The Nelson Evening Mail FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 1871.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VI, Issue 17, 20 January 1871, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 1871.

In common with the large majority of those who were present in the Provincial Hall on Wednesday evening, we confess to having been much disappointed ..with Mr. Shepherd's address to the electors. It is possible that we had expected too much from him, and this, we admit, is extremely probable, for, hitherto, there has been an indescrifc^sle something attached to his name \dach led people to believe, that he was " the coming man" who was to shed abroad a light tllgt would enable us to see our way through the thick darkness in which the affairs of the province and of the colony have been, and are still, enveloped, This, perhaps, was hardly fair to the gentleman in question, but- still such was the case, not only with ourselves, but; with the public generally, and /when, as on Wednesday, last, he stood forth, divested of the mysterious halo which has hitherto surrounded him, and appeared on the platform merely as an ordinary candidate seeking the suffrages of the electors, we were compelled to"

admit that he di:l not come up to th^ estimsite (hat we and many others had formed of him. It m.-iy be that cir^ cunistanc( j s were against him, and that his spirits were damped by the somewhar thin audience that greeted him ou his first appearance — but which afterwards swelled to very respectable dimensions — and that, if elected lie miy, in the Housf of R'pr>seiitativ< j p, show to greater

alvantuge, l>u t with such speculutions we have noihiui* to do ; our fluty is simply to judge him by his address on that evening. And to commence with, we would ask, did auy of those who were present ou that occasiou leave the Hall much wiser than whet) they entered it with respect to the views of the candidate who then offered himself as their representative ? With two exceptions, uamely, a general assertion that he believed railways were very desirable things, and, by the influx of population to which they would lead, were calculated to tend to tho prosperity of the colony; aud that some meaus should be adopted for enabling settlers to obtain land on a system of deferred payments, and for supplying miners with the water necessary for their operations, there was not one single opinion to which he committed himself'. Native affairs, and the defence of the colony ? They were not deemed worthy of remark. Education ? This was beneath his notice. Protection, or free trade ? Is anyone of those who listened to him the other evening prepared to assert what are Mr. Shephard's views ou this all-important subject ? To none o£ these questions did he refer in any shape whatever, and yet we are invited to elect as our representative in this most critical period of tho history of the colony, one, with regard to whose opinions on matters of such vital importance we are completely in the dark. Surely this is not as it should he, and, although Mr. Sbephard stated that if there were any subjects on which the electors might require further information, lie would he happy to furnish it on the day of nomination, ifc must not be forgotten that it will then be too late, but that, we shall on that day be irretrievably committed to the choice of the

member who is to represent us iu our Parliament for the next, five ypors.

Even in his remarks upon the Government policy there were some fallacies apparent to which wo must call attention. Me stated that the fuuds to be applied to the payment of interest on the proposed loan were to be derived principally from the customs duties which would be paid by the increased population imported iuto the colony under the immigration scheme. Now, setting aside the two millions to be raised for other purposes, we will take only the two millions to be borrowed for railroads as being sufficient for

our present argument. No one, we believe, will venture to assert that the traffic on the railways will produce for the first year or two more than sufficient to pay the working expenses of the lines ; so that the interest of the borrowed capital will have to be derived from other sources, say, as did Mr. Shephard, from the customs duties paid by the newly arrived immigrants. The present revenue thus obtained amounts to something like £3 10s. per head of the population, so that, iu order to meet the interest on two millions at 6 per cent, we should require an iucrease to the population of very nearly 35,000, supposing the whole of the duties to be applied to paying interest on the money borrowed. Such an addition can scarcely bo looked for within the first four or five, not to say, one or two years. But, on being questioned, Mr Shepbard said that he .proposed to make considerable reductions in the Customs duties, and to substitute in lieu thereof, a Property and Income Tax, thus depriving the country of the very funds to which he looked to meet the interest on the loan, for it is not to be expected that the class of immigrants we should introduce would contribute so largely to the last mentioned tax as they would to the Customs revenue. Thus then, it seems to us that, on Mr. Shephard's own showiog, there will be a very considerable discrepancy between the

