THE WEEK.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume IX, Issue 276, 21 November 1874, Page 2

THE WEEK.

Wo occasionally bavo some dull weeks in Nelson, and tbat which is now passing away Stay' very fairly be classed among them. Nothing of importance has occurred in our midst, and there hos been an absence of any news of interest from outside. Sir George Grey has not burst upon the colony with any new schemes, manifestos, or protests, and there have been no more Melbourne or. Canterbury Cups upon the result of which waa dependent the transference of bo many pounds from one pocket to the other. They say that New Zealand is making rapid strides in the race of progress, and some Dunedinites even venture to draw comparisons between their city, which, by the way, they look upon as New Zealand, and Melbourne, but 1 wonder when we are going to see 75,00(7 people upon a race course. in this colony. I bave conversed with some who' saw the great race of the southern hemisphere contested, wbo bave travelled over most parts of the civilised world, aod they all agree in stating that po whero you would, although you might probably find yourself in a far larger crowd, you would never see one in which ladiea of fhe wealthier classes were more expensively dressed, or the people of tbe less rich ones showed auch evident sigus of beiog generally well to do. In all tbe vast assemblage, \ it is said, tbat not one was ragged or shabbily dressed. This, I suppose, may be taken as an outward and visible sign of the existence of almost universal contentment and prosperity, and should go far towards raising the colonies in

... .(.Fpr continuation see fourth page)

tha estimation of the working classes of ihe old country. Special settlements have for a long time been talked aboat in Nelson, and with some of our local politicians have been somewhat of a hobby- bat hitherto the theory has not been carried into practice. Now, however, the experiment is ahout to be tried in real earnest, bot I am not sore that it ia to be inaugurated ucder the most promisiog auspices. A very general opinion is entertained that to give the schemes really fair. trial tbe settlers should have been to a great extent, if not entirely, composed of men nod women of colonial experience. The new hands who are about to be located at the Karamea may be, and I dsresay are, good workmen, wbo bave made op their minds to undergo all the hardships and trials incidental to life in tbe bosh in its first stages, bat tbey mast of necessity be ignorant of the proper way to set to work to convert the forest into agricultural or pastoral land. There is, too, something of a feeling tbat, if special advantages are to be offered to any, it should be to the sons of the old settlers who bave borne the harden and beat of tbe day. It may be tbat such?' is the intention of the Government, brit, if 'so, they have not made it known. Apart from the fair* new of treating the: old residents on equally liberal term, witb those offered to new coolers; it sorely would tend to the success of the scheme if, among those who know nothing of New -.ealand bnsb life, there were sprinkled some whose whole lives have been spent in converting the wilds iuto pastures and cornfields. And, again, it is felt among those wbo watch and are taking a deep interest in this experi-ment-that its success or otherwise will be to a considerable extent dependent upon the capability of the individual who is placed in charge to carry out. satisfactorily tbe important work he has undertaken. Theresponsibiiity attaching to snch an office is very great, and it is not every one that is capable of bearing it. To fill sneh a position with credit to himself, and advantage to those who employ bim and those who are to look to him for guidance and advice, it is not enough tbat the man who occupies it can hold a plough, shoe a borse, milk a cow, shear a sbeep, or put up so many chains of fencing a day, but he must be one of some little intelligence; he should possess a knowledge of how to deal with human beings as well as with cattle; he shonld have an active mind as well as a hard working pair of hands. Bat, of coarse, the Government ia entering: apon so serious an undertaking as that of establishing the first special settlement in the provinoa have taken all these matters into consideration before making. their seleotion of an overseer. Next week we are to bave a Horticultural Show in Nelson, an exhibition not merely bf tbe luxuries of garden produce, for each I may call flowers, bnt of the necessaries of life in the shape of vegetables. I fear that tbe word " horticultural " has a tendency to rather alarm some of those whose exhibits would be confined to this latter class, bat let tbem get rid of this idea, and master at the Provincial Hall on Tharsday next with every specimen of garden produce they have raised that is worth showing. Let them feel assured that a peerless potatoe, a choice cabbage, or a peck of prolific pea pods, will find just as many admirers as the most gorgeous display of roees tbat any garden in Nelson can prod oce, and, in saying this, I say a good deal, for it is stated that Borne of oar residents can show collections of these flowers that cannot be equalled in the colony. Let town and coantry anite in the endeavor to make the forthcoming show a success, and it will not be surpassed by any in New Zealand. Wanted, a Mayor ! This is the cry that comes to us from Wellington. Our neighbors across the Straits were not happy in their last selection, and now tbey want to improve upon it, but under the present regime the Cooncil has sunk into such disrepute that a difficulty is experienced in finding any one wbo is willing to occupy the civic chair. Brawls, squabbles, and disgraceful scenes have of late characterised the- meetings of the Wellington City Council, and a Hercules equal to tbe task of clesning"tfae Augaean stables has not yet come to the fore. A position once lost is not easy to regain, and so it appears to be in Wellington. At one time the proceedings of the Council were, no doubt, conducted with decency and order, but that was some time ago, and now — well, cow it seems tbat every respectable citizen shrinks from assuming an office tbat should be an object of ambition and not of contempt. Let ns take warning in Nelson by the experience of Wellington, ood check by every, means in our power aoy attempt to render the deliberations of our Council disorderly. There is a gentleman among the band of minstrels who havo lately visited us whose acquaintance I should like to cultivate. He stated the other night in public, and consequently we are bound to believe him, that when he slept he snored so load that be frightened all the 'flies not of the house. If, among " flies " he meant to include mosquitoes I am quite prepared to offer him a pound a week to sleep in my bedroom, not that I like snorers much, bit that I like mosquitoes less. The " ping, ping " of a mosquito ia usually the prelude to a blood-sucking bite; the snorer only barks and does not bite. I don't like either, but I think I should prefer ihe sua to the io_§ct. F.