New Zealand Mail. PUBLISHED WEEKLY. SATURDAY, MARCH 6, 1880.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 421, 6 March 1880, Page 14

New Zealand Mail. PUBLISHED WEEKLY. SATURDAY, MARCH 6, 1880.

Thebe appears to be some misconception in certain quarters concerning the power of the Government to appoint an eighth Minister. The argument of dissentients is based upon the terms of the Civil List Act, 1863, Amendment Act, 1873, the seventh section of which provides for only lc seven persons, and two other persons being of the Maori race or half-castes, to be responsible Ministers of the Crown in New Zealand.” The Act prescribes the salaries, and so on. But the seventh clause of the above Act is repealed by the Disqualification Act of 1876, and the latter, and also its Amendment Act of 1877, is altogether repealed by the Disqualification Act of 1878. Now the number seven as applied to the superior members of the Executive Council, is distinctly mentioned in the first sub-section of the fifth clause of the Disqualification Act, 1876, whilst the Amendment Act of the following year is silent on the point. We now come to the Disqualification Act of 1878, in which for some reason not explained—and the clue to which we have not succeeded in finding—the number eight is indicated for the first time in connection with the superior members of the Ministry. Clause 5 defines at length the meaning to be attached to the terms “contractor” and “ Civil servant,” and says, inter alia, “but does not include the persons who are members of the Executive Council, provided that such members do not exceed t-en in all, two of which members must be Maoris or half-castes.” Here we have distinct provision made for ten members of the Ministry instead of nine, Parliament having determined by the wording of this clause that any one of ten members forming the Executive Council was not to be regarded as a Civil servant, and therefore might hold a seat in either the Legislative Council or House of Representatives, notwithstanding the fact

of such member of the Executive being in reoeipt of public money. We must say that the addition to the original number of the Ministry is made in a hole-and-corner fashion, but the fact remains that the addition is on the Statute Book, and hence the Government is quite competent to give effect to it. It was this obscurity in part, we daresay, that led to the introduction of the Civil List Bill of last session, in which provision was made for ten members of the Ministry, the measure, however, not being carried. At the same time authority is not wanted, and should an eighth member of the Executive be appointed, he will be to all intents and purposes a responsible Minister of the Crown. But no extra provision has been made for his particular salary, and he will therefore have to be paid out of the lump sum voted by Parliament in the Civil List Act Amendment Act of 1873. In other words, Ministers will have to make up a salary for him out of their own. Hence, whilst Ministers must provide remuneration for an eighth colleague, Parliament has very clearly bestowed the power of appointing him.

of the old Wellington identities passed away on March 3 —Mrs Firth, of Leedsstreet, mother of Mr. W. Firth, died at the ripe age of 66 years, having succumbed to an attack of acute dysentery after an illness of sixteen days. The deceased lady arrived by the ship Sir George Fife, from England, in 1842, and resided in this city until the time of her death, a period of 38 years. Her husband, who has been dead some time, followed hia trade as a carpenter for some years after his arrival in the colony, and then became the proprietor of the old hoste ry, in Wiilis-street, known as the Aurora Tavern, one of the landmarks of the city in its early days, and still remembered by old residents as the place where they were wont to congregate to discuss occasional news from afar, little dreaming then of the change a few years would bring in quiet Port Nicholson. It. is a very healthy sign that there are not now half the number of men idling about the wharf who were to be seen there a few days ago The prompt action of the Government in forwarding so many men to the vV aimate Plains, although on such low wages, and the equally vigorous action of the City Council, have had che effect of considerably thinning the ranks of the unemployed, and for the present helping to tide over the difficulty. Still a large number remain in town doing nothing, and active measures will have to he continued before it can be said there are no unemployed in our midst.

