The Evening Post. FRIDAY, MAY 10, 1872.

Evening Post, Volume VIII, Issue 84, 10 May 1872, Page 2

The Evening Post. FRIDAY, MAY 10, 1872.

The Provincial Council evinced great good sense in rejecting almost unanimously Mr. Andrew's very vague and impractical "reply" to the Superintendent's address. The speech with which the mover introduced his resolution was of the most desultory character, while there was no attempt made by him to point out those parts of tho address to which he took exception. This noteworthy defect was well hit oft' by the Provincial Secretary when remarking upon the extraordinary language in which Mr. Andrews speech had been conveyed, he declined replying to it in detail, and brought the question at once to a definite issue by moving an amendment to the effect, " that ifc was inconvenient and undesirable to continue tho system of presenting addresses in reply to the speeches of the Superintendent on the i occasion of his opening the Council." As this amendment was carried "on the voices," we- may now congratulate the country upon its having heard the last of an antiquated, useless, and cumbrous form. It certainly was .never contemplated by the framers of the Constitution Act that Provincial Councils should ape the -forms of higher legislative bodies to the neglect of tho performance of those practical functions for which they were created. Those who have watched the proceedings of the Council during past years will at once acknowledge that the debate on the " reply to the Address" was a very useless, and, sometimes even, a rather ludicrous proceeding. Occasionally extending over several

{ 'lay?-, ho.va members pvo- - pfl awur uVjtif/ inVjkotsj, on nwny of which frr.v of them could say anything either now or interesting, while, afW one or two of th'i best men in the Council hfid spoken, th' 1 remainder" of the speech' s v/ere only p. very stale -mid UibUjkvfcS rechfmJJ'e of those which hud been uttered HiaL Moreover, nothing ever came of all ihis debuting club sort of on lory. Whatever objections to the siateiiiMits of the "address" might be made by individual speakers, in the end a reply was always adopted echoing Us words, and duly agreeing with, thanking, congratulating, and deploring, just as the paragraphs in the address happened io run, That there is no actual necessity for thi.s "address in reply" is perfectly evident. The Superintendent's speech is both valuable and necessary, because members require to be oflicially informed at tlie opening of the Council of what hr*s been the action of the Executive during the recess, and of the general tendency and scope of the policy proposed for the future. But to waste time in formally debating over this, is worse than useless, because the policy disclosed by the address can be criticised in detail when the .several nieasiu-es proposed are passing through the Council. Besides this, there is abundant practical work for tho Council to do, and as the Government took care to have everything in a prepared state when the present session opened, there was every reason why members should at once commence the really important practical work which had to be done. Although we think Mr. Andrew deserves some severe censure for bringing forward a resolution so impracticable add purposeless, yet in view of the result we do not feel inclined to say much on that score. After all, I\Jr. Andrew has unintentionally rendered a valuable service to the pubjje, by getting the Council to .-declare by formal resolution in favor of the abolition of a useless form. Had Mr. Andrew not bi'onght forward his notable " Reply," perhaps next session the custom would have been revived. But the " burlesque" placed by the h on. §m ember upon the Order Paper has brought the custom mto ridicule, and ensured its abolition for all lime coining. If Mr. Andrew has ~ not hitherto " rendered the State some service," his last act makes some amends.

