GOSSIP.

Colonist, Volume XXVIII, Issue 4170, 20 June 1885, Page 2 (Supplement)

GOSSIP.

'."'■ (Fro an late Exchanges.) Eight hundred'and fifty-five waifs and strays in the Colony! Double, treble tliat number, Mr Premier, and you will be nearer the mark. More's the pity. The figures you give are those which sum up the criminal'and neglected children handed over to your custody as the! State's representative; and,, if these were all, we would have,, the juvenile crime and vagrancy, of .the Colony in'•■the hollow of bur hand. There would be no difficulty in its extirpation. 'But unfortunately it is not so. Our streets.and street corners are infested with crowds of lads, and even boys growing up in ignorance and neglect. The studies of the naturalist are of a most fascinating character, and those who once take an interest in such.researches soon become enthusiasts/, 1W members of the Otagb Institute the other day passed a resolution calling the attention of the Government to the wholesale deportation of tuataHL lizards.; The animals' according to Professor Parker, are" a peculiar old type—a kind of axistocr aticrace of lizards—it was of the, utmost importance that their deyelopv ment should be... accurately, worked out." By all means take care of these lizards. If ever you come across one, " Take it <up tenderly, lift it with care." It is an aristocratic saurian, and such should be treated with due respect1. We are afraid, however, that: our democratic New Zealander' will not comply with the wishes of Professor Parker and. the members of the Otago Institute.—Bruce • Herald.' UNDEEthe new Police Offenc.es Act, ai man at Westport was recently charged with working his calling on> SuMay. ' Tlie offence consisted in hauling: some logs from the river'; Bank, which the increasing tide .threatened to carry out to sea and transport to parts;unknown without^ any /bill of lading being' made butr' -The, Lfagis trate dismissed' the/: case. This./is usually the; course adopted by sensible Magis'jtraije's; wherl' hayiagto; deal with informations laidlunder this enlightened piece of legislature. Paeliaicent has met. Do you want my tip ? 'The; Government are quite safe for the session/ They may. possibly twist and turn more than is meet; all Governments do more or leas ; but there is no compact Opposition, and the session will not last very long. Various free lances will occupy some time, for, like Harry o' the Wynd, each of them will fight for his own hand, but nothing will come of it, save a good deal of acrimony and a possibly abortive session. Questions will be numerous and impromptu discussions various and sometimes exciting; much noise, little achievement; and thus runs the Parliamentary world away.—'Dunedin Herald.' For some time past the present Minister of Justice has had in contemplation the desirableness of establishing a system of law reporting similar to the system in vogue in many of the States of America, and the Cabinet have. agreed to give the system a trial here. With this object a sum will be placed . upon the supplementary -estimates for the payment of shorthand writers in the superior Courts of Justice. Me Guinness is going to raise the question of members correcting the ' Hansard ' proofs, of their speeches, and will move that the practice be discontinued. Errors will occasionally creep into the notes of even the best reporters; and it would be matter for regret should those errors be perpetuated in what purports to be an official record. At the same time there cannot be. a doubt, that the privilege of correction is very greatly abused. Many members habitually correct their proofs by almost re-writing their speeches, leaving out much of what they said and inserting much that they did; not say, so that' Hansard ' becomes a record not of the speech addressed to the House, but of what the hon. member on reflection, thinks it desirable his constituents and the public should suppose him to have said. The cost of such corrections is enormous, and some steps should be taken to .curtail them. A KETUEN'has been laid upon the table of the House showing the estates and the value thereof in the hands of the Public Trustee. The following are the net values:—E states of intestates, £56,965,165,; estates of absent heirs land devisees, £22,983 4d ; estates of lunatics, £22,644 3s 7d; total net lvalue, £102,593 18s lid. The total gross value under the,, three, heads is set down at £178,925, Is 6d. The Values are stated as on the Ist October, 1884.' Among the estates are those of a numberbf Chinamen. The highest value; of any of, the estates of these Celestials is £101, while, the values in the others range from 2s 8d to £19. One Chinaman, known in this mortal life by the sweet-sounding name of Ah Muck, departed this life leaving to the trustee to hand over to his heirs and assigns the remains of 4s after expenses had. been deducted therefrom. The return does not say whether any claim has been put in for the estate.— * Post.'