INTER-PROVINCIAL NEWS.

Westport Times, Volume VIII, Issue 1151, 17 February 1874, Page 2

INTER-PROVINCIAL NEWS.

AUCKLAND' Mr O'Rorke has intimated'' that he does not intend to draw his salary as Speaker of the Auckland Provincial Council while holding office as Minister.

It is reported by the Southern Cross that at a special meeting of a certain lodge of Good Templars in Auckland, a person desiring admission into the

brotherhood was absolutely refused und in point of fact " blackballed," his admission fee having been returned to him. If this be true, it show clearly eiiout»l» that another disease has fastened upon what it was thought wonld bo made a vast moral agent for good; s»nd tends to prove the correctness of what its enemies asserted long ago, that, internal dissensions and sickly exclusiveness would ultimately be its downfall.

CANTERBURY. At the "Resident Magistrate' Court, Christehurch, William F. Nelson, late of Timaru, has been charged with stealing £l2 10s from a box. the property of Melanchthon Stamper, a printer employed in the " Lyttelton Times" office, where the accused was also working. After hearing the evidence, he was committed to take his trial at the next session of the Supreme Court, Christehurch.

OTAGO. The question is being warmly discussed in Otago, and move particularly in the Cromwell district of that province, as to what should constitute a Mayor's fitness before he can he gazetted a J.P. The people of Cromwell have chosen as their Mayor a citizen of credit and repute. Nothing is alleged against his character, but, sad to relate, he is a butcher. And so the Government, in their wisdom, have thought fit to " exercise a discretion in the matter." "It depends (writes the Under Secretary) upon the position and occupation of the Mayor whether he is appointed or not." The Government, we presume, think the line must be drawn somewhere in the article of J.Ps., just as the barber related in Pickwick did in the rejection of customers. The barber drewthe line at dustmen; the Government draws it at butchers. Apropos of Justices of the Peace, it is still in our memory, when many years ago the proprietor of an old established journal, who was also its very talented editor, was recommended to be placed on the roll of J.Ps the Government refused to accede to the recommendation upon the ground joint that the editor and newspaper proprietor was after all only a printer, as he printed for money other matter than he wrote in his newspaper. This was only too true. By-and-by the editor-printer was elected without opposition to a seat in the Victorian Legislature, and soon after became a Minister of the Government. He had the dealing with J.P. appointments, and he refused to sanction the appointment of medical men as Justices, upon the ground that they were very often called upon to cut off people's legs. This was severely satirical ; nevertheless that year no medical men were placed on the roll of Justices, utiilo a v-oi-y largo number of editors were.