Hawke's Bay Times, PUBLISHED EVERY MONDAY AND THURSDAY. MONDAY, MAY 6, 1867.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume IX, Issue 476, 6 May 1867, Page 2

Hawke's Bay Times, PUBLISHED EVERY MONDAY AND THURSDAY.

MONDAY, MAY 6, 1867.

“ Niilliut addict us jurats i/i verba magisiri"

The recent election of Mr Macaadrew tu the office of Superintendent of Otago, seems likely to lead to results but little anticipated at that time. It was certainly within the prerogatives of his Excellency the Governor to have

_:-i_ l. . i j e ~ * • tYiliiiiem zus uuuul.ux4.iiuu ui liiG CuOICc of the electoral body, if he felt assured of th psTSon*s unfitness, or j ness, to occupy the honorable office to which he had been elected, though it might not have been an act of wisdom to have done so. At all events, that choice was confirmed by him, and as this was done, we think that his Excellency’s ministers bad no other legitimate course before them than to accept the situation, and treat the newly appointed chief magistrate of Otago precisely in the same manner as all other Superintendents of Provinces are treat ed by them. They, however, appear to have thought and acted otherwise and to have adopted from the very first, a course of conduct, alike insulting to him and to the community over which lie lias been chosen to preside. We ctnnot wonder that the whole Province of Otago (eels this to be so, nor that a’l parti;;s. political supporters and

oppotutiHs. unite m giving expression to the feelings of indignation and re-

seiitmout such conduct towards tlxeii cipisen chief Ims originated. Acting et Course, under the advice of his min is ten?. Sir George (drey lias withheld iVo.n Mr M‘Andrew tiie delegation of

certain prereg i - ivc-s ami powers generally acc rded to provincial Superintendents, and which had been delegated to the late Supcrinten ’out of Otago, and has conferred them, or rather, some of them, upon a person most unacceptable to tiie people. Tilts feeling of disapprobation has risen in Otago to a great height, So much so, that serious disturhauces of the public peace may be feared if the gentleman so appointed should insist on exercising the functions of his office. In another part of this morning’s issue we give from the Otago papers to hand by the last mail, some account of the state of affairs in that province, and also from the N.Z. Advertiser, the presumed organ of Mr Stafford’s ministry, some comments and a sort of a ministerial defence. In our view the Advertiser is entirely wrong, in its attempted defence of the action of the ministry. Mr M‘Andrew stands much in the position of a person who has made an appeal to a jury of his fellow countrymen on a charge prefer red against him, and who has received their verdict of acquittal. The Ministry must respect that verdict, and accept the deliberate decisiou of a large proportion of an entire community. In any other view representative institutions become a mere farce, and the exercise of the franchise but the acceptance of a government nominee by a constituency, instead of a selection by their 1 free and deliberate choice.

It must be observed that we offer no opinion on the question of Mr M‘Andrew’s character, his innocence or guilt of the offences charged to his account; neither do we say one word of the fitness or otherwise of Mr Bradshaw for the appointment he has received, we simply take the ground occupied by the Provincial Council of Otago, who lay aside all old disagreements to join with one accord in maintaining the right of the electors to select their chiei nictgibi according to the con~ stitution, and therefore, support him, !auJ resent the indignities cast on him |and on their Province.

We would in conclusion, remind the Ministry that the time is at band iu

which the great question of Provincial

Governments v. Centralisation mast bo tried, and though we do not fear dismemberment nor the separation of the Colony in any of its threatened forms.

it would not be great matter of surprise to us if we saw the present costly system of central Government greatly modified, its powers curtailed, and the Provincial Governments become the

U'uti governing LuJiss of tbs Colony* It is not yet too late to see the dream of the old provincial party verified. An undue interference with the political privileges of the people may tend to such a result.

