The Nelson Evening Mail. FRIDAY, MAY 13, 1881.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XVI, Issue 113, 13 May 1881, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. FRIDAY, MAY 13, 1881.

—'.*•" i f — •"" ' . — ~ — ; — —————————— ' THB'Parliamept, which is to meet in less than a month, will on this occasion assemble under more, favorable circumstances than in 1880 or 1879. More light has been Bhed upon the' financial condition of the' colony, and although the state of things which that light revealed wa% startling and bewildering and almoßt incredible, it is| well for us that our eyes- were opened to it ere it was too late. As the result of a knowledge of our position many sacrifices have had to be made, and little luxuries, to which we had been accustomed; to be foregone, but the effect of all thisis certainly satisfactory, as witness the reveinne. and expenditure returns which are ' published to-day . in our telegraphic bridge.. During the year a quarter of a millidn of newly-impos.d taxes have heen paid into the Treasury chest, and, though a great difference, of opinion exists as to whether the best mode was adopted of raising the additional revenue, the people have met the claims made upon them almost without a. murmur, and apparently with very little difiicnlty. The Maori difficulty, which at one time threatened to assume very serious proportions, hp _ subsided, and there is every reason tp believe that, by a continuance of ttie present judicious treatment of it, it may prMaaliy die gut altogether, and thus

relieve tbe colony of a large annual expenditure. There has been an abundant harvest throughout the colony, and the market being no longer ruled by the demand arising within our own immediate boundaries, the farmarß can reasonably calculate upou obtaining remunerative prices, as Eugland can consume all the grain New Zealand can Bnpply for some years to come. On the whole tbe prospects generally are far brighter than they have been for tho last year or two, and the Colonial Treasurer should have a comparatively pleasant tale to tell. No less than five fires are reported in our telegrams to-day, two being from Sydney, one from Wanganui, one from Ashburton, and one from Dunedin. Thß insurances on the various buildings destroyed and their contents amount in tbe aggregate to nearly £IC,0 0 0. REPiiRKiNG to the will of the late Sir William Martin the Guardian says: — " Sir WJ Martin having given hia widow a life interest in his entire estate (£4000), directs that afc ber death £1000 sball be divided among four nieces whom he names, and the remainder of the estate shall be realised 'and the proceeds paid to the Bishop of Auckland, for 1 , he Native Pastorate Fund for endowment purposes. In the case of Dermott v. Panama Gold Mining Company heard this morning, in which the plaintiff sued for £19 10s., balance of amount alleged to be due for salary as secretary, the Bench gave judgment for tbe defendants with costs £5 2s. Mr Bunny appeared for the plaintiff, and Mr Peroy Adams for the defendants. Fbom an Auckland paper We learn that Signor Riccardi, .better known to the Nelson public as "Sir Joseph Porter, X.C.8," has been charged in the Police. Court with giving expression to utterances of a non-official and somewhat undignified character in connection With one William Henry FentoD, whom he called " a low scoundrel, a mean bound, and ! a liar," adding thereto that he would spend j the nest two years of his life ia resisting I payment of a debt due to the said Fenton. The "Ruler of the Queen's Navee" was bound over to keep the peace for six months. A football match will be played in tbe Botanical Reserve to-morrow afternoon between the Nelson and College football clubs, j The following will form the Nelson team'.:— J. Askew, E. T. Atkinson, W. Atkinson, J. Black, Booth, Hunter Brown, Burnett, Campbell, Clou9ton, Harley, Palmer, H. Pickett, J. Sharp, Walker, and Weeding. The ball will be kicked off at half past two.