The Feilding Star. TUESDAY, JUNE 13, 1893.

Feilding Star, 13 June 1893, Page 2

The Feilding Star. TUESDAY, JUNE 13, 1893.

Owing to the presence of a large number of the criminal class, and the insufficiency of police protection, in Palmerston North, a meeting of residents in one of the princip.il streets was held on Friday afternoon last, and a vigilance committee formed. The Manawatu Daily Times srys that several of the residents at Terrace End have armed themselves, as thoy consider it quiet unsafe to venture out at night without being prepared for emergencies. This is a disgraceful state of things, and ought not to be allowed to remain unaltered. Surely if proper representations were made to the Government more constables would be stationed in a place where their presence is evidently so much needed. We may be permitted to express the opinion that the fact of all the hotels now doing business in Palmerston having to close at ten o'clock, instead of eleven, in the evenings may have a beneficial effect, being an indirect means of clearing the streets of objectionable characters, and thus enabling respectable and law-abiding citizens to go to their several homes unmolested or unalarmed.

Our contemporary, the New Zealand Times, puts it very nicely ; — " The honest Tattersall mourns, and woe sits heavy on the patrons of the great lotteries who have been for years seeking wealth without M'orking for it. The Post Ofh'ce of New South Wales has been closed against them by the v<-ry proper verdict of the legislature. To New Zealand the effect will be very salutary. Taxation is not pleasant, as a rule, but here was the tax of some £40,000 or £50,000 a year paid in prompt cash, not only with cheerfulness, but with the utmost eagerness. When these voluntary taxpayers have done lamenting, they might do worse than seek for some useful object of expenditure which will absorb their £40,000 or £50,000 a year with moderate profit to themselves, and at the same time contribute to the prosperity of the country in which they live. But there is reason to fear that their patriotism will hardly be equal to the strain."

The Wanganui Herald of last night meters a note of warning which ought to be taken up in every electorate in the colony, because it applies to them all. Our con temporary says that the late contest disclosed the fuel that a large number of persons had been disfranchised through their names being struck off the roll during their temporary absence in adjacent districts, whither work had taken them. In order to obviate this patent injustice, the Herald points out that the proper thing to do would be to publish once a year the tull electoral roll of each district in the uewspapers published therein, so that every elector might see whethrr his name was registered or not, and >v case of its omission make proper application for its inclusion on the amended roll, which, should stand for the ensuing year. It was a matter of considerable surprise in tho late contest the large number of persons wno had neglected to send in applications to have their names placed upon the roll, as fully a hundred young men who were entitled to do so had put the matter off until it was too late for the contest, from which they were shut out by their own supineness. We hope this information will induce every qualified person in our electoral district to see that his name is duly registered.

We congratulate the members of the PohangiDa Road Board on their prompt response to the invitation of the residents in the vicinity of the Apiti crossing of the Oroua river to have a bridge erected over that dangerous ford. It will be seen in our report that the Secretary of the Board has been instructed to write to the Government asking that a Commission be appointed to a.Jjusf. the propor* lions of the money to bo paid by Ihe sev erul local bodies— that is, the Pohanjjina and Kiwilea Jioad Board Districts — for the erection of such bridge ; also, to nsk the Government to what extent they will assist by way of a subsidy. We sincerely hope and trust that the Commission will be instructed to sit at an early date, also Unit the whole work will bo completed nud the bridge open for traffic before this time next year.

English uiuila, via Frisco, ciuae here to-uaoriow afternoon.