Nelson Evening Mail. FRIDAY, JANUARY 21, 1881.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XVI, Issue 18, 21 January 1881, Page 2

Nelson Evening Mail. FRIDAY, JANUARY 21, 1881.

On Monday ne*fc the householders throughout the Colony will be called upon to elect Local Committees of Education in accord auce with the very objectionable system provided by the Act. The retiring members will, if convenient to them, appear at the meeting. One of their number will fead the report they have to present of their doings for the past year, and then, before any time can be given to the consideration of this rrport, those present probably will, or at all events may, be called upon to express their approval of its contents by re-electing those of whose actions it contains a record. It may be, however, that, some new candidate will be desirous of offering himself; but* if he does co, it will have to be in a hurried mauner, and the householders will have to decide on the spur of tho moment whether or not they would like to see him on the Committee in preference to one, of those who has already retired. And the beauty of the whole thing is that if a new candidate is sufficiently wise in his generation to come provided with some six or eight friends determined to put him in at all hazards, it will be quite in their power to do so, even though to the large majority of the electors he should be a most objectionable man and a most undesirable member of Committee,, for every voter is armed with the tremendous power of giving to his particular favorite as many votes as there are members to be fleeted. Tb.ua> with seven members to be elected, any householder bent on mischief or on a lark, if he were to take the trouble fo hunt up some seven or eight other kindred spirits, wbuld probably be able', at the Town meeting on Monday eVenihg next, to play off a practical joke by placing on the Committee the man of the lowest repute in Nelson, provided he possessed the necessary qualification of being a householder. If ever mendments are made in 'ha Education Act, one of those most urgeutly needed will have reference to the method of electing local Comoritteea. We have to acknowledge the receipt from the publisher, Mr Brett, of Auckland, of " Brett's New Zealand and South Pacific Pilot," edited by Captain T, C. Tilly, who in * brief preface states the nbj ct of the work, which may be thus briefly summarised : — To give Bailing duwtions for the coast of New Zealand and the Pacific Islands ; tables of positions, courses, and distances ; also a 3hort notice of winds, hurricanes, and currents; while an introductory chapter supplies much useful information relative to the r^Hources of the different ports of New Zealand to any one looking out for a port for ■i cargo. Thi9 very useful work also con'ains the Nautical Almanac for 1881-82-83 in addition tp the 288 pages, which are crowded with useful information for those who " go down to the sea in shipß " anywhere in the ■ eighborhood of New Zealand. To such we can strongly recommend the "New Zealand nnd South Pacific Pi'ot " as a work which ought to occupy a place on. the shelves of their cabins. A large number of clerical and lay members of the Weeleyan Conference arrived by the Penguin from the North yesterday, by tho Wakatu from Wanganui, and by the Hawea from the South thia morning. The Conference will commence its sittings in the Provincial Hall this evening at seven o'clock, when the proceedings will be open to the public. The Rev R. Bavin and the members of the Reception Committee have been hard at work for some days in arranging for the nccomuiodalion of bo large a number of visitors, and have, we are glad to learn, been successful in finding lodgings for the whole number. The weather, which is unsettled in Nelson, is exceedingly rough nnd boisterous in other parts. On the West Coast a heavy gale from the northward bos prevented, the Charles Eilward and Wallace from getting out of flokitika, while from the same cause the Kennedy is a prisoner in Wellington. Captain Edwin evidently expects something unusual in the shape of bad weat her, as he sent an •• urgent " warning aloDg the wires this morning, which will be found in our shipping column. The monthly competition by the Naval Brigade for the Company's medal took place at the mudfiat range thia morning, when it was won by Seaman Fathers with a score of 43, Seaman Burn being second with 42, and Se«man Kankin third with 38.. The first competition for the Martini Henry carbine presented to the H Battery by Lieut. West took place this morning, the conditions being ten shots at 200 yards at tho New Wimbledon target. There were fifteen competitors, Gunner Rogers making top score with 39 with Lieut. Topliss and Gunners Clouston and H. Wimsett