The Dunstan Times. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 1871.

Dunstan Times, Issue 489, 1 September 1871, Page 2

The Dunstan Times.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 1871.

Beneath the Tluleof Man by eiaErjY ) asr the rex is mightier than the sword

The proposed re-arrangement of the Warden’s district for the Dunstan gold fields still remains a much vexed question. The members of the Provincial Executive, possibly for good and sufficient reasons, have delayed the matter month after month in the most tiresome fashion, until the patience of the public is well nigh exhausted. The RGd Government heralding the assumption of office by loud protestations and abundant promises of prompt and efficient action, in satisfying the just requirements of each section of the community, seem now, as far as this portion of the gold, fields is concerned, to consider procrastination a political virtue, and to esteem election pledges at their true value. After long and, for all the outside public know, unnecessary delay, a Warden has been appointed in the person of Mr. Carew, but no official intimation has y r et been given us to where he will be stationed. The residents at Black’s have, beyond question, the gieatest claim to his services. Our friends at Cromwell have no doubt made out a plausible case iu support of their application for tlie appointment of a Warden for their especial convenience, but now that stern economy in the management of public business has become imperative, they will probably lie called upon to exercise a little self denial,and forego their claim for the general good. Their interests cannot suffer under the present arrangements for the weekly holding of Warden’s Courts; whereas at Black’s, business Las been accumulating for months past; applications granted, objections lodged,and summonses issued, until confusion worse confounded has ensued : moreover, the incidental business daily arising in the Black’s and Drybread districts, is greatly iu excess of any present or probable business presenting itself »t either Cromwell or Clyde. We have good authority for stating that three fourths of the official business brought before the Dunstan Warden’s Courts, comes from Drybread, Tinker’s and Devonshire. Remote localities, ycleped with plebeian names and consequently ignored in high quarters, but which nevertheless support an important section of our mining community, engaged in operations of a permanent nature and representing interests second to none in the whole district A glance at a map of the gold-fields, not witli compass and sede iu hand measuring distance as the crow flies, but with a view to obtain a correct id«*a of the means of easiest communication between eacdi outlying locality, will shew that Black’s, or Ophir as it is now termed, is essentially the proper position for the permanent stationing of a Warden, whose district would comprise. Black’s, Drybread, with surrounding! localities and St. Bathan’s, and consequently the entire water-shed ol .the Mannherikia. Jlliis last, a point of no slight importance in the settlement of disputes as to rights of water, which can be only equitably adjudicated, wh«-n one officer alone is entrusted with the entire control of any given supply. With such an arrangement perfected at Black’s, and another Warden permanentlv stationed at Naseby, the Upper Mannherikia district would be w. II served, and with the northern boundary of the district held by the Warden at Clyde, limited by the Chatto C reek, the public business arising in the rest of the Dunstan

district could be promptly attended to, widiou t detriment to the iuterestof a single individual. On thescore of economy, as well as practicability, the plan now shadowed forth seems to commend itself. Travelling expenses form a serious item in the cost of holding Warden’s Courts in out-lying places, and a knowledge of the respective distances between Clyde and Black’.-, and Dry bread, should be sutlicient to convince any one not blind to actual facts that a considerable saving would be annually secured by stationing a Warden at Black’s, and leaving the Clyde ' v arden free to attend, to the Cromwell, Clyde, and Alexandra Districts. On the plea of common justice it is ill-advised to suggest the appointment of a Warden at Cromwell instead of at Black’s. The Clerk of the Court at Cromwell seems fully competentto transact a'l ordinary matters, and the weekly Court business there does not, as a rule, occupy more than one or two hours. Place a Junior Warden at Cromwell, and he may sit at home at his ease “whistling to the wind,” for want of better occupation, while his senior officer at Clyde—and, in the person of Mr. Pyke, one of the oldest and admittedly the most efficient Wardtn in the service—would be compelled to travel a weary round from one distant place to another, over frightful roads and dangerous crossing-places, entailing constant loss of time and much personal discomfort and expense.

