FRIDAY, MARCH 26, 1875.

Dunstan Times, Issue 675, 26 March 1875, Page 2

FRIDAY, MARCH 26, 1875.

The report of the proceedings of the Waste Lands Board, which appears in another of our columns, still shows that extraordinary body to be blundering over the management of Provincial estate. If ever thickheadedness prevailed in any of the Public Departments it is in the Waste Lands Board. That body refuses to be enlightened, or to do their business in a business-like manner, persistently adhering to the principle of doing things badly. It is satisfactory, however, to learn if we may believe what the Daily Times says, that, “taking into account the number of occasions in which valuable buildings had, during the past five years, been got by giving a few pounds for the freehold, it was considered by the Board that a change in the present system ot selling land was desirable.” We should really think that it was high time something of this sort was attempted. The loss sustained to the Piovince by the mismanagement of this body has been considerable, and a very great deal of public property has become alienated for sums far less than its real value. In some few cases this may have been obtained, but then it was only the result of an accident. The system under which land has been sold is something amounting to the ridiculous, and all through a little stupid economy in not giving sufficient publicity to what was for sale through the public newspapers, as well as refusing to appoint professional auctioneers, substituting instead officers belonging to the Survey Staff, Clerks of the Court, or policemen, there has been both great loss and confusion. These officers doubtless did their best, but they nevertheless did the work badly, fm reasons that it was not in their line of business, and so long as it was got through some hosv or another that was all they cared about. How many land sales have we seen, where, for want of duo publicity n

advertising scarcely half a dozen purchasers have been present, when there should have been at least fifty or one hundred, and the property has been sold at the upset price, the parties dividing it amongst themselves, and re-selling it immediately afterwards at twice and throe times what they gave for it, to persons who would have gladly been present at the sale. Then, how many nice little slices of country have been obtained by rnnholders and others through a smuggled application to the Waste Lands Board, to purchase, because no one had heard that the land had been thrown open, the required knowledge being strictly entombed in the Provi”cial Gazette. If it pays private persons to give all due and sufficient publicity to a land sa'e, as well as to employ a professional auctioneer, it should do so with the Government. Many land sales have been conducted where so much as a plan was not obtainable, whilst in most iustances there was never more than one, a sight of which was o dy obtained by crowding and hustling. The Waste Lands Board is certainly not up to the business of the Province, and it is an obstruction to the course of settlement instead of being an assistance.

The Wakatip Mail, evidently suffering from the complaints of its subscribers that it indulges too much in politics, to the proper recognition of the value of the mining industry of the Lakes’ district, says —“ We are not going to follow the example of such a journal as the Dunstan Times of always lauding up its resources, which, after all, never realize the sanguine expectations of that journaland then continues on with a long and dreary article condemnatory of Sir George Grey’s election to the Superintendency of Auckland, and argues that if its readers are not interested in the matter, they certainly ought to be. We must, however, remind our friend the Queenstown “ oracle of wisdom ” that, notwithstanding he may be the recognised sieve through which all local knowledge passes ; and, however well he may be _ posted up in Auckland politics, he is profoundly ignorant in those of the Dunstan. ' The minin'* industry of this district never was upon a more healthy footing, or promised bettor for the future. Our large mining companies are for the most part dividend paying ones, instead of upon the point of being wound up by disappointed and indignant shareholders ; while extensive undertakings are in progress that will give a very considerable impetus to the development of our mineral resources in the future. Without the Dunstan our Queenstown contemporary would scarcely have an existence, as, were it not that we are the chief consumers of its farm produce, the population at the Lakes would bo' even very much less than it is now. In municipal matters much has been accomplished, both at Clyde, Cromwell, and Alexandra. In the case of the former the Corporation have long since acquired a water supply to the t >wn, and there is also plenty for irrigating the numerous fruit orchards which exist there, while a considerable stream runs down ineach of the water channels to be found on either side of the main street, between the roadway and the kerbing of the footpaths. A bridge, costing £3,340, to cross the Molyneux at the south end of the town has been commenced, and the Corporation had neatly £IOOO in the Bank to their credit, to start with. In the matter of incendiary fires we have been almost exempt. There have'been no cases of child murder; and while possessing splendid garden®, the owners thereof do not value their apples or peaches at the price of little boys’ lives. Any local mining intelligence of importance we obtain for our selves, and do not require to copy it from the Dunedin Eveuing Star, after the fashion of our contemporarv, whenever he desires to know what is. doing up the Shotover. No one declines to read our newspaper so that we have been compelled to reduce the number of our issues under the pretence that “ times are so bad and lastly, a recent visit to the Wakatip confirms our opinions that that district was never so bad as its representative organ would make it out to he. We would advise the editor of the Wakatip Mail for the future to confine his reflections to the confines of his own middens.

