FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1871.

Dunstan Times, Issue 497, 27 October 1871, Page 2

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1871.

Ma. Ycgel’s proraise, that, ‘-In nrdei u to prevent any indiscriminate scram--41 bie for railways, a power of local “ rating should, under certain -contingencies, be provided,” will, if "carried into effect, materially lessen the .(probabilities -of unproductive 'works and burdensome liabilities, so .gloomily foreshadowed by those who will own no faith in the Togel administration. If the Government adhere to the expressed determination that no-railways shall be constructed which do not give immediate promise of paying working expenses, -and insist moreover that, tor a certain time at least, the owners of property throiigh which railways may be made shall supplement the actual revenue ■therefrom by contributions, or local ratings on property, sufficient to cover the interest on the costs of construction, '-one] satisfactory guarantee will sbe given that the public moneys will not be altogether recklessly expended. "Whatever difficulties may intervene ns to the basis of the contract with tho actual constructors of the lines whether one contractor or many a strict observance of the rule above indicated, by present or future Ministers, will test the sincerity of those sections of tlm- Qomm unity who already •clamorously J maintain that railway lines shouffi' be at once constructed to meet their special requirements. It is, in fact, both expedient and necessary that some such regulation should be vigorously upheld to ensure the one •essential element of success. Of a certainty, neither individuals nor com*muaities having to bear even a slight proportion of risk ■would long maintain that a line through any given locality would prove a financial success, unless fully assured of the reliability of their estimate ; while, on the other hand, where no doubt existed that a railway would pay, no hesitation could be reasonably felt in .giving‘the guarantee, especially when the property-owners through which such line.passed would reap the prin- • cipal benefit from the transaction. It would be, in fact, applying to the construction of railways the System Already adopted for the maintenance of ordinary roads. In either case where the tolls derivable from traffic proved sufficient to cover the cost of •maintenance the levying of rates would cease. The advocates of the two lines of tho proposed railwaythe one from Winton to Lake Wakatip, and the other from Tokomairiro to Tmpeka— are at present at daggers drawn in the support of their rival schemes : the one side holding the presumed advantage that their pel project will be carried fin to effect, because it-is included in* the list of works to be first undertaken, and the other side being justly indignant that their -claims arc, for the present, ignored. In the one case, it is argued that the line will be carried through a country ■destitute.of resources, and, as yet, of population, save the scattered few engaged in pastoral pursuits. In the - other, it is justly pleaded that a very ■wide extent of auriferous and agricultural land, -already,» comparatively speaking, well populated, awaits further development. In neither case could a more cogent argument hb pro--ducal than a proposal to guarantee the 1

interest on the outlay for construction. It is by no moans certain, in tho present unsettled state of the public mind on the question of the Bvogden contracts, whether the actual commencement of railway lines mayor may not be indefinitely postponed ; but, whenever and wherever works may be commenced, the simply understood and easily developed system of local rating of property should he strictly observed. Without some such safeguard, the great scheme of public works 'must inevitably, at every phase and new development, grievously imperil its own safety as a commercial transaction. 'Granting that railways are, under favoring circumstances, necessary lor the common good of the country, it is also manifestly certain that the districts reaping primary advantages should bear some equitable proportion of the cost, not only of small branches or feeders, but also of the main trunk lines. Not a single mile of line should be made without some such guarantee. Wanting this, the public moneys, for many years to come, would be more profitably expended in improving the ordinary roads of the interior, supplemented by tolls on"traffic or rating of local property, as might he found expedient. There is one good point in the railway scheme, which shows that the Government have not come forward with a crude or carelessly projected measure. Having arrived at the conclusion that railways are necessary, they wisely propose that tire executive machinery for carrying such works into effect shall be beyond the influence of political faction. No turn of the scale in favor of one or the other party will hasten or retard the construction of any specific line cf railway, when once its construction has been decided on by the Assembly ; and again, the proposal that all railways shall be paid for in money, rather than in land, must commend itself to all who plead for the careful conservancy of the public estate for bona-fide settlement. A profitable lesson has doubtless been gained from tlie weak points of the American system, under which immense tracts of land have been thrown into the hands of favored companies, toavoid the presumed evils of borrowed money and prospective taxation. The result has been that, as territorial landlords, these companies control the progress of settlement, and, by combination, in some measure, dictate the course of legislation. The meeting of subscribers to the Library, advertised for Wednesday evening last, was postponed for a week, in consequence of the unavoidable absence of the Treasurer. By reference to the report of the Dunstan Jockey Club Meeting, furnished us by the Secretary (Mr. T. Stanbrook), it will be seen that a friendly arrangement is contemplated with the Cromwell Jockey Club, so that the two events may not clash, and that one day, at least, may intervene, to allow time for horses entered for both races to travel from Clyde to Cromwell. The sale of the funds of the Gold-fields Land and Building Soc : ety, on Saturday evening last, resulted in four shares being disposed of at nine and ten per cent, premium. An opinion is expressed ly many shareholders in favor of the rule regarding open competition formoneysbeingrescinded, and a system of sealed tenders for advances permanently adopted. It rests with the shareholders themselves to carry this into effect. Large congregations attended the morning and evening services at St. Michael’s Church on Sunday last, on the occasion of the Rev. J. Jones officiating for the first time in Clyde ; giving cheering evidence that the appointment of a minister to this long neglected community has met with very general approval. Until further arrangeinen s are made, serviee will be held in the evenings only. Itinerant preaching seems fast becoming a favorite vocation. Recently this district was honored with the -sisit of a clerical aspirant, heretofore a peripatetic vendor of slop clothing. We learn now from Black’s that another candidate is in the field there ; to whom the equally useful trade of carpentry is a more familiar occupation. If either of these worthy individuals ever read the precept ne sutor nltra crepidam, they are seemingly impressed with the idea that it refers only to cobblers. The Dunstan Band of Hope Society, recently established, already numbers among its members nearly all the juvenile population of the township, besides some ‘children of a larger growth’ who have found the necessity of placing an artificial restraint on their bibulous cravings. A meeting is to held this evening by thepromoters of the young society, to organise a tea meeting or similar demonstration. Thejvote for Militia and Volunteers has been passed without reduction by the Committccof Snpp'y. An attempt was made to reduce it by 18,000/., and tho disbaitdment <B the whole of the present force was recommended,; limiting the future force to three hundred 'Artillerymen, but at the eamc time giving increased encouragement to Eifil Clubs, and to tho‘people* generally .to leas* the us«Af thAith; 1 » I f

The Cromwell Jockey Club has issued a programme of the annual races, and fixed the events for Thursday and Friday the 2Sth and 29th of December ultimo., subject to any alteration that may hereafter arise from pending arrangements with the Dunsstan Jockey Club. The annual report of the Western District Building and Land Society, (Riverton), was laid before the shareholders on the Bth inst. and bears evidence of creditable progress and careful management. It shewed that 1775/. (equal to 71 shares) had been advanced to fourteen members. The total premium realised was 302/., being!/, ss. o'd per share (25/.). The net profits for the year amounted to 381/. Is. 5d., equal to 15a. 4d, per share, 20 per cent of which was carried to the reserved profits account, 12s. per share to credit of members, and the ballance to next year’s account. An exemplification of the adage, “the course of true love never does run smooth,’ is given by tho Pleasant Creek News a s follows:—“A certain Celestial vendor of eminently terestrial productions in the form of turnips, etc, had secured the affections of a lady, who, it is said, is of what Artemus Ward would call ‘the German persuasion. ’ They were to have been united indissolubly on Tuesday last, but that stern fate which prevents the course of such affairs from running smoothly intervened, and the rev. gentleman who had been re} quested