The Dunstan Times. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 1871.

Dunstan Times, Issue 490, 8 September 1871, Page 2

The Dunstan Times.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 1871.

Beneath tbs Tluleof Men entirely a gst the pen is mightier than the sword

Mr. Macaxdrew's resolutions on helm if of Constitutional lleforrn, wherein he proposes to abolish the Provincial legislatures of the Middle Island, and to substitute in its place one Provincial Legislature, consisting of a Lieutenant Governor and the Provincial' Council, have taken the country somewhat by surprise, inasmuch as being opposed to the opinion he has ■heretofore expressed that Separation •was impossible. Mr. Reynolds’ propositions at the last session for financial separation received from Mr. Macandrew no support, nor had he indicated by any recent expression of opinion, that he considered the time ripe for action in the improvement of our hydra headed form ofgovernment. It may be, however, safely assumed that Mr. Macandrew is too clever a tactician to thus suddenly assume the lead in a matter of such vital importance, without having reliable supports to depend upon. It is too often the custom of Provincial representatives, ■new to their work, or zea’ous to distinguish themselves, to frame resolutions pregnant with importance as affecting the welfare of their individual constituencies, without attempting to obtain the support of numbers, representing the combined force of general ' opinion. This is an evil which often ' militates against the fruition of desirable measures, and we cannot imagine J the veteran Macandrew has thus reck- j lessly b d the assault on Provincialism. ' A strong and growing opinion pre- < ■vails irom end to end of New Zealand ! that the Provincial systems of government are too expensive to ha longer | tolerated, and should be swept away, v giving place to some more economical E and yet etSaieut form of local govern- \

or irnent. The late freaks of our Proviucial legislators sounded the death re knell of Provincialism in Otago, and in Mr. Macandrew, ever_eager to catch the gale of popular favor, has happily j marshalled his reserves without demonstration, and now boldly advances to the front, depending on support, of _ which more on-lookers as yet k ow little or nothing. Without tellable support in the hon«e his success seems -,f doubtful. Already we perceive the s, telegraphic news is to hand that Mr. t. Stafford has prepared land resolutions i- in oppos’tion to Mr. Macandrew’s. It is not so much the man as the measure , r f kat now awaits consideration, and ree ference to the resolutions which we s, P rint in ft’Jl elsewhere, will convince the reader (hat whether passed in their present form, or subject to sweeping amendments, their adoption must eventuate in hastening the annihilaU tlon of the Provincial system, the ace complishment whereof, and the substitution of something bettor in its p'ace, should win for Mr Macandrew the lasting gratitude of his fellow colonists. As representing an imoortant section ot the community over which , Mr. Macandrew now exercises con-

trol as Superintendent, and having t aided in no slight degree to ensure j his election to office, the residents throughout the Dunstan gold-field should'instantlv bestir themselves, and consider in what form local sup- . port can be best and most promptly accorded him. We recently advocated the adoption of the County system as ; a Cleans of lessening the evils of mis- ; government now prostrating public energy and checking development of the district resources, and our Wakatip •riends have followed our example. At Tuapeka also a movement has been initiated for devising a system of local self-government- In neither case is it piooable that action would have been taken had Mr. Macandrow given earlier publicity to his intentions. The County system has very many good features, but it has also one radical defect; so glaringly apparent in the case of A\ estlancl, that a local representative in the House has tabled a motion for its abolition, and the extension of powers to the Road districts; now holding a subordinate position to the County Council, The defect is the cost of central administration, which under the Westland regime, has attained extravagant proportions. But I withal the advantages of the system j over balance its defects, which in the i proposed Otago Counties might he remedied. The subject is still worthy of earnest public consideration '; but, pending the result of Mr. Mncandrews motion, it is perhaps well that no decided steps have yet resulted. The subject for present consideration is the advisability of strengthening Mr. Macandrew’s efforts by petitions in favor of his resolutions. If he carries his point, the development of the new system must tend to. the establishment of road districts having the control of money to be locally expended, without the intervention of an intermediate County institution. Petitions are already being circulated in this and neighboring provinces, and it rests with the residents on the Otago goldfields to follow a good example. Whatever is done, to be effectual must be pxompt and decisive.

We are requested to draw the attention of owners of horses to the advertisement notifying that entries for the Handicap and Handicap Hurdle Race, must be lolged with the Secretary at the Port Philip Club Hotel before Ten o’clock this morning. The object sought is that the handicappers may have time for consideration, and not be called upon to give weights on a moment’s notice. We regret to record the destruction, by. fire, of the store and dwelling house of Mr. J. Pitches, Black Wo. 3 (a branch of the firm of Pitches Brothers, Blacks No. 1) early on the morning of Wednesday last. Mr. Pitches had scarcely time to throav his children out of the window of the bed room and make good his own escape before the flames had the complete mastery. Mr. Pitches will be a considerable loser, he having been unable to save anything with the exception cf his watch. The stock, which has bat just Veen replenished,together with the store and tho effects, were valued at about 500/. Wa have not heard if the books of the firm were consumed: if so the total loss will b considerably more. The Wakcitip Mail says that since the time of the West Coast rush the money market hai never been tighter at Queenstown. Tho Banks exercising a stringency when they suould he lenient, Commercial, or rather trading operations are virtually suspended. It is notified in the Provincial Government Gazette of the 30th ultimo, that the Crown Grant for Sections 5, 6, and 7, Block 7, Clyde, being the Church of England reserve, is ready for delivery to the Trustees.

