Untitled

Clutha Leader, Volume I, Issue 23, 17 December 1874, Page 5

Mails for the United Kingdom, &c, via Francisco, will be dispatched from the Post Office, Balclutha, to-morrow (Friday) the box closing at S a.m. For the United Kingdom, via Suez, it will close on Tuesday first, 22nd inst.

The railway bridge is not yet commenced, owing, we believe, to the material not being all landed. The coutractor, Mr John Wstson is completing all tbe preliminary preparations, so as to be ready for a start at the earliest moment.

A mob of fat cattle belonging to Mr T. M'Donald, Inch Clutha, was disposed of by auction at the sale yards, Dunedin, on the 9th inst They realised as follows : — 2 bullocks, Ll3 5s each ; 2 cmws, LlO 12s 6d; 3 bullocks, Lll 15s; 3 ditto, Lit 2s 6d ; 3 ditto. LlO 2s 6d ; 3 cows, LlO 15s ; 4 bullocks. L 9 53; 3 cows. La 10s; 3 bul4ocks, L 9 7s 6d : l cow, Lls 153; 1 ditto, ILIS 10j; 1 ditto, Ll3 2s 6d; and 1 ditto Lll sb.

Messrs Sinclair and Marr are the successful tenderers for the road from Balclutha Bridge to tbe termination of the railway embankment. They have commenced work with an efficient staff ot men and a good, plant of the requisite tools, so that a speedy and successful termination of the work may be looked for. Before this road can be considered safe for vehicle traffic it will have to be fenced in along the more dangerous parts of the river bank.

The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church at Wellington passed the following resolutions:—" This Assembly having taken into consideration the state of religion in our Church in connection with tiding 3 that have been reaching us of a great revival in Scotland and in other parts, express their heartfelt gratitude to God for so much encouragement in the work of the ministry, and agree to recommeud to all the congregations of the Church that special prayer and a special effort be made, in order to bring about, under Divine blessing, a like time of refreshing amongst ourselves, and that they recommend more particularly that the first week of next year be agreed upon a? a time of special effort throughout the whole of the New Zealand Presbyterian Church.

The construction of the railway between Clinton and Mataura was commenced last week at the Clinton end of the line. The entire distance is about twenty-five miles. A sub-contract extending over a distance of one-and-a-half miles has been let. With that exception, it is understood the rest of tbe work will be executed by the original contractor, Mr Macnamara. A commodious looking building for railway station purposes is also in course of construction at Clinton.

A meeting of the School Committee took place on the evening of Tuesday, at which it was arranged that the holidays should commence on the 24th inst, and continue until Monday let February. This lengthened .vacation was decided upon so as to afford, thie children lately attacked by illness, time to recruit their health. The examination was fixed for Wednesday first, 24th inst., when parents and friends' to the pupils are respectfully invited to attend.

