THE "NATIONAL" PURSE.

Evening Post, Volume LXIII, Issue 82, 7 April 1902, Page 6

THE "NATIONAL" PURSE.

» WILL THE PREMIER ACCEPT IT? KUMOL'R~SAYS NO. Tho l'(4|uiior v ill leave this evening for ChristThurih, to hv piesented with tlio "national" put mi of Mivcrcigiw, the collection of wbii'li has boon pioceeding in vaiious pails of tho colony for hoiiiu time pant. Mr. Soddon will return to Wellington on Wednesday, mul propows to leave with tJm North Island portion of tho Tenth Contingent in tho Drayton (Sninge on Saturday. A c<>uunitt4>t> of Wellington gciillcmvu pioposes to entertain him at a banquet on either Thursday or Friday. From what uppeuiH to bou woH-infoitu-ed ijourco wo learn that tho Premier will tiiku it quito unexpected ciwrso at tho banquet to bo hold at ChrUtehureh to-morrow. It is stated that in all pmbubilily the Prt<nuer wrll refuse t<» accept ,tho wouoy — at any rate, bofoie his return to tho colony — and that ho may suggest that ho would have no objection •■ to its being devoted, bay, to erecting in each of .tho centres n fitting memorial to thobo of our contingents who lost their lives fighting for the Empire in South " Africa. In addition, wo learn that the' committee at Climtchurch has been made aware of tho Premier's intention, but that it has been kept private in order that Mr. Seddon might himself be able to make tho announcement nt tho*ban--quet. , LWe hope that this report moy prove, tru«, for it is tho most creditable eoursei that the Premier can pursue. Hotter latethan never, but why has Mr. Scddon permitted his friends to place themselves in, the position of touting for a , public gift to which the public with but few exceptions have refused to milibcribe, if he did not intend to acce-pfc it? We have on several occasions suggest- » ed to the Premier that he should retire from a difficult position at the earliest possible moment. Thus, on the 25th February, we wrote: — "Tho Pivmier'B return to Wellington seems to have given a fresh impetus to the desporate efforts made by his' local journalistic friends to whip up popular enthusiasm in this city for a substantial present in the form of money or its equivalent. This coincidence in time of his return and a renewal of the discredited agitation suggests that tho project is near to Mr. Seddon's own heart. But apparently he docs not wish to have the ciedit of suggesting it; he is not, so ready to claim its authorship as ho Mas that of tho committee which arranged the Patriotic meeting at the Theatre Ro>al. 'I he various committees, * lys his journalistic apologist, have erred in announcing the monetary character of the proposed presentation before consulting Mr. Scddon himself, and they aro advi.sed to 'hark back' and 'put themselves in order' by learning the 'royal' wishes in the matter. It seems somewhat stiangc, when one examines caiefully the list of the mime movers in the local agitation, that gentlemen, some of whom have been so closely connected with tho Premier, should have gone so far in entire ignorance of his wishes. Still, our Ministerialist contemporary shows wisdom, in asking an opportunity for tho Premier to repudiate proposals for which ho has not, at any rate, made himself publicly ic*.nonsible. Since the wclUmeaut and, doubtless, uninspired efforts of his wealthy woll-wishors toseeuro for him a substantial icwnrd are not meeting with approval either in Wellington or in Duncdiu, Mr. Scddon can even now, though it is a little late, tell his fond and disinterested admirers that us an tuibclfiah patiiol ho does not want money or lands for his services, but only the goodwill of the people."] [ill TBLKOnAPH— VUESB ASSOCIATION.! NELSON, This Day. The Nelson subscriptions to the Seddon testimonial amount to about £100, from about 100 subscribe! s.

Tlio (heater Wellington Scheme was injain cousidcied by the Mcl rose Uorough Council, in committee, on Saturday night, and it is uiidcislood Hint an agreement was airbed at as to several of the difficulties which have cropped up since the proposals for tho amalgamation of the city and the Uorough. were foimulntcd. Th« Oriental Bay Model Y.icht Club gob off a handicap race on Saturday. There were 14 entries. In the final heat It. Highet's Mtuoro eanie in first ( but the race was won on time allowance by M. L. Bridge's Aotca, Maroro taking second pkoo,