It will bo seen by his advertisement appearing in another column, that Mr. T. Mussen, the photographic artist, will positively leave Clyde on Monday next. He has been particularly successful in producing excellent portraits of bis patrons bore, and those who still desire photographs should lose no time paying a visit to his studio. His pictures aro really photographic gems of sterling excellence.

The search for coal in Cooper’s Gully is still beiftg prosecute ! with unabated energy. The parties working have, after sinking several shafts, struck coal of a very inferior description, and are now in hopes of soon reaching a seam which will yield a marketable article. We are informed that they have obtained a lease of the ground on which they are working, one condition being that they sell coal to the public at a maximum price of 15s. per ton. An announcement has been banded to us, having no signature or printer’s name, but printed we believe at Tuapeka, to the effect that ihere b now preparing for the press, a full account of the proceedings at the inquiry held at Switzers by Mr. J P. Maitland, R.M., into, the charges preferred by Wilson Acton against Warden Wood, together with the statements in the matter of Ennis v. Simpson, and all correspondence in connection therewith to the General and Provincial Governments.

The “gentlemen of the long robe” -will shortly have to decide the merits of a rather extensive breach of promise case from Bendigo Gully. Star. A new plan for suppressing sly grog selling, is about to be tried in Victoria. The police having been unable to cope successfully with the evil ; Mr. Otto Berliner, chief of one of the Melbourne private enquiry offices, has issued a circular to the various Shire Councils and local bodies, in which he makes a proposition that upon each local body subscribing a certain sum per annum, to be fixed on hereafte. he will undertake to raise an inland revenue force which, he assorted, would grapple with the difficulty ; and he would guarantee to make one raid on each shire, borough, and district per annum,. The idea has been favorably received.

A speedy divorce is recorded by the Buninyong contemporary of the Ballarat Courier as follows i-—“ About a fortnight young man, who shall be nameless, entered into a speculation in the matrimonial lino, selecting for bis better half a spinster with a little boy already made to hand, whom ho had known only a week, not heeding the advice of old Weller with reference to * widders. ’ The course of true love never did run smooth, and Mr. Nameless found the ‘course* was ‘rough’ in every sense of the word, for at the expiration of ten days he found himself a. married man without incumbrance save the small boy, for his wife had bolted, and left him to cogitate on the incident.”

The third monthly mooting of the Otago Cro’dfields’ Building Society will he held on Monday evening next. Members’ subscrip, tions will he received from 7 to Bp.m. After which the first allotment of available funds will be made to members desirous of borrowing money. We believe the subscrip- ■ tion list shews almost daily additions to the number of investing members.

, Rcferr ng to tlie resent petition of the . Ciomwell Corporation to the Postmaster General, .that Cromwell may he made the ' terminus of the Mail Coach Line, and ! Naseby the middle station. The M.t Ida ■ Chronicle, while agreeing as a matter of course, with the prayer of the petition, expresses an opinion—That the proposed service can not he in any way satisfactory carried out unless that abomination, the Houndburn Hill, is avoi led by the making 1 of a new road through what is generally known to be the gorge, commencing at the old fluming of the Shag River Company. The distance between Pigroo' and Naseby would be shortened by some six or eight miles, and a good road substituted for a bad one, thereby making the distance saved actually and virtually much greater.” Cobb and Go’s whips could doubtless inform the Postmaster General of many other “ bad bits ” of road between Clyde and Dunedin, and with all their pluck and characteristic “go” it is doubtful whether any sane man among them would venture to drive a four horse team from Clyde to Cromwell during the winter months, without specially insuring Ins life. If any change is made in the present arrangeme its, it will probably result in a small vehicle being placed on the road for tho conveyance of the Mails from lienee to Cromwell.

The strike of the Hansard printers at Wellington has ceased for the present. The men have resumed work, upon the condition that their alleged gi ievances shall be investigated. The chief reason for dissatisfaction arises, it is said, from their being required to correct, or rather alter, free of extra payment, dieir proofs, after revisal by the members whoso speeches are reported. It is said the evil practice of allowing members to hash their prosy and often incoherent u iterances more than doubles the work of the printers, who thus lose time and suffer in pocket, while the public are deluded. Among the unwritten records of the House is a standing joke that a certain Otago representative, who, whether in the Counoil Chamber or the House, support* with much persistent energy the full payment of honorarium to members, did on one occasion, wh n entrusted with certain motions on an important question, so mix and mangle his notes and ideas as to utterly bewilder imsolf and his hearers. The luckless repor ers did their best for him, •nit in vain. Poor II tried hard the following morning to revise his speech as printed, but, in the meantime, had forgotten all ho ever meant to say. In despair, he at last confided his trouble to a sympathising colleague, a “free lance” in the political arena, who wrote his speech anew, and the same was therefore duly recorded in the veracious (?) columns of Hansard.

