THE WEEK.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIII, Issue 144, 15 June 1878, Page 2

THE WEEK.

It want .to get on in this world* keep oh agitating, stick to your rights, determine to enforce them, and never leave a stone unturned until you have attained the object you had in view. That is the moral I have deduced from the events of the last two or three weeks. There was a probability of our being done out of our Port railway, so we sent a deputation ov«r to Wellington, and their representations and remonstrances produced the desired effect. Encouraged by this the Waimea residents met and determined to pursue a similar course with reference to the Wairoa bridge, the necessity for which has been sorely felt since the old one was pulled down in order to prevent its being washed away and so inflicting damage upon the railway bridge, with which the timbers must have come in contact on their way to the sea. But first the representatives appointed at that meeting thought they would try the effect of firing off a telegram or two at the Government. What was the happy result we all know now, and how the request thus made was speedily granted. When conversing with a friend last night I was amused at the version he put Upon the readiness of the Government to accede to the wishes of the Waimea people. " Oh," said he, " I can see through the whole thing at a glance. The fact is that you sent over such a fierce lot of men about the railway that Ministers were at once inspired with a wholesale dread of Nelson deputations. I can picture to myself the scene in Sir George's room when the Waimea telegram reached him Savagely ringing the bell he ordered the messenger to request Mr Macandrew to give him a few minutes conversation. Enter Mr Macandrew. Sir George: 'I've had a telegram from Nelson.' Mr Macandrew; «Oh dear, and so have I. Thsy threaten us with another deputation.' Sir George: ."« We must stop that at all hazards. If they send across another lot of stickers likeS , and A- , and D— , they'll drive me : crazy. , Muster the engineers, Macandrew, and let us hear what they can do for us. In the meantime I'll wire and tell them what we are doing, andso, perhaps, prevent tbe deputation from starting.' The engineers took their cue from the humor in which they found the Premier and reported accordingly, and with a sigh of relief that was echoed by Mr Macandrew, Sir George and his colleague telegraphed to say that there was ho need for the gentlemen who proposed visiting Wellington to tear themselves away from their homes." This was my friend's version. Whether he was right or not I cannot say. However, we have got what we asked for, and lam not at all disposed to gainsay his assertion that a deputation is a very good rod to keep in pickle in the event of Ministers not doing exactly what we want. I wonder if the victories achieved by the Australian cricketers had anything to do with the rush tbat was made for the New Zealand loan. It is by no means impossible, for the people of England must be beginning to entertain a wholesome respect for the colonies, which through their representatives are in more ways than one showing that they are not to be despised. Trickett has given the old folks at home a lesson iu rowing that they are not likely to forget; Sir Julius Vogel has been taking them to task for their neglect of the colonies generally, and showing them how they can lay out their money in such a way as to benefit themselves far more than by lending it to Russia, Germany, or France, while at the same time it would tend to the progress of these far away lands of which Great Britain, comparatively speaking, takes so little notice; and now Australia has sent home a team that is gaining victory after victory in that peculiarly English game of cricket. Verily the existence of the colonies which at times has appeared to be almost ignored at home is being forcibly brought under the notice of the old country in so many and such varied ways that it is not so much to be wondered at that a few of the spare millions that are seeking investment in England have been set flowing in tha direction of New Zealand. Some people labor under the delusion that when sending packages by sea all they have to do is to paint upon them in good large black letters their instructions as to the manner in which they wish them to be handled in order to ensure their wishes in this respect being attended to. It might be convenient that their minds should be disabused of such an error, so in the hope of doing this I will relate a story that was told to me the other day by an eye-witness of what occurred on a certain wharf in the North Island. A large case had just been landed from a coasting steamer on which were the words "Fragile — With care — This side up." Jem and Bill were engaged in removing this from the ship's side when the big letters attracted their attention. " Halloa," said Jem, "there's something precious here. I suppose we'd better handle it gingerly. What is it as is wrote there Bill? I aint much of a scholar myself, and can't make it out." Bill's education having been more carefully attended to he commenced the attempt to decipher the mystic characters by the some-

what slow process of spelling them svHable by syllable. Thus: "F-r-a— Fra: g'-i— gi: 1-e: Fra-gi-le. That's it plain enough, but blest if I know what it means." Then was Jem's higher innate intelligence brought to bear. " Why yer great stoopid it's the name of the ship it come from England in, and we've been hanging about thinking it was something about what's inside. Here heave away," And the way that case was up-ended and rolled along the wharf would ha*e been anything but a gratifying sight to the too confiding owner. I have received one or two invitations of late to go into the country shooting, but after reading the reports of the proceedings in the law courts during the current week, I have made iip my mind that perhaps I had better stay at home. And, besides, why should I go shooting when I am perfectly well aware that, after perusing this, some of my sporting acquaintances, who have hitherto been & little forgetful of me, will, on emptying their bags, thus commune with themselves : — Really, I have been very remiss this season, but it is not too late to apply the remedy, so I'll just pick out the plumpest hare or pheasant I have here and send it off at once to my friend F.