THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Resurrexi. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 1878.

Thames Star, Volume IX, Issue 3022, 22 October 1878, Page 2

THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Resurrexi. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 1878.

It is an old saying, that "desperate diseases require desperate remedies." We deem it unnecessary, after what has recently appeared in these columns, to say that the Thames is in sore straits, that the way out of them is beset with shoels, and that the navigation requires skill and judgment to pilot the ship to a safe anchorage. The metaphor requires no explanation. The ship and the passengers are well known, and the skippers are our local governing bodies. To them has been entrusted the duty of taking care of the ship in troublous times, and <they, having assumed command, must be held responsible for the successful voyage. Their duties are of a character peculiar to each ; and if faithfully carried out must conduce to the good of the whole. They may well be likened to the officers of a ship-each contributing to the general safety, the one having the greatest amount of responsibility at the present time being perhaps the County Council.

The County Council attained to power, or was ushered into existence under more favorable circumstances than the Borough. This was but natural. The Borough was but the town, while the County represents the country. The Borough had no endowment to start with, and its subsidies

charitable aid fund. Tho County was endowed with a water race,, y^hicli had cost a large sum of money ; with the securities of the Big Pump ou which the Government held a lieu of £50,000, and with other advantages which enabled them to make a vigorous start in the work of local self - government. The County Council, being in possession of the means, can raise the district from its present stat) of depression to an altitude of comparative prosperity. They hare the United Pumping Association's plant and property absolutely at their disposal. They have borrowed money on it, and spent the money; expended their goldfields revenue upon it, and in other ways done a great deal for what really seems an idea.

Some months ago the County Council, j finding that the Associated Companies' part of a mutual agreement was .not being carried out, made a show of bringing matters to a crisis by threatening to realise on the securities, but so long a time has elapsed without action being taken that it would seem the project has been abandoned. If so, they must be urged to fresh action in the matter. As the matter stands, the County Council have a property which, if placed on the Australian market would, we believe, realise more than sufficient to retire the £50,000 mortgage. Besides which this course of action would be the means of introducing fresh capital, which is very much needed at this time to give a stimulus to mining. If the County Council delay this matter much longer, they will find themselves called upon to redeem the property from the £10jC03 burden they have incurred, with perhaps an inability to do bo. What would follow P The Association would step in and purchase their £50,000 of securities for, say £10,000; the Big Pump, batteries, mining properties and mines would revert to the former owners for a merely nominal sum, who weald probably at once take steps to do what we now urge the Council to do—realise on the property. Just imagine what the County could do if they now had £40,000 or £50,00, with their gold duty released from the present drain ! If they could not, with such means at their disposal, help the district out of its straits, they would not show the same progressive spirit that we have ere now commended them for possessing.

A soibee in connection with the Baptist Sunday School will be held at the Baptist Churoh, Willoughby street, this evening-

Oue calograms to-day state that the directors, manager and secretary of the Glasgow Bank, the failure of which was reported last week, have been arrested. This new phase of the business suggests dishonest trading or criminal negligence on the part of the bank officials, and it is not impossible that the developments may be on a par with 'hose which resulted in sending some of the Dean-Paul crowd to Western Australia to end their days in making shoes.

We notice that a meeting of the members of the Union Cricket Club will be held at Me Lawless', Brown street, this evening. A portion of the business is, we -'believe,, to receive the resignation of and appoint a successor to Mr Fred. Masters, honorary secretary. Since the formation of the club Mr Masters has been v indefatigable in his exertions to promote its welfare, arid its great success, so far, is in no small measure due to hioi. Mr Masters will shortly leave the Thames for Australia, and will carry away with him the best wishes of the club and a large circle of private friends.

