OUR MONTHLY LETTER HOME.

Southland Times, Issue 1613, 30 July 1872, Page 3

OUR MONTHLY LETTER HOME.

The General Assembly was opened on the 16th inst., but very little progress has been made with any business of importance, and nothing; has yet taken place which throws any light on the condition of parties in the Legislature, or the probable future of the session. The Governor's speech., which was as usual looked forward to with great interest by the political quidnuncs, proved a most provoking disappointment, as it did not give the slightest indication of the Government policy, or afford any opening for hostile criticism on the part of the Opposition. It was in fact an admirable exemplification of the theory of the celebrated diplomatist, that the chief use of language is to afford the means of concealing one's thoughts. Partly from the extremely negative character of the epeech, and also, it is surmised, from the tact tbat nothing like an organised Opposition had been formed, the debate on tbe address in reply was a very tame affair, and the address was adopted without a division. The " new party," announced by the Opposition journals a few weeks ago, was nowhere to be seen, and Mr Stafford and his friends seemed to think that, for the present at least, there was nothing to be done, and beyond predicting the speedy downfall of the Ministry, his speech was nearly as remarkable as tbe Government manifesto itself, for the absence of any indication of the possible future of the session. The fact tbat there was no member of the Cabinet appointed to represent the Government in the Legislative Council aroused the wrath of that august body, which is very careful to lose no opportunity of asserting its importance as an essential part of the political constitution of the colony. A vote of censure was accordingly passed on the administration for this grave omission ; which, however, was promptly repaired by the appointment of Mr John Hall r member of the House of Bepreseiitatives for the district of Heathcote, to the Legislative Council, and a seat in the Cabinet, without a portfolio, to act as spokesman of the Ministry. Mr Hall formerly held office under Mr Stafford, as Postmaster-General, and is generally esteemed as an able and upright administrator. His addition to the Ministry is looked on with universal

satisfaction, and it is thought likely that his presence in the Cabinet will materially strengthen the position of the Government. The representation of Heathcofc, vacated by Mr Hall on his appointment to the Council, ia likely, it is said, to fall to the lot of Sir J. Cra'croft Wilson. The Hon. H. J. Miller has also consented to join the Ministry along with Mr Hall. Mr Miller ia a well-known Otago squatter, and his accession to the Cabinet will remove the complaint which has been made in Otago, that that Province was not represented in the Executive. Both Mr Hall and Mr Miller are said to be decided advocates of ecouomy in the public expenditure, and prudence in the prosecution of the Public Works policy, which ought to be satisfactory to the Opposition. In Provincial politics there is little worthy of record since" the prorogation of the Provincial Council, unless we may note the fact that the Otago members of Assembly are said to have for once come to a unanimous decision on a matter affecting the welfare of their Province, and agreed to demand from the Ministry the immediate issue of Crown Grants of the reserves lately made for educational and other purposes by the Provincial Council. It is thought that if they present a united front, the Ministry will be convinced that it is really the desire of the people of the Province that these reserves should be made, and give way j accordingly. The sale of two large blocks of land by private arrangement with the i runholders in occupation of the country disposed of, has excited a good deal of popular dissatisfaction, especially amongst the mining community, who j regard the alienation of freehold in large blocks with extreme jealousy. The sales in question consisted of a block of 10,000 acres on the Waitaki, to the Hon. Mr Campbell, and a fine block of 20,000 acres in the Teviot district, with extensive frontage to the Molyneux Eiver, to Messrs Cargill and Anderson, runholders. The miners of the Tuapeka and Mount Benger goldfields were particularly indignant at this latter sale, and held meetings, at which the Executive, and Mr Donald Eeid in particular, were denounced as traitors to the people, politically dishonest, and so on. The fact that the Provincial Government have to resort to such means to raise a revenue is enough to condemn the system, as leading to the most reckless waste of our resources, not only by the premature disposal of large portions of the public estate at what must be considered less than its real value, but by the prevention of settlement, which would undoubtedly take place in these districts were the land thrown open to the public, and the consequent permanent injury to the revenue from the absence of population. Of social subjects, the foremost in importance during the past month, and the most unpleasant, is the introduction of small- pox, by the American mail steamer Nebraska. This had actually taken place at the date of our last summary, but the disease was then confined to two cases, and from the precautions which had been adopted, it was hoped that it would extend no further. Since then, however, several fresh eases have arisen, chiefly in Auckland, of which a few have proved fatal. Public attention has been thoroughly aroused, and the practice of vaccination, hitherto, it is to be feared, not so general as it should have been, ia coming into universal favor, both for children and adults. Hitherto the disease has been confined to the towns of Wellington and Auckland, and it is still thought that it has not yet attained anything like a permanent footing in the colony. Considerable numbers of Maories hare been vaccinated. The disease bas not yet reached them, and it is to be hoped in the interests of humanity that it will not. Should if once get fairly established among the native tribes of the North Island, an unexpected solution of the native question, for all future time, would probably be the result, in the shape of the practical extermination of the Maori race. In "writing for home readers, when on the eubject of Maories, it may be well to say that it does not yet eeem to be thoroughly understood in the old country that there are practically no Maories in the South Island, which after all constitutes in reality far the largest portion of New Zealand, regarded as a field for settlement, and already possesses about two-thirds of the white population, besides contributing more than two-thirds of the revenue. The North Island has been kept conspicuously before the British public, by the circumstances I that the seat of government has always been there — first in Auckland, and now in Wellington, and that it has been the theatre of the operations of the Imperial troops during the native wars of years gone by. In fact, being the only portion of the colony which gave the home Government any trouble, or cost the British tax-payer any money, the North Island monopolised all the attention that could be spared for New Zealand subjects by the English Press, while the South Island, or, as it is still absurdly called, the Middle Island, being in the happy and prosperous condition of a country which bas no history, remained comparatively unnoticed, while in reality it constitutes by far the most important and valuable portion of the colony. This injustice has been less conspicuous of late years, as the native question has diminished in importance, and with the increasing interest taken in colonial affairs in the old country, it may fairly be expected that ere long the true position of the South Island in the colony, and the extent and value of its resources, will be better understood. Considerable interest has been felt in this colony in the approaching completion of telegraphic communication between Australia and Europe, by which New Zealand will be placed, in possession of European news a week old on the arrival of each Melbourne or Sydney steamer. One despatch from London, dated June 22nd, has already been received, having been conveyed over the

- __ 5 gap which still exists in the Australian overland line by horse express. Owinpr to some misunderstanding on the part of the agents who should have collected and forwarded the intelligence, it referred to comparatively unimportant matters, and before this could berectified,the submarine cable, between Australia and the island of Java, broke, and haa not yet been repaired. Soon, however, all will be set right ; and already projects are on foot for laying a submarine cable between Australia and New Zealand, which when completed will enable our daily papers to publish in the morning European and American news of the previous day. Mr Wood, has again been elected j Mayor of Invercargill. Four of the councillors, retiring as provided by law, offer themselves for re-election, and three other candidates are in the fie'd. The contest will be decided on Thursday next. The weather, which at the date of our j last summary, we had to report as \ unusually severe, baa decidedly changed | for the better, and agricultural operations ! ape being pushed forward with great vigor all over the country. Several ploughing matches have lately been successfully held, at one of which a competition of double-furrow ploughs was a novel and very interesting feature. These ploughs are now coming into very general favor in thiß part of the country, and it is thought that the very great Baying in the cost of ploughing attainable by their use will ere long effect a great improvement in the condition and prospects of agriculturists in the colony.