SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE.

PORT OF LYTTELTON. ARRIVED. April 4, steamer Taranaki, 209, Kennedy, from Port Chalmers. April 4 —Australian Sovereign, barque, from Newcastle. April 4. —St. Kilda, s.s., from South. Sailed. April‘4.—St. Kilda, s.s., for Notth. April 4 —steamer Taranaki, 299, Kennedy, for Northern Ports.

POST OFFICE NOTICES.

Mails at the Ashburton Post Office close as follows : For Christchurch and North at 10.20 a.m., 4 p.m., and 7.30 p.m., daily. For Chertsey at 10.20 a.m. daily. For Rakaia at 10.20 a.m., and 4 p.m. daily. For Ashburton South, Winslow, Hinds, Coldstream, Rangitata, Orari, Winchester, and Geraldine at 10.30 a.m. daily. For Ashton, Waterton, and Longbeach at 2.45 p.m. daily. For Creenstreet, Ashburton Forks, Mount Somers, and Ashburton Gorge on Tuesdays and Fridays at 10,30 a.m. For Temuka, Tiinaru and South at 10.30 a.m. and 3 p.m. daily.

The next English Mail via Suez leaves Lyt telton on Saturday next, April 6. UNCLAIMED LETTERS. The following letters are advertised at the Post Office, as having been received from places beyond the Colony, during the month of January, and remaining unclaimed on the Ist April, IS7B : Cadle, W. C. Doorman, John Durham, Robert Hearn (2) Elliott, Win. Flanigan, Daniel Flandasyde, John J. McLoughlin, Denis Miller, T. Parsons, James (3) Smith, Robt. Letters originating in New Zealand are not now advertised, but are sent to the Dead Letter Office, after having lain for two clear months.

The Evening Echo. THURSDAY, APRIL 4, 1878.

Tardily, and apparently with some reluctance, Mr. Wason has fulfilled half his promise “to meet the electors be fore and after each session of Parlia meat,” though it would be difficult to say whether he calls this before or after.

His address was carefully got up, and was delivered as usual with great rapidity, but with a manner that re minded one more of swallowing a pill than of nibbling at a beefsteak. The atmosphere of Parliament alters most men ; it makes them more diffident in their promises ; far less unbounded in their confidence of effecting great re forms ; and generally takes off a great deal of the originality with which they commence their public career. They no longer expect to accomplish great things on their own account, and in their own individual direction; but look on themselves as waggon horses, whose strength would be wasted if they did not pull in exactly the same direc tion as their comrades. Some measure of this transformation is no doubt de sirable, and even the best of men must

sometimes “ to party give up what was meant for mankind,” but Mr. Wason’s transformation has been too sudden and too complete, and his last night’s speech was really poor, unoriginal, and even uninteresting, compared with any thing else we had ever heard from him. Sir George Grey and his party were venial sinners in his estimation, com pared with Rolleston, Montgomery, and other Middle men who would not swear by either side or answer to either “ whip.” They had made all Mr. Wason’s difficulties, and it was hard for him not to regard them as the most mischievous of men. There was an utter abnegation of self in all he said ; he cared not to tell us how he voted or how he had spoken; he even seemed to forget the wounds inflicted on him by that ungrateful Road Board at the

Rakaia, and all the work they had given him in the House and in the lobbies and devoted all his talents to show us how much the Atkinson. Government had “ saved ” by not carrying out the votes of the House, and how they ulti mately fell the victims of their loyalty to the South Island and its land fund, after having, with Mr. Wason’s assist ance, so lately conveyed that land fund from its natural retainers and defenders to a Government elected and guided by that large majority who were so deeply interested in its confiscation. Most of of Mr. Wason’s colleagues are now getting too wise to allude to this sub ject, and Mr. Wason shows rather too much confidence in the apathy and political ignorance of even a Canter bury constituency, when he asks them to believe that we owe the loss of our land fund, not to him and to those whom he supported in wresting it from us, but to the man who of all others fought most desperately to retain it in the hands of our own elected Superin tendent, and our own Provincial Coun cil, and to prevent its being transferred to those who would naturally appro priate it to their own benefit, and laugh at us for our folly in destroying our own watch dogs and trusting our lives to the wolves. But he made few mistakes of this kind, and indeed, for so young a politician, we have never seen such a well disciplined partisan. During the whole evening his personal feelings never once betrayed him from his steady allegiance; he denied himself the pleasure of many pretty things he might have said and turned a deaf ear to the suggestions of his own fiiends when they would have misled him.

Even when Mr. Bullock in his entire simplicity reminded him that he could ensure a cheer from an Ashburton audience by talking to them of the bran new member they were entitled to have all to themselves, he refrained from the nibble at the bait, knowing that we were likely soon to get it, not from his party, but from that of their opponents. He might truly say, “I have no eyes to see, no ears to hear, and no lungs to speak, except as di rected by my party.”

