The Ellesmere Guardian. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1891. Notes by the Way.

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume X, Issue 945, 19 September 1891, Page 2

The Ellesmere Guardian. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1891. Notes by the Way.

The Eev Johh Foatson is a gentleman of versatility. He is, doubtless, an eloquent and faithful minister. He is an enthusiastic footballer ; though he does not actually play, he is a competent authority on the game, and bis services as umpire or referee are in constant request. Now he is taking a new departure. He is spoken of as a likely! candidate for the Christchorch seat vacated by Mr . Perceval on bis ap-f pointment to the Agent Generalship. The reverend gentleman apparently prefers the law to the gospel. Should he be elected, however, and desire to keep his hand in, he will find plenty- of scope for missionary work among the new associates. The Government is not the happy and united family they would have the world at large believe. There is a serious split in the ministerial camp over the vacant chairmanship of Committees. One party favours Mr Smith, another supports the erratic member for Danedin This gentleman, Mr Fish, is verv I anxions for the appointment, bat he is not popular, to put it mildly, with all his colleagues. Ma Earnshaw, indeed, went 50 far as to say that if he was elected, he (Mr Earnshaw) would then refuse to support the Government any longer, Th.e. upshQt of jt all is

hat no appointment will be made this ttssion. We have the highest admiration for Mb Rollbston, but we fear his literary tastes are depiaved. He told the Minister of Education the other day that he would be very sorry to have to read his (Mr Beeves') election speeches. What higher intellectual treat could an; one desire than the perusal of the ad iresses of "our young college bred orator," who,, byfthe way, left college we believe without even the dignity of a poll. degree.. .Buji .we are not all bo devoid of taste as Mb Rollestok. If nobody reads ;,Mr Peeve's* speech,ee iurely the Lyttelton Time* jrauld .jnat print so many columns of then. From personal experience we find them in-valuable-^aa soporifics, ■v ; 1 , 1 Thb Council ji "fist recovering the Confidence of the country. Its action in throwing out the Female Franchite^Bill was not calculated to inspire a belief., in its wisdom, but it has amply atoned for! that mistake by the bold stand it has taken on two vital questions, the Land Bill and the Payment of Members Bill. The former has passed with amendments, amendments which virtually destroy all the clauses of the Bill on which Hon Mr McKenzie so strongly insisted, and which were to revolutionise the system of Land Tenure. The measure which an economic . and retrenching party hsd the audacity to bring in, in creasing their own salaries, has been simply thrown out with disdain; . It is a simple matter for a man to I reason with a savage bull — from the jo^ier side of the fence. It is easy for I the Pakeba to legislate for. the /Maori but it is quite another tbm^/ <jp make the aborigine obey the .lawi.VVSo; they iare finding out in New Plymouth, That fine old Maori gentleman, one of the i qlcjen time, Tb W hiti, like W gdod many iof bis white prototypes, outran the coni stable,, and was adjudged a bankrupt. That was all right, an! so far the matter seemed simple enough* But Te Whiti calmly ignores the whole proceedings and keeps on the even tenc r of his way in blissful unconsciousness of Assignees and ' Sotiedules anl things. And the creditors are pretty much as they were. P $o js/^^Hm^^biit /jie. Deputy Official Assignee' is ! not happy <