THE SUPERINTENDENCY OF NELSON.

Grey River Argus, Volume XIII, Issue 1626, 21 October 1873, Page 2

THE SUPERINTENDENCY OF NELSON.

The special reporter for the Dunedin Star, in some Parliamentary sketches, forms a somewhat indifferent opinion of the member of the House who is reported to have announced himself as a candidate for the Superintendency of Nelson. He says : — " In classifying the members according to their Provinces, I think Canterbury shows up best. . There are less roughs among them. Taking the Provinces from the North downwards, who can we find up to par representing Auckland besides Yogel, Wood, Gillies, Sheehan, O'Rorke, and Swansori — the remainder possessing an influence that may be called unappreciable — six out of sixteen .l There is one man from Taranaki— Atkinson ; who hears of the other two ? Hawke's Bay is fortu- 1 nate ; it has Ormond, M'Lean, and Karaitiana. , Wellington is fortunate, having Fox, Fitzherbert, B^unny, Johnston, and Pearce — five out of eight. Nelson has Curtis ; well, he is the smallest man in the House and the smallest Superintendent in the Colony. Macandrew could put him under his arm, and walk away with him without inconvenience, as Otago could with his Province. There are a few gentlemanly, well-behaved men belonging to the Province in the House ; but, as a rule, they* toil not, neither do they spin — leaving all the talking nearly to the 'Buller Lion,' the voluble member for the South- West Nelson Goldfields. I think after Shepherd he is the greatest nuisance in the House. He is one of the pachydermous genus. He is sarcasm proof ; nothing daunts him ; he has a brow of brass ; unhallowed ambition enough for an able man ; unscrupulousness enough for a courtier or a Russian spy, and can talk against time or sense with any other representative of any goldmining constituency on earth. All men have heard of sleepy Nelson. Will it be. believed he hopes to catch its inhabitants in their lethargic state and get elected for the Superintendency of the Province ? Nelson deserves well of New Zealand. ' It was founded early; had to endure hard times ; haa not stooped to ask or receive charitable aid like other Provinces ; has preserved a sturdy, though quiet independence ; has gardens full of mellow, luscious fruit, and households full of the fair daughters of Eve; it has the' finest climate and scenery in the Colony, and though at times we may rail at its inertia, we certainly are not prepared to see it handed over to an O'Conor regime, while a man is to be found in its midst."