The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 1875.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 1945, 30 March 1875, Page 2

The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 1875.

The New Zealand Herald, with a fecundity of thought and expression which is truly surprising, is daily delivering itself of ponderous leaders on Sir George Grey and his utterances. We cannot say that we discover anything new in these leaders—the writer evidently does not assume to be a leader of public opinion, for he blindly follows Sir George Grey, only occasionally getting out of depth, and then the want of originality or even consistency is painfully apparent. Any one of the many recent " leading articles" might be taken as a sample of the whole since the Herald commenced the campaign. Our contemporary has before notr expressed himself to the effect that " it is better to be right to-day than consistent" at some other time, and if he had not so expressed himself, any ordinary reader could testifyto the want of consistency, while putting in a demurrer as to being right. Sir George Grey is of opinion that the office of Superintendent should be executive—not political. The Herald concurs, and immediately enlarges on the importance of

the office of a member of the Assembly over that of the Superintendent in urging the claims of the province on the Government. As Superintendent, the Herald opines, Sir George Grey would " merely be able to lay the claims of the Province before Ministers m official documents, which would be acknowledged with official politeness, and then ignored." But our Superintendent, as a member of the Colonial Parliament, will b© able to rise from his seat in the Legislature, and demand from the House, instead of supplicating Ministers, redress for all those wrongs and grievances which we hare so long suffered under, and so patiently borno with." In Sir George Grey the Herald discerns a political reformer round whose standard all men will rally to do justice to Auckland. It is not flattering to the other representatives of the Province to insinuate that they have for years: submitted patiently and without protest to the infliction of wrongs and grievances upon their constituencies — that they have been waiting :all these years for the advent of a leader who would inspire them with the determination to ask for justice. Sir George Grey will doubtless do his utmost as Superintendent, and also as the chosen of an important constituency, to obtain all that he conceives to be due to this Province. In that course he deserves and will have the support of his colleagues, but it does not follow that the j Assembly will fall in with his views so readily as the Herald has done. To achieve all that Sir George has indicated would necessitate the undoing of much that h»s botn done by others while he was enjoying a peaceful retirement from the cares of Government; and with the diversity of interests brought together in the Parliament, it can scarcely be expected that Sir George will at once rally round him a very largo following, especially as the concessions he demands for Auckland would necessitate sacrifices on the part of other portions of the Colony.

It appears to us that the Herald, in its frequent recurrence to wkat Sir George Grey has said during his candidature, orerlooks some of his most prominent views, or entirely misapprehends their import; This is noticeable in an article in yesterday's issue in which the writer says :—" We believe that anew era is about to dawn upon us, although we do not think that the policy of Sir George Grey will be to destroy the present Constitution so much as to reconstruct parts of it from existing materials." We have all along believed that Sir George Grey was induced to comeforward because he fancied he saw the present Constitution in danger, and that he wished to preserve it intact against those who proposed to amend, not destroy it. That he viewed with alarm the threatened attack on that part of the Constitution which gaye existence.to Provincialism, and was willing to take his stand in the breach to repel such an attack. Sir George Grey's early speeches and writings were decidedly favorable to maintaining the Constitution as a whole, and it is only recently that he has said he would be guided by the wishes of the people in the matter.

On the subject of the appointment of the Governor, and other cognate topics referred to by Sir George Grey in his several addresses, the Herald speaks with an air of confidence. " The Colony cannot much longer stand the strain of a Governor with, a salary and allewanees amounting to £10,000 a year, nor a Pre- i mier drawing from the public purse some three or four thousand pounds-yearly for bis salary and allowances; nor Ministers receiving no less than fifteen hundred a year, with what else they may claim as extras." So says the Herald; but we fancy some years will come and go before the Colony ceases to be presided over by a Governor nominated by the Imperial Government, or before any sensible reduction is made in his salary. While as to the salaries of Ministers, New Zealand politicians are of that class who believe that the laborer is worthy of his hire, and few men will be found willing to undertake the responsibilities of office without the emoluments attaching thereto. Sir George Grey would, no doubt, because with noble disinterestedness he has already made sacrifices for the sake of his convictions. But in the next session of Parliament matters of greater moment than questions'of ministerial salaries or even the appointment of the Governor will have to be deliberated upon, in which, we apprehend, Sir George Grey's matured judgment will exercise a more beneficial influence than if directed to raising questions of Constitutional usage, or defining the powers of Imperial or Colonial authorities, of which many members of Assembly know little and care less. ••'•■"'

The District Court was formally opened and adjourned this morning, in accordance with an arrangement come to at the last sitting of the Court. It was then decided that the Court should bo adjourned till after the Easter holidays, bo that a Court Trill be held to-xnoTroyr, before Hi* Honor Judge Beckbam,