receipts and current, expenses of the colony Cor, at all events, the first four or five years after thu borrowing scheme has h'-'.-n i ni tinted, unless additional taxation is preferred to an increasing debt. Then again Mr. Shcphard avows himself to be a staunch proviucialist, aud his principal reason for being so is that he believes the country can be o;>eued up much more Mi. siply by lo<'al bodies !ik Provincial Governments 'ban by a central Government. Holding such an opinion, why does ho not advocate the placing o! the various works to be uudertaken under the control of the Provincial Governments? Iu order to make it pay at all, he says, and very rightly, that the construction of these railways must be carried out with the utmost economy, and further on, iu reply to a question put by Mr. Lightband, he states that this economy is not to be found in the General to the same extent as in the Provincial Government, the inference naturally being that the works, to' be advantageously executed, should be supervised by the latter bodies. But whether. he means to make such a proportion, we: c Jfg& are uot in a position to say, for on^PPis subject, as on many others, he_maintained a strict silence. On the whole, wo repeat that we were grievously disappointed in Mr. Shephard's speech, which was painfully weak, cleverly inexplicit, and immensely unsatisfactory ; not such a one as we should have expected from the gentleman who delivered it, or could have wished for from a candidate aspiring to the honor of representing the City of Nelson iu the Colonial Parliament. The Late Murder at Hokitika. — Anthony Noble has been found guilty of wilful murder and sentenced to death. The trial lasted two days. Advance of Civilisation" on the West Coast. — It is not long since the country on the western coast of this island was a wilderness, growing nothing but fern aud trees ; it shows, however, that steps have been m.ide in a right direction when we are enabled to day to call attention to a fine display of fruit and flowers, which are now to b;' seen at the office of tin's paper, being the produce of the garden of Mr. Barker, of the Ahaura. Native Intelligence. — The Herald's Alexandra correspondent, under date, tlie 14'h,.says that the friendly natives have received a private warning to come out from among the Europeans. A meeting has been held at. Tokmiyamutu — purpose unknown — at which about 1000 natives were present. No mure warnings are to hp u-iven, and information after to-morrow will he doubtful. Telegrams just from the Thames, say that the Ohinemuri and Kitakaki natives have given notice not to allow the Tauranga mail to pass. Forestry. — The Annual Meeting of the Nelson District Ancient Order of Foresters was held at Court Robin Hood last Tuesday, 17th inst., when the follow* ing Officers were elected : — Trustees for the District, A. Hibble, J. Pratt, C. M'Gee, G. jßonniogton, and W. Lane. Auditors, E. F. Jones, W. R. Waters, and W. Lane. P.C.R. Wigzell, D.C.R. ; P.C.R. Pitcher, D.S.C.R. ; D.T. East, D.T. ; D.S. Burn, D.S. The next Halfyearly District- Meeting will be held at 2 p.m., on Wednesday, July 19, 1871. Order of Oddfellows.— The annual meeting of the delegates from the various lodges W as held at the Mansion of Peace Lodge, Wakefield, on Tuesday last, when, after the other business had been disposed of, the election of officers was proceeded with as follows : — P.P.D.G.M. M'Gee was elected Prov. G.M.; P.G. Peter Cooke was elected Prov. D.G.M.j Prov, C.S. Edwards re-elected Prov. C.S.; P.F.G.M. Armstrong re-elected District Treasurer aud Relieving Officer; P.P.G.M. Jennings re-elected District Warden ; P.P.G.M. Graham re-elected Examiaiug Officer; and P.P.G.M.'s Wigzell", Young, and Brighten were elected Auditors of District accounts.

