THE WEEK.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIII, Issue 272, 23 November 1878, Page 2

THE WEEK.

The hope 3of those who desired to see a contested election for the Mayoralty of Nelson have been raised since la3t I wrote, only to be dashed to the ground a day or two late. The rumor got abroad that the gentleman who at present holds the office was to be I " requisitioned " to come forward again, but j there was a doubt whether he would consent. But when the requisition was sent in, the I strong eipressiou of confidence in him which it contained and the long list of names of those who thus testified to their desire to see him re-occupy the Mayoral chair were not to be lightly set on one side, and so be consented. Then began the preparations for the fight that by many was eagerly looked forward to, and rumours were abroad of Committees being formed and Committee rooms engaged. But when the other candidate saw the unexpected battle that was in store for him, and the powerful opposition he would have to meet, he, wisely, perhaps, for himself, but to the disappointment of those whose combative faculties were ready to be aroused at the shortest public notice, exercised that discretion which is said to be the better part or valor, fired a blank cartridge and retired from the field. And so it happens that next Wednesday 'will pass over {like any other ordiuary day, and devoid of the little excitement that was anticipated, A newly arrived immigrant in one of the New Zealand ports proved himself the other day to be of a most accommodating disposition. BeiDg questioned as to the occupation to which he had been accustomed he stated I it in a few words, and wa3 then asked whether he was married or single. " Single," was the reply, "but if a married couple should be wanted, I am prepared to get married at once and apply for the situation in less than a week." A man who is ready to adapr. himself to circumstances like j that ought to get on well in the colony. A difficulty, however, might arise if he wanted to change his condition again back to that of a bachelor in the event of the services of a, | single man beiug required. There is a keen coutest going on in Wellington just now over the Mayoralty election, ' and so much dirt is being thrown about in all directions that I should think the civic chair was scarcely worth the purchase at the cost of being subjected to so much virulent abuse as is being showered on the heads of the two candidates. The following will serve as a sample of the amiable little things that are being said, and the mildness of the i language used. There is no occasion to give the name of the paper quoted from or of the candidates alluded to, the initial letter of their names being quite sufficient:— "ln the present Mayoralty contest some of the supporters of MrD are resorting to a species of filthy blackguarding which canuot be too j strongly reprobated. At the meeting last eveniDg, held at the Priocess Hoi el, a person clothed in broadcloth aud fine liven told a story about Mr H having been seen hold ing a baby in his ann 3 belonging to the wife of a working man, while the latter was getting into a cab Now, this story, if it had any foundation in fact, simply showed that Mr H possesses a kindly and genial ; nature which makes him cqurteous to any man or woman, whether high or low in the social scale. But the man who told the story graced his narrative with sundry jeers and insinuations, thereby trying to. create the impression that Mr H — — had been guilty of something very improper;" It ia quite evident that if you wish to be Mayor of Wellington you must lake care what you do, and especially must you avoid babies ; also, ' that if you tell stories at a public meeting iv Wellington you must be prepared to be spoken of in language that, to say the least of it, is vigorous. j We have had a lot of cheap entertain I menta of late. On Saturday night there was Mr Scott, the wire walker, oa Tuesday, Professor Scott, who aspires to the power of ! holding man's most dreaded enemy, pain, in subjugation ; and on Wednesday the I political meeting, when the conveners of- it, unlike the "king," told the people not what they could do, but what they had done. At all these gatherings speeches were made, varied alike in quality and quantity, and having been asked which I considered the be3t I wish to place on record my opinion on this subject, and J. Un- ! hesitatingly award the palm to Mr Scott, the wire walker. One of its greatest merits was its brevity, but I do not pronounce in its favor on this ground slone, but chiefly on account of the result it produced. I did not take shorthand notes, but its substance may be given as follows:— "Ladies and gentlemen: You have seen the feats I have performed. If they are such as ia your opinion to merit a reward, I may tell you that a couple of gentlemen will take the hat rouud in order to give you an opportunity of showing your appreciation ie a substantial manner." Did you ever see the snow that had fallen during the night on the " Fringed Hill " disappear under the influence of the morning's sun? That's the way that crowd melted away. I never listened to a more effective speech in my life. We are kept remarkably well informed by telegraph on all the leading events and thrilling incidents of Wellington life. Only last week we were told that there wa3 a scarcity of coke, which rendered the consumption of coal necessary, and threatened to put a stop to the manufacture of biscuits at somebody's establishment. Here I may remark parenthetically that in regard to this particular I matter we have not been treated with the { usual amount of consideration. We have never been told whether the coke famine has come to an end, and all Nelson has been kept in anxious suspense for tea days in consequence of the absence of further intelligence about the biscuits. Can it be possible that Wellington has not had a biscuit to munch for a whole week, and we have heard nothing of it by telegraph ? However, the Agency has amplyiatonedforany little laxity in this respect by flashing along the wires a piece of newa that must have been eagerly I read last night by hundreds. Jt was as toU

lows j— ° In order the better to keep down the dast the city will he watered with a mixture of fresh arid salt water." The next thing W6 shall hear will be that, in order to prevent all chance of his suffering from the stomachache, Mr Somebody or other, about whom outsiders care just as much as they do about Wellington dust and the means taken to allay it, has decided to mix brandy with his water. Jf,