The Globe. THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 1877.

Globe, Volume VIII, Issue 856, 22 March 1877, Page 2

The Globe. THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 1877.

Our readers are no doubt aware that in 1875 an important change was made in the mode of compiling the electoral lists of the nolony. By an act of that year every ratepayer who has paid his rates within the year ending the 30fch day of March is entitled to vote. The clerks of Road Boards and Municipalities are required to make a list of such ratepayers and send it in on the 31st of March of each year. It is not necessary for us to explain the steps which those clerks should take in order to comply with the law. The very serious penalty to which they render themselves liable for wilfully or negligently failing to comply with the provisions of the Act, will no doubt cause them to exercise due care in compiling their lists. "What we specially wish to direct attention to at present is, the necessity on the part of ratepayers of paying their rates during the present month, if they wish to be included on the electoral lists eent in to the Registration Officers. Of course those who have the qualification, and wish to be quite certain that their names shall be placed on the new rolls, can send in an application under the Act of 1866, but they must do so before the end of the current month.

" Lunacy from drink." Such is the lamentable but expressive heading to many cases heard in the courts here. Men, fresh it may be from the country, are transformed in an incredibly short space of time into raving maniacs. It occurs to us to ask the question—how is this ? The answer is not far to seek for. We are tenderly solicitous for the welfare and health of the people in many respects, and yet we add to the temptations and evil effects of drink by allowing stuff to be vended which makes lunatics of men. "What is the common expression when the colonial imitation of the old classic rite of pouring a libation is to be performed ? Why " Let us go to he doesn't keep bad stuff." The " bad" stuff referred to is that which fills our lunatic asylums and furnishes the unhappy subjects for the paragraphs, the heading vi' which we nave quoted. Some startling revelations could be made were an enquiry instituted oa a proper basis. But it would not do to send a police officer in full uniform to procure samples for analysis iior io allow of tiicely warning Duing gl.'en :.o ohe ofending publican. la this cane tha iiquot would be found to be all right. But let a man who is net too well known go in the ordinary way into u hat is known ao the " Threepenny oars " of soma of Lhe licensed house* in CimsteliUiTb, and then we shall secwhat vile compounds are daily vended wider the name of spirits. We possess <•■ competent analybt, and we hope, for :he tu'.'ie of the health of the people, '•.hat steps will be taken to utilise hi-< . rvic-H in t\m direction,

Despite the official visit of the Drainage Board to the Estuary, and their failure on that occasion to detect any odour more offensive than that of seaweed, Woolston refuses to be convinced. The committee appointed —as one of the speakers the other night put it —to watch the Drainage Board are about to overwhelm the unhappy members ot that much abused body with voluminous correspondence, as to the effluvia arising from tiie Estuary. Ifc seems to us that this is very much a matter for decision by experts. It is no use for outsiders to go down to test the healthiness or unhealthiness of whatever may be the prevailing odour of the locality. What one set of persons may declare to be healthgiving ozone, the other may define as noisome in the extreme. As it appears that there is no chance of the Board and the residents agreeing on the subject, let a medical commission visit the spot and report. This will at once set at rest the disputed question, which appears to have agitated the usually quiet suburb of Woolston tremendously.

Tile old proverb says, " Speech is silvern but silence is golden," and the projectors of the Colombo street widening appear to believe in the latter. Whether the legal difficulty raised by our contemporary the Press has had the effect of making them reconsider their action or not we do not know. The fact, however, remains that no steps have as yet been taken towards obtaining the opinion of the citizens by their votes. We trust that seeing the almost unanimous opinion of the people is against them, those pushing forward this project will allow it to drop. To carry it to a poll would only be to incur useless expense and without the slightest chance of their carrying their point. We think in connection with this also that the ratepayers owe a debt to Cr Nathan for the plucky manner in which, though in the minority, he opposed the scneme from the outset.