The Taranaki Herald. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1870.

Wanganui Herald, Volume X, Issue 2705, 14 February 1876, Page 2

The Taranaki Herald. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1870.

All parties appear to be very anxious to know how to dispose of £4,000 profitably in Harbour improvements. The zeal oi the Provincial Government is shewn in sending their Engineer to assist the people here in coming to a right conclusion as to the proper method of spending the money. The Harbour Board has not yet attained its legal status, but a Committee exists which is competent to advise on local questions. The Protincial Government, in anticipation of a Harbour Board, have declined acting upon a report which was made by Mr Blackett, and wish to relieve themselves of the responsibility of commencing what they know the dole is insufficient to complete. Upon so patriotic a discharge of duty, so loyal an adhesion to the decision of that palladium of civil liberty, the Provincial Council, we desire to say as little as possible. Provincialism is quite beyond the bounds of criticism. When they offer £4,000 to do that which their own report says will require £10,000, and when upwards of £9,000 has been voted by the Council, it is quite clear they are unconscious of any sense of responsibility, and are preparing for the end. But the Committee formed to promote a Harbour Board may fairly be presumed to have the interests of Wang-anui at heart, it is asked to advise. This it may do, and the only sound advice it can give is to simply recommend that Mr Blackott's report be followed. The purchase of a steam dredge requires more than the amount offered b) the Provincial Executive, without taking into consideration the cost of working* it. The Committee has no recognised position, and it is already evident that the Executive is prepared to shirk responsibility if it can. The General Government have expressed their intention of releasing the remainder of the money voted by the Provincial Council, which is now being held against the cost of surveys on a certain bfock of land. Mr Blackett's report points out certain work required to be done of an urgent nature, which he estimated to cost £10,0u0. The Council voted £9000 odd to carry out the report The Committee to whom the consideration of the matter has been referred, has no other course to take, therefore, unless it wants to p ace itself in a false position, than to toll the Pro vinoial Engineer that tho people here cannot suggest any other coarse than the giving loyal effect to the report of Mr Blackett on the subject. A H arbom- Board in embryo is not justified m assuming the responsibility which be longs UUlie Government, but its advice,

since asked, may appropriately be to this effect — let the money be expended in good faith according to the vote of the Council, on the strength of an official report ; when the people will be satisfied.

Henceforth we arc to know our Wairoa by (lie old name no mere. The settlers, feeling the ed'ectsof the confusion which ensued Iroiu an other townsliip on the easb coast being known by tho same nnino, resolved lo give (lie scene ol" a lit* lo hi.story 011 Uiis coasf a now name, and .selected the honorable one of W.-iverJcv, in memory of Sir Walter Scott. Waverley lias been duly gazetted, -which is the proper rite of Baptism. The Wheeler Troupe made their socond apponranco at the OtUl bellows' ilall on Saturday evening. There was a goodattendance.tho Jlall being filled in every part. The programme consisted of a number of humorous sketches interspersed with solos and duets, all of which pleased and del igli ted the audience ; the more so as the humour of all nations was displayed without the least vulgarity, a laudable though unusual feature in variety performances. The troupe apnear to-night for the last time in Wanganui, and as their reputation has spread rapidly, we anticipate a bumper house. The names of the members returned to sit in the new Parliament have been gazetted. It will be interesting to kuow that Sir George Grey's name appears opposite both the Thames and Auckland City West. The Evening Argus gives the following account of the reason for the non-fulfilment of the conditions attending thesale of land to Douglas and Co ;-" The land certainly has not been yet surveyed into 300 acre allotments, and 70 families have not been settled there for the same reason which prevented the survey. By the terms of the sale Messrs Douglas & Co., were themselves to pay for executing the survey, but when the Provincial Government sent them a surveyor up to do the work he was carried bodily off the ground, instruments and all, by an old Maori woman, and the Maoris have since resolutely refused to permit any survey to be made until certain rights which they say were promised them by Sir Donald McLean, are secured." The Secretary of the Jockey Club, Mr Jackson, has. taken the earliest opportunity of contradicting a paragraph which appeared in our last issue in reference to the handicapping for the Wanganui Handicap, and tho circumstances are such as to require the fullest information at our hands. The information on which we published the paragraph was supplied to us by Major Morse, who gave us to understand that he had been appointed handieapper, and that the weights he sent in were not those published. Eeceiving our intelligence in snch a way we did not think it necessary te communicate with Mr Jackson.on whom no reflection whatever was either expressed or implied. It is now necessary to explain, what we lea.m from Mr Jackson, are the real facts of the case, it appears that it was contemplated to appoint Major Morse as handicappcr, aud that the Major drew up a list of the weights aud handed them to Mr Jackson, remarking that as he was leaving town, that should be his handicapping, but that if he was not appoin. ted, the weights should bo kept secret. The Committee, or Stewards, however, declined to appoint Major Morse, and appointed two gentlemen instead, whose weights are those published. It would appear that Major Morse understood he had been appointed, or ho would certainly not have furnished us with the information he did. These are the facts of the case so far as they relate to the paragraph in question. The public are bound to accept the Secretary's statement, that the handicappers appointed by the Stewards are those who have made the handicap, and that the weights published are those officially decided upon. We have Mr Jackson's wo/d that the handicappers never saw Major Morse's handicap. The City of San Francisco has an articled crew of 113 men. The Wairarapa News says :— " During the ! whole of the harvesting in this district very unfavorable weather has been experienced. ' No dependence can be placed on the weather, and the consequence is that the crops generally htiva suffered. While we write the weather is still in a very unsettled state." The Post learns by telegraph that Mr Douglas McLean has accomplished the feat of travelling from Wellington to Napier on a bicycle in six days. The route taken "was by the We3t Coast, and through the Forty Mile Bush. The roads were much cut up by drays after the recent rains, and travel ■ ling was consequently slow, until withii forty or fifty miles of Napier, which M ' McLean ran in one day with a strong head wind against him. With the roads in goo< . order and bridges completed, so that fording can be avoided, it is believed that the jouiney can easily be performed in three or four days. The Mcl bourne Argus of the 3rd iust. says : — Sir Julius Yogel visited the Legislative Assembly yesterday, and was accommodated with a seat on the right of the Speaker. " Atticus " in the Leader writes : — Sir Julius Vo£;el satin our General Post Office for four hours on Saturday last, and carried on during the whole of that time a business conversation with the Colonial Secretary and Postmaster-General of New South Wales, who were comtortably ensconsed all tho while in the Government offices at Sydney. The subjects under discussion were settled to the satisfaction of both sides, aud, in all probability, in a much shorter time than if tongues instead of fingers had been uso.l.

This experiment contains the germs of a m-aud idea. If the Australian colonies ever establish a federal union, the debates in our Colonial congress si ion Id be carripcl on in a similar manner. The speaker, with a staff of officials, might be established, say, on the summit of Central Mount Stuart ; while the members of congress would be allowed (o remain scattered over the length and , breadth of our island continent, each in his own home, but in telegraphic communication v iih the rest, .Member* having to spell their words out would be much more chary in their use or abuse of them. Our style of oratory would even resemble that of ancient j Sparta; and unmannerly interruptions, curtain lectures, personalities, and scenes would com p. to an end. Tt would be well for the members themselves, better for their constiiueuts, and best of all for the press. Report ers would cease to thirst.as they do now, for the blood of our legislators, if they had slowly to evolve their own speeches in a series of dots and lines, on an endless strip of paper. The business of the ft.M. Court this morning (Monday) was confined to one drunk, who had been in gaol since Saturday night. The prisoner pleaded guilty, and was let off.