The Evening Herald. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 1867.

Wanganui Herald, Volume I, Issue 153, 27 November 1867, Page 2

The Evening Herald. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 1867.

Mant mist kes .ai*ise - from looseness of expression, particularly in writing, and those -whose business it is to supply information to the public should be careful to do so in words that are not liable to be misunderstood. In Tuesday's Chronicle there is a report of the Town Board meeting, which contains the following sentence —" A report was made as to the state of the audit of the accounts, which cannot for the interests of the ratepayers be considered in a satisfactory : state." Apart from the doubtful grammar, the above words are clearly capable of two totally opposite meanings. Those who have .-seen the business-like balance sheets published yearly by the Board, and who know what ex- . cellent accountants some of its present members are, would no doubt, interpret the sentence to mean that the audit was in an unsa- ;, tisfactory state, but those who have not this

"light to guide them, would by reading the passage, in common with the delay in publishing the accounts, naturally conclude that there xvas something wrong in the books. The statement made to the .Board, was to the effect that the audit was delayed, and the commencement of the projected new works postponed, by reason of the utter incompetence of one of the auditors, who had spent about three weeks in hunting up mares-nests, for'his own bewilderment; that the other auditors wasted much time in investigating, and the Board's chairman and clerk in correcting his successive mistakes ; that one of ;.the auditors was satisfied as to the accuracy of the accounts and ready to pass them, but that the third, either from being less conversant with such matters, or as the clerk seemed to think, from enjoying the sport, and the opportunity of getting the measure of a man

rather inclined to thrust himself into public n otice, appeared or pretended still to be in doubt. The statement is entirely an ex-parte one, of the correctness of which we have beyond the presumptive proof afforded by thg previous accounts and the business knowledge of the present wardens, no means of judging; but it is clearly due to the public, no-' less than to !th.e Bouvd and Audi- - ton,": that what was said should be clearly MJldrtecL In the 9ame paragraph mention $9 ffi»de of a requisition from certain residents in gfc, Hill-street-,■■ but instead, of describing its subject—the construction 6* a footpath— the Ghronicle leaves j&r r.eade.rs to imagine .anything they please, It might have been a request for the burning of the town for ought Aai appears to the coritr&iy.

The 18th Regiment.—The 18th Regiment is shortly to be armed with the Snider rifle.

The Ret. Mr. Moir.—The retiring allowance of the Rev. Mr. Moir is £100 a-year and the use of the man 33, or £150 a-year should he prefer to live out Gf town.

: Armed Cokstabulaky. — Lkut.-Colonel McDonnell has received the appointment of Chief Inspector of the Armed Constabulary. There will be 150 of this, force stationed at various posts between Wangaiiui and Taranaki. 30 of them will be mounted.

Penal Establishments.—A vote of £1000 was passed during the late session for the expenses of Commission to enquire into the subject of a Central Penal Establishment for the Colony. On that occasion, as an instance of the necessity for such an institution, MrStafford referred to the case of the notorious murderer Sullivan living in Nelson Gaol, and associating daily with young lads confined for petty offences, able even to talk, and laugh, and joke, with persons in the street while going and returning from his work.

Tile Bishop of Xew Zealand.—We notice in the report given by the Home News of the proceedings of the Pan-Anglican Synod, that the Bishop of New Zealand delivered an address on September 21st, at the close of which the rev. prelate informed the congregation that the offertory would be applied to the endowment of a bishopric in New Zealand, for as matters now stood his successor, in the event of his own death or resignation, would not have more than £80 a-year for the support of his sacred office. The total amoun t realised by the offertories during the week was between £300 and £.400.