In the first and fourth pages of this issue will be found items of Parliamentary news. ■

The following, letter appeared in a recent number of the New Zealand Times :—" Thinking men, both inside and outside of the House of Representatives, are beginning to fear that the dual vote given to the Maoris may work very unjustly if a general election takes place. Why should not the House take up Mr Taiarba's Bill now instead of waiting uatil next year for Mr Sheehan's? Give the Maoris their full representation under the special franchise, and as a further concession add to it a vote in the election of a European member for any Maori who holds land subject to European response bilities, with a clear individual title, ard liable to ratei r.nd taxes. A short Bill with two clauses to this effect would remove the present injustice, and would tend to restore the confidence of the country in the Ministry, so much shaken by the course they have taken in this matter. The confession of Mr Sheehan, that he could not defend the proposal upon any other ground except that of expediency, would tend to prevent any sense of humiliation being felt in accepting this proposal. As Captain Morris justly said, the proposed franchise, as carried was strongly opposed by all those members who had a number of Maori constituents, not because they were afraid' to ' meet their constituency under the new franchise,'but because they knew what they were talking about, and were bound to protest against tlie evils the innovation would be sure to occasion." .:■■.■■•

A cobeespohtdent in the JSTew Zealander writes :—The following illustration of rampant servantgalism is strictly fact. On Thursday last Mrs Blank, of near Tinakori road, was pained and surprised at her' housemaid giving* her the ordinary week's notice. " Why, Jane," said the lady, "I thought you were well satisfied." "So I was, ma'am," was ' the response, " but I will not be insulted." "Who has insulted you?" was the next query, to which the following answer was vouchsafed :—" Master has, ma'am; would you believe'it, he passed me on Lamb ton-quay to day in company with another gentleman, and neither of them raised their hats." The lady excused her'husband oh the ground of absent-mindedness, flavoured with a certain lecture, and induced him to apologise. But 'twas all of no avail, even an offer of an increase of wages was useless, so now that lady is on the war-path, armed with a wanted.

The Wairarapa Standard of Tuesday, October Ist, publishes a leading article, from which it appears that the editor,

says:—" We have arrived at a time of life when we feel that we are not physically alle to give that attention to public questions which is absolutely necessary in the case of the editor of a newspaper, and also to those private and per eon al concerns which the circumstance tb which we have referred now demands from us, we shall be excused if we feel constructed to adopt the, to us, unusual course of neglecting for a" short time the former in order that we may be able the more speedily to place the latter on a satisfactory basis." Mb W. H. Gbace left by the Eotomahana to-day to assume his new duties in the Waikatp District. The Harbor Master this afternoon received a telegram from Captain Edwin reporting indications of approaching bad weather. ■ ' ; The Poverty Bay Herald Company has been in Court as defendant to a claim for service! of accountants in making up books and preparing balance sheet. Be-, ferring to which the Standard says :—ln Court on Tuesday, Mr Brassey referred to Mr Humphries' evidence, in which that gentleman stated that the accounts of the Herald were kept by a mixture of single, double, and treble entry. The learned counsel had never heard of treble entry, and could only account for the use of the word upon the assumption that the editor of our contemporary had been playing whist overnight, and that even within the precincts of the Court of justice the familiar words " single, double, treble, and the rub," were yet ringing in his ears. . . . . Mr Kogan in addressing the Court in the case against the Herald Company on Tuesday referred to Mr H. N. Warner's evidence, and said that no doubt he was a most estimable gentleman, but many of us were just beginning to try to forgive him for the squeezing process undergone at his hands while official liquidator of goldmining companies. Although Mr Kogan smiled, he evidently spoke the feelings of one who had suffered. We too have suffered. At the instance of Horatio Nelson Warner one of the myrmidons of the law once tapped us on the shoulder and solicited the honor of our company in Her Majesty's name;' We exhibited our loyalty by accompanying him forthwith. The Herald learns that Mr Mark Donovan, who is employed in the Public Offices at Wellington, has been ordered to th«j Survey Offices in Auckland, owing, it is understood, to his being in a delicate state of health. Mr Donovan was formerly one of the draughtsmen in the Goldfields Department at Grahamstown. The Auckland Star says:—Mr Errington's award in the arbitration case Blewden v. T. and S. Morrin and the City Council was opened to-day and proved to be for £1,760. The amount, chimed was over £7,C'O; the sum which had been offered in settlement by the Council, £1,100; and by Messrs T. and 8. Morrin, £300; so that the award is -just £330 greater than the amount tendered.