THE WEEK.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 282, 24 November 1873, Page 2

THE WEEK.

The talk about the Nelsou Exhibition has almost ceased ami the real work has commenced. The annexes are nearly completed, and the ground in konfc of the Government Buildings shows traces of an unwonted number of wheel tracks left befii od by thc drays and express waggons tbat are carrying to their destination tho exhibits that are now pouring in from ail parts of (he country. The Fine Arts Committee aro nearly beside themselves, applications haviug been mado for more thau twice the amount of space »t thoir disposal, aud where the numberless pictures that now, in their cases, cucumber the floor of the Provincial Hall are to find room nobody seems to know. I am told that in this particular department the exhibits are. far more numerous than was the caae at the Inst Canterbury Exhibition, which was viewed mora in the light of a Colonial than a Provincial show. Minerals, furniture, specimens of ladies' work, local For remainder of news see fouith page.

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manufactures of every description, and I. . know not what else, are coming in hour by hour, and an immense amount of work . wili be required to convert tbe chaos that • now prevails into something approaching neatness and order. The Committee, when ' they first proposed the undertaking anticipated a success, but their most sanguine hopes se N em likely to be more than realised. The conntry will on Wednesday next be left almost entirely to the cows and sheep, for on aii sides I hear of preparations being made for a trip to town on that day on whieh Nelson is for the first time going to show what ara her natural resources and what she is doing and proposes to do to turn them to account. On Friday is to be given the monsier concert for which those possessed of musical talent have been preparing for the last few weeks, andfrom the rehearsals that have been , held both in town and country, there is • n every reason to snppo3a that that which i at first appeared a somewhat wild conception will be a thorough buocbbs. For : fonr days we are going to consign even electioneering to oblivion, and to unite in keeping holiday. Up to the present time we have been unable to forget that an important election is on the tapis. Telegrams come in now ! and then from all parts of the country telling us that one or other of the candidates who are hoping to occupy the Superintendent's chair, has been holding a meeting which has received him with favor or otherwise, and these serve to keep alive an interest in a matter in which we are all deeply concerned. So far, the result appears to be that Mr Curtis is making headway on the Coast, and that Mr O'Conor ig drifting hopelessly to leeward in that part of the province in the welfare .of which he is now for the first • time taking, or pretending io take, an interest. As the polling day approaches, all -doubts tbat may at one time have been entertained with regard to tbo result of r the election are gradually being dispelled, and the re-election of Mr Curtis is becoming more aud more certain, that is to say, if the electors do not shirk their reeponsibilities, bnt present themselves at the 7 polling booth and record their votes in accordance with the opinion so widely entertained, that Mr O'Conor is not a desirable person to place at the head of affairs. I have a strong inclination to go in myself for the Superintendeucy, or Mayoralty, or some other prominent position, but there is one insuperable object in the way. I am afraid that a hireling press might oppose me. There is one great want in the colony, that of independence in the newspapers. All of them, \ fear, are venal. It is as well that I should ex--1 plain what I mean by these terms. I look upon it that an «« independent " journal is one that will support me through thick and thin; one that, no matter what its conductors may think of my qualifications for the office to which I aspire, will loudly and deliberately proclaim that I am the man that should be elected; one that, notwithstanding the opinions honestly entertained by it that my return to office would be , productive of disaster, ruin, and disgrace to the people, will obstinately persist in saying that in me it finds all that is good, all that is wise, all that is desirable. That is my idea of a thoroughly «inde- , pendent " press. On the other band, I consider that a paper lays itself open to the charge of venality, and of being conducted by a » hireling " if it does not ignore all that is to be said against me, if it does not forget to look back upon my past actions and base upon them its esti- . mate of what I am. likely to do for the future; io short, if it does not boldly assert that lam perfection itself. It is high time that this sort of thing was put a stop to; so when I come forward as a candidato for office I sball threaten those who honestly oppose me that I wiil invest all ray own spare cash, and that of as many of my friends as I can get to join me in the ■-. undertaking, in starting a paper of my own, one that will stick up for me manfully, will pnt a soft and seductive coloring on all my promises and professions, while it will cast into tbe background all that I would wish to be forgotten. By these means, I might possibly secure two or three votes, and induce a few of the electors to' believe that I am not what I am. One or two newspapers of this class would, I tbink, confer an inestimable boon upon the province, or at all events, what is more to the point, they might assist me. As the press is at present conducted, it , is most difficult to find any honest journalist, who has the welfare of bis readers at heart, who will bestow praise where praise is not due, or say that which he does not mean. Ifc is utterly disgraceful that such a state of things should exist, for it does not give a man who, like myself, is totally unfit for office, a shadow of a chance. I shall not say any more on thia subject just now, but I feel sure that my views of independent journalism will coincide with , those of most of my readers, even of » Mr O'Conor, who does not always agree with me. Our cricketers will not have much time before them for sleeping if they mean to compete successfully with the Auckland team, who have contrived to beat even tha Canterbury Eleven. Practice, steady regular practice, is necessary before the Nelaon men can hope to come anywhere near ,their northern brethren of the willow. There was some pretty play on Wednesday, when the town and country joined issue, but it must be prettier still when the Aucklanders visit ns, or our visitors will scarcely be required to go to the wickets the second time. It will not be an easy matter to get the eleven Blind „ Bay champions together before the eventful day on which tbe match is to be played, but if they could contrive to meet^ and play a game or two under him tfho is to be their captain for the ocoasion the result of the match wonld become more doubtful than it it is at present*