FIFTY YEARS AGO

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 65, 18 March 1933, Page 9

FIFTY YEARS AGO

ITEMS FROM " THE POST':

CLAIMS OF CANTERBURY

"The Post" of fifty years ago was ever ready to combat the claims of Canterbury to be considered as the most important part of the colony. "Canterbury," remarks a.leading article on j the subject, "can. only be regarded as I one individual in a community. The distribution of expenditure must bo according to the requirements of the Colony as a whole. 2\o provincial distinction can be revived, and Canterbury must remember that there is no longer such a province or corporate body as 'Canterbury' and that there neither is nor ever was such a thing as the Colony of New Zealand exclusive of Canterbury. It seems to us that the Canterbury people may. very well be content, "with the enormous advantages they, have already obtained over the rest of the colony, and allow other parts hitherto neglected to have-their-turn. Canterbury, however; evidently holds firmly to the text that 'to him. that' liath shall be given yet more abundantly,' and that this is to bo effected by 'taking away from him who hath not even that ho hath.' Hence Canterbury's claim that the colony's debt to Canterbury is a million and a half, a claim which we will be very much surprised if it bo entertained by any outside the boundaries of Canterbury. As a matter 'of fact, unpalatable as it niay^be to our southern friends, tho boot is really on the other leg,, and Canterbury is indebted to the , colony as a whole." "It was very amusing to read in yesterday's Canterbury telegrams, after all the clamour about insufficient rollingstock and appliances on the Canterbury railways, that so far from theso bein<r unequal to doing all that is required! a single day's work has completely blocked all tho merchants and other receivers at Lyttelton. A very mild spurt on the.railway has proved that it can do much more than the Christchurch merchants and Lyttelton shippers can cope with. Tho truth thus turns out to be that the Christchurch outcry is the purest humbug, and. that the Tailway can convey nearly twice as much freight as the merchants can send or receive, and twice as fast. After this actual exposure, Christehurch grumblings will be taken with a good many grains of salt." - . A BROKEN CABLE. '_ "Telegraphic communication with Europe is still interrupted. Tho latest intelligence received from London was dated March S, since which time nothing has been heard from the Old Country. As is the case with too many ; other benefits, it is only when we are deprived of the use of the cable that we appreciate; its advantages and Tealise how greatly dependent upon it we are. As the matter stands, England the Continent, and even America to boot, may have been completely devastated by a cataclysm for anything we in these far-off islands know to the contrary. Without adopting any such far-fetched illustration, it is evident to all that many very important! events may have happened in the week or so that has elapsed since the cable, was broken, and the news that will be received when the cable is restored will be eagerly looked.forward to." LAX COUNCILLORS. "An illustration of : the way in which the business of the city is sometimes conducted, or rather neglected, by the responsible authorities, was afforded at last night's of the City Council. It appears that on Wednesday last two most; important, meetings- were to lave been held of tKe -Finance Com? mittee and the Waterworks ■■Committee;the one probably affecting tho financial credit of the city and tho latter having reference to very important negotiations in regard to the purchase of land for the waterworks. Incredible as it may seem, in neithercase was a quorum : obtained! The matters were of such urgency that they had to be dealt with at last night's meeting of the council ■■ and the members, adopting the only ( course open to them, adjourned for an hour, m order that' the committees • might consider- the. important matters entrusted to them with as much care and attention as the necessarily hurried ■- character of their" deliberations-' might permit. -After this, • certainly seems some ground for the reproach that councillors, are ready to come forward when their vanity, can, be fed, and they can make themselves appear zealous in the eyes of the public—that is to say, when their remarks are likely to be reported—but exhibit a steady aversion to the solid, useful work of committees, where there is less oppor- ■ tunity of making a parado oi indiisCONTEMPORARY'S BLUNDER. Our morning contemporary has made . a-truly remarkable discovery, which it gives forth-to an astonished world\in the following impressive paragraph t— :/^e notice that Saturday next, being . St. Patrick's Day, is to be a bank holi- ■ day. Why, may we ask, is *the Irish saint to be thus honoured? We shall have St. George, St. Andrew, ana St David up in arms over the matter, to say nothing of the more material, and very much more important, business ■ meii^ of the city, to whom this holiday, coming as it does on a Sar.urday, must be au unmitigated nuisance' Our con- ■■ temporary is really quite too innocent . for this wicked world. Its idea that ■ tho keeping of St. Patrick's Day as a bank holiday is a new departure of a , very objectionable character is exces- ■ sively rich, and only paralleled by the haunting dread lest St. George's and St. Andrew's Days should next be .claimed. Can our contemporary really be ignorant that all three of these days have always been bank holidays .in New Zealand from 'time immemorial,' and'that they are expressly made bank holidays by Act of Parliament? If our contemporary does not know this, it must stand absolutely : alone in its ignoraneej and a careful perusal of the Bank ami -Bankers Act 1880, might be advisable in order .to , avoid any repetition of such an exceedingly silly blunder." TAKING NO RISKS. "Our Chinese friends in this colony have their own ideas about matrimony apparently. They think, but in this they are not very singular, that a woman may be too much married. Here is an interesting advertisement culled from a contemporary:—'Caution: I, Thomas Sing, cook, certify that I am lawfully married to my wife, Sarah Sing. Any person marrying her after this date will bo prosecuted.' .As to the past, Mr. Sing gracefully waives the point, but 'after this date' let those who marry Mrs. Sing take the consequences!" ' JOHNSONVILLE'S CHURCH. "The contract for the erection of the .Tohnsonville Church has been let to Mr. 'Reynolds, of the Lower Hutt, for £365, and the work will be proceeded with at once. Mrs. Orbell, of Johnsonville, has been authorised by the Bishop of Wellington to collect subscriptions, and a committee will be shortly set up. There is a sum of £300 in hand available from insurances, and an energetic effort will be made to raise a further sum of £100. It is to be hoped that not only residents of tho district, but also others having land in' the neighbourhood, will contribute towards so desirable an object, and that it will be found possible for the people of Johnsonville to be soon worshipping again in'their village church with the proud satisfaction of knowing that it is absolutely free from debt."