The experiment of lifting wa*er from the Molyneux for sluicing purposes is at last to be actually attempted. What public enterprise has failed to initiate, private pluck and enterprise will probubly succeed in accomplishing. Messrs. Tou’ss'nt La Fontaine and party having obtained an extended cl-dm of four acres, between Mr. C. Huestmi’s gard n and tbe residence of Mr. Seideberg, below the Damn, are about to erect self act in" machinery for the purpose of forcing a continual stream of water from the rive -un t 0 the level of the flat, They have already laid down a supply of heavy 'inter and planking, and the first consignment of machine castings, weighin-? about, thirteen hundred-weight. has been al ready despatched from Dunedin, and will, he followed by others as soon as completed at the foundry. They are now everting a, comfortable lint on the claim, and preparing for'heir novel experiment. As vet they are rebemt. a- to ‘he made a ovfrondi of them p'an. except in statin" that tVv intend to ndont a. method g-eatlv in use in Brecon and other parts of Franco, for lifting water in large quantities for irrigation. Thev .are san"uin" of success. If successful, thav will tri'-e an imnetns to m's-mg indnstrv in th ; s district, tbe value of which o.an be scarcely over estimated, and wove, in everv sense of the word, real puMic b ne factors. An exn’anation seems needed.— \t the Dst meeting of the Cromwell Town Council, at'east, so reports the A ri»s. letters from the T mtor and Mr. V. Pyha w«r« re'e'vel. re’a‘ivo to tbe late nnwincinled attempt o c nriva'e mdivi lnals to defame bis rrnod name, by means of a ‘ boons ’ nrtitiap. On the motion of Connmllor Freer, it. appears M-, Pvka was cavalierly 11 referred to Mr fkmi f ham ”, a more punnet in the little conspiracy. Not a smgle member of tbe Council seemed to think it necessary to express the slightest regret that Mr. Pyke bad been subjected to annovance. No one suggested even that a ftJl exn 1 anation of the circumstances should bo forwarded to bead quarters! What is this ? a mis-renort, sheer forgetfulness, or really a specimen of the proverbial “freaks’ indulged in by “ men dressed in a little brief authori'y ” Fortune’s fickle favors find strange recipients. For some time past an eccentric individual, living at Roxburgh—an unfortunate victim of dipsomania—who in bis saner moments professed tbe art of medicine, but more g nerally spent his days as a honora'de loader at the bars an 1 street corners, lodging at night in a cave of the rocks and subsisting no one know how, has ree°ived a lucky windfall—no less than a fortune of several thousand pound- per annum and tbe title of Marquis. The steady fall of rain prevailing on Monday and Tuesday last has bad a good effect in freshening up the early winter sown crons and expediting the growth of vegetables and newly planted trees; but it has rendered tbe mads in every direction bad fo traveling, and tbe fording places on tbe Manuberika somewhat dangerous for crossing by strangers. The Dunedin coach, which should have arrived at Clyde as usual on Tues’ay evenmg last did not reach here until between eight and nine o’clpck on Wc nesday even : ng. The delay was occasioned by the frightful state of the roads down country. In the Mount Ida district, and as far up as Tiger Hill, heavy snow now lies, and the drifts in the numerous cuttings on the roa have caused an almost entire suspension of traffic for the present. A blue ook hasbren issued relating to the the Post-office, from the time of revolution, and in the reign of Queen Anne occur some curious ntries of articles forwarded by tbe Post-master Ge eral, ranging from a case of knives and forks to a pa k of hounds. Doctor Crichton *• carryingwith him a cow,” and two servant maids. If any one had cause to grumble at those times it would have been the Post-master General and not the public.

