FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 1871.

Dunstan Times, Issue 499, 10 November 1871, Page 2

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 1871.

In consequence of unusual pressure on our space for telegraphic news, we are compelled to omit our leader ; report of Hospital meeting, Teviotcorrespondence Queenstown letter list, and other matter now in type. The Prince of Wales Birthday was observed yesterday as a partial holiday; but the usual display of bunting was not indulged in. Possibly her Majestie’s subjects in this distant portion of her dominions will be deemed none the less loyal for the omission In the cool of the evening some juvenile Athletic-sports were held and the youngsters enjoyed the fun with accustomed spirit. Our townsman. Mr. Donald M'Pherson ; has conferred a substantial benefit on the travelling public, by the improvements lately made at the punt, which has recently undergone a thorough'overhaul, and refit. He has also, at an expense of nearly 1201 placed an additional wire rope across the river, thus adding to the safety of passengers and preventing the danger of the punt :grounding on the shallows in mid stream, -caused by the'eonstant silting up of sand. While other punts have, from time to time, been subsidised by the Government, Mr M'Pherson has been left to depend nn hi? own resources to keep the Clyde punt in working order, and considering the smalt amount of traffic, his hber.il outlay is ail the more praiseworthy. We are requested to intimate to our church going friends that hearafter the bell for evening service will be rung for five minutes at twenty "minutes to 7 p.m, on Sunday evenings. It will then cease’ for ten minutes, and be again rang for five minutes. This will give every one ample time to “ be ready” and prevent the inconvenience of arrival atjthe Church door after the service has commenced. The amount of gold on which export duty was paid during the first quarter of the present financial year, was however, 204,000 ounces. A larger quantity than has ever before been exported in a single quarter. The increase was chiefly in' Auckland. A large quantity of defaced coin, pre-.-earned to be imported from Melbourne, is MOW in circulation in Dnnedin, the banks positively refuse to take the money

