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

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume X, Issue 57, 8 March 1875, Page 2

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

If the meeting of the City Council on Friday night- may be accepted as a fair sample of thoae tbat are to follow, the ratepayers of Nelson are to be congratulated upon the selection tbey made of men to fill the vacancies which recently occurred in the Council. It was quiet and orderly, and the members uppears to be actuated by an earnest desire to advance the business they had token in hand, and to make the best of the somewhat unpromising, but by no means desperate, statß of the finances. A careful collation of the accounts was placed on the table, and it showed tbat the difficulties that presented themselves were, or rather might be made, only temporary, and that with ordinary care and a little more than ordinary economy, they were to be overcome. It is clear that we must not expect the commencement of any large works until the last one that was underlnken bos been paid for, but there are ample funds to keep up the Btf.ff of day labor men, and horses and carls, so that, although no new roads or streets can be made, there is no occasion for those now in existence to fall iolo disrepair. Ooe other tbing is equally clear, that the burgesses will have to pay their rates without delay, and reasonable enough it is that they should be required to do, for, as Cr Harper remarked, it was absurd to have r. large overdraft ot the Bank, on which interest had to be paid, while there was an equal amount of rates overdue. We were glad to find the Mayor putting down with a strong hand ilia objectionable practice which has beeu permitted to grow up in the Council, of the servants of that body taking part in the discussions when anything was said by which they fancied themselves aggrieved. Indeed, we never could understand why the City Surveyor should be required to remain in the Chamber. He thould ba at hand so that he might be cent for if any in'",i"."U! ~~ , "— ° "-quired from him, but as his works must ircquenuy uMu the subject of discuss-ion, it would bo far better for him that he should not be in the room, while his absence would tend to greater freedom of discussion amoug the Councillors. There is yet another evil that should be put a stop to. A letter was received from one of the employees of the Corporation declining to do certain woik which he had been ordered to perform because he was of opinion that it ought, to be undertaken by someone else. We koow nothing whatever of the merits of tho case, nor do we want to. All we have to deal with now is the fact that a servant is permitted to write to his masters absolutely refusing to obey their orders. Is this sort of thing to be limited to ono department or to be allowed to become general in the service? If Jack is ordered to clean out the stable, is he to be permitted to address himself to the Mayor and Council stating that he intends to do no such thing because he considers it to be Tom's duty? We hopo soon to see these, and all other such little irregularities remedied, and in the meantime congratulate the Council upon the good commencement they have made.