flis Honor Mr. Justice Johnston and Mr. Allan, Registrar of the Supreme Court, returned to Wellington on Wednesday night by the s.fs. Wanganui. Tho new building for the public works office on the site of the old Court House, by the Government Printing Office, has been commenced. It will have a frontage of 45 feet, and a depth of 77 feet. On the ground floor there will be eight rooms, including a large fire-proof room. These will give offices for the Under Secretary, the Engineer-in-Chief, the Assistant Engineer, besides the recording room and offices for messengers and draughtsmen. On the upper floor will be ten rooms, giving accommodation for the Minister of Public Works and his Secretary, the Colonial Architect, ihe Accountant, contractors, and draughtsmen. The front of the building will be plain and weatherboarded, with a large double door in the centre, and two or three Tight w'mdoxvß on the ground floor, and three windows on the upper story, The inside of the whole building -will be lined with red pine, aud varnished. Mr. M'Kirdy is the contractor, and is bound under penalties to complete ] his work by the 29th of June next. Tbe contract price is £1,950. Alongside these offices wjll be erected a suite of four rooms for the Registrar-Geueral and his clerks. Tbe idea of tbe morgue has not been abandoned, though little has been said about it lately. The partitions of the dead bouse and a jury room in the old Market Hall are up, but owing to the difficulty in obtaining workmen, the busy state of the timber trade which renders it a matter of ] impossibility to obtain anything but the greenest wood, and the fact that there was not such a hurry about the matter that it should be pushed on regardless of expense, the woik has not been completed. A few days will now see it in such a forward state, that if any of our readers are anxious it should bo used, it will be — if they supply the subject. The inconvenience and annoyance experienced by the mercantile community, as well as by the public in general, through the non-arrival of the San Francisco mail, has doubtless been very great, and complaints thereat have been both frequent and forcible. But a far graver and more serious .evil to the country has come of the delay. The Hon. Julius Vogel has been completely xipset, his equanimity disturbed, and his naturally amiable temper soured — all because of this unpunctual steamer. We warn all and sundry, that until the mail steamer is signalled at Auckland, the Hon. Julius is dangerous to be meddled with ; in proof of which we publish the following telegram just received from Nelson :—" Nelson, 9fch May. On arrival of the s.s. Taranaki in Wellington, do not ask the Hon. Julius Vogel when the San Francisco mail is likely to arrive, lest you be handed over to the police, as was nearly the case on the question being asked here. " Seriously speaking, this mail delay is an unmitigated calamity. What may happen to New Ze aland if its saviour Julius continues to be upset. Napoleon, it is said, lost a great battle through a fit of indigestion, and New-Zea'and may be deprived of a vast and comprehensive policy, which would save everything and everybody from ruin, all because the " bile" of the Post-master-General has been "riz." Mean-

