Cromwell Argus, AND NORTHERN GOLD-FIELDS GAZETTE. CROMWELL : TUESDAY, MAY 7, 1873.

Cromwell Argus, Volume III, Issue 130, 7 May 1872, Page 4

Cromwell Argus, AND NORTHERN GOLD-FIELDS GAZETTE. CROMWELL : TUESDAY, MAY 7, 1873.

f There are few questions, one would imagine, presenting fewer aspects of difficulty than the necessity and manner of teaching children the elementary details of a general knowledge. Men of all classes in society, adopting each phase of opinion, agree alike as to the necessity of such tuition beingbestowed on the young; yet when the manner of its bestowal comes under consideration) we find them divided into two broad sections ; such classification embodying all the differences of opinion manifested on the subject. During the last twelve months there has been so much written and spoken on this Education question, that when one happens to hear it made a subject of conversation, or sec it dilated on by newspaper editors or correspondents, one is apt to turn away in disgust, equal to that when Brogden No. 1 and Brogden No. 2 tilled the eyes and ears of our entire population. But as the draft of the new Education Bill has been scattered through the Colony, and will receive attention, —- ! and approval perchance, —at the next sos- ! sion of the Assembly, we suppose, notwithstanding the threadbare character of the subject, and our unwillingness to go overold ground, we must not pass the matterin silence, or without comment. To attempt to review the Bill in detail is beyond our space ; and we shall content ourselves with the one a-■pact it presents of purporting to make a general and denominational system unite, and, while catering for the public good, to have regard to the conscience of a minority of the population. We are very doubtful of the wisdom of this compromise, if the principle of the representation of minorities be once conceded, it is impossible to tell where it may end. The whole difficulty apparently centres ion this question : is it necessary to salvation that children should be taught how I Moses crossed the Red Sea, while I’haroah got drowned pursuing him, simultaneously with studying the multiplication table, and how to spell words of two syllables? We do not wish to be considered irreverent, but wo state the difficulty clearly and plainly by this illustration. It is consij dered by one side of the belligerents that j children should be sent to school to learn the ordinary elements of useful knowledge; and be taught how to pray at their mother’s knee, and how to live by paternal example. The opponents of tiiis simple thesis consider the Gospel more abstruse than mathematics; that how to worship God is the first duty of man, and yet the nn s" cognate ; and that only trained and skilled men and women can impart the knowledge designed for the heathen and babes. Each party acknowledges the existence of “ the ! shield,” but whether it is silver or gold they will not determine; one maintaining secular education, and the other religions j education, to be the one thing needful. It ! is a singular fact that those of ns who had 1 the opportunity of going to school in the a | mother country, and had our education paid for, fail to remember any particular advantages accruing to us from the Biblical lessons wo learned ; or the moral aphorisms there inculcated. The rising generation may, perchance, be more godly than the one now living. In this warfare of opinions, wo fail to see any reason why, as in other political difficulties, the voice of the majority should not bo hoard. True, it may be a tyranny ; but, nevertheless, we have nought better to substitute in its place ; and if by such moans a national system of education is founded, we do not see any reason for animadversion by dissentients. The humers of the Bill copy :: the great attraction of the Hippodrome,” having “a Hying horseman,” or some such personage, promising to ride two bare-backed steeds. They promise the public what they cannot perform, and have given us a Bill that is neither “ fish, nor flesh, nor good red herring.” We fail to see how National Education can ho compatible with :t Aided Schools.” If the details of Mosaic History are found to be absolutely necessary for | the instruction of children and their future : well-being, the Government have no right

to introduce a measure ignoring such essential condition of rudimentary tion ; if it be superfluous, let it remain provided for. It is a poor thing poor compliment to the men and womßß of New Zealand to say that children not be taught the ordinary maxims of nflß rality, or the precepts of religion, the paid teachers of the State what certainly is the duty of the and perhaps, all things considered, of parent alone. For children who arc tlu|H neglected, other machinery is than a national system of education ; it appears to us only a mean and pitifijß| kind of economy to make a national sy|B tem provide for such derelictions of and to foist on the State the work iußb duty of private individuals. H

