The Bruce Herald. " Nemo me impune lacesset." TOKOMAIRIRO, FEBRUARY 27, 1885.

Bruce Herald, Volume XVII, Issue 1623, 27 February 1885, Page 2

The Bruce Herald. " Nemo me impune lacesset." TOKOMAIRIRO, FEBRUARY 27, 1885.

Tins electors of Bruce manifested their appreciation of the personal worth and valuable services of their representative, Mr Robebt Gillies on Tuesday evening by their attendees in large numbers at tko meeting in j3t. George's Hall, and by the reception which they accorded him on the occasion of his " giving an account of himself " after his first session as member for Bruce. If plaudits count for anything, and if strict attention and the absence of those interruptions common at such meetings are indicative of the satisfaction of the audience, then the audience on that occasion must have been almost supremely content with Mr Gillies' speech. Moreover, in the questioning which followed, there was an almost entire absence of that carping spirit with which a member is so frequently met when he appears before his constituents after a session. We congratulate Mr Gillies in that " the lines have fallen to him in such pleasant places," and we congratulate the constituency in having such a worthy representative. We do not writs thus cither to flatter Mr Gillies or cajolo his friends, but out of conviction. It is well known that at the outset he did not receive our support, although even duiing the contest, and while we favored another candidate, we did not scruple to write in terms of commendation regarding him on various occasions. He has proved himself worthy of fhe confidence reposed in him by the electorate, haa distinguished himself in the House, carefully attended to his duties as a member of the Assembly in general, and shown himself very energetic and painstaking in scekiug the welfare of ■Bruce in particular. His seat in the House has rarely been vacant; there haA r e been few divisions in which his name has not appeared, and usually^ on the side the majority of his con-^B stituents desired to see it. He has not inflicted endless, dry^ wordy harangues upon his fellow legislators, and swelled the pages of * Hansard ' with unreadable rigmarole, but he has addressed the House no less than 44 times, and upon as many different questions. Outside of debate and division, his influence has been used with Ministers to good purpose. We consider that Mr Gillies has in all respects discharged his duties with credit to himself and to the advantage of his constituents. As for the effigyburnine: in Dunedin, as he himself pointed out, that absurd farce was no indication of the feelings or opinions of the electors of Bruce. Mr Gillies' speech on Tuesday night may be found in extenso in another column. It speaks for itßelf, and needs little comment or explanation. To say that it is not open to criticism in any respect would be paying the speaker a compliment which is not due to perhaps any but He who " .spako as never man : spake/ but taken generally, it is remarkably free from questionable assertions. His account of the Session is clear, and succinct; it describes the history of the various Governmental changes at the commencement in a very lucid manner, and sets forth his own attitude towards them in a very satisfactory aspect. A comparison of his own statements with the reports in ' llansai'd ' show that he has correctly described both the position of affairs and his own conduct in the House, and it must be confessed that considering the extreme difficulty of the siluMion Mr Gillies acted with extraordinary firmness aud judiciousness. \\ r e could have wished that he had made more elaborate reference to the probabilities of the future, but it is just possible that our representative knows little more than ourselves, and the Government little more than he. Mr Stout is not a man to speak enigmatically upon subjects he is well acquainted with, but so far as his speeches are concerned the oracle might as well have been dumb. As for Sir Jultus Yooel, he is more an adept at concealing his hand, but we arc inclined to suspect that even he has as yet very indefinite ideas as to what the next Session will either bring forth, or what measures the Government will initiate. Mr Gillies may, we think, be now regarded as having secured the con? fidence of the Bruce constituency, even of tho great majority of those who opposed his candidature, and it is not probable that in the event of another contest lie will be unseated.^ It is an honor to him to represent^ suci a constituency, »ad it is m