time, we caution all and sundry to give J " .fniius" l£ a v.'ide Ijertb." | In tlie Provincial Council, on Wednesday ] evening, tha greater pait of the sitting wf.3 occupied vritu Ihe debate on ZJr. Anilnjtt'jj motion for an address in reply to bis Jff/.ior'.s opening speech. Although some ten ineuibeia took pact in the discussion, the speeches v/ere, as a rule, verj' brief, and their matter unimportant. The Pioviueial Sscrclaiy, ia a few sensible would, moved, as an amendment on Mr. Andrew's morion, a resolution affiiming th^t it v-'&s inconvenient and undesirable to continue tho practice of presenting addresses in reply to his Honor's addresses. Mr. Andrew ultimately withdrew his motion, and expressed himself favorable to the amendment. The report of the committee regarding the alleged disqualification of Mr. Taylor and Mr. Jb'inniicore was adopted ; and a committee appointed to prepare a congratulatory address to the Queen on the recovery of the Prince of Wales. A motion of Mr. JRenall's to place the power of granting bush licenses in the hands of the Bench of Magistrates, was lost on a divioion by the Speaker's casting vote. A meeting of the directors of the Public Hall Company was held at Greville's itooms, on Wednesday afternoon. The Hon. C J. Pharaz>n was apjjointed chairman of the Uoard of Directors, and Mr. H. T. Gillon secretary. The first call of 2s Gd per share was made payable at the Bank of Australasia on or before the 31st instant, and it was announced that the plans of the proposed building would bo ready on Tuesday next, when a meeting of directors "will be held to consider them. The Wanganui Chronicle has received a letter from Messrs. Davies and Ross, of Sydney, complaining of the delay in the payment for Major Hunter's monument. The money was collected once and placed in Mr. Kirkpatrick's hands for transmission to Messrs. Davi&s and Ploss, but Mi*. Kirkpat rick appropriated the money to his own use, and left the builders of the monument still unpaid. Col. M'Donnell undertook to collect subscriptions a second time for this work, and was only waiting for some Marton subscriptions to arrive before he commenced the canvassing of Wanganui for the same purpose, when he was ordered to Auckland ; but the Chi'oniele believes he has left the affair in competent hands, and trusts soon to be in a position to state that McFsrs. Davies and Ross have been paid, and Wanganui freed from a stigmi attached to it by Mr. Kirkpatriek's dishonesty. Mi. Woon, li.M , informs the Wanganui I feral d, that a circular has been received from tho King I) 3* the "Wauganni natives, which &hows a complete reversal of the policy by which ihe King party has hitherto been actuated. Ib is generally known that the King monopolised complete control of the native tribes of the island in his own hands. The circular announces that in future all questions respecting the throwing open of native lands for settlement, the progress of roads, railways and telegraph, and the working of gold fields, is in future to be Ifcf fc to the decision of each triba in whose territory the above works are to be carried forward. The Wairoa correspondent of the Hawke's Bay Herald, writing under date of the 2nd of May, says : — Captain Preece, accompanied by 25 Arawas, arrived from Fort Galatea at Marc Mara on Monday last. He started again on Wednesday ; ifc is supposed after Te Kooti, who is believed to be near Xaucgabarnru, or inliind Mohaka. Ifc is probable (says the liew Zealand Herald) that the next session of the General Assembly will take place about the Ist July, when it is expected that a very powerful Opposition party will be organised. The TaranaUi Provincial Council is taking action regarding the rumored gold field at Tuhua. Notice of an address to the Superintendent has been given, asking whether any reliable information has been received; whether, if the district prove auriferous, a bridle traok to it will be made j and whether the offer of a reward for the discovery of a gold field in the province still holds good. Messrs. Betlmne and Hunter held a sale by auction of lands in the City of Wellington, the Waiiarapa, and Manawatn, on Wednesday afternoon. The attendance was very fair. 1,700 acres of land, with buildings and improvements, in the Rangitumau Block, Wairarapa, were knocked down for 7s 6d per acre % 1,000 acres of land in the Karere Block, Manawatu, with dwelling house and improvements, realised 20s per acre ; five suburban sections in Grey town brought from 20s to 32s per acre, while rural land in the same district fetched from 22s to 40s. Two sections on the reclaimed land, near Kirkcaldie and Stain?', realised £12 per foot Most of the sections in the city which were advertised were not offered, or 'were bought in. Town acre I.OSS, situated on Russell Terrace, was knocked down at £20. ¦ Yesterday was observed strictly in the city as a thanksgiving day for the recovery of the Prince of Wales. All banks. Government offices, shops, and places of business were closed, and the various churches and chapels were well attended, some of them both in the morning and evening. In the English churches, the thanksgiving prayer used at home, and which -was published in the last Home News, was adopted, besides special reference being niade in the sermons to the event which the day marked in the sermons. In the Willis-street Presbyterian Church the Rev. James Paterson conducted service, and alluded in his sermon to the recovery of the Prince. Cn the Wesleyan Church, Manners-street the special nature of the service was marked not only by the Rev. T. Buddie, in bis sermon, but also by special hymns and music. In the Jewish Synagogue the prayer adopted in all the Jewish synagogues in the

