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Dunstan Times, Volume 641, Issue 641, 31 July 1874, Page 2

The Salamander steam dredge is busily at work, and wo believe profitably to tire workmen—the exact quantity of gold obtained, however, we are not informed. We are pleased to hear that the road works’ contractors, who wore kept so long out of their money, and to whom we rof jrrod a week or two hack, have since then been paid the price of their labor.

The amount of gold obtained at Sandhurst, Victoria, for the first six months of 1874, was 158,45.) ounces, and the amount of dividend paid was £232,078.

Wo direct attention to the advertisement in another column, notifying that the final dividend in the estate of W. F. Plow, of Dryhread, is now payable at the office of the Provisional Trustee, Dunedin. The result of the late Government laud sales, conducted, during the past week, by the newly appointed officials under the Waste Lands Board, are as follows : Ettrioh 1 203'.; Roxburgh nil (withdrawn); Alexandra, nil ; Clyde, 151. We are requested to draw attention to the sale by Auction on Wednesday next the sth of August, of Mr Thomas Oliver’s property (see Advertisement in anothei column), Wo are informed that everything is to bo sold without the slightest reserve, consequently it will be worth everyone’s while to attend.

Tt was stated in the House of Representatives the other night by T L. Shepherd, that, in a district with which he was acquainted, a convicted sly-grng seller ha I been placed on the Licensing Bench—a step which, of course, ho considered improper. The hon. member was asked to name, but remained silent.

The long stretch of frosty weather wc have had, is telling greatly against, the farmers, who as yet are unable to do any ploughing. We hear of a good many, who fearing, with the increased quantity of land lately taken np that cereal crops will not pay, intend to put their farms in pasture, and turn their attention io raising fat beef and mutton, and making butter. We are pleased to see this, and feel confident that the change of tactics will not only benefit the farmers, but the general public,

Speaking of the gentlemen of the “long rube,” a Westland paper says :—“During the progress of a ease in the District Court one of the barristers made anything but a complimentary reference to the quality of the spirits dispensed by the Peris of our np-coutry bars. Ho stigmatised the liquor vended as nothing less than poison, and strengthened his denouncement by saying that men were frequently urged to suicide through its noxious influence on their minis. Ilia Honor, later on, also joined issue" and expressed himself in somewhat similar terms. The opinion of lawyers on such a subject is not to be despised, for they are generally considered to be good judges of liquor os well as law.

The July number of the Illustrated New .Zealand Herald, the receipt of which we acknowledge, is equal to any previous one. An extra attraction is a four page Supplement, which contains 'an original story.

The Provincial Government Gazette contains a notification that Mr George Turnbull, M.P.C., will act as Provincial Secretary during Mr Donald Beid’s absence, Mr Duncan MTvellar having resigned. MrH. S. Fish, Jun., an ex Mayor of Dunedin, and Mr 11. J. Walter, the defeated candidate for the Mayoralty at the past election have been returned unopposed as members of the City Council.

Harper’s Weekly Newspaper, published in New York, gives a distressing account of the poverty existing in that city. It says:—“ Now the streets are filled with destitute girls, factory and workshop doors are closed on every sideand sixty thousand women are struggling without work, and without means to preserve life in their bodies from day to day.

A meeting of the Directors of tho Dunstan Flour NT ill Company, Limited, was held in tho Library Hall, Clyde, on Saturday evening last, when, besides getting through some preliminary business, a subcommittee was appointed to visit Chatto Creek, the proposed site of tho Mill, and bring up a report at the next meeting to be held on Saturday August the Ist, The Daily Times says:—“As an evidence of the confidence of business men in the future of Dunedin, it may be mentioned that a section fronting Stnartstreet, and which is to have a frontage to the Cumberland - street extension, was leased by auction yesterday, for twentyone years, at 214k 10a per annum. Facts like these should silence croakers.”

On Wednesday evening next the fitliof August the Ball in aid of .the funds of the Clyde Brass Band will take place. The Coinmittee’of gentlemen in whose hands rest the management of the affair are leaving nothing undone to render it thoroughly enjoyable, and we feel assured that so far as their efforts are concerned it will bo a success. The object is of sufficient interest to guarantee a numerous attend anco.

