The Nelson Evening Mail. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1872.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VII, Issue 252, 23 October 1872, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1872.

St. Mart's Art, Union.— The lopglobted for drawing of prizes mi aid of ' Sti M^rj's Con ven t Schools, commenced last nighl,.:. in. the . new ., girls' schoolroom,- at one end, of ,vhich , the prizes ; were ; neatl^ ranged on praised platform, on which were seated the Qommittee, consisting of Messrs Broads, WiUiams, ;Lo we, and. A. rOttereop,, ■who superintended the. proceedings. The , tickets containing the number, and the prize or otherwise that was to be attached to it, were drawn simultaneously from tbef ballot-boxes *:. by ■ two .little £iris^ who ap-^ , , peared to : tenter upon their duties with afull flense -of their importance. Shortly^ after the dopr^asopenedjjjth^^^ crowded 1 to. euffocation, and large n u mbera * preferred remaining^

C3EBaot talking that 'was going on prevented the voices of the scrutineers being h ard a? they called the numbers and retails of the tickets as they were taken from;fh e>- (- boxes, but every now and then', the! ringing of a small bell was followed by a '-com para--, tive silence, that being the signal arranged for announcing that a prize had been drawn. The clra wing~ will ~be -continuedthis evening, but it will be seen by the. following list that nearly all the more valuable prizes were appropriated" last"; night, the winners being:~Miss -K.Kegan, . Westport, jha harmoniuro L value_£ls 155.; Mr "lsaac i Baigent, horse, saddle, and : bridle value £15 15s; Mr ]?atrirk;Scanian, Charleston, violoncello, value £8 Bs"f Mrs Watkins,. Nelson, silver-mounted ..flute, value £3. 35. -' *■ ■ .' •■■■-■■■ "■'-'•' • The Hon. Mb.. WATRHousrc.^7?Having already published IVIr. Waterhouse's impreßsive,aXatemen"t~tliat''u'nder..no circumstances whatever would he identify himself with any party or administration in-New Zealand,' it is but an act of fairness to "that gentleman to report that portion of the speech delivered by him tatheGouncjh on his first appearance there as Premier; whichshaa a personal bearing. : It ; will be" observed, that" bes makes no allusion to what had fallen from him- three. on four weeks earlier!'--'.- He says : — -'-I have only to state, in^ondusion, that I have accepted the position I 'occupy under a deep I may almost say a painful sense. of the.reponsibility of tbe* position itself. I have not accepted the position without deliberation, and it is due to myself and to the country, and also to my colleagues, to add that I will not resign it with rashness. In'leaviDg the Colony with., which I had long been connected, I was. influenced, by a desire to avoid an active political life, and no person can be more astonished 'than myself that here, in my new home,T am placed in a position where responsibility can scarcely be avoided. I would willingly have shirked the responsibility which is' now pTaced*updn me, but I felt thatif I continued to decline. the; acceptance of office, and of the legitimate responsibility of a public man,l should permanently injure my usefulness as a public man. Therefore, I felt that there was no other course open to me, if I wished to retain my usefulness as a public man, than to accept the office which was offered to me, and which I now occupy. So long. as I, can retain that position with honor to myself and with advantage to the Colony," it will be my" endeavor to do so ; but when those t cbn- ; ditions are wanting, I. hope I shall not ,be found wanting likewise in that indepen-; dence of conduct which will lead hie idacknowledge my duty to myself, arid my 1 duty to the country, by resigning, the ; position I occupy. Sir, I value- highly; the confidence of Parliament and of the public at large, but there is one : thing*!' value higher than these, and that is my own self-respect. It shall be my aim, so. long as I am a Minister of the Ciown, to retain my own self-respecr, that when I cease .to occupy a seat upon these benches, I may have the satisfaction of knowing that, though I may have erred in judgment, I have not done that which I felt to be wrong. , ! ' ;