From the official Sta ement shewing “the Deposit Receipts of he Post Office Savings Banks of the Colony,” weglea the following information. During IS7O the Depos ts received amounted to 204,328/. ss. 7d., and the withdrawals, including interest on close 1 accounts, 209, 509/. 13s. 2d. The approximate amount of interest on investment at six percent is stated at 15.394/. 12s. °d. The interest paid on aec u"ts close,i, an 1 interest accrued on anl added to account open on 31st Dec f mbe was 9242/. 3s. lid. The working expenses of the Department amounted to 1233/. 11s. 81. leaving a net profit of 4,883 17s. 2d on the years’ transactions, agamst 3,191/. 11s 10d., realised in the preceding year. The net profit to the r Vony since the establishment of the Post Office Savings Banks in 1807 is sta*ed at 8,435/. ss, sd. The number of “ d»ad letters ” disposed of by the New Zealand post-d authorities during 1870 amounted to 27,227. Of this number only 2,930 wore destroyed, the rest having been returne' to the writers The official statement of contracts entered into up to 30th June 1871 for the Survey am’ Construc ion of Railways nn 'or “ Immigration and Public Works Act 1870 gives the following totals for each Province. Surveys—Auckland, 1000/. ; Wellington, 1,987/. : Nelson, 204/. ; Canterbury, 1,103/. ; Canterbury and Otago, Borings forWaitaki Bridge, 179/. 13s. 4d. ; Otago, 2384/. 13s. Co struction—Otago, Sou hem Trunk, 25,325/. 15s. The contract prices for Sur vey ran e f om 31. to 5 31. per mile in Canterbury, 25/. in Auckland, 12/. to 20/. in " ellington, 12/. in Nelson, and from 16/. to 22/. in Otago. We received by the last English Mail a desc; iption of Behrens Rotary Pump, an ingenious application of centrifugal force (or lifting water. The chief peculiarity of the invention is in the formation of the pistons, which are two segments of cylinders of equal size, each rotating round a fixed box, bat in opposite directions. The advantages claimed for this machine arc very striking. Ordinary pumps will not reach more than about sixty feet, whereas, these are capable of lifting from a depth of about twenty-four feet, and forcing to a height of two hundred and fifty feet when attached to steam or water power, or driven by a strap in the ordinary way. The manufactur. rs price varies from 14/. for a pump work'd by strap, and forcing nine hundred gallons per hour, up to Go/, for a pump worked by steam engine or water power, and capable of forcingone hundred and fifty gallons per minute, or nine thousand gallons per hour. The return made by the Chief Ins eetor of Sheep for the year ending the 30th of September 1870 ; shows the number of sheep in the province to be two millions four hundred and seventy nine thousand five hundred and twenty fiv». In 1860 the total number only amounted to four hundred and forty thousand. The Waitahuna district is reporte 1 by the Inspector 's being the only part of the province where any scab has existed for the last two years. It is norifie 1 in the Provincial Gorernm.cn Gazette 0 f the 23rd of August ult., that the sittin" of the Supreme Court for the despatch of criminal business will be held on Monday next, (die 4th inst. It has since been notified that the s»srion is adjourned •id the 11th. No'ice is also given that Civ Cases will not. be called for trial un il Tuesday the 12th distant A chancter'sdc yarn anent a certain FVnlanins, who occasionally da'hies in nhysic and divinity, comes from about Mount Ben"er, Some little time ago, when in that nnighbo-hood. he was called noon in hot baste to attend the wife of a settler; but, before making up his mind to do so, he cogitated thereon, and deliberately crossquestioned the messenger. “What money does Mr. So-and-So earn ? Is he a Presbyterian ? Does ho come to Church ? What is Mrs. So-and-so ? Romanist is’ut she ? Never comes to church ! eh ?” Impatient of delay, the mes=o gcr repiel: “Well, she’s a woman, and very ill. Dy’e mean to come or not ?” At last ihe doctor conclu ed he would, and arrived at the house just in time to he too late. The interesting event had already occurred. Ho lost his anticipate ’ fee, and gained no one’s blessing. The New Zealand Metropolitan Race Meeting at Christchurch is fixe 1 for the 7th, Bth, and Kith of November proximo, and the Stewards have issue] an ■ ttractive programme. It comprises fifteen events, and stakes arc offered of the value of 1.300/. We hear that the Rev. C. S. Ross has decided to relinquish his present engagement. at Alexandra, and to proceed to Victoria. He purposes attending 'he Synod Meeting at Balcluthaon the first or seco id Wednesday in September, to tender his resignation. According to the cus’om of the Prestytorian Chur hj some mini ter will be depute • to arten! at Alexandra, and “preach the charge vacant.,” and i will then rest wi hj the congrega ion to decide whether an application shall bo ma 'e for another resident clergyman or not. 11l health and unsatisfactory financial ar -angeraenfa v itli the congregation are he reasons which have prevailed on Mr. Ross to leave the Dunstan Distric The Rev. Dr. Cop land is about to leave Tuapeka for Dunedin, having accepted a call to the charge of St. Andrew’s Church lately held by the Rev. Mr. Scrimyeour. It is not ye f staled whether the reverenl doctor will be permitted to prartise his surgical skill in Dunedin, as heretofore among his present flock. Until recently he ha ’ profitably combi ed the cure of souls ■with the setting of broken bones and the extractii n of decayed teeth. ■ Tenders for snpp ying the Duns an Distric Hospital for the ensuing three months, en ing on the 12th of December next, with groceries, wines, spirits, meat, bread, coal, &c„ will close on Monday next, the 4th. instant. All t ndors must, bo sealed and marked on the outside “Tender for ,”

