THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M Resurrexi. MONDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1870.

Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3420, 8 December 1879, Page 2

THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M Resurrexi. MONDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1870.

Ouii calograms to-day from London, under date Bee. 4, announce the floating of the New Zealand £5,000,000 loan at five lier cent., minimum 9?£. c aln ays believed there was a great deal of nonsense In the cry raised by the present Ministry of the shocking state of the finances of the colony and the consternation with which they viewed its future. We are of opinion that the remarks and insinuations which have during the last month or two given rise to a pretty general feeling of distrust.concerning our financial position were purposely made use of for party purposes, the same being the first act of the clerer little political drama, which, also includes the Property Assessment Bill and the increased Customs Duty. The fact of the whole of the loan being floated as soon as Government are firmly seated on the Treasury Benches bears us out in this belief, and as the rate of interest is the same as is usually charged it is very apparent that tho faith in the colony's ability to pay twenty shillings- in the pound is not in the least shaken in the money market of the world. So much for the successfully worked little Ministerial money scare. They raise a host of financial bogies before the affrighted eyes of the people of New Zealand, and then win for theni3elres everlasting fame by skilfully dissolving the apparitions they have set up. A very clever, but hardly honest laethdd of doing business we think ; however we* suppose they had for their text the spirit of the aphorism that as all is fair in love and war, bo also is it fair in politics. The replenished exchequer will now be able to meet some of the monetary demands made from all parts of the colony, aud we hope that our representatives will not be backward in pressing the wants and necessities of this district on the Government.

A latk telegram informed us that it jras proposed to take a plehis-scilnm of tho ratepayers ©f Dunedin upon the mode of the election of Mayor. Opinions are divided all over the Colony upon this question, and arguments are advanced of considerable weight in favor of the course at present followed. It occasioually happens, however, that gentlemen are sleeted by tho ratepayers who aro totally unacquainted with the working of | municipalities, and the Councils are not improved under such circumstances. On | the other hand, it is advanced that if the Council had the power as provided for iv the County's Act, of electing their Chairman or Mayor, more attention "would be given to the qualities possessed by the member chosen for the duties of the office, and that Councillors are more competent to judge of the qualifications of individuals than the general body of the ratepayers. We are inclined to believe the election by tho Council to be the more preferable course, and if the present system is continued, we would like to see provision made that tiie retiring Mayor should hare a seat in the Council for 12 months by virtue of his having occupied the office of Mayor for the past year. Many advantages would result from this course; it usually happens under the present Act that persons are elected who have never served as Councillors, who, if they had their predecessor beside them, would ba more likely to conduct the work of the Borough smoothly, and arrangements entered into would, not for want of knowledge be rudely broken or in any way counteracted. JN"ew Mayors are frequently dependant entirely upon the officials iv the office for information upon many subjects of interest to the ratepayers, and as a consequeuce. are not always iv a position to give an unbiassed opinion. One who had already served his term would be well acquainted with the duties of the office and would be of the greatest help to his successor, giving him useful hints in the duties of the office, iv the manner of conducting the business, and ia every way being a support and a help to the new recipient of the highest dignity that can be conferred by the citizens of a borough. There are many other ad vantages in our opinion to be cited in favour of the course suggested, and it might be worth the while of our members to attempt to have a provision of the nature proposed introduced when the Amendment Bill to the Municipal Corporations Act is in committee of the House of Hepreseiitatives.

The members of the Liberal Associatioa meet in the Hauraki Club rooms, Albert street, this evening, for the purpose of considering*the new rules, and other business of importance.

As will be. seen by the advertisement elsewhere, the Moanatairi Directors have copied the good example set by the Albnrnia and Waiotahi companies, and have declared a dividend of 2s 6d per share.

The following are the principal scores made at the competition for the District Belt on Saturday :—-P.O. A. Thomas 70, Lieut. Gordon 69, Seaman Parslovr 62, ■Sapper Daro 62,'P.0. J. Thomas 62, Vol. Weir 61. Seainaa Armstrong 61,' Drum McLean 60, Vol. Woods 60, Vol. Stone 60, Seaman Fagjg 59, Vol. Penk 58, Vot Price 58, Vol. Gray 58, Seaman Mntine 58, Serpent McLecd 50.

The attendance at the Willouehby street Wesleyan Church was numerous at both services yesterday, and very impressive sermons were preached by the Jlove. Watkin ahd Laishley. The annnal soiree of the Sunday School children will be he Id to-morrow evening*

AiiTnouGH thore appears to bo some difficulty in the way of" their disposing of the Big Pi: nip itself, xrv hear that the Count} r Council intend offering such of (ha at'CU.i'itieti as there is no question of their right to deal with, for sal« at once, and it is understood that the Caledonian rainf? and plant will bo the first submitted 'for public competition.

Tjir first meeting of the Comniiltco of the Free Public Library vuu held in the Mayor's room this forenoon. Present— The Mayor, Messrs MeGfowan, Head, Ilenshaw, and Bnwden. The financial position of the library was fully considered, and steps wero taken to raise a sum of money sufficient to pay outstanding liabilities ; while the librarian was instruced to call upon all persons owing subscriptions. A Bub-committee* was appointed to draft regulations for the future management of the institution.

We believe several donations of oilpaintings and eiigraviugs have already been promised to the Committee of the Free Public Library to grace the walls of the reading room and library. We shall be pleased to acknowledge on behalf of the Committee all such donations.