Yesterday was 4 u i te a ° a^ a a y at * ae Lunatic Asylum, the\jnmates of which turued out with a will to celebrate the occasion of tha marriage of Miss Best, who, for some three years, has filled with the greatest credit to herself, and to the immense comfort and advantage of those under her charge, the responsible post of matron at that institution. The day's merrymaking wns brought to a termination by a dauce in the evening, which -seemed to be thoroughly enjoyed by all who took part in it, and we may safely assert that even among those unfortunates whose minds had wandered from their dwellings, there will years hence

b-i foutrl here and thf-re one who vvill hiivo some dim bnr, pica-

<:iut, . i-RfollectiiHi of the fessiviii -3 !lpit in'irke.l the wed-linir duv of nno of lim kindest of \voin"!i who ever <levot< j <l their iiUen. lance to the care of those who have been visired with the direst, calamity that can befull the members of the human nice. St. Mahy's Schools. — Tiie usual Clu'is'mfts entertainment, in connpotion viih these schools, was celebrated on W'-ilnes'lav, the lSth inst., commf*in'»ra--1 ing the 2lst. anni virsary. The weather, t.lie spirits of til** assembled pleasure seekers, and the abundant aud provident nrrangem j nts for entertaining so great 11 number, were all in harmony and excellent. The numbers were so numerous as to require a second spread for the juveniles, and a like arrangements for the adult visitors. The sports were sufficiently varied, and maintained with that spirit only known to colonial youths. At dusk the magie lautern was exhibited to so great .'i number that it was puzzling to conceive how so many could possibly have contrived to cram themselves in the schoolroom. The prizes were then distributed by Mr. Broa'l, who gave some encouraging appropriate remarks to each pupil carrying off a prize. At the conclusion Mr. Broad addressed the children and impressed upon them their obligation to apply themselves assiduously and pay all obedience to their teachers, hoping also that they would apply their taleuts for the good object for which they were being cultivated, viz.. the benefit of themselves in a social view, and in the service of their Creator. Father Garin then addressed them, dwelling upou the importance of their early and careful training, without which thej' could not be fitted for the position it was their duty to occupy ultimately, and impressing upou them the necessity of rigid ohedience to their teachers at all times. Mr. Richards (the teacher of the Boys) explained, that the prizes had been determined by a Class register kept on the same principle by each teacher, and remarked that several had deserved well by their progress, but had lost position by absence, a circumstance he hoped to see remedied in the future. The following were the prizes awarded to the three first Hawses : — B'>ys : Ist class : H. S. Richards 1 ; Christopher Frank 2. 2nd cla«s: James Sp >ed 1: M. Cohen 2. 3rd rlas«: W. Bli-k 1 ; L. Cohen 2. Writinn prize : A. J. Ben":.'. Arithmetic : Christopher Frank. Consolation prizMf Josh. L°afh. Gnls: Ist class: Ist^^^: Christina Frank 1 ; Mary Kealyjjr 2nd Ha*!? : Catherine Ryan I ; Jjrnsf-'phit'e Frank 2. 3rd class : ElizjjFrh Thompson 1 ; Mary G«rdiner 2jt General Industry: Catherine Kealy. General Improvement : E-nily Brunetti. Regular Attendance: Elizabeth L< j nch. Attention to Studies : Miii-y Yarrall. Cheers were then jriven for Father Garin, Mr. Broad, Mr. Ri'-lia'ds and the Ladies, and the party dispersed well satisfied with the pleasure that had been provided for them. — Communicated.

Sir David Monro on the Government Scheme. — ■* At the meo*?og of electors, held at IVyotueka on Wednesday evening, Sir D.'MAnro tnacre the foliosviri«X remarks with reference to the Ministerial scheme of last session : — I suppose nobody will deny that it is desirable that (he population of the colony 'should be increased, and it must be evident at the same time to anyone who has had any experience of colonizing, that where many laboring immigrants are brought into the country, it is necessary to provide something iu the shape of public works. Up to this point I think we must- all be agreed. There cau no more be a question about the advantage of public works and immigration than there is about tjae desirability of laying down land in^jfrass, or fallowing it, or suppl^eg* it with manure when it has ,h^n over-cropped. But, gentlemen, that is not the question we iiave to consider. If I have a landed estate, aud have laid out large sums upon it, and fiad difficulty in paying my rents and interest, aud see my profits diminishing instead of increasing, I know very well that if I can afford to fallo.w, aud drain and manure, and add to the fertility of the soil, I can increase the gross produce of the laud, But if I have got to borrow the money to do this, I have to put a very serious question to myself — I have to ask myself whether the additional profit on my farm will compensate for the additional interest I shall .have to pay. In the fewest possible words, I ask myself —"Will it pay?" Now I have asked this question very earnestly with regard to the Government scheme, and with a -Biucere ! desire to get at the ; truth. I hayo . a considerable stake, in. the countryj all that I have, ia invested in it. 1 shall ia ail probability leave my bones iu the country, uuless Mr. Yogel drives me out; and I have intended that my children should

