THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1881.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVIII, Issue 6254, 2 December 1881, Page 4

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1881.

The nominations closed yesterday for the races "which take place on the 9th instant. The entries are very fair, especially for some of the big events, but hers and there is to be found a weed who ought to be scratched, the company being too good for him. At most of the nominations matters passed off pleasantly enough, with in some instances a little sparring, which hurt nobody. The seat for City East is the great bone of contention, and here matters

did not work altogether smoothly Mr J. M. Clark making some sharp allu sions to Sir George Grey. allusions based on public conduct Z legitimate enough, but of course bee t heat, yet anything is better than a (W,i and-alive contest. Mr. J. M. Clarkannouncement of his proclivity f or m derate protection would be of momnTt if the fiscal question was before t'h» country, but nothing engages so lifl attention. Sir George Grey added little to what he ha 3 said on preview occasions, but referred to his Bill f 0 the abolition of distraint for rent" which reminds us that in our lecon' article, taking a similar view, we over' looked the lion, gentleman's rtTon', in this direction. The contest 1 " tween Mr. Clark and the head tf the late Government creates an terest in the contest for City which will exceed that in any otl rr constituency, although doubtless there will be warm work in City North where we shall have the calm per.si*' fcency of Mr. Peacock and the mtU« energy of Mr. Rees. City \V,. S ; City North is rich in candidates, having four, and if all go to ther-o'] he will be a remarkable expert wh will predict the result. Unlike other occasions, on this the party lin--s ard party policies are but faintly ol.ter vable, although such party declaration as have been made are principally j n favour of the Ministry. Greyi.sm and allegiance to Sir George are quite in the back-ground, especially the latter But this is easily understood, last general election Sir George Grev was Premier, and it is a very differentthing rallying forces to strengthen -Jig man in possession to supporting a gentleman Vho is not now the acknowledged, though the actual leader of the Liberal party. It will be observed with satisfaction that those of the c&iulklatM ■who touched 011 the Education Act iZ sist that it shall not be meddled with but it would be well if in Pa ,-h stituency the candidates were mjui r .'.<j to announce themselves ou this qup<. tion, because there are such things a ', private pledges to catch votes. If thi* be done the North will contribute nothing towards any attempt to iamr-f-r with the Act.

So far, few of the candidates have alluded to the subject of local self, government and stringent decentralisation, but it is a subject ou which th« electors ought to know the views of rhe candidates, and it is to be hoped that in every instance an attempt will l-e made to elicit them. We directed attention recently to the danger of members being returned to nothing particular in consequence of no precise policy having been enunciated either by the Premier or Sir George- Grrv.it becomes the more important therefore that the constituencies should elicit a distinct expression of opinion with respect to the two important matters to which we have referred. Mr. tVanson, who has had the supreme Mkity of being returned for the fourth time unopposed, expressed himself in favour of the amendment of the lunacy statute, and after the late exposure ia a neighbouring colony it is to be hoped that his opinion will bear fruit, Jt is evident that the result of the elections will turn more on men and local influences and wants than upon any Jarye issues, and in the absence of broad political tests it becomes increasingly important that the character and calibre of the men should receive the careful attention of the electors. It cannot be said, speaking generally, that the nominations have disclosed any candidates of supreme merit, nor was it to be expected, but the electors have before them in more than one instance candidates clear-headed and businesslike, and closely identified with the interests of the locality. Considering how much these interests have keen neglected, it is sincerely to be hopod that the constituencies will do their utmost to protect them. And, by-the-by, having regard to past expericnc?, should not candidates be pledged to take no mere than one payment fortheir services during one year 1 In the last, Parliament the intention of the honorarium was grossly violated, and it is necessary, therefore, that some precaution should be taken with regard to the future. It is quire too much of a joke that members .should receive three times as much as they are entitled to. The utterances at the nominations indicate, in a considerable number of instances, the intention to give the Government that kind of general support which we have extended to it during its term of office. Its great services in the past, which established for it that claim to consideration, appears in 110 ■way diminished. The future will no; give it all the opportunity which the past afforded, but there is stiil much important business to be done, lor which the administrative skill required, which is generally admitted to be the strong point of Mr. Hall and his colleagues.

