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South Canterbury Times, Issue 2397, 22 November 1880, Page 2

Punch, in his advice to his son, commended to his attention the graceful movements of the elephant’s trunk, and advised him to do whatever lie performed with an imposing flourish. The wise suggestion lias on more than one occasion been practically applied by New Zealand’s bronze deity. Some time ago Sir Julius made a most ostentatious display of his liberality by promising the electors of Falmouth that, their’s should yet be the port of arrival and departure for New Zealand immigrant vessels. Sir .Julius, however, was not returned for Falmouth, and his high opinion concerning the eligibility of that seaport as a shipping station, has, we presume, undergone considerable modification. The ex-Agent-( icneral is now engaged Hooding the colony with presents for its juveniles, and he is taking every care that the fame of his gifts shall have due publicity. Jie has forwarded by the s.s. Durham a consignment of works of fiction for school prizes for Canterbury, and by the ship Waitara a box of toys for the children of the industrial School at Caversham and the Dunedin Benevolent Institution, People who have had an opportunity of studying the eccentricities of Sir Julius’ genius say that he never does anything of the kind without a substantial motive. Having been defeated in his attempt to enter the House of Commons, and having lost his comfortable billet as Agent-t Jeneral for New Zealand, it is suggested that Sir Julius contemplates re-entering the political arena in this colony. It is true that he denies any intention of returning to the colony at present, but in everything, except getting into debt and making punctual calls on his unfortunate creditors, Sir Julius is known to be so very erratic that he can hardly be trusted. This distribution of books and toys looks very much as if Sir Julius was paving the way beforehand for a sudden descent on some Otago or Canterbury constituency. Sir Julius is an admirable student of human nature—few men know its weak points better and he thoroughly understands how to tap the affections of the parents through the medium of the children. It is this circumstance —the notorious fact Sir Julius is known to be a skilful angler—which detracts so much from the value of his gifts. We shall be sorely disappointed if the box of toys and the consignment of novels that have just arrived in separate vessels at two of the principal ports in the colony do not turn out to be the prologue to a political drama in which Sir Julius will obtrude himself as the champion of the Middle Island. Some of his friends and admirers in the colony have of late been bitterly sarcastic. They contend that the prospects of the deposed Agent-1 ieneral are too brilliant at Home to permit of his returning to New Zealand. Time will show. We may bo mistaken in our estimate of Sir Julius Vogel’s liberality. It may bo that the sowing of toys and novels in Canterbury and Otago at the moment when Sir Julius has received his walking ticket, is but tbc result of a naturally generous nature expanding under the genial influence of a dividend in prospective from the New Zealand Agricultural Land Company. At all events wooden dolls in conjunction with Dickon’s and Thackeray’s portraits will do less harm to the colony than the immigrants that Sir Julius has been in the habit of forwarding to New Zealand during his career as a representative in London.

Wk hiive repeatedly called the attention of the llorough Council to the necessity of improving the streets and footpaths. The work which they began some months ago when they spread the beach all over the town has never been completed. In every direction the paths and roadways are covered with shingle. The result is that traffic of all kinds is impeded—vehicles can only be driven with difficulty, and the citizens have their boots ground down and their ancles severely tried in travelling to and from their residences. The Council cannot be ignorant of the fact that this shingle is a terrible infliction for some of the members perpetrated the folly of spreading it in front of their own doorsteps. False delicacy should not prevent them from completing the work which they have begun. Having spread the shingle and tortured the citizens to their hearts’ content, their

next step should be to gather it carefully up and cart it down to the beach again. lly doing so they will earn the gratitude of their constituents and they will have the satisfaction of knowing that they have at length discovered a practical method of improving the public thoroughfares. ' Perhaps a requisition asking the Mayor to convene a public meeting for the purpose of getting the shingle removed from the footpaths will have some effect.