WELLINGTON.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 3913, 1 September 1874, Page 3

WELLINGTON.

(from otjk own correspondent. )

August 29th.

Contrary to general expectation, the Council passed the Bill authorising the advance of L 60,000 to your Province. 1 fancy the Government was rather surprised, and in reality not over well pleased at this result. Mr Waterhouse made a very sarcastic speech on the subject, in which he said that the necessity for such a Bill showed there were other Provinces than those of tite North Island unable to fulfil their functions, and whose Government should be assumed by the Government of the Colony.

A. good many of the Southern members left yesterday, and to-day there will be a general exodus, as steamers leave in all directions. The House meets to-day, but there is nothing but formal business on the paper. It is possible, however, that Mr Fitzherherfc will take or make an opportunity to review the session, as iv some way or other he did not do so, as is usual, on the second reading of the Appropriation Bill, which on this occasion passed without any debate. The only.thiug, in fact, iv the nature of a debate on general politics.during the last day or two was a desultory one on a motion of Mr John Gillies, asking for a return of the expenditure of the million and a half stated by Mr Vogel in one of his speeches to have been spent in purchasing from the Provinces support for the Immigration and Public Works policy. Mr Gillies moved his motion with\ admirable | seriousness, although Mr Vogel must have been quite right in assuming that it was brought forward in joke. His answer was that often made to inquisitive little boys, " read and you will know." He told Mr Gillies to sturly the details of the expenditure under the Public Works Policy, and he would have no difficulty in tracing the million and a half spent in the manner indicated. The House having a spare hour while waiting for a message from the Governor sending down the Otago Advances Bill, a rambling discussion ensued, and when the expected messiige arrived, the debate was adjonrned^pi obably not to be renewed. v The New Zealand Constitutional Association, with its capital of £400, is not likely to be a very powerful body, fcince ihe first u:eeting, one or

two others have bsen held, but very badly attended, and it was speedily discovered that there was no unity of purpose or principle amongst the memliors who were willing to form the Association. No agreement could possibly be come to as to whethor any Constitutional changes were desirable, or what changes were desirable, and ultimately it was resolved to leave all such matters an entirely open question, and to adopt as the sole policy of the Association that it was desirable to have a dissolution of Parliament before any changes should bo made. Behind this there is of course in the minds of most of the members an intense desire to oust Mr Vogel from office, and the resolution is looked on as a means towards that end. A form of petition has already been drawn up, and most of the niemboi sof the Opposition signed tlie originalyesterday. The money subscribed (£SO of ib was given in equal sums by two merchants in this City in no way connected with politics) is to be expended in agitating this petition throughout the Colony and obtaining signatures. It is not likely to'be of much use when signed, for it is extremely improbable that under any circumstmces the Bill for thi) abolition of the North Island Provinces would become law next session, and after next session a general election will follow in due course. Tho question is one of great niaguihide, and will involve the consideration, of a great many difficult and delicate details, and is very unlikely to be finally settled in a single session, and that the session of a moribund Parliament. However, the petition, if it contains no objection to the principle of the proposed changes, and simply asks for a dissolution on general j grounds, wiii no dcubt be extensively signed in both.[stands, and will certainly do no harm. The Superintendents of Canterbury and Otago go home in no very good humour. They very plainly see the writing on the wall foretelling the speedy downfall of the system they repre- [ sent, and they tremble for their land fund. The general idea here is that during the year they will improve each shining hour by converting as much land into money as possible. So strongly does this conviction exist, that I have heard members from the North express regret that time did not allow of the introduction of a Bill to prohibit all the Provincial Governments from selling any large blocks of land except with the consent of the Governor iv Council. In connection with this subject I may mention t! at Mr. Douglas, formerly of the New Zealand Laud Company, is now up here negotiating for the purchase <sf a block of 10,00 d acres in the Oiona District. This block is at present a swamp, and would be quite useless if sold in small sections. In the hands of one owner it could easily be drained, and would then be most valuable land. The terms are 10s Gd per acre, Mr Douglas 16 sp.nd £10,00.) in improvements, and to shttle a certain number of people on the land within a given time. If the purchase is completed it will be a very good one, alike for the purchaser ami the Province. The member for Wallace, Mr Webster, has justmanaged to save his stakes. He arrived here yesterday morning, and will be able to take his se it to-day, and by so doing to avoid forfeiting it altogether. His proportion of the honorarium will not, evea according to the new scale, be a very largo one. To many, of the members this increase'of £50 in the honorarium is a godsend, and they will go home rejoicing, especially as the session is a .short one. .Of course Sir J. C. Wilson opposed the[increase, as he opposes all payment of the kind ; but like all the other disinterested gentlemen who vote regularly against the principle, knowii.g full well that their votes will cost them nothing, as theyaie sure to be in a minority, he always draws the full amount to which he is entitled j and we never hear even of his giviug it away in donations to public institutions, as at least two of our Wellington members of the Council, Mr WateihouseandMrPharazyn, usually do. Next session the Government promises to settle the question of the payment of members by introducing a Bill on the subject. If this is done, the question as between honorarium, or rather payment of expenses, and actual payment of members for their services, will be fairly raised, and no doubt fully discussed. I believe that if matters financial look at all promising, a majority of the Hous6will be found wiling to accept the Victorian principle, and attach a salary of £200 or £300 a year to a seat in Parliament. Such a salary would considerably extend the limits of selection, and 1 am not at all sure that the . country , would not gam in the end. Many able men cannot now afford to go into the abuse, and I am quite certain that the public do not gain from the legislation of the country remaining mainly or wholly in the hands of runholders or annuitants, to whom a three months'visit here is a pleasant recreation not at all interfering with, business. These men can, of course, afford to come without payment; but gratuitous services are sometimes the most expensive in the long run; A far more objectionable item than the honorarium is the vote, now becoming an annual one, for the support of Bellamy's. This, at least, should be made a self-supporting institution, for it is maintained solely for the pleasure arid convenii ence ot members, and is of no use or benefit to the public, although the Latter hare to pay for it.