j Our visitors to the Races will have an opportunity of winding up the amusement of the day by spending a pleasant evening at the Town-hall. Miss Edith Palmerston notifies her intention of presenting another j of her eminently popular entertainments, introducing new and attractive features ; and after the performance a dance will take place, for the special gratification of those "'ho wish to “trip it on the light fantastic. ” We understand tha f the serious indisposition of Mr. Inspector Percy was the cause of the northern escort not being despatched to Dunedin on Monday last, and, as the medical gentleman attending Mr. Percy has not yet pronounced him fit to undertake the journey, the precious metal will have to remain until that officer recovers, or till another is told off by the Commissioner for the duty.

A prospectus has bean issued for the erection of a Town Hall and Athenaeum at Queenstown. Capital 1,500/., in three hundred shares at 51.. Three fourths of the required amount has been already subscribed.

The following appointments are notified in the General Government Gazette: —John Cole Chappie, Mayor of Alexandra, and James Taylor, Mayor of Cromwell, Justices of the Peace; and Edgar Hall Carew, Justice of the Peace for the Colony and Resident Magistrate for the district of the Otago Gold-fields.

In the Dunedin Evening Star tenders are invited for the erection of a Post office and Telegraph Station at Arrnwtown, and will be received at the Colonial Architect’s Oflice, Wellington, up to noon of the 25th instant. In the General Government Gazeetle, of the 19th nit., similar tenders aie invited, but the 18th instant is stated as the day for receiving them. From the fact that plans and specifications are to be seen only at Dunedin and Wellington, local tradesmen are debarred from tendering. We nevertheless draw attention to the discrepancy in the dates for receiving tenders. I* rom the report of the Government An • unities Commissioner, laid before the House of Representatives, we extract the following brief hut .-atisfactory summary of the transactions in ihe department since the commencement of the system:— “I am glad to be able to report that the progress which has been made is satisfactory, and shows that not only those in easy circumstances invest in comparatively large po'icies, but that persons of less means apply their savings to seeming a safe though small provision for the future. An increasing number of small policies indicates the wider spread of prudent and economical habits, the more powerful means of lessening destitution and crime, and the better ) prospect of fulfilling the object of theLegisI lature , which has provided in the Governj ment Insurance System as in the Post Office i Savings Banks, an unimpeachable security i (for the Colony itself is the security) for J provident investment in the hope that such I provision may be to the greatest and most geneial public .advantage. The Insurance system was practically brought into operation in New Zealand on Ist March. 1870, and from the date up to the 30th June last COT proposals for Assurances, amounting to 29.), 871/, have been received (more than hah of this number were received daring the last qnater), of which 448 have been accepted ami taken up, and policies issued amounting to 205,374, at an annual premium of 5,810/ 4s Bd. The number declined out of the 007 proposals is 75 for Assurances, amounting to 3!, 300/; this may be taken to show that great care is exercised in the selection of lives. The number of proposa’s not taken up on the 30th June was 30, and 114 were under consideration on that date ; the large proportion of the latter class is attributable to the fact, that manv of the proposals were then of quite recent date. There had then also been received, 15 Endowment Proposals, of which 10 were completed, and 7 Annuity proposals, of which 4 were granted.

The best season for sowing the seeds of the Australasian Eucalypti is n >w at hand. For the information of those who wish to prepare for following the good precept of tile Scotch Laird to his son, “to he aye sticldn in a tree” ; we subjoin the following advice, given by a correspondent to the Waka tip Mail ;as to the proper method of sowing blue gum seed on waste land. He says .-—“ Select a piece of ground as rich as possible, either in the comer of a paddock, or a strip along the most exposed side, and plough it. Harrow it as fine as possible. Sow in drills—the saving in tho seed more than pays for the extra labor. Take a small draw hoe, and open light drills, not more than two inches deep, three feet apart, sow the seed as thinly as possible. If the soil is light and well harrowed the roller will be sufficient to cover tlie seed. The correct quantity of seed required to an acre 1 think is three pound. Sow from the middle of September up to the end of November.

The increased facilities for communication with America are not likely, under present arrangements; to eventuate in any considerable gain to New Zealand merchants. In fact tho advantages seem all in favor of our \ aukee bretlicm:—“Our markets are practically open to them in all departments of trade, in addition we subsidise their boats at a heavy cost to carry our mails and allow them to rain our coasting trade by carrying passengers to the detriment of local boats jn return for which they place a heavy restrictive duty on goods exported from onr to their markets. The following are the imposts to he made on goods, the description of which Now Zealand is only likely to export:—“ Wool, first class, five pence per pound, and eleven per cent ad valorem ■ washed wool, six-pence per pound ; potatoes, thirteen pence half-penny per bushel; sheep twenty per cent ad valorem. ” beer, six-pence per gallon.

A new comic journal, cdled tho Black and White, has just appeared. Each number contains opposing political articles and cartoons. There are two sots of editors— Liberal and Tory and two sets of artists.