Untitled

Clutha Leader, Volume II, Issue 85, 24 February 1876, Page 5

Our report of the R.M. Court is unavoidably crowded out. Will appear in next issue. Before the ordinary business o( the Court was proceeded with, his Worship took occasion to remark that having understood from report that considerable inconvenience had arisen from his absence from the Court on the 16th instant, he wished to explain that he had previously made arrangements with a gentleman to take his place on that date, who held an extended jurisdiction in the adjoining district, and that it was in that gentleman's power to hear and decide upon any case before him, with the consent of the counsel and parties concerned; and that if any inceiivenience had been felt it rested ' upon them who had the conduct of the various cases.

Some explanation was given by Mr Taylor as tQ the reason why .objeotion had been raised at the '-last sitting of the Courtj which appeared to satisfy his Worship that no, slight upon himself had ever been entertained. 1 .

[NOT&— As these remarks from 'the Bench no j doubt" arose from the foot note in our last.isstw, we wisbit.to*be understood that iv making these remarks, Tire had no desire to attribute the cause as arising from his Worship's absence on thelGth inst., and we should sincerely. regret to hear that the public had formed any such impression. Our intention was simply to point out that inconvenienoe had arisen from the adjournment of these cases, and that the various parties concerned in them had thus been put to additional expense.— Ed. C. LJ

Typhoid fever has broke out in the lake district.

A telegraph station is now open at Edendale, in this Province.

We understand a branch of the bank of New South Wales, will be opened in Balclutha on the 7th proximo. It will temporally occupy the premises lately occupied by Mr G. W. Hutchins,< chemist*

Several black swans have at present taken up their quarters on the Tuakitoto Lake.

Mr DoDLlf, Kaihiku finished the ingathering of his harvest on, Thursday lasti Ha at once started the plough, and already the soil is being prepared for fresh seed.

We regret to learn that while Joseph Smith, son of Mr William Smith, North Clutha was on Monday evening , amusing himself . with some others with- gymnastics he accidently fell and fiactured his arm at the wrist. Dr. Smith was sent for and reduced the fracture. ■

We hear that a boy named Lindsay, residing near to Finnegand accidently fell off a reaping machine on Saturday last, and had a part of his thumb cut off. He is progressing favorably.

A compositok called at our office the other day Becking employment. He informed us that he could have been employed. on the Dunedin 'Evening News.' but that the Typographical Association would not allow him to wark there, neither would they give him any relief. .This we think is tyranny with a vengeance ! !

The members. of the Court Bruce A, O. F., had a triumphal march through Milton, on Saturday evening, .displaying -their new flag, just arrived from England. The Milton Brass Band joined in the procession, and wakened the echoes of the township with good selections of music.

MRMiLLEß,lateProvincialEhgjuieer Nelson was charged at the Police Court with obtaining the sura of £49 15s from the Provincial Government under false pretences. The Provincial Auditor, who instigates the prosecution, being now at Dunedin, is also the principal witness. The accused was remanded for a week, bail being allowed, 1 himself iniE3oo and two sureties of Ll5O each.

In" order to shew the respect entertained towards Samuel Carswell in the Clinton district, we may mention that when it became known to the inhabitants that a charge of laiceny had been laid against him they at once voluntarily subscribed a sum to conduct his defence, for which Messrs Stoufr.and Reid were engaged. The case for the accused is thus in good hands.

The lecal paper states that the juvenile population of Lawrence are dispensing with oldfashiom d games, sach as marbles, tops, &c,> and are following in their steps of the " talent 1 ' in their method of amusements. They now amuse themselves, with "field pool," '"doodle-'em-buck," and other interesting pastimes, inflicting on the uninitiated a great loss in marbles and coppers — the stakes for which they play. It is questionable whether the new order of things will have, a beneficial effect on their] morala in after life, as the spirit of gambling is thus made a feature in their datiy'rouiirie. Two of the female, immigrants who arrived here two years ago in /the ship Asia, better known as Mrs Howard s pets, were successive occupants ot the dock at the Police Court, on Saturday, upon charges of drunkenness, and vagrancy. One was a women of 50, shabbily dressed, the other a well-dressed woman of 25. They had both been previously convicted, and were re-committed to gaol.—' Daily Times.'

