The Daily Telegraph FRIDAY, JUNE 10, 1881.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3105, 10 June 1881, Page 2

The Daily Telegraph FRIDAY, JUNE 10, 1881.

The Governor's speech at the opening of the General Assembly is as matter-of-fact a Ministerial statement as could well be put into the mouth of His Excellency. Commencing with congratulations upon the steady progress that the colony has made during the past year, a short review follows of the work done under authority of Parliament during tbe recess; the principal bills to be submitted are then enumerated, and the speech concludes in hopeful language concerning the prospects of the country. Compared with the opening address of last year, and accepting both as affording fair pictures ot the condition of the colony then, and now at the present time, the country may well be congratulated upon the great improvement that has come about during the intervening twelve months. Last year everything was dark and cheerless ; now there is every indication that we have entered upon a period of prosperity. It is true (hat at the opening of Parliament last year some little partial relief had been experienced from the severe monetary pressure and general trade depression, but the condition of the colony was very critical. There was very much distress amongst the working classes; the effect the Royal Commission to inquire into the West Coast native grievancess would have upon the Maoris was not known; affairs might be said to be hovering between peace and war. Further than this the Governor bad to state that there had been a considerable falling-off in almost all the principal items of revenue, and the country was warned that it must look for a diminution in the rate of its progress. The Government then had during the recess to devote the closest attention to the state of finances, to the . solution of the native question, and to economy of administration. With what ' result, the Governor's speech tells us. Large reductions have been made in the cost of the public service; the revenue for the past year is considered on the whole satisfactory, and the railways have at last returned a dividend of 3£ per cent on the cost of their construction. The native difficulty appears to have been overcome, whether .by the effect given to the recommendations of tbe Royal Commission, or by the firm attitude assumed by the late Native Minister, is now of little importance. It is sufficient to warrant congratulatory comment that the peaceful indications of the times have allowed large reductions to be made in the military force on the West Coast, and that country which two years ago was barred to Europeans has now roads running through it, and is being thickly settled by an industrious population. It is satisfactory too to know that the impressions left on the mind of His Excellency from his recent tour through the colony are borne out by evidence given by other and less interested travellers. The Duke of Manchester has left these shores with the most favorable impressions of the capacity of this colony for the production of material wealth. We are therefore certain that they were no idle words when the Governor said that during his journeys he had repeated opportunities of observing signs of increasing wealth, of the spread of settlement, and of the energy and activity engaged in industrial pursuits throughout the colony. When to this is added that the signs are not illusory, but are proved to be real by the census and other returns, we may accept the Governor's statement that the country shows a revival of trade, and the growth

" There is one sourse of revenue," says the Marlborough Times, " which Government so far appears to have overlooked, and it is certainly surprising that attention has not hitherto been directed to it, more especially as it is one the utilization of which would greatly benefit the public and aid in the work of settlement. We refer to the large number of Crown grants which are now lying in public offices throughout the colony awaiting payment of the fees long due upon them. We are informed upon good authority that hundreds of thousands of pounds are due to Government upon this account, and, if such be true, it is high time special legislation was undertaken to meet the case. The amount of landed estate which cannot be dealt with because the Crown grants have for this reason not been taken up, must be of very large extent, and it would surely be for the public interest that Government should arrange that unless the fees were paid within a certain time, the land would be sold to the highest bidder, and the fees deducted from the purchase money, which must be kept in trust for the real owners should they ever appear. Our rating bodies are allowed to seize and sell property to recover arrears of rates, and there certainly seems no valid reason why Government should not also seize and sell for arrears of fees."

Another hatch of summonses is being prepared in the Town Clerk's office for early ißbuato defaulting ratepayers.

Mr C. B. H. Hankey, acting manager of the Napier railway, has been gazetted district manager of the Napier section of the New Zealand railways.

In consequence of the inclemency of the weather the opening of the Redclyffe bridge, which was to have taken place today, has had to be postponed.

For the first time since Sir George Grey has been a member of the House of Representatives ho attended the opening of the General Assembly yesterday. *

Mr W. E. W. Morrison, head master of the Grammar School, is about to leave Napier, in order to take an appointment at the Auckland Grammar School.

At the show of hands at the nomination for the representation of the Grey Valley there were held up 70 in favor of Mr Weston, 40 for Mr Fitzgerald, and 6 for Mr Morris. A poll was demanded.

Owing- to His Honor Justice Gillies sitting in Chambers this morning', the Resident Magistrate's Court was not opened till two o'clock this afternoon, when the adjourned case Renouf v. Lindsay and Hebden came on for hearing.

We remind owners of gardens that Messrs Kennedy and Gillman sell the Japanese trees to-morrow at their Btores at 11 o'clock. The trees and plants have arrived in excellent health, and should attract keen competition.