The ordinary meeting of the City was held last evening. There was aiderable amount of business done, wt ttf was no special feature of general interest. The ordinary -weekly meeting of ~-' e ' Court was held yesterday. There large number of undefended cases. - proceedings will be found in another cuW — A vocal and dramatic entertainment was given in the Theatre Royal, on Wednesday evening, in aid 01 prize fund of Kamvaeranga schools. A capital programme aia prepared, and the whole of the P! were faithfully given. A novel anu resting feature of the ptogranime , whistling of the song " Annie . Miss Gray, the performer accompanj herself on the piano. The concluded with the farce of "Family There was a large audience.

At the nomination for City East ycsterdav, a considerable amount of irritation wa3 evoked on the part of the candidates, although the audience took the .whole matter good-hun .ouredly enough. The feeling which was aroused is evident enough from our report of the proceedings, although that is necessarily considerably abridged. An incident which occurred at the conclusion of the proceedings caused no small amount of talk in town during the evening. Mr. Clark wis standing in the small room adjoining the Court-house, leaning against a table, when Sir Gcorce Grey passed along on his way out. The passage was narrow between the table and the wall, and Sir George seemed to hesitate when opposite Mr. Clark. That gentleman thought, from the manner in which Sir George paused an«l raised his hand, that he desired to i shake hands with him, and held out his hand : Sir George at once dropped his arm, and said, "No! not after what you have said." Sir George then walked quickly awav, saying something to the effect that Mr-Clark should be ostracised from society. Quite a contrast to this state of things was the conduct of candidates at City North. On Mr. Recs entering the hall Mr. Garrard went up to him and shook hands with him | most effusively. Mr. Rees on his part, not to be outdone in courtesy, in the course of his speech deplored the splitting of the Liberal vctes by three Liberal candidates standing, and frankly admitted that -Mr. Tliwaites and Mr. Garrard might be much better men than himself. The spirit of chivalry is not extinct in City North at least.

Mr. Gradwell's concert at the Choral-hall last night passed off very successfully. Several young ladies gave readings from Shakespeare, and acquitted themselves exceedingly well. The young lady who represented Hubert read distinctly, paid much ac tention to modulation and emphasis, and evidently appreciated the sense of what she was reading. Tiie one who delivered. the speech, "The quality of mercy is not strained,'' did so very etfeetively. Some of the items, however, were rather lengthy, and became tiresome. I his was no doubt owing to the audience not having the thread of the play to interest them—llo context to illuminate what was being read. Possibly an occasional piece from, say, Tennyson or Longfellow might be a pleasing change from Shakespeare and be equally adapted to the capacity of the pr< - ient generation. Mrs. Bispham as usual charmed the audience with " Thou art so near and yet so far." Mr. Gradweil's song, "Enoch Ardeu's Dream," was enthusiastically encored. The piano solos by Misses Vivers, Reeves, and Law, were all applauded. That of Miss Law, '"Clair Atiiol." introduced several familiar Scotch airs, which enabled the audience to judge more accurately of her musical skill and taste. But tin instrumental treat o; the evening was a violin solo by Miss Amy Stephenson, i:i which were included " The Ilarp that Once Through Tula's Hallv' and " When Other Lips and Other Hearts.'' It would be impossible to praise this bonnie wee nddler too highly. As matter of course, she was rapturously em.&ied. Mr. Forth's song, " Phillis is my Only Joy, ' also elicited mirks of appreciation. Mr. Gordon Gooch was in capital voice, and very obliging in response to cncurtK. Of his performance it need only be said that good wine needs no bush.

It transpired at the meeting of the City Schools Committee last evening that a rumour was in circulation among the children in the puM c schools that tinPublic Vaccinator (whoever that mysterious personage may be) was aboii- to visit the schools, and eompulsorily vaccinate the pupils. The chairman (Mr. Gorrie) said -he attendance at the schools had been sensibly diminished owing to the dread by the children of such a visitation, tut he was not aware of any grounds for the rumour. The committee would never sanction compulsory vaccination in the city schools.

