The Nelson Evening Mail. SATURDAY, JULY 23, 1881.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XVI, Issue 174, 23 July 1881, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. SATURDAY, JULY 23, 1881.

Is onr Parliamentary telegrams on Thursday it wsb reported that a question had been jrat to the Government relative to a case in Nelson in which a Crown tenant was subjected to a penalty equal to 100 per cent on tbe amount of the rent for non-payment thereof on the due date. Tbe Government in reply stated tbat such was the law, but tha nutter referred to would be locked into. The J»W; we nwy stftte, is contained, in a Provincial

Ordinance and its provisions in this reßpect are that the rent shall be paid twelve months in advance, fay, on the Ist January. Should it rr main unpaid on tbe Ist July it iB doubled, ard in tbe event of its not being psid by the Ist October the lease is forfeited. The law bas now been in operation for seme fifteen years, opd oti the whole bas nof been found to operate harshly, but there have been one cr two etises id which tb(- penalty app;ais to have been ur.den ri-eL One is a= follows: — A settlf-r in Golden Bay occupying land under one of the c leases was on his way to Nelson so pay tbe rent, and was driving a mob of cattle over at the same time. The cattle were ivild, and some of them bolted into the bush whence several days were ocrupiel in recovering them. The result was that the lessee, instead of being in Nelson on i\u- Ist July, did not present himself at i he office until tbe 9ib. when he found ti at the amount he hid to pay) instead of being £15 bad swelled to £30. There Was no I heip for it ; there wse. the law, and r.o provision exisitd for modifying tbe penalty, however reasonable might be the excuse for nonpayment when the rent was due. Another case has been brought under our notice, in which it ia stated that the land is almost valueless in consequence of the non-fulfil-ment by the Government of their promise to pay the subsidies to the local bodies, and without these the road, by which alone the property would be made worth anything, could not be constructed, although it was on the understanding that such read would be provided that the lessee took up the land. Its non-constructioa prevents the produce which was to pay the rent being conveyed to market, and the consequence has been that the lease is now forfeited, and the lessee loses not only his land but the improvements thereon. The objeeJ of the penalty i?, of course, to ensure something like promptness iv the payment of the rent, and some such provision is, perhaps, necessary in order to prevent an accumulation, of. arrears, but 100 per cent is a tremendously heavy fine to inflict. The hardships that may arise having been illustrated by those which actually have occurred, a remedy will perhaps be provided ia the shape of a considerable reduction of the penalty. In writisg on the political situation a few days ago we expressed the hope that those who accorded a general support to the Government would rally round them to repel the insidious attack commenced by Mr Ormond last Tuesday, and would not be led astray by the cunningly devised amendment which that gentleman thought fit to bring down- From an intetesting telegram from our Wellington correspondent which we publish to-:i;;y, it would appear that there i.% good icasoti for believing that this hope will be realised, as members are gradually learning to appreciate the full meaDiDg of the amendment, and upon mature thought are arriving at the conclusion that it would be a mistake to turn out a Ministry on a side issue such as that before the House. The Government, we are told, are now almost safe to defeat the machinations of tbe Opposition, cunningly planned as they have been, but the result is still open to considerable doubt, a»d tbe only thing that can be reckoned upon with any degree whatever of certainty is that the division will be a remarkably Cose one. We know of three defections from the Ministerial raiiks, Messrs Ormond, Rpader Wood, and Driver, and in addition to these one of the Nelsoa City votes 53 on this question against instead of with them. Thus ihere is, as Compared with the state of parties last session, a difference of eight in favor of the Opposition, and as the Government majority waa never an overwhelming one tnia must materially affect the result in a division on a no confidence motion. The telegram referred to also informs us that there was something approaching to " a ecene " in the House on Thursday night when Sir George Grey, forgetful alike of what was due to the House, to an opponent, and to himself, mads a virulent personal attack upon Mr Weston for which, it is stated, '-he was hooted as h"> deserved." Sach an insult as that passed by Sir GeoJjje \ipon their representative i* likely to be strongly resented by the Grny Valley constituents, by whom — and especially by the mining population— exJudge Wrston is greatly esteemed and highly respected. It is mucb to be regretted that one who occupies so high a position as Sir George Grey should set such an example to his fellow members, of whom there are many who will be only too ready to follow his lead. The monthly meeting of members of the