The Nelson Evening Mail. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 1872.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VII, Issue 69, 20 March 1872, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 1872.

Inangahua Rbefs. — A quarter of a thirteenth share in Nos. 2 and 3 north, and Kelley's, was recently transferred )or £130. Is Hop-growing Extending. — In the Taranaki Herald, of March 13, is the following announcement : — " We have been requested to state that hop-picking will commence at Mr. Martin's on Monday next." The Waimba Street Sewer. — What is being done about the. Waimea-street and Lower Bridge-street sewer ? Have the Board discovered that they have or have not legal and sufficient warranty for proceeding with, the work; is it to be done this year or not ? Presumed Death from the Bite of a Spider. — A child now lies dead in Milton-street, who is said to have died from the bite of a large brown and red speckled spider. The child, about a month old, had been taken into a hop-garden by its mother, it being wrapped up in a shawl ; after leaving the garden the child suddenly shrieked, and on the shawl being removed a large spider was found near its hand ; a few hours afterwards its arm swelled, breathing became uneasy, and it otherwise showed symptoms of having been bitten >y aonoetMog poisonous. Notwithstanding

all the care, medical and otherwise, bestowed upon it, the pooi' infant died about three days afterwards, the symptoms of blood poisoning being very apparent. The flooding of the Bay of Islands coal mines has thrown seventy men out of employment. One thousand three hundred and eightyone tons of wheat and flour were brought to Melbourne in one week lately by railroad alone. According to the Otago Daily Times some persons have recently been endeavoring to defraud the revenue by using postage stamps which have been taken off old letters. The Chief Taraia. at the Thames is dead. His nephew telegraphed to Mr. Mackay to get a coffin with a glass lid made, so as to keep his bod}' visible. A large gathering of natives from all parts of the Province is expected to the tangi. A Mount Ida resident, whose knowledge of the district d.ites from the first discovery of the Goldfields in the locality, informs the Bruce Herald that the present season has been the worst ever experienced there, owing to the fact that no rain has fallen for the last nice months. ]X It Doust surely be very pleasant to live in the township at Inangab.ua under circumstances detailed by the Inangahua Herald of 9th March : — The danger to residents in the newly-surveyed streets of the township is becoming daily more serious as the felling of the timber proceeds. Yesterday a large tree fell exactly in the opposite direction to that which the axeman desired, and completely smothered a hut. Several persons in the vicinity had to run to get clear, the tree appearing likely to fall across Mr. Richardson's building and other premises adjoining. The Agbicultural Show. — On reading the following ia the Wanganui Chronicle, we could not but think it bears a wider application than was perhaps thought of by its writer : — The dinner of this Society formed another opportunity for a small sprinkling of our farmers to bemoan themselves on the apathy of their brethren. They drank each other's healths, and grew more miserable apparently the more they drank. There is apathy no doubt. There is bad management, that is equally clear. What, is the use of whining; over these things ? Let them drive away the apathy by clearing off the docks and thistles on their own farms first. Te Kooti. — The Taranaki News seems to take a very peculiar view of the frightful atrocities that have been committed by Te Kooti, for in an article headed "Native Policy," which appears in its issue of the 16th inßt., will be found the following : — "In Te Kooti on the other coast, we see an element of difficulty that we have not to the same extent anywhere else: he has been the unsparing butcher of men, women, and children of both, races, and the difficulty of condoning such crime lies more with Ilie feelings of our native allies, who have suffered more severely than we have at his hands, and whose feelings it would; not be wise to disregard. But leave the solution of it to such time as he is hunted down, or that our native allies, who have been the sufferers, say, "Let him beat peace." Should our native allies say " Let him be at peace," is our memory of his evil deeds to be put aside, and will he be allowed to come quietly in under the proposed general amnesty ? I hope not. Periodical Change or Resident Magistrates. — The West Coast Times, after mentioning the great desirability of periodically removing the gold-wardens, says that the matter has already been brought under the notice of the Government by the report of the Otago Mining Commission, and by other means, and very probably some remedy for the evil will be applied in the ensuing session. No representations have, however, been yet made in respect to the desirability of effecting a similar periodical change of Resident Magistrates. Tet there is quite as much — if not more — to urge in favor of such a course in their case. They cannot possibly avoid becoming closely intimate with a section of the community where they are located, and the consequence is that when their decisions favor their intimate friends tiiey are charged with partiality, and a disregard of their high and sacred duty to judge evenly between man and man. It must be admitted, too, that even unconsciously the Magistrate will be inclined to place more reliance upon the statements of his intimate acquaintance — particularly if he be influential — than upon those of an unknown and inferior person. Without being aware of it be enters upon the bearing of a case with a prejudice for one side, and the chances are very poor indeed for the other. The only remedy for this is the removal of Resident Magistrates from one district to another, so as to remove at the same time even the breath oi suspicion on the administration of jußtice."

The Foreshadowing or Political Changes. — The Wellington correspondent of the New Zealand Herald says, "At the next session of the Assembly a scheme for amalgamating some of the provinces will be proposed. A short session is expected. The Assembly will be dissolved if the Government measures are not carried." — The Auckland correspondent, of the Otago Daily Times says :—Telegrams have been published announcing that a new Constitution is to be proposed at the next session of the Assembly. So far as this province is concerned, it will be in great straits for money after the end of the present year. There is no land revenue, and there will be in future nothing from the customs, while the interest on public works now in progress out of the loan will have to be met, and there is nothing but the gold duties available for that purpose. This year the purchase of ihe half-finished Waikato line and of the the Kaipara line by the General Government from the Provincial, has put the latter into funds out of the loan. But next year there will be nothing of (he kind, and the gaols, hospitals, &c, will have to be supported out of direct taxation. Politicians say that the Ministry, knowing this, will take care not to upset Provincial Governments, and take upon themselves the necessity of raising money to support the departments which Provincial Governments now have in hand. They consider it more likely the '* new constitution " will give the Provincial Government the powers needful to impose such taxation, and thug throw on them the odium which would otherwise have to be incurred by the General Government, to whose exigences the real drain is attributable. Others ridicule the notion of the Assembly acting as a constituent body under a threat of dissolution, and both elected for, and ruled by, party considerations.