There was a clean sheet at the B.M Court to day.

Weekly stale of sick in the Thames Gold field Hospital, from 30th Nor. to 6th Dec:, 1379.—Statistical Nosology: Zymotic Diseases—remained 3, admitted 2, discharged 1, remaining 4; Constitutional—remaiuod 1, discharged 1; Localremained 10, admitted 2, discharged 3, died 1, remaining 8 ; Violent—remained 6, admitted 1, discharged 1, remaining (5. Total—remained 20, admitted 5, discharged 6 4 died 1, remaining 18. Out patients 25. —T. Aitken, Dispenser.

Majob Withers returned to Aucklaud on Saturday evening after a visit to Obinemuri for the purpose of paying off the Ohinemuri Volunteers, The men were paid at the rate of 4s per diem, but as this sum will barely cover their expenses for board and residence, we trust the Government will favorably consider their application for increased remuneration. *

We understand that Messrs Casey and Co. have taken a contract from Messrs J. J. O'Brien and Co., to fill in the portion of the reclamation contract from the Albert street wharf to Karaka creek. *

i« An examination of candidates for the Civil Service commenced at the Custom House to-day, under the supervision of Mr E. P. Tizard, Collector of Customs,, There were only two candidates, viz., Wasters H. Fleming and Steele.

The"establishment of a Free Library on the Thames was tnken as his subject by the ltev. Mr Laishley at the evening service in the Congregational Church yesterday. With proper supervision in the selection of books and gocd management the preacher believed the opening of such an institution would be a public good, and was a step in the right direction.

We hear that a portion of Mr Rowe's business in Wellington is to endeavor to induce the Government to purchase th^ Theatre Eoyal as a drill hall for tnl Thames Volunteers. The Theatre, which, is Mr R«owe's property, is mortgaged to the Bank of New Zealand for a large amount, and for £7000 the Government can purchase it, satisfy Mr lidwe, satisfy the Bank of Mew Zealand,- aiid,*,«a.ui-for the modest William the eternal gratitude of the Volunteers and the Thames coaimunity. - Such noble disinteredness is quite affecting, and we regret to have to raise o v ur voice against it. If the Government are disposed to spend $7000 on the Thames Volunteers that sum could be more judiciously disposed of in building a properly appointed drill hall, than in purchasing a ramshackle old building like the Theatre Jioyal.

Mhs M—— lost a small article of jewellery. She advertised it in the local papers for some days, offering a reward, but no responsfe came. Shortly afterwards she was informed by a gentleman of her acquaintance that the article had been picked up by Mr A^*-—«, and was still in his possession. „ A somewhat diffident policeman was, at Mrs M. 's instance, sent to A 's residence, to enquire after the missing jewel, but the master of the house saw ihe terror to evildoers coming in at the gate, and cksired the servant girl to tell him he was engaged, but would see him in 10 minutes. The peeler came in and sat down, and in the meantime A despatched the jewel off to Mrs M- V place by the servant girl, who, without telling who she came from, produced it and demanded the reward. This was given to her, aud, on her return, A saw the policeman, and asked his business. On being told, he said, " Oh, Constable Blank, I saw the advertisement in the paper this morning, and sent it round at once." The constable said it was a fine day, but thought it would rain' before evening, and vainoozed. .N.B.— This story is founded ou fact. • j

Don't live in hope with your arms folded. Fortune smiles on those who roll up their sleeves and put their shoulder to the wheel, that propels them on to wealth and happiness. Cut'this out aiid carry it about with you in your vest pocket, ye who idle in public-houses or at the corners of the streets.

The Pall Mall Gazette, remarking on the;establishment of the telephone exchange in London, says :—" Still more remarkable, however, than the communication thus established was the experiment made with the telephone upon a mechanical type setter. By means of speaking through the telephone a complete series of sentences was set up in typo in a composing stick."

" Theee were two men got into a fight in front of the store the other day," »aid a north-end man at the supper table, "and I tell you it looked pretty hard for one of them. The biggest one grabbed a cart stick and drew it back. I thought sure he was* going to knock the other's brains out, and I jumped between them." The family had listened with rapt attention, and. as the head paused in hie narrative, the young beir, whose respect for his father's bravery was iraniensurable, proudly remarked : ".He couldn't knock any brains out of you, could he, father P" The head of the family yazed long and earnestly at the teir, as if to detect evidence of a dawning humorist; but as the youth continued with great innocence to munch ljis fourth tart, ho gasped and resumed his supper.-—Koekland Courier.

Eeue (says an Exchange) is a painful practical exemplification of how the hard times are just mow. Some days ago in Christchurch, an advertisement was inserted iv the loctl journals requiring a clerk

in a merchnnt's office. No less than 178 applications were received during the week following the notice. And tho salary ottered was but 35s a week ! Talk of tho unemployed sons of the soil after that, who will not—uneducated and untrained as they are—work at less than 8s a day !

Tar: survival of the filf.ost! la it rcaMy true that 11 thing of beauty its a j oy for cv->v ? Test ii. by purchuniig somocho court iolo from M. J. WiLKIiS, Wutuhtnuker anO Jewell.'r, Shortland, for ho has many be iutiful things in gold aud tuber suitable for Christmas presents, celling at prices to eitVct a clearance. Established 1867.—[Adtt.]