The Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, JANUARY 20, 1876.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XI, Issue 18, 20 January 1876, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, JANUARY 20, 1876.

The Wellington will convey mails for Australia to-morrow, to be transshipped into the Ringarooma at "Wellington. A fire broke out at an early hour this morning in the stables of Messrs Primmer Brothers at Richmond, destroying the building and a quantity of harness that was in it. The loss is estimated at £100. The fire bells rang out the alarm about ten o'clock last night, the cause being a large blaze visible in Brookstreet Valley, where a large quantity of gorse was burning. It is believed the fire was not the result of an accident, but of malicious intent, as it first broke out in a hedge that separates Mr Lucas' and Mr "Ward's properties, and a few minutes afterwards another occurred on the opposite side of the valley. But for the exertions of the neighbors, and of the members of the Town and Port Fire Brigades, and others who rendered assistance, considerable damage, including the destruction of one or two houses, must have been occasioned. The official, declaration of the poll took place at Motueka yesterday. There has been some talk since the election of a protest being raised against the return of Mr Hursthouse, the successful candidate, on the ground that his name was not on the roll for the district, but as this is not necessary, the law only requiring that a representative shall be on any roll in the colony the matter dropped, as Mr Hursthouse is an elector for the district of Egmont, in the Province of Taranaki. Large bush fires have been raging for tbe last day or two at various points along the road between the Lyell and Greymouth, causing frequent interruptions to the telegraph line. Several poles have been burnt, bat we have not heard of any more serious accident having occurred. Telegraph communication with Havelock was interrupted at a late hour last night, but was restored this morning. The Sunday School in connection with the Baptist Church, Bridge-street, held its anniversary yesterday. The children, after a variety of games in the Botanical Gardens, did full iustice to an ample supply of tea, buns, &c. A well-attended service was afterwards held ih the church, which had been [tastefully decorated for the occasion. Appropriate addresses were delivered .by Messrs H. C. Daniell, Major Paton, and the liev. J. Parkins, interspersed with a selection of sacred music and recitations by the children. The Rev. D. Dolamore, who presided, Btated that the.number of children attending the school had considerably increased dur. ing the year, that the school had

received additional teachers, and that several of the teachers and elder children had been baptised and had united with the church, The committee were anxious to improve the library, and probably the greater part of the anniversary collections made on the. preceding Sunday, amounting to a little over £8, would be devoted to this purpose. The steamer Arawata (says the Post) does not whistle when she is about to sail, but rings a bell instead. Her bell, however, sounds remarkably like our firebell, and when it was rung at noon , yesterday, to signify that she was about to depart, it caused some confusion at one of the churches. No sooner had it started than a whole congregation started too, under the impression that a fire had broken out; and the worst of the thing was that when they ascertained that they had made a mistake only about half of them returned to church. The following is from the Hawke's Bay Herald of the 14th instant :— A very smart shock of earthquake was experienced in Napier and its vicinity at 4*20 p.m. yesterday— the smartest certainly which has been felt for several years past. A considerable amount of glass and crockery was broken. In one store alone four or five pounds' worth was destroyed. Erom telegrams received last night the shock appears to have been felt in various parts ot the North Island besides Napier. "We hear of several landslips and falls of earth having occurred on Scinde Island, but none of any great magnitude. A "Wellington paper of Saturday says : — A. rumor was current to-day, and, being reiterated with much circumstantiality, found general credence, that the Union Steamship Company had become the purchasers of the New Zealand Steamship Company's fleet and plant for the sum, of £54,000. We are authorised to state that there is no truth in this report. Negotiations have been for some time, and are still, pending, but the period fixed as their limit has not yet expired, and it is not probable that any definite arrangement will be made until then. In any case, we are informed further, the sum named is not in contemplation on either side. The * Canterbury Press ' warns the Anti- Central League that they are deceiving themselves most egregiously if they fancy there is any magic in the word " province." The inviolability of the land fund depends solely upon the amount of political influence that can be arrayed in its defence. If once a majority is determined to appropriate it, it is mere folly to suppose that it can be retained in defiance of them by the aid of an arrangement the very existence of which depends on the will of the majority. And to the comments of the * Daily Times ' our contemporary makes answer : — Suppose a dead set is made at the southern land revenue, and a hungry majority swoop down on it to seize it for the general use. How could Otago help herself f How could the Otago members "insist" when they had a majority against them. . . Granting for argument's sake that the question is settled at the outset as the ' Daily Times' wishes, and that Otago is left as an integer with full possession of her land fund, what then? The settlement can be upset whenever Parliament chooses. There is no more finality in vesting the land revenue in a Provincial Board than m making it over to Shire Councils. "Whichever course is adopted, she security for it will b 6 exactly the same. Each will depend upon an Act of the Assembly ; and any • party which becomes strong enough to repeal the one" Act will be as able to repeal the other. — * Dunedin Star.' It is very doubtful, says the "Wellington Post, whether the election of Mr Edward "Wakefield for Greraldine is valid. He was elected by the castingvote of the Eeturning Officer, which was given to him on the declaration of the numbers immediately after the close of the poll. This was grossly irregular. The 59th clause of "The Eegulation of Elections Act, 1870," provides that at least 48 hours notice must be given of the time and place at which the official declaration of the poll will be made, and that when such has been made, if the votes for the candidates are equal, then the returning Office may decide the election by . giving a casting vote. The Returning Officer violated all these conditions, and as the Lyttelton Times puts it, " the legal question for consideration is whether this violation does not invalidate his announcement, his casting vote, and his declaration. The announcement, the casting vote, and the declaration, we submit, were all still-born, and are of no. account in the eye of the law. The premature giving of a casting vote is not a matter of mere technical importance. It is very probable that, if the Returning Officer had duly waited the time prescribed by law, he would have discovered some invalid vote or votes (and he is bound by law to search for them), the disallowance of which would have given a majority to one or other of the candidates, and thus have obviated the neces* sity of any casting vote at all. The following is from a telegram dated Napier, January 14: — Mr Miller, the manager of, the railway, was out driving in a carriage with his wife yesterday when a shock of earthquake occurred, and the horses took fright, smashed the pole and harness, and galloped off, leaving the occupants of the carriage to walk five miles to the railway station. — The Tongariro volcano is closed, and the Maoris regard this as a certain sign of an upprooohing earthquake,