The Wairarapa Daily. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 1883. PUBLIC OPINION.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 5, Issue 1333, 21 March 1883, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 1883. PUBLIC OPINION.

Apparently from Major Atkinson's address to the Christchurch nieeting, the object of his self-imposed mission is to ascertain "public opinion" on political questions, One would have thought that with scores of newspapers all around him, to say nothing of the facility of intercourse which ho enjoys with the representatives of the people, as well as the command of a vast army of civil servants through tho length and breadth of the colony, his opportunities of getting at public opinion would be ample for any man who had the slightest capacity for guaging the mind of tho colony. We fail to see how, by playing fiddle solos at a big open meeting, ho can add to his stock of information on the subject. Tlip simplo fact that a man gathers public opinion—not by talking, but by listening to others-has apparently escaped him. Tho Major may be sincere in his desire to learn what people think, but we fear that his affection for his own intellectual offspring is so intense that ho is better fitted to give than to receive ideas, Tho Major has projects of his own, which, backed by public opinion, may come to maturity.. If public opinion will shine on them he will, no doubt, accept it, but'should public opinion not endorse his sentiments, we fancy that he will be very much disposed to consider it to be a spurious growth with which ho can have nothing to do. Major Atkinson is one of our best public men; his ability is admitted, his integrity is unquestioned; but enthusiasm carries him beyond the range of sober common sense. When, for example, ho recommended the Christchurch people to put on one side for a time the idea of nationalising all the land in the colony he simply made himself and the responsible position which he occupies ridiculous, There is probably not another member of the Cabinet besides himself but who knows perfectly well that the idea in question could not be put on one side simply because it has never been seriously entertained by any appreciable section of the community. There is a vein of Quixotism right through the speech which will, wefear, be injurious to the Ministry of which the Major is a leading member. Of course the Ministry may gain some eclat m the country by this appeal to the masses, but aloss of prestige in the House will'probably more than discount this advantage, We are aware that Mr Gladstone is triumphantly quoted asan instance of astatosmanwho enhanced his influenco in Parliament by " a stumping tour;" but even in this case we believe the loss has been far greater than the gain. He set a ball rolling which he has neither been able to control nor stay, and since the time that ho departed from the ordinary lines of political warfare his life has been liarrassed by anxieties and apprehensions, from which his illustrious predecessors iu the Premiership of Great Britain have been comparatively free, We see but little advantage in discussing the crop of questions which Major Atkinson has laid before the Christchurch meeting If they were to be considered Ministerial proposals,' thty would, of course, demand serious consideration, hut as the political theories of an individual member of the Ministry they are of less importance. In any case, they must' be threshed out in tho Assembly before they come into the arena of practical politics. The beginning and the ending of the Christchurch address are almost the key-notes of it, and are characteristic of our well meaning, but somewhat Quixotic, Colonial Treasurer. In the former he puts a bandage over his eyes in ordor to catch public opinion, and in the latter,'by proposing to grapple with pauperism and strangle it, he undertakes a labor to which the task of Sisyphus was child's-play,

Joseph Jcs<op and Richard Peck, two Palmcrstnn residents were arrested on a charge of* illicit distillation about five miles from Piilmersion last Monday. The full plant was discovered. Sir William Vernon Harcnurt, tho Home Secretary, has announced in ihe House of Commons that urilois have been given fur an inoreußo of the Metropolitan police force by fi«e hundred won in oidav to provide fur the increased protection of public buildings. Mr Wardell R.M, eits at Carterton today. '

_ The Mae'terton School Committee holds iu monthly meetiiiß this evening.

Mr Samuel Brown, of Johnston sireot, Wellington, advertises for 3000 bushels of charcoal fur the freezing works, The annual general meeting of the atas'erton Football Olub takes placo this evening.

The Maaterton Horlionliural Society settles up accounts and prize money i his' afternoon, in connection, with the late show. •

Mr Haseldon, the Assistant Grown Law Officer, was in Mnsterton yesterday to investigate the question of a site for the new Courthouse. There is evidently a chance now.nf the mistake made in the first instance being rectified,

. The Juvenilo Opera Company left Mas. teflon this morning by the, early train to Wellington, Yesterday afternoon tho ynUHgstera had a treat in the shape of ut drive into the couatry on Mr Oorbott's 'bus as far as the Otahuao hill.

Mr F, H. Wood sells by auction at the Pastoral yards, Carterton, to-morrow, sheep, cattle, horses, a stiong wai>onotte, &c, &C.

Mr T. Thompson,- of the Prince of Wales Horse Repository, has purchased the Empire 'bus, which will Dly from the Prince of Wales' Hotel to "the railway station.

The annual tea meeting in connection with the Wesley*!! Sunday School takes place on Good Friday at 5 p.m Addresses will be given in the evenin .

Tho following tenders wore received by the Public Works Department for the Opaki Contract (furmition and permanent way) Wellington-Napier Railway :-Ac rented: O'Malley and Pppperel, Christ church,, £14,793. Declined; Jay and Haynes, Hawera, £16,(551; Shields and Oleary, Wellington, £18,987; Martin Danaber, Auckland, £19,760; Reese and Dawson, Maaterton, £'20,642; T, .p," Girdwood, Masierton, <£26,448; Parker and Burke, Maeterton, £22,461. Another seotion from the' Camp to Mauricev'illewill shortly be open to tender, ■ , -_

. Tho Waiiiab vpa Daily will not.bo published on Good Friday, j ' , Mr J, Devonshire, late of Tinui, hag taken the Umpire 'Hotel stables, where saddle horses and buggies'can bo hired and horses broken in,

Numbers of 'natives, including many Wairarapa Maorios, are reported to be wending their -way to Parilmka to greet tho returned oxile, Te Whin.

At a meeting of the Licensing Committee for'the Greytown Borough Licensing District, Mr John Tully was duly elected Chairman of the Oommutoo.for the ensuinu year,

It is understood thai Mr CnueUnd, tho Minister for works fur New South Wales has resigned his portfolio in consequence of strictuics passed on his conduct at a binqucton Snturduy l.ißt (St Patrick's Day) when he wits intoxicated, and made an injudicious speech in favor of Irishmen, and justified his refusal to grant a free railway pass to Mr Redmond.' Tho Resident Magistrate sat at the Greytown IUI, Court yesterday at 10 am. to enquire into a petition filed by Mr E. S llaunsell and ulnars in which it was nlloged that nregulariiy had occurred during the olection of members for the Greytown Riding of the Wairarapa West County which interfered with the fairness of the election. Among other things it was stated that at tho polling bnutha at Tauherumkau and Morrison's Bnsh more vuios hud been polled fur Mr Mauiiboll than had been recorded Upon opening iho enquiry tho'.Resident' Magistrate briefly ataied tho object of tho enquiry, Mr Maunsell informed the Court that he had roceived a letter from Dr H, T. Spratt (on whoso evidence he depended in reference to the polling booth at Tauhereuikau) in which he said he was only "humbugging"-Maunsell when he told him ho hud voted fur him, and that: all along he had intended to vote for another candidate. Such'being tLe case ho desired to withdraw the petition asfar,as tho Tnuheteniltau polling booth was concerned.' William Mitchell was called but did not appear. It was stated by him at tho declaration. that he had polled five votes for Maunsell at Morrison's Bush. An inspection of the voting papers showed that he had only recorded two votes for Maunsell and three for another candidate. Mr Maunsell asked to withdraw this also utider the circumstances, This was poimitted and, Mitchell was ordered to pay the costs of the enquiry, 28a.

. • A special meeting of the Greytown Borough Council was held on Monday evening last to receive tenders for work to be done..in the Borough. A tender from MrG, Wiggins to metal East-street was not accepted, the Council agreeing to drTtho work by day labor, Mr H. Soars' tonder to form and metal 12. chains,' Moroa, at £2 6s per chain was accepted, and Mr Wiggins' lender to form and melal 20 chains West-street at L2 2a Gd per chain was riso accepted,

Tho first sitting of the new Greytown Borough Licensing Committee was held yeatordriy at two p.m. The following members were proseut:—Messrs Tully, (chairman), fkillie, Loasby, Wood, and Thompson. The minutes of tho last meeting were- read and confirmed, and the police report was received, which was deemed satisfactory. .Messrs Fabian Bros,, made an application for a license for a new hotel to be built by them, and laid the plans, too,, on the table for inspection, The committee expressed themselves in favor of it, but intimated that tho license must be applied for at the annual meeting,

Mr Travel the well-known solicitor baa written as follows to the Post or the treatment of sheep on the Wellington railway:—•' I had occasion to go to Eontheratun yesterday morning, returning in the evening, and both in going and in returning I wifcuessod scenes of revolting, and inexcusablo cruelty, With the nioriv ins! up-train (which we met at the summit) there wore several truck loads of sheep. Each of these trucks had two stages, one above the other, tho floor of each stage beinji close boarded, with a few battens nailed diagonally across it. ostensibly to assist tho foothold of tho animals. The condition ef the sheep in these trucks was absolutely frightful. The floors were running with tilth, and had in consequence bocoiue so slippery that it was almost impossible for an animal which had fallen to rise again, Large numbers had fallen, and were lying saturated with filth, and panting with agony. One lay dead from suffocation, its tongue lolling out and its head protruding through the side-bars. Another, still living, but at the last gasp, had fallen in Buch a manner that all its logs projected'from tho bottom of the iron railing, whilst its head waß (lonhleil back on its Bhouldcr, and the contents of. its stomach, mixed with sativa, wero pouring frum its mouth. Another hud so fallen that its head was pressed back between its shoulders by the side of the. truck, a position in which it was kept by the weight of two others lying upon it. Others lay in a variety of strained and crushed positions, and, in-, deed, every sheep in these trucks was evidently suffering intensely, On returnini> there were three similar truck loads "f sheep with the up-lrain in a similar state, and the animals undergoing the same kind of torture; and, as if to force this the more distinctly upon us, these trucks were placod in front of the passenger carriages (which wero filled) throughout tho journey, with the disgusting; stench emanating from them, Ido hope that the railway authorities will enquire] into this matter, with a view to preventing such cruelty in the future, I am prepared to furnish the names of fellow travellers who witnessed aiid commented upon it. •

The second performance in Mastorton of Stanley find. Dai'byshire's Juveniles took place lust evening, when the Theatre was again filled, The piece niveu—" Los Cloches de Curaville"—evidently Buited the performers-better" than! "Pinafore," and the interest of the audience never figged for 'an -iustant, In fnot, an earnest was the attention paid to the proceedings on the stage, that it led to a scene oi a different kind in the body of the theatre. A Native got in the lino of vision of a European, and.on the latter putting him on cue side a fight ensued. ■lt-was a momentary :■ affair, : however, for the ; police removed the cdmbataoto' at once. The various characters in the play wore splendidly sustained. Aa Serpoletie the foundling, little Misa;Plora Graupner acted and sang with marvellous apirjt and .skill, aod won frequent.;ap.'plaiise.'/;Miss/ Amelia;: Hodge,■ as-,Gor-maitie,.the miser's siippoßedneice, but the Luciene,wits perfect in the character she'assumed. ;■ Her singing was; extremely/good.and much/applauded, and tlie tmm. rercark applies to Miss personated the Marquis De;Gprneville,;; Tta/Gasparrl/bf Master Willie; DrJßcol, and the Batllie of Master 0.; Faverger, /as; the iaudienco"'frequently-■ teatißed- by.> tlieii? npplause;v/The,'.GreriicheujCvOi ;]^9s|teriErriesfc: F oamond fderedy.'ari(l;!;Misß^D sf^uently,hr()ught;dbwn sfierjjb*arficfe ' dancitrgwiis ihtfbduceclj and" also bo me /pantomime* f ableuk j'w'hjcli t gaye^cqnisiderable;>;jjlea^ H^rtily/^applaucled: ; ,'; t Kr'> pei-fortii ah pe Vvqi ;iittleQuemiMod^ audiencewpjirafttl/we!] Batißlfied with the first season of the' M«e-

. Messrs Lowes and lores' have a goodattendance ',of couhti'y\settlers at their stock auction, this jafternoon, The sale, was proceeding when Wwent to press.' Dr'Benson'wiH do homage to the Queen for, his new [see'towards'the end of the present month at Windsor Castle, and it is expected that he will be enthroned in Canterbury Cathedral, during'tho first week in April. - The Archbishop will then be formally" in- j duced", into possession of his' see by the Bishop of Dover, acting as Archdeacon of Canterbury.

.'; Professor Wiggins'..storm has not eventuated, ■: The, fateful ides": of March have passed withnbthing more .important than a welcome down-pour of rany welcome to the parched country and welcome to.the drapers, who hope,to sell their stock of garments Suited for suoh weather. Wo are quite willing to help out", customers to■ provide against a"rainy :day,".by. offering our "Sampre.Seeco" cloak,, whioh. is; a most useful and necessary garmont, thoroughly waterproof, and very light in weight, to be had in Navy blue "and. black and in all sjzes. Each do vk is provided with a neat satchel of the same material to carry it '■ when. not required to be, worn.- -Wo would also invite inspectors of some really choice fur lined and; circular broche oloaks,. edged withfuv and lined with quilted silk, We h»ve a few charming imitation and real seal skin jackets in length from 36 to 45 inches that have only to bo seen to be coveted at Tames Smith's ToAro House Wellington.'—TAdvt.]' ':■''