The Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1879.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIV, Issue 236, 16 October 1879, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1879.

Anything more unsatisfactory than the existing state of affairs in the House it would be difficult to conceive, parties being so nearly balanced that, even should the present Government be defeated, as appears very probable, there is but little hope of a suoces"sor to it being fouud that would command the confidence of a working majority. It is a curious thing that no names are suggested as likely to be members of the Macaudrew Cabinet, which disposes us to credit to a certain extent the telegram of our correspondent a day or two ago, in which he stated that Mr Macandrew was successfully dan gling the bait of office before some four and twenty expectants. If this is the case, or if j it i3 anywhere near the truth, the probability of a new Ministry standing for any length of time seems but small, as while the four and twenty— or whatever the number of would be Ministers may be— would vote to turn Mr Hall's Government out, the number of disappointed ones would be so large, and their grievances, looked at from their point of view, so great that they would be as willing to oust the next as they are to eject the pre°sent occupants of the Treasury Benches. It is amusing to hear of Sir George Grey complaining of the action now being taken by Mr Hall iu keeping the no-confidence motion low down on the Order Paper, and contiuu- j ing to hold office while, as alleged, there is a majority of the House against him, when it, is remembered that the Government are j adopting precisely the same tactics as those introducjd into Parliamentary ; warfare by Sir Guorge himself in 1877. The country will soon be getting weary of this unseemly strife, for the measures proposed by both sides arc very similar in their character, and the fight has now resolved itself into, not what is to be done, but who is to do it In the event of the no-confidence motion bein" carried we are told that there is to be an entirely new Ministry, who are in uu wav to be held responsible for the sins of omission and commission of the late Government This is ingenious, to say the least of it, and Mr Macandrew would no doubt very much like to be thus whitewashed, and to net rid of all the unpleasant reminiscences attached to his name in connection with theTapanui and Thames railway jobs, and other little matters that u would very well suit him to have iorpiteii. And it is to be toured that lu may be successful in outuinhi.r a d^,, Vhcet with which to start, for the lone or political morality in the colony i 3 sinkiiv lower ana lower, and there is a »roivin« tendency to excuse an I f^et oit.'iices which should stamp a public ,, mM for , if(?) ai]d f(jr _ ever exclude him from the political :m-na The new uniforms for Ihe Xavil iw'^de i lately ordered from England came mil' to Meiovi;-:>9 l>v the Chitnbonizo about a fortnight ago, aßu.v,-me hiu, t ;\- «., WdlmjUon by th'j lararuu, and then ininsship,, L -.i .at., the Wellington, arriving here on Tut^chv Ihpy will be distributed to-uj»ifov urht " ' A tea and public meeting will be held at the l.imgregationiil Church this evening for the purpose of bidding farewell to "f r " S f. lily , rtoarcilboutto ; e|im ; ; \\'£l™ T mCell " S Ul conne^ion with tho in tt ' I r ilper:Ule ° Socict >- will be held eveSngSo^" 1 SCh °° Iroom t0 " n «™ Mits Hardinge Britten will tfve a scries ! of four lectures in the Theatre Koyal next I vrccit, commencing on Sunday at 8n n , when Mit. Mabiu reports the sale by action S\°; *" »tock from Dur^E island. Ihe bullocks fetched £11 to CV> P-"; !iead ' a!) J Pigs 13s fid each. d^-^-efu,ed