THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1875.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2128, 29 October 1875, Page 2

THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1875.

The attempt niade by the Superintendents assembled"for aV. stumping/'tpnr through Dunedin and district does, not seem altogether to have been of that very gratifying kind which the speech; of Mr, Macandrew would seem to wish us to infer. To bo sure-the reports are so contradictory as to leave room for great latitude in believing the demonstration either a success or a failure, as the wish or fancy may choose, but when we are iolii n one portion of the account that. " there was no formal address (at Pott. Chalmers) presented," and that the ":demonstration was very feeble " -as well as that "the-cheers were intermingled with yells and groans," and read also at Dunedin that " a portion of the crowd assembled cheered lustily, butthis was mingled with hooting and yelling," and " the reception was. anything but an enthusiastic one," wo aro inclined to believe .that Mr Macandrew rather over estimated than under estimated the nature of New Zealand demonstrations, when lie said in reference to the toast given in honour of himself that "there never had been such a demonstration as the present one in New Zealand."- He also informed his assembled convives that "this great gathering had almost taken ihe breath out of him," but whether this breath was taken away by the cheers or the mingled yells and groans, or whether the strains of the band playing " For he's a >l>y .good fellow," or the soft sawder which the chairman, Mr G. Turnbull, so liberally administered, Mr Macandrew omitted to inform the meeting. This is a pity. Many orators besides Mr Macandrew are apt to be tedious both before dinner and after itr, and if under the guise of friendship, or some such little artifice as playing,. "He's a jolly good fellow," their" ■breath, could be taken away—only for a moment—the, experiment might sometimes be made with profit. We can only hope that Mr Macandrew will enlighten -us, and we shall be quite ready to accord him a due, share of that " patriofjc energy" which* according to Mr Turnbull, he so largely possesses. The'experiment might, at some future day be made on the wind of Mr Fitzherberfc. Of the speeches themselves, wo have not much to say. They were of that kind which may be supposed always to be uttered when a number of people assembls to honor oue man just

because he happens to hold the same views as themselves. Hence the chairman in the name of the meeting praised Mr Macandrew, and Mr Macandrew as in duty bound praised tho meeting. The people of Otago praised their - party and the strangers from a distance, and the strangers from a distance praised klieir party and the city of Dunedin. Sir George Grey praised Provincialism, and the assemblage joined in the praise, as they were invited to do. The abuse of the Government was lugged in as a matter of course, in case too many sweets might prove of a cloying nature, or else to act in the way of olives and provoke a thirst for more personal and lavish praise. Mr Sheehan informed tho gu&sts thai he had for " the first time seen the city of Dunedin, and had now learnt that there was a place outside Auckland :" his geographical education seems to have been neglected hitherto. Mr Stout said—and the party of which he was a member agreed that they." were not to bo frightened with the claptrap ot paraphernalia," whatever that incomprehensible phrase may mean, and indulged in large talk generally. Mr Davie said that the Opposition as a body were united—which is true. And Mr J. W. Thompson said that an opposition is necessary —which is truer. Mr Eolleston indulged in- a hackneyed parody on the speech of Diogenes to Alexander, by saying that if he had not belonged to Canterbury he would have wished to belong to Otago; and Sir George Grey ac : cording to his • views seems to have 6poken well and forcibly. Taken as a whole* the demonstration may be said to have resulted in a few hours of pardonable gratification to Mr Macandrew's fpelirigs, an opportunity to some Provincialists of saying over, again the same things they had said before, or what i others had said for them, and a- chance, which whoever compiled tho report sent here certainly availed himself of, of making an abridgement of the proceedings for the newspapers as bad as can well be conceived. -

