The Nelson Evening Mail. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 1873.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 220, 12 September 1873, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 1873.

"We have always looked. -forward to the day when the separate individuality of these Colonies' • shall b& merged in one great Australian Dominion." So says tLxe Australasian .in. cowman ting upon the arrangements for the Suez Mail service which have given rise to much ill-feeling between Victoria. and.New South Wales, both Jlelbbjarne tandj; Sydney/ claiming to be tbe terminus, and the latter holding aloof from all participation in the service, because she could not obtain tbat which, she wian|ed, _"Wes heartily? co£otfr, in the wish eipfessed'by the Australasian tbat the day may not be far distant when what at present are but a fortuitous concourse : of settlements, may unite and form one nation with one common bond of union, that bond being that they are all descended from the same: parent. .Englishmen at heart, they might well agree to work together instead of. each colony allowing some stupid jealousy, some petty consideration of supremacy to spring up between itself and its neighbor. At present we have New South Wales and Victoria protecting themselves one against the other, Tasmania employing a staff of Custom House officials to see that the productions of her northern neighbors are not allowed to add to the comfort of her i people without being taxed, and New Zealand taking care that duties are levied upon everything thai cpnse3 froift Australia.' Then again in our .own colony we have the provincial sub-divisions at war one with the other. Nothing must be done for the good of New Zealand if Auckland is to be the medium of conferring the benefit lest she should derive greater advantage than Otago. and vice versa. And this sort of feeling prevails throughout the whole colony. We are not a bundle of sticks fastened together by one strong band, but a heap of green twigs, each possessing some peculiar forma

tion tbat leads it to dissociate it Belf aa far as possible from its neighbor, instead of all pointing in tbe same direction. Setting aside the idea of " one great Australian Dominion," we should like to ask, when are the New Zealand provinces going to get rid of their " separate individuality."

A paper has recently been laid on the table of the House of Representatives containing a statement of the receipts and expenditure of the several provinces of New Zealand. We have no intention of inviting our readers to accompany us in a toilsome journey through the many columns of figures that are therein presented to us, but to one item of expenditure we would call attention as showing that Nelson annually devotes a far larger sum in proportion to her revenues to the grand cause of education than any other province in New Zealand. Though not wealthy we certainly are wise in this respect, and the day may come wheu some of the larger provinces may have cause to regret that they had not followed the example set by that "sleeping'; district, which certainly bas beaten them hollow in the provisions made for instructing the children upon whom, ere many years have passed, will devolve the responsibility of governing this particular portion of Her Majesty's dominions. The following figures (from which shillings and pence are omitted) certainly cast no discredit upon this province : — Expenditure Eeceipts. upon Education.

We rather pride ourselves on our democratic institutions. Let anyone peruse the above statistics and having done so form his own opinion as to which of the territorial divisions of the colony is most earnestly endeavoring to provide; against a democracy meaning the rule of ignorance.

National Insurance Company.— Wo learn from Mr Stavert tbat up to noon today nearly 3,500 shares had been applied for in Neleon. La Petite Amy. — - An entertainment for children is to be given at the Oddfellows' Hall to-morrow, when sixty prizes will be distributed. They are now on view in Mr Harling's Bhop window. Accident to the Ketch Peabl. — A telegram was received this afternoon by Mr Cross stating that.lm ketch the Pearl had run on a snag, in the Riwaka river and sunk. The Lady Barkly is to ba sent over at once to see what can be done towards raising her. The Pearl had twenty tons of potatoes on board for Mr Buchholz. Nelson Exhibition.— ln addition to the special prizes already announced, we understand that the Committee of the Nelson Institute offer £2 2s for the best stuffed bird, and Mr H. Hounsell a silverplated teapot for tbe best specimen of inlaid cabinet work, the article to be left to the choice of the workman. Mr. C. F. Watts offers £1 Is for the best bouquet, to be competed for only by amateurs; and Mr Barton £l Is for the best collection of medicinal plants. Death of Captain Rouse. — Many of our readers will be grieved 1 to heaf of the lamentable accident tbat occurred to Captain Rouse on Sunday last, when the Claud Hamilton was struck by a heavy sea, and the captain's cabin in which he was at the time was washed overboard. Full particulars will be found in our telegraphic column. Captain Rouse was highly respected, and was a great favorite with all who had travelled with him. He leaves a widow and young family. Lunatic Asylum. — The following are the tenders that were sent in for building the new asylum: — Scott, £4987 103, (accepted); Bethwaite & JRobertson, £5373 7s; Good, £5435 19s; Guy & Miller, £5667; Gilbertson, £5790; Moore, £5985. The following will give a general idea of the building, which is to be completed in June, 1874: — The foundation to be of brick covered over with two thicknesses of slate, each embedded in cement. There will be accommodation for 70 patients, and the building is so constructed that it can easily be extended either at the north or south end at any time if required. Each of the wings will have a corridor 104 feet long by 12ft 6in wide and lift 6in high. The main dining hall, in the centre of which is a movable partition, will be 54ft by 24ft, and 24ft high. The corridors will be heated in winter by gas stoves. Every provision is made for a thorough system of drainage. Each ceil wiil contain 1020 cubic feet, and will be ventilated by a patent ventilator, in addition to the roof ventilation.

Otago ... ...£432,768 £21,997 Canterbury ... 477,736 15,264 Nelsou 74,028 8,009 Auckland ... 196,832 4,906 Wellington ... 119,762 ' 1,969 Hawke's Bay ... 41,018 1,590 Couuty of Weat- : land 70,229 . 526 Taranaki ... 11,263 412 Marlborough ... 10,747 Nil.