Oa Monday next the nomination of a o ;n----didate for the Whau riding in the Eden County Council is to be held at the hau Public-hall at noon. There are at present two candidates in the field—Messrs. J. Dignan and R. Garrett. During yesterday a petition was being t iken round the various disti'icts in the riding, asking Mr. A. K. Taylor, as chairman of the central highwaydistrict, of 'which the riding is composed, to call a meetiDg of the electors in the riding, to give the candidates an opportunity of explaining their views before the day of polling. The Mount Albert hall is likely to be selected as the place most convenient to the greatest number or the electors in the riding. It is expected that the meeting will be held on the evening of Monday or Thursday next, of which due notice will be given. The requisition is being freely signed, which shows that the people are beginning to take a lively interest in the views entertained by those who profess to represent them.

The erection of the concrete basement for the fencing of the Albert Park is being rapidly proceeded with. A quantity of the iron railinas has been placed on the ground ready for use, that portion of the work having been delayed owing to a lack of stone of a suitable character for the piers. That difficulty has now been overcome, and the whole of the fencing on the Princesstreet frontage will shortly be up.

At the regular monthly meeting of St. Andrew's, No. 41S, S.C., held at the lodgeroom, Princes-street, on Monday, November 28, the following brethren were elected officers for the ensuing year : —R.W.M., Brother James Slator: S.W., Brother J. J. Payne; J.W., Brother F. Hughes; chaplain, Brother Gould ; secretary, Brother G. Payne ; treasurer, Brother Kaye ; S.D., Brother J. Bultord ; J.D., Brother ; S.S., Brother Fisher; J.S., BrotherSymouds; organist, Brother Pirie; 1.G., Brother Clarke ; tyler, Brother Porter.

The promenade concert ami sale of useful and fancy goods, to he hwld in the Ponsonbyhall this evening, promises to be very successful. The charge for admission is only one shilling : for children, half-price. The concert will comprise vocal and instrumental music by prominent lady and gentlemen members of the Ponsonby and Auckland Choral Societies and others, and will no doubt be a source of considerable gratification. The articles for sale include a considerable variety of baby's and children's clothing, of useful and of goneral underclothing, together with worked ladies' aprons, cooking aprons, crochet and lace neck scarfs, dolls, and other fancy articles. All goods are marked in plain figures, and the prices are to be decidedly moderate. The Ladies' Work Society, under whose auspices the articles have been made, simply desire to obtain a small margin beyond the cost of the material for their work. The usual objectionable practices resorted to at bazaars will be entirely absent from this entertainment. The altar cloth and other articles worked by some of the ladies of the society will be on view, and will show both artistic taste and ability, and a large amount of skilled needlework. The Bishop is visiting distant parts of the diocese, but Mrs. Cowie, who has all along patronised the Bociety, by giring orders for work, has signified her intention of being present.

We understand the forthcoming work, on Sir Georze Grey and what he has done for the working man, bow in the press and shortly to be published, will present in a brief but striking form an interesting viow of the benefits Sir George hai conform npon ti« working map.—[Advt.]