The appeals made against the rates at which the holders of property in the Borough were assessed were heard yes* terday evening, and were comparatively few in number, and some of these moreover could not be entertained. This says a good deal for those who compiled the valuation. Few people seem to realize how hard a thing it is to make a fair and equitable valuation of property of so varying a character' as that of this Borough. A mine manager of course can testify, or ought to be able to testify to the value of mining apparatus, batteries and the like; so we presume should a house agent, an agriculturist, an hotel keeper, &c, each be able to estimate justly the value of property used in their particular line of business 5 but it is rare if ever that one man can be found to combine, in his person all these usefulbranches of a valuer's knowledge, while to make a valuation which may please everyone, or oven one which cannot be found some fault with, is a thing impossible and not to be expected. Notwithstanding some few appeals which Were sustained yesterday evening, and some few discrepancies—notably one referred to by Gr Ehrenfried—the valuation list of this year must be taken therefore to be an eminently satisfactory one. No doubt the rates fixed were too high, but then, a? Cr Renshaw said, all the rates were of necessity double what they ought to be, as far as the value of the property was concerned, because the- money was impe-atively required and must be made to be forthcoming from some p?ace; and as long as all are taxed in the same proportion the evil though an unpleasant one, is a necessary one, and reasonable enough in its kind. We demur, hdwever, to the line ot argument laid down by Councillor Kenshaw as Chairman of the Council in the absence of the Mayor, to the effect that the Council only held a meeting at which appeals might be made as an act of grace which they might or might not hold just as they chose. This no doubt is true as far as the strict letter of flic law is concerned, but the Council are elected to act in the interests of the people, and anytaiug more unjust to those interests than to make an arbitrary valuation of other people's property, and compel them if they do not like it to go through the expense and i'iconvenience of attending the Resident Magistrate's Court, is hardio conceive. At; the same time we quite agree with him that an appeal is allowed not to encourage trivial objections, but only those where from inadvertence or wrong judgment gross injustice has been done.

It would seem that in spite of the refusal of Sir Donald McLean to have anything to do with sending a team of riflemen to compete at Philadelphia in July next year, all hope of being represented has not entirely vanished. Captain Wales, iv a letter to Captain Murray, of the Thames Scottish, informs him that meetings have been held at Dunedin, at which the views entertained by Mr Walker of the Thames were approved of, and it is to be hoped that, if not too late, no stone will be left unturned to endeavour to have New Zealand represented in the list of nations who will contend for the prize offered for all countries. It is idle to expect a particular challenge to this Colony to compete. A general invitation to all countries has been issued, and no formal challenge will be sent to any country. This we learn from a letter sent to Mr Walker from Captain Lynch, of New South Wales. It would seem that that Colony were also desirous of having a formal challenge! so as to be able to lay something definite before their Gorerament, but Captain

Lynch's brother-in-law writing to that gentleman informs him '5 that no particular challenge will be sent, but a general one to all nations ;" he also gives it as his opinion that much good would result to the vcqfonies from being represented at the meeting. Of this wo believe there can be no doubt, and. if there is yet time we Would ur£e everyone—not riflemen only t —but all who have the interests of New Zealand at heart to do all jh their power to arrange that a toam be sent. New South Wales seems determined to be represented, and have asked that; £2000 be put on the estimates to provide funds for the expedition It is expected that Victoria will fellow suit. Surely no reason ought to exist why the name of New Zealand should not be added to the list.

Glass houses, stones, and promiscuous throwing are often spoken of, with a recommendation to reckless people to avoid doing the one to the detriment of the other. We should think the advice Wuuld be well worthy of the attention of the Southern Cross. It will be remembered that that journal was virtuously indignant with the Herald for extracting matter from other papers without acknowledging the same. It is certainly a mean and contemptible trick to appropriate property in this way, and a practice un.happily not onfined to Auckland, as we can and have testified in some remarks we felt called upon to make in reference to the Thames Advertiser. Those who are so loud in denouncing it, however, should certainly be free from it themselves; that the Cross is not so, will be very plain to all who read the following paragraph written by " iEgles " in the Australasian of October 16th. He says :—

To be quoted by newspaper^ at a*, distance I have always esteemed as an especial compliment. I was, however, a little puzzled to recognize an old paragraph of mine on • Tuesday last in a Melbourne paper, acknowledged as from the Daily Southern Cross of Auckland I had the curiosity to look over a. file of that journal for the month of September, and found that the pillage was not accidental, but systematic. Following the leading articles, and appearing as original, were the following, without any reference to The Australasian :—

Sept. I—One paragraph, unacknowledged „ 4—Four paragraphs, do „ 18 —Three do, do „ 18—One paragraph, acknowledged as from a " Melbourne paper -„ 25—One do, do „ 30—One do, xuiacknowledged." .

The Southern Cross, I see, has been established since 1843, and its editor ought to better appreciate the etiquette of journalism. -Will he have the manliness to quote this paragraph—with or without acknowledgment. „