A much needed rcquiremct has been at last supplied at the Post office. A light is now kept burning on mail nights in the lobby, for the convenience of those who require to clear their priva eb >xes at night. Previously there was >ome risk of the office being burnt down, by the cons ant dropping of half consumed wax vests on the floor, lit by cabers a the office o aid them i'i groping about for the key holes of their boxes. The interest manifested in past years in the ’ocal Spiing Pace Meetings is in no way abated this year. A perfect troop of horses, morning and evening, are to be seen taking tlx sir ■ canter and otherwise preparing themselves for the contests, and the usual bustle and activity exists among our horsey brethren. The most convincing proof that the caterers are sa guine of a successful meet was given on Tuesday last at the sa’e of the right to occupy the grand stand an horse paddock, when Mr. Fache, after spirited competition, declared r. Alfred Moore to bo the purchaser of the grand stand for 221., and r. T. Hannan of the horse paddock for 21. ss. It is our painful duty to record the death of nr. John Berk, of the White Horse Hotel, Dunedin-road, after a long and painful illness. The deceased in life was we 1 known and deserve Ty respected, and his remains were followed from the house of his brother-in-law, Mr. W. Millward, at Chatto Creek, where the deceased breathed his last, by a very large assemblage of bis friends. In the funeral cortege we notice I men of all grades, from the squatter to the miner, and representatives of every centre of population from Hill’s Creek to Cromwell. We may congratulate miners and others that the services of a surveyor have been secured ffir the district. Mr. A. I). Wilson, wlio-e a vertism nt appears in another column, informs us (hat surveying f every description will be performed by him in any part of the district. We regret to learn from tiie Waihouaili Herald hat Captain Baldwin, “well known as the Deputy Sub-Commissioner, Government Life Assurance Department, also recently, we I elieve, appointed Travelling SubCommissioner f r .he Colony, and while engage 1 in the duties of this office in Canterbury, has, we regret to hear, suddenly been obliged toretr.ru home seriously ill, having over-taxed both brain and body in his zeal for the work in hand.” The Committee of the Tuapeka Hospital have rid themse v- s of their responsibilities in connection with that Institution in hand in. it over to the Government. i A new wav to obtain sound health is suggested by the following queer reading, appearing in a Dunedin contemporary “Cleanse the stomach from all offensive ao cumulations * * * * Purify the Mood from all acrid humors * * * * A remedy proved by thirty years experience, is still before the public in Oakey’s Silversmith’s Soap !! A core pundent writing to the Wanganui Herald, says—“l hear that the legal profession of Wanganui have divided the iowu into blocks (eight) so as to equalise the taking of the population through the Bankruptcy Court.” The most a i.using literary venture of the day is the “Independent lie viewer, ” “in which all ‘rejected copy” will find a home at the rate of a penny for live lines. It really must be a enpi tal spec, for in addition to the amazing quantity of matter waiting to be in-erted, tlmre will of course be as many Traders as writers. The editor’s berth wiil be an easy one, for he will never be required to read his contri utions. The London corespondent of the Melbourne Argus savs: “The Illustrated London News is said to be in the market at the mokst li’fle sum of 150,0001” Vanity Fair sums up the Tichborne case in a very few words. There is a large' cartoon of the claimant in all the amulitude of his twenty-six stone standing in the witnessbox, anl underneath is pur the pregnant question—baronet or butcher? The Cologne Gazette —a leading, German paper—-says the reports about he German demand for Heligoland are a British fantasy. The idea is not entertained by he German Government. In one of the c untry towns of Victoria there exis’s a numerous sect known as the “Steveuites.” A few weeks ago (states the Pleasant Creek News,) by same me ins they received the information that hey were to bo “taken up” at a tun and place specified and the local representatives of th° sect were all in attendance. The filling commenced i'ue afternoon, and was continued into the second night, the hopes of the watchers however remaining unfulfilled. One of the party—a lady—had a pathetic leave of her husband, in order to nsseud wi hj her co-religionists. She was ci nsiderably nisgusted by his asking her to recommend him a succssor, but not even this could deter her from endeavouring to procure a transmit to the future residence of the “Lights.” Towards the second evening, however, she fell a'annin ;ly from the hi jh statu of grace she had attained, and pronouncing the sect an imposture, aid the “apos do” a false prophet, she severed her con exion with the church and returned to. the bosom of her family. The faith of the others boss ever, so far as ave can learn, was unshaken, hut has nature could hold, out no longer without rest and sus'enanoe, they! defere 1 their attemntuntil'the receipted more correct information as to the time and place. It is very questio lable whether, amid all the averages of the sect hca ed by Nunawading Fisher, there exist such absuxli ies as in this offshoot of combine I ignorance and f matieism. The 'Wahn.tlp Mail suggests that Chinese store should p y a hotel lice ise, they being, for the most pvrt, merely opium smoking and bran ly-d inking establishments. Hard cash is nt a premium in Southland. At the lost monthly sa’e of the funds of the Western District Building sail Tjmd Society, held at Riverton, 600/. were disposed of, in 25/. shares, at a premium of 41 per share, realising a total of 96/ i

