Evening Post. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 1881.

Evening Post, Volume XXII, Issue 115, 14 November 1881, Page 2

Evening Post. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 1881.

THE LiSADEIi OP THE OPPOSITION. Who is to be the leader of the Opposition in the new Parliament ? It is not pre nature to ask this question. Of conrae it may be said — Wait and see first who is returned. Bat that would be merely blinking at the question. Ninety-one members have to be rctai netl, aad the electors are naturally anxious to know what leader the candidates are dis- \ p«sed to follow if elected. It stands to reason i

that good care will bo taken to secure the return of any man who is at all likely to lead a party. Nobody deems it worth while to consider the prospects of Mr. Hall's or Sir George Grey's election as a factor in the political problem. Everyb -dy knows that even in the improbable event of their being defeated in one place, care would be taken to find room for them el-ewhere. If these two were the only leaders of political battalions the issue before the electors would be marvellously simple. It would be merely Hall vtrttis Grey. Unluckily, this not the case. Mr. Macandrkw, it ia true, was formally elected leader of one of the two main parties in Parliament on the defeat of the Grey Ministry, but made a very weak and brief attempt to assert hia 1. a J ership before ho was coolly thrust aside by his deposed chief, Sir George Gkey. Mr. Macindrew led a compact party possos~ing an admitted majority of six against the new Ministry. He could not keep his party together, and hia majority soon faded into a minority of two, on which he withdrew his motion of want-of-confidence, and at tho tame time practically relinquished all pretension? to leadership. Sir George Grey did not give him much opportunity to think about it, but pagerly snatched the reins from his hands at the earliest chance which offered. Since that time Mr. Macandrew has made no effort to regain his position, and he may be dismissed from the list of probable champions. Sir Geoege Grey led the remnan^ ef his jjarty during the reat of the first session of the late ! Parliament, throughont the whole of the second session, and at the beginning of the third, sustaining come tremendous defeats ¦and seeing his adherents steadily diminish in numbers. In the last so-sicn he signalised himself by introducing his celebrated Blank Bill " for the establishment of " Local Government," as ho ironically called it This very lunny Bill was practically tho v closing effort of Sir George Gkbt's Opposition leadership in the late Parliament. A new leader arose in the peroon of Mr. Ormond, who, contenting himself with condemning the Ministerial policy in Tegard to the Local Government question, and not committing himself to any scheme of his own, suddenly found himself at the head of party comprisi. g a substantial majority of the House. He tells us very truly in his speech delivered at Waipawa last' Friday, that the fear le3t his success should pave the way to Sir Geoege Gkey's return to power, induced several members, who agreed with him in disliking Ministers' Local Government policy, to vota > nevertheless, against his condemnation of that policy. Mr. Ormond might have added" that the Buspicious alacrity with which Sir George Grey gave in his adherence to his bitterest and most detested eriemy in the whole Colony — Mr. Ormond himself — was quite sufficient to inspire distrust, and to convince thinking men that directly Mr. Ormond had effected the defeat of the Ministry he would find himself almoct alone in th^ victorious party, and that the only way cut of a deadlock would be that resorted to in 1877. In other words, Mr. Obmond's victoiy meant Sir George Grey's reinstalment as Premier. Ihe House could not 6tand tbat, and so Mr. Ormond was beaben, while the Government measQrts which he had denounc d went into tlje waste paper baskot. Thenceforth no dire'et attack was made on the Ministry, both sides combining their strength to crush the Nelson Stonewallers, who used the forms of the House to ro<-ist the passage of a clumsy, inequitable, and unstatesmanlike Bill for the readjustment of representation. , That Bill wa9 passed, Parliament has been dissolved, and now a new one is about to be elected. It is not unreasonable under these circumstances to ask with some anxiety — Where is the Leader of the Opposition, whose name is to be tho battle cry of one side in the comiDg fray? Where, indeed! Mr. Ormond's Waipawa speech was looked for with considerable interest as certain to indicate his intentions as to assuming or declining the leadership of the Ooposition in the new Parliament Had he raised hia flag, some followers would assuredly have declared their allegiance. Some candidates, indeed, have already proclaimed their readiness to acknowledge him as their political chitf . But Mr Ormond distinctly repudiates any such responsibility. He declines to say that he will lead any party, or even that he will oppose the Government at all. He heartily supports their Native policy, and as to tho rest he will deal with them according to their works. Ihis ia not not the voice of an Opposition Leader.. This temporising and obtrusive moderat ; on is not the sort of thing to inspire the enthusiasm of a party or to win a general election. Mr. Obmond obviously doea not desire to be regarded as the '' coming man." But then we are driven back once more on our old perplexity — Who is the coming man ?

