PICKINGS FROM OUR EXCHANGES

Mataura Ensign, Volume 7, Issue 403, 24 October 1884, Page 2

PICKINGS FROM OUR EXCHANGES

4. The New Zealand Times says .— " It is clear that whatever may be the Ministerial strength in the Lower House, the Legislative Council is not to be depended upon to accept Sir Julius Vog-d's programme as a matter of course. The fact is thatthe Lords regard the Colonial Treasurer with -a' n very large amount of distrust, and 'it will aot in the least surprise us if a few more of his Bills are rejected in quite as marked a manner as the one which was disposed of last Monday," 7_lr J. T. Thomson, late 'surveyor-general, was interred on Monday in the family vault, St. John's Cemetery, Waikiwi. The cortege was a very large one, and amongst the pall bearers were Messers J. and G. M. Williamson, of Tuturau and Mataura. These gentlemen were brothtrs-in-lav. of deceased. Mr G. F. Richardson the other afternoon, on the report on the East and West Coast railway line being discussed, pointed out, in a short but businesslike speech, that under the present terms of the Act; the Government cannot find anything like the quantity of land which will be required as a subsidy anywhere near the railway. He estimates the quantity they can give as follows : — 192,000 acres fair bush land at 20s ; 19,200 aores barren mountain land at 10s ; and 28,800 acres high pastoral land, 12a fid, making tk. total of 240,000 acres of the present valve of | L 219,600, leaving a deficiency in the value of land tQ be provided hy the Government of L 530 ,400, This quantity must be found elsewhere, and quite remote fromthe lina. Miss Georgie Smithson, whilst oa a jonrnfey from Cromwell to Arrowtown, met with rather a serious acoidant. She and the members of her troupe wei iai .driving in a coach. When near the Victoria bridge the bridle of the leader broke, and the horses shying led to the upsetting of the coach. Miss Smithson sustained a very bad * fracture of her' left arm near the elbow; and several members of the troupe were, *mca*-Q oi* less injured, but none seriously, The 'Evening Post' te>eapom*-nbile for the following stateineflt, which appears in its issue of T^day ».ght :—«.U is curious how inan j wheels, within wheels there areeren in. matters ,q_ legislation, Few would suppose that the question of who should be Agent-General would have anything to do with the throwing out of the District Railways BiH by the Legislative Comic... Yet, if we are correctly informed, it has had a great dealto do with it. A. certain gallant knight deems himself greatly aggrieved because the Agent-general waa not dismissed and himself appointed, in his stead. By a curious coincidence, following his disappointment, his convictions %$m in the direction of throwing out Qq^efnment measures,"