to perform the ceremony felt himself compelled to decline doing so, on the ground that one of the contracting parties was not a member of any Christian church. It was in vain that the bridegroom protested in the most unintelhgib y tortured of all broken English ; that the bride wept and moaned in the choicest Deutch ; while the relations and friends argued the point—the clergyman declined to perform the cere, mony, and the bridegroom had to set off to the local registrar to secure his services. Here, however, he was again disappointed, as he found that three days’ notice was required. After clue reflection John gave the notice, and the vehicles containing the bridal party drove back home, to await, as patitnlly as possible, the arrival of Friday. Rumor says that the anxiety of the bridegroom is partially caused by the fact that he has paid a good round sum to the girl’s parents for the privilege of entering the family. A heavy snowstorm occured in the Sydney country districts on the 6th inst. The snow fell a foot deep at Braidwood. Great depression in trade, anil consequent distress prevails in Tasmania. AtLaunceston, a meeting of the unemployed has been held and the Government has employed the married men in stonebreaking, at 2s Cd per yard. The following notice to Employers of Labour and Persons who wish to obtain Employment appears in the Provincial Government Gazette:—A Register is kept at each of the Police Stations in the Province, in which employers of labour are requested to enter their names when wanting to engage servants, giving particulars as to the class they wish to employ, the period for which they wish to engage them, and tho rate of wages they propose to pay. The members of the Police force in charge of the Stations have been instructed to afford every possible information on the subject to men wishing to obtain employment, &c. The Agent General having engaged permanent Offices, the following Address is published in the Provincial Government Gazette for general information:—lsaac Esal Featherston, Esquire, Agent-General for New Zealand; No. 7, Victoria street Westminster, London. The New Zaa’and Gazette, of the 29th ult., notifies the “ Otago Roads Ordinance, 1871” and the “Roads Diversion Ordinance, 1871,” have been assented to by the Governor. The Mount Ida Chronicle says:—lnformation has reached us from a source which we consider reliable, that the machinery formerly belonging to the Rough Ridge Quartz Mining Company, and which was some months a back sold to the Alta Company, and removed to Bendigo Gully, Cromwell, is likely to be brought back again to somewhere near its did locality. This would induce the belief that the prospects of the reefs in the vicinity of Rough Ridge are improving. Several persons with whom we have spoken upon the subject hesitate not to predict a bright future} for_ the Rough Ridge as a reefing district. The Southland News states that an idea of the immense volume of flame emitted from the burning pile of buildings at the late fire in Invercargill may be formed from the fact that at Sandy Point, eight miles distance, the fishermen residing "there were able to read small print by the light. It is somewhat surprising to find a religions newspaper speak in the straightforward way as the Melbourne Church News. On the subject of Sabbatari mism it says ; “ Periodically an attempt is made by some (no doubt zealous) individuals, who firmly believe that what they are doing is perfectly right, to enforce upon the community their own views for tho observance of Sundays. The last attempt in this direction has been made by the so-called ‘ Young Men’s Christian Association.’ This Association, according to its manifesto, is purely Evangelical. No member of the Holy Catholic Church can rest under its wings and it is singular to see with what pertinacity the members of this Society, who reject, in common withallEvanpelioals we presume, alp traditions of the Church, take upon themselves the responsibility of defining what may be done, or not done, upon a day for which they haveno authority whatever in the New Testament. . .... As a Christian institution, then, the Sunday imposes upon us an obligation to keep as free as possible from ordinary work, but as a ro'iginus institution it does not so much poee obligation as privilege. ‘ It is a day to; rejoice in ; a day in which wo declare that weayej not merely merchants, mechanics, shopkeepers, and lawyers, but men—children of Gdd'anJ heirt of Immortality. u ’

