THE WEEK.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume IX, Issue 21, 24 January 1874, Page 2

THE WEEK.

By this time week we shall know all about it. By "it" it may be necessary to explain that I mean the policy that is to be proposed by the Superintendent and his new Executive. Hitherto we have been rather disposed to look upon the Superintendent's address in opening the Council as a mere matter of form, and the perusal' of it has been considered somewhat of a bore, but on the present occasion it is eagerly looked for, and will be read with the keenest interest throughout the whole province. Since the last session the people have spoken their minds pretty plainly and have declared in the most unmistakeable manner that something or other must be done to raise Nelson from its present state of depression, and they fully expect their wishes to be attended to, aud any propositions that may be made to benefit the province will meet with their warmest approbation.V We shall probably be told that there \a a falling off in the revenue. Let us Know how this ib to be remedied and a more prosperous state of things brought about, will be the reply. There is a general impression that we have, or ought to have, reached a turning point in the history of the province, and it is hoped and expected that the Superintendent's speech will form the first chapter in the new volume. May it prove so.

I sometimes wonder whether all the talk we hear about bad times is founded upon fact or whether it is merely a habit that we have got into, a desire to have a grievance, and to be always hugging, and caressing, and making the most of it. I see that a considerable increase has taken place in the Customs revenue for the last quarter, which undoubtedly means a larger consumption of dutiable goods. These have to be paid for, and the money must come from somewhere. The population has not increased, that is to say not outside of that section of the community which requires baby's bottles and farinaceous food specially adapted to infantine stomachs, and it is not to be supposed that the demand for these particular articles has been so much larger as to add many hundreds of pounds to the Customs receipts, so that taking the number of consumers as stationary we must arrive at the conclusion that they are in a better position to spend money than they were. Again, everybody has quite as much work as he or she can do, and employment could be found for a great many more, This is not a state of things that is satisfactory to grumbler!?. I really think we must exaggerate the ills we have. I have said that employment might be found for many more hands than are to be obtained, and I think that anyone who has recently visited the country districts will endorse this assertion. I was in the Waimea the 6ther day and two illustrations of the scarcity of labor oame under my notice. One was that of an old man whose bent back and general appearance were far more suggestive of lumbago than of any of the especial qualifications 6f a good mower. A field of oats required cutting, and he offered his services. He was asked wha. he wanted, and he replied, "Nine shillings a day." This, be it remembered, was exclusive of such little perquisites as bread, beef, and beer. lam not in a position to state whether he came to terms with the owner of the field. The other instance was that of a youth of about seventeen years of age. He asked for, and he got, seven shillings a day, also in addition to the three b's, for tying up sheaves. I have no doubt that very many more similar instances might be found if anyone took the trouble to hunt them up. As for the other sex they are a mystery to everybody. In town and in country numbers of girls are to be seen without any definite occupation, while at the Bame time the advertising columns of the newspapers teem with advertisements for female servants. How do they all live? They must eat and drink, and there is no doubt as to their being well clothed. Somebody must pay for all this, and if their parents are able to do so without requiring them to earn their own living, they can scarcely be called poor or wanting in this world's goods. J

Who would not be an excursionist ? Can anything more delightful be imagined than being one of a crowd so large that there is scarcely room to give vent to those feelings which are experienced by a bad sailor — and excursionists usually are bad sailors — in a lumpy sea? Such must have been condition of the passengers by the Taranaki on Wednesday last, one hundred of whom shipped here, and between 70 and 80 at Picton, which port was left at two in tfce jpprning, giving the excursionists an opportunity of observing the beauties of sunrise jn thQ Straits. The climax of enjoyment

must have been reached when the regatta day turned out stormy and wet so that there was no opportunity of witnessing the racing which people had gone so far and undergone so much discomfort to see. But the Wellington folks got all they wanted. Wo know that amusements and attractions which are calculated to bring people together are got up merely for tbe sake of introducing a little money into the place in which they are held— fide the Wellington ** Post ' on the Nelson Exhibition — and as Nelson folk when they take an outing are not usually too careful of their cash, I daresay that, looked at from a Wellington point of view, the regatta was, notwithstanding the bad weather, a great success. F..