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New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4245, 28 October 1874, Page 2

The present Provincial Treasurer of Nelson (Mr. E. J. O’Conor), when a candidate for tlie Superintendency of that province, made a strong point in more than one of his “great” speeches of the suspicions that haunted him as to the honesty of the officials, and his apprehensions that if he succeeded to office he would have some awful doings to expose. He appears now to be disposed to give a coloring of this kind to the awkward case in which he is involved at present, in his hasty incarceration of Mr. Knyvett, in consequence of a demand made by that person on the Treasury. His organ, the Sutler JVews, regards the Knyvett affair as in itself a “ mere bagatelle ” ; but it has evidently been “inspired” to say something more, and it now hints at some coming revelations which it sees “as through a glass darkly,” but which will “ astonish the Browns ” of Nelson. The News asserts that “ it is pretty generally known in Nelson that these aggressive measures by the Knyvett’s are merely intended as a foil to some startling discoveries which have been made, and will shortly be brought to light, with respect to former administration of provincial finances.” If there has been swindling going on in the management of the financial affairs of the Province of Nelson.—which we take leave to doubt—Mr. O’Conor is now in exactly the position to prove it ; and if he fails to do so, after these dark hints, the public of the colony as well as the province of Nelson, will know what to think about it.

Although the correspondence that has taken place between the projectors of an International Centennial Exhibition at Philadelphia, in 1876, and the Australasian colonies, has led to preparations on the part of some of them to take part in the Exhibition, it would appear that some doubts exist as to the harm Jides of the project. The year named is the centenary of the proclamation of American independence, and to celebrate it in the manner proposed is an excellent suggestion, and one that would meet with extensive and sympathising support all the world over. A fear, however, appears to have arisen that the affair beam somewhat of a speculative, or rather “bogus” character. Some of the American journals write of it as a great Philadelphian job. There would seem to be no doubt that a Memorial Hall will be built at Philadelphia to commemorate the occasion ; but that building mil not accommodate an international exhibition. The worst feature of the affair appears to be the financial. It was announced that certain patriotic gentlemen had subscribed two millions of dollars to carry out the scheme ; but the New York Sun asserts that not half of that amount was subscribed ; that not one-half of that one-half -will be recovered, and the remainder has been pretty nearly all spent already in management. The finances, in short, are stated to have been systematically falsified. The object of the promoters is broadly asserted to have been the procuring of Congressional and State grants, and then the manipulation of. the offices and contracts that would follow from those ends. No doubt the colonial Governments will satisfy themselves as to what amount of truth there is, if indeed there be any, in those assertions, before the colonies and the colonists are committed to expenditure in the matter.