THE WEEK.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VII, Issue 214, 7 September 1872, Page 2

THE WEEK.

" How's that umpire ? " And from the lips of the jaded, wearied-out Speaker, who for several nights haa been compelled to sit in his chair listening to " nothing new," as the wires curtly describe the substance of some of the later speeches, there issued at an early hour yesterday morning the ominous monosyllable 4< Out." Yes, the Fox-Vogel Mioistry who, for the last three year.?, have called forth from the public of New Zealand mingled revilings and laudations, aud upon whose heads have been showered both maledictions and benedictions, have become a memory of the past, the House of Representatives having declared that in its opinion their " administration of the Public Works aud Immigration policy has been unsatisfactory." " Guilty," is the verdict tbat has been returned after a patient hearing of the case for the prosecution and of that for the defence. Guilty of mismanagement, guilty of wasteful and extravagant expenditure, guilty of general inability to control the movements of the ball that they had set rolling amid the plaudits and cheers of an admiring aud enthusiastic public. By their own, and by the voices of their representatives, the people of New Zealand expressed a very general approval of the policy that provided for the introduction of borrowed millions into the country for public works purposes, a policy to which the colony is at the present moment most thoroughly committed, but, through the medium of their representatives they have now condemned the manner in which these millions were being expended, and are about to appoint new stewards to supervise the management of their estates. All who have studied the speeches that Were delivered on this question must have come to the conclusion that the case for the prosecution was most convincing, and all that now remains for us to hope is that those who h&ve detected and exposed the faults of the men with whom rested the administration of affairs will be able to substitute a better and more economical management than that which has passed away. As yet, we have nothing more than mere empty rumour to guide us in forming an opinion as to the constitution of the new Ministry, but it appears more than likely that the change will affect Nelson more than any other division of the colony. Somehow or other this despised little province of ours will insist upon sendiDg up men who shall take a prominent part in controlling the destinies of the colony, and ? although it may not have any bearing upon the particular question just now under consideration, I do not think that it will be amiss to furnish a list of those who have gone to the front in our political world, who originally hailed from Nelson. To begin with, there was the first Speaker, $iv Charles Clifford, who might be fairly looked upon as * ( n kelson man," seeing that nearly, if not all, his colonial rproperty, namely, the Flaxbourne Run, was in this province; then there is Sir David Monro, who stepped into Sir Charles' shoes, and was followed by Mr. Dillon Bell, one of the earliest Nelson settlers, Sp ro, uch fop the legislative department now let us go to the executive and see what we have done in this direction. Mr. Stafford, Mr t/ Fox, Mr, Domett, and M/t We^ were all essentially Kelson men, and although the. two latter have left the colony-j the former .again, comes tq thpfroqfc, apdwill probably be once more the Premier' of New Zealand. But I have yet another od my list who is likely to occupy a prominent place in the new Ministry, and although hitherto untried in this capacity, J am inclined to thjnk we jhalj b>VB pp. reason . to be ashtypoed, of .ourselves for placingbim in that position, I aljudtyoii course, to Mr. Curtis, who for , many, years has been Superintendent of. the province, but who; fa PfiW ftfcpu.* tp be translated to a, higher sphere of usefulness,' and one /which, I venture to think, will'be iniore congenial to bis temperament 'and' abilities than, the kumbler office 'he has hitherto fiijed. .. The mention of this last name brings me to aa entirely different subject for consideration.' Mr.;- Qnriond;< yi^ ia jlrue,^. held the two incompatible offices^of Super-' intendeot of Hawke's Bay and Minister

of Public Works; but Mr. Curllsj 1 am cure, will/not be- Cojonial nnd Superin tendent ,of .^Kelson V beyond the limits; of present session^ In the first place/ the; new? Ministry/: after ; the objections they have raised to Mr, Ormond's duplicate appointments, could not countenance each a thing, and in the second, if I know anything of, tho Nelson people they will not ' hear of it. The question then arises, who is For remainder of news see fourth page.

ta fill tlie bffice vac^teiS by Mr. Curtis ? ; Rumoufc la a . bua^jaxje, : who: will (.b& al< ways talking of, ,'^ublic, and sometimes moat unwarrantably interfering With .private mattersi<and she, in : the present instance, proclaims with;<<rna : uy' tongues that Mr. John. Sharp, our late Resident Magistrate, is the coining man. It is not' always that I agree with Mrai or> Mies (1: am not quite sure what her social positibh is) Rumour, but on this occasion I think she has spoken both wisely and well, and on conning over the names of those who are available for the office, I cannot call to mind any individual who is more suitable for it than the gentleman whose name I have mentioned. Shrewd, far seeing, energetic, and of thoroughly business habits, I think that Mr. Sharp is well calculated to make us a really godd and. efficient Superintendent— one who will not only possess the confidence of the town of Nelson and its immediate surroundings, but also that of the people on, the West Coast who at the present moment are disposed to view the eastern portion of the province with a suspicious, if not an unfavorable eye. Rumour and myself .are quite agreed upon this point, but the settlement of the question rests entirely with the gentleman himself, and with the people, who, if I am not very much mistaken, will fully endorse our opinion. Politics, however engrossing they may occasionally prove, are, after all, but a dry theme, so 1 will leave them for the present to narrate a little anecdote that has lately reached my ears. In a certain town ,in New Zealand, which shall be nameless, there once lived a poor widow woman who earned her living by taking in washing. Although a hard working woman, she had some difficulty in making both ends-meet, and was consequently sorely troubled on finding that her stock of fuel was nightly reduced by certain unknown individuals who had not the fear of the police before their eyes. But, fortunately, Bhe bad a sympathising neighbor who was the proprietor of an excellent watch-dog, whose services he kindly offered to place at her disposal to keep guard over the coal heap. The offer was thankfully accepted, but still the coals vanished without the owner being roused by the shril J bark of the watcher. One night an unusual noise arroused her from her sleep, and going to the window she beheld a sight that administered a rude shock to her faith in the honesty of the human race. The dog, which was a respecabtly nurtured dog, was regarding with wistful eyes a proceeding that evidently did not not meet with his approval, al th ou gh h e u tter e d n o remons trance. He did not speak, but he must have. been thinking a great deal, as, with a reproving glance, he watched his mastei walking off with a large lump of coal. The quadruped was returned the next day, and the biped who owned him was told the reason Vfhy. F.