At the sitting of Mr Justice Gillies in Chambers to-day, Messrs P. S. McLean and J. M. Fraser, both solicitors of the Supreme Court of Scotland, were admitted as barristers and solicitdrs of the Supreme Court of New Zealand.

The " Liberal" party in New Zealand is divided into two well-defined sections, namely, the " Happy-go-luoky/' and the "Prudent." The first is represented by Sir George Grey and Mr Maoandrew, "and the other by the existing Ministry.

Issues were settled in the Supreme Couit to-day in the case of Sutton v. Todd for Monday, the 20th instant, and Evans v. Bank of New South Wales for Tuesday, the 21st instant; Russell v. Arihi and others were fixed for Thursday, the 16th.

Herr Bandmann has engaged Mrs Glover well know to the Australian stage as Miss Jessie Raymond, and that lady will accompany Mr Bandmann in his Southern tour. The company open a farewell season here to-morrow night when the grand play of Richelieu will be produced.

The owners of sections abutting on Dalton and Dickens-streets are not deriving much benefit from the drainage works. Although not an excessive quantity of rain has fallen, the Bide channels are completely choked with eilt to a height that should auyone step into would reach nearly to the knee.

We are glad to observe that the Government announce in the Governor's speech the intention to introduce a bill for rating Crown lands. A measure of this sort shou'd settle the difficulty of the maintenance of such roads as that through the Seventy-mile Bush, and will give poorly populated Counties like Wairoa a good income.

The Revd. Mr Spear narrowly escaped a —— serious accident yesterday at Taradale. The reverend gentleman was getting out of a > buggy, and put his foot on the wheel to shorten the jump to the ground; his foot slipped, and he fell, and the horse moving at the time the hind wheels of the vehicle passed over his legs. No bones fortunately were broken.

Complaints reach us regarding the disgraceful condition of the Marine Parade from the Fire Brigade station to the foot of the Coote road. We are informed that, after a slight fall of rain, the road is a series of pools and mud-holes, and walking in that locality is almost impossible without sinking to one's ankles in mud. A correspondent states that if Hastings-street under the same circumstances can be termed a " sea of mud," then the Marine Parade can fitly be compared to an " ocean of filth." Surely the municipal authorities want waking up.

The movor of the motion declaring Mr Levestara a fit and proper person to represent Nelson used the following ingenious argument : — " All classes were repiesented from the Nelson district except the masses. The squatting interests were represented by the member for the Suburbs; the cockatoos y by the member for Collingwood; the farmers by the member for Motueka; the Press by the member for Waimea; and the professions by Mr Titt; and now they had a candidate offering to represent the masses in the person of Mr Levestam."

Rumors (says the Wanganui Herald) are again in active circulation, particularly amongst the classes of officials affected by the matter, of impending radical alterations in the management of New Zealand Gaols. It is said that the Hon. Major Atkinson intends to bring in a bill vesting the ultimate control of the gaols in Captain. Hume, the Inspector, and that that official intends to discharge all the old gaolers and warders and replace them by some of those officers and men of the A.O. force who will probably be discharged very shortly. Speaking at Nelson the other day Mr J. C. Richmond referred to block voting at elections. He said "it was often intimateto candidates by friends, and by active members of particular sections, that there were so many temperance men, so many civil servants, so many Volunteers, so many publicans, all about to vote as the expressed opinion of the candidates on some question might determine. He thought there was some exaggeration in this idea, that the T majority of electors would not sell their oitizenship for some petty seotional consideration. He half excused the tern« perance party, who believed one of the greatest evils of society could be arrested by legislation, and insisted on postponing every question to that, but block voting was "fatal to true representative Government, and in his answers he should put the consideration of blook votes wholly aside."

A bazaar will be held in aid of St. Joseph's Convent some time in July, and contributions are invited. St. John's winter gatherings this evening at St. John's schoolroom. T- Waterworth notifies removal of premises to Dickens street. Sale of Mr Gunn's timber by Banner and Liddle has been postponed till the 16th. instant. J. T. Cassin has opened up new goods. L. special general meeting of the Licensed Victuallers Association takes place at the Victoria Hotel at 7.30 this evening. Mr E. Lyndon will sell furniture, &c, tomorrow at 11 a.m. Messrs Monteith and Co. will sell produce, horses, buggies, &c, at 1.30 p.m. tomorrow. Messrs Kennedy and Gillman will sell tomorrow, at 11 o'clock, Japanese trees and plants; and, at 2 p.m., a quantity of furniture, hams, potatoes. Messrs Banner and Liddle hold sales on Tuesday of groceries, &c. Messrs Hoadley and Lyon have postponed their wool sale till Saturday, 18th June. Mr G. Faulknor has a house to let in Hastings-street. Mr Faulknor has a covered express waggon for sale. Tenders for tho Petane-Puketapu road works close to-morrow at 5 p.m. New advertisements will be found in our " Wanted " column.