FREE AND EASY NOTES.

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 213, 29 February 1872, Page 5

FREE AND EASY NOTES.

BY P. TENAX.

It has always seemed strange to me that the horny-handed sons of toil require so much pressing to register their names on the Electoral Roll. They are willing to demonstrate till further orders in favour of reduction of taxation, retrenchment, and other matters of serious import to them, yet when they are freely offered the power to influence the legislation of the colony in the direction they wish, they are, as a rule, too apathetic to take the little trouble necessary to secure it. In the journals of the colony, those possessing the necessary " qualification are annually beseeched to register ; application f urras are profferred gratis to all who choose to ask for them ; and more than this, offers are made to fill up said forms and get the signature of the applicant attested, leaving the only task a qualified apph-" cant has to perform to procure the electoral franchise the not very difficult one of signing his name. These means have, however, proved ineffectual, and those who take an interest in public affairs have to go out into the highways and m byeways, frequently at considerable expense, to entrap the qualified unregistered and convert them into free and independent electors. In spite of their supineness, the horny-handed, .&c., expect that Parliament- will legislate for their benefit. Their expectations will be realised in future as much as they have been in the past if they do not bestir themselves in time.

The New South Wales Government has prohibited its goldfields officials, under pain of dismissal, from entering into mining speculations. Ware a similar prohibition introduced and stringently enforced in New Zealand, Julius might be able to provide for some of his friends without having to creafcaciiei!? billets for that laudable purpose.

It may not be generally known that the ecclesiastics of the Anglican Church have formed an alliance with those of the Church of Rome, for the purpose of establishing a denominational system of education in New Zealand. This information may be useful at this time to some who have not .yet registered their names on the Electoral Roll. One thing may be relied on, and that is, that the advocates of denoininationalism will take good care that every qualified person holding similar views to themselves will be enrolled as an elector. Verbum sap.

Twelve months ago the mining population of Otago talked of nothing but "Water Supply." In the discussions thereupon, the " practical and experienced miner," who is periodically disinterred to give his sage advice on matters pertaining to goldfields, averred that the only thing that Otago wanted to make it a sublunar paradise was Government aid towards increasing iihe water supply. " Give the miners a portion of the loan to bring in water," said the P. and JB.M., and unemployed men will be as scarce as honest ones in Obago. - Immigrants, attracted by the glowing reports of the wonderful yields of our goldfields, will flock to New Zealand without requiring assistance. The increase in the goldfields and Customs revenue,- caused by the increase of population, will more than pay the interest on the£4,ooo,ooo loan, and on £4,000,000 more ; the stamp tax may be at once repealed, and in a year or two the gold duty also. There are hundreds of square miles of proved rich auriferous ground in Otago and, if -water were brought to bear on it, every one would accumulate riches with a rapidity unprecedented in the history of the world. Offer a little aid to the impoverished miner, and he will jump, at the chance to benefit himself and the province. Vote a sum of money for water supply purposes, and before another month is over, a thousand bona fide enterprises will be commenced." The General Government has offered to" grant subsidies to parties desirous of constructing works for supplying the goldfields with water. I7p to the present time there has been ONE application for a subsidy,