The Daily Telegraph. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1885.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 4454, 6 November 1885, Page 2

The Daily Telegraph. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1885.

No man has more varied experiences than the journalist. _ To-day a rasing carnival, a religious service, a visit from a member of the Government demand his attention. Yesterday he had to watch the proceedings of a political caucus, attend a flower show, grasp the points of a now motor. Tomorrow the heads of a lectnre, the resolutions of some local body, the course of events in Europe require Ms services. This ever- changing variety of duties causes him to be unimpressionable, hard-headed, and hard-hearted, but nt times ha has moments of delight, joys which others know nothing of. He may experience a short-lived triumph for soino brilliant achievement, but like most of his joys, it is very fleeting, for a diurnal Press has no time to waste over such matter-of-fact affaire as journalistic deeds. The cry is ever on, the unwearying and annoying imp waits for copy. The public neither understand nor appreciate the cares of journalism ; all they desire is their daily paper. Matter-of-fact as the journalist is, it must be conceded that now and again he is puzzled, baffled, and beaten. Wo have had such experiences of late. We hare tried to «rasp the details of the great bill, the Charitablo Aid Bill, which had it not been for tho passing of an item of their tariff, might have handed down tho Banana Ministry to fame, as tho greatest blunderers of their time, and have failed to comprehend them. The bill is contradictory, the machinery is either absent or defective, and altogether It is difficult to say what the bill does or does not provida. Tho first meeting of the District Hospital Board was looked forward to with some interest, not unmixed with curiosity, as to what tho mombevs who constitute the Board would bo able to make out of the Bill, as to how they would defiiio their duties, and to what extent their powers were limited. The Board met, and to say they were puzzled, would only half describe their condition. The members present were Mr Ormond, who was in tho House when the Bill was passed; Mr Sutton, probably tho best authority on local government in tho colony; Mr Margoliouth, chairman of tho Public Works Committeo of the Borough Council, and for years a member of tho Hospital Committee. Tho first business was tho election of a chairman, for which position Mr Ormond was choson, a not unnatural selection, when his administrative abilities aro remembered. That agreeable duty over tho next step was to find out what thoy had to do, how to do it legally, and when to do it, and that stage reached tho fun began. Talk of the Queensland journalist who records the story of a horse race, when a black and white horse ran a dead heat, and the judge decided tho piebald had won, it was not a circumstance as the Americans say, to yesterday's proceedings, with threo of our best qualified local men trying to grapple with and unravel the tangled skein of this overpoweringly ponderous bill. It was discovered that tho poor wanted feeding and supplies had been stopped. The gentlej man who acted as Government Almoner J had five half-crowns in his possession, bolonging to the State, tomeot an expenditure that averages £125 permonth, and with last month's bills in his pocket unreceipted. Tho contractors for tho supply of those provisions wanted to know whom they were to look to for payment, as well us to settlo who woro to bo supplied, and then it leaked out that tho contract under which they had hitherto supplied tho necessary rations had long ago expired. A glunce at a list of subscribers, numbering 155 individuals, who promised to give donations averaging something undor a ponnd each, was next looked at, and an opinion expressed that it savored of the ridiculous, that those individuals should have tho handling of some six thousand pounds of other people's money, and that it was scarcely fair that an irresponsible committee should deal out the revenues of the local bodies so freely. Between tho conversational speeches, tho threo members dived into tho Act, and each came to a different conclusion as to what could, would, and should be done with the petition, as well as getting different opinions as to tho regularity, in a legal sense, of tho procedure followed. Of courso this divorsitv of opinion was natural, as one member wa's handling tho Act carefully at tho beginning, another had dived into the centro of it, while tho third was drawing his inspiration by reading it backwards, and as the parts did not agroe, it was not astonishing that tho members should differ widcry. Now and again, the Hospital Steward, who was present unaccountably, but who had at the samo time mastered portions of tho Act, gavo valuable assistance to the perplexed, and it would seom as if they would bo able to get out of the ditch, till tho turning of a page and a glance at a now clause, onre more restored chaos. One member frankly confessed ho had rend the Act twenty times, and yet he was in a muddle concerning it. The chairman explained, lucidly enough, that the first part had been altered, while the .second and connecting part had been entirely forgotten. Whilo the third replied that tho Colonial Treasurer would have to bo very sharp, or double subsidies would bo drawn, simply by one body handling the money only to pass it on to a higher power, while the" latter turned it over in turn to a third body. Then tho question arose how woro they to got a quorum for the Charitablo Aid Board, and who constituted that Board. The}' were not even sure at first that thoy themselves would bo members. That point cleared up, it was carried by two to one, that there would bo two additional members, the chairmen of the Fatangata and Waipawa Councils. A little further study and it waH seen that the minority was right, as a minority nearly always is, and the objecting one proved that instead of tho chairmen of those Councils boing members of the second board, every member of both Councils would have a seat on tho board, and then it was suggested that to convey them to town a special train would bo needed. After a little, it was discovered, that the hnppy hunting ground, the Old Men's Refuge, was at present without an owner, men came and went as thoy liked, drunk or violent it made no difference, thero was none to give a watchful eye to the proceedings, and the polieo had rofusod to interfere, as an Englishman's houso was his castle, though this particular home was described as a pigstyo. It was decided that Government must bo telegraphed to, and then after fixing a day for their next meeting thoy adjourned to once more meet again, after thoy havo had another fortnight's wrestling with the mysterious Act. Anything funnior than tho proceedings of yesterday wo have yet to make acquaintance with. Of courso we freoly admit that tho members were not to blamo for this state of things, which was tho natural outcome of a Now Zealand legislature dealing with a great question, and the bill introduced by a Ministry, avowedly without a head, presumedly without a backbone, and determined to pleaso all and sundry of tho small fry of their supporters, even if the promising bantling emerged from the Btrugglo, aimless, headless, and unintelligible.