But is there no danger of the new duties "bearing heavily" on "conscientious" warehousemen? Has there not been in the past as much " cooking " of invoices as underestimating of revenues ? And is not the former even more difficult of de tection than the latter ? Then a property tax is objectionable because it would pre vent " improvement " and "hinder settle ment." It is rather peculiar that it should have any such tendency. It was once imagined, even by Mr VooEii, that unimproved land should be taxed. Howefer, we are not approving of either

[The Graphic.) Rowing has become very popular of late with the compositors, machinists, and others connected with the daily papers ; and on Saturday last an inter daily-press eight-oared race was rowed 1 from Putney Aqueduct to the upper end Chiswick Eyot. A similar contest has 1 taken place for some few years past be tween the Times, Daily News, and Stand ard crews, the Daily Telegraph joining issue with them last year and winning the race into the bargain. On Saturday it was the Standard's turn for victory, which they achieved with great ease, a good race taking place between the remaining trio. The Standard won by four boats lengths, a length and a half separating the Telegraph and Daily News, while the re presentatives of Jupiter Tonans of Print ing-house Square had to be content with the last place. Four steamers, with the partisans and friends of the respective papers on board, accompanied the race, after which they took the crews on board and made a pleasant excursion up the river. For men wnose occupation is a sedentary, or mere strictly speaking a standing one, the occasional pursuit of athletics is most salutary ; and we are glad to hear that the proprietors of the papers have shown great liberality in con tributing to the prizes, and in other ways encouraging their employe's in maintain' ing their boat clubs,

The members of our Otago Contingent to the Ministerial Forces now mustered on the battle field of Colonial politics do not seem to be earning many laurels for themselves, or to be at all likely to re flect much glory or even credit upon us as a Province, all the services of its gal lant " Major " notwithstanding. 