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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 90, 18 April 1877, Page 4

..Among .the best stories on the subject of carelessness ' in the Turkish administration may be placed one told by Mr Bark ley, in his recently-published book, of a Pale who received, an appointment at.Qoqstaiitinople with ordera to proqeed to, a_ town on the Danube, where '/instruotions would be immediately sent to him."' He insisted on being provided with an order on a local Governor -to pay his salary out of the provincial tax, and then quietly settled down •&. -he town to which he had been emU Two years ajterwards he had not any instructions,, and the only work be had done was 'signing receipts for bis Salary. Dr Barkiey asked him why be did not write and stir up the Government to which he replied, " Whet for — ib : ' eel- discharged-? No ; the place suit's me, ' And bear in mind Mr Barkley; when you are in the service of* the Porte, the only crime they will not excuse is too much zeal." „'jn an article on the Public Works ppl.icyj the Lyttelton Times takes rather: a gloomy view of the future of the railways of the colony. It says — ".The crucial time of trial of our railways is approaching. The novelty of travelling; by rail is wearing off, and the dumber of passengers induced by that motive alone to travel is diminishing.' The rapid ebb of the tide of public expenditure of borrowed money, the fall of wool, excess of speculation, and other causes have, moro or less, dried up the available surplus cash of most persons; and railway travelling, unless absolutely requisite, is oue of the luxuries in which eoonomy is practiced. But a time of depression contracts external.and internal trade, and therefore acts unfavorably ; on railway business. If, in addition to these obstacles which are threatening, and even commencing to combine in opposition to tbe progress of our railway policy, it is found that, owing to want of oare or want of knowledge; serious errors of construction, or serious defects in material are producing a heavy crop of unforeseen expenditure, the result will be disaater--008. We will not go out of onr way

to anticipate evil, but we hear from different quarters enough to justify grave apprehension ou this subject. In the meantime the official over-esti-mate of railway revenue for this year does 'not tend to nllay anxiety. It is actually so much deficiency in revenue and, together with deficiencies, not less in amount. ! ;, ' ' ' • .'•', '<•',.

The Lyttelton Times ia rough in the Canterbury Acclimatisation Society It says:— -The present Ministry have received many buffets of one kind or another since the close of the session, but --until*, the Acclimatisation Society of Canterbury passed the resolution which is printed in our report of ithe Society's proceedings, the downfall of the administration could not be regarded as absolutely secure. The Government might have, been-r-indeed, has been pardoned for its' hostility to many and great interests ii\ the Colony fbufc when it sturdily "refused to oonsider the sad case ; of the little halffledged ducks, it signed its own dealth warrant, as it thereby showed contempt for that all-influential body— r the Canterbury Acclimatisation Society. The offended acclimatisers forthwith met and solemnly passed a vote of want of confidence in ...the Government. We do not propose to" discuss the claims of the ducks at length though the subject is now rendered a very tempting one. The opinion may, however, be fairly expressed, ihat as an example of impertinent assumption and childish pettishness, the resolution whioh the Society. hasO specially- requested the newspapers to publish, is unique aoiongst the .records • ofc public' bodies, so-called. The Council thinks that " a recognised body, euch as it is, should have been consulted before the Government -.; decided. v tp disallow its recommendations." There are two ways of emphasising the* 'words' "subh as it is.7 , The Council, no doubt, intended the stress to fall on the third word. The Public! will certainly, < place it Lon first aad fourth.

A moat important decision respecting the value of bills of sale has been given in the Supreme Court, Sydney, by the Chief Justice, Mr Justice Hargrave, and Mr Justice Paucett. Heretofore T (aaya the Sydney Morning Heiald) it has tbo often been tbe practice of persona in difficulties to go to a money-lender behind the backs of their ..red tlors, and obtain loans at exhorbitaot rates of interest to enable them to carry on business. "The better to conceal the transaction the Bill of Sale is not registered, as that was not required by law, within thirty days, and for this non-registration the borrower sometimes paya a fee. But before tbe expiration of that period of time the document is renewed, always with advantage to the money-lender, and to the loss of the unfortunate borrower; or, rather, of his more unfortunate creditor. This goes on, it may be from month to month, until, when the borrower is about to collapse, the lender registers his bill of ,Bale, comes in and takes possession of the property over which it ia given, and the otlier unfortunate creditors i are left to whistle foe their mbney-. The effect of this slate of filings is simply to allow a business man' in insolvent circumstance, too hopeful of retrieving his fortunes — for what business returns a profit equal to the interest whioh is charged for a loan under such circumstances?— to denude himself of everything before going into court with -a mountain, of liabilities. The decision of the full Court the other, day will check this practice. It was that a bill of sale renewed as aibove described, to one Cohen, by Carroll & Johnson, insolvents, over their stock-in-trade in .Hunter-street, was- really given for a past debt, and therefore had the effect of preferring Cohen to the other creditors of the insolvents — a preference, it may be remarked, that is not allowed by law: Mr Cohen, will, therefore, 1 haverto give up tbe proceeds of. tbe goods which he sold, and come in and take his dividend witli, other creditors.