Sir .Jo'pph Ward and tho Minister for Kiliu'atioii will attend the colonial presentation to (lie Piemiu- at Chmtthuicli lomon.iw 'I hoy \w!l be back in Wellington on Wednesday. Mi. Ju^tiw \\ uliiuns and Mr. Justice Conolly, \\!hi Ikivc been attending at the Conn of Appeal in Wellington, will depal I this evening, the former for Duneihn, and the Killer for Gi-boine. It is Sergeant J. Dalrymple, of the Mastctton AJounled RiHes, who has been appointed ea-plain and quartermaster to the Noith Island battalion of the Tenth Contingent. The Ze.iluudi.i Rifles held their final competition" for tho grand aggregate trophy and company belt at TroutL'tim on Saturday, under conditions not altogether favourable, the wind being very tricky at times. Yei there was some good shooting, with the result that Lieut Hobbs won the belt, and Lieut. Willis Messrs HaHensteiu Bios', marble clock. The following are the highest scores for tho grand aggregate :— Lieut. Willis, 323; Lieut. Itobbh, 315 ; Col.-Sergt. Bunckenburg, 310 ; Lance-Corpl. Smith, 287 ; Private Wallace, 250 ; Sergt. Richards, 213. The public meeting of city ratepayers in connection with tho proposed waterworks loan is to bo held at the Druids' Hall, Taranaki-streot, on Friday of next week, 18th insl. Melbourne now has its first Chinese newspaper, which has appropriated to itself the world-known name of tho "Chinese Times." Sydney for some time past has been able to boast of two Chinese papers, whereas, until this was started, .Melbourne had none,. Mr. Thomas Chang "Luke, the editor and proprietor, has hud experience in one of the Sydney offices, but from fiio paucity of Chinese compositors much of the mechanical, as well as the literary, work bas been thrown upon him. Few English iviners have been produced under similar difficulties. His sympathies are with reform and Chinese mis--sions, and from time to time he will use the pag«s of the Times to expound and advocate these causes. Of the two transports now on their way from Sydney, the Drayton Grange is the faster, ami and she is expected to beat the Norfolk by at le^st a day on tho voyage to this port. The whole of the Premier's purty will travel by her to tho Cap». A telegram, dated 6th April, received by the Postmaster-General this afternoon from the cable steamer Anglian, states that 461 miles of cable have been paid out on tho Norfolk Island-Fiji section. " Gales during the night rose to cyclonic velocity, and although the wind had moderated high seas were -still lunning. The Government baa (ways tho Otago Daily Times) acquired for closer settlement a part of the Windsor Estate which Mr. Mi'iilove purposed submitting to uuetou through Messrs. Donald Reid and Co., in conjunction with. Messrs. Fleming und Medley. Tho land has been withdrawn from sale. Mr. R. Meredith, M.H.R., has sent tho following tolegi-nm to the, Premier: — "I uiu-a emphatically protest against sending thu proposed Coronation Contingent to England. Ou no commendable grounds cun it bo justified. As a colony we are ceasing to be patriotic and aio becoming jingoistic. Hnw long will the long-suf-fering Uxjfnyer submit to this foim of plundering thu public pursoV" The Oriental Football Club will begin t mining at tho Athletic Club's gymnasium this evening. The four retiring member* of the Victoria College Council — Dr. C. P. Knight, Mr. A. I*. .Si'unour, Dr. VVallis, jmkl the Kov. W. A. Evuuh — are tho only ones who havo been nominated for the vavawvrcs, and will be declared elected. Tho Black Aulooonyist in tho lalottt impjoincnt in tho market for tho rcproduo- . turn of cii'culurt), prioo lint*, iwwii 1 , plans, market and other report*. Mr. W. G. Wil»ou, of tho Kmpiro Chambers, WiHia-.BtrPi-t, is ngout for tho invention, ami invftwt Secretaries of BoeioticM and busmess pcoplu to call and ouo it in operation. Mown, .lolly and Co., properly and busiuoHo tmlfgrmpn, 42, Lambton-quay, advortiw ftpecial cheap properties and biwinptisoa tfor sajo. Property o*nors aro invited to tend in particufars of any cottages they dosiro tO'sell. Messrs. W. H. Morrnh and Co. will, will to-morrow afternoon at 2.30, properlies at Brooklyn aud Vogettown in order to cloao tbo accounts in Cho ustato of Cathi'riiin Mahony, deceased. Tho lotH l'ohhihl of a five-roomed ro«kk>nco and outbuildingfl erected at Vogoltown upon hjivo aoro and twnlvo porches, and six 1 building nllotnuMitH containing 1 aero 1 rood 34 porches with frontages to threo 'streoti : alno a section in Brooklyn having a fronUago of 60ft to Victoria-torrace. Iminodiately after tho propc>rly wilo tho auctioneers will hold an auotion bulo of 'houHc4iold furniture and effects. Particulars will Ik> found in our auction noticQ columns. Meftsrß. A. G. Haincs and Son«, butchers, of Aro-Btn>ot, make an announcement in another column. Messrs. Sidey, Mecch, and Co. udverlise a «alc> of furniture, piano, bioyolos, pictures, vohob, sowing-machines, manglea, rangon, etc., for to-morrow at 2 o'clock Mt'ssr*. Ilarc-ourt and Co. will soil by auction at thoir rooniH to-morrow at 2.30 p.m., ono of tho last remaining building fiitos on Wollinglon-torraeo. It has a frontago of 30ft to Wcllington-Un-raco by a dopth of 140 ft, and j'r situated between tho rosidouofiH oi Sir Robert Stout and Mr. Goorge Harbroe. A section at Island Bay having a frontage of 117 ft to Derwentstroot, wi-Ui an irregular depth of from 148 ft to 182 ft Sin, will also bo Riibinittod. It i« ckmo to liiu Englmh Church and Ho tel, and within oasy roach of tho beach. Mrs. A. Y. Look, Cuba-street, announcon that nho ha* socurnd tho sorvicos of a olaoH dressmaker, and guarantees tho latest stylo and lib.