FRIDAY, JANUARY 7, 1876.

Dunstan Times, Issue 716, 7 January 1876, Page 2

FRIDAY, JANUARY 7, 1876.

According to latest advices to hand the elections go to show that public opinion on the Centralist and AntiCentralist question is pretty evenly balanced. The feeling in the towns appears to be mostly in favor of AntiProvineialism, while that in country distiicts favors Centralism. This indicates pi-etty clearly who has enjoyed the largest portion of the public expenditure, and who has obtained the least, and it is quite evident that country constituencies consider them selves to have been wronged by the town ones. We do not think the distinction of Centralists and Anti-Cen-tralists, as put by the Daily Times a fair one, the two extremes being, in our opinion arbitrarily fixed It is very clear that in the matter of the Abolition of Provincialism the country is perfectly unanimous in its favor ; and the next thing we have to consider is what form of Government shall supply its place. The division of the Colony into two or four Provinces will not be so very easily accomplished as many would desire, the difficulties being almost insurmoui tahle, while at the same time the consent of other parties has to be obtained. It is all very well for a certain class of politicians to declare in favor of one particular form of Government, but the question is, will it answer the purposes of all parties, and whether others may not promulgate some other scheme which may throw theirs completely into the shr.de 1 It appears to ns that the real question for consideration is, how we shall preserve what we have got; and how we can keep hungry neighbors from coming and helping themselves to what is not theirs 1 ? For these reasons the difficulty to be met is, to some extent, rather one of expediency thin of policy. To ensure to us the management of our own affairs and preserve the Provincial revenues is to continue the Provincial boundaries, and by no means whatever part with the individuality of Otago, as, under any other circumstances we must divide with 01116115 and become ksers thereby. Supposing we make one Province of the South Island, the seat of Government would require to be in Canterbury, and that city would become the political and commercial centre of the Island, to the great loss and deterioration of the value of property in Otago, Dunedin especially. The sacrifice on our part would be enormous, and we had much better deal directly with Wellington, as that city is not likely ever to become a commercial rival. Divided into two Provinces almost equal difficulties exist; the striking of the line of division would lead to no end of quarrelling. Tiiis would have to be done somewhere through the very heart of Ganteriuny, the valley of the Raikai for instance ; and would Canterbury consent to give us half of her rich pasture lands for the poor insolvent Provinces of Marlborough, Westland, and Velson? Such an exchange is not at all likely; while even then-we could not let the North Island go without making some special contribution towards the Defence Force : it would ho mean to desert our fellow colonists in the North merely because they are troubled with a lot of turbulent vebellous savages. To preserve the Provincial boundaries and substitute Boards of Land and Works for the present Provincial Councils, and then divide the Provinces into Shire Districts, nppears to ns the most suitable means of meeting the difficulty, and best calculated to suit the interests of all parties. The scheme is a practicable one, and quite easy of realisation.

We are requested to intimate that the annua! statutory meeting of house and laud holders for the election of School Committees will he held in each educational district on Monday next, the 10th instant, at 7 p.m. We understand that the hut of Mr C. T. Mario was lately entered by some mean thief and a sum of money besides some other articles stolen therefrom. The police, we believe, have been unable as yet to run the thief down; we hope, however, his career will not bo a long one. This is the first robbery wo have heard as being committed ia this district for a very long time.

The successful tenderers for the stock in trade of the assigned estate of Jeffery and Fraser, Clyde, were Hallcnstein and Co., Cromwell, diapery; Finlay and Morris, Alexandra, crockery; J. Hazlett, Clyde, groceries. The furniture and other small things, we understand, were disposed of privately.

Newspaper enterprise is by no means dead in the interior. We are informed there is every probability of a second newspaper being started at Naseby, with the object of advocating political views which it is considered by its promoters are more in consonance with the opinions of the Mount Ida electors than those expressed by the existing local journal.—Guardian. On th« afternoon of New Year’s Day, Saturday last, the Clyde Caledonian Sports Committee gave away in prizes, which were competed for by all the youngsters of the Town, and some few of the young men, the balance of the monies held in hand from the gathering on Boxing Day. The games contested were wheelbarrow, and flat races, jumping, &c.

On account of Mr Walnutt leaving Clyde, where he has been for some time past a resident, the Brass Band gave a dance, on Wednesday evening last, in the Town Hall. Mr Walnut has been iu the Government Service as Telegraphist here for some time past, in which capacity he has given general satisfaction, and it was with feelings of regret that we heard he was shortly to he removed to Dunedin. As a member of the Band, Cricket Club, &c., he was highly appreciated, and hr his new sphere we wish him success. The dance was well attended. We would draw the attention of the whole of our readers to the announcement of the Picnic to be held at the Clyde Parsonage, on Wednesday afternoon next, the 12th instant. Mr Dewe informs us that it is an invitation to all from far and near, we therefore hope to see a numerous attendance. To those acquainted with the grounds of the Parsonage, we can say that they alone, in this treeless country, are well worth visiting and will well repay one the trouble. New Year’s eve was