The Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1880.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XV, Issue 49, 26 February 1880, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1880.

' We are glad to learn that the fears which I i we entertained, and gars expression %o last I

night, lest the railway extension irom Bell Grove was again to ba delayed, haVe been proved to be groundless and that there will be no ueed to raise the " unemployed "' cry in order to secure the carrying out of the WOrk, Mr Acton Adams, M.H.R., having, in reply to a letter addressed by him to the Minister for Public WorkSj received (lie following telegram last night:— "Re your letter of the 7th February, the Engineer-in-Charge of Middle Island railways wires me that the Minister has instructed him to call for tenders for another section of the Nelson and Roundel! railway next week. The time for completion will be shortened as much as possible, but it will be impossible to make it anything so short as you suggest. — John Knowles, Under-Secretary Public Works." We have for so long been fed npon promises in the matter of this railway, that it is {really refreshing to find a Government in office who are. in earnest in the matter, and, unlike their predecesstrs, perform as well as promise. . . The preparations for the Rifle Association meeting are now nearly complete, and the ground presents quite a lively scene. In addition to the wooden buildings, fire in number, there- are thirty four bell tents pitched, and one large one to be used as a store and Secretary's office, and to-day the large Foresters' booth is being erected, which will be used as a mess room for the men and a canteen. Close to this a capacious kitchen is ia the course of erection for Mr Osborne, the caterer, who is determined to leave nothing undone to give satisfaction to those for whom he has undertaken to provide. The targets and butts are cow all erected, and everything connected with the firing itself is in complete order, the distances are all accurately measured, and at some of the ranges mounds hays been built of sods, at each of which is placed a number corresponding with that of the target to be fired at. These mounds have been rendered necessary by the removal of the targets to lower ground than that which they occupied last year, and by a bank which runs across the field. Mr Christie has spared bo pains to get everything in readiness, and has carefully studied the convenience of the shooters in every respect. A telegram was received kit night from Mr Stevens, stating that be would be unable to be present, and it is probable that Captain Webb will perform tht duties of Secretary. The Northern-representatives will arrive by the Wellington about 9 o'clock this evening ; Colonel Packe, Majors Lean and Baillie, Captain Muir, of Dunedin, and .the Marlborough men, by the Taiaroa to morrow, and the remainder of the Southern representatives by the Wellington, which will make a trip across from Wellington on Saturday. Mr Stone, the railway manager, who is always anxious to study the public convenience, intends laying on a special train to run every afternoon from Nelson to Brightwater, returning to town about six o'clock. We are not aware whether he has it in hi 3 power to alter the existing rates to the extent of charging single fares for the return trip by that train, but, if this were done, it would probably have the effect of very considerably increasing the passenger traffic. The Appleby bridge will be closed for repairs for ten days from Monday next. The Rev. J. Beckenham will lecture at the Hope school-room this evening. The Wellington Naval Brigade fired this morning ia the match with the Dunedin Navals, and made the splendid score of 669, the top scores being 76 and 74 respectively out of a possible 84. The Port Chalmers Brigade has yet to fire. Wb may remind the members of the Nelson Institute that the annual meeting of the Society takes place at half-past seven this evening. Within the last two years various importaut reforms have been carried out in the management of the Library. The selection of works to be added in the first instance devolves on a sub-Committee who make it their duty to keep the library supplied with the best literature of the day. The former mode of keeping account of books taken out and returned, having being inefficiently worked a simpler method has been devised by which it is made easy for the Librarian to check any irregularities, and some of the Committee have, at much expense of time and trouble, re-arranged the Library according to subjects, and furnished the readingroom with works of reference. This should be borne in mind at the election of Commit-tee-men to-night, when, we understand, the number of candidates will be larger than usual. The number of subscribers should be large in proportion. In reply to several enquiries from our country subscribers we may state that the Fencing Act introduced into Parliament last year, and of. which we publiihed an abstract at the time, did net pass, but was on* of the many innocents so ruthlessly put out of the way towards the close of the session. The Hon. Minister of Public Works will most probably return to Wellington about Sunday next, and we uaderatand that he will shortly afterwards go to Nelson, probably by the Hinemoa, and thence to the West Coast, Middle Island. We hear that efforts will be made to get him to do the overland trip from Nelson to Reefton and Greymouth, so that he may judge for himself as to the capabilities of the country which the much-talked-of Nelson and West Coast railway ' will traver»e, whenever its construction is ' decided on. — N. Z. Time*. " H.M.S. Pinafore " is being played in Melbourne with the following cast -.—Admiral, Mr Riccardi •, Buttercup, Miss Leaf ; Josephine, Mrs Williamson ; Deadeye, Mr Tom Rainford ; Ralph, Mr Louis Braham ; and " BoVn," Mr OllyDeering. The chorus consists of over fifty trained voices, and in the mounting, wherever possible, realism has been aimed at. The whole of the stage is devoted to the deck, and there is a view of Portsmouth in the back ground. Real masts and yards are manned by real sailors ; aHd in fact every attempt has been made to present a fac-simile of a vessel of war. In Sydney the piece ran for eight weeks to full houses. | Messrs Sharp and Picktring held their annual sale of stock at the White Hart Hotel, Richmond, yesterday, and the very large attendance of buyers and settlers proved the completion of the harvest operations, as farmers from all parts were on the ground, and the chief topic of conversation I amongst them was stock and grain, and what price they were likely to obtain for the latter. The sheep and cattle peas were full, besides a very large number of horses being tied up for sale, in fact the general appearance of the sale yards reminded one more of Wanganui or Christchurch. The public mus tered about 300 strong, and this, coupled with the fact that almost every lot was sold at fair prices, is, we think, a. sign of better timas haviflg commenced. The sale commenced at half-past two and concluded shortly after 5 o'clock, the total proceeds having been no less than £1050.