The tender of Messrs Carsoni and Moore for the erection of'two jetties at Kaitangata has been accepted lor the sum of L 207 19s4d. Hares and pheasants have destroyed several thousands of young oak trees in the Canterbury public park and neighborhood. Acclhnatiaa ion evidently has its drawbacks. At Inch Clutha a few mornings ago, the welcomed of a lark was beard, in the bush. This, we are assured, is the first note of the kind heard in the locality. Our friends at Kaitangata announce hy advertisement in another column that holiday sports in the shape of boat-racing, will take place on Christmas-day, Friday, 25th instant. An excellent programme is, we are informed, in preparation. The two races disputed at the last regatta will be again competed for on this occasion. The following is the amount of the debts due to the several banks within the colony at the end of the September quarter— Bank of New Zealand .. .. £1;915,918 8 11 TJniou Bank of Australia .. (511,313 4 5 Bank of New South Wales .. 503,413 1 11 Bank ot Australasia .. .. 171,755 7 5 National Bank of N. Z. .. 592,212 19 o Bank of Otago ' .. .. 19,452 9 8 Making-a totalol ... £3,774,005 11 4 Against this there are deposits at the Bank, not bearing interest, to the amount of L 2,585,853 12s lOd ; and deposit; bearing to the amount of L 1.720,753.720,753 14s lid; making a total of L 4,3 J6.607 6s 9d. Thus the amount due from the banks exceeds the amount due,to them by L532,53116s 6d. It is understood that the knighthood of Sir Donald Mac Lean was conferred through the influence of ex- Governor Gore Browne, whose party is now in office. Sir Donald Mac Lean rendered him material service in Auckland during his Governorship, which Governor Browne has not torgotteu. The offer of the Fiji Governorship arose from the pame cause. It is believed Sir Donald Maclean has declined it. The following tenders were received hy the General Government for 60,000 sleepers for the Mataura and Clutha railway. Accepted, Donald and Peterson, Invercargill, 30,000 at 3a. Declined, Calder, Blacklock. and Co., Invercargill, 60,000 at 3s 6d; Jchn Howe, Lawrence, 20,000 at 3s 10d. 82 thousand sleepers for WintonKingston railway, Calder, Blacklock, and Co., 82,000 at 3s 6d, declined. This was the only tender. The Cyphrenes, with the San Francisco mail, arrived at Auckland on the morninoof the 10th. She left San Francisco on November 10,* three days behind time. This was caused by the long passage made by the-Atlantic boat. She encountered terrific gales for three days between San Francisco and Honolulu, and left the latter place on 22nd November. She bad dirly weather and head seas since. She brings a large cargo, and forty passengers for Australia. The llev. Dr Copland of North Dunedin church was a passenger by her. Onr Warepa correspondent forwarded the following items by last nights mail: — A meeting of the local Caledonian Society was held on the 11th inst., at which it was decided to hold the 'annual sports in Mr Newson'a paddock, Moan-hill. The next meeting of the society takes place on the 24th inst. I hear of a few cases of measles having broken out in this district. The annual pic-nic will be held on Christmas day, 25th inst., at Warepa Bush, in the neighborhood of Mr Ayton's property; a spot in every respect well suited for an event of the kind. Our young men have been actively employed preparing the place for reception of the pic-nic party.

The provisional Government of Fiji has published its estimates for tbe year ending 10th October, 1875. The estimated income for that period i 3 set down at L 23,875, of which L 15.000 is expected from Customs duties. The authorised expenditure is set down at L 17.902 Bs. < ! ne of the items under this head reads: " Pension to Tui Viti (Thakombau), L 900." The expenditure under the heading of Executive is set down at L 2,900, and the Judicial at L 1,400. Native affairs are estimated to cost L 5,328, while establishment expenses are set down at L 4,334. In the latter is included a sum of L 1,600, for pay and rations for 200 men.

We have been requested by the inhabitants of Port Molyneux and neighborhood, to submit, what we conceive to be a very reasonable request on their behalf, to the Executive Government. Iv completing the new wharf, no provision whatever has been made for sheltering the goods in transitu. The arrivals and departures of the steamer are so irregular that it is quite impossible for shippers and consignees to time matters so as to prevent goodg lying on the jetty. In some instances they have to remain there for days together, and with no protection from the weather, it will be readily understood that they are exposed to serious damage. A cheaply constructed shelter-shed is all that would be required, and now that the grain-export season is approaching, we cannot urge too strongly the necessity that exists for immediate action being taken in the matter.

At a meeting held at Palmerston on Friday evening in connection with the races to come off there on New Year's Day, he Stewards took into consideration the application of Mr Stanton, the reputed owner of Mabel, to run tbe mare at Palmerston, and tbe action of the Dunedin Jockey Club in regard to her disqalification. Messrs Crawford, E. Walsh, and. James Little were in favour of allowing Mabel to run at the ensuing meeting; and Messrs Affleck. J. Johnston, and W. Johnston opposed the mare being entered. Mr Fagan, who occupied the chair, gave his casting vote against Mabel being allowed to run. Tbe action taken by the Dunedin Jockey Club was therefore upheld. We. (' Star') have been • informed that had not the majority of the Stewards followed suit with the action taken in Dunedin the principal subscribers to the funds of the Club would have withdrawn from it all future support.

We beg to draw, the attention of settlers in and around Kaitangata, Wangaloa, Inch Clutha, &c, to a notification in our advertising columns announcing tdat an agency of the Bank of New Zealand will be opened at Kaitangata on Tuesday, the 15th inst., and that until farther notice, the business will be conducted there on Tuesdays and Saturdays of each wee<. . Temporary offices hsve been secured in the store of Mr R. Macdonald. This will be a great convenience to settlers living in the above districts. It will obviate the necessity of a day's journey going to and returning from. Balclutha as heretofore. We also understand that the Bank of New Zealand have raised the rate of interest on deposits to 6 percent, rate. r

On the evening of Sunday last Dr Carr delivered a lecture in Barr'a Hall; tubjecc —■'• The Grave and atter." The lecturer kindly devoted, the proceeds of a vokn tary collection made on the occasion, to a.i act ot local charity. "We understand Dr Co.rr will shortly leave the Colony, and his present visit to Balclutha will be the last lor at least a long time to come.

