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Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 6, Issue 283, 27 February 1862, Page 3

Wanganui, 7th February, 1862. Sik, —I have been a resident in these colonies for some years, and in my numerous expostulations with Government and their officials have usually found an attentive ear to my suggestions. Oppressed as the present Government are with the weight of cares and anxieties occasioned by the present Native policy, 'I do not feel exactly justified in troubling them with correspondence at present, so I take the liberty of writing you a few lines on the subject of the census, seeing that so soon as they are able to pay attention to me and my remarks I can refer thorn, t.o your, files. I d6' noifmyself think'that the census paper is complete enough in. .detail. What a splendid chance has been miSsed compelling a man under a heavy penalty toVunfold all his private concerns! I begin with the first column —his house:—he has to tell what it is made of, how many rooms, &c., and what other buildings he has on his Jpf finises. Why'hot get hrni to jstate whether/his room's are lined with wood or papered—how many chimneys he has—whether the roof is shingled, slated or iron., What a check that wouia be on huh in case he fills up an Insurance -Policy erroneously,' and takes a fancy to . putting a. fire-stick in his dwelling some fine night. Fraud is checked at once, and a census paper in that case might. bring him to great grief in a Court of Justice. Independent of that, should he be engaged to some lady abroad, to whom, of course, he has represented his life .and comforts in the most favourable light, how many a fair maid might be saved much “ deludherment,” by applying for his census paper; at . the proper quarter. I might mention other instances on this point, but I will now pass on to the man himself. To get his name and age—what country he belongs to churchchtf. belongs to—(we do not find .out, by the way, whether he" ever attends it or liot) —-whether- he can-read or write—and what degree of educational proficiency his household have respectively arrived at. All very good, so far. There might'be some other queries here propounded with much advantage to the public. For instance, in what state of health the family were on the night in question. Which, certainly, would only be civil on; the part of the Government to ask, after catechizing him so far, until lie is wCll'nigh demented. 'Moreover, it might be of use in a' sanitary commission. If he keeps servants, what wages he gives them. Thus obtaining an average of the price of labour throughout the. colony. Whether he is a teetotaller, or a smoker—of, if ho is married, whether his wife is one or : the other, or both,— as likewise other members of his family. An extremely useful return, when we are to be extra taxed to.pay the costs of : the war. We should like to kiiow what tlm 'state of his funds is—whether his property is his own or leased, or taken opr.a;spurchasing.clause or mortgaged; but perhaps we can defer these queries for a few years, as every.time we are getting..more , und more • information out of people, and we can’t over-dose them at once. We now arrive at the state of: his stock-—his crops, his horses, cows, pigs, - ana.—yes, pSir—his Here is a s^ e J? e; fi on thefnight of the return of the census, goes, candle in hand, to visit the hen-roost, .and mount his'cocks and hens on the perches.!_b jThinis.really-too much'! A truce to absurdity—and-; let us open our eyes to their greatest extent, elevate our hands, and, with Mr. Gobderi, cry out, ‘What next!!” Poultry returns, Sir! --1 know one fowl that will not be returned in lts proper place on the schedule, and that_iß the goose that framed this census paper. I can Stand a good deal, but year by year have I been bothered with these census papers,- first for the General and then the Provincial Governments, and every time, like Oliver pthey come “ asking for more.” There is a liin.it to inquisitiveness, and that is the/verge of of impertinence. Are we to lay this to the- door of the Colonial Secretary and his American .experiences'? Who concocted this afiair? and what benefit to any body .are the majority of the queries? I do. not kuow whether any one has access to these papers or not—but all 1 can say is, if they have, it is high time that a limit was put to offensive interrogation. If all the debating took place in the House .of Commons upon the point of whethfir afitan was legally bound to, state his religious profession, what is to be said of the New Zealand census paper ! and all I can say is, that sooner than present such-a document at the door facing John Bull at home, 1 had much rather remain where I am, and Your obedient Servant, . .. ; v i ' V Jo«x Fujtßow,

v Wanganui,.. , - ' , .'.l2th'February, 1862; Dear Mr. Editor,— -Under "the head of “Rifle Shooting for Government Prizes,” there appears in your issue of the 6thinst.'a wonderful display of skill with the rifle in Victoria. The winner scoring 23 points with 3 shots each, at 200, 300, and 600 yards. Having some little knowledge of what has been' and can be done with the rifle, I will venture to say that such a.score was not made, unless bull’s eyes 2 feet in diameter,were allowed,.at the larger, ranges. But the" Statement -was altogether a' meagre one. No details are given of the size of the target, or the Sedations used in firing. But the most astounding part of the performance. is, that as many as 14 hits were made out of 9 shots? Major Longbow never told a better story. Yours very truly, A Rifleman. (The paper from which we extracted the account must have mistaken a 5 for a 3.)