The Penguin, with the Southern portion of the San Francisco mail, did not get away from Onehunga until 2 20 yesterday atternoon, 30 hours after the arrival of the mail at Auokland. ' t-lie reached Taranaki at 5 o'olock this morning, and left again at 7 a.m. for Wellington direct, therefore should arrive here about 9.30 to-night. The election for Mayor of ,the City of Wellington takes place on Wednesday, the 30th inßt. Candidates must be nominated before noon of Wednesday, 23rd inst. Prior to the rising of the District Court on Saturday afternoon, Mr. H. D. Bell, who had been engaged as counsel iv a case that had occupied the whole ,of .the day, madosome well-timed, excellently-chosefr remarks in referenco to the retirement from the Bench of his Honour Judge Shaw. He expressed the regrt-t fait by the Bar in losing Mr. Shaw's services in the capacities of Resident Magistrate and District Judge, and ventured to say that the only act of his Honour's which would fail to satisfy the public, consisted of his retirement from the Bench. He also alluded in flattering terms to tho able and honourable manner in which Mr. Shaw had fulfi'led his dnties, winning the respect of all with whom he had been brought into official contact. He hoped Mr. Shaw would never have cause to regret the step he was taking. His Honour thanked the Bar for the graceful compliment tendered to him, and spoke of the excellent relations that had invariably existed between himself and the members of the legal profession. He also acknowledged tho zealous services of Mr. James (Clerk of the Court) and the other officers connected with the Court. We are informed that the medical arrangements at the camp at the Erontr were wretched, and serious consequences would have ensued had sickness been prevalent or war occurred. There was no hospital tent, medicines were scarce, stretchers deficient, and in reality there was a total absence of all provision to meet cases of sickness. It will be remembered that on the arrival of Dr. Diver, the senior medical officer of the volunteers, he was curtly told his 1 services were not required, and Drs. Wattß, M'lntyre, and Fielding wer> treated in a similar manner. Thiß was rather S9vere on these gentleme, who went up as a matter of charity and honour, at a great personal sacrifice. It happened, however, we are reliably informed at the time their services were declined by Colonel Roberts, on the alleged ground that there was sufficient medical supervision, that the only medical offioer in attendance on 1,200 men was Dr. Boor of the Nelson Hospital. It was not till the Friday evening before the inaroh on Parihaka that Drs. Diver, M'Jntyre, Watts, and Fielding, were added to the list as aßsistaut stir-i geons. Dr. Diver informs us that when he got to Rahotn there were no medicines there except a few bottles, some of which were ancorked and used as candlesticks, and others were without labels, and owing to this and the absence of any accommodation ¦: for sick or wounded, he reported that sufferers would have to be sent on ta the Hospital at Is'ew Plymouth. Four days before the second contingent of Wellington^ men left Wellington Dr. Diver drew up a list of medicines likely to be required, and it was not till two days before he returned that they arrived at I'ungarehu. The officer who received a sunstroke near Parihaka had to be placed under a stretcher outside a tent for lack of better accommodation. Captain C. Johnston and Lieutenant" Wallace, of the Wellington Naval Brigade,^ returned to Wellington last night by the s\«t= J Jane Douglas. Dr. Diver, staff-surgeon,' also returned by the same vessel. The ordinary monthly meeting of the Kilbirnie Highway Board was held on Saturday afternoon. Present— Messrs. C. Hendrey (chairman), H. Mace, J. Compton, S. Agatej and S. M'Lonnan. The chairman repoiteJ* the receipt of the Government subsidy of i>ls6 Ss 7d. It was resolved to advertise contrast for the