It is rumored that Mr James McGtowaii, well-known on the Thames as a shrewd man of business, purposes standing for election to tho vacant sent in the Auckland Provincial Council. ; A VERY large bush fire was raging on the Miranda lust night, lighting up the horizon in that 'quarter for a long distance. Bush fir.s ha-vo been very numerous of lato. The steamer Effort brought down the body of the unfortunate man Booker, who met with his death under such melancholy circumstances at Ohisemuri. The body was conveyed to the Thames for the purpose of burial. A requisition is in course of signature to Mr William Davieß, Mayor, ask'Hg him to hecorne a osiulidato for.the vacß»t. seat in tho Provincial Council. Several of Mayor Davies' brother councillors are amo»gst the requisiUonists, brides many persona of influence in the township. With two such candidates as Mr William Eowe and Mr. William Davies, a warm contest may be expected. Therequiiition will appear in to-morrow's Star. [ We are informed that the pay of the Armed Constabulary stationed at Ohinemuri is one shilling per diem lees than that paid to members of the force doing duty here. As the men at Ohinemuri aro doing ordinary police duty, and sometimea extraordinary duty, it w uld sppear only reasonable -that they fhould get the »a»&e pay a3 theie comrades so ion? as they are detached from the field force. It is laid, too, that one of the" Shortland constables acting in some capacity at Ohinemuri receives rations as well as his extra stilling a day. If tha facts s-re 89 reported, some representation, ought to be made to the Defence Miuister on the subject, with a view to placing all the men on the same footing bo ' long as their duties ore similar. "' • r -;'- ■ ? -■. ' : ' ■ '■ ■'..', ...■;.•.■• ■ We have received from Mr J. H. JeflPer?on the Australasian Sketcber for March. The front illustration is " Our Zoological Collection : The Lions." Amongst the other pictorial illustrations will be found the New Sc-ts Church, Collii s street j incidents of the burning of tho Cospatrick; wreck of the Gothenburg; portrait of William, Cleaver -Robinson, ifsq. Governor of Western Australia. ■;■ .•;• .;;. ''_■■ ■ ■■■:■'':> :■■•; v '■' .■■,■■■■■ ■ --"• '

It appears that at Ohinemuri come of the residents adopt a primitive style of costume in going down to the river for their matutinal dip, and a correspondent writes to say that 'he sensibilities of some Jady visitors have been Blocked by the eight of legs whioh might belong to an Esau. The dress which has given offenca we take ifc is a very con-, venient one for going to the bath in. It consists of a shawl bound round the loins and fulling over the legs in the fashion of a kilt. The stylo of'dress ia quite fashionable along tho East Coast in summer lime, and we never heard complaints before. The motto of the garfer wou'd be applicable h?re, we fancy.

Measles is making rapid strides through the country, causing inconvenience not only to the victims, but in many instances to business and public'departments. At Tauranga, fo? instance, the telegraphic operators are "down" with the sickness, and had it not been for the presence in Tauranga of an operator from the Wellington office on a visit, the Tauranga office would have had to be closed until the invalid staff could be replaced..

The steamers coming from Ohinemuri last night -were v:nfortuhate t» a degree. The Tttkapuna started on h*r homeward journey, and succeeded in getting stuck with her cargo of excursionists after about an hour's steaming from the lower landing. The Effort, coning up some time after was so singularly unfortunate as to stick exactly alongside the former. A number of the passengers on board the Takapuna transhipped themselves to the Effort, as it was understood fchat she would get off the bank first. This proved to be the case; tho Effort aaaed off in about half an hour irom stranding, and proceeded on her way. The Takapuna remained on the bank for so ne time longer.

Smaet certainly. A gentleman of the legal profession at one of the great mining centres having spent a gaudy evening at a leading hotel, found the fresh air too much, for him. Instead of reaching tho bosom of his family he gravitated to the lock-up—with the muchneeded assistance of a servant of the Queen in full uniform. Tho lock-up-keeper didn't know him, and consequently couldn't send for his friends to bail him out, a 9is frequently done by those tender-hearted officers of justice. So he was allowed to sleep until 7 in the morning, when he was aroused and asked his name, which ho promptly said was " Johnson." Instead of availing himself of the good offices of friends, he determined to face the mater out-without disclosing his accident, and decliaed to eend for anyone. He obtained soap, water, and a clothes-brush, and was refreshed by a cup of tea. B"e bhen proposed to the lock-up keeper that that official should ■walk beside him to the yolice court. When the time came, this was dose, and by keaping the officer in earnest converse, it appeared as though the lawyer was engaged upon some business before the court. Arrived there, he was allowed to take his seat aa usual at the solicitor's table, and when the name of Johnson was called he calmly rose and said, " 1 appear for the prisoner, your worship." "What," said the police magistrate, "do you deny that he was drunk?" "Oh no!" he replied. "he was very drunk, but is very sorry for it." " Five shillings—o? eir hours' imprisonment," said tho P. M. " I will pay his fine myself," said the ready-wittci gentleman, who in this ins Lane a showed that the man who is his own lawyer hasn't always a fool for a client. —iEgles.