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Woodville Examiner, Volume XIX, Issue 3303, 4 September 1901, Page 2

We commend to the attention of the Woodville County Council, when such a body comes into existence, particulars concerning a new roadmaking machine which is in use by the Waitotara County Council. At a recent meeting the foreman of works stated that 43 miles of roads had been rounded up, reformed and trimmed in 26|- days at a cost of £4B, or, roughly speakiug, £1 per mile. Included in the work done was about 2£ miles of a road which under the old method would have cost £SO.

We this morning received through Mr O'Meara a communication from the Department of Justice to the effect that the Government, " having given careful, consideration to the application of Mr John Grant, proprietor of the Woodville Examiner, for a remission of the fine inflicted upon him for a breach of ' The Gaming Act,' regrets that it is unable to accede to the application for a remission." This, after the petition .we sent was recommended by the Petitions Committee to the favorable Consideration of the Government. We should be interested to know how the Minister of Justice justifies hia action in refusing to make a refund after a select ecmmittee of the House recommends that such a refund should be made. We do not cis,re about the actual cash. We only want justice, and apparently the'Departmeut of Justice is the last place one should go to for that commodity. Wo may say we intend fruiting this matter to a fiuish eveu if it involves Rupibilating the Seddon Government.

The Wellington correspondent of the Otago Daily Times writes to his paper as follows : —lt has now leaked out that the recent serious differences between tb.9 Government and the Auditor-general were in connection with the debentures of the half-mil-lion loan raised locally. The Auditor-" general refused to sign the tares because they were secured on the consolidated fund instead of the consolidated revenue (a very different thing), as provided by the act. The Government, however, obtained an opinion from Dr Fitchett, Solicitor- i genera], which, it is stated, is to the effect that the consolidated fund meant the same as the consolidated revenue. Fortified with this, the Government obtained a warrant from the Governor, but the Auditorgeneral apparently thinks that there are limitations ev6n to his action under an order from the Governor.-in-Oouncil, or, in other words, that there are certain illegalities that'eannot be condoled even by such a high mandate. Anyhow, the Auditor-gen-eral refused to budge. It is stated tb,at he hns also objected to the debentures on another ground—viz , that, contrary to both the act and prospectus, these debentures would produce a cent, higher rate of interest than 4. per No doubt the memorandum on the subject will shortly be presentd to

Parliament, and. it will then be seen whether or not Mr Seddon will propose the suspension of the Audi-tor-general. No doubt such a proposition would be pretty generally condemned throughout the country, but there is no sayiDg what the present Parliament will do. Any such action, too, would not have a good effect in London financial circles at the present moment.