The report of Major Gordon, Inspector of Volunteers, has at length been produced. I do not think Sir Donald M'Leaa at all liked laying it on the table, and when, he did so, he did not, as is usual, move that it be printed, but Mr J. L. Gillies asked him to do so, and then he complied, and the order for printing was made. It is a very voluminous document, with very numerous appendices. Very few of the Volunteer officers or corps will feel much complimented by Major Gordon's remarks concerning them, and,in some cases at least, these remarks are evidently unfair. As an instance, I may quote his remarks about the instruct r of*our Artillery coips here. He says, " the instructor was very deficient in his knowledge of certain portions of tlie rudiments of his duty^ owing, perhaps, to his having for too long a, period of his Imperial service served in the tailor's shop of his battery." This is a piece" of gratuitous impertinence, as the instructor in question, though when he first joined 'the Royal Artillery was for a short tjme employed as stated, served afterwards for eighteen' j-earsas a non-commissioned officer, and was for twelve years a full sergeant. He should therefore know as much of the rudiments of drUl as Major Gordon, who is not an Artillery officer at all. As 1 «ent you by telegraph what he said about the Otago Corps I need not do more than1 say that the Defence Minister evidently ilttaclies very little importance to Major Gordon's recommendations. Although his report is only dated August 6th, he sent in an interim ,ieport in December containing most of his objectionable remarks and recommendations, and tke Defence* Minister has not acted on the latter. Foirin-; stance, the cancellation of the Commissions of Majors Hathgate, Jones, and Steward was then recommended, -but has not been done. In fact,I think Sir Donald M'Le.in is now convinced' that he made an unfortunate selection inappbinting Major Gordon as Inspector.

PASSENGERS via SAN F&AN-

CISCO.

Under the heading "Bid Management" the San Francisco Daily Post; publishes the following article on the refusal of railway tickets to New York topassengers from Australia by the San Francisco route:—

What has happened in the case of the passengers by the Australian mail steamship Tartar has been expected for some time past by every one who has paid atteution to the operations of the company, although it is well known thac no blame can attach to J. G. Merrill and Go., the Sau Francisco agents, who have from the coniauneeinent of the service done their utmost to make it successful and popular. It was with some difficulty that the passengers by the Cypbrenes, which arrived on the 13 th of last month, obtained their railroad tickets to New York. Notwithstanding an agreement had" teen made by the representatives of the steamship com(.•any and the railroad authorities, providing for the issue in Australia by the recognised agents of orders in connection with the ocean trip for railroad tickets, it transpired that in consequence of neglect on the part of If. H. Hall, the managing director in Sydney, to make the remittances agreed upon to cover the charges for conveyance by railroad across the Continent, the terms of the • agreement' had been so seriously violated as to release the railroad parties from all obligations and responsibilities in the matter. Not wishing to embarrass the new steamship company.in any way, they, last month, assumed the risk of acknowledging all orders for railway tickets presented by the passengers of the Cyphrenes in the hope that affaira would be satisfactorily adjusted, with only a trifling delay. It seems that this had not been done up to the arrival of the Tartar, and therefore the Central Pacific Railroad Company refused to give further credit to the steamship company. When ihe announcement was first made that H. H. Hall was to be the Managing Director of the line in Australia, it was a foregone conclusion in the minds of every oce acquainted with the character and career of that gentleman, that tha service would not be well managed. It was, iudeed, a matter of surprise to many that the Hon. Mr Sara-: uel, the Postmaster-General of New South: Wales, should identify himself so closely with a man whose record was so ' fishy/; Two or three times, at least, had Mr Hall gore through bankruptcy, and his credit.in the Colonies has long been so questionable that merchants and others in Sydney have hunned business intercourse with him. In proof of this it may be stated that just before tiie time arrived for the despatch of the May mail from Sydney it was found neceßsary to charter a steamship to connect with tho one from New Zealand at Kandavu. Mr Hall made application to the Australian yteam Navigation Company for the City of

