The Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, FEBRUAHY 8, 1875.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume X, Issue 33, 8 February 1875, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, FEBRUAHY 8, 1875.

The time is approaching when the burgesses of Nelsou will be called upon to elect a Dew City Council, and, from what we can hear, there appears to be some difficulty in obtaining men likely to command the confidence and respect of the rutepayera who nre willing to give their time to the work. A serious matter, indeed, will it be if those who are moat fitted to fill the vacant seats should refuse to fulfil their obligations as citizens. Upon the late members the door is shut, and it is of no use to reckon upon their services, as they will Dot bo eligible for re-election until six months shall have elapsed from the date of their resignation. We have therefore to look about us for at least seven Councillors, or, if the two who still retain office should follow the example of their late colleagues, for nine. To accept office under existing circurmtancos, a certain amount of courage is needed, but this, we trust, is not wanting in our citizens, who, if they look all the diQlculiieß full in the face will find that, though serious, they are not insuperable. Ooe, and the least of these, is that the office of Councillor has fallen in the estimation of the public from the fact that that amount of decency and onier which is necessary to ensure the successful working of any public borly has been somewhat wanting at the Council meetings. But this is to be CAsily cured, and the remedy will lie entirely in the. hands of those who may be elected. Another, and a more serious consideration lies in the fact that the financial position of the Corporation is far from satisfactory. There is an overdraft at the Bank, which has arisen under peculiar circumstances, but still must be met. It needs not that we should recapitulate all that has passed. It is sufficient to know that the late Board of Works obtained an advance for the purpose of constructing sewers, upon the understanding that when Nelson was brought under the Municipal Corporations Act the money should be repaid by means of a loan. Doubts 'have arisen whether a loan can be legally contracted for such a purpose, and \re are very much disposed to think that those who raise the objections to it are in the right. Still that overdraft must be paid. We cannot allow our credit to sustain the slightest shock, and anything having even the semblance of repudiation must be carefully avoided. It was an understood thing that, this sum of £1700 was to be paid off on the Ist of January, and paid it must be, or at least partially so, at once, while, for the balance, the creditor must have some assurance that it, too, will within a specified time be cleared off. The account in round numbers stands thus : — To the Bank there is owing £1700. Per contra: the uncollected rates for the current year amount to about £2000, and there are arrears to the extent of £200 or £300. We don't wont to see holes in our roads, but we cannot afford to tamper with our credit. Of two evils, then, we must choose the least. We must eschew luxuries, we must even do without what we have hitherto been accustomed to look upon as necessities. Our expenditure must be brought within the narrowest possible limits, and woiks thai otherwise would have been undertaken will have to be left undone. We do not mean to say that the margin between £1700 and i £2200 will be sufficient to meet the year's expenses, but they will Imve to be reduced to the very Bmallest pructicable sum. Jf some understanding of this kind be arrived at, no doubt the Bank will agree to extend the time within which the money should be paid, but, as there will be two parties to the bargain, there must be some evidence that the Council are really in earnest in the efforts they propose to make to reduce the debt. That residents in the town will be put to considerable inconvenience by the absence of suoh an expenditure as that to which

they have been accustomed is quite cermiu, but Ihey cannot eat their cake and have it too. Their representatives in the late Board of Works incurred certain liabilities, and thoae liabilities the City Council, (hoir stlcbeabors, are bound to accept. We have the sewers, such as they are, to show for the debt that was contracted for their construe* tion, and if it be impossible to raise a special loan to liquidate that debt, we must be satisfied to neglect our roads and streete in order that the money that would be required to keep them in order mn.y be devoted to maintaining our credit The alternative i& by iio means an agreeable ofte but, as we stand at present, our choice is limited. Look"wjg to the future, we are disposed to say, let\ our credit remain unshaken, no matter what the present cost may be. t ie in dealing with thia question that he new Council will find their chief lifficulty, but, the greater it is, the [reater will be the honttr due td those vho aball meet and overcome it.

/ Suez Mail.— The Suez mail will bo /due at Melbourne to-morrow, so that we may pretty safely reckon upon the Albion with her usual punctuality putting in an appearance at the Bluff before the end of the week. Membera of the Order will notice that the Tent meets this i evening at 7 30, instead of 8 o'clock. Nelson Regatta. — A meeting of the Committee will be held at the Trafalgar Hotel to-morrow evening. We understand that in addition to the yacht Xaviffa, Wellington will send over a whalebost and a pair-oared boat with their crews. Water Ratks.— The Provincial Government are advertising for the eerviceß of some person " willing to muke an assessment of the annual value of all buildings ia the City of Nelson liable to pay water rates." " Buildings" liable to puy ratts are a novelty, but probably the Government mean to assess the buildings, and tax the owners or occupiers. Eastei Encampment. — The volunreer encampment last year having proved so successful, there is to be another similar turn out in the coming Enster week. We understand that the General Government have agreed to allow a ralion allowance of eighteen pence per day to all who attend. Rifle Competition. — The first competition for the medal presented to the City Rifle Corps by Sub-Lieutenant Godfrey, took pluce this morning at the Mttitai Butis, when it was won by Private 0. Moore. The ranges were 400, 500, and 600 yards, target 6 by 6 feet, position any; five ehots at each range. Thiß medal has to be won three times in succession, or five times at intervals, and will be shot tor every month in the shooting season. The following are the scores: —

The Honorable S. D. Hastings, P.R.W.G.T.— This gentleman delivered a very interesting address in the Provincial Hall yesterday afternoon, the subject being "Intemperance: the Order of Good Templars specially adapted for its removal." There was a very good attendance, the Hall being comfortably filled, and the address, which lasted about an hour and '■ a quarter, was listened to with great attention throughout, and will probably be the means of strengthening the Order considerably in this city. In the evening, Mr Hastings preached in the Wesleyan Church to a large congregation, taking for his text Prov. xx. 1, " Wiue is a mocker," &c. He will deliver a lecture in the Provincial Hall this evening, the subject being "The present demands of the temperance movement touching the liquor traffic." Mr Hastings has been connected with the Good Templar organization for nearly twenty years, aud during that period he has several times beeu appointed to the highest office in that Order. At the close of the- lecture he will be glad to reply to any questions that may be put to him. Fbom the Westport Times we learn that Mr A. D. Dobson, Provincial Engineer, has accepted a lucrative appointment of some £700 per annum under the Canterbury Provincial Government.

Name. 400 yda 600 yds COO yds Tl Pvt C. Moore 34424 404-13 22433 <1G Corpl Crosstnau 43344 34344 02204 44 Pvt Maclean ... 43433 43033 2240*2 40 Pvt Aiken ... 42433 43033 2323<» 39 Sub-Lt.Godf ey 33420 43240 22400 33. Pvt Whitwell 3322*2 24300 02030 26 Lieut Burn ... 03230 23333 00002 24 Pvt Jackson ... -?3330 00202 03220 22 [Pvt Bart ett ... 03*j00 04*202 00004 1.5