1 i v-» i' 1 it wiiHu I urn g>ne. It is accordingly a very scriou-j matter torn-. Oa i !n- mi*- fisiriil, if th.j Ministerial .soiiemes ar» C''.nip;l out and succeed, I sliu.ll be a Vmi.-siiieraSilu gainer in common with the rest, of tl*e colonists ; but if they fail — What theu ? Why, in comrnoa with the rest of them, I shall have to pay double and treble the present amount of taxation. Everyone admlttel this; not only the opponents of the Government, but their siisipcrfi't'S. In other words, if Mr. Voxel's s*'!u'ine is tried, and fails, New Z -alan ! is done for. That is exactly the state of the case. It is a very -nice question, one may call it quite sensational, for anyone to revolve in. his mind. For my parr, gentlemeD, I tell you frankly that I do not like it at all. Ido not believe in the success of the Ministerial scheme; I believe it will prove a failure; and I cling to the hope that it may still be rnaf.eriiily modified, before it is too late. I used ihe expression that it was a very grave question for anyone to turn over in his mind, but it is not equally grave for everyone in the colouy, Wo are not all ou the same footing ; we do not start fair, and some • among- us require handicapping. If New Zeulami 13 mined. I am ru'ineJ. But if my wordly possessions consisted of a carpet bag or a box of paper collars, the ruin of. New Zealand-. would not hurt me much. If I were to trade, I should have the consolation of thinking that, a profuse Government expenditure /will at all events swell my business for a time. If I were one of t'ao camp followers of the army of colonists, I could look upon the scheme with a larger amount of equanimity; but, like the great majority of those whom I address, I am a bona fide colonist, and make my living out of the country. It is upon you and me, gentlemen, aud such as us, that the weight of this experiment will fall. It is we who form the strength and backbone of the conntry, and it is our property and out fortunes that are being staked upon the hazard of the die. For ray part, I utterly deny that it comes within the scope of the proper functions of the Government to imperil people's properties in this way. I object to it entirely. A majority of the Legislature may vote for it, but it must remain, nevertheless, a proceeding most unjust, and unsound in principle.

Ei.Fi;cTiox Intelligence. — For the Welliugtou County Districts Mr. Brandon hr.3 defeated Mr. Gillon by a large majority, and for ti.o Hutt. district Mr. Fitzhcrbert has been returned !»v a iiiHJorily of six to oue over li ls opponent, a ISLr. Cooper. Mr. J. C. Richmond has bciMi favorably received in th-j City of Weiiingtoi).

Fkom thfi Murray Reefs (says Ihe Westpuri Times) the accounts continue much tho sami*, and the stone still being 1 got out of the v.'irious claims presents the same promising appearance as that iirst obtained. Kelly and party have now about two hundred tons of stone raised ready for crushing. Th^ result of the two tons forwarded to Melbourne for a trial has not yet been received. We learn also from Mr. John Stitt, who has just returned from the up-river districts, that there is a moderate population engaged iu mining on the Buller river, between the Lyell and Jacklin's, twenty-one miles up the stream. He describes the country in the vicinity of Jacklin's as very fine, being open, with, great depth of soil, and affording magnificenfc r pasturage.

William Kilner, a wood-splitter, was tried, on Thursday, at Hokitika, for attempting to kill his wife on the 25th Oct. last. He was acquitted.