I A concert and drama was held yesterday evening in the Convent schools, Hobsonstreet, and was attended by over 200 people, amongst whom were the Very Rev. Father Fynes, V.G., Very Rev. Father Sullivan, Rev. Fathers Walter McDonald, O'Reilly, Golden Riordan, and Downey, 0.5.8. The performance commenced with an instrumental moreeau, by Misses Craig, Watson, Brennan, and Hill, with clarionette and flute accompaniment, by Messrs. M. and D. Sheehan, which was followed by " The Babes in the Wood," which was cleverly recited by the young children attending the school. Solo, by Mr. Jennings, with harp accompaniment by Miss Stevenson, and chorus, was well sung, and won amcritcdapplau.se fromtheaudience! Song, "Cleansing Fires," by Miss Halstead, which was rendered in a pleasing manner, and showed off a good soprano voice, of which the lady might well be proud. Violin solo by Mr. Hiscocks, accompanied by Miss Stevenson on the harp, was fairly rendered. Song, "Bid Me Discourse," Miss Avcy, is a ditlieult songtosing, but was done justice toby the singer, who liasa good rich mezzo-soprano voice, and was heartily applauded. This | was followed by a drama, " Aunt Maxwell's [ Return," the prologue to which was recited by ( Miss 10. O'Dowdinaclearanddistinct manner. ! The remaining characters were sustained by the Misses U'Mcarn, Dempsey, Brennan, L/nch, Hopkins, Robinson, Stevenson, and Barron, the whole being rendered in an amusing and interesting manner, exciting the risible faculties of the audience. Song, "AYhitc Squall," by Mr. Edwards, who well sustained his popularity ; chorus, "Fays and Klves," was well gone through; solo, " Blind Girl to her Harp," by Miss Stevenson. The lady has a very good soprano voice, and sings with natural taste and feeling, apart from her apparently liberal tuition. Instrumental moreeau by the Misses Lonergan, Knight, Watson, Craig, and Lynch, clarionette and llute accompaniment by the Messrs. Sheehan. Song, " request," by Miss Staunton, who possesses a fine, clear, soprano voice, and shows evident study under a good master. Her intonation and articulation were exceedingly good. Piano solo, by Miss L. Walnutt, was capitally rendered, and her finish quite electrified the audience. "Le Cheval dc Uronze," instrumental moreeau, by -Misses Crai'.', Brennan, Watson, and the Messrs. Sheehan. " Gipsey Chorus," followed bv the National Anthem, brought a very pleasant evening's eatertainmeut to a close. Great credit is due to the reverend lady teachers for the careful training of their pupils, and the clover way in which the programme was arranged. ,

One of the most gratifying features of the extensive building operations now going on in the city, is the number of business! premises now being erected. There is] scarcely a street iu which two or three shops are not in process of being built, showing that tr*do is increasing.

The shares in Fisher and Co., Limited, are being rapidly taken up. The brokers inform us that already over 29,000 shares have been applied for. From this it is evident that the company will be subscribed for very much in excess of the 20,000 .shares to be allotted. The share list will close on Wednesday, the 7th of December.

A block of land with 72 feet frontage in George-street, Sydney, was sold a few d.iys ago for £42,000. This is at the rate of nearly £600 per foot.

This evening Mrs. Bernard Moore will uive her third free lecture in the Young Mens Christian Association rooms, upon "Sick Nursing." The lecture begins at half-past seven o'clock. The subjects to be treated of will be infection and disinfection, treatment of cuts and sores, and poultices and invalid cookery.

On Saturday evening a second grand entertainment by Mdlle. Mena Murielle, Mr. Gordon CJoooh, Miss Gribble, &c., will be given in the Theatre Royal. An excellent programme has been arranged. Mr. J. I. Buckton has been elected for the Tauhoa riding of the Rodney County Council. The consecration of the Freemasons'-hall, Princes-street, is to be held on Tuesday next. Tiie Auckland Weekly News this week is a specially good number. The usual features are all well up to the mark, and the latest news from all quarters will be fonnd in its pages. Subscription . t:l is oj per annum in advance, posted to acy part of the colony. Subscribers' name enrolled at any tim» during tho quarter The abridged prospectus of the Westporfc Coal Company (Limited) of New Zealand is published iu another column. The nominal capital is in shares of £5 each. Full particulars, &c., can be obtained on application to Mr. Chiiles Alexander and Mr. Alexinder Saunders, to whom applications for shares have to be made. Thomas Fryer, labourer, of Nugent-street, suburbs of Auckland, and Kichard Robert Martin, of Queen-street. haYe filed statements of imolvcncy, and the lirsi meeting of their creditors is fised for tiie Stli December, at 11 o'clock. Frank RowlinsDn. of Northcoie, Stoke's Point, has also tiled a statement of insolvency, and the first meeting of his creditors is liied for the 9th December, at 11 o'clock. A public meeting of the subscribers to the Auckland Reformatory and Women's Home is advertised to be held on the 12th instant at 4 p.m., in Mr. Herapath's otfice, for the purpose stated in tho advertisement. The prospectus of the St. Helier's Bay Land, Building, and Steam Ferry Company appears in another column. The capital is £50,000 in shares of £5 each, payable by 20s on application, and 20s on allotment, and the balance as the directors may direct.