The Nelson Evening Mail. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1871.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VI, Issue 284, 1 December 1871, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1871.

Suez Mail. — By our Australian telegrams it will be seen that the English mail, then four days overdue at Adelaide, had Dot arrived there on Saturday last, the day on which the Rangitoto sailed from Melbourne. Auckland. — By the Taranaki this morning, we received our usual Auckland files, which, however, do not contain anything of interest. The various mines at the Thames still appear to be yielding well. * Supbeme Court. — The evidence in the case of Kilgour and others v. Symous was brought to a close yesterday evening. The addresses of the counsel on both sides occupied the time of the Court until one o'clock to-day. At half-past one the Judge commenced his summing up, which lasted until a quarter* to four, when the jury retired, and after a short absence returned with a verdict for the plaintiffs for £642. Collingwood. — The Lady Barkly arrived from Collmgwpod this morning bringing the result of the fortnight's crushing at the Perseverance battery, which, we are sorry to say, is about as bad as it can be, tweuty ounces; being the sum total of the^. fortnight's work. The dredgiDg operations have commenced in the Aprere,fbut there has, as yet, been no washing up, another accident which has

occurred to the machinery having still further delayed the work. Payments to Road Boaiu^s. — The lanre amount of space occupied in our yesterday's issue by the report of lhe proceedings in the Supreme Court prevented our commenting upon the letter of Mr. Acton Adams which we published on the previous day, hut it would be *onfair to allow it to pass unnoticed, as its author, in terms which are only a, shade less puzzling than the words of the Act. itself, professes to have arrived at a probable solution of the intricacies of the distribution clauses in the "Payments,, to Provinces Act." We wish aiso to state that he was Dot justified in making use in his letter of the expression that we had misled the public as to their purport, for we can scarcely have done this, as we made no attempt to lead ihem, the object of the article to which he refers haviug been, not to definitely interpret the clauses, but to show that they were capable of a variety of interpretations, as he will at once see if be will devole a few of his spare minutes to the re-perusal of our remarks, wherein he will find the following words : — " How this Road grant is to lie distributed wefyre not altogether ciear." That the clauses ajluded to are uot expressed with sufficient clearness to place their meaning beyond all dnubt; we still maintain, and we would again remark that it is a mutter for regret that more care was not exercised in wor.lir.ig so important si portion of the Act, which fihouli] have beeu crouched in such language tout its purport might at a glauce be patent to all. The terms of Mr. Adams' propositions are are follows: — "Multiply the rates raised by a Board l.y 4 or 2, according to its belonging to Class 111 or 11, and then each Board will take the proportion the product bears to the aggregate products of the rates of all the Boards, after such rates have been subjected to similar multiplication in the cases of Boards of Class 111 and II."— The result of apportioning the Provincial grant in this way may be "briefly shown t {i US : — Three Classes of Boards raise the sum of £3000 in equal proportions of £1000 each. To arrive at the amount to be allowed to each, the rates raised by Clause 11. are to be multiplied by 2, and those raised by Clause 111. by 4. To the aggregate of these two producis is lo be added the amount of rates raised in Class I, and the figures thus arrived at will form a common denominator which in the present ins'ance will he 7000. The numerators would be in Class I. 1000, as representing the rates paid ; in Cbss 11, 2000, being twice the amount of the rate?, and in Class 111., 4000, or four times the amount raised. Reducing the fractions thus obtained to their lowest terms we find the proportion of the grant to which. Class I. would be entitled tobeone-seventh; Class IL, two-sevenths; and Class JIL, three-sevenths. But this method of division, although it might work satisfactorily enoughf in instances where an equal amount of 'rates is raised by each Class, would scarcely do so where the largest proportion of the whole rates of the pr'ovioce arejas they probably would be in all cases, collected by Class L, as the main object of the grant, as we take it, is to assist the outlying districts and not those near town. Supposing, for instance, the whole rates of a province to be £8000, raised in the proportions of £4000 by the Ist class, £3000 by the 2nd, and £1000 by the 3rd class.. Adopting the same method of distribution, Class I. would receive two-sevenths of the whole grant; Class 11, three-sevenths, and Class 111 two-sevenths. This does not appenr 1o us to be carrying out the spirit of the Act, and most certaiuly it is not in accordance with the wording of it, as Clause 13 provides that* districts in Class I shall be entitled to only one-half as much as districts in Class 11, and one- fourth as much as districts in Class 111. The legal acumen brought to bear by Mr. Acton Adams upon this question does not appear to have shed much more light upon it than we previously possessed.

two days overdue, unarrived ; causing considerable anxiety ami speculation. There are reports, via Sydney, of more massacres at the Melanesian Islands. Business remains dull, awaiting mail advices. The Permissive "Bill has bei>n thrown out by the Legislative Council. Z The Telegraphic Message Copyright • Bill, protecting messages lor 36 hours after receipt, has passed. Parliament i 3 prorogued nominally until 6th January. The recess will probably last until April. Mr. Valfi is sworn in as Commissioner of Customs, and his re-election will probably be opposed. Franz Yogel, a cloth - -worker from Zealand, has committed suicide. It is supposed owing to disappointment in not obtaining employment. Geary 3jbs been sentenced to death for (he murder at Brook House 17 years ago. His wife was acquitted. O'Shannessy is ill. The Victorian Contingent of the Eclipse expedition, consisting ot aiiout two dozen, left Cape Sidmouth via Sydney. Rosen wax, the levanting pawnbroker, is under examinaiioo.