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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XV, Issue 30, 4 February 1880, Page 2

A Hamilton telegram of Saturday says : — Mr Whitaker addressed his constituents at a meeting largely and influentially attended. The Mayor presided. Mr Whitaker reviewed the last session, and declared it impossible that Sir G. Grey could succeed, at from the first his party was disorganised. Mr Macandrew was the other alternative, and Mr Hall'a Ministry was preferable, as the country required good administration. He praised Major Atkinson's financial policy as sound, particularly in not treating the land fund as revenue, and as calculated to restore confidence in the minds of Home capitalistsHe praised the liberal electoral reform and land lawß made by the present Government, and urged the necessity of self-denial and economy by the people of the Colony, without which any restoration of the equilibrium of finances was impossible. He believed the present Government contained the best administrative talent in the country, which was the main thing. He was listened to throughout with marked interest, and received a unanimous vote of thanks, amidst cheers. Tbe Fatea correspondent of the Post wrote as follows last Thursday : — The native chiefs in this district are somewhat sullen through the turn of affairs that have taken place in reference to tbe Waimate Plains. I have had a long {conversation with one influential phief , who, in speaking of the action tftken )

by the Government, said -" Before the pake has oame to New Zealand the Maoris used to fight, kil], and afterwards eat their prisoners. When the missionaries arrired oh the scene, and told them that it was bad to eat their prisoners, they asked them to whom they were to look for food, and were told to look above to God. They did bo, and were friendly with each other afterwards; but after a while the pakeha fought with the Maori. Did God tell them to do this ? If so, why did the missionaries Bay it was bad to fight?" There is to be a large meeting at Manawatu shortly, and several chiefs wil go there " to talk with God, and not with man " (so says this chief), upon the present action of the Government. From what I can glean from his language I should presume that this meeting will be held in order to decide whether they afe to offer any resistance or not in the matter of thfl Waimate Plains. Until after this meeting no resistance will be offered, but it is just probable that after all the settlement of the question may be attended with greater difficulties than are presumed to exist at present. Mr Barton, late of Wellington, has commenced business in San Francisco. He has issued a business card, in which he says he was the leading practitioner in New Zealand, and was personally acquainted with the principal statesmen, merchant*, and lawyers. On the back of the card are references from Sir George Grey, Maeandrew, and Messrs Stout, Sheehan, Proudfoot and Mackay. A fisherman in Sydney Harbor hooked a shark, a 12-footer, which, on being hauled to the surface, rushed open-mouthed at the boat, seized the stern, and shook it like a terrier would a rat. The occupants thrust a lance nearly through the shark, wh?ch again attacked and seized th« side of the boat, just failing to bite the toprail, or probably it would have torn the side of the boat out. Ultimately it was killed with repeated thrusts of the lance, but not until it had left a number of its teeth sticking into the boards of the boat. , : Referring to the want of employment in Dunedin, a correspondent of the Evening Star says, that on a recent morning,' while walking along Princes and George-streets, he noticed a legion, of good, willing, and ablebodied mechanics out of employment, sufficient to build and thoroughly equip a steamer of 500 to 1000 tons, many of them not having worked for" months. There were old colonials of seventeen and. twenty years' standing ; and there were also new chums — men of all trades, but unable to find work to provide bread for themselves and families.