INTER-PPOVINCIAL NEWS.

Westport Times, Volume VIII, Issue 1208, 4 September 1874, Page 2

INTER-PPOVINCIAL NEWS.

The following are remarks made by the member for ilokitikain the debate on the abolition the northern provinces as reported in the New Zealand Times :—" Mr While did not attach so much importance to the resolutions as some lion, members did, because he felt certain that no practical results could come from them, and if anything did come of the resolutions, this Parliament could nover give effVct to them. He had been strongl} 7 an ultra-Provincialist as member of the House; but his experience in it

showed him that it was absolutely necessary to have not only local Government, but also local legislative power. The system of Government by agents was odious, even if the ablest, best, ami most honest men could bo got as Government agents—ho would vote against it. They should have over the people persons responsible to the people wlio'rn they governed. The gentlemen who would be appointed would not be honest and highminded men, but those who could u?e back-stairs influence most effectually ; those who would sacrifice thoir country in order to keep in with the Government in power. Ho warned the Premier to take care to supply some other form of Government than that proposed. If the hou gentleman intend to scud a Goy.erument Agent to the West Coast lie would advise him to send along with that official a squad of Armed Constabulary. (Laughter.) Hon. gentleman might laugh, but for his own part he should resist' to any 1 extent this form of Government. He looked upon the resolutions as au attempt to invade the rights of the people, and an attack upon popular Government." A Gazette published on the Titii ult., announces the issue of letters of naturalization to Mr Gustav End wig Theodor Von dor Heyde, merchant, of Auckland. A novel kind of ■ fluid was used at the " christening" of a schooner lately built at Catlin's Kivcr for Messrs Guthrie and Larnach, viz—a bottle of.yeast. The craft was somewhat inappropriately named the "Band of Hope.

The Southern. Cross of a late date says: —"The police were rather nonplussed by the peculiar action taken by a man who had been arrested recently for being drunk, The individual, having recovered from tho effects of his debauch, was admitted to bail on Sunday and, upon his name being called at the Police Court, he appeared to answer to the 'charge, and was fined 20s and costs ; in default, to sutler IS hours' imprisonment. Instead of doing as 90 out of evi ry 100 would do under similar circumstances, ho persisted in taking the alternative of cheap lodgings. To use his own words ' The day was wet, and tho morrow was likely to be wet also ; so that it was extremely unlikely that ho could earn anything, lie did not see tho force of paying <£l Is Gd w! on there was no pro-pect of re-

couping the money, and after all it was but 48 hours 'which was 13s a day.' " An awful " sell " has been perpotrated on the author of a recently published romance, professing to givo an account of one of the New Zealand wars. A writer in the Napier Telegraph says : —" The natives in this book are a most romantic aud poetical lot, very far removed indeed from the original Simon Pures ; but the richest niece iu it was where the author makes

the assembled warriors sing their great war song, ' Death to the Pakeha,' but sad to say, he ha 3 been the victim of same wag who evidently had a good ,-, knowledge of the language, for these j dusky savages instead of chanting ;a, I war song of defiance are singing one of the most lewd and lascivious ' hakas 'it is possible to imagine! If some of the old dowagers about Clapham had a literal translation of the Maori words they, perhaps, have bean poring over their hair would stand erect with horror." The Christchurch "Weekly Press states that a communication had been | received by last mail from the Right Worth}' Grand Templar, enclosing the necessary authority, directed to Bro. the liev.B. J. Westbrook, for instituting a Grand Lodge for the Middle Island of New Zealand. It is probable that there will be two Grand Lodges instituted for the North Island.