road at Taitville^also for the breaking of a certain quantity of metal on tho Ohiro road. Acaonnta were passed amounting to abont JJil. Mr., Thomas Robinson was appointed- valuator for the ensuing year on the some termWJfa. befone. • The chairman also annonuoedJJai paymehfc, of the award by the Karori-MaJjcagL Board! ." A volunteer at the Front write%£c|a friend iv town, stating, among othj» -thjjjrs, that the men are not supplied^ "wSSja^egetables, their diet being confined t<f mtj&j/bfiad, ana tea, minus milk. :-* —^ The following is the lis^PetjJefe' tflf be diL r posed of by the Divorce Crort, which cits on Monday next : — Claridge v. Claridge and another (Danedin), for hearing; Mifichamp v. Miilchamp (Wellington), for decree nisi ; Bailey v. Bailey (Diinedin), for decree absolute; White v. Wnite (Wellington), for hearing ; Hornby v. Hornby and another (Dunedin), for deoree niti ; v. Goldstein (Dnnedin), for deoree niti, and Campbell v. Campbell and •another (Chri3toimrch), for decree absolute. " , Henry Walters, labourer, of Wellington^ convened a meeting of his creditors at tho :>uprema Court House at noon to-day. Hia liabilities aro returned at .£2OO lfe, and assets at .£233 16. The latter comprise the estimated ralue of a house and land at Newtown. £157 j |The meeting lapsed. • i i ' •

To-day'a telegrams reseived by the Government from Mr. Bryca are merely a counterpart of those published in another column. The Hinemoa 13 expected to reach Wellington to-morrow, about midnight, with the Wellington volunteers. The Government have decided to hold a further sale of land on the Wain^te Plains at the back of the Continuous Reserve. sale will comprise about fIOOO to 8000 acres, prin r ipally of bush land, and w 11 take place the week" before Christmas. The principal block is cont'guous to those recently s.ld at the back of Parihaka. Mr. George FUhir, a candidate for the Mayoralty, announces another meeting at the Princess Theatre, Tory-3treet, to-morrow. From one of the officers who returned lait night from the Front, we learn tbat the Wellington volunteers were all in good health .and spirits, notwithstanding severe weather and rough camp life. The commissariat arrangements are described a.% bad, but the Wellington Navals fared much better than tho other corps, from the fact that the officers took up milk and other camp luxuries. Vegetables, except potatoes, were absent, but the latter were abundant, and fresh pork we underrtand, was mote plentiful than is generally the case in military camps. The Wellington and Wairarapa detachments are expected to return per Hinemoa early on Wednesday morning. A meeting of the Board of College Governorß will be held at the Provincial Buildings on Thursday morning next. The Wellington 1 inware Company are tha successful tenderers for the supply of 140,000 meat tins for the Hawke's Bay Meat Preserving Company. The Rev. F. Seaborn announces his first readings and recitations for Wednesday next, at the Athenaeum Hall. Mr. Seaborn come 3 with a high refutation as a reader and elocutionist. Dr. Keyworth writes to us as follows : — " A very considerable nuisance exists in Thorndon (and probably in other districts of the city) which bhould only require attention to be called to it to secure its removal ; and as your paper is read by evary one, it is sure to come iuto the hands of those concerned. At nightfall, or any convenient subsequent hour, certain profligate dogs assemble in the st e^t?, and collecting together their ribald companions create s-uch a barking and yelping as effectually prevents eleep. Thi3 frequently occurs for an hour at a time. Last night, for instance, it continued from 11 p.m. till 1 am., apparently without any better pretence than the pursuit of some fugitive cat or rat. When ' something attempted, something done, has earned a night's repose.' it is too bad to be defrauded of one's reward by some cur of depraved tendencies, and if