Nelson Evening Mail. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1880.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XV, Issue 237, 6 October 1880, Page 2

Nelson Evening Mail. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1880.

Tub Premier has been taking a holiday and after the hard work of the session has been spending a few days among the "boors," as Sir George Grey called them, who sent him to Parliament. But instead of devoting his holiday to rest, he has been taking an active part in local matters, and has taken his seat as member of the Selwyn County Council, in which capacity he appears to have been doing good service. For this he is being taken to task by the press, and riu'htly so, for, fond though he is of downright hard work, there must be a limit to his as to every other man's capacity in this direction, and surely there is at present quite enough for the Prime Minis ter of tho colony to do without interfering in such comparatively petty matters as those which are dealt with by County Councils. The Christchurch Pre*s administers a goodnatured lecture to Mr Hall for not giving his mind entirely to colonial affairs when ho is in harness, and for not taking a complete rest when he is able to obtain a few days' respite from the cares of office, and concludes a humorous article ou tho subject as follows: — " Assuredly no man needs a holiday more or deserves il bettor, and we should be tho last to grudge him as long a rest as may be necessary to re-establish him entirely in health and spirits. It is his duty as well as his right to take such a rest. He cannot possibly do justice without it to the responsibilities that he has undertaken. But is he taking rest ? Can a man be said to be enjoying a holiday who deliberately attends County Council meetings ? George Augustus Sala tells a story of v waiter in London who had never had a holiday for years. At length he begged for one, and his employer willingly gave him the day. On the morrow he returned, in high spirits, and the hotclkecpcr said to him, "Well, John, how did you enjoy your holiday?" "Oh, very much indeed, thank you sir. 1 feel all the better for it." " Indeed ; why, where did you go ? What did you do with yourself?" '.Well sir I went to the eating-house round the corner and helped Tom, the waiter, with his work !" Is it possible that the Premier, like the poor waiter, wants not so much rest as change of scene and company ? Is it possible that ho really finds the rollicking fun of the Selwyn County Council a relief from the perpetual gloom of the Cabinet Council ? Mr. Dick and Mr. Rolleston are certainly pretty dismal, and even the Major and Mr. J3ryce are hardly sons of Momus ; but Mr. Oliver is tovjours gai. Nothing ever depresses Mm. He goes the length of introducing screaming jokes into Public Works Statements. We admit, however, that even his side-splitting merriment may pall on one in time; and if it is understood that tho Premier flies to the County Council as a refuge from his colleagues, of course we have not a word to say." A bumor having been in circulation that it was not the intention of tho Government to proceed with the West Coast road, we have made enquiries at the Public Works Office, and find that, as is frequently the case with such rumors, there was but little foundation for that which caused so much •uneasiness this morning. So far aa we are

able to learn, the instructions to survey and report upou the line of road were issued from Wellington without reference to the head of the department, who, upon learning what had been done, decided that it would not be necessary to go over the whole line, as there were already in the office detailed and complete reports on the whole subject. All that will be required is an estimate of the cost of a certain section between l Hampdeu and theLyell, on which the road has never been formed for dray trade, and this will be surveyed on receipt of further instructions, In no town in New Zealand are the Justices of the Peace more regular in their attention to their duties than in Nelson^ but It occa- , sionally happens that> ;not'.vUhstanding their general willingness to sit on the Bench when . required, they cannot make it convenient to attend, Such was the case this morniogj ■ arid suitors, sojMtoM} And others whose busiuess called tnem to the Court were kept waiting for nearly half an hour before the uiesseuger who was despatched in search of aJ P. was successful in his mission. It is < exceedingly unfair to the public that they should be put to this inconvenience, and they certainly will not be disposed to submit quietly to it if there is a frequent repetition of such delays as occurred this morning. A tele gk am having been received from Wellington announcing the arrival of new arms for the City Rifles, the members of that corps are requested to send in the rifles at present in their possession without delay. Sweeping reductions in the Police Department are aunounced in our telegrams to-day, Inspectors Mallard and If ox of Otu^o, Pender of Timaru, llaast of Greymouth, Buckley of Kaiapoi, Kiely of Hokitika (late of Nelson), and Sub-luspector O'Donnel of Christchurch having received notice that their services will be dispensed with after the 31st iustaut. If they go on at this rate the Government will be able to report at the next session of i Parliament that they have effected a far greater saving than was ever anticipated, and by that time they will probably, in consequence of the vigorous action they are taking in the direction of retrenchment, have made more enemies than any previous Administration in New Zealand. A full description of the New Zealand Court in the Melbourne Exhibition by the correspondent of the N. Z. Times will be found on tbe fourth page. A notice has been posted at the Telegraph Office staling that on and after this date the telegraph stations at Greymouth, Hokitika, Ross, Reefton, and Westport will be opeu from 7 pm. till 7*30 p.m. instead of from 7 30 p.m. till 8 p m as heretofore. A gentleman at Gisborne, writing to a friend in Wellington, says:— "We have our oil springs now started by a Sydoey Company, which will turn out a success if they strike good oil, and in that case town property will go to a very bigh price. There is a good deal ofsp culation just now in the company's shares (6d paid up) and they are selling at Is to Is Id premium. The worst of it is, nearly all the shares are owned by the big American capitalist? iv Sydney, and they will not part with them. They would only let us have 6000 out of 50,000. They think that they will be able to Btrike oil in about six months. Things have been very dull here for a year — no money iv the place — but the town will look up during the coming summer.