There are no coal miners at the Ashburton, so that Mr. Wason did not enlarge on the superior intelligence of that useful class of men as he appears to have done at Sheffield, and we failed to learn from his speech why working under ground qualified them for a vote which must be denied to all other mechanics. We believe that if Mr. Wason had spoken at Lyttelton he would have discovered that fishermen were the most intelligent of men, and that they could safely be trusted with votes which it would be utter madness to give to those rascally carpenters and bricklayers in Christchurch. In fact, we are inclined to think that Mr. Wason is very improveable on this subject, and that if he mixed alternately and intimately with each class of those whom be would now exclude from the franchise, he would find that there were amongst them so many fine sen sible fellows that some exceptional legislation should be resorted to to give them a vote, and even the black smiths may some day rise to the same level in his estimation that the colliers have already reached. On the question of taxation, Mr. Wason glories in obscurity. He puts his blind eye to the telescope and de clares he can see nothing. He is quite willing to do whatever is fair and right and agreeable to everybody, but how to tax land at its value without taxing everything that is on it, is a difficulty of which he sees no possible solution— not even with Dr. Kesteven's help. With him there is no middle course between taxing an acre on the top of Mount Cook at the same rate as an acre in the centre of Christchurch, or punishing a man for putting up an ornamental dwelling, a model farm stead, or a useful manufactory. But here if Mr. Wason should ever happen to find the will, he will feel it wonder fully easy to discover the way.

The defeat of Mr. Saunders’ amend ment put Mr. Wason in a good humor, and consoled him for the utter want of sympathy which the meeting had ex pressed with all his political views. It should, however, be a lesson to those who are not on Mr. Wason’s side, and under the able “ whips ” that

everywhere in this province lead that party to political power. In a meeting of about 150 persons, only 43 held up their hands on both sides. We may be quite sure that not one of the unshown hands belonged to that party who always make up in generalship what they want in numbers ami in pubbe sympathy. There is no one in Ashburton who could compete with Mr. Wason as a “ whip.”

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Last evening, seven troopers of the Yeomanr) Cavalry were drilled in the vacant ground at the east end of Cameron street, by Sergeant Lewis. The gale doubtless kept the troop lively during the parade. At the usual monthly meeting of the Ashburton County Council yesterday, the members present were —Messrs. Walker (chairman), Reid, Polhill, Wason, Wright, Saunders, and Bullock. A large budget of correspondence was read, from which we give the items of most interest : Re the postal service between Ashburton Forks and Alford Forest, a communication from the head office of the department con tained the authorities’ declinature to do anything beyond altering the time table to make matters more workable. Mr. Bullock wished the Council to ask Government to re-consider their deci sion, as he was sure he could produce those who were willing, for a very small sum, to convey letters from Spread Eagle to Alford Forest. There was a large traffic in that district, which made postal communication necessary; and by his suggestion of the Spread Eagle branch, letters could be answered in one day instead of four days after posting. In the absence of informa tion as to the number of letters carried and other data to make a case before the authorities the matter was deferred. The question of Charitable Institutions and Charitable Aid was raised by letters re the Conference of Mayors and Chairmen of County Councils re cently held in Christchurch, and on the motion of Mr. Wright it was re solved as follows:

“ That the Council adopt the recommenda tions of the Christchurch Conference, and will contribute towards the support of an Hospital and Charitable Institution in North Canter bury, in proportion to the population of the county, for a period of one year, or until it shall be in a position to support efficiently similar local institutions within the county.”

On a letter from the Railway Depart ment, refusing to alter the present state of affairs re the traffic regulations of Ashburton Bridge, Mr. Saunders stated that when in Wellington he had seen Mr. Ballance and Mr. Carruthers, who had told him the recommendations re garding the removal of objectionable restrictions would be carried out, and he suggested an inquiry why the promise made to him had not be fulfilled. Mr. Wright thought they had hitherto been dealing with the wrong authority, and mentioned Mr. Conyers as the officer most likely to be the right man. Mr. Saunders moved that the Secretary for Public Works be informed of the Engineer-in-Chiefs recommendation to remove the offensive regulations, and the public loss and inconvenience sus tained laid before him, with a view to remedy. Mr. Wason seconded, and the resolution was carried. A consi derable amount of discussion followed the reading of a communication from Mr. John H. Baker, Christchurch, who estimated the cost of a general map of the county at £\oo. Mr. Bullock was of opinion that a map in four sheets could be procured for certainly not over in all, and he would be opposed to such an expenditure as an acceptance of Mr. Baker’s map entailed. Mr. Saunders could readily believe that £IOO could be badly spent on a bad map ; but a really good map of the whole county was a desideratum, even at ;£ioo. It was their own recommen dation to Mr. Baker to procure a com plete map that could be depended on,, and they should abide by it. Mr. Reid said the Lyttelton Times had executed district maps for T 4 or The Chairman thought they should take Mr. Baker’s map. Ultimately a motion by Mr. Wason was carried, that Mr. Baker be asked to compile a good map of the county at the lowest terms. On a letter