According to an Auckland contemporary, pauperism has more than doubled iu that city from the mouth of December,, 1869, to the end of December, 1870. There were issued in January, 1870, 2399 rations, and in the mouth of September, 5263 rations. The total amount expended for relief during the same time was £1595 ]9s. Id. "

Y/e (Cross) learn that no less a sum thau £90 13s. was handed over to the secretary of the Captain Relief fund as the gross proceeds of the concert given. by the officers ami men of the Galatea, and that H.R.H. the Duke of Edinburgh, with his characteristic liberality, defrayed the whole of the expenses conuected with the concert. The Earl of Pembroke gave a donation of =€15 towards th^sarne fund. Two hours spent in wadding a garden just before it is soaked by a thunder shower is a work of superirrigation. A Sydney paper of late dalf says that Mr. Parkes gave notice iu the (Assembly of a motion* to the effect that' the practice of Ministers •• ppoioting themselves to offices of profit is contrarj to the spirit of the Constitution Act, ac J^jof!inenl&\ to responsible government < ■ A paper has tjbi^dvei tisement: " Two sisters want washing." We fear that millions of brothers arej in the same predicament. !

America and Australia. — Under thia title the Australasian of a recent date has a leading article, from which we take the following extract : — lf we take the commercial capital — the empire city of the Union — as a fair sample of the fruits of republican goverument, we cannot fail to be highly edified by the picture it presents. For the- murderer and the burglar there is almost absolute immunity. Baby-farming flourishes as rankly at New York as at Brixton, and infanticide is hideously prevalent. It is stated, indep.l, upon the authority of the New York Standard, that 5,000 children are anually murdered in that city. The government of the city — which, according to the census just taken, numbers 900,000 inhabitants — is in the bane's of " a gong of thieves." Its judiciary costs £96,000, and its civil service £4,800,000 per annum. Incredible as these figures may appear, they are capable of verification. A police magistrate receives £700 per annum more than the Chief Justice of the United States, and five commissioners of public works divide one million sterling amongst them. " Their fees and pickings," observe a respectable authority, "exceed " the whole yearly cost of both Houses of " Cougress, and one-sixth of the pay of all " the officers and soldiers of the United " Stateß army." At the last election for the city, a number of thieves, pickpockets, and burglars — their names aud convictions are given in the New York papers — were appointed " marshals " and " superiors " to watch the ballot-boxes, while troopers were poured in to overawe the voters. "In monarchial England," observes a New York paper, " military dictation and the inteference of the Crown at popular elections are expressly prohibited by Parliamentary enactments of 100 years' standing. There the law expressly provides that no troops shall be stationed within one mile of any polling-place on election day ; and when a polliDg-place is found to be within a mile of any regular barracks, the troops are required to be removed from such barracks until after the close of such election, lest the mere fact of their being in reach might influence the free action of some elector. But in the United States, under radical rule, the rights of the people are less sacred, and the administration may more directly influence electious by sending the army and navy to the polls to drive away opposition votes. Aud yet this is a so-called republic, while England is a monarchy." This being the outcome of republican institutions in the United States, which has never yet been exposed to the strain produced by a population in excess of the territory which feeds them, we poor benighted "Britishers" in Australia may not unreasonably prefer to let well alone, and decline to accept the advice so goodnaturedly offered to us by our American cousins. Nohody disputes the magnificence, the extent, and variety of their material resources ; but whether theirs is the best form of government " to secure life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," is by no means a question that can be regarded as having been settled in the affirmative.

Fashionable Charity. — In spite of af all Charles Dickens did to render "telescopic philanthropy" ridiculous by impersonating it in Mrs. Jelleby, it coutinues to flourish in Eogland. The maxim that " Charity begins at home " has just as little authority there as in most other British communities. Owing to the efflux of money to France for the relief of the sick and wounded belonging to the French and Prussian armies, some of the most valuable of the charitable institutions of London are being deprived of their customary contributions. A wellknown correspondent of the Sydney Morning Herald writes :— One English society whose average September receipts have been £28, last September received 10s. That noble institution the Sick Children's Hospital lost £500 in average donations, &c, in the two months of August and September. On the same day I visited the Sick Children's Hospital, In Great Ormond-street, and the Convalescent Children's Hospital, on High-gate-hill, I happened to pass through St. Martin's Lane: On one side of the road a red-cross flag drooped over a doorway. On the other side, in the paved railed space by the chui'ch, stood a red cross tent, crammed with stores for the French and German sick and wounded ; kneeling men outside were dabbing red crosses on cases of preserved milk j others were carrying red-crossed cases of meat and bisGuits to waiting half-laden wagons. Flunkeys were waiting outside the office over the way ; a little crowd was gaping at them.. and the wagons. ~. The "international "officer was evidently both fashionsble and pocolar 5 but when I remembered how its funds were fed, I grudged them. To starve ;j such admirable charities &b the Sick Ghildr^n's Hospital for the purpose of enabling; a number of enthusiastic Vadips And ■ gentlemen , to' trana•fdrm, thißmße^ftipto'^;ainaie ; ur hospital i^Meai:iioi>ibi^gn^^try does strike us

us very closely "resembling -ihe conduct of that worthy lady who suffered her own offspring to prow up in squalor and neglect, while she remitted flannel petticoats and pious tracks to the copperoolnred inhabitants of Burrihoola-glia. Unless thn great cities of England have very mu,ch altered of late years, they contain au immense amount of physical destitution and moral suffering;, to the alleviation of which hundreds might beneficially devote their time, their energies, and their mouey. Unfortunately, ■ owever, there is no romance, about thai; whereas, there is a spice of adventure, nnd a dash of picturesqueaess in the ambulance, and foreign battle-field barrier?. It figures in the newspapers, and it will find a place in the history of the war. But to penetrate into places like Tom-all- alone's and to carry consolation to the - deathbed of poor Joe, the crossing-sweeper, is another affair al together .—Australasian.

x A Special Correspondent is in some respects a unique variety of the genus homo, actuated by a class of motives different altogether from those which actuate mankind in general. Take M. About, for instance; he is the chief exponent of French fury and vehement animosity towards everything Prussian. He seldom uses any milder expression, when mentioning a Prussian, than liar, ruffian, or bully. He exhorts his countrymen to destroy every man of them they meet, with the Grst weapon that comes to hand, from a paving-stone to a revolver. As he is in the middle of a paragraph to this effect, a Prussian sentry appears below his window. M". About drops his pen and rushes downstairs ;he approaches the sentry. The sentry had better be on his guard — not in the least. M. About 'approaches him with the most affable of smiles ; presently we see him go into the house again, and bring out cakes and wine for the refreshment of his enemy. Under these genial influences the latter gentleman unfolds the adventures of the previous day, and is made, in fact, " not into mincemeat, but into copy." A freak of nature in shape of a fiveheaded lamb; is (according to the Mortlake Despatch} at present to be seen on the Muutham station, in the Coleraine district. Connecting the five heads with the main trunk there are five tubes through each of which foad passes into the ssomach. The lamb, with its mother has been lately separated from a flock of some thousands, with winch it was running for beveral weeks after its birth. An ofler of £100 was made for the lamb and ewe, but, refused. .

A LUDICROUS STOHY is reported concerning Dv. Livinsfion^, wliicii p 1 ••••tends to account for f lie Inn 2 dissipp^Jiraiice of this explorer. A letler has l>een written by a Detroit laiy, now sojourning in Syri^ which states that Captain Burton, British Consul at Damascus, is in formed concerning Dr. Livinj£stoue's adventures in central Africa. He says Dr. Livingstone was persuaded, much against his wish, to marry a rude and blustering native princess, and, when he afterwards proposed to leave Mrs. Livingstone in order to prosecute still further his topographical investigations, his fond father-in-law and mother-in-law interpose! such strong objections that he is virtually kept a prisoner. The matter was kept a profound secret by the doctor's friends . until recently. The Detroit Post is responsible for this curious story.