DESTRUCTIVE FIRE IN GEO ROE-STREET _ SYDNEY. [Prom the Sydney Moraing Herald, 19th April.! i Shortly before II o'clock last night, 1 a disastrous lire broke out on the premises in the rear of the building known : as Reiby Cottage, situated in the right l of way adjoining the establishment of Mr John Sands, nearly opnositA tl-.p Commercial Bank, and occupied by i Messrs Simmons Brothers, as a general . store. The flames burst forth with great force, and threw a lurid glare over the city, which attracted a large crowd in a very short space of time. . In a few minutes after the alarm was given, the Insurance Brigade, with a manual engiue, arrived, and was closely followed by the two steam fire engines, and other manual engines of the Volunteer and Brigade companies. The steam-engine of the Insurance Brigade was Judiciously posted in George street, whilst that of the Voluntees Company was stationed in Pittstreet, but water was not obtainable for a quarter of an hour after they had got into working order. By that time Beiby Cottage was one mass of fiire, end the contents were destrobed. A small office, connecting the burning pile with the premises of Mr Scnds° took fire, and communicated it to the large building of the iatter, which' quickly fastened on to the roof, the whole of the upper part being des-, troyed, with a portion of the stock. The engines now got into play, and powerful streams of water were throwu on to the burning mass from the engines in George and Pitt streets, and for some time fears were entertained that the fire would reach Mr Chisholm’s, the draper. To prevent Ibis, two streams of water were directed oir to the roof of Chisholm’s premises and' with such effect that it soon became evident that the efforts of the firemen would confine the flames t-a the fsaeni they had then reached. The tire on Sands’ premises Was so effectually gut uuder as to permit of the removal of a large quantity of good#, in which the sailors ol the nien-uf-war rendered verygreat service. At halt-past twelve nil •danger of the fire extending was past, but dense volumes of smoke continued to rise tor some time. Fortunately the night was calm, scarcely a breath of air stirring, as was evidenced by the flame rising perpendicularly. Had it been otherwise, the destruction ol property must have been great; and this is the more probable from the fact *hat water was uot immediately obtainable. A large body of police were on the spot in charge of inspector Reid.

1 hough the crowd was very large, we never remember less confusion or noise than on this occasion, and to this perhaps may be attributed the sue cess of the operations for extinguishing the fire.

Alter the fire had been extinguished and the crowd dispersed, those interested were enabled to take a good view of the destruction which had been caused, and to form some estimate of the loss likely to be sustained by the fire insurance companies and the owners of the property destroyed. The fire was first discovered by the constable on duty, who commuicated with the Insurance Brigade will all possible speed. Beiby Cottage, and the extensive premises occupied by Mr John Sands as a machine-room and printing office, are a heap of ruins. But very little of the stock was saved from Mr Simmons’s store, and that which was saved consisted of cordials and groceries of not much value. The steam-engine and printing-machine in Mr Sands’ office are very much injured, whilst the type is scattered about in all directions, and much of it damaged. Mr Sands stationery store, too, has been much destroyed, whilst most of the valuable slock it contained has been either consumed by fire or damaged by water. About an hour after the fire was supposed to have been extinguished, flames again burst forth in the roof of Mr Sands store, and were with difficulty reached with buckets of water. Portions of the roof were removed and in the course of a quarter an hour or so the fire seemed to have been safely extinguished again. •

The men of H.M.S. Esk and also the men of H.I.M.S. Marceau are deserving of great praise. The former ■were stationed on the George-street side, and the latter on the Pitt-street side, and valuable assistance was af forded by them in removing goods, and tu extinguishing the fire.

The loss occasioned by this conflagration, will probably not be far slioit of 4 20,000. Mr Sitnaions’ stock is insured in two offices for £ 1000. Mr Sands’ stock is insured in the following offices:—London and Liverpool and Globe, 41000; Victoria, 42250; Pacific, 4000? United 4500; London and Lancashire, 42000; Australasian, 41500; and the printing office in the Victoria for 4750; total 412,000. The amount for which Reiby Cottage was insured could not be ascertained last night.