THE WEEK.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VI, Issue 106, 6 May 1871, Page 2

THE WEEK.

Anyone walking through Trafalgarstreet, ou the afternoon of last Tuesday could not avoid noticing: the very depressed air, and exceedingly lugubrious countenances of those with whom he came in contact, ond although lie might at first be .unable to account for this, he would, very soon after entering into conversation with the first casual acquaintance he happened to meet, be informed of the cause, for the first question put to him would most probably be, Have you heard the news from the Culliford mine ? And if up to that time he had been in a state of ignorance with regard to the "news," his friend would doubtless lose uo time in informing him that the reef to which we have long been looking to help us through our difficulties had proved a " duffer," aud then the face of the supposititious personage to whom I have alluded would, if he happened to be a shareholder, assume the same melancholy aspect that was everywhere to be seen on that ill-omened day. It is useless to attempt to conceal the fact that the intelligence which reached town on that morning was one of the severest blows that Nelson has received for many a long day, as it not only affects the shareholders in tbe Culliford Company, but must inevitably cast a damper over every mining speculation in the Wangapeka. Not that it by auy means follows, as a matter of course, that because this reef has disappointed the expectations of those who fondly hoped that it was to prove a miue of wealth, therefore, others in the same neighborhood are to turn out equally unsatisfactorily, but it must have a tendency to cheek all those further attempts that, had this proved a success, would certainly have been made to thoroughly prospect, and fairly test, the district. But, bad though the news be, it is hardly sufficiently so to cause us yet to despair altogether of the reef ever proving payable, for that gold exists there, and in some quantity was clearly proved by the results obtained from the ton and a-h'alf of stone taken out by Mr. Henry, packed by him, and sent to Melbourne, where it yielded at the rate of something like two ounces to the ton. As to that having been a thoroughly bona fide transaction there can be no question whatever, and therefore we have clear proof that there are portions, of the reef rich enough to return handsome dividends., It: has been suggested more than once that the waterused at the, machine is so extremely cold that it might injuriously ( , affect the process of amalgamation. There may or may not be some grounds for, such a suspicion, but it would, at all events, be well worth while to test the tailings, if only for the satisfaction of the shareholders, and no doubt the directors will see to this being done.: "■'■ ...:•.' The Provincial .Council has been sitting steadily through the week, and judging from the large, audiences they have had, their proceedings must : . have -possessed considerable interest fpr the public, - ,On Wednesday night in particular the Hall was fulleY* than I ever remember "to : have seen - it; on- a< similar occasion; and. appro- i ibation was in one or, .two instances loudly ■expressed outside the bar as the speakers gave expression to sentiments which found innor'e than ■ ordinary favor with the jpopulace. -'The amount oJ[ peal ' work got jtkrough up to the present time is but very small, and is.; comprised \vithin. three (resolutions, /.two of them > ' beingt . in, ifatibr jof commencing;,, Hues of railway from the OBrunuer mine to Cobdeio, and from Nelson jto *^^i*ll',j^nd t^e;;thjrdj expressing /an> .opinion A- o *, °jt - aßt [session- 3hSul'& '{*$- repealed': 1 <s ln Addition 'to Sthese, severai>]mtttionb haye*.b,een brought forward, some of which have been agreed to and, others postponed, for placing on

the SuppiejftienUry{EstimateVv'arious sums of> nipiiey 'varying from £20 tpj 1 £ JLSOO for tlfeiextensio'n of public vvbrks: iir : various parts of the country. If the .members persist in going on in this reckless manner in asking for and voting sums of mouey to be expended in the localities in which they are specially interested, the supplementary will soon exceed iv iraporlance : the original estimates.* That such a state of things is extremely undesirablo there can be no doubt, for, however much such resolutions, may tend .to. raise, the representatives in the estimation of iheir constituents — and no doubt they will be turned to account at electioneering meetings — they place it entirely in the power of the Superintendent and Executive to say how the revenue shall be spent, as, if with a revenue of £90,000, some £120,000 are voted*, it must rest entirely with the Executive ■ body to decide which of the votes shall be attended to first, whereas if the members of the Council were to confine itself to' dealing with the actual, instead of with- a hypothetical, revenue, they/ might be assured that the works which they intended to be carried out would bo proceeded with. At present, the business of the Council is at a s'tand-s^il!, aud must necessarily remain so until an Executive Act is passed. Rumour says that Mr. Gibbs is at preseut engaged in framing one, but whether it will meet with the approval of the Council remains yet to be seen. For my own part. I shall not be in the least: surprised to fiud that a large amount of time is speut over this particular measure, /and that after prolonged discussions the Act which was in existence at the commencement of last session will be re-adopted. Provincial Parliaments, we aro beginning to discover, have their drawbacks as well as their advantages. Fortunately, the weather, which for some' time had been very threatening,^, cleared up yesterday as if on purpose tor favor the promoters of the Agricultural Show which was held at' Richmond, and proved an attraction to a number of, visitors from town, including several of the members of the Provincial Council, which — may I say, acting upon a hint to that effect which I threw out a fortnight ago? — adjourned for the occasion. lam not. now going to refer to the exhibition any further than to, offer a suggestion which may be deemed worthy of consideration by the Association. It is, that on the next occasion the experiment should be tried of holding th*e show in the town, and at an earlier period of the year. I would give as my reasons for supposing that such a plan would be an improvement on the present one, first, that by altering the time, , a horticultural might be combined with the agricultural show ; and secondly, that by holding it in the vicinity of the town, a far larger attendance might be looked . for. I would further suggest that a shilling should be charged for a .'mission to the ground, whereby a considerable addition might be made to the prizes offered for . competition, which would act as a set-off agaiust whatever ineonveniencies might accrue to those who live iv the more remote part of the Wairaeas by having to convey their stock aud other produce a greater distance than is the case at present. To those living on this side of Richmond the change would make but little, if any, difference, while it would, afford greater facilities to residents in Suburban North. This question, I am aware, was mooted some years ago, but it appears to me well worth while to bring it once more before the' consideration of the members of the Association. - F.