Mr. W. P. Jame", the Returning Officer for the Wellington city and country electoral districts, has been appointed Registrar for those districts under the Registration of Electors Act, 1879. Mr James is bu*y preparing new rolls, and for this purpose the old rolls will be very useful to him. It is, however, m o# tsary for all people qualified to vote under the new regulations, but whose names do not appear upon the old rolls, to make application to the Registration Officer, who will provide printed forms for the purpose. The necessary qualification for people other than freeholders is twelve months residence in New Zealand and six months in the district for which the applicant claims to vote. Applications may be received at any period during the year, this being an improvement upon the old system, which limited the period for making such applications to three months. The annual inspection of arms of the Naval Brigade took place on Mar. 3atthe Mount Cook Barracks. The men mustered as follows : Starboard watch, 20 files ; port watch, 30 do.; officers, 5 do. ; paymasters, 2 ; petty officers, 12. The men were of course under the immediate command of Captain Johnson. The inspection was conducted by Colonel Pearce, who very minutely inspected the arms, examining each piece along both front and rear rank. Afterwards drill was gone through under Lieut. Wallace and Drill-Instructor Price. The two new officers—second Lieutenant Hislop and fourth Lieutenant Waterhouse appeared for the first time in uniform. Major Hill Jack was also present. The canvass of the city for subscriptions in aid of the Irish famine relief fund has been nearly completed. Up to Wednesday afternoon the returns received by the Treasurer showed the following amounts :—Thorndou ward, £65 3s. 3d ; Lambton, £92 9s. 6d.; and Cook ward, £24 11s. 41 d ; total, £lB2 4s. l|-d. In addition to this the treasui’er has received a private subscription of £2 25., making £lB4 6s. o|d, P This and the sums received prior to the canvass would bring the fund up to £6lO Is. 6§d. Of this amount £SOO was on Wednesday telegraphed by the Mayor to the Lord Mayor of Dublin, through the Bank of New Zealand, the amount being forwarded free of exchange. The treasurer has now a balance of £llO Is. 6|d. in hand, which will be augmented by the returns yet to come in. Mr. Page will also gladly receive subscriptions from any who may have been overlooked by the canvassers. The following tenders have been received at the Public Works office for the three 3-ton. steam cranes contract, required for use in Auckland : A ccepted Fraser and Tinne, Auckland, £1490. Declined—Robertson and Co., Wellington, £1487 ; Kincaid and McQueen, Dunedin, £1490 ; E. W. Mills, Wellington, £1636 ; James Davidson and Co., Dunedin, £1920 ; John Anderson, Christchurch, £1950 ; R. J- Sparrow and Co., Dunedin, £1942 ; A. and G. Price, Grahamstown, £2050.

Communication on the West Australia line haa been restored.

The bankruptcy columns give signs that the crisis is nearly if not quite over, for they are now often daily conspicuous by their absence, while the “ meetings of creditors,” which very recently used to take place five and six in a day, are now being held only at intervals. Those are unfailing signs of a return to a better state of things, and they are, therefore, most heartily welcome.

Frederick Plummer was again brought up at the R. M. Court on Wednesday, on the adjourned charge of larceny, and was further remanded for a week. Mr. Mansford afterwards had a private interview with the man upon the subject of communicating with his friends, with the view of obtaining suitable employment for him.

We are informed that a supply of ice will arrive here by the s.s. Wanaka, to private order, but that a portion of the Consignment will be available for patients suffering from fever. Further information will be given by advertisement. If this experiment of getting ice from the North turns out a success, we understand that weekly shipments will be arranged for. Declarations of their inability to meet their engagements with their creditors have been filed in the Supreme Court by the following : Johannes Windelow, bellowsmaker ; Fobert Smith and .John McLennan, carpenters ; and William Wallace, gasfitter ; all of Wellington.

The first meetings of creditors in the respective estates take place in the Supreme Court House on the Bth instant.

