THE PUBLISHED DAILY. SATURDAY, JULY 5, 1873.

Grey River Argus, Volume XIII, Issue 1535, 5 July 1873, Page 2

THE PUBLISHED DAILY. SATURDAY, JULY 5, 1873.

One incident in the proceedings of the Provincial Council of Otagp, since the commencement of the current session, 'must serve !to reassure all but the most incredulous tiiat. ihe fact of becoming : a member; <of a Provincial or County Council is not necessarily .demoralising. ■ Though a^cptch .bailie may, : as the story : goes> have, j declined :to ibe addressed as " man," it is satisfactory to know that his countrymen. ip... (! Otagp,. l or any other countrymen, have a sense pf manliness deftj and i are /not ashamed to assert it, .yeVjßli'.^h6'u^kyth : 6j''' i liave ; ' ] beeii elected tp : , public pffice.; V^he incident which illus-. tratesr this. -occurred thus : — As soon as the Council met, an j Executive, according to tisej won't, and : the ' Constitution Act, was formed, ( w'iit Mr Tolmie as its chief.Ib was scarcely f prmed wnen | a Mr Shand, v one of a family. of [early; but not exceptionally distinguished settlers, 1 tabled one ( pf^.tiipse yery^commptt^'thinga in .the Colonies — a no-coufldence, motion. Wftatever may be the excellences or the evils ! of i the Tolmie . Executive, . it iB impossibleio Relieve- that it was- so excellent tliat Mr Sha'rid had no sympathisers. Yet it. happened , that he. , did not find a seconder on his own side; of theHousej and that ; when it was formally . seconded from the other side, ; the members of the Opposition, to a man, walked out of the Council Chamber, leaving their leader in inglorious solitude. As the incident is indicated by;telegram--r-" Shand's no-cpri-tidence motion, was. not seconded. The speech was so personal that it was not , seconded. Reynolds said he would second

it pro forma, but the Opposition walked out, and the motion was negatived on the voices." This is an < instance of how an -inexperienced and indiscreet^ enthusiast, .jforgetting the ordinary amenities of life, ; and indulging iri^ personalities where politics and principles are the .subjectmatter, can injure the very cause which he desires- or pretends to promote. There is every probability that with the senti-" raent expressed in.thefniotiph a litunbrity, no matter how small, might' have agreed, i-but they- were sufficiently sensitive "to the necessity forrmaintaining their own v .self; respect, and reSpebt for the rules of; life, to act in contrariety to their convictions upon the issue which had. been raised, rather than recognise the spirit in which the duty of doing so had been discharged; -In this respect the Otago Council is fortunately not an exception. It is not impossible to ; find parallel cases, and it would be a pity if it \yere otherwise, whenever a similar necessity arises. By a minority refusing to v.ote in sucha'case, pr.vojbing : in the negative with sufficient explanation given, they "condone" ; nothing,- neither" do they retreat from :their convictions. '■' In a ; recent instance in:whichtwb of our local representatives, Messrs Guinness and ton, were concerned; ]<■'&'. coOrsej similar to that which ha 3 been necessitated in Otago was adopted. Misrepresentations have siiice; been made ;r as;to the' effect of their action— misrepresentations made in the face,, .pf, the fact .that they openly >■ condemned a bad principle, though they were hot tb be be-f obled into passing a worthless vote upon the questioiij orbyimpli-. cation countenancing personalities— and it is to be presumed that the course they took , was taken in the knowledge that they have intelligent and critical constituents, and minds'" conscious tb themselves of right." . , „

The. only business at the Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday, was the hearing bf a few small debt cases, none of which presented features of; any publi c interest. .MrF.-.GumnesSj ;'M.:^,C/,\an4'''Mr J. D. Pinkerton, M.P.0., announce that they will address theelectors of. Nelson Creek at Hatter's Terrace, oh -Saturday next. « ■ ;l His Honor Judge Harvey left Ahaurafor Reeftpn . on .Thursday,' accompanied by Mr 'W. 