POLITICAL.

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume XXXI, Issue 13, 16 March 1872, Page 4

POLITICAL.

Registration and Returning Officer job Motueka. — Lowther Broad, Esq., R.M., has been appointed to the above-named offices, vacant by the resignation of A. Le Grand Campbell, Esq. Revising Officer foe Nelson. — This office, held for several years by the late T. Connell, Esq., has been conferred on Edward Lee, Esq., of Canterbury. His Honour the Superintendent at Reefton. — Mr. Curtis held a meeting at Reefton recently, which was attended by 300 persons. After stating his views and intentions on subjects of interest to the miners, and replying to a number of questions, Mr. Crampton proposed, and it was carried unanimously, " That this meeting is of opinion that his Honour the Superintendent deserves the thanks of the miners and others of this district for his attendance here this evening, as also for the very satisfactory statement of his views as to the future administration of the Provincial Executive of the gold-fields." Resignation of Mr. Mackley. — Mr. Mackley, one of the members for the Grey district in the Nelson Provincial Council, has resigned his seat. Mr. Jones of Callaghan Creek, Mr. Alcorn, of Totara Flat, and Mr. G-uinness, of Ahaura, are spoken of as probable candidates. Wairatt Ejection. — This election took place on the 9thinst., and resulted in the return of the Superintendent, A. P. Seymour, Esq. The following was the state of the poll at its close : Seymour — Blenheim, 145 ; Renwicktown, 9 ; Wairau Valley, 1; Flaxbourne, 6. Ward — Blenheim, 88 ; Renwicktown, 24 ; Wairau Valley, 8 ; Flaxbourne, 2. Majority for Seymour, 39. Appointments in Marlboeoughi. — The New Zealand Gazette contains the appointments of H. D. Clinch, Esq., as Registrar of Deeds, and District Land Registrar for Marlborough ; and J. D. Bamford, Esq., to be Examiner of Titles for the Marlborough Land Registration Department, and Deputy Commissioner of Stamps for the province. Waieato Election. — Major Jackson has been re-elected unopposed to fill the vacancy in the representation of Waikato in the General Assembly. Land Law Reform;. — The Auckland Herald, in a recent issue, says : — " No one with sufficient knowledge, would now think seriously of emigrating to New Zealand to engage in agricultural pursuits. The day is past. The all but criminal j disregard of the future in the administration of ; our waste land, has cut off from New Zealand this strong incitement to voluntary emigration. The lust for land, which more or less influences

all men, cannot be gratified on easy terms in New Zealand. The Government should initiate a new Btate of things, by assuming the control of the residue of the public estate, and by a judiciously conducted system of free immigration, endeavour to people it by creating a numerous class of small freeholders. In this way, and in this way alone, •wo are satisfied, can the Government nope to surmount the difficulties of our position, and lay the permanent foundation of a prosperous future." Government Appointments. — The Gazette contains the following appointments : — Hubert Day Church, Esq., Resident Magistrate for the District of Blenheim, and Deputy-Registrar at Blenheim of the Supreme Court. W. H. Eyes, Esq , Commissioner of Crown Lands, has been appointed Sheriff for the District of Marlborough. State Debtors. — The Independent recently remarked on the proposition to take promissory notes from assisted immigrants in payment of their passage money : — " No doubt there is a strong objection to the creation of a large class of State debtors which this system is likely to reBult in. It is often productive of serious political consequences, and, judging by past experience, the liabilities are seldom paid. But the difficulty might be got over by the creation of a non-politi-cal Immigration Board or Commissioner, whose duties should be clearly defined and discharged as any other public trustee is expected to discharge his." This foreshadows another Government appointment. Sale of Dunedin Corporation Bonds. — Tenders were opened at Dunedin recently for £4,000 of city bonds bearing interest at 7 per cent. Offers to the extent of £30,300 were received, of which £10,500 worth were tendered for over par, and £17,800 worth at par. The ■whole wus disposed of in one loan at a premium of £3 Is. Constitutional Reform. — A special telegram from Wellington to the Auckland Star, affirms that " A new constitution, embracing an amalgamation of some of the provinces, will be the question of the session. A short session is expected, and a dissolution of the Assembly will bo obtained if the measure is not carried." Foreign Labour. — The Neio Zealand Herald, in a late number, says :—": — " We are not by any means fond of appealing to popular feeling, but ■we give the Government fair warning, that unless the attempt which is now being made to flood this colony with foreign labour, at the expense of British labour and British colonists, be discontinued, a hostile public opinion will be roused. And should such an ugitation commence, we are safe in snying that it will not be a ' flash in the pan.' On the contrary, it would, in all likelihood, be ably led and judiciously conducted ; and we say further, that no Government could stand against it." The Oamaru Times attributes the decision of Ministers to hold the next sitting of the Assembly in Wellington to the abseuco of Mr. Vogel, and should not be surprised if on his return the Cabinet should re-consider the matter and reacind its former decision. The Hawke's Bay Times, in an article upon the Customs revenue, says: — "Some thousands of pounds of the new loan must have been for months past in circulation, so that even that which, under ordinary circumstances, should have given the colony the appearance of prosperity — fictitious though it would have been — has failed to maintain the normal state of things. With a falling revenue on the one hand, offices are multiplied on the other, and the drones of the social hive have so increased in number, that the workers are unable to provide for ordinary consumption. There is no sign of retrenchment nor economy, neither will there be so long as foreign capitalists can be found to listen to the plausibilities of the Colonial Treasurer respecting our undeveloped resources, Mr. Vogel may raise the loan and spend it, but his course of action is not one that can put the people in the way of profiting by it. The mind that shall save the colony from ruin and disgrace — that shall adopt measures to meet liabilities as they arise — must be of a more practical nature." The Premier proposes sending, in the course of a few weeks, draft copies of the Education and Permissive Bills, which will be again brought by him into the House of Representatives, to public bodies, and such public men as take an interest in these questions. The Auckland Registrar's returns show that the number of deaths in summer were exactly double those in winter. The February returns show that one child out of three born, dies within two years. The number of gallons of spirits distilled in the colony received into all bonded warehouses during the year 1871 was 58,951. The number of gallons taken out of bond during the same period was — for home consumption 29,221, and for exportation fourteen. On December 31, 1870, there were 52,038 gallons in bond. The Hon. Mr. M'Lean has gone to Dunedin it is said, for the purpose of liberating the Maori prisoners confined there. The Independent states, that at the request of the Defence Minister, Kemp's men, the Wanganuis, are giving up the arms supplied to them Borne time ngo by Government. The Post reports that the Provincial Government of Wellington are making arrangements to place 1,000 to 1,500 Canadian and Nova Scotian immigrants upon a block of land near Masterton and the Gorge. The sum of £12,946 was realized from the sale of land in Canterbury last month, which exceeded one-third of the estimated Laud Revenue for the year. A return, published in tho Now Zealand Gazette, shows that the total value of imports at the twenty-six ports of the colony for the quarter ending the 31st December, 1871, was £1,085,415. Of this £429,796 were from the United Kingdom, £395,598 (or more than one-third of the whole amount) was from Victoria.