telegraphic despatches PEE GEEVII.LE & CO., REUTER 8 AGEKTS. —O — Dunedin, Thursday, 3 p.m. The Timaru Show proved a great success, and there was a larger attendance than on any similar occasion. Mr. Tolmie won the Champion Cup for merinos, and Messrs. Grey, Bussell, and Co. the Cup for wools. Dr. M’Lachlan, of Tapanui, died suddenly on Sunday. The Gas Works have been sold for 17,800?. Mr. Larnach being the purchaser. Mrs. Cargill, relict of Captain Cargill, died yesterday, eigbty-one-Latest Parliamentary. Mr. Vogel moved, That the House go into Committee to consider the Brogden contracts. He characterised the assertions of the Opposition press as imprudent fabrications, especially as regarded the contractors’ profits, which are limited to five and a half per cent. He concluded with moving the non-acceptance of No. 1 Contract. Government pledged their acceptance of the second contract, with modifications. Mr. .Shepherd considered the contracts preposterous, and that Mr. Vogel had exceeded his powers. He moved as an amendment, That the contracts were highly detrimental to the interests of the colony, and that all contracts be let by public tender. Mr. Stafford suggested an adjournment of the debate, to enable the Government to bring down the Attorney-General’s opinion as to the validity of the contracts. Mr. Vogel said that, in the opinion of eminent counsel in England, he hold full authority to enter into contracts. Mr. Eolleston urged the Government to state whether they would bring down an opinion as to how far the colony was bound by the contracts. Mr. Fox said the Government considered the colony was bound by the contracts. Contrary resolution was moved, Want of confidence. The debate was adjourned, Mr. Brogden was present. The House, by forty to nineteen, passed Mr. Woods’ motion, That the next Session of the General i. ssenibly be held in Dunedin. Latest. The ketch Aparima went ashore yesteryesterday, going out of Toi Tois, and is likely to become a total wreck. The Ahmnurari natives have agreed to the opening up of the Upper Thames for construction of the telegraph, and a deputation has been appointed to wait upon the King to obtain his assent. DUNSTAN JOCKEY CLUB. A meeting of the Committee of the Dunsiau Jockey Club was held at the Port Phillip Hotel on Tuesday evening last, the 24th instant. James Hazlett, Esq., Vice President, in the Chair. The minutes of the former meeting was read and confirmed. The inward correspondence was read, and the Secretary was instructed to forward replies. Several accounts were passed'for payment. It was proposed and carried that the Secretary be instructed to write to the Secretary of the Cromwell Jockey Club, acknowledging the rece : pt of a letter in reference to their Annual Meeting, and further to ask if in the ev-nt of the Dunstau Jockey Club altering the days of their Annual Meeting to Tuesday and Wednesday, 2Cth and 27th December, would the Cromwell Club postpone their Meeting to Friday and Saturday following, thus allowing horses a day for travelling between the two towns, and asking a reply prior to Tuesday 31st of October, the night of meeting of Members of the Dunstan Jockey Club. It was proposed and carried that the Secretary is instructed to give notice by Advertisement—that a meering of Members will be held at the Port Phillip Hotel. Business—to reconsider the date of Annual Meeting. Proposed and carried that Mr. Bobert Dagg become a Member of the Dunstan Jockey Club. Proposed and carried that this meetin* stand adjourned till after the Members’ Meeting, 31st October, 187 hj A vote of thanks to the Chairman terminated the meeting. The glorious uncertainty of the law is well set forth in the Australasian, “A most singular legal miscarriage occurred at the Kilmore General Sessions. Four members of one family were charged with having broken into and stolen from a house twenty five articles, Of these, twenty four were found in the house of the accused and clearly identified ; but the 25th—a bag of flour could not lie positively sworn to. A track of flour was, however, traced from the plundered house direct to the abode of the prisoners. On some (doubtless excellent) legal grounds, bis Honor the Judge directed the acquittal of three of the accused, and the jury found the fourth not guilty.” This is just re of th ise cases which laymen unfamiliar with thi subtlety of legal intricacies fail to understand. The Wellington Independent says : “ Special editions of the reading books of the Irish National Board of Education have been prepared by Mr. A. Oi christ, one of the inspectors of schools in Victoria, for the use of schools in Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, are being published by Mr. Thom of Dublin. Thoir speciality consists in this —that they contain articles atid lessons •bearing directly on the political and natural history of this part iff the Globe ; its geography and so forth. One of the specimen parts reviewed by the Argus contains fifty five pages of original local matter, and it forms part, wo believe, of a volume of' four" hundred pages, which when bound in cloth ; : ia sold by the Board of Education to teachers of common schools for Old. 1 .. i ,i- ■ - .•* ~-i -- -J