'Pitt.. . Mr P$ atbended: the District Qbuft; at l Aliaura iB takethe cases iri which Mr : W; : Si Staite' was' -engaged; i that :gentleimaii. suffering from serious indisposition. A. D. Dobson, Esq., the Provincial Engineer of Nelson, arrived at Ahaura on Thursday. nHe travelled along the sections of ! tne hew main ro»d between Nelson Creek and, -Ahaura and passed the different contracts. -The road is-now-opeD to the -public. Mr ;Dpbson .stated on .Friday/ to inspect the works on the Amuri line of road. $' . A recent writer to Nelson who possesses a strong veiri^ bf has a very amusing description of.his experiences during a few days' stay.' Hisletter, sent to a friend in Dunedin, is published in the Mail. He relates'how he had/made 'various ventures to converse on the subject- of - busineas, but found it was/bniy appre'ciated.asan abstract question— as a subtlety. He continues :^" Under, this aspect of the questibn:, I ventured to. inquire if there ;was anybody who made money out of the place ? Fancy my astonishment . at-being told there was. Oh I yes, there could be no mistake about it. There was one successful : merchant had amassed perhaps LIOO,OOO. ;How did he' make it, I intiuited. Oh ! replied my informant, he has made it by steamers which he has been running toWanganui, Taranaki, ! Greymouth r Westport,- ( and Hokitika, everywhere almost out of jthe^place." "flisjgprieral conclusion's 1 are thfese':— 1 " The people' here are calm and subdued. I would strongly recpmmqnd a residence hbre. for anyone 1 suffering from heart disease or nervous irritability. There is none of that ferocious belief id f our great natural resources''*. which forms so strong an ingredient;'. in s the : "character iof ais Dunedinites; Like Napoleon at St. Helena, they, are content 'to live upon, the past.;' Experience, reason 1 , ; faith; I ' everything in Bhort, concurs to assure them that, they can 'neVer'be wprsis off 'than they are'- at present, ! an'd from that belief -they^ : derive '^tranquil consolation." . . .. ! Pity the .sorrows pf a.poor shareholiler in Coromandel companies. Here is the story of , one. :— ' ' Mester Editur — W,y ham r I-j»l poore ' Wurking Man to be dun hbut hof my Shares. I boat Venus Shares hand pade a- gvidim prise forum. 1 wur toid as the mine wur dun— l wur living in the Country and ineyer heered npthing abbut Mester Wulhamsjhavin hofered 'Shareholders Shares for heighteenpense. Wat dun he want hall that money for. Thay has' how he mun hay made a gud bit of muney hout out but praps has uther fellers has had to gin blip thers- 1 reckun . WfUlhams ;.mun gin hup his' en.— Yours, '&'&, Shakeholder." ; The members of the Devoriport Literary Society met last' week at the ? Chiirch of England sohool-room, North Shpre, Auckland, and a debate took Vplace on the question. " Are corn fields or gold fields most conducive to the prosperity of a Colony?"; The answer to the question is not reported.; Railway work on the Waimea section of the line between Nelson and Fox-hill is progressing;; but it has not yefy as far as we know, been fully determined by what' route the line shall ileaye Nelson. Mr Blackett, Government Principal Assistant Engineer, Who has lately -been there Utb -inspect the ground, prefers a line; by Toi-toi Vallny and Jenkins's Hill, with a terminus on the mudflat near the Saltwater Bridge, wiith a branch line to the port ; while, the majority of the people ; iof Nelson ' prefer a line round the , cliffs from the port, with the ter- , minus at .the bottom jbf Trafalgar street. The latter route' is estimated to cost a larger sum of money— it is said L 16,000 -than the 'Jenkins's Hill 'line, but /it! is ; believed it would, possess compensating advantages. Referring to the death of Mr W. Gray, Secretary and Inspector, of Post Offices, the Taranaki . ( Herald ]','. says .:— " The ; deceased gentleman had been ill-health for some time, and the Government granted him leayepf absence, to go to England, it being hoped- that, with' lthe.lbest,medical.advice he would soon be restored to igppd; health again, but he only reached San Francisco,' where he , died, on the 14th- ji une,' Mr, Gray r was a most energetic public; officer, and the efficiency of our postal service is ' mainly owing to his .exertions,.^HiSj.losSvwiU be severely felt by tbe*"departtnent of which he has. so long and. ably been 'the'head;' Mr Gray was an old settler of thistown, ; and all who knew him will, we feel sure, ; read : with,^regret the announcement which it is our painful duty „tp,iiaake.-.'.;;:.j. j.j:,- _..;• . At an entertainment in Auckland, last week, Mr,; Joe ...Small gave ,his almost celebrated song, .'-.' The Unfortunate Man," and, in response' to a prolonged and vociferous' call, came forward and, claimed the indulgence of the.audience, on the ground that ''The Unfortunate Man "'. was . the first song ihe had sung in New Zealand, and he was desirous that it should be the .last. . He took that opportunity, which would be the: last he would have, of thanking the people of New I Zealand generally, and of Auckland in par.

