Untitled

Thames Star, Volume XII, Issue 4027, 24 November 1881, Page 2

With the abundance of water at their disposal, we wonder when it will strike the Borough authorities to flush out the drains in Davy sfcreafc. Mb Bbodie will address the electors of the Coromandel district this evening at 7.30 in the St. G-eorge's School-room, Rolleston street. It is with unfeigned pleasure that we hail the re-election of Mr Alexander Brodie to the positioa of County Chairman. Ever Bince the Counties Act came into operation, Mr Brodie has been the Chairman of the Thames County Council, and the highly satisfactory manner in which he has conducted the business has left no cause of complaint, but one of satisfaction, to the ratepayers in having such an energetic and »ble man at the head of affairs-in the County, Hl3 Worship the Mayor and Mr Joe Williams proceeded overland last evening to Paeroa, iv a buggy. On the way up an accident occurred, whish necessitated the remainder of the journey being accomplished on foot. Major Murray, returning home from Paeroa, passed the uafortunate ones, who, however, appeared to relish the unpleasant position in which the vagaries of Joe's horse placed them, and w»re by no means so miserable as might have been expected under the eircutaefcaaees.

Me James Mkazis } a caudidata for the Ooromaodel diutricfc, aanounoes that he will address the electors of the said district, in St. (3-eorge'e school room, Rtolleetou streets, on Saturday next, at 7 30. .

We would remind our cricketing friends tbat a general meeting of the Thames C.C will be held tit the Bo wen -at 7.30 this evening-

It appears that a itedutribution of Seats Bill is wanted in England quite us much at in this ooloay. A Londoa cou'^uaporary say^ — £ etrikiiig returia aat bten j^uUiebod xektjye

to towns unrepresented iv Parliament. It appears* that there are 187 municipal districts without direct representation in I he Legislatures and 19 of these have populations exceediug 80,000. Bearing in mind the rapid growth of municipal England, and the inexpediency of* any marked increase to the muster rolls of M P.'s, the only true reajfldy for this anomaly must rather be in a re-adjustment of electoral diutriots than an addition to a House of Commons already quite large enough.

A white a in the Wellington Era, about the front say a : —That regu'ation dandy Scotch cap, too, is ihe csiuse of a most unjust and injurious pusj icion ivstir g r-nu t* mpera'e and steady b ;dy of men. Hur.iiy v raan of them up tln;ro now. but cliohs. unmistakeable eigtis of having " been in the ran." This is heaping insult upon injury. Besides, see the danger of reviving i-anuibalism among the natives, with »o cnany broiled cheeks 1, ro eted" noses, parboik-d eyes, and baked heads, at their very do: re, if they hava any, as it were. It is too horrible ! Ye men, who possess umbrellas ! Ye women, who own sunshades ! —Send them to the front at once!

It does not. appear to be generally known that the arrests of Te Whili, Tohu, and Hiroki, were made under warrant in the ord nary course. A warrant against Hiroki on the charge of murdering Mr McLean had been out for some years, and-was «t length executed on this occasion under the guns of 1,700 armed men. With regard to Te Wliiti and Tohu, magistrate/ warrants were issued against them for sedition, and not under the West Coast J-eitlemei.t Act of 1880. They will be brought before a magistrate iv due time, and in all probability will then be committeri for trial at the Supreme Court.

We take the following from our Whangarei contemporary :—JSotwithstanding we warned persons to be careful to avoid that terror of Acts, " The Corrupt Practices Act," we find that more than one person has alrerdy committed a breach of it, for which he is liable to a penalty of £200 and political disfranchisement. Both the party who pays a man to do electioneering work, and the man who accepts such payment, are liable to this penalty. A case is likely to be brought into Coutt shortly.

The JVaikato Mail says :— 'f If Mr Wbitaker doeß not get returned for Waipa it will not be for any want of assistance from the Q-o fern ment. Grants (or a work here or a work there have been most opportunely brought forward at a time when the supporter of the Government wish to stand well with the electors for re-election, aud now Mr Knorpp, the consulting Engineer for the North Island, comts up just in the thick of it, to examine the works iv the district which have been constructed " with Government money. Yesterday Mr Knorpp, accompanied by Mr Hunter the District Engineer, Mr Ureakell, C.E , und Mr F. A, Whitaker drove out to the Waiapa district;, where that wily electioneering canva&Ber will have an opportu nity afforded him, not only of identifying himself with his works done, but of appearing to suggest what shall be dooo in the future."

Caitain Porter, one of the candidates for the East Coast, addressed the electors recently, and, specking on the education question, said he should propose an alteration in the educational Bcheme of the colony, which was an unequal burden on that portion of the taxing public least able to bear it. We are inclined to an opinion expressed to us lately by a talented teacher amongst us, that the presmt system caused both parents and children to have far less apprec;ation of the blessings of education, and mainly from the fact that a thing cheaply obtained is little prized. There is, however, this to be said, that it the State do not hold the education reins, it cannot compel parents to send their children to Bchool The groat error seems to be in placing rich aud poor on the same footing, so that a man with an i come of £200 a year subscribes more, pro vaia, towards education than his neighbour with £2000 a year. Captain Porter would move a step further and insert a clause, that no one with a given per annum income should be permitted to send their children to^fi^e.school^', or let each p%y according fco-his income. The education vote for this year is £386,616,5 while since the inauguraiiifen of the system in 1877, the expenditure tots up to about, a million and a half sterling.

It is not generally known that Cardinal Newman .early in life had some thoughts of devoting himself to a journalistic career. When he was ayouug man at Oxford he made Hiich au impression upon the directors of the limes by some letters on education which he contributed to that journal under the norn tie plume of " Catholicus " that be was offered an engagement on their staff at a very handsome salary. £1800 per annum is the figure that report says was mentioned. " Shall Ibe free," asked the young roan, to wlnm this tempting cff*r .as made, "to any what I think?" The reply may be imagine i, and Newman declined the proposal, although at the moment the income offered would hare beenveiy welcome. How different might hare been t c course of recent English history if Newman had yielded to the tetnptalioD, or the Times had promised him the liberty "to bay what lie thought."— Pall Mall Gazette.

No business transpired at tbe K.M. Court this morning.