For some time past considerable inconvenience lias been caused at the Resident Magistrate's Court by the blocking up of the doorway by people desirous of inspecting the cause list posted in the entry. In consequence of complaints made upon this subject, another place has now been found for the lists, namely, inside the Court under one of the windows. As a result of this alteration, the entrance to the Court is not now obstructed in any way. An accident happened at the breastwork, not far from the Steam Sliippiug Company’s offices, on Tuesday night, by which a man got a ducking and some severe bruises ; indeed, had it not been for the presence of a companion, who assisted him out of the water, he would in all probability have been drowned. It appears that two men were walking along House-quay, and something that was going on at the outer end of the wharf attracting their attention, they went across to the breastwork, in order to get a better view. On arriving there one of them stumbled over the covering of a part of one of the old cables, with the result above mentioned. The bruises were caused by contact with the wooden braces which stretch from pile to pile. The cable remnants should be removed, to avoid further and more serious mishaps. The inconvenience to which legal gentlemen and suitors are put in consequence of the press of work at the Resident Magistrate’s Court rendering it necessary to so frequently make remands of civil cases, was again brought under notice ou Wednesday. Mr. FitzG-erald complained that a case in which he was concerned had been so often adjourned that the witnesses were not now forthcoming. It would be cheaper, in fact, not to bring actions at all, for the numerous adjournments were a source of considerable expense to witnesses. Mr. Mansford said he intended to fix Wednesday for the hearing of remanets, but, of course, he could not make any cast-iron rule upon the subject. Mr. Ollivier humorously suggested that the difficulty would be got over by having a midnight sitting ; a proposal that elicited considerable merriment. At a later stage a question cropped up as to allowing costs to witnesses in adjourned cases, and Mr. Mansford asked the profession to settle that matter -amongst .themselves. ijslp The very fine organ recently imported for St. Mary’s Cathedral has now been placed in position in the gallery, under the superintendenoe of an able organ-builder from Christchurch, and is to be opened for the first time on Sunday next, when there will be special musical services in the morning. There is also a nice new circle erected upstairs in front of the organ, for the use of the choir, which is every way suitable for their requirements. In the morning selections from a new mass (not yet decided upon) will be sung, and in honor of the occasion, the choir from the Te Aro end will assist the choir of the cathedral. A gjreat musical treat may, therefore, be looked forward to.

The Goiden Fleece Hotel has again been destroyed by fire. It appears that about 5 o'clock on Tuesday evening Mr. Gilruth, the occupier, who was busy with bis brother at aome distance from the hotel, noticed large quantities of smoke issuing from the roof, and on going to it found that the flames had obtained such a hold on the upper portion of the building that it became at once apparent that all attempts to save it would only prove hopeless. Only a portion of the furniture was got out. The extensive stables also caught fire, and were burnt to the ground. Nothing whatever is known as to the origin of the fire. The building was the property of Mr. W. V. Jackson, of this city, and was, together with adjoining land, let to Mr. Gilruth, who intends to go in for stock breeding in the locality. The house, which was a very large one, had been closed as an hotel for some time past, the traffic along the road having fallen off to such an extent since the opening of the railway over the Rimutaka that it was found to be a loss. This is the third time that a fire has occurred there. A small building was burnt down a number of years ago, and the comfortable hotel which took its place was destroyed in the same way in 1866. The insurances on the present occasion were : Royal, £2OO ; and Colonial, £IOOO. There was a further policy of £750, but it had been allowed to lapse in order to save expense. The furniture was valued at £3OO, and had not been insured by Mr. Gilruth.

It is stated that the County Councils of Wairarapa East and West will shortly be in possession of funds, and will thereupon be prepared to open up roads, and will also be able to employ probably a hundred men at ordinary wages.

The flag was again flying at Government House on Wednesday, signifying occupation of that building by his Excellency the Governor, who with Lady Robinson returned from the South at an early hour. A little fellow named McDermott, who was fishing on the wharf on March 3, overbalanced himself and fell into the water. He was unable to swim, but he caught hold of the piles and succeeded in climbing back to his original position, none the worse for his ducking.

41 During Wednesday a number of workmen were busily engaged in stripping the spire of St. Mary’s Cathedral, with a view to strengthening it, as for some time past it has been felt that the vibration in this part of the building has been too strong when the bell of the church was ringing. John Rice, of Cuba-street, states that he is not the John Rice who was charged at the Police Court, on Tuesday, with neglecting to contribute towards the support of two children in the Burnham Industrial School, and says that he knows of none having any claim on him.

It is stated that Messrs. Scoular and Archibald are the successful tenderers for the erection of the new wing to the Mount View Lunatic Asylum, and that the tender is about £2700. It was quite time the enlargement of this institution took place.

We regret to learn that typhoid fever is increasing in Wellington. Would it not be well if the Council could see their way to flush some of the most stagnant drains, notably that into which the Hospital drainage is permitted to run ? We should advise those near that locality to use a good supply of carbolic acid as a disinfectant.

A serious accident was narrowly escaped shortly after eleven o’clock on Tuesday night. Mr. Towersey, baker, of Lambton-quay, had just left his bakehouse, first seeing that everything was right. He had no sooner left than he heard a great crash, and ou returning to see what was the matter, he found that the whole of the ceiling had fallen in, allowing several tons of flour stored overhead to fall on to the floor. Had the accident happened a few seconds earlier, the man’s life must certainly have been sacrificed. The accident arose through there being too much flour stored overhead.

