The Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, JUNE 28, 1880.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XV, Issue 153, 28 June 1880, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, JUNE 28, 1880.

Exactly ten years ago to-day, Sir Julius — then Mr, for he had not at that time earned his Knighthood at the expense of the colony — -Yogel introduced into the House of Representatives his famous public works policy. " New Zealand was completely dazzled thereby ; even if in imagination only, there was something so fascinatiDg in revelling in the wealth which was to roll into the country at one wave of the great magician's wand, that she was utterly unable to resist the luring temptation, and without hesitation she entered upon the wild headlong career that her popular Premier had traced out for her. It is needless to trace that career step by step ; it is enough for us to know that we have reached the limit of our tether, that the dream is over, and that after a decade of dissipation the end has come at last. True, the millions have flowed into the country in an uninterrupted stream, and with a readiness and regularity that none, even of the most enthusiastic of the supporters of the original scheme, ever dared to anticipate, but is the country so much better off than she was ten years ago tbat she can afford to pay three quarters of a million annually for the benefits she has derived from the expenditure of the capital that the English money lender has entrusted to us ? Has it been so judiciously laid out as to improve our estate to such an extent as to enable it to bear, without the weight proving inconveniently heavy, the additional burden that has been placed upon it ? If we could but reply in the affirmative to these questions we might, on the 28th June, 1880, look back with unalloyed pleasure upon the 28Lh June, 1870, as a red letter day in our colonial calendar ; as matters have turned out, there are thousands upon thousands in New .Zealand who would be only too well pleased if the sun had never risen upon that day. Our readers are reminded of the concert to be given to-night in aid of the Lunatic Asylum Recreation Fund, which promises to be a great success. . A confirmation was held at the Bishopdale Chapel laat evening, when sixteen boys of the Nelson College were confirmed by the Bishop, who had taken them in classes for the last six Sundays. The Chapel was full, and the service, which was attended by many parents of the boys confirmed, was very impressive. The Bishop will hold confirmations on Sunday next, at Christ Church in the morning and at All Saints in the evening. An inquest was held at Richmond on Saturday before Dr. Boor, the coroner, and a jury, on the body of Mrs Castle, aged 62 years, who had died suddenly on the previous night. A post mortem examination was made by Dr. Monckton, who stated that apoplexy was the cause of death, and a verdict was returned accordingly. The Froliques Company will arrive tomorrow, and give their first entertainment in the Theatre lioyal in the evening, when they should draw a large audience, as the performance is reputed to be a most amusing one. " Everywhere," says a Victorian contemporary, " that they have appeared, whether in Sydne> , Adelaide, Melbourne, or Ballarat, they have been received with such special marks of approval (hat they have every reason to be satisfied with their measure of success." The acoustic properties of the Provincial Hall are very faulty, as must have been discovered by all who are iv the habit of attending the Courts when held there, the result being that occasionally the evidence of low-voiced witnesses is strangely misiuterpreted. An instance of this occurred the other day in the case of Scaife v. Boddington, when the Judge in hi 3 summing up found that, according to his notes, he had to tell the jury that upon a certain date the defendant had in his possession " four sacks of oaten cheese." In appraising the value of this remarkable commodity, the jury might possibly have been a little at a loss, but fortunately one of the counsel came to the rescue, and explained that there must have been a slight misunderstanding, as what the witness really did say was " four stacks of oaten sheaves." In Banco this morning before his Honor the Chief Justice, Mr Conolly applied for the costs in the trial in the case of Thomas v. Adams under the " Vexatious Indictments Act, 1870," stating that if ever there was a case in which costs should be allowed this was one, as the defendant had previously been acquitted by the Justices, and was vexatiously put on his trial. Mr Bunny replied, and a lengthy argument ensued, at the close of which his Honor reserved judgment — In the case of Scaife v. Boddington a decree was granted, on the application of Mr Fell, declaring the deeds of settlement fraudulent and void, and vesting, the property in the trustee, Mr Scaife. T. S. Wtmond and Co desire to inform the public that they have received, via Melbourne, a large assortment of boots and shoes, of best makes, at exceptionally 'low prices, for which see advertisement to-mor-row. In the House on Friday night, Mr Hursthouse said that he would rather see departments abolished than the salaries of civil servants reduced. If they reduced the Civil Service expenditure by £250,000 they would have to give a good deal of compensation to I tbe flisisisseO. officials lie Very much

doubted the power of any Government to make such wholesale reductions. They had luxuries in that House which they could do without, and he mentioned especially the "bauble" on the table and . the bauble attached to it. He also spoke of the luxuries of Bellamy's. He had heard hon. members grumbling with the soup and every other course supplied to them at the table in that place, but many of those members, he had reason to believe, fared Bumptuously during the session and lived on breasts of mutton for the rest of the year. (Laughter). „ Thb NZ. Times of Saturday says j—Considering that there is a no-confidence debate on, lobby gossip is singularly uninteresting and destitute of point. There are rumors, of course, rumors of middle parties and corner parties) but there is little or nothing in them. The debate, too, drags wearily iv the face of the fact that, unless Ministers bungle egregiously, they are sure of a wide majority on the division. We should regard the time occupied fey the debate rts titns wasted were it not that superfluous combativenfisd \^ill he expended, and then members will seriousiy turn their attention to the practical bussiness of the session and carry it through with a rush. The business, however, will involve wholesale retrenchment. Upon that poiat both, parties are thoroughly agreed, arid also that a revision of the financial propositions of the Government must ensue We hdped that a division would have been taken this week, but the speaking power is not yet exhausted, and, therefore, it will, in all likelihood, be^postponed till Wednesday or Thursday next. On dit that Mr Ballance is to move* when the Beer Tax is before the House, that the tax be reduced from 6d to 3d per gallon, and that he has secured a large following upon His amendment., j ; < • ■ ' During the hearing of the sly grog selling cases in Wellington the other day, the Magistrate made soirie very severe comments concerning the informers Reilly and Henry, which showed that he did not attach much credence to their statements in the witnessbox; and just before the adjournment took place, he said — I hope it will be a very long time before we have atiy more cases of this kind to deal with. I must emphatically proteat against the employment by the police of a man like Reilly — a man who haß been shown in his true colors for what he is worth. He is not fit to be employed by any person in any capacity whatever, for he has proved himself to be one of the most accomplished liars, perjurers, and swindlers I have ever seen in the witness box. (Sensation.) In the House on Wednesday Mr Richmond asked the Government whether they intended to amend the Education Act with the view of charging fees, or levying a household rate, so as to recoup in some measure the sum of £297,730 which the House is asked to vote for education. The Minister for Education replied that no amendment would be made in the direction indicated, though there would be some amendments in regard to the administration of the department.