The speech of his Honor the Supeiijß tenclent at the opening of the Provincial Council the other day lacks none of its usiiaß ability or novelty. His Honor can nevßj be reproached for being behind the tiineAß To anticipate the wants of a future general lion, has generally been called Utopianism! while to provide for present wants wou'Jß seem to be the just work of a politick;*! Hie address not only deals with the poll tical questions of the day, but enters imß some matters of commercial enterprise! “It is not very flattering to the comnierß cial enterprise of the Province, that the past year there have been imported* 24,280 tons of coal, representing a monel value of £34,000, while equally good coal ;B| known to exist convenient to within our own territory. In point of fai| the Province may be said to be one great c< field. Now that the consumption of will be so largely increased, in order to su;H ply the requirements of the American steiiiuß ors, it behoves ns seriously to bestir oursoluß in this matter. B “As regards the manufacture of paper,iß will he remembered that a bonus was otleftfl some eight years ago. Had the amount oiß fered been greater at that time, it is that a large and flourishing would have been ere now in operation, wfl liavc in this province an unlimited quantifß of raw material, suitable for paper makiigß indigenous to the soil, and the only requires a commcucement in order t| form one of our most staple exports. Asiß is, I should propose that we supplement tlB oiler of the General Government by an equa^J On the Lund Question his- Honor iB both pertinent and caustic, —telling us wB cannot have roads and bridges if we disß pose of our lands by free grants ; ■ “As respects the future, it Is useless fiß shut our eyes to the fact that the extent tl which we can construct and maintain puhliß works throughout the Province must depend! entirely upon the extent to which we disposed of our waste lauds. And while I hold tluußß in administering the Land Act, the priniarjß object must and ought to bo the actual settkl meat of the country, at the same time—if tlifl country is to be rendered accessible and iB for settlement—we cannot ignore dealinß with the land from a revenue point of vicvß likewise. In voting anything, therefore, befl yond the absolutely necessary requirement! of the public service for the current year,iß had better be d’stinctly understood that thfl expenditure wall be entirely contingent inxil the sale of kind. I deem it right to lay ifl much stress upon this, inasmuch as there B a disposition on the part of some to disposfl of the whole of our territory by way of frefl The most important feature of the inlß dress is perhaps the announcement : B “A Bill will be submitted to you fort!;® purpose of securing to Municipal and Sliii'B Councils the whole of the Publicans’, Arcfl tioucers’, and other License Fees Icvieß within tii eir respective boundaries, on coiß dition that the main roads, when forme! within said boundaries, shall be upheld ariH maintained by them.” ■ This Bill we shall take an early oppor-H tunity of reviewing. _ H 'J'ho Province seems in a healthier fiiunß cial condition than many would lead us tB “ Gentlemen, —the sum paid into the Frß vincial Treasury during the past year, fi«B all sources, lias amounted to £28(5,236, tfliilß the sum expended has been £245,000. B ; need not enlarge further than to state tbß the expenditure has been diffused generalß i throughout the Province, and that yourcasß j votes for last Session for Roads and Bridgt’B j and Public Works, amounting to £BO,6iXB have been expended, or are in course of e*B ponditure, to the extent of £82,000.” I

From Bendigo we learn that work 1"® been recommenced on the Aurora claim, and that the new lessees are getting ( ,£ B stone estimated to yield about S dwts. totaß ton. It is said that, even should the return gold obtained not exceed the average mention®™ the reef will pay handsomely.—The Colcloniß Company cleaned up on Saturday week, i"B 1 obtained 106 ozs. from 90 tons of quartz. KB reported that the shareholders arc about totaß steps to increase the capital of the company 1 issuing now shares. a

The Rev. Mr Blake, M.A., late of the Maori mission at the Heads, has received a unani- r nious call to the pastorate of the Presbyterian \ Church at Alexandra. I The Escort left Cromwell for Dunedin * on Saturday afternoon, with the undermentioned quantities of gold From Queenstown, 2020 ozs; ( Arrow, 1768 ozs. ; Cromwell, 2139 ozs. 6 dwts. 1 22 grs. I We have been supplied by the local Post- * master with the following list of letters remaining unclaimed at the Cromwell Post-office on the a Ist May :—J. Mathieson, Donald M Tunes, Win. J McLennan, Win. O‘Sullivan, James Thompson, e James Watson. , I We understand that the business people t of Cromwell have made arrangements to close their respective establishments at 8 o’clock every evening with the exception of Saturday, when i they will keep open till 10 o’clock. It is to be - hoped that the public will support this very £ laudable movement. t In order to prevent possible disappoint- | meat to persons who may have business pending J in connection with the Courts at Cromwell, it may be mentioned that Thursday next, the 9th 1 instant, is proclaimed a public holiday throughout the Colony ; therefore all the Government 1 offices, as well as the Banks, will be closed on ( that day. 1 On Saturday night a meeting of the ! Local Committee lecently appointed in connec* ] tion with the Dunstan Hospital was held in the , Town-hall. A proposal to hold a gift auction ' bazaar for the benefit of the Hospital met with the unanimous approval of the members, and it was resolved that the bazaar should be opened - on Monday, the Ist of July. Mr IT. W. Smy tines, Town Clerk, left j Cromwell for Wellington last Thursday, his at- ' tendance being required at the sitting of the Court of Appeal, to be held during the current ‘ month. His return may be expected in about I * three weeks hence ; and in the meantime his brother acts as deputy Town Clerk and Secre- * tary to the Garrick Range Water Supply Co. j ft is not improbable that the commence- . ment of the important work undertaken by Mr ] M'Cormiok—viz., building a bridge across*tbe j Kawarau River to connect Bannockburn and the Carrick Reefs with Cromwell—will be celebrated : by a grand Masonic ceremony at the laying of the foundation-stone. The Queen’s Birthday, , it has been suggested, would be a most suitable date on which to hold the ceremony. Thursday next, the 9th inst., has been 1 1 officially set apart as a day of thanksgiving for |: the recovery of the Prince of Wales. Cromwell i doubtless will put up its shutters and improve : the occasion to the best advantage. Should the i ; weather prove propitious, we believe a cricket- i ! match will be played in the afternoon, between - j sides chosen by Mr MacKellar and Mr Fraer. j A ball is announced to take place at Smitham’s ■ \ Assembly-rooms in the evening, in connection i with M r Cook’s quadrille club. j A memorial for presentation to the ProI viucial Council, setting forth the grounds upon J which the Royal Standard Company base their I claim to compensation for the heavy outlay they I I incurred in constructing the road from Quartz- I I villa to the summit of the Carrick Range, is, I being circulated throughout the district, and has already received a host of signatures. We have frequently hail occasion to urge upon the Provincial Government the justness of reimbursing the Standard Company the amount expended on a work which has proved of great public benefit, and which, indeed, has been mainly instrumental in causing the discovery and rapid development; IoE our richest quartz mines. Not only should I the cost of this road be paid out of the public ■'.avenue, but the Council should be asked to vote I money for the purpose of widening, repairing, 1 and otherwise improving it. We trust that Mr ■ Hickey will keep the promise ho made some six I months ago regarding this matter, and that bo | I will not fail to impress upon the Council the : ■ necessity of giving substantial encouragement to I reefing enterprise in this district. I Ono of the greatest impediments to the j B profitable working of alluvial ground—an im- | ■ pediment which has in many instances proved i ■ an insuperable barrier to the extraction of gold | ■ Emm auriferous fiats and low-lying gullies—is the i ■ want of sufficient “fall” to carry off tailings. 1 I * roil > the San Francisco Bulletin we learn that a I plan has been devised which promises effectually ■to obviate the difficulty. The Bulletin says ■ “Wilford A. Rogers, of Folsom, has received H letters patent for an invention relating to a me- | thod for elevating tailings 1 and dirt from placer I diggings when the claim is situated lower than ■ the surrounding ground. It consists of a slightly ■ declining sluice box, into which the dirt is thrown ■ and carried to the lower end by a current of ■ water. At this point the box enters the lower ■ e ml of another close box which inclines sharply ■ upwards so that its outer ends extend to the ■ surface of the surrounding ground. One or more ■ nozzles enter this box at different points near the I and point in the direction of its outlet. I . stf ong current of water passes through these i ■ Hpes, and by its momentum carries tailings up ! ■ 0 Hie surface of the ground, the action being i ■ to that of a Gifford injector. In view ! 11 * ar ° c mim l cr °f mining enterprises pro- ; ■ l-cted fn r the coming summer, this invention is I !jt S r eat importance.”

The fifth anniversary of the establishment of the Foresters’ Court at Bannockburn will be celebrated on Friday, 17th iust., when a ball and supper will take place at the Bannock- : burn Hotel. The usual monthly meeting of the Town j Council, which should have been held last night, lapsed for want of a quorum. Crs. Dawkins aud 1 Fraer were the only members in attendance at 1 the hour of meeting. The following is a list of letters received • at the Arrow Post-office during the mouth of i January aud which remained unclaimed at the 1 end of April;—Mr Bell, John Gray, 11. Hanson, ' Mr Henderson, G. F. Johnston, Long, Matthew Constantine, D. S. M ‘Farlane, Jeremiah Parry. Eeefton (Tnangahua) is rapidly increasing in size, and will doubtless ere long rival the Thames in the yield of its claims. The reefs are said to be remarkably rich, and of immense extent. By next summer it is confidently expected that many thousands of miners will be at work in the district. The country is covered with heavy birch and pine bush. Eeefton is fifty miles distant from Greymouth. Letters received at the Queenstown Post-office during February and remaining unclaimed at the end of last month :—George fleer, Luke Crucknell, T. D. Crump, A. B. Cook, Patrick Corrigan, Arthur Fulton, John Gibson, Patrick Hogan, John Humber, E. Johnson, T. H. Justice, W. S. Johnstone, Peter Miller, T. Montague, Mary M‘Queen, John M‘Donald (2), H. MTCenzie (2), John Murdock. The Wairarapa correspondent of the Evening Pont writes “ Tenders, I understand, will shortly be invited for the erection of the largest woolshed of any that have as yet been built in the North Island. The quantity of timber that will be required is something enormous, as it is proposed to make shearing sheds large enough to hold 12,000 sheep at one time. This will save a great deal of expense at the time of shearing, as no delay need then take place on account of the state of the weather. This large building is to be erected at the Hunangaroa Station, the property of the Hon. G. M. Waterhouse, who is one of the largest landowners in the district.” Among the many schemes for promoting immigration to this Colony (says the Evening Pod) is one which the Government have entirely overlooked. A panorama, well painted, representing the principal cities of the Colony, a few of the most fertile tracts of country, and : some of the romantic or grand scenes to be found | | in both islands, might, if exhibited in Great Britain, and explained by a good lecturer, do a great deal towards making those at Home know something of the Colony, and think a little more of it than as a place where the white men live in constant fear of the tomahawk. An additional intrest in the entertainment might bo got up if one or two Maoris were engaged to travel with the panorama, and to exhibit themselves to the audiences. The affair would probably have the further advantage of being self-supporting. Another Tichborne ease seems likely to arise in Auckland, —differing, however, from | that celebtated case in the fact that the claimant is a woman. The following telegram which ap- ; peared in the Daily Times of the Ist inst., gives a few interesting particulars : —“The application of Mrs Norman, in Chambers to-day, to administer the estate of the late Mr Norman, of the United Service Hotel, was opposed by Mr Jones, from Dunedin, a son-in-law of the deceased. A most extraordinary conflict of evidence—in fact a second Tichborne case—followed. Mr Jones identities the applicant as a Mrs Eobertson, sent by him from Dunedin in ISfifi, to act as barmaid for Mr Norman, and swears that the real Mrs Norman is in Loudon, whither Mr Norman, till 1867, regularly remitted L.300 yearly. Ho also swears that Mr Norman and his wife travelled on the Continent, leaving their two children at 1 school in Paris. The applicant swears that she herself and Mr Norman were married at Boulogne ; that she left the children at school in Paris, and travelled elsewhere on the Continent; 'that she received L.300 yearly, and that she | would produce the hank pass book kept by her |to show it. She also swears that she came out !to Mr Norman by the ship Plectra in ISfifi, and | that this will be corroborated by a fellow-pas- !! senger. She swears that she was never in Dunedin, and that her marriage certificate and pri- ' vatc papers were burned by Mr Norman one Sunday while she was at church. The Judge refused to grant her administration, and the estate remains in the Curator's hands till her identity is proved.”