close up with 37. The second competition will take place next Friday morning. It will be seen in our advertising columns that Mr. Mabin will hold a large and varied sale at his auction rooms, .to-morrow when the horses will be the first to be disposed of. The body of the late Mr Buckendge will be brought to day to the house of his father-in-law, Mr Buxton, at Stoke, where the family arrived this morning from the Moutere, The furxersl will take place tomorrow in the Richmond cemetery. Mr John R. Mabij* reports that at his usual monthly sale of live stock at his yards, Richmond, on Wednesday, the 19th instant, the quantity yarded was greater than for some mouths previous. There was a good attendance of buyerß, which would have been larger but for harvest being in full swing. A pen of Southdown hogget wethers realized 9s, and a similar pen of lambs, 7s 3d. Some croßsbred sheep of mixed sexes and ages, which were sold by order of the holders of a bill of sale, brought 4s 9d. A mob of quiet fat cattle averaging 600lbs sold for £6 12s 6d, and a mob of good store brought £4 2s 6d to £4 l?s d. There were several horses offered, but there still continues to be a glut of them. The N. Z Timts of Wednesday says :— ■ There are wheels within wheels. There is a certain mystery connected with the resignation by Mr Bryce, of his position as Native Minister, which is still to be cleared up. The statement has been telegraphed and published throughout the length and breadth of the land that Mr Bryce resigned his position in the Ministry because his colleagues would not agree to his project " to occupy Parifaaka with a military force, and apprehend Te Whiti." Mr Bryce's friends now declare, speaking on the authority of his own statements, that he (Mr Bryce) never proposed such a project at all aa the immediate military occupation of Parihaka and the arrest of Te Whiti 1 That, at least, is what the friends of Mr Bryce persistently say. What tbeu was it that Mr Bryce did propose which led to the trouble in the Cabinet and his own resignation ? On this point Mr Bryce is as silent as the Sphinx, and silent as the Egyptian Pyramils. Mr Bryce Bays that when Parliament meets be will tell his oirn story, and place the matter before the colony in its true light. But ii the meantime Mr Bryce, by remaining dumb, and electing to remain silent during all the months which must elapse before Parliament meets, has j practically committed political suicide. Mr Bryce is an honest, able, cautious, and far seeing man. Why then should be suddenly resign office without putting before the people of this colony his own version of the position of the case? The whole business connected with tlie resignation of Mr , Bryce is in the moßt unsatisfactory position. There is still a further story to be told, and the people of New Zealand earnestly desire that the Ministry and Mr Bryce between them should tell it. Surely a series of official memoranda on this important matter must have passed between the Ministry, as a body, and Mr Bryce, as their colleague. It would be interesting to have these documents laid before the world, to clear op what at present wears a certain aspect of doubt and mystery. Referring to the proposed additional reductions and amalgamations in the Civil

Service, the Post saya :~Messrs Batkin and Seed will make a tour of inspection throughout the whole colony, in order to ascertain in what departments and places the desirable aoialganJations can most conveniently be effected,, with a view to the reduction, of expense, without impairing the practical' efficiency of the service. It is understood that the reforms now contemplated will proceed on the general lines laid down by the Civil Service Royal Commission in the report which created so great a sensation when it was sfent in last year. It will be remembered; however; that the Commissioners only indicated the general principles on which, in their opinion, a scheme of thorough reorganization in the Civil Service ought to proceed. This left the details still to be supplied, and we believe the view taken by the Government is, that these can heat be arrived at by an exhaustive investigation conducted by experienced departmental officers,., On completing their toiir of the colony, Messrs Bat kin and Seed will report lo the Government the result ol their investigations, and on such report, coupled with that of the Civil Service Commission, the full and final scheme of Civil Service reorganisation promised last session by the present Ministry will in all probability be based. It may fairly be supposed that the report, when forthcoming, will show the utmost extent to which retrenchment, amalgamation, and reorganisation generally can be carried iv our Civil Service without deterioration of its usefulness. '