from the Public Works Office, informing; the Council ihat the survey of the first twenty miles of the Mount Somers Rail way would be started forthwith, Mr. Wright stated that the principal land owners were prepared to assign the necessary land free of charge. Discus sion arose on the apportionment of set aside by the Treasury for Domain Boards in the District. On a division was voted to the Ash burton Domain Board against an amend ment fixing The amendment was proposed by Mr. Saunders, and seconded by Mr. Bullock. The Railway Engineer informed the Council that a level crossing at Aitken Street would be laid down instead of the one they had suggested. Council were un animously of opinion that works of this character should be submitted to them before proceeded with. After some finance business, the Council went into Committee to consider the waterworks schemes they had received, when, as we intimated yesterday, the award of was given to that of Mr. Charles E. Watkins, of Akaroa.

MR. J. C. WASON, M.H.R., AT THE LIBRARY HALL.

Mr. Wason had a very respectable audience last night, both as regards numbers and the hearing given to the speakers. There were about 150 people in the hall, and Mr. Walker* Chairman of the County Council, was called to the chair, and introduced

Mr. Wason, whose sole reason for coming before them at a period so far removed from the end of the parliamentary session was one that would, doubtless, have prevented many of them from attending his meeting had it been earlier in the season namely, the harvest.. He had neither been an extreme supporter nor an extreme opponent of any party in the House, and he felt himself able to give a fair resume of the work of the session. There had. been three parties in the Flouse—the Govern ment, the Opposition, and the Middle party. The latter of which before the end ot the session had been absorbed by the other two, but while it existed it had increased the acerbities of the session. Major Atkinson had brought down his Financial Statement at. an early period, and it had shown a great saving to the country. It had been stated that the Atkinson party meditated an attack on the Land Fund of Canterbury and Otago. What. Major Atkinson really wanted to do was to draw on the land funds to the extent of these provinces’ indebtedness to to the Consolidated. Fund namely, Canterbury, and Otago, No doubt several indivi dual members of his Ministry were in favor of' confiscating the laud revenue, Messrs. Whita ker and Ormond, for instance, but with Mr.. Bowen and some other Southern members in, the Cabinet such a course was impossible. The stand the Atkinson Government had made in favor of keeping the Land Fund had been the ruin of the late Government, for by it they had lost the support of many Northern mem bers. They should have fought Mr. Wool cock’s motion to the last, even if it threw on, •Mr. Woolcock the responsibility of forming a new Government. They should also have re signed on the Native Lands question. It had been said that that bill would have shut out small farmers, and have played into the hands, of the large landowners. Mr. Wason was of opinion it was a good measure, but thought there were few men in the House who under stood the Native Lands question. Mr. Sheehan,, however, who was perhaps the most competent authority on Native Lands matters, had praised it since he had come into power, and could afford to Ire generous. Mr. Wason accused Sir George of shrinking from any motion likely to oust Major Atkinson’s Government, and said no Ministry was called upon to resign if de feated on a question originating with a member not a recognised leader of a party. The speaker eulogised Mr. Bowen’s Education Bill, and said its results in Otago had been in the highest degree satisfactory. He condemned as perfidi ous Mr. Larnach’s conduct, after having secured an opportunity to form a Cabinet, in throwing himself into the arms of Sir George Grey! Referring to Major Atkinson’s course in moving a vote of no-confidence in the Grey Ministry, he endeavored to defend the late Premier by pointing out that this course had been forced upon him by the Middle party, who, feeling that Sir George had come into office under false pretences, had made overtures to the Major, and he had been forced into that posi tion. From tliat mistake, his party had been injured ; and, though they had a majority in the House, when the vote came on, it was lost by the casting vote of the Speaker. This re sult was not satisfactory, for there existed a feeling that Sir George should have a fair trial. He then proceeded to speak of Sir George’s future policy, which had been shadowed forth in the speeches of Sir George alone, the other members of his Cabinet holding a prudent silence. The chief feature of that policy had been manhood suffrage. The last time he spoke from that platform he (Mr. Wason) was adverse to that system, and he had not changed his views. He admitted the necessity for a change in the electoral laws and the basis of represen tation, and thought that gold miners and ; colliers should have votes—it tended to equalise the franchise. He had no sympathy with a

inti EVENING ECHO, THURSDAY, APRIL 4, 1878.