Louis Basoh, late secretary of. the Colonial Building and Investment Society, Limited, was on Saturday, at the Police Court, charged with having, on February 12, embezzled a- cheque for £5. Mr A. Bathgate appeared for the prosecution, and Mr G. E. Barton for the defendant, who pleaded Not Guilty; As the books of the Company are at present being examined by an accountant, the accused was reminded until Friday next. — 'Guardian.'

Alluding to the injudicious distributation of immigrants in this Colony, the ' Wanganui Herald' remarks : — " "We regret to notice that a number of men, who have until lately been employed on the railway works, have taken passage to Sydney in the Falcon. These men came out as assisted immigrants a few a months ago, and only leave because they are unable to find work such as they been brought up to. One of them is a locksmith, the others being machinists, having been employed in some of the large establish ments in the German Rhine Provinces. Had they been sent to a part of the Colony where they would have obtained employment at their trade, there would have been a chance of them remaining in the Colony ; but it can hardly be expected that they would turn navvies while they would have a good prospect of obtaining more suitable employment.

The Rev Mr Withey, of St. Mark's congregation, here, preached a most impressive farewell s irmon on Sunday evening, to a large congregation. Since his arrival in Balclutha Mr Withty has by his genial disposition and quiet unassuir - iag Christian life gained for himself universal respect and many lasting friends, not only of those belonging to the English Church, but amongst those of all denominations, and by whom his departure is much regretted. He left yesterday for Tapanui where he will now take up his residence, and will prerch. twice every Sunday alternately there and at Clinton. We trust he will enjoy much happiness in his new sphere of labor, and we can assure the members of his new charge that both as a man and a minister of the . Gospel, Mr Withey is worthy of their Bincere respect and affection. A correspondent from East Tokomairiro, or the Gorsce Distrct, sends us the following items : — Mr Macdonald, of the lime kilns, has just finished the making of a pair of mill-stones for Mr Legge for grinding oats into meal. The under stone is of four equal pieces, or, quarters, and the upper one, is one entire piece or block ; they are 34 feet in diameter ; the quality of the stone of which they are made, is really good for the pu - pose for which they are intended. Mr Macdonald found the stone on his own ground, on a ridge above hi 3 house, and has dug other blocks from the same place, of which other mill-stones could be made. — About a week ago, Messrs, Blues and Dutbie cut down with a single reaper a field of 46 acres in less than three days. The first two days, they cut each day 17 acres. This, you must acknowledge, is the age of progress and speed. — At the Gorge Schoolhouse, Mrs Ayson found in the gizzard of a young rooster she had killed, a threepence, or a fourpence piece, not certain which, it being very much worn evidently in the stomach of the fowl.

A correspondent writes :— A rather awkward contretemps occurred in. Dunedin the other evening, A newly married couple from country who were making a short sojourn in the metropolis determined to spend a leisure hour at the Ttoyal Marionettes entertainment, and accordingly repaired to,, the Queeu's Theatre. They entered quite stealthily and seemed to feel rather bashful under their new relationship. The Christie Minstrel part of the programme wag on, and upon the pair taking their seats, Bones asked, . I say, Sambo, in the case of a bride and bridegroom which has suffered the greatest loss?" Various answers were given before it was given up, and then Isone3 replied, " The bridegroom ; the bride is taken in, but he is sold." This unexpected question had a marked effect upon the countenances of the pair referred to who at once blushed scarlet, and for some time seemed to feel very uncomfortable. Their stay at the Marionettes was shoit and memorable.

Harvest oa Greenfield Station has been concluded, and thrashing was commenced yesterday with two thrashers — one belonging to Mr Smith, 9-Inrse-power, and another belonging to Mr P, M'Gill, of Tokomairiro, 8-horse-power. The extent of Mr Smith's crop this year is estimated at —Wheat, 630 acres at 50 bushels per acre, 30,500 bushels ; oats, 500 acres at 60 bushela per aero, 30,000 bushels. The wheat has all been sold to Mr M'Gill at a price withheld but satisfactory to both parties, and ; will be conveyed down the river per steamer, provided the river is not too low to admit of the vessel finding a channel. Mr Smith has to cart the whole to the river bank. The deceased Mr G. F. Reid, we understand, recently agreed to take the whole of Mr Smith's produce per steamer, but Captain McKinaon baa met with some very nasty snags in the river which much require removing, It ia to be hoped the Clutha River Trust will shortly be placed in funds so as to admit of the work being undertaken without unnecessary delay.

