THE WEEK.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 305, 20 December 1873, Page 2

THE WEEK.

The driver of the Provincial coach has once more got into his seat and taken hold of the reins, the guard sung out "All right" last Wednesday, and the vehicle has again started on a four years' journey, and to a great extent its future, whether for weal or for woe, depends upon the manner in which it gets through the stage upon which it has just entered. " Let us go ahead " is the cry to be heard all over the province, and much, perhaps by some too much, is expected of the Superintendent, who wil! no longer be suffered to remain quiei and inactive, but will be required to be up and doing. His new Executive will no doubt be selected very shortly, and then the Council will be called together to consider the plans of the Government, and to decide upon the works for which it is desirable to borrow money. There is plenty of energy in the new Council, and opposition is not likely io be offered to any really useful measures that may be introduced. This time next year I hope we shall be able to look around us and see roads progressing in all directions, and rendering accessible lands that will provide homes for our share of the immigrants that are now commencing to pour into the colony. The recent election has afforded an excellent opportunity for enforcing the penalties provided by thu Ballot Ant for the punishment of those who take advantage of the existing system of secret voting to record their votes more than once. It might be done without exciting any party feeling, for on both sides there bave been a few instances of | personation, double voting, or both, ten votes having bee a struck off Mr Curtis' total on th'.s account, and twenty-five off Mr O'Conor's. „ If 008 or two were selected from either side and made examples of, it might tend to prevent a repetition of nuch proceedings ou future occasions. It is gratifying to learn that the people of the province take so deep an interest as appears to have been the case in the election of their rulers, and that they are prepared to resort to petitions and all sorts of legitimate means to prevent their being deprived of their electoral privileges. At the Hanmer Plain, for instance, no provision had been made for a polling place, and the residents of that district were naturally annoyed at finding that they would not have an opportunity of recording their votes at the recent election. So

they laid their grievances before the proper authorities; and a favorable answer waa vouchsafed to their very reasonable prayer, and the result waa that; a polling place was appointed, and a Returning Officer sworn , in, end a ntarap procured bearing the name of the district, and a packet of ballot papers sent down, and all the necessary forms goue through, and the people of Haraner Plain were afforded every facility for saying whether they liked Mr Curtis better than Mr O'Conor, or Mr O'Conor better than Mr Curtis. The eventful day at last arrived, and Hamner Plain declared its sentiments. The result of tbe election was not very largely affected by the votes that were recorded there but still none of the electors of the district were debarred from exercising their privileges, and it did not coat the eouutry above £5 or £6 to allow them to do so. The returnß from that part appears thus on the list :— Curtis. O'Conor. Hanmer Plain ... l 1 I believe the Returning Officer has since been heard to say that he thinks the Hannier Plain polling place ia one of those that may be abolished without injury to the province. I see paragraphs occasionally appearing in the papers relative to the number of cornsacks and wool bales that are required in thig colony, and the large amount of money that has to be sent away for their purchase. There seems to be a general desire in Nelson just now to be doing something, and whenever new Insurance or Shipping Companies are advertised a large number of applications for shares are sent in from here, showing that there is capital seeking investment. I wonder whether a company for establishing a sack and bale manufactory would meet with favor among those who wish to lay out their money, and at the same time to see this province progressing. We have plenty of the raw material, coul olose at hand, abundance of water, and evei; ?! .in? requisite for the work, and we know that there is no occasion whatever to be afraid that there would be no demand for the manufactured article. As was done by Mr Burns of the Mosgiel Cloth Factory at Dunedin, so might a company do here. Send home an order to some really trustworthy person, or what would be far better, place it in the hands of some one going home from here—and such a man I could point out—to transplant to Nelson the necessary machinery and a sufficient cumber of skilled men and women to set it goin?, and so any unnecessary delay would be avoided, and the production of a good article ensured. Is not this an idea that is worth thinking over? The Christmas holidays have commenced in earnest so far as the schools ars concerned, and I, whose business requires me to be present on such occasions, have had rather a surfeit of matters educational, complimentary speeches, and prize presentations. I was at the Provincial Hall yesterday, and it occurred to me then, as it frequently has done before, that the parents and adult friends of the children attending tho town schools do not take half as much interest in the education of the youngsters us they should do. The fact is that we hold our educational advantages here a great deal too, cheap. There are the schools and the children are sent to them much as they are sent to bed; it ia the proper thing for them to go at a certain time and so go they do. If they pay attention to their studies and earn a prize, well and good, if they don't, still well and good. That appears to be about the state of popnlar feeling with regard to education in Nelson town. I don't think there would have been quite so much frightened formality about the bows with which the receipt of the various prizes was acknowledged yesterday, nor would the proud smile of self satisfaction have been so much wanting as it waa, if the prizetakers had felt that their elder friends had taken the trouble to be present. But then the elder friends will not take that trouble, and so it is of no use whatever to talk about it. y. For remainder of «c»« sea Supplement.