THE WEEK.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VII, Issue 232, 28 September 1872, Page 2

THE WEEK.

m *\ The calm iajiJtoe^politLci^U world, of which I spoke in my laEt letter, still continues,., bstV" . lik^l iD^pyildt_her>;il; havejmy doubts whether it Is going to last throughout^the psskn, > Therfr £JSfa lurid jgjaregin the* sky," ana an occasional fe|quaW."twb !> t6 be seen that, seem to -portend a coming storm, the barometer Js, |6S|tleßS r ßnd unjsteady, Itfie ship flap lazily about with a somewhat ominous

sound, whilejhe creaking. of the timbers plainly indicates that ehe_ yet has troubled gs&fjs t&,§§pass|thr|£uj;h be/ore -^anchoring in |i,s| h,aX6tor 'jit Msf recess, 'in- which her rfp^'i^ ol^ f^ se^|4 c i'# iD 5 ai rest. There irea screaming of^gulls' too : nrouud the laboring vessel, and many other warning, sounds are to be heard, and sights to bo seen (hat advise us to be on the lookout for Ihe Bhrill whistle of the boatßwain as he pipes all hands on deck, including both the Government and the Opposition watch; ; not so'mubb /to assist in the navigation of the Bbip as to decide in which • direction she is to steer, and under wliose eoutrol she is to perform the remainder of ; ; ibe ; r voyage.-. my; metaphor — which, I am bound to confess, ha& become a little complicated, as I am unable to carry it:out bo far as to lroce any analogy between piping all hands on deck to reef topsails, and ringing the bell for a division—l ; must say that the state of affairs in Wellington, so fur as we can judge from the telegraphic items that reach up, wears bymo; means a peaceful or settled appearance,; and it isquite possible that another set-to will take place between the ins and the outs. The financial statement will probably be the signal for the fight, and if so, let us hope that it will not be prolonged ss the last was, but be confined to a ehort and . sharp struggle between the heavy artillery on both sides unaccompanied by all the little popguns* that only make a noise without hurting anybody. As I have no pretensions to the gift of prophecy, I shall refrain from making any further : - • For remainder of news see fourth page.

remarks upon the situation until nest week, when, after learning what has taken place, I shall very likely, be able to exclaim with an air of conscious pride, " I knew it would be so." I am glud to find that my last Satur- - day's suggestions with regard to a Tramway Com p&tiy have attracted some little notice and set one or two people thinking on the matter. Upon tho perusal of the first letter that it called forth it was quite unnecessary to wasie any time, if- being v quite sufficient to read the too "well-known signature, which at once indicated that the communication, to which it was attached consisted, not of practical hints or carefully thought out ideas, but simply of a general fault finding with everything and everybody. Some people like writing in this strain. The second was more to the point, and calculated to attract the attention of people interested in the matter, as, indeed, we all of us are. In one respect I differ from the writer. It was not my intention in broachi&g the question to propose that a tramway should be undertaken at once from Foxhill to and through the Bniler district, "but rather that it should commence at the terminus of tho existing dray road, and from thence be carried into the Lyell district, and, if feasible, into the Inangahua. The capital that would be required for such a work aa " A Quiet Looker-on " refers to, ifc would bo hopeless to thiuk of raising 1 , but if the district which at present can only be supplied by means of pack horses were by means of a tramway connected with the dray road from Nelson, tho undertaking would have a far less formidable appear- . ance, and, consequently, a greater chance of being entered upon. First connect the out-districts with tho trunk line, and then, as the traffic increases, substitute a tramway for the original cart road. Such is nay idea, and I repeat that I do not think it altogether beyond our means if we set to work in an economical and businesslike manner. The beneficial results that would follow on the connection of [Nelson with the Lyell reefs and the inter- - mediate districts are simply incalculable. In company with many others of the cilizans of Nelson, I attended the very pleasant dinner by which the Fire Brigade celebrated its auniversary on Thursday evening, and, like one of the speakers on that occasion, I was then surprised to find that so few of the Insurance Agencies ■were represented at that social gathering. The services rendered by the Fire Brigade, and the guarantee against loss that is afforded by its existence, are surely deserving of some recognition at the hands of those whom it so largely benefits, however I daresay their absenca was owing more to thoughtlessness 'than to any intended slight upon the highly-useful volunteer body that at a moment's notice is always ready to turn oufc for the protection of their interests, and next year, an enlargement of the customary dining room will probably be rendered necessary. At that dinner I was much pleased to note the boldness with which one of the gentlemen present: — who, it was perfectly evident, was wholly innocent of any knowledge of, or experience in, the subject of which he was treating — administered a severe rebuke to " The Press " for the laxity displayed by the various editors in supplying the public of Nelson with information of what was taking placa in the neighboring provinces. Of course, in a busy and stirring city such as that of Nelson, where nobody has either the time or the inclination to trouble himself about the affairs of others, it is a profound secret ■who is the "F" that has his weekly say in the JZvening Mail, so that I may come forward, as quite a disinterested champioD, in behalf of the maligned editors, and express my opinion without the smallest, likelihood of being considered in any way partial. I .should like to ask this dreamy critic whether he has ever taken up the batch of papers that, on the arrival of each steamer, is placed on the editorial fable, .and carefully gone through -them with a desire to cull therefrom all such items of news as are likely to prove of interest to a Nelson public. If he has done so. and discovers, in their columns matter that does not appear- in the local journals, but which he, in the plenitude of his discerning wisdom, considers should be submitted to tlie scissors-and-paste operation, then he is entitled to speak on the subject, but, if not, let him for ever hold his, peace. Did it never occur to him that it is the business of newspaper editors to be on the look out for matters of interest to their readers, and to their advantage to discover them, or that if they refrain, from transferring to the columns under their control paragraphs ■which "appear in their New Zealand contemporaries, it is not because they are overlooked, but rather for the reason that i^thej do not think their readers would care i^o them ? ' From my experience,. ,qf ., thof'^hey