honour to the electors to be repreicnted by so able and worthy a man. \^r Gillies will address the electors of Wainola, Milburn, and Lovell'B Flat, on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday evenings. Particulars of Ada Mantua's consul ration on the Chrißtchurch Great Autumn Handicap will be found on our first page. The Fairfax School Committee has voted for Messrs ?i*aer, Johnston, aud Dr Brown, for the vacancies in tho Education Board. The s.s. Ringarcoma, which arrived at Auckland on Tuesday, was quarantined, it having been discovered that one of the stewards was suffering from small-pox. Motions censuring the Government for their policy in connection with the Soudan were being debated in both the House of Lords and House of Commons at the date of latest telegrams. Thb Committee of the Milton Athensrum advertise for a person to take the position of secretary and caretaker. Applications may be sent in until the evening of Monday. All particulars of Mr E. Stewart. Says the 'Rangiora Standard' :— Sir Julius Vogel's Ministry of 1870 waß called the Borrowing Ministry, Sir George Grey'B the Stumping, Major Atkinson's the Royal Commission, and the present one may be termed the Special Train one. Mr Inspector Weldox has been unfortunate enough to sustain another accident before his recovery from that up the country recently. Whilst walking in the Octagon on Wednesday, he slipped and fell, and one wrist and an ankle-bono were broken. A deputation of delegates from various Farmers' Clnbs in the up country districts of Victoria recently waited en the Premier, urging a further reduction of charges for carrying grain by rail. They were informed that no further reduction could be made, as grain was already carried 7 per cent, cheaper than any other merchandise. As we anticipated at tho time, the alarming cablegram about the Channel Squadron being suddenly ordered to sea on some mysterious errand was nothing after all. It was founded on an official notice that officers , and men on leave should join their ships on a certain date, and was only in accordance with ordinary custom. A sample of oats grown by Mr Newbigging has been brought to our office. The crop has just been threshed by Mr John Farquharson, and turned but equal to fully 40 bushels to the aote. Had it not been for the ravages of the sma)l birds, there is little doubt the yield would have been 10 bushels more. The oats ar« •magnificent specimen of grain. A proposal from Mr A. D. Bennett (late captain of the Naval Contingent on service) to raise a corps to serve in the Soudan has created^ immense excitement in Auckland. Mr Bennett's office has been besieged by men anxious to be enrolled. The Defence Minis' tor has been communicated with upon the subject. Sir Julius Yogel, who was also waited upon, said that this and a number of similar tjffers from various parts of the Colony wouid be considered by the Cabinet immediajgjly. During the Licensing Committee Elections contest at Wellington, the following advertisement appeared in the newspapers : — " Wives*— -If you like your husbands to waste their hard-earned wages in clothing other men's wires, by making beasts of themselves, get them to vote for the publicans' candidates to-morrow." The gentlemen thus alluded to were as much the nominees of the publicans, it is said, as were the successful candidates in Milton. It is a pity that such tactics are resorted to. No wonder the party is defeated which uses such language. A MEKTiNa of farmers was held at Waihola Gorge last Saturday evening, for the purpose of making arrangements to engage with some miliowner to do the whole threshing of the district at a fixed price. Mr G. Foster occupied the chair, and there was a good attendance. Two millowners — Mr Taylor and Mr Yorston — were present by invitation. It was resolved to offer 18s per 100 bushels, the miliowner to find everything but coals and water. The offer was tirßt made to Mr Taylor, he being a resident at the Gorge, but he declined ; it was then made to Mr "Yorston, who accepted the conditions. A XUMBER of tho friends of Mr Win. Black, of the Public Works Department, met in the Southland Club Hotel on Tnesday evening, the ocoasion being his approachiog departure to Dunedin, which is rendered necessary by departmental changes. Mr J. O. McArdell, on behalf of Mr Black's numerous friends, presented him with a handsome gold watch and chain, and in making the presentation alluded in graceful terms to Mr Black's extreme popularity and the wido esteem in which he is generally bold. Mr Black responded feelingly. We understand Mr Black leaves by this morning* express; and bis departure will be regretted by the host of friends made by him during • long residence amongst U3. — Thursday's * Southland Times.' For some unexplained reason, Mr Federli has not been able to carry out his intention of delivering addresses on the fruit producing and sericultural prospects of the colony in the south decided to reserve what ho had to say until he reached Dunedin, where he will lecture on Monday evening in the Y. M. C. A. Rooms. As we* know that Mr Federli has a large amount of valuable information on theae subjects, we very much regret this. It is true that those interested will be able to read the reports of his lectures, but they would bave had more weight had they been delivered in local centres under the auspices of Farmers' Clubs. We trust he may yet see his way clear to some such arrangement as this. . The ' Tuapeka Times' has the following : — " Among the men of of mark who have visited the Colony lately there is one in whom, to^^ertain extent, we feel that we have vf£9ff^erest. We refer to the Hon. Mr Stout* Premier of New South Wale?,

whe has been in New Zealand for Home time back recruiting his health. In 1849 Mr Stuart kept a small store at Port Chalmers, but fiuding that a too limited sphere of action, he Btarted farming at Mount Misery (Tokomairiro), and afterwards took up a run which bears bis name (Mount Stuart). He sold out and went to Adelaide, whore ho joined the firm of Messrs Townsond and Co., of which he soon assumed tho active inanagoment. Subsequently he went to New South Wales and entered politics, and his undoubted ability has at length placed him in a position of the highest honour." The vigour of youth given to the aged and infirm by using Hop Bitters. Try it. Read. " Buohu-Paiba."— Qaiek, complete euro, all annoying Kidney, Bladder and Urinary Diseases. Druggists. Kempthorne, Prosser, and Co. Agents, Dunedin.