The St. BathanV corcspon lent of the Ml. Ida Chronicle writes that the collector* of funds in aid of the Dunstan Hospital— Messrs. Rowe, Turner, and M'Connochie—have been very successful on their several beats, and Mr. Brown hopes to bo succssful at Welshman’s. At a recent meeting of the Hospital Commitec, a letter containing remittance from Mr. Rochford, collector at Hill’s Creek, was read. Mr. Rochford informed the Commitec that no more subscriptions for the nnstau Hospital may be looked for in his ' isti-ict, as the peop'e thin e intend reserving their support for the projected Hospital at Naseby. A correspondent'o the Southland Times, writing recently from Nokomai, says : “ The population at present in the district numbers some two hundred and fifty to three hundred, a great portion of whom are Chinamen, and they' seem’to be gaining far more gold than the Europeans. From old or despised ground John manages, as a ueneral rule, to get wages that sat sfy him, and often something more. They have a wav of putting the whole of 'heir stuff through—unlike the Europeans, who con aider it a waste of time so to do ; but it is certain the Chinamen get the best returns. One party of Chinamen, up the Creek, av getting at the rate of 11. to til. per wee'; per man ; indeed, they sell gold to this amount. How much they retain no one kimweth." Some of ourcontemporariesarecanvassing the necessity for a Minister of public Works. We take the 'following from the Tlmarn Gazette: —“ The office would require a man of considerable ability and great powers of administration, accompanied with a thorough knowledge of things and of men—matters of no little importance. Ou searching the antecedents of our pub ic men, we can only sec one man who seems specially adapted for such un onerous trust--if he would take it. We mean the lion., John Hall, formerly Postmaster-General. He is a m.m of great colonial experience, both in and out of Parliament, and we may say, without being thought invidious, that he would possess the confidence of the country, as Minister of Public Works, beyond almost any other man. Mr. Hall is generally reputed as being fond of bis own way, but men who know their business mostlv are : and he, of all men, would not let the grass grow under his feet, and this is just what we want. The Daily Times of the twenty-sixth tilt, says.—“ English Chu chmen in Otago will be rejoiced to learn that the Jenner conlorvi rsy has at la-t terminated, Dr. Jenner having relinquished all claim to the rights and privileges pertaining to the Bishopric of Dunedin.