.. Wanganui, 22nd February, 1862. Sir, —In your impression of the 20th inst., 1 find the following paragraph, in a letter addressed to you, dated “ 18th February, 1862,” and signed “Fireman,” having reference to huts built by the detachment, 57th Regiment:— “ For,, since their arrival, a subscription list' was carried through our town for money to build huts for them, which was pretty well responded to.”

As the huts alluded to were put up"by my company, I beg to correct the error which the above statement is likely to create. The huts were put.up. entirely by the men themselves, and the poles and nails procured for them were amply compensated for by the drawback in the soldiers’ allowance of firewood, and no subscriptions whatever have been received for them. As, however, your correspondent “ Rireman ” writes so perhaps he will be good enough to state where the money is that was collected, with the amount of his own subscription, and which, if available, he is quite at liberty to use as his fancy may dictate. • I am, &c.; James Stewakt, Captain, 57th Regiment.

Wanganui, Feb t 24 1862. Sir. Perhaps nothing is more likely to check the re-enrolment of volunteers, than the idea that trickery is being practised on them; such an idea is at present afloat respecting the prize firing, and I hope you will allow me to say a few words on the subject. A reference to the terms of the contests will shew a wide differelice in the competitions for the two sets of prizes. The rifles are to be competed for, only by Volunteers actually sworn in as such at the date of the contest—terms, doubtless dictated by Messrs. Hibbert.

The Government prizes, on the other hand, are open to all who have been sworn in as Volunteers or Militiamen since Jan. 1 1860. The terms do not say that .the competitors must be still serving ; on tlie contrary, read in connection with those for the rifles, they distinctly imply the reverse, and were unquestionably framed for the purpose of including as competitors, men belonging to corps which had been disbanded. The clause, therefore, in Colonel Balneavis’ letter refers to the rifles only. Now the Government, in promulgating tlie new regulations, doubtless believed they would lead to increased volunteering, and while there is still a possibility of war, it would surely not have been right to postpone the promulgation of the regulations for several months to enable tlie rifles to be shot for first. To have promulgated them without disbanding the old force, would Have led to confusion from different men being enrolled on different terms. Besides, it strikes me as being far more liberal to set us free to accept or reject the new, terms at our. own pleasure. As, however, the disbanding would bare, disqualfied us from firing for the (r files,'v.Colonel' Balneavis authorises those who wish to compete to swear in for that purpose pending, the formation of the new Company. . ■ ' 1 confess I cannot see any hardship or injustice in the new regulations. Our term of service under them is best described by the words, “durin" our own convenience, ” and as tlie Colonefs instructions to Major Durie appear, to me to have been kindly meant, I am sorry to see a disposition to cavil at and pick holes in them. The conduct of tlie present Government in fact contrasts most strongly with that of the preceding one. ' I for one have not forgotten how we were sworn in under a set of regulations imposing a fine on men absent from parade and "unable to account for such absence to their Captain's satisfaction,” and then made to serve under others which imposed tlie penalty on those absent without “leave previously obtained ;” and this without our consent being asked, or the alteration being even promulgated here, the. first intimation we had of the change' being the fining of some of our comrades under the altered regulations. We did not, however, get up a row about such a glaring injustice, but treatet it with the contempt it deserved-; the only notice so far as I am aware taken of it, being the resolution passed by the Company to which the suf-, ferers belonged, expressing sympathy with them' and ordering the fines to he - paid out of the Company’s funds. Perhaps it is this which makes the volunteers now so suspicious ; but as the present regulations emanate from an entirely different body of men, I think we ought to consider them without prejudice, aud not seek to find fault with them right or wrong. lam &c. A Volunteer.