The locri Road Boards of Puertta and Waitepeka, are metalling and improving their roads to a considerable extent this season. .

A FATAL boat accident occurred in the Nelson harbor the other night. Two men and a woman (Annie Freeman) were out sailing with the sheet made fast, when a puff of wind upset the boat, and the woman was drowned. The men swam ashore.

We have the following from a friend, re the recent high tides :— When on his way to Catlin's River the other day, ha aaw a well-known settler seated on the banks of the Owake, watching intently the water. Our informant said to the settler, "What are you looking at there?" " Why, man," he answered, "don t you see it ?" " What ?" " The tide." "Oh, yes, sure enough, so it is." . Arid so it was ; the tide was rising at the Owake bridge, and Mr Jas. Dutten had discovered it and shewn it to our friend Mr David Whytook, of Puerua.

Sometime ago the ' Clutha Leader ' took up the question in relation to the removal of the rqckin the centre of the Catlin's River bar. We ■would again advise the necessity of its removal. Last year 3,000,000 feet of timber was sent tt> Dunedin from this port, and yet no further steps have been taken towards its removal. We may justly imagine that this rock obstruction will some day figure in some Otago harbor bill of rights, as it seems nearly impossible to get this or any other natural obstruction removed from rivers, harbors, or estuaries outside of Port Chalmers. *

The Tongan Group, Fiji, was visited with a hurricane of unusual severity about the middle of November. The Martin Luther, a full-rigged Russian vessel, of about 1000 tons, had to cut away all her masts in order to secure her safety ; and the Upolo, an iron schooner, was driven ashore at Lefuka, Hapai Group, a total wr£ek^_

Many smaller vessels met with a like fate, and the devastation inland, was wide-spread and most calamitious. The native population had nearly all their plantations, churches, houses, &c, destroyed, and will long feel the effects of this visitation.

Some time back a report that the "French intended to annex the New Hebrides obtained considerable currency. We ' Fiji Times,' have not heard anything lately to justify this rumor, but we have been informed by a reliable authority that the Government of New Caledonia sent down to Sandwich some time back, and avowed their intention to annex that salubrious spot. At the same time, they gave notice thit all white persons who claimed land there should send particulars of their titles by a certain data to th« authorities at Noumea, otherwise they would not be acknowledged. We suppose this is intended as a sanatorium for the more turbulent of the prisoners, for which the property it possesses of afflicting all who reside there with fever and ague most effectively adapts it.

The Auckland correspondent of the 'Daily Times ' telegraphs : — Another attempt is on the tapis to prospect the Tuhua country. Two experienced Thames minerß have undertaken the difficult work. Barry, who is one of them, was a pioneer of the Thames geldfield&' The district lies between' Lake Taupo.and Mokiu .River, and is most easy accessible from Wanganui. Tt is known to bo auriferous, but the native population is hostile, and the present expedition, like former ones, is expected to fail. ' There is now no hope of capturing th& Epuom murderer, who has reached the King country. Everybody is asking what steps will Government take ? On the east coast, : the Natives who murdered a Maori of the Uriwera tribe, are walking openly about, and the aggrieved tribe declare that unless Government capture them, they will take the law into their own hands and exact utu.

A GREAT deal is said and done against licensing public-houses put up for the purpose of retailing liquors and accommodating travellers. A correspondent suggests that all legally provided houses should be licensed, under a stringent exercise of an ejectment Act, which would provide that houses encouraging drunkenness, debauchery, gambling, &c, or allowing the commission of these evils to take place, should not only be deprived of their license, but also be closed to public business for not less than twelve months. This stringent exercise of the law would do more for the .suppression of jbhffTSvila. complained of by wives and mothers in our small colonial towns than the efforts of all the teetotallers in the world. • . -

The latest novelty in public " amusements" in Paris is a trapeze performer who allows himself to be fired out of a mortar a distance of some 45ft. before he catches the swingingbar. The niortir is actually charged with gunpowder, which is lighted in the ordinary way, and makes a> loud report. The effect of the powder is to loosen a spring, which sends the man spinning through, spaoe. At first there was some difficulty in adjusting the spring to the required nicety, and when the performer came to try it ho was shot about 6ft. too far, sustaining a dislocated shoulder and a broken rib. He persevered, and has now succeeded in having himself ejected at the required rate. . " L'Homme Obus," as he calls himself, is just now one of the sights of Paris.

