THE WEEK.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume IX, Issue 288, 5 December 1874, Page 2

THE WEEK.

What will the Marquis of Normanby say to the way we manage things in New Zealaod in regard to matters Parliamentary, when he hears that for two successive years tbe official proclamation adjourning the meeting of Assembly has been forgotten to be gazetted? To have made such a blander once is more than any of the neighboring colonies can lay claim to, but when it happens twice running New Zealand may feel rathr proui of the manner in wbiah the officials perform their duties. The telegraph is silent as to what is being done in Wellington in connection with this affair, and the litest papers ti hand from tbe scat of Government do not make any reference to it, so I suppose it ia beginning to be looked upon as quite an ordinary occurence, although it is scarcely creditable to the authorities. The Melbourne pipers a few weeks ago were full of reports of the sermons preached and collections made on " Hospital Sunday." This is an institution that has not yet been established here, nor, so far as I know, in any town in the co!ony, the reason probably being that our hospitals are maintained by the Government, so tbat aoy collections made would be looked upon .merely as easing the revenue of a certain demand upon it. But although tho State provides all that ia absolutely necessary in connection with these institutions it should be remembered that it does not go beyond that point, and that there are many little luxuries wbich, though aot absolutely essential to the treatment of a | patient, would tend very gre.tly to alleviate j hia sufferings, if not to hasten his recovery. j Under the present system, however, thes3 are not always avaiJ*be, owing to the absence of any special fund out of which they might be procured. And, again, there is many a one who eaters the hospital who is entirely dependent upon his labor for his daily bread, and who, although he may be cured of his disea«e, is, when discharged, utterly unable to go to hard work for a time, and to whom some little pecuniarv as istance when he leaves would be specia'ly grateful. To provide for thie, tbere is in Nelson a 'convalescent fund," hut it is so bmall tbat but a very few can be benefitted by it, and they only to a very limited extent. It cannot be said, therefore, that the hospital or those who are compelled to become inmates of it do no; require any assistance, so that no excuse of this kind will hold good as a reason for not contributing towards such an object. But to be of any re il use such a contribution must be general, and no better opportunity could be afforded to those who are willing to give than by setting aside the collections made in the churches on one particular Sunday, or, fay, at one particular servica to be held at the same time throughout all the churches in the town. Christmas time is approaching when men's hearts are supposed to be peculiarly susceptible to the claims of those who are in want or distress, and no better season could be selected for carrying into effect such a proposition as that I now make to the people of Nelson. Let the clerg/ of all denominations bestir themselves and work together, and there is no doubt whatever that a very handsome sum will be realised, while not one amongst us will eat his Christmas dinner with less relish because he has given of his little or large store, as the case may be, to lelieve his less fortunate brethren. The clergy, lam sure, have the power, and there can be no doubt that they have the will, to do a vast deal of good in this particular direction. I have occasionally heard of a storm in a tea-pot, but surely never was there so b}isterous a one as has bean raging in Wanganui lately in or about a pewter pot. Siraebody, it appears, offered a silver cup to be fired for by tbe volunteers in that district, but the cup turned out t> he anything but silver, and the winner has baen making a fine fuss over his grievance. The Rifle Association have taken up the other side of the question and say that be was told before he fired that the " cup " as they call it, or •♦pot" ashedesignatas it, was of some baser metal than it was at first stated to be, and as a punishment for his display of bad taste in complaining that his prize was. not so valuable as he expected, they have ejected him from the Society of which he wr . a member. Thereupon followed volleys of letters in the newspapers, whole columns of which have been devoted to tho discussion of so important a question. According to my last advices the storm was still raging, and goodness only knows how, where, or when it will stop. Up to the present time it has been quite a godsend to the newspapers, though I should imagine that the readers of them were heartily sick of it. How greedily was every drop of that rain that fell yesterday lapped up by those thirsty Woimea Plains, from whence there comes a lamentable cry of thin corn crops and no hay, owing to the absence of the frequent S moisture that is required through the spring. From Motueka, on the other hand, the reports of the crops of all kinds are most favorable and such a harvest is looked for this season as has not been known for yeara past. On visiting the district the oth' r day I could not but be struck with the cheerful countenances of the farmers, and the hopeful tones in which they spoke of their prospects, therein differing widely from their brethren of the Waimeas. y