THE WEEK.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIII, Issue 162, 6 July 1878, Page 2

THE WEEK.

I question whether, all the world over, an incendiary would find a more favorable field for his operations than that afforded by New Zealand, for, if he only uses the most ordinary precaution, he may re9t quite assured that he will never be found out, and as soon as the temporary excitement and watchfulness occasioned by one bf His fires have died away he ihay. ciiictiijUe dn being a_l. to fentet* again ufcion his vile trade witli perfect safety and freedom from detection. The reason is tbis. A wise Legislature has decided— such a provision, I believe, exists iv no other part of the known world— that oh every fire there shall be an inquest. When one occurs the police immediately set to work to make inquiries. They rake up every little bit of evidence they can lay hold of; and having arrived at the end of their investigations, they take tile incendiary into their coufldence ahd tell him through the pteSs what they know about the affair. In other words an inquest is held, a jury is summoned, the Coroner presides and elicits from the witnesses produced by the police every scrap of what they do know and a good deal of what they don't know about the aifair, the reporters, as in duty bound, aiteud, and a few hours after the inquiry, or may be before the jury have arrived at : a decision, all the information the police possess is published far and wide. The incendiary of cour»e remains muni} he takes up the paper ahd reads the evidence, and chuckles over the fact that the detectives have shown him their hand. If they are on the wrong scent he allows them to run in the direction they have taken as far as they please. To him it is amusing to see them at lault, and to watch them running wide of the desired goal. If they show any sigus of getting on his track he is at onco put on his guard and takes his measures accordingly. All that can possibly bo expected from these public enquiries, if the fire'-raisor is at all an adept at his business, is that the jury shall decide that the thing has been so cleverly managed that they really have no idea how the fire occurred, or, to use the phrase ordinarily used on such occasions, that there is no evidence to show how it originated. Meanwhile Mr' Incendiary enjoys. a quiet little laugh over the folly of our laws; thinks to himself what fun it is to see the police playing his game, and begins to consider when and where he will treat the public to another flare up. This in a few words is my opinion of tbe system of holding inquests upon fires. If the public generally were to entertain similar views, tHey : could very soon put a 3top to these farces. Two or three correspondents have written chaffing letters to me exulting over tbe falsification of the prediction I ventured to make last Saturday as to the probable duration of the Waitara meeting. Of course I must admit that I was wrong: there, can be no doubt whatever about that, but the reason of my going astray ia perfectly clear. I had under-estimated the number of the natives and the eating capacity of those, who took part in the big gathering. The food was disposed of more quickly, and so the meeting terminated, earlier than I had anticipated. I feel certain thia is the reason, for no one can ever convince me .that the natives departed before, every ounce of those dr^y loads of provisions of which -we I ' heard so much had been consumed. • ""■ It was once my privilege to hearMr Richmond Hursthouse, M.H.R., addressing the electors of Motueka. On that occasion he was V honest, straightforward, and truthful, and he told his hearers that he did not lay claim to auy Parliamentary experience or great ability, but that they might depend upon it that Richmond Hursthouse would never give his vote for any measure until he had thoroughly scrutinised it, and made himself acquainted with all its bearings. ' Now, this same gentleman comes before the public in a different character, and tellsquite another tale. Then he was only a candidate; now he is. a full blown M.H.R., with the experience of two sessions to guide his footsteps. In this capacity we find him, the law^makei, applying {to one of the administrators of a law, in the passing of which he him_elf assisted, for information as to the meaning of one of the provisions in a most important Act. Can it be, he asks, that what I see before me in black and white is true? Did I actually vote for a provision which undoubtedly exists? And then, with a frankness that is absolutely charming in its simplicity, this all-acrp tinising, ferreting-out not-to-be-easily-done member of Parliament expresses his surprise and incredulity " that 86 men, niys.lf included," could have been so exceedingly stupid as to allow a provision which be regards as idiotic and vicious to be made law. Sir Donald M'Lean, who once enjoyed the honor of dandling the infant Hursthouse on his knee, has unfortunately disappeared from the scene, but where is his other nurse, Major Atkinson? He, too, as Mr Hursthouse told the Motueka electors on the same occasion on which he pledged himself to carefully examine every Bill that might be introduced into the House, had, conjointly with Sir Donald Maclean, used his best efforts to pacify the querulous babe. Why, oh why, did he withdraw his watchful eye from his protege, aud allow him to write so self-condemnatory a letter as that which he was injudicious enough to address to the Chairman of the Education Board? Silence is golden, not only in infants, who as a rule

are quite as objectionably noisy as mast have been the baby Hursthouse .when it took two stich great men as Sir Donald Maclean and Major Atkinson to pacify him, but also ___i_T v, L g il , _f n , ffl ?fl. even when they arhVii.at the stage tA\ tffelng ttembers of Parliament. And if Mi- Hhrsthous'e htfd oply appreciated the valtife 'Und importance of, keehing silent he Uji^kit wpilld have committed Hl_J_.l_ ib mk dh eAtent & to tirite to a public body asking for an explanation of what he himself had done, and so exposing himself to the horrible snubbing contained in that terse resolution passed by the Education Board, which told him that if he wanted an opinion upon the meaning and effect of a law that he had participated in passing, he had better apply to his legal adviser. The Bishop of Nelson has been elected to, and has aCdfepted, the chaplaincy of the Volutttefer Company I'om Linchpin, of gun detachment No. 1. , is Mhkt pM_tf dt this, and boasts that his Company has got a big gun now and no mistake. But unfortunately there is nothing in this life without its drawbacks, and Tom has his troubles as well as his joys over this new accession to his corps. He is somewhat unlearned in the matter of Episcopal -jres taient**, and consequently is, in ipqrtai feat, lest, be ?bmild acfone d*#M Called upon to assist ill limbering dp „n_ uimmbering the heavy piece of offfiance of which he is so proud. Who says there's nothing in a name? If anyone really delieving this had been present in the Couucil Chamber last night he would have altered hia creed immediately. The subject under discission was tbe stinks of Nfelson; and lit _pdsa__ were being made for remedying one Or tw<J of theft., whereupon Councillor Crewdson. rose aud wanted to kntitv, if thfey tfete going to deal witb some of the ntiisancfea, rthf th&f ahonldn't tackle the " fever pit " near his hodse. Now, if there is one sdbject nior_ than another that 1 can stir Oouaeillb-t^Crewdsonio eloquence, aud upon Which it is difiteuffc tb stop his talking when once he is sU-ted, it Jd this " fever pit " of his. But the Mayor was too sharp for him last night. He immediately got up and said : "I have learned, Cr Crewdson, that to deal with properties of that kind it is necessary to have a special Act of Parliament. lam going to Wellington shortly^ _fod Will see Sir George Gret, and get him to pass & Sill through the House, empowering ua to have tnis fevil remedied." Now, as I said before, Councillor Crewdson is not easily 'quieted when wound up by the " fever pit " key, but, to my astonishment, at the bare mention of the allpowerful name of the Premier, he immediately collapsed, and had not another word to say. It's a capital idea keeping such a gun in reserve wherewith to bring down a Councillor when disposed to be too talkative