Empire -eras offered up. Tn the Sydney- ] street chapel the Key. \Y. J. Dean alluded ! in feeling terms to the event which ts-ss the cause of the thanksgiving. In the 2oni2£. | Catholic Chapels special prayers and special anthems marked the day. In SL Andrew's Church, Lainbton Quay, the Rev. J. S. | Smaller preached a most impressive ser- ! Dion, which, was listened to "nlth profound ! attention. Ha chose for his text the ord verse of the 12(Jth Psalm, "The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad." The setting of the Court of Appeal is ' fixed for Monday next, but ie is more than probable that it will be postponed for a few days. There are an unusually large number of eases down for healing. Of these four are criminal, namely, those of Poreer, Smale, Anderton, and M r Gooeh, all sent down by the Chief Justice from Auckland. I Two civil cases, M'Farlane w Harris, and Whitaker and Lundon also come from i Auckland. From Dnnedin comes Mr. Henry Snrytbie's case, and that of Catamore v. Murray. From Chris tehurch there -will be five, namely, M'Gregor v. Osborne. Belcher v. the Southern Insurance Company, Holmes r: Eolleston, Church Property Trnstees v. Kolleston, and Turner v. Wilson. From Blenheim, comes the case of the solicitor Mr. Pitt, who was suspended by Mr. Justice .Richmond, pending the decision of the Court of Appeal* : Two fine specimens of live tuataraa, the large lizard of ITew Zealand, were received to-day at the Colonial Museum from his Honor Mr. Seymour, Superintendent of Marlborough. They were caught about three weeks since by a party of Maoris on the Brothers, the well known group of rocky islets ab the northern entrance to Cook Strait. £xcepting one or two specimens that were caught many years ago at Makara, we believe that this curious animal has only been, obtained hitherto on a little island off the East Cape. In former times, according to native report, it abounded* but has eve^'where been destroyed by pigs, except on such rooky islets. His Honor Mr. Justice Johnston -will sit in Banco to-morrow, at eleven, when the following eases <riil come on i — Kay y. Lyon, the Queen v. Fitzherbert. and Stuart v. Drawer. The second of these cases -will probably be sent to the Court of Appeal. The Few Zealand Heralt"L of the -ith May, tells us that * * a most affecting scene might have been witnessed on the Queenstreet Wharf, the previous day, when the good ship Bella Mary cast off her moorings, previous to taking her final departure for ffobart Town- Standing at the gangway, aud bathed ia tears, which fell in hot- scalding drops into the briny deep, was a loae old woman, taking a last farewell of * her own, her native land,* aud from ¦which she appeared to have a naiaral disinclination to be separated. Indeed so strong was her inclination to return to these sunny shores, that it was considered necessary Ly the authorities to provide her with a guard of honor in. the shape of two stalwart policemen, who had received strict injunctions to see that her affection for the prisons of Auckland did not lead her to c make tracks' ashore again. Mi's. Hargreaves — for that is the lady's name — was one of the most persistent and indefatigable thieves ?n Auckland, and her son, deepljsensible of ths :»any kindnesses wMeh. his mother had received at Mount Edea from the gaol authorities, offered to pay her passage to Tasmania, if the authorities would let her go ; and. to give the good people of that beautiful country a chance to test her abilities. We (Herald) should not be greatly surprised if the Hobartownites, after having experienced a few specimens of her picking and stealing propensities, were to pack her back again to us. Nor could we greatly* blame them for so doing, even although, we understand, that the industrious old lady sprang from Hobart Town." His Honor Mr. Justice Johnston, when recently addressing the Grand Jury at Wanganni, explained the necessity for having grand juries, and referred to their usefulness in deciding on cases which ¦were brought before *hem. He argned that the institution of grand juries was one of the highest that could be desired, and was looked upon as an honorable institution, as the cheek that the jury exercised upon men who imagined themselves aggrieved and who went before magistrates who might be prejudiced for or against them, was very great. The grand jury had nc-jj to decide whether the person charged was guilty or not, but had merely to examine and see if he had been committed on a proper charge, or whether there was sufficient evidence to warrant them ia sending him before the common jury. Their duty was to see if the charge preferred against the person was worthy of the attention of the judge, and whether it was in accordance with the offence for which he was indicted. The foot ball match to be played to^mor,row between the Clnb and Armed Constabulary will take place at Clapham's paddocks, Thorndon, and at half-past 2 o'clock. . The following are the names of the Clnb team. : — 3tlessrj. Arthur, Blackett, Gore, Isherwood, James, Kane, Kirk, Knapp, lillie, "Ludwig, M'Lean, Park, Witherby, and Werry. Dongherty, Snow, and Hoggard will attend as emergency men. We believe that seats will he provided, if possible, for ladies. The following is the report presented to the Council on Wednesday, by Mr. Pearce. Chairman of the Committee appointed to audit the accounts of the province i — Tour committee -report that they have examined the Provincial Treasurer's monthly accounts, and quarterly abstracts or receipts and expenditure, together with the books and vouchers f ot the finvnwal year commencing Ist April, 1871, and ending 31st

March 1872, and they find that the accounts are in admirable order, and have been duly declared to by ihe Treasurer, and certified by the Provincial Auditor, Mr. Wm. ltersett. They find the balance at the credit of the province on 31s b March last, in ihe tank of 2^ew Zealand to be, ±-1-3,897 fis 2«L