tho owners of dogs known to be of vagrant and dissipated habits will simply seclude them at bed-time, the cause of complaint will be removed and canine morality improved." Although it has been thonght by the City Council desirable to husband the water in the reservoir, and to prevent all waste, there is not at present no cause for supposing there will be a water famine this summer, as the reservoir ia full to within 14 inches of the top, the depth this morning being 52 feet 10 inches. A few days rain would fill the receiving basin. In consequence of the non-arrival of Justices JohnstoH and Gillies, the Court of Appeal was to-day adjourned till Thursday next. Mr. Justice friliies is expected to arrive to-night, and Mr. Justice Johnston to-morrow or the next day. The committee of the Wellington Horticultural Society appear to be doing all they can to ensure the success of the approaching exhibition at the Arcade. A band will be in attendance at the exhibition, and several stalls in the gallery will be fitted up as s.tting-rooms, and the comfort of the visitors studied in various other ways. Tho annual services in connection with the Wcslevan Home Missions wore held in the several Weskyan Churches yesterday, and were well attended. Messrs. W. Hutchison, J. Hislop, and A. Le Grand Campbell, J P's., occupied the Bench at the Resident Magistrate's Court this morning, when Ellen Wilson, a wellknown character, was fined 20s, with the alternative of 48 honrs' imprisonment, for making U3e of obscene language on TCentterrace at a quarter to one o'clock on Sunday morning. Two civil cases were then called for hearing, but there being no appearance of any of the parties they were struck out. One case coming within the extended* jurisdiction of the Court was adjourned till Thursday to be taken by a Resident Magistrate. The well-known Commercial Hotel, in Willis-street, which ha 3 been for bo. long a time under the proprietorship •of Mr Harry Bennett, is in the market, and will be sold at auction, by Mr. A. A. Barnett, on.Thura- ' • - - - The evidence in tho case T. K. Maodonald v. A.' P. Stuart and J. B. Harcoiirt was concluded at the District Court affcer we went to press on Saturday afternoon. Counsel on both sides having addressed the Court, his Honour Judge Shaw said that, as the case involved points of considerable importance, he would prepare a written judgment, which he would forward to the Court, to be delivered at tho next sitting day. " Star-gazor " writes to us as follows:— ',' I read in your issue of yesterday that owing to tho ' boiling,' due to the unsteadiness of the atmosphere, your correspondent ' Observer ' did not notice the ' pegtop ' appearance of Mercury on the edge of the sun's disc during the transit on tho Bth instant. It may have been owing to my having been in a more favourable position than your correspondent, but I distinctly saw this peculiar appearance of the planet at ingress ; whether it Was noticeable at egress I cannot say, as I was not then observing. I used a refractor of fouf inches aperture." Messrs. Bent and Bachelder's Christy Minstrels will, open for a short season at tho Theatre Royal on Wednesday night. Mr. Bent is an old favourite in the Christy line, and this company is said to be an excellent one. ' Mr. Whitehead, coal merchant, &c, announces that he has received a stock of Jjharcoal. The sale of tha balance of the stock-in-trade in the estate of E. W. Mills commences to-morrow at 11 a.m. on the premises, Hunter and._ Feathorst jn Btreet?, and as the whole "must now be cleared out, it is stated to be a good opportunity of purchasing: toadvantage. The auctioneers (Messrs. T. Kennedy Macdonald and Co.) have issued catalogues of the stock, giving full particulars . We are requested to call attention to an announcement in another column relative to th,e arrival of a further supply of Dr. Warner's patent flexible hip corsets, at Mr. J. Smith's, Te Aro House.