DEATH.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 851, 2 August 1879, Page 2

DEATH.

Jj|««j^Onthe2nd August, at Opou, son of Mr. 6 days,

section of members who were among the " ayes," on the "no confidence " motion, do not wish for a dissolution. Their desire was evidently to put the present Ministry on the Opposition benches, and themselves on the side of a batch of new Ministers; but certainly not at the sacrifice of having to submit to the expressive and dangerous ordeal,, of a hew general election. If a motion were tabled that " This Parliament do not dissolve m the present session," there is little donbt, we think, but what it would be carried by a considerable majority. A dead-lock at the present juncture of affairs would considerably damage the progress of the Colony by endangering the floating of the five millions loan. This, however, we are sure will be felt as a matter of indifference to the Premier, if he can only manage to work out his perverse will. We have, fortunately a Governor m Sir Hercules Robinson who will not readily allow the country to go to the bad through the recalcitrancy of an obstructive Minister. If he sees that Sir George Grey intends to impede the s business of legislation, he will, m all probability, do what able and determined Governors have done under similar circumstances m days gone by. He wilt dissolve the Parliament upon his own authority, unless indeed the Premier adopts the constitutional course of advising His Excellency to call to his aid some member of the Opposition to succeed him m forming a new Ministry. What between the desire of members not to force on a dissolution, and the obstructiveness of the present Premier, there will be no other alternative that Sir Hercules can adopt.

Marry m haste and repent at leasure, relates to the unpleasant side of domestic life. Immediate demand for a dissolution and a leisurely " very sorry for it " becomes unpleasant m political life. Sir George demanded a dissolution and got it. Kow he seems as "if he would much rather not. He is fighting Sir William Fox, and would fight an angel if one came m his way. If Sir George Grey moved m the House " that there be no dissolution," the motion would be carried by a sweeping majority. Members did the heroic by voting a no confidence motion. "Now they have come to see this means loss of comfortable quarters with cheap living at Bellamy's, and the privilege of exemption for the time being, from one's liabilities, the affair assumes quite another hue.

Immediately upon the opening of the Session, and after " Prayers," the Hon. Captain Baillie moved that a committee be appointed with a view to promote the comfort and convenience of members of- both Houses. Some readers may not know the Parliamentary interpertation of the word " comfort." It means that the Committee shall see that none but the very best brands of wines, and spirits, and malt liquors are kept at Bellamy's and that, Bellamy shall find members m the very best of everything, served up m the costliest of styles, at less than one-half the price that would be charged for ±he commonest fare at cheapest boarding-house m the Colony. That is the Parliamentary meaning of the word " comfort."

But cheap and excellent aa are the liquors and cuisine at Bellamy's, members of Parliament are discovered to be no more than mortals like men of ordinary clay ; for we- find the Hon. Mr. "Waterhouse stating that members at the end of the session, after drawing the honorarium, go away without paying their beer and tucker bills which he considered disgraceful. " If," said the honorable gentleman, " honorable members did not pay their accounts, there ought to be some provision for deducting the amounts out of their honorarium." No, you don't Mr. Waterhouse.. Stoppage is no payment, and if you sue the members for drinks could they not plead the '• Tippling Act." The order should be pay as you go, or rather pay as you drink.

Speaking to the same subject, " The Hon. Colonel Brett could only say the debts must have been contracted by honorable members after Pai'lia■j^nt closed. Most likely by their m quantities out of the The words are Colonel he spoke them. The italics and the wines m quanwho took them without paying for members pay " any more steam boat to and from not some H^^hH^^^^^^^ht m ;i " Liquor H^^^B^^^^^^^^^^M 1 shall free bother and thought. their the exwould blow." Legislaof with may, RM.

by mentioning that Mr. Justice •KiCHJUOND long ago, ruled there was no law which made it compulsory for a man to take his hat off m a Comt of law, any more than there was that he should uncover when m the presence of a lady m her drawing-room. Politeness might dictate the" propriety of the thing ; but there was no law which enforced politeness. There might be many reason's why a man, without intending disrespect could not uncover. He might have a bad cold ; or be bald-headed, or he might, upon principle, object to take of his hat, even m the presence of royalty. The Queen's coachman always sat with his hat on when m front of Her^ Majesty.

While mentioning the name of Judge Richmond, another little hint is here given which may tend to lessen the power of that section of the legal brotherhood who have a weakness, or a strength, for browbeating or intimidating a witness. His Honor, some three or four years back, ruled that no witness was compelled, unless it so pleased him, to answer a question put by a lawyer, unless the lawyer put it to him through the judge or the magistrate then presiding. That is to say, a witness must answer the question of a judge, and may not of a lawyer unless he chooses.

What a mixture of feelings some newspaper writers must have to be sure. Says a contemporary : "We regret to learn that Mr. Josephs was thrown from his horse on Thursday last ; but are glad to learn he only sustained a severe bruise. We hope to hear of the gentleman's speedy recovery, and trust that he will soon be able to resume his professional duties." Here, m one short paragraph, we find a reporter filled with. " regret," yet at the same time he is " glad." He is buoyed up with " hope," which is still mellowed by a " trust." What a large and extensive assortment of feelings that reporter must be possessed of.

" Birth.— On the 28th inst., Mrs. Allison of a son. Home papers please copy. Mother doing well." Does Mr. Allison, so far as he knows, the happy father of a son, really suppose that home papers will copy, even though he has prefaced his request with a " please." Imagine the three thousand and odd papers published at home announcing from a copy of the Lyttelton- Tiniea, that Mrs. Allison has given birth to a son, and the mother doing well. What a trustful man must be Mr. Allison ?

It does not seem to be generally known that imprisonment for debt is abolished. An application lately came before Mr. Simpson, R.M., for a judgment summons," but the applicant could not say that he was prepared to prove that the defendant had since the date of judgment sufficient means to pay the debt. His Worship said it was of no use for persons to come to him for judgment summonses unless they could prove this, for an order for imprisonment could not be made unless there was evidence given of fraud. Here we see one sort of ruling, and there another sort. One R.M. sends a man to gaol upon a mere oral statement ; another allows a wicked scamp to escape upon the strongest of evideuce.