THE FEDERAL COUNCIL.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VII, Issue 1986, 9 May 1885, Page 2

THE FEDERAL COUNCIL.

.Sir Julijjs V GjOKf, has prepared, on Volmlf on the Premier, a mhiniiraiicliiin on the proposed Imperial for oqnstitutingan Australian Federal Oour'eil. In it he says that '• Tho Government of Mew Zealand appeal tn the Secretary of State fur the Colonies, and to the Governments of the Australian coloto reconsider the question of the Federal Councils Bill, so far as to provide that no legislation ,q.f the Federal Council shall have elPeet within anv colony until the Legislature 'of that colony shall have, approved ot such legislation. This Government consider it would lie quite impossible, vithoufc t))fi insertion of such a provision, to recoinjne|)d its acceptance to the Parliament of New sse/,i|aip|; aipl equally impossible, if any Government were to recommend it, t||j|s the Parliament of New Zealand would consent to such an utter abnegation of its powers'as would be involved l.y its accepting the Federal Council. under j the Bill proposed. 'lf the Bill became an Act of the Imperial Parliament, it will have no effect within any colony that does not elect through its Legislature to adopt it. But when once a colony has accepted the Act. it would place itself in the position of allowing a number of laws relating to most important subjects to be passed without any larger sli.are in the legislation than would be comprised in t|)e presence of two of its representatives in the Upi)))oil. In other words, the Legislature of a constitutional colony would lie asked to name two persons, who, in company with many persons from other colonies —Crown and constitutional—would liave it final legislative power over a large number of questions of the utmost moment to the colony." There is not a sentence in this that we cap take exception to. Near Zealand, at any rate, while desirous to assist in framing laws nn subjects that are. of common interest in the Australian colonies, have no desire to become part and parcel of Australia, and if the Act were passed us now proposed, would simply stand aloof, and allow a measure that is in other respects not without useful features, to become at least a partial failure at the very outset.

' Tlio Fcathorston Volunteers'-intend giving a soiree on'the 22nd itißtant." i■ ,; Tho usual weekly meeting, of the Freethought Association will be held in the Theatre Royal to-morrow evening. A valuable horse, tho property of Mr H. Cook, reports the Standard, was killed at Feathorston on Wednesday night, through colliding with a dray. The anniversary of the Presbyterian Sunday school will be celebrated by a tea meeting at the Church on Tuesday May 19th.

MrT. Benton, sen.,'of Kaiwaiwai,-in-vites tenders for felling 150 acres of bush in the Rangifcumau Block.

Mr G, F. Mansell has opened a shop next the Theatre Royal, as., tobacconist and fancy goods dealer, and directs attention to his complete stock in "another column. , • ■Mr William Blinkhorne notifies elsewhere that it is his intention at the next licensing meeting to apply for a publican s license for a house at Mauriceville, to be known as the Railway Hotel. The departure of the JSew Zealand .Shipping Company's Royal Mail Steamer Kaikoura having been further posponed, the next English mail will not closo until G 30a.m. on Tuesday next.

Messrs Fuller and Sayers have nearly completed the drying of the tobacco grown by them, and expect to commence packing in about a month. The yield from the two acres planteds is about two tons, The Rev. D. Fulton has arranged to deliver a series of Sunday evening lecture dealing with the evidonces of Christianity and modern scepticism. The first of them will be given to-morrow evening.

The tender of Messrs' Drummond and Fraa for surveying the endowment of the Wellington City Council at Wangahao, has been aooepted. - The price has not as yet transpired.

■ The departure of. the mall steamer Kah konra, having been further postponed, the next outward English mail at Masterton will not closo till 0.30 a.m. on Tuesday, MrE, W. Cutten, of the firm of Moorehouse Edwards and, Cutten, solicitors, Wellington, died at bis residence, Island Bay, this morning, He had been ailing for a week, Mr Cutten was a momber of an old and much respected Otago family.

Messrs Reid and Gray, of Dunedin, the well-known manufacturers of agricultural implements, and machinery, have forwarded ub quite a collection of pictures and show cards, illust"at|vo of their machinery, as at work in the field, In addition there is a bulky catalogue, very handsomely got up, which should prove most useful to farmers,

Matters connected with the Sutton enquiry have not made much progress since evidence was taken by Mr G. B, Davy, the Commissioner appointed by the Government. Mr Davy has taken the statement of Mr J. Drummond, which is notavailable at present, andit isunderstood that after considering the whole matter he will make a ifoport iq t(|e Government,

The celebrated dispute re the Mangateretere West Block, seven miles from Napier, which lias been before the §Hpreme Court for the last fifteen years,' has feeijp settled. The. dispute was between the, late Isanjtijana, tlje Maori member, and Mr Buttqn, late, M.rLJj,, fpr Hawjco's. fjay. The bjqck hap now been djviflfld. Ifr Suttqn ql)feiins a pop: tion, highly' iuipyejL ajifl yahicd at £15,000. The lady members of St. Luke's Church, Greytown, who have been for some time past engaged in making the nooßfigapy preparations, propose holding a sale of fancy and ijgefijl >y.Qyk in Mr F. H. Wood's auction room? on the Ifjjjh, ■hist.. Mr Wood has placed his romp ftt the disposal of the ladies freo of charge, The proceeds will be applied totbe extinguishment of a debt of £250, which still exists.

On the steamer Arawa, from London, arriving at Port Chalmers, she was at once placed in quarantine. The health flf all on board was good, with one exception, fcjjat flf a/ seaman, who took snjajl pox ,qn jthe SOflf Marpji. He, is 'nqw convalescent, flis cl.qthWand lieddjng jjafl bepn ,o>.s)r,qyed, and he l|as been completely fgqlajed, ajnge, t'lQ qutbreak flf the (jiseaje, Tlje Australian, passengers have been brought <ni. The aphial steaming time qf the was jj)B, days, 30 minuted,

The programme to bo presented at the Theatre Royal by Messrs Foley and B rkley on Monday night promises to be oxceptionallygood, although, owing to the illness of Mr Perkley, it has been found necessary to mako an alteration in tlje caste of "Milky White," Tho leading parts will now be sustained by Mr Foley, am} Mr Cecil Riverton, and in their hands the comic clement is not at all likely to suffer. Tho other items on tho programme are all designed to please the audience, and as Miss Beaufort will assist throughout, there is every prospect of a |arge and appropriate assemblage. It is satisfactory |o notice that the veoeipts on the' Wellington Masterton Railway continue to inipasG, ml jjjjat the proportion of tho expenditure is steadily decreasing, During the four weeks ending March 31st last the receipts wore £(so(i3 Os 2d timing the corresponding period of the preceding year. The proportion of expenditure to receipts was 72.66, as against 78.80. The totaj nuiiibpr of passengers carried was 19,014, as against 17.777- The total receipts from railways of tho- Colony were £92,869 7s Id, of which the North Island contributed £30,758 125.4 d, and the Middle Island, £62,110 14s 9d. Last year these figures stood respectively £25,597 5s 2d, and £64,742 4s Bd, so thajfc lilies |ia» been a decrease of £2500 in the Middle Isjand, thoNa-th Island shows an. increase qf oyer £5000; and that, tpo, without any' additional length of, ljne havjng been qpeneq 1 during tlje intervening year.