Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23,1881.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XVI, Issue 281, 25 November 1881, Page 2

Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23,1881.

We publish to-da? Mr Seymour's account of the s-onewallin-? last session, which waa certainly not a desirable proceeding, as is snd was freely admitted by those who were driven to it, and of his own hieh handed ru'icg which is calculated to produce far more di--.st.ous results than can possibly arise from any amount of stonewalling. Mr Seymour startci with an expression ff opiniou, w hich very clearly shows that he did tot know what he was talking about, lle b i id " I think if the Nelson mernte.-s had played a judi-ious part they would have h*sd some cone, cssbu made them." Now against the speculations o' Mr Seymour we have tbo positive assurances of the Ntlson members that thry did try persuasion, and in private, interviews with Ministers endeavored -o obtain concessions, but without avail, j Thry were ther.fore driver, to the extreme courae, which von- of them approved of and to which they only rescrted as a forlorn hope, not, a» Mr Seymour puts it — »nd thereby again shows that he utterly f e ii s i n appreciating the position in which they were placed— with a new to " trying to waste the time of tho country," "but in the hope that they might fores a dissolution and sobavt: the question remitted to the constituencies to deal with, thug giving time to the electors in tha North Is'and to consider the daagerous position in which the colony was to be p^.csd by handing the p->w-*r over to the South, which now, combined wi'h Ma'iborouzb, possesses an absolute mnjority in the House. Mr S'ymour, it will be observed, aye ids all r%f«rence !o the charge that was made against bim of consulting wiih the Government aa-i ths Rpeskar, and having the whole affair cut and dried before he went into the House on the eventful night, and doeg not attempt to account for tho fact that what was going to happen was known here at half past five on that evening, or two hours before the House met. We have had on a previous occasion Mr Seymour's) assure, c-s th.t ho had not con in I ted either with tie Speaker or the m-mbe rs of the Government, and from a long persor-sl acquaintance with th.t g.utiem.n w? fed reif-eftly convinced that he in tolling nothing but the truth, but we should __r. like! *o hear how lie accounts for fie whol.. prosrramms In -ring leaked out before the door, were opened. Mr Seymour keeps back his biggest plum for the closs of his remark* on ihia business. He a-ka tbe electors : " Do you know what that Bill cost the country ?" And, having put the conundrum and, possibly, paused for is reply in order io gi?? effect to what was to follow, he, upon the electors giving it up, supplied the answer himself. "Ten thousand pounds ! » Of this amouat ho says that seven-tenths .vera wastrd in obstruction. Now, we too should like tn put a question to Mr Seymour, but ii is one for whi.h we shall have to wait for the answer, for neither he nor any one olso can furnish it yet, but, come it will, and when il does there will ba co uncertain sound shout it. What we would ask him is— "Dn ynu know what the effect of thiit ruling of yours will b- ? " "C »n you form any idea of the evilg that are likely ts arise frora the precedent you then established ? " "Do you think i; desirable that oris man out of ihe 91 of which the House is to ba compoied shall have it in his power to say wheu a question has been sufficiently discussed, and to decide the precise moment at which talking in the House is to stop ? " Sto.ewalh'ng, without doubt, is a most objectionable proceeding, and the forms of the House should not allow it but this can ba remedied by effeoti^g an alteration in the forms of Parliamentary procedure. But no amount of legislation or amending the Standing Order, can wipe out from tha records of the House Mr Seymour's dacision on the night of tbe 30th September, or prevent its being referred to as a precedent and acted upon by some future Chairman of Commit-t*--es, who may, perhaps, be less scrupulous 'han Mr S°ymr;_r. At a meeting cf the Town School Committee last night it was resolved unanimously that the second master of the Haven R ad school having been absent ou duty as a Volunteer be paid bis salary as usual and that an application be made to tbe Board for a refund of the amount paid to a substitute during hti absence. TriK return match between the Nelson and Motueka Cricket Clubs will be played in the Botanical Reserve to morrow, and as it is desirable that the game should be finished, an early start will have to fee made. Wickets will be pitched xt eleven, and the following players for Nelson are requested to be on the ground punctually at that hour :— Messrs Askew, Boddington, Budge, Green, Godfrey, Kirkpatrick, Kitching, J. Pollock, Thomson, Naylor, and Walker. The Motueka team will arrive in Nelson by the Lady Barkly at an early hour to-morrow morning As a number of Motueka electors are resident* in Nelson Mr HurUhouse is desirous of givinj them an opportunity of heari.g his views on political matters generally, and his therefor* called a meeting for to-morrow night in the Provincial Hall. Mr Guinness having resigned the office of Resident Magistrate and Warden in Golden Bay Mr 0. Curtis has been appoiatsd to succeed him. We are not awars what amount of work there is connected with that department, but it is to bs hoped for the sake of Nelson that it is not much. Mr Curtis was appointed in consequence of Mr Broad's frequent and prolosged absences in his capacity as District Judge. If Mr Curtis i* absent long and frequently as Warden and Resident Magistrate of Golden Bay, we shall be in as Ind a plight aa ever here. Thb following tenders for the new school in Brook-street Valley were opened by the Town Committea this morniog: — Mr W. T. Good £295 (accepted); Mr Baigent £310; Mr Mooro £329; Mr Scott £327; Mr Robertson £370. Me Shephard's meeting at Ranzau will be held on Monday next instead of Wednesday, the alteration haviog been rendered uecesKary by the celebration of the Sunday school anniversary having bean fixed for the last named day. Thk Greymouth friends of Captain Johnston, of the Grafton, have subscribed £35 for him to send to his distressed countrymen iv the Shetland Isles, over which a terrible storm swept in September last, causing the loss of many lives and tha destruction of several fishing smacks. Thi money has been handed over to Captain JohDßton, and will be forwarded Home by tho next mail. Attention is directed to James & Co.'s advertisements of auction sales to be held o- morrow.