The Rev, J. Dewe, the newly-appointed clergyman (Church of England) to the charge of the Dunstan District, arrived at the Parsonage, Clyde, on Tuesday evening last. Previous to leaving Roxburgh, Mr T. Coop, on behalf of the congregation, presented Mr Dcwe with a becoming farewell address, which was accompanied with the gift of a purse of sovereigns. On Monday evening last a deputation cf the leading citizens of Clyde waited upon His Honor Judge Grey, and presented him with an address expressive of the high esteem they entertained for him, both as Judge of the District Court, and as a private gentleman. The interview was a very brief one, His Honor being in a very weak state. On Tuesday he left by coach for Lawrence, but, owing to the inclement "State of the weather remained at the Toviot. He was able to resume his journey by the coach on Thursday.

Miss Ellen Phinn, the daughter of Mr Robert Phinn, of Nevis Ferry, was severely burned and scalded by falling over a stove at her father’s residence on Tuesday last,

Mr Pacho requests ua to draw attention to the Sale by Auction on Thursday next the Ist proximo, of the farm holding, cattlo horses, agricultural implements, &c., the property of Mr W, Insloy ; also, to the sale on the' Saturday following the 3rd proximo of Cattle, Books, and other property at Black’s No, 3.

Since the work of quarrying stones for the piers of the now bridge crossing the Molyneux at Clyde have been in progress wo have almost imagined ourselves back again in Sebastopol. On Wednesday afternoon a more than usual powerful shot was fired, which fairly shook the earth, frightening no end of people. The effects of the explosion were to lodge several dangerous pieces of rock on the main road, as well as amongst the houses at the north end of the town. One piece of atone actually penetrated the roof of a building. Against this dangerous practice the Mayor and Corporation must not turn a deaf ear.

We have to congratulate our Alexandra friends on the completion of the new approach to the Perry, and also the contractors Messrs M'Connochie and Tohill, for the manner in which they have completed the work. The approach is from 24ft. to 42ft. -wide, with an easy gradiant of lin. to the foot. It is metalled with a heavy coating of rough gravel mixed with loam When once set it will he one of the best approaches to any punt on the goldfields. With the low scale of charges, and unprecedented attention of Mr M‘Kersey, theowner of the punt, the new approach will considerably accellerate the increasing heavy traffic on the Tuapeka road.

It is the intention of the Provincial Government to assist persons desirous of prospecting for quartz reefs by subsidising their e[Torts to the extent of L2OO in any one case. In the event of no gold being struck, the claim and tools are to he sold, and the amount realised to be divided amongst the subscribers to the .fund. When gold has been struck, the same process may be followed. Public bodies and private persons may join in the scheme. According to the Charleston Herald, from which we extract the following,,the publicans there must ha an unsophisticated lot when they put the screw on in this manner: ceiving notices of withdrawal of advertisements from four out of the five publicans of Charleston who have hitherto favored us with their support. The reason given in each instance for so doing being ‘ the dullness of the times.” Had nothing else transpired such would have been received as a genuine and satisfactory reason hut we know now that the persons above referred to have, in solemn conclave assembled adopted this course to mark their disapproval of the conductor of this journal and the other members of its staff being members of a temperance society. The publicans seem to overlook the fact that this journal is not a temperance organ that it is conducted impartially, and that the private opinions of any one member of its staff have no more right to ha called in question in affecting the policy of the paper, than the private affairs of any other member ofthe community have to be called in question by the public. The proprietors of this journal, however much they may regret a loss of patronage, will not seek to coerce the concieneions convictions of their workmen—especially on the subject which the publicans evidently wish them to do.”