Young Men's Christian Association was held last evening. The attendance was small, but able and stirring addresses were' delivered by Messrs Piper, F-. Brookor, Cunninghame, Lock> Peart, Child, Webb, Bingham, and the Rev J. Beckenham. Regret Was expressed that tbe members did not avail themselves more largely of the opportunity of social intercourse provided by these monthly meetings. A debate on the Transvaal takes place next Thursday evening conducted by the literary class. Windmills, were there such things in Nelson, would have had an idle time Of it daring the past week from the want of sufficient motive power to set them going, an almost absolute calm having prevailed for the whole of that period. In Wellington, however, as we have bee a advised from day to day, a bowliDg Bouth-easter has been raging, and has almost blockaded the port. The Hawea did contrive to get out on Thursday, but had to meet a terrific sea ; other steamers, however, have net been so successful. The Penguin made a start for tbe South, bat tbe gale waa too strong for her, and r-he hud " to give it best," and Ibf-n the Grafton followed suit. The Taiaroa left h?re on Thursday afternoon and arrived at Picton that evtuing, but has not yet reached Wellington, two attempts to pet out into ths Straits having failed. The Anchor Line fleet is peculiarly unfortunate. The Murray and Wallace are imprisoned at Wanjranui, where there is a tremendous sea on the bar; the Charles Edward is, and has been for five daj9, Ijipg at Wellington, whence she i 3 unable to siir, and the Kennedy, which left here yesterday, is vainly endeavoring to get there, And on the top of all these troubles thei c ct-mrs a telegram from that cheerful spot to-day to the effect that the weather is " woree than ever." A pkayer meeting, to be followed by an address by Lieut. Colonel Bramfill, will be held in the Ali Saints' ecboolroom to-morrow evening at 8 o'clock A lecture on " What I saw in America " will be deliver, d in the Theatre Royal by the Rev J. Brrry on Tuesday evening next. Tbe principal poiuts to be tonched upon are stated in the advertisement which will be found elsewhere. A meeting of the Wesleyan Temperance Society will be held in the Hardy-street schoolroom on Monday evening at half past seven. Ttiy. t.ropopf (1 fimalgamaiion of the Panama Gold Mining Company with the holders of ihe " Pic-asm' Creek" ground which adjoios is i)k< -!y to had to g<x.d results in the more fiiiw-u- tiMing of v, c ground, aB it ia only by unite} i-ti -rt that the Mount Arthur reefs which promise to prove so valuable Ciin be pro;if-.!y hrought under public notice. A FiKK brokf: cut about eight o'clock la«t ni^ht in a hou.i'.: at Richmond, owned by Mr C. Gapper, and recently occupied by Mr Hurst as a saddler's shop, but lately without a tenant. The local Brigade turned out promptly en the alarm being given, and there being a plentiful supply of water, they were successful not only iv saving the adjacent buildirgs, three or four of which must havo gone but for their efforts, but also in preventing !he house in which i-he fire occurred from being eiirinh destroyed, thus giviug a practical proof of how valuable are their services. We are informed that the bouee was insured, but have been unable to ascertain the amount or the office The origin of tho fire is unnccnuntcd for. Tho Marlborough JRzprrs* understands that Mr Fell has received a letter from Mr W. Stone, the District Manager of the railway at Nelson, informing him (lint the parcel of coal received from bis mini!, ShakeS( care Bay, on the stl< inst,, was tried in one of the engines on the Nol.«on-l''oxhill railway. The trial lasted four days, arid the result was to show that the Shakespeare Bay coal is superior to that obtained from Newcastle. Mr Stone says, " It makes steam quickly, and is very free from black smoke, produces few ashes, and is in every way suitable for locomotives." The following is Mr Saunders' idea of Local Government as stated, in his speech

oo Tuesday night t—fie tfonld divide the two island* into four provinces each ; he would have a superintendent and six councillors elected by the people of the provinces [ by single votes, and in order to give a ; littl* judicious conservatism to the affair, I three other councillors sbouid be elected | to ea< h C< uncil by the joir t votes of lload Boards and County Councils in each proviucial district. He would abolish County UounciU and retain Road Boards, which might be multiplied coDbiderablj'j as they did much good in educating wen for the discharge of business and for taking seats in the House. A great many of the small rates should be abolished, and a tax put on by the House to meet all requirements leaving a greater part to the lload Boards, He would double the Property Tax, and leave at least two-thirds of that tax to the Road IJoards .of the district where the tax was raised. This would save the unseenly scrambling which usually went on in the House. Then he would put a tax on unimproved, but improvable, land, the funds feccriieifag therefrom to be left in the hands of the Superintendent and Executive Couocil for the purpose of general works throughout the parts of provinces which were beyond the jurisdiction of the Road Boards.