In the course of time Otago will have a name for shipbuilding, both in wood and i^on, while she will find sailors to man them from the youths of our seaport towna. and those who live on navigable rivers such as the Molyneux. We form this idea from the experience obtained by observation in many countries, and anyone standing on the bridge at Balclutha may see our mud-larks practising the rudiments of navigation in a primitive 'flat bottom boat, wedare built fore and aft. In this cranky craft with their bare legs dangling over the sides, our future Bailors play at going to sea, and make excursions up and down the broad bosom of the river, which at Balclutha is sufficiently swift to require our young folks' skill to get along in safety. We remember being able, at their age to safely guide the most unsteady of all boats, " the birch canoe," and so we are not alarmed at the feats of our young friends who are light of limb and steady of head, and will not risk a ducking except in shallow water. The alarmist who sometime ago wished to know through the medium of th« Dunedin press " what will become of our boys V may find one answer here.

The 'Daily Times' Auckland correspondent thus speculates upon the impending change of Government :— Speculation. is rife as to what, the Ministry will do now that the elections have gone so much against them. The general opinion is that when Sir Julius Yogel returns they will rssign. Whether they will leave him to reconstruct, or advise the Government to send for Sir George Grey, is one of the moot questions. In the former case it is thought Mr Whitaker will go in as Attorney-General, with Sir Donald M'Lean still Native Minister. Neither Sir Julius, Sir Donald, nor Mr Whitaker aro exactly the men to deal with constitutional questions. They are men of expediency, while the time seems to require men of strong political convictions, guided by broad and liberal principles, People look to Sir George Grey as the only leader having these characteristics, and there are many who hope for an ultimata union between him and men of like character from the South, so that a settlement may h*. come to in a broader spirit than would be possible if it were influenced merely by a scramble for money or revenue. Thoughtful men here took to some comprise in finance this way, as the only chance of getting out of the political difficulties, which will otherwise distract the tsolony for years to come. Be sure of one thing, Sir George Grey, if he goes into office, wul not do so by any intrifrae or any compromise of the principle of sslf -government to which he is attached. It is no secret that had hd felt disposed to pull with certain other Auckland members last session, great influences would have been at work to turn out the present Ministry and put him in instead. He refused to listen, to any such, proposals. His object is not merely to get Into a Ministry as Premier, or in any other capacity, for the sake of the office itself, He ha~ at heart the accomplishment of a firm and enduring settlement of our constitutional troubles, and. unless . ha_ is backed as Minister by a party honestly working for the same end, office would have no attractions for Sir George Grey. There will doubtless be as many axes to grind in the new Assembly as in the old, and men ready and eager enough to grind them. But, on the whole, it is considered there will be a very marked differeuce in the tone of the Assembly— less servility to the Government; and less expectation from them, it being pretty well understood retrenchment, and not expenditure, will be the " mot d'ordre " of the future.

Wb understand Mr 1 ! Horace Bastings has taken up his head quarters at Lawrence in connection with his line of coaches from Milton to Cromwell. -

Mr McKellaß, of Tapanui, has just purchased a steam thrasher, which, we understand, will be available for the use of the settlers of the district after it has finished work at the station.

THte Rev. Francis Knowlos, the newly appointed Minister of the Angelican Church, in the Clutha district, will commence his labors on Sunday next, when d vine service will be Leld in St Marks Church in th« morning at 11-30 a.m. and in the evening at 6.30 p.m.

The 'Post' learns that H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, Grand Master of the Freemasons of England, has been pleased to appoint under letters patent the Hon. Sir Donald M'Lean, K.C.M.G., District Grand Master for the North Island of New Zealand.

We have a note from Mr 'John Graham, who recently delivered a lecture here oh his way from Southland. / We regret to learn that his lamenos has so jriuch increased that he has been obliged to iiecome a patient in the Dunedin hospital, the whole arrangements of which he declares to be faultless. We hope, however, he will soon be out of it.

