THE WEEK.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIII, Issue 176, 24 August 1878, Page 2

THE WEEK.

Those who looked for an occasional something of an interesting character from Wellington during the session of Parliament must have been woefully disappointed hitherto by the tameness of the proceedings ihe absence of an organised Opposition, no matter how weak, is productive of anything but satisfactory results, as the Government, careless of the individual criticisms of a few l,nSfi« lers . w . Uo now an <* rise to express hostile opinions, are enabled to rush their S2IS. B £ r ? ugh without lhafc caref ul ~ " diff£i_ n • Glng aCC ° rded t0 them thafc Und <* ?_rtn* * cir «^cesthey would be sure to receive. Grumble and growl as we may

do, and have done, at the inordinate length of some of the debates that have taken place ! in the House, one cannot help feeling ,that, I after all, ifc is better that matters should be fully discussed and freely criticised thau that they should be accepted without question, for the sole reason that they emanate from a Government which can boast of so strong a numerical majority that it has no ! doubt whatever of all that it proposes being agreed to. One craves for a fight if it is only for the sake of breaking the monotony of the peace that apparently reigns supreme where events of a more stirring nature were looked for. . „ , Has Mr Joyce. M.H.R., & riiibd far in advance of this very advanced age or has he a bevy of friends amongst the photographic artists who are so numerous at the present day? I ask the question because I see that he is desirous of using photographs as a means of assisting in the promotion of manhood siifferage. Any arguments that might be raised against the adoption of this system on the ground that it might be abused by dishonest persons who would not hesitate to pretend that their name was Jones when in reality it was Smith are disposed of summarily by a proposition which mav be best expressed in Mr Joyce's own words. He says:— "lfc might be made possible to preveut personation by t\ie adoption of some very simple plan. A man, for instance, might bo required to deposit his protograph." Some of the members of the House, I fear, were rude enough to ridicule this somewhat original idea, for Hansard reports that Mr Joyce proceeded to say:—" Honorable members laugh, but I do not see why such a suggestion should be laughed at. Ido not see why we should not bring into use a scientific process which would secure what the law has hitherto failed in securing." Of course if one of those who claim the right to vote raay be called upon to produce his photograph before eierdsing his electoral privilege, all may be required to do the same, and therefore, in order to make sure that they are not refused, they will have to go to the polling booth armed with a carte de visite. Now, S3 Mr Stout tells us that there are no less than 120,000 males over 21 years of age who ought to be allowed to vote, just think what a Paradise for photographers this New Zealand of ours would become if Mr Joyce's idea were acted upon. But, somehow or other, I don't think it will. I like an occasional dip into Hansard. If you are disposed for readiug of a particularly dull and heavy character you can always make sure of finding it in a few pages of the blue-covered pamphlet; if you are desirous of meeting with a racy little tidbit you may depend upon discovering it, provided that you read long and carefully enough. Por instance, the Electoral Bill was the means of bringing out Mr Wason the other day, and inducing him to make a remark that was complimentary to a degree to married women in their business capacity, while it contained a hard hit at the Colonial Treasurer. It was none the worse for being wrapped up in a very few words, and these were as follow:— "I say it is the married women of the country who are the political educators of the wage-earning class. While the men are outside working in the fields the women are at home striving to do every day what the Colonial Treasurer tries to do only once a year— namely, to make both ends meet." If Mr Wason succeeds in getting married women placed on the electoral roll, as he is anxious to do, he ought to be pretty sure of his election the next time he goes to the poll, unless equal rights are accorded to single women, and there should happen to he many of them in his district. To these he is the very reverse of complimentary, speaking of them, as he does, as " spinsters who are of that class known as 'carpet-baggers.' who are here to-day and away to-morrow." If these "spinsters " are allowed to vote, Mr Wason, though he is a member of the House to-day, will probably find himself away next Parliament. On Thursday night Sandy and David, two "blither Scots," not long out from home, met at au iun up country. Sandy had been reading the Mail with the report of the fire iu Hardy-street, and was naturally much shocked afc the account of the burning of the horses. He was full of the subject, and the following conversation took place between the two men. There may be errors in my orthography, and possibly I have not adhered strictly to the Scotch idioms, but I give it as closely as I can: — Sandy: Daavid, mon, A wadna leeve in Neelson an they war to gie me parritch free, and pay me for drinking whuskey. David: D'ye say so Sandy, and what for no? Sandy: Eh, mon, it's jest the maist uncanny pleece that ever A hard o'. D'ye mind hoo, twa or three weeks agone, the paper telled hoo a mon was settin' readin' by his ain fireside, when there war an awf u' c'atterin' noise ootside, and when he rushit oot ben the boose to see what it a' meant he rinned agin a great daft beastie that was a stannin' at the door and knockit him doon before he knew where he war? David: Aye, aye, Sandy, A mind it weel. Eh, but 'twas a fearf u' thing to happen to ony man. Sandy: Aye, but noo there's samething far waur nor that. Ye maun ken therebeen a fire in toon, and a leddy wha was wakifc oot o' her sleep by the shoutin' and the screamiu' leapifc oot o' bed and rin doon the stairs and jest as she gat to the door a great bleezin' horse that was wrappifc up in a sheet o' fire jumpit iu at the windy, smashin' the glass to bits, and makin' sic a de'il o ? a clatter that — David: Nae, nae, Sandy, that willna do, ye canna stick sic a yairn as that intil me. Sandy: But mou, it's pairfectly true. A wadna ha' beleeved it mysel' an A hadna seen ifc wi' me ain ees in the paper, but there it is richt eneuch. David: D'ye tell me sae? Eh, Sandy, 'twar a sair day day when we left auld Scotland to come oot to a pleece where sic awf u' things can happen. Sax and twenty years did I live iu Pairth and never in a' that time did I hear o' the like. Sandy, ma nairves is sair shuk, what d'ye say till a drap o' whuskey? It is to be hoped that Sandy and David will not write their experiences of Nelson to their friends at home, for if they do it will necessitate an addition to the staff of emigration agents to allay the fears they will raise. j^