carl Jurgens, of Ann-street, Fortitude Valley, baker; total liabilities, £1301 8s. 7d. A general meeting of creditors has been appointed to be held at the offices of Atthow, Bell, and Stumm, Queen-street, on 17th February, at 3 p.m. A petition has also been filed for the liquidation of the estate of James Neill, of Brisbane, merchant; total liabilities, £1660. A general meeting of creditors has been ap-pointed to be held at the office of Messrs. Unmack and Fox, Queen-street, on 14th Feb ruary, at 3 p.m. Two more Frenchmen, supposed to be escapees from the penal settlement at Noumea, New Caledonia, appeared at the City Police court yesterday morning, before Messrs. P. Pinnock, P.M., and E Lethem, J.P. on remand from Townsville, where they were arrested on the usual charge of Larceny of a boat from the island. Their names are Belles Jules (35) and Basille Cocher (27). After the usual evi-dence had been given they were remanded till the 6th February,on the application of Sub inspector Graham- Mr' Mühling acted as interpreter