ticiilar, for the kind support they had given him since his first visit, eleven years ago. The following notice appeared lately in the Wellincjtoii Post signed by the proprietor :— " Owing to the .serious advance in the price of paper, the free list- is unavoidably suspended from Monday next. The publisher has received orders to issue no more papers without payment." Referring to this notice the Thames Advertiser says: — "To those people who regularly pay for their papers the abpve'nptice will require some! explanation. . In Wellington, as in other places, there are -persons: who think their position, .entitles them to the. right of a free paper. In some of the provinces of the South this evil became so great that the free lists were done away with ••• entirely, but they seem' to hayeibeeh kept up in the Empire City until the present month; -The' cost of paper has now become^ so serious an item that Mr Bland ell has cn 4 ; off all the .'dea'd-heads'at one blow. But he Has been kind totheni, in giving them a t few days' notice in i most public manner, 1 that he would be cbinpelled to stop their paper. We may mention a little incident ih ; connection with 'dead-heads' which will probably surprise even our Wellington contemporary. We have Ions; discontinued the ' free list,' but a few weeks ago our publisher discovered that the Provincial Government of this province had not, through a clerical omission, paid for a copy which one of the departments was receiving. An account was furnished, but as •economy' is the watchword of the department, the claim was .disallowed and the paper stopped. It was however politely suggested to us that we migt possibly lose something if we stopped the paper ! It is needless to say that we did immediately stop the paper, but as a paper is ■ considered absolutely necessary for the business of the department, one of the Government offiders carries his own copy downto the' Government buildings, and presents it to the impecunious Proyhnial authorities each morning. ! The fact is that; the present' price of paper will not admit' of ''.'free lists,'-; and if one person has a right' to be placed on such a list, then.clearlyjevery advertiser has an equal claim." . ;i ' ' Under the heading :". Seasonable, " Punch i in one of its last winter numbers had the following meteorological notice":: — " ' Meet me at the gate, love,' has been changed to ■■ 'Meet . me at the i grate, -love.' : S The late weather has necessitated the change." A similar paragraph, . says the Mail, might be written in Nelson, where, within the last few days,f,winter has fairly set in, and even the most love-sick swain would find a ■lengthened tetea lete at the gate somfewhat trying to his feelings, and likely to pijoduce a longing for the .welcome glow of the grate. Trees, flowers, arid shrubs have beenlfairly taken, in this year. by the mild, of June they, have experienced^ ' Almond trees and strawberry plants have been induced to appear in blossom; and hedges have been budding, but this week they have received-a' hint from the- venerable Maungatapu to re-con-; sider their position.' • : . 7 Those, were dear kisses (remarks the Sydney Empire), ,in which the captain of the British Commodore indulged on his way to -this • port. - The' board appointed to investigate .the case have fined him L 259 3s 9d (estimated, we suppose, at so jinuch per kiss), deprived the surgeon of his -gratuity, and the of half of hers,, and disqualified both for future employment on emigrant vessels. This is sharp justice, and we should like to see the evidence which has rendered it necessary. The captain, we understand* is naturally indignant at his;treatment, and says that it is the old story of woman's ingratitude. If he hadn't kissed the girls they would have kissed him, which would have come to much the same thing, and in any case they were • villains tb kiss and tell. . . j r ' ; The -whale season on the coast of ,Mai:l--borough thus far have not had a very profitable season. There are four boats engaged in the Sound, and some at the Kaikoura, but only three fish in' all have yet been ob- . bained. One was caught last week by Norton's crew, but it was ; an exceedingly j small oue. There are numbers of fish about, and the reason. of their non-capture is explained in: a curious manner,, the .; fishers asserting that the weather has been ...too. fine to! allow the boats to ; get. near.;. enough to fasten. If ; this is. the, real, cause, they will be- able to c;et a, good season yet," as the weather has changed most' unmistakably within the past few days. ; ;.. r - : _ ■..■/" ; . ■. ■ ; .;••;. : i A very satisfactory reply to the telegrams sent from Westport to the Minister of Public Works in reference to road formation in Pair" merston street has been received. . The telegram says " Extra expenditure re Palmerston street work has been authorised." Westport residents will fully appreciate this prompt and business-like- concession to their expressed wishes/ ;' ; The following; somewhat exciting altercation is reported in the Auckland Herald as having occurred there recently between his "Worship the Resident Magistrate and Mr W. L. Rees, barrister, who appeared for Mr Machattie, in the case Machattie against .Thomas Macffarlane, for conspiring to prove a false debt. Mr Machattie was under crossexamination by Mr Hesketh, when his Worship said he wished the witneso would give his answers without causing so much difficulty to the examiningcounsel. He should give his answers more direct. Mr :Rees : The .witness does give his answers correctly —it is the counsel's fault. The Bench * The witness does not give his answers directly. ! Mr Rees: He does! The Bench : I will not be contradicted in that coarse manner. If you do riot conduct yourself properly I shall not permit you to appear. 1 I will not be spoken to in that way ; no gentleman would do so. Mr Rees : I shall not come to your Worship for an opinion of a gentleman. The Bench : Remember, sir, you are only -herei v on sufferance, and I shall not allow you to insult the : Bench. I shall commit ; you '• if you '..continue that conduct. You have several times insulted the opposing counsel.. Mr Rees: I did not contradict your Worship. You may commit me if; you think proper. You are judge, and I must bow to your decision, lao no wish to enter into an altercation with the Bench. Mr Heskfith : I say that Mr Rees did distinctly contradict the Beiich. Mr.Rees : I did 'riot. The Bench : It is not 'the first' time Mr Rees has done it, but it, is not worthy of further notice. Representations having been made to Mr Vogelbythe Christchurch Chamber of Commerce on the subject of the Suez mail service;..the f ollowingireply has been forwarded to the Chairman :—-" Government fully alive to inconvenience arising, from want of regular, mail., service, arid therefore, although there' is no vote, and on the last occasion, some four years ago, the question was before the. House, the majority were againso subsidising boats advertised to run without subsidy every week;/ they are yet trying ;to i make arrangements ;to secure regularity. It is no. fault : of the Government that arrangements are not: yet concluded. Negotiations have beeu proceeding.; I may inform you that Government wUI not agree, that advantage should ' be taken of temporary difficulty to. extort unfair teims, and the merchants of Christchurch would doubtless, as good citiz6tis; i submit to inconvenience rather than that the country should suffer. As regards temporary arrangements, the agents hitherto have declined to make such urifil steamer on coast, I am glad to say that this month they have already agreed to lot Rangitoto catch mail. Arrangements will be ; duly, notified. Also glad Io say there is prospect of permanent arrangement being made."