A deal of sympathy has been expressed for the young lad Joseph M'Guire, late mail carrier between Nevis, Cardrona and < 'romwell, but a review of the facts indicate that, to use, a just term, ho richly deserved his punishment. To four mind there are few crimes more serious, as the person who steals a letter docs not know the injury and.misery die may by such an act entail on others ; but it may with justice be asked, are not the authorities in a greatmeasure to blame, as it transpired in evidence that'the letters were placed behind a public Bar, and the mail-bag was never stamped with a Gov eminent seal. The practice of giving letters to Mail Carriers without passing them through the Post Office cannot be too strongly condemned, Tor either the mailman must reap a substantial gain, or the Government be defrauded of a portion of their revenue. It isjtruo that he is not supnnrcd to carry any letter without a postage stamp, hut does ho always act up to this ? In the case now under consideration, it would have been no great hardship for the Postmaster to have made up cither a supplementary Mail, or else detained the letter. Trusting a lad without any receipt with a letter, and ho not receiving very high wages, presented a temptation to which M'Guire succumbed. The boy has done wrong and been punished, and it is to be hoped that upon his liberation from gaol, wo shall have heard the last of this, to all concerned, unpleasant business. Wo take the following from the Guardian telegrams Upon the report of the Gold-fields Committee on the Gold-mining Bill being road,—Mr T. L. Shepherd msved the.Pill ho committed that day, but he said the second reading had passed with but one dissentient; voice, and yet the Gold-fields Committee, consisting of a few members, had absolutely refused even to consider the preamble of the Bill which the House had said was necessary. 11 was a perfect farce for the minority of the House to have power to sot the majority at defiance, take up the time of the House, and waste the money in printing for nothing giving the House in fact a slap in the face, saying, “ You are not lit to consider such a measure ; you know nothing of the subject,” He wished such an anomalous state of things to bo decided upon once for all. —Mr o‘Conor said the committee had decided last year that no such Bill should ho introduced without being circulated upon the gold-fields. As this had not bean done with this Bill till committed he declined to consider it.—Mr Vogel asked if it was desirable for tlie House, in the face of the report of the Gold-fields Committee, to order the Bill to bo committed. It was no criterion of the character of such a Bill if the House good-naturedly did not oppose the second reading of it. The matter had passed out of the control of the General Government, and if they were called upon to amend the existing system it could not 1. e done in a haphazard manner in the mi.ldle of the session These questions required much consideration and extreme caution. It was a difficult matter to get two Provincial Councils to agree upon gold-fields questions. Ho would recommend the Iron member not to press tor a committee on the Bill.—Mr Macandrewfsaid it was quite clear, from the observations of the Premier, that the quicker the House abrogated all control in these matters the batter, as it had shown its utter incapacity to deal with them. It had been amply demonstrated that a Goldfields Bill which suited the Thames did not suit Otago and Westland.—Mr Shepherd would not press the Bill against the wish of the Government, but, as the chief reason for its rejection by the committee was because it had not been circulated, he hoped the Government would immediately circulate a few hundred copies. —The Bill was then withdrawn.

( The usual monthly meeting of the Committee of Management of the Punstan District Hospitaljwill be held on Monday evening next the 3rd proximo. The following applications were dealt with at the last sitting of the Waste Land Board, Dunedin :—Mr Thomas Moo, of Sections 3G and 37, Block 2, Blackstone, and of Mr William Adams, of Sections 7, 8, 9, Block 3. and Section 3, Block 2, Leaning Bock district, for Exchange of Leases, and the application of Messrs Cargill and'Anderson, to purchase Section 1, Block 7, were approved ; the last parties application for.Section 33, Block 0,, was refused.

The Thames Advertiser understands that shares in the Manuka Gold-mining Company, which have long lain dormant, arc now offered at 121. each, and as there are six thousand shares in the mine, this price represents the market value of the mine at 72,000/. Some months ago, when the Manuka battery was disposed of, we believe the reserve > price on the entire mine, which might have gone with'the battery, was only 500f. This mine isjheld by three shareholders, and until lately they were pledged not to dispose of their interest without the consent of the other two shareholders ; but this is no longer the case, and one of them contemplates disposing of a portion of his interest. The following is taken from the Thames Evening Star On going to the office on Sunday morning last one of the operators the Grahamstowu telegraph station discovered that there was something wrong with the wires = there was “ contact ” where no contact should be. The linesman was at once started along the line to discover what was wrong, and, having done so, to put matters right, lie rode out as far as Parawai, where he found out the cause of the interruption. A goose had gone and Led itself in a knot amongst the wires, bringing them into such close proximity with each other that the clco-

trie current was diverted from its ordinary channel. It appeals that that the Para wai geese take to flying, and it is supposed that the one found amongst the wires was caught while flying d own a hill, and iu trying to extricate itself only got the more entangled, and eventually strangled. V’c have frequently heard of birds getting killed by corning into violent contact with tin) telegraph wires in their flight,'but this is the first instance which has come under our notice of a tamo goose

getting killed through incautiously fly ing instead confining its movements to the usual graceful “ waddle. ”

On a recent Sunday evening a goodly number of hoarders at a cci tain well known hostelry in Oamaru were sitting round the fire with a few friends, engaged in suitable conversation, when one proposed that, as the weather was bitterly cold, a little whisky hot would be agreeable. All present joyfully assented. The boll was rung repeatedly, but not answered. Alas !it was Sunday. One venerable party proposed sacred music, and at once started a good old long metre tunc, in which all heartily joined to the end—about fourteen verses. Another good old tune was commenced, and as the grand harmony swelled and pealed through the building, (a wooden one) Bocifaco appeared, and, although lie for some time stuck by the Licensing Ordinance, at last ho consented to supply the liquor, at the same time adding, “ Church bells couldn’t make me open the bar, hut that second old tune did it.—North Otago Times. JEglcs in the Australasian says—“ 12 chained convicts are not exactly the travelling companions one would select for Ids sister on n railway journey. Certainly better chained than otherwise.- A gentleman travelling to Geelong the other day, in a second-class saloon carriage, was just a HUlo stai tied by a d uzon manacled prisoners, attended by four policemen, clanking into tbo carriage in which lie was seated. My friend, not being thin-skinned held his ground, but other occupants of the carriage beat a precipitate retreat, pro testing against the indignity offered them. 1 am told that thrusting prisoners and hi natics into mail coaches carrying free travellers is now forbidden ; and why should such an outrage upon propriety and decency be_. permitted upon a railway lino managed by the Government.? Surely it would require no superhuman effort to hitch on to a train one of the railway prison cars constructed for this vary purpose at great cost. The thing is so monstrous that lam sure it only needs mention to he remedied.”

“ Several sensational rumors have boon afloat, says the Geelong Advertiser, re-

speoting tlio mysterious disappearance of two rolls of bank notes from the Bank of Australasia. The facts, as they have boon related, are as follows On Saturday, after closing the bank at 12 o'clock, Air Brewer, one of the clerks, left the premises and went- homo, forgetting to remove some of the cash received during the day from the drawers to the safe where it is always deposited. A few hours later, the messenger connected with the estah lisiiincut, tin ding two bags used for holding coin on the floor, was in the act of placing them in one of tho drawers, when ho perceived that the cash had not boon withdrawn and locked away as usual. Tiro manager, Mr Ingram, was informed of the circumstance, and Air Brewer having been sent for, the money was counted to see that all was right, when it was found that two parcels —one consisting of thirteen 01. notes, and the other of twenty If. notes, making altogether 851, were missing. A search was instituted, but the money could not be found, and tho police being communicated with, the matter was placed in tho hands of Detective Alackay. 'As yet no clue has been obtained as to the direction in which the money has disco;,oared, but the circumstances tend to*show that it must have been abstracted by some one intimately acquainted with the establishment

The nomination of Councillors and Auditors for Clyde, in place of retiring members of the old Council, took place at the Town Hall on Saturday last, the 25th, resulting in the election—being unopposed—of Messrs Christophers and Cambridge as Auditors ; Mr S. Welsford, Councillor for the South Ward ; Mr C. Hueston, Councillor for the West Ward. For the East Ward, Messrs Beck and Aldridge were nominated, and there being but one vacancy the scat will bo contested, the poll taking place to-morrow (Saturday). The Guardian says there is likely to bo a fluster/ legally as well as politically, about the election of Councillor for High Ward. The difficulty arises from one of the candidates’ nomination paper being signed by his brother. Steps were taken to obtain the opinion of the Attorney-General. This is what he says “ i think the citizens whose names have been signed did not necessarily perform the manual act of signing, but they could, I think, delegate their discretion. The nomination is a quasi trust. If, therefore, the signatures have beer attached are authorised to attaching of their signatures to the nomination of the person actually nominated, then I incline to think it valid. But, in any case, the nominations should be acted on as valid, leaving the question of the invalidity to be decided by the Supreme Court, in the event of the election of the person whose nomination is questioned.”

It has been remarked that one half of the population are unacquainted not only with the “glorious uncertainties of t e law,” hut also with the very laws themselves, as it now appears that it is a very heinous offence to “stand in front of a Policeman” and the offender in this instance was no other than a well known Boniface of Cromwell, who was also charged at the last Court by the same Constable, and mulcted in the large sum of live shillings and Costs ; and now again be appears as an obstructionist “ by standing in front of a Constable ” —surely this is straining the law too far, and calculated to lower the high estimation in which the Otago police are justly held, but fortunately this haphened at Cromwell and not Clyde. Wo take it that the obstruction must be something substantial and not merely visionary, as tbe mind of a Policeman is as 'table to expansion as that of any othei member of soo ety.

Under the Betting Law of England and \ ictoria betting is not allowed in any house or place. The Judge? of the Court of Exchequer have decided that an umbrella, the handle being stuck in the round is a place within the meaning of the Act, and fined a man £5 for standing under an umbrella on the Chester racecourse, and making bets. The Australasian, after reviewing the case, says—“ The actofhetting, therefore, is legal, hut any man by so doing renders any place ‘ a locality for himself,’ so as to invite customers and let them know where ho may be found, is guilty of an illegal act. And perhaps, after all, it is as satisfactory a state of a fairs as regards betting as could be expected. those who wish to hot can indulge their propensity to their hearts' content, while, for the sake of conserving the appearance of public morality, all outward demonstration and intimation of the bookmaker’s calling is prohibited. ‘ The Babel of the ring’ is now all that is left to the profession, and that surely is enough, if they do business in proportion to the noise they make on the racecourse.”