are not to be surpassed even by a Vice Chairman of a Fire Brigade dinner. If I were the editor of a local newspaper;" I i should feolsoroly tempted to revenue myself on such grumbler?, and (his is tho way in which I would do it. I would first put them steadily and systematically through a course of Canterbury Ploughing Matches, Road Board Meetings, and Concerts. Grimly watching their faces as tlTey courageously endeavoured to couceal their utter weariness while wading through such matters, I would then take, them to Kaikoura nnd i>ive them their fill of a " Separation " Meeting; from thence I would carry them with drooping heads nud Laggard countenances to the West Coast,, sud treat them to a report of a County Couocil or Pftroa Road Board Meeting. By this time I am sure that they would be so thoroughly worn out, and incapacitated for any further exertions, that I should have to hoist them in slinks into the boat that was waiting to carry thorn to the North, where, day by. day,' -and week by week, I would drop into their ears the accounts of the meptings of shareholders of the Thames Goal Mining Companies. I would fail to interpret the imploring glances cast at me, in which—though with a courage and endurance entitling them to a page in Foxe's" Book of Martyrs they forbore to express it in words — they would entreat rue to carry them back to Nelson, where the papers were not done to death with such uninteresting paragraphs; I say I would shut my eyes to all Buch .outward ami visiblo signs, and ship them straight, off to Taranaki, where, to crown all their tortures, I would subject them to a report of a ('ebate in the Provincial Council, and then I think that at lost they would confess themselves fairly beaten. But how, in the meantime, I should gloat over their sufferings ! Have not some of us occasionally been in a steamer in which two friends were travelling together, one of them robust and ruddy of countenance, and enjoying the pitching and rolling of the boat a3 she glided over the boisterous waves, the other pale and cadaverous, and looking as though even death would be a welcome visitor. The dinner bell rings, and he who is revelling in the sea breezes and motion of the vessel addresses his friend : — " I say, old fellow, I have often heard you confess to a weakness for mock turtle soup, there is a noble tureenfull just gone into the cuddy with oh ! such delicious morsels of fat floating on the surface, may I bring you a little ? " This is said insinuatingly but acccompanied by a slightly wicked wink at the bystanders, A feeble "No" and an audible and material remark addressed, over the side.of the vessel, to the 'denizens of the deep form the sole response. "What, no soup ! Well, have a bit of pork, there is a fine joint with rich juicy-looking crackling just gone in," — Mustering up all his energy for the occasion, the g-enlleman who at one time thought he liked mock turtle soup and fat pork exclaims — " Oh you aud your dinner be ," and again collapses. It might not be profitable to repeat the pious ejaculation, so I will leave it unwrittoa. But I think, if I were an editor, I should know how to minister to the cravings of these malcontents who fancy they know what is good for them but don't.