The following letter has been addressed to the Mayor by the Hon. Robert Hart, in reference to the meeting of Monday night last : “ William Hutchison, Esq., Mayor.—Dear sir, —I was present at the meeting last night, and approve of the resolutions. Will you kindly let me know when the deputation will proceed. Elsewhere it seems money can be spent on works not necessary but couvenient, in comparison with which the proposed railway is urgently needed.—Yours truly, Robert Hart, Hobson-street.”

The public will be pleased to learn that the Government intend to take immediate steps for the relief of the unemployed to the extent of about 100 men. Fifty of these will at once be forwarded to the Waimate Plains, for the purpose of road making. Colonel Reader is now open to receive applications, and it is probable that his selection will include a large number of strong able-bodied men. In addition to these 50 to be sent to Opunake and New Plymouth, 30 will be sent to Masterton, and p tssibly a further number still to commence work on the next section of the Master-ton-Wood ville railway. These men will be employed on the same terms as the others. On Wednesday the Hon. Native Minister left Wellington for Napier. His object is to try and arrange matters in regard to the block of land about which there has been so long standing a dispute between Mr. Sutton, M.H.R., and the natives. After leaving Napier he proceeds overland to New Plymouth. It is improbable that he will be able to make hi' contemplated visit to Auckland for a considerable time to come. The first place he will proceed to after leaving Napier will be the Waimate Plains, and it is proposed that a cross road shall be formed through the plains westwards to Opunake. When this road is started the road making on the plains will be proceeding from three differentjdirections. We are glad to say that a few of the charitably disposed among us are interesting themselves on behalf of the widow of the unfortunate man Brown, who was killed by a fall of earth on the South-road works on Saturday last. The expenses of the funeral were defrayed by the Benevolent Institution, and the sum of £l4 has been collected by Mr. Baird, which amouut it is proposed to hand over to this institution for the benefit of the widow. Several other small subscriptions have been made on behalf of the poor woman, who has fortuuatel.y two sons, who are able to earn their own living. Any subscriptions from the charitably disposed maybe sent in to Mr. Johnson, the secretary of the Benevolent Institution.

The Hon. Mr. Bolleston left on Wednesday morning for Napier, and from there will p-oceed to Auckland and thence visit the Bay of Islands, returning south from Auckland via Taranaki and Wanganui. Yesterday the Hon. the Premier left for Auckland, and is expected to be absent three weeks. He will return South, via the West Coast, for the purpose of personally inspecting the country and aiding in the promotion of the settlement of native disputes. Next week Mr. Oliver, Minister of Works, will leave for the West Coast settlements of the Middle Island, and after forwarding the business of his department there will pay a visit to Auckland. We are pleased to note the earnestness of purpose by which Ministers are evidently influenced. They are not “on the stump,” but bent on hard work in the interests of the colony generally.

A case of some importance to shareholders interested in public companies was decided in the Resident Magistrate’s Court ou March 3, in the matter of the ICoranui Coal Mining Company v. Binns. The defendant objected to a claim of the company’s for calls, amounting to £37 10s., on the grouud that he had not signed the articles of association, and also that the calls had not been legally made. The case, which has been before the C mrt on several occasions, and judgment reserved, was decided in favor of the plaintiffs, for the full amount claimed and costs.

The stewards of the Wellington Racing Club bad a meeting on Tuesday eveuing, when certain correspondence in reference to the entry of Commission for the Empire Plate was read. After some discussion the following resolution was agreed to : —T >at after carefully considering the correspondence forwarded -by Messrs. A. Campion and R. Stevens, they fail to see any reason why the resolution passed at the previous meeting (disqualifying those gentlemen) should be rescinded or altered. Mr. Seigfreid Franck was introduced, and gave an explanaf ion of his proposals in reference to his patent totaliiator. He said he was willing to sell half hi > patent for use in the district to the club on certain conditions. He then withdrew, and the club discussed the matter, but the stewards wee of opinion that in the present state of the law it would not be advisable to make any arrangement with Mr. Franck. Accounts for the late meeting were submitted and passed. After paying all labilities, including the sum due to the Hutfc Park trustees, they will be able to reduce their overdraft to less than onehalf of the amount at which it stood before the meeting.