Tlioy mnnnged to eke out a wrotchod exietenco for a timo by means of State assistance, but a» soon as trade improved eomowhut m tho centres of population a largo number of them throw up their holdings and returned to tho haunts of civilisation. The then Miuistor of I;ands «pont a large amount of public money without any authority from Parliament m trying to bolalor up theso wretched creations of his, and judging by tho epecch delivored by him as loader of tho Opposition tho other day, he would liko to havo tho cbanco of doing the same kind of thing again. Wo (North Otar/o Times) have beon per mitted to mako tho following extract, from a letter received by an Oamnru rosidont from a friond m Melbourne. Tho gentloman who writes 18 m a porition to know what he is writing about: —"l rogrefc to toll jou busi ness m Melbourno is very quiet. To a stranger no doubt it would for a timo appoar busy, but oil aro suffering a recovery, as m Now Zealand, from reaction after tho land boom. For whatsver position is offering thoro are legions of applicants. Bnlarios of nil kinda are lower than m NowZcaland. I'x ponso of living is higher, and for discomfort and filth I have eoen no city to approach Molbourno. Through neglect of ordinary sanitary precautions daily, life ia most pro carious, tti is particularly ovidoncod by statis tical returns of email increase m tho popula tion Iho past 20 yours. No doubt thero is a largo number of individual rich residents, eovorol drawing largo inoomos from Now South Wales, (Juoenshmd, etc., but thero ia as woll a great amount of povorly nnd misery with want m tho suburbs of tho city— civeh suburb with a population equal to Dunedin or Ohriotohureh. X cannot give you a more cheerful account lo bo eorroct. Thoy lnvo been living on English money (borrowod), and Boonor or later thoy will havo to f.ico steady work ia tho country as m Now Zea land, tj produco to moct ongagontDiits, • • oannot obtain employment, nnd talks of returning to Wuw Zoaland. Bfnny havo returned, and othors would if they hod Iho paß»3go money."

It is stated that tho Hon. W. Kollejton ■Bill be ssked to become a candidate for the Halewell sent at the general election. 