I- The Wellington Evening Post says:— “The independent position taiken up this session hy the Upper House has,-we believe, given 'considerable umbrage to many members of the House of Representatives, and it is very far from unlikely that something approaching a dead lock may yet occur on 1 some of the Cover' men! measures. There 1 is a whisper about to the effect that if such take place, the Government intend to manufacture the requisite number of Peers to create a majority, and further, that supplies, so far as Council honorarium goes, will be cut off. We give the rumours for what they are worth,[but-may say wo believe there is at least soma kind of foundation for them.” The following is Mr. Hnlm's's resolution regarding the Moa Flat sale which has been unanimously adopted by the Legislative Council,-That, in the opinion of this Council, the proposed sale of 45,500 acres ) of land to Mr. Clarke-should aot be completed, for the -following reasons, viz. :—(1.) e -That portion of the land outside of a goldfield has not beenproclaimed as open for sale (2.) Becacuse the full price of rural land has not been paid for the same, (3.) Because the lease of that portion within gold-fields has not been concelled, nor the land det dared open for sale or selection by proclamation. (4.) Because portion of the land is -auriferous, and the Warden’s report has not been called for. (5.) Because the . proposed sale is prejudicial to the public i interests, inasmuch as surveyed and cov--1 enanted blocks have been included therein , and due provision has not been made for - roads- (6.) That a respectful address be - presented to his Excellency the Governor , enclosing these resolutions, requesting him j to forbid the completion of the sale, or to disallow it if completed. ” The new custom duties come into operation to-day, the 10th instant, instead of the 20th as first proposed. The Custom Tariff 1 Bill has been passed, and the proposal to 3 exempt from duty, brewery and distillery plant, materials for wire tramways, ploughs and fittings for agricultural machinery has been cast out. An idea of the cost of Mr. Vogel’s patriotic efforts on behalf of his adopted country, may be gained from the • following“On the vote fot Mr. Vogel's expenses to England being considered, Mr. Fox explained that Mr. Vogel only consented to go on the condition that the expenses of his family were paid in addition to the ordinary Ministerial travelling allowance of il. 4s. per ditm, These expenses amounted to 1001., all of which had been duly vouched for, none of the money having found its way into Mr. Vogel’s pocket. The item was passed, This modest little sum was in addition to the official salary or salaries a’so drawn by the . ' Honorable (?) Julius. For the satisfaction of long suffering tax payers, the accounts duly vouched for should be made public. The next meeting of the Dunedin Jockey Club has neen fixed for the 22nd and 23rd i 1 of March, 1872 ; to be held at Forbury ! Bark. Tire’amount of money then to he . run for will exceed 10001. ! The Gold-fields’ estimates for the current : year have been withdrawn, ostensibly for amendment, and it has been decided that ! existing arrangements for payment of gol-I-fields’ officers were not to be at present altered. A telegram in our last issue stated that M'Meckan, Blackwood, and Co were about to establish an additional line of steamers to New Zealand. The following notice appears in the Melbourne Argus :—“ Additional service. The undersigned will despatch one of their steamers every fortnight for Auckland alternatively by the east and west coasts of New Zealand. The Albion or other steamer will proceed to Auckland, calling at Lyttleton, Wellington, and Napier. TheTararua or other steamer via Hokotika, will proceed to Auckland, calling at Greymouth and Taranaki. A telegram from Wel)iugton states that M ‘Meekan, Blackwood, and Go’s steamers will also call at Port Chalmeis, but no mention is made of them calling at the Bluff. A squatter in New South Wales has adopted the plan of giving to all his shearers who deserve it certificates of good conduct and efficiency. It is believed that the practice, if generally adopted, would be attended with very beneficial results. At Adelaide, “an old lady of respectable appea-ance,” who was fined 5s for drunkenness, pleaded as an excuse that she went to a meeting in reference to reading the Bible in schools, and the moment she left the room she “ got quite light-headed, and had not been right since. ” Shearing has already commenced at many stations. The number of shearers looking for employment, is said to bo be'ow the usual number. Shearing will commence at Eamscleugh Station on the Ist. prox., See advertisement.) The usual monthly Subscription night of the Gold-field’s, Permanent, Building, Society, is advertised for Monday evening next the 13th inat. It is probably that ag-neral meeting of shareholders will shortly be i convened to discuss the advisability of ! modifying rules referring particularly to the i investment of monies. . The “Twin” dredge, which, during the winter was laid up in ordinary; has been ] broken up by her owner, Mr. Seidelbcrg, ; and her timbers will form part of a larger , vessel, which he is busily constructing for the ( reception of steam dredging machinery, now 1 on its way out from the hands of the well i known engineers, Clayton and Shuttleworth, ( of England. The lines of the new craft as - now laid down, indicate a length of.at ’east 1 fifty feet, by a breadth of fifteen ; and we 1 believe the steam machinery will be (fa dual t description, comprising a double engine, of j two and three horse power respectively, t which will work pumping and lifting gear r of a novel construction. The success of s Mr. Seidelbcrg’a bold experiment, will be 7 watched for with general interest by a 1 J concerned in the revival of dredging opera- \ «obs on theMolynoux. s

0 Mr. W. A. Bews, the District Road r Engineer who has occupied quarters near 1 Cromwell for some mouths past; and to f whom the public are in no alight degree itt--3 debted for the improvement of local roads ; . baa removed to Invercargill, having obtainx ed leave to do so, on account of its being a a cheaper place wherein to locate himself i and family. In this he is of course perfectly i justified but his chiefs in the department of 3 Roads and Works will evince peculiar ideas . as to the relative grographical position of up country places, if, as we are credibly r informed is intended; they depute the . supervision of a district extending from . Invercargill to the Duns' an G old-field s, to one luckless official. Our roads and bridges i will soon give too palpable evidence of the i need that exists for constant supervision by 5 responsibleauthority. i Among the increased duties, the following i have been passed by th-> Committee of ■ Ways and-Means. Rice, id per lb. ; soap. I 3s. fid. per cwt. ; Malt, Is, fid. per bushel; hops, 3d. per lb. : 'lhe duty on receipts has been made 2d,, i and the minimum sum necessitating the ! use of a stamp has been lowered to 21. ini stead of 51., as heretofore. The proposed - duties on mortgages and bills of sale have been with draw n. i Mr. Joseph Dods, well known by old' ; residents here, and in ihe Lake istiicts ; is reported to have made by speculations in Bendigo scrip, the modest little sum of 30,0001.