We have pleasure iv drawing attention to an advertisement m another column announcing that Mr C. V. Brewer has commenced business iv Clyde-street, Balclutha, as a general storekeeper and draper. His stock is large and vaaed, aud a trial is respectlully solicited.

Complaints have from time to time reached us regarding the want of a resident policeman at Clinton. A con-iderabie amount of public work is carried on in the locality upon which a large body ot men are employed. lv addition to that, railway works in the neighborhood are about to be proceeded with, so- that a considerable acquisition to the ranks of the laboring population will (shortly be made. Ina-i----pendent altogether uf these lacts, the situation ot the place is such as to render the leseuceof a poiiceuiau detirable under any circumstances. It is the converging point of a number of cross loads, all leading to extensive distiicts with scattered populations and with no police station neaier than Balclutha on the one bide, and Tapanui and Mataura on the other, it must be evident that proper -supervision cannot possibly be maiutaiucd. A correspondent writing to ua on the subject, states that he had ucca&ion to spend a night at Clinton lately, aud aa it bappeneu to be "pay night" with the luad-inen he had a favorable opportunity for observing "the real state ol matters. A great deal ot drinking went on, and riotous conduct as a matter of course ensued. Blows and kicks, and fights, and 'tails, were the order et the day, or rather the order of the night, a state of matters which continued until an advanced ho'ir of the morning when the belligerent partits, fairly overcome by their potations dropped down to sleep wherever they happened to be sjanding. A more disgracelul scene could hardly be pictured, and in the absence of all constituted authority, the orderly part of the population were wholly powerless to interiere. This was not all. The very (same night a considerable sum of money disappeared from the pockets of one of the men, who, being overtaken by liquor earlier than his mates, lay down to sleep off its effects in a flax bush. A good deal more might be told in the same strain, but we imagine we have revealed quite enough of the goiDgs on at Clinton to show to the police authorities that the time has arrived for the place to be looked after a little more sharply.

At the receut anniversary soiree of the Oamaru Lodge of Good Templars the Key. Mr Todd delivered an address in which hs is reported to have said:—"As perhape some present wtre not aware of the origin of the name of Good Templars, it might be interesting to them to know that the Order derived its name from the Knight Templars, a religious and Military order founded in a.d. 1118. The members of that order took the vow of chastity and poverty, and agreed to protect by their arms the pilgrims of the Holy City—Jerusalem. They were called Templars because the Order was first established in the house of Edwin IT., which stood near the Temple of Jerusalem. The Order of Knight Templars existed fur about GOO years, and was then abolished. The Good Templars viere established in America, in imitation of the Knight Templars, and might, in a sense, be considered " a religious and military order " —religious,' because they nndertook a good work, and looked for assistance from God; and military, because they were banded together to fight on enemy to man's moral and social we Ibeing, although their weapons, were of a moral instead of a carnal kind. A very good story was given in the old Hebrew book nf laws, traditl ns, and explanations, called the Talmud. It was there'told that while Noah was planting a vineyard (he didn't vouch for the truth of the story, but it inculcated a good lesson), the Devil came to him and asked him what he was doing. Said Noah. Planting a vineyard.'- Quoth the Devil: ' And what's the use of planting a vineyard ?' To him Noah : * Its fruit is good and sweet, fresh and dry, lor grapes or raisins, and the wine gladdens the he--.rt of man.' ' Let us go shares,' said the Devil. ' Agreed,' said Noah; and forthwith the Devil went away and brought back a lion, a lamb, a hog, and a monkey. He killed them and mingled their blood with the soil, and these helped to make grapes. The moral of the story was this, that he who eats grapes or raisins, forthwith begins to think himself a lion, and falls into mischief; if he continues to drink until he is not sober he becomes selfish and unmannerly, like a hog, and if he gets drunk, jumps and jibbers like a monkey. It was a shrewd old jew that wrote that story. .