THE WEEK.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VII, Issue 190, 10 August 1872, Page 2

THE WEEK.

' — — O: -— ' ,:-..; A :'.i •■■'*-. The week opened with one of ; those' i bastard holidays that, from the fact of their, . being but. partially .observed, only ieryet t - the purpose of making those who take advantage of them half ashamedof 'them^'-;': selves for deserting their work, atid' thoW^ ** who ignore them and remain in town .at . their * ordinary ■*'; eto ploy men t i( - ; generally ...miserable and uncomfortable. It is to be hoped.'that better arrangements will be made next year, and a' th#ougli A ' ohclerstanding arrived at among business f .people. , as~io,. *-. 5 whether the. nrs£^ or is not to be devoted tpioliday keeping. : Thej^se,Dcej.pff any ;ilocfllse?eiflr Mi imW' l jpprtance has ba*^s^e%qt /^'''dlrectipg a forge amotfrit pf ':p%^^^tA(ion^. ; W_.at..B taking place in W $act ©f :-%^fsSl®iW ß^sJ»lW_s : *

relative to the probable commencement of the Foxhill ■Railway and receiving asortof ep^uiry|^as stfggiested to those interested in the|ntitte.r ktie >idea that the Go*4r_ment aoWofc mean business, but are simply attempting to tide over the present session, when they "will get rid of these extremely, unpleasant questioners, ancl that the line Tw-hichr^e USyjß'setiogr/be^ < ' will once more be proceeded with as leisurely as bas been the case during the ; past twelve , men tfrj*Cl sNelsOn, however, is \ beginning to. discover that it doesnot.pay ! to be always sleeping, nnd symptoms pf^a very; genera liwakiqg up are beginning., to ; show themselves.^ As yet these- have gojoe no further thaa and jyawping, : and rubbrpgj.of eyes, fcu'jt our njnp, has-been ! too "thoroughly /disturbed to "alioV r 6f c a relapse into 'a 'State 1 of coma until 5 the work taken in^ hati'd has been carried through. If we had-not - before been so frequently sopthe.d:^ : *with.j promises,: we shouJd/probabJyrbevßighly^deiighted wiih , the avowed intention of 4He Minister of Public Works to carry out tbe Actio accordance -with 7 both- -'the spirit aud "tlie letter ; and our elation would know no bounds at the prospect of ; some I 3 day having a real-live Engineer-in- Chief arriving here from " Wellin° tou for the purpose of looking at all the pretty-Tittle flags with which the "line" is ornamented, but we have within the last year been receiving practical lessons in -the art of humbug — an art which has been very successfully studied by some of those at present at the head of affairs — and we are losing all faith in the prevaricating promises, and cunning: cujblery that have for so long amused and kept us quiet while Mr Reeves has been laughing in his For remainder of news see fourth page.

sleeve at our amazing verdancy. The engineer appears tb'have been sitting at the'feet of- Mr Gamaliel -'Reeves, ; for- he too enters with some spirit into the fun of throwing a^sc-p to our Nelsori Cerberus, and blandly assures him that the "Nelsoa lino is progressing nt the same rate as other survey ,works." My knowledge of such matters 'is not very extensive, and therefore i am a' 1 little at a loss' to understand what is meant by the "survey works'* as d_e Expression is i here used, but if it is intended to convey the idea that the necessary preliminary.arr.angements for 1 all New Zealand railways, not hitherto actually commenced, are "progressing" at the same rate as those for the Neleon and Foxhill line — and it seems to me perfectly fair to argue upon the converse of the engineer's proposition — then I can, arrive at but one conclusion, namely, that the great public works, of which the colony is to be so proud at some future day, are at present at a- complete standstill, for every one knows thaV 'although 4he plans for this line were completed long ago, nothing whatever is now being done' in the matter. At the publico meeting to be held on Tuesday next, there will not, perhaps, be much talk, but Ifully expect that an amount of qniet earnestness will be shown, that will fully indicate the absence of any disposition on the part of the Nelson public 'to be further trifled with. l Oui" Superintendent has been occupying a promifaent position in the Assembly of late.* I don't think that Mr Fox bas thoroughly understood him up to this time, for he appears to me to have always looked, npon him as a worm in his path tbat, being somewhat offensive to him, only required to be troddeu upon to be crushed, instead of which it is beginning to dawn upon our Premier that he has got hold of a little viper, that is endowed with a considerable amount of vitality, and which, however amiable it may be when let alone, is apt to turn upon i + s persecutors when driven to extremities, and to afford undoubted pi'obf 'that It is very well able to take care of itself. Mr Fox, as is well knpwn r entfirtains no very friendly feelings foe: Mr Curtis, and he has elected to show his dislike by endeavoring to. curtail to a very serious extent, the dimensions of the province of which he is the bead, ; but the worm that was to be crushed has turned, and has not only exhibited a very formidable pair of fangs, but' has fixed them in the vulnerable portion of ihe.. heel of the Achilles wbtoi had , ventured to set his foot upon him. By an able counter-move "Mr Curtis has already defeated Mr Fox in his attempt tb dismember the Province of Nelson; stiUj r although the latter must be aware that, after agreeing to Wednesday night's resolution, the House is not likely : to nullify itself by adopting his proposals to rob Nelson of her western territory, he still expresses his determination to proceed with them. If he will court defeat, by all means. let him have it.-; If Hr Curtis was able to carry his last resolution, the full force of which none knows better than the Premier, without any aid from without, he may well calculate upon a greater and more decided victory when backed up by tbe petition that Jis7nbw„ being, so extensively signed throughout the Province. It will have been seen that Mr Curtis has been selected as tlie champion who is to move the series of resolutions next Wednesday, on which, it is believed, the Government will stake, and be deprived of, their existence. To use a -■ colloquial phrase ■ — our Super has evidently "got his back up." Itis not often that this happens; but when it does, his opponents are net altogether safe, and I very much .question whether, if there were any Companies that undertook political-life assurance, one of them could be ( found to accept their "proposals, unless at a very-high premium. Fi