THE LAKES DISTRICT.

Dunstan Times, Issue 609, 19 December 1873, Page 3

THE LAKES DISTRICT.

U (FROM ,OUfc. OWH COHltP^PpNpmfT.j, c&lfll rXiciCilU 4 Akrowtowx, Dec. ’o.

Mr. Horace Bastlncs, Secretary for Works and Gold-fields. arconqianied by Mr Turnbull, Provi'icia'. Seore t .a , ’y, arrive 1 on Sunday rive-'in* from Civile—of their doings ,I.am not able to,say OJiyJthpig ps ’ et, -ns 'there h4S nob’-been iim&rlolfo into the large amount o r business awaiting?, them,, the Run question is of course the most prominent anti demands serious consi ’oration. There are a great number of interests involved, while there is ranch dive>sity j of opinion thereon. The Government it nr pears have received petitions for . rnd against tlu sale of the runs both signed hv the sam' parties, which ns a matter of course is most perplexing. s‘i!l thegnterre’s of the Province pot be permitted tnbuffer orr< acchiiht infj a few n dsy persons who desire to have everything their own way and for their own private purposes.T at 'the same' time ;aa nearly as practicable’public opinion should have its due weight in. deciding this knotty question. Provided that ample commonage con’d *bc seemed and sheep are kept from tre passing upon , it, there cannot he any particular obj icti in to the sheep country being leased to flock owners insmill sections arid’ for short periods, subject as a matter of course to seme local supervision. The Hoard of Wardens have been blame 1 as being 'a' most inefficient body, an 1 the cause of all the disturbance, but having no legal authority as was proved in the District Court three or four times over, they only founl themselves in the position of nonentities-called upon to issue licenses without any ■ power of refusing them or to compel ohecl’cnce to the Depasturing Regulations, the Board had noo’her alternative but to resign and let stock owners go direct to the Government for their licenses in lieu of obtaining them through their recommendation, which only amounted to a farce. It has been said that the members were all interested in sheep, but such was not the esse ; with the exception of some three members of the Queenstown division, the remainder only held a few horned cattle and horses, and availed- thcmselvi s but little or in t at all of the much vaunted and talked about commonage privileges, a privdege so valuable, as an officer of the Board informs me that, if you turn out a beast it is either starve I or can never ho ftiutd—should it he lucky-enough to fasten, it usually bedims so self sacrificing as to take a trip across the ranges, and there throw itself upon the chopping block of some cheap butcher. Willi those drawbacks my informant was strongly’ of opinion that it was better to own no horned cattle at all, unless immediately under his own rye. In connection with this subject another member of the Board, who once owned a herd of cattle told me that having 'disposed of them, one fat beast by’some mischance was missed, an enterprising “ knight of the cleaver ” discovered this, and offered the I owner a price, whiph he refused, 'ut upon the worthy *’ knight ” showing that it was | better to have little than nothing, , tha j owner acquiesced immediately with the i olLr.' We are always having a Hospital squabble, scarcely a monthly meeting takes pla'-c but there is a grievance to redress, and if there is no present one, ore well matured with age is sure to be raked up. With the resignation of the late matron, mi 1 her husband, (an assistant in the Institution), it was thou :ht that all trouble was over, but such is not the ca-e. It appairs also that Mr D King, wardsmau and dresser had also given in his resignation, as an offering, to the clamorously disarms ie 1, hut the Committee found they could not accept it, as Mr. King’s services were too valuable to be dispense! with, and could not he replaced. Mr. King’s technical knowledge, acquired by a /’nine y’carjs’j residence in the Hospital, of the mystery of mixing medicines, as well as dressing wounds, and mending or rather assisting to maud broken hones, fell little short of that possessed by a professional man, so that in the absence of the Resident Surgeon any poor unfortunate victim of accident obtains considerable relief at once p-ndiug proper surgical assistance. Mr, King consented to withdraw' Ids resignation for one month, or until his place could ho supplied. As a new wardstnan had been i ngagod, and as King still remained, a squabble ensued, although it was clearly’ shown that the new arrival might possess no more knowledge of surgery, wounds or medic no than chopping wold or pealing po'atoes, consequently the managing (J inmitlce would not let King co. The disaffected hid no present complaints, butoneof them f mud out that some eight Vea"3 ago, apiticntha l complained of not being well treated by King, while it was also alleged that a'though patients had signed the book upon leaving the Hospital that they were satisfied and had no complaints to make, what they wrote and signed was .untrue, they were after all dissatisfied. This appeared to arouse the indu nation of the President, who replied tha’ persons having complaints to make should he prepare I to substantiate them, and not make allegations merely upon hearsay evidence—the time was close at ban 1 when the affairs of the Hospital would he in the hands of the subscribers, until then he should continue to do his best for the interests of the Institution, and with a. little more squabling the meeting closed.