A.N undoubted case of foot and mouth disease in the human subject has occurred in Ballinasloe, Nelson, in the person of a car-driver, named M'Cormack. It appears, says the local * Mail,' that he drank some of the milk of a diseased cow, and in two days after exhibited all the symptoms which present themselves iti .the case of sheep and cattle affected with the disease. At the meeting of the 1 ) Waste Lands Board yesterday, the Secretary to the. Matanra, Mill Paper C 0.,, asked for the issue of the leave 'for the Mataura Falls site; as the preliminary . <$on--ditions have been complied with. Lease to .be issued for 21 years, to contain provisions originally agreed upon by the Board and "Government. The Switzers District Land Officer sent Mr T. Northcote's application to purchase two acres oc section 4, block 8, Waikaka, refused ; the Board would entertain an application for the whole section.

A PUBLIC meeting was held in the Schoolhouse, Clinton, last Wednesday evening for the purpose of taking into consideration the advisability of establishing either , an. Odd Fellows or or Foresters. Lodge in the'district. . The meeting was well attended. As the meeting was divided,, in its opinion as to the merits of the two Societies, ' it was eventually resolved that two Committees be formed for the purpose of canvassing the district, so as to decide which Society should! be established. Messrs W. Muir, R.sLow, M. Morrow, and T. Donaldson were appointed in the interests of the Odd Fellows, and Messrs D. M'Donald, "W. Bailey, M. Wright, and "W. Moffat on behalf of the Foresters, the result to be reported to another public meeting, to be held on Saturday, 4th March, in the Schoolhouse, at 8 p.m. The swamp road between Finnegaud «;hd Port Molyneux is in a very unfinished state, notwithstanding that the Provincial Government voted £800 for its completion. "We understand thai Mr Smaill, the District Engineer, endeavored to obtain the clay necessary for covering the rough formation, from Mr Griffiths, but the price was too great. Mr Andrew Melville, of Port Molyneux, makes the following useful sug' gestion: by widening the ditches aid taking from nine to twelve inches off the surface at the Port end of the road, beginning at the surface and carrying on to the end of the clay formation, a distance of a mile, having an ample fall to allow of the widening and deepening of the ditch in seven feet by three feet, the engineer could get on either side of the present formation the clay he,-requires to cover it, and also enable hjm to finish it before the close of the financial year, which occurs in March next. The road, with seven feet taken off it vould still be forty-two feet wide which is araple for all traffic purposes. This important work sliould not be overlooked longer as another winter's weal and tear would make it almost as bad as before its formation. The road has sunk some nine or ten inches, leaving the bridges and culverts high and dry. The road' when covered with clay will be finished with bluestone metal.

Very varied are the pleas put in by unfortunate jourymen in seeking to be exempted from serving. This was abundantly exemplified at the sitting of the district Court, on Saturday last. One claimed to be excused upon the ground that he was a " Colonial representative." The Judge seemed quite amused and indulged in some humour over it. He pretended to be entirely ignorant of the meaning of the term, and it required the -intervention of a gentleman of the long robe to get him to understand that the applicant was a member of No 1 Clutha Rifles Co., and had qualified, and was on his way to the North Island to fire for the Colonial prizes. Another juryman was excused from attending, upon the ground that he was the only druggist in the township from which he hailed, And because it might not be safe to deprive the inhabitauts of their daily rations of physio. Regarding this latter case we afterwards overheard the following conversation : — Gent. There are spine amusing cases of applications for exemption fromservice on a Jury. — Judge. Yes.The "Colonial representative" plea was a very amusing one. Gent. That was not the one I referred te. It was the druggist who got off upon the ground that it would not be prudent for him to leave the township. The truth is he has just got married and is away on his marriage tour. Judge, Well, that is a most delicious swindle ! I like to be well sold when lam sold at all, and this time I have been most deliriously done. The gentleman came to me a few days ago with an exceptionally long and serious face and animadverted most eloquently upon what might be the dire consequences to the public were he to leave, and I promised to . excuse him. From the melancholy aspect of his countenance it occurred to me at the tune, that he must be the defendant in a pending divorce case, but a marriage is the last shing I would hove thought of in his case. However ho has swindled me properly. •_ - :