Adelaide, which was granted on the condition that 7,500d01. per month should be paid for it in advance. Mr Hall agreed to the sum, but did not find immediate payment convenient. . The money should be paid in due time, he promised, but this wouM not do, for the positive refusal of a steamer was male unless the charter money was paid beforehand. As it was absolutely necessary that a steamer should be dispatched with the mails and passengers, in order to preserve the contracts with the New South Wales and New Zealand Governments, as well as to keep faith with pa<tseng--rs who had. already purchased tickets, Mr Hall was perforce obliged to yield to the peremptory demand of the Steam Navigation Company. But how was he to get ihe 7500d01. ? He sought a°sistance from every one who he thought would stand by him, and at last the New South Wales Government, out of sheer desperation at the importunity of the man and the manner in which he had become compromised, with the service, gave a guarantee of payment which satisfied the manager of the Navigation Company. Thus the mail service via San Fraucisco was for ihe time preserved intact, but-the rottenness of Mr. Hall's credit was unmistaktably exhibited. Conducted as the line has been from the commencement of the service, the lion's share of the profits remain in Australia. Money is collected tbefe for tickets through to England. These tickets are in three divisions—one for the trip to San Francisco, one consists of an order on the Central Pacific Railway Company here for a ticket overland to New York, and the third is an order for passage on any one of three steamship lines from New York to England. Almost £82 sterling or 4tOdols are paid by each cabin passenger for a through ticket, and of course the money is received in the Coloaies. If Mr Hall were to fulfil his part of the agreement, he would reniit by each steamer the proportion of passage money obtained for the overland and Atlantic divisions of the journey ; but this he < as failed to do, and hencj the refusal to acknowledge any further orders for railroad tickets to New York. Mr Hall was to have come on by the Tartar to make everything straight, but for some unexplained reason he has preferred remaining in Sydney* and as J. C. Merrill and Co. have already paid considerable moneys out ou their own responsibility to protect the credit of the Australian Steamship Company, they are not disposed to incur further liability unless they can see a way of being reimbursed.

Considering how handsomely patronised the line has been since it began, and now popular the route to England via San Francisco was rapidly becoming, the troubles which, have arisen are to be. greatly regretted, but it is to be hoped that everything will yet turn out satis"actory.

Strangers paying a visit to Dunedin are often at a loss to kuow which is the best establishment to visit for the. purchase of drapery and clothing.- Herbert Haynes, and Co. offer special advantages to the public that can be met with nowhere else in the city. They keep at all tinie3 tlie largest and best assorted stock of every class of goods, imported direct from the leading manufacturers and warehousemen at home, which, being bought entirely upon cash terms, they are enabled to offer goods o* such sterling value as cannot be equalled by any other house in the trade. Every article in stock is marked at a fixed price for ready money, from which no abatement is ever made, so that the most inexperienced buy their goods at the same price as the best judges. Their terms are—net cash, without discount or reduction of any kind. A fuller description o their stock will be found in an advertisement in the first page of this oaner —fADvr JVomns's Schiedam Scusapps.—We have heard highly favour ible opinions expressed upon this remarkably popular spirit, for which is claimed that it is as excellent when taken as an .rdinaryr stimulant a3 it is medicinally. As will certainly be the case when an article once acquires a high reputation, it is of course imitated by dishonourablemanufacturers; but we believe that the means adopted by the proprietors of the genuine article to ensure the consumer obtainm■' it are such that the most ordinary precautions will suffice. When we consider the extent to which adulteration is carried on by unprincipled manufacturers of spirits, it is a matter of congratulation that in this schnapps we hive ah article entirely free from all impure ingredients. — Dalgety, Nichols, and Co., Eattray street. '

HoLLow-Ay-s Pills.— Excellent Pills.—The resources of medicine and chemistry were long and fruitlessly tried before they yielded a remedy which could overcome disorders of the stomach and nerves, till Professor Holloway discovered his purifying and tonic Pills. They are the safest and surest correttires of iudi"estion, heart-burn, flatulency, torpidity of the liver twitehings, nervous fancies, despondency,' low spirits' and declining he .lth. Holloway's Pills supersede all irregular action in the body, and so stren-'then and support the system that disease departs, and leaves the patient not at all shaken. This is the grand aim and. object of medical art, to regulate disordered functions without damaging the constitution by the remedy and admirably is this remedy attained by Holloway's Pills.—[Advt:] Or db JoNGn's Light-Brown Cod Liver Oil.— In Debility of Children its efficacy is unequalled. Mr Thomas Hunt, Surgeon to the Western Dispensary for Diseases of the Skin,.writes: " In. badly-nourished iutants, Dr De Jongh's.Cod Liver Oil is invaluable The rapidity with which two or three tea-spoonfuls a day will fatten a young child is astonishing. The weight gained is three times the A-eight of the Oil swallowed or more. Children geherallylike the taste of Dr De Jongh's Oil, and when it is given them, often cry for more." Sold only in capsuled Imperial Half-pints, Pints, and Quarts, by all chemists, druggists, ami storekeepers. Sole Consignees, Ansar, Harfoid, and Co., 77, Strand, London.—{Advt.] ■'■.: