The Dunstan Times FRIDAY, MAY 12, 1871.

Dunstan Times, Issue 473, 12 May 1871, Page 2

The Dunstan Times

FRIDAY, MAY 12, 1871.

Beneath tne Rule of Men entirely just the pen is mightier than the swor d

The winter is now fast approaching, and wo see very little provision made hy the i’rovncial Government to rut the roads in repair between this and Dunedin. Notwithstanding that it is now very nearly nine years since gold was obtained on the banks of the Molyneux, there is nothing approaching to a good road between the metropolis of the province and the chief centres of mining industry. The mud, from Pigroot up, completely stops traffic every winter, disorganising the whole trade of the North and Northwestern Goldfields, and so enhancing the price of commodities in daily use that persons with limited incomes find it hard to make both ends meet. The increased cost of carriage upon minin'* and building materials, machinery, itc., acts as a check to industry, while numerous projects that would other wise he entered into have no existence at all. The matter of good roads between the Dunstan and Dunedin is more serious than most people imagine, and, unless they arc put in passable condition, many business people whose trade depends upon the passing traffic, wil find iheir occupations considerably circumscribed. Great efforts are now being made to divert the carrying rade of our more northern goldfields to Southland, and, unless something is’ done to repair the roads, tho numerous waggon teams which pass' through Clyde on their way to tho Lakes will be numbered amvjg tin things of the

past Since Otugo and Southland have become re-united there will be gentlemen, in. the Provincial Council

whose interests ore not ours ; and, considering that it was due to Southland voters that Mr. Macandrew was elected Superintendent, his sympathies will be much in the direction of Ids support. Steamers are now running d r.'ct between Dunedin and Invercargill, taking goods for Queenstown, and delivering them there at something like 9/. per ton for through freight, die same amount of carriage we now pay to the Dunstan, with every proability of a considerable increase. Onr readers will pretty clearly see b\ this that, unless we possess a good road between this and Du-odin, we shall be [ very considerable losers. The subject is of so much importance that it demands our immediate attention. It may be all very well to delude us ’’’itli the promise of railways ; but the supporters of the Colonial Treasurer’s financial scheme must learn that we have more immediate necessities, and that we cannot afford to wait for an indefinite number of years fora railway to be made to Clyde. The idea of a railway to this place is a good one. and we have no objection to the schemehut we are nevertheless of ' pinion that good macadamised roads, available for traffic at all times and seasons of the year is of Tar greater importance ] and, even did we possess a railway, there would still be the some necessity for Macadamised roads, the one 10 act as feeder to the other, as well as being required for local traffic. With the present population of the province and the enormous facilities it possesses for water-carriage, we could very well dispense with railways for a time ] in fact, we verily believe that, were the whole of the population living in the districts which it is proposed to connect by means of i ail ways to make a weekly excursion trip, and visit all their friends, there would) not be sufficient traffic to pay for the maintenance of the line, much less for the wear and tear of the rolling stock. Excepting wool and gold we are not likely to have anything to send to the seaboard to attempt to grow grain for export is simply ridiculous. The dry arid country of the interior of Otago will make competition impossible between up country farmers and those resident near the coast line. If we can produce enough cereal crops for local consumption, (and we have not done so as yet), we shall have to rest satisfied. This being accomplished, i there will be not much heavy freight to bring up by railway, while the j carriage of wool and gold would ! be a very inconsiderable amount of | clown traffic, A good macadamised road, as we have previously said, available at all seasons of the year, would answer every purpose far years to come. This is of such immediate necessity that we hojie to see the united attention of the people of the Dunstan and surrounding districts directed to the matter, and take the opportunity, during the coming Session of the Provincial Council, of preventing for ever the possibility of their supplies being cut off during inclement seasons by muddy quagmires over which it is impossible to pass.

By some mischance our usual telegram of the latest Dunedin and interprovincial news did not arrive last night. An accident occurred on hoard Beattie’s and Cos dredge yesterday morning resulting in Robert Phinn sustaining severe injury to his thumb. Phinn was uncoiling ■some rope from the winch, when by some eanse his thumb got jammed between a bar of iron and the winch, and in endeavoring to drag it away, it got crushed. Dr. Thomson attended the sufferer, who is now progressing favorably,

At the polling for the election of a delegate to represent the Dunstan district in the Mining Conference, twenty-four Chinese voted at Cromwell and one at Clyde. These votes were disallowed by the Returning Officer, leaving the numbers polled by the respective candidates as follows : Marshall, 244; Grcenbank, 239. The former gentleman was therefore elected by a majority of five. We may mention that fifteen miners’ rights were sent to Black’s for the purpose of being renewed, and, had the Receiver been present, they would have been avaiablo and been polled for Greenbank. The Receiver’s absence was caused by his acting as Deputy Returning Officer at Alexandra. We are informed that a rush has set in to the newly surveyed township of Ophir (Black’s No. 1), caused by the striking of payable gold by Boldorson and party. We hope the place will not belie the name bestowed upon it. We are informed that, anticipating the ground proving payable, a memorial against the sale of the land comprised in the township was sent to town some time ago, but no notice was taken of it. Another memorial on the same subject has been forwarded to Mr. Shepherd, M.P.C,

At the sitting of the Warden’s Court on Tuesday last, Mr. Pyko notified that in order to save parties having cases in that Court the inoonVenienoe of waiting while the business of the Itosidcnt Magistrate’s Court was being transacted, for the future the Warden’s Court would sit at 2 o’clock. In our advertising columns will be found the list of those persons whose names are objected to being on the electoral Roll.

Messrs, Beattie and Co’s dredge has started up the river, we presume on a prospecting tour. It passed Clyde on Wednesday afternoon. The river rose last week and has still continued too high for dredging operations. In the course of a week however it will probably fall to its usual level.

Winter is making us aware of his presence in the Dunstan district. Last AVednesday week we were visited with a heavy storm, and during the night the Knobby’s, and the Dunstan Eange wore covered with snow. Since then, the weather has been fine, but the mornings and evenings are exceedingly cold.

The success that has attended the agitation for payment of members of Parliament in Victoria has induced the ■•members of some Shire Councils to start a s similar movement on their own behalf. Has the spirit of enterprise forsaken the members "of the Otago Provincial Council, or do they despise the “ loaves and fishes.”?

The meeting of the Provincial Council has been postponed till the 2nth instant. The residents of'the Victorian goldfields support their charitable institutions splendidly. The annual Easter festival at Ararat realised £4OO for the Benevolent Asylum of that place, and had not a heavy downpour of rain put a summary stop to the proceedings, the receipts would have amounted to over £I,OOO.

Kane, the man charged with violating Mrs. M‘Phee was brought up at the Resident Magistrate’s Court, Dunedin, on Saturday last and discharged, there being no evidence against him.

Mr. Booth (who will be well known to many of our readers as “ Long Booth ”) who

for many years was a member of the Mining Board of Ararat, Victoria,'has in recompense for his long services been rewarded by a grateful country with the lucrative appointment of gatekeeper on the Victorian railways at Footsoray. A meeting of the Clyde School Committee was held on the evening of Monday, the Bth inst. Present: Messrs."Newell, Marshall, Hueston, Hazlett, Christophers, and Hastie. Mr. Hazlett occupied the chair. Mr. Hueston reported that the Foresters were willing to renew, for three months from date, the L6O loan, provided interest to date was paid and the same’names were subscribed to the promissory note. It [was decided to accept the offer. On the motion of Mr. Hueston, seconded by Mr. Newell, Messrs. Marshall. Hastio, and Christophers were appointedTo act with the schoolmaster in the management of the garden, and to dispose of surplus trees, &c. Mr. Marshall moved that Messrs. Pyke, Hazlett, and Christophers be deputed to make application and urge on the Government and Goldfields members of the Provincial Council the pressing necessity of a vote in aid af the erection of a new school house and an Ordinance being passed to authorise’the sale of the present building. The motion was seconded by Mr. Hueston, and carried. A vote of thanks to the chairman terminated the proceedings. Tne residents of Clyde have been consoled for the disappointment occasioned by his Excellency the Governor of New Zealand not visiting them by the arrival in their district of a distinguished stranger, in the shape of a donkey, which was introduced under the auspices of the enterprising proprietor of the Port Phillip Hotel, Mr. John Cox, who, by the way, did battle for his protege in the style which prevailed before weapons were invented, and carried him to Clyde in triumph. The donkey, on making his first appearance in Sunderland-street, created finite a furore of excitement. Everybody turned out to witness his performances under the infliction of three or four riders, and the mishaps that befel those who essayed to display their graceful forms upon his back were received with the comiseration usually expressed by spectators irt the shape of ‘thunders of applause,”ln fact, the “ cuddy” may be said to have “brought down tiro town,” for nearly all the residents of<Hyd e mounted him and came to grief. We almost forgot to chronicle another fashionable arrival, namely, that of a monkey, who came in for a fair share of admiration and teasing. Mount Ida still maintains its unenviable notoriety for mining accidents. Last Friday's “Mount Ida Chronicle” reports the occurrence of two more mishaps, one at the Kyoburn and the other at the Sowburn, both occasioned by falls of earth.- The first resulted in a miner named Walsh sustaining a fracture of both his legs; and in the second, Thomas Gregson, had his leg fractured.

The old saying that “ murder will out ” hes been illustrated in Victoria recently—two murderers who committed their crimes seventeen or eighteen years ago having been brought to justice, Dwyer, the man who it will bo remembered some twelve months ago, confessed in England to having murdered his mate near Castlemaine in 1854 on arriving in Victoria retracted his confession, stating he was insane when he made it, but on being placed on his trial, circustantial evidence was brought forward, which procured his conviction on a charge of manslaughter, and he was sentenced to six years penal servitude. A mail named Geary has been arrested through his own confession for murdering a shepherd, named Bronckhurst some eighteen years ago, and committed for trial. In both these cases, the murderers could not rest without unburdening themselves of their terrible secret, thus serving the ends of justice, which though long delayed has at last overtaken them.

The District Court will sit at Clyde on Monday next.

The river being too high for the operations of the Mauuherikia Company on their claim, they have cut another branch race and are prospecting ground behind Felix Visandiero’s house about three quarters of a mile from the Halfway House, Mr, J. C. Chapplo, will sell by public auction, at Black’sNo. 1, on Thursday next, under an order of dissolution of parnership from tho Warden’s Court, the Blue Mountain Water Race, Tinker’s Gully, with claim, and plant, &o.

Mr. Watson, has boon elected mining delegate jor Orepuka, and Mr. 0, F. Roberts for Naseby.

Mr. Morton, formerly Inspector of Police, in Otago, is at present an inmate of Auckland Lunatic Asylum. A sad accident, resulting in tho death of Mrs. Kermode, wife of the proprietor of the Idaburn Hotel, ocourre lately. Prom the “Mount Ida Chronicle” we loam that the deceased was riding in a spring vehicle or dog-cart, accompanied by her two daughters and Miss Clucas, the [( latter of whom was driving at tho time the accident occurred. When near the junction of the Dunstan and Dunstan Creek roads the splash-board gave way, falling upon the hind-quarters of tie horse, which thereupon took fright and bolted. Mrs. Kermode, becoming alarmed, seizedjone rein, when the wheel immediately came in contact with a large boulder, completely overturning the vehicle. Mrs. Kermode was severely contused, the others escaping unhurt. The down coach from the Dunstan was passing soon afterwards, and took the unfortunate lady to Hill’s Creek, where she expired before the arrival of Dr. M ‘Cambridge, who bad boon sent for from Naseby.

Mr. Patterson is actively pushing forward his preparations' for hrickmaking. Besides himself, there are three men employed in getting out clay, and in other prel minary work. As soon as spring sets in, the manufacture of bri, ks will be commenced.

In our advertising columns Mr Rankin notifies to the public that he has commenced business as tailor in the premises recently occupied by Mr. Thonnahlen, and is ready to clothe all who may favor him with their orders, in garments of the best quality and latest style.

It is staffid upon’ the authority of th “ New \ ork Standard,” says the “Australasian,” that live thousand children are annually miir ered in that city. The Government of the city—which, according to f e census just taken, numhi rs nine hundred thousand—is in the hands of a gang of thievqp. Its judiciary costs £05,000, and its.civil services £4,802,000 per annum. Incredible as he figures may appear, they are capable of verification. A police magistrate receives £7OO per annum more than the Chief Justice of tho Uni od States, and five commissioners of public works eivido one million st. rling amongst them. ‘ Their fees and pickings.” observes a respectable authority, “exceed the whole year y cost of both Houses of Congress, and are one-sixth of the pay ..f all the officers and sol iers of the United Status army.” At the last e ection for the city, a number of thieves, pickpockets, and burglars-- their names and convictions are given in the New York papers—were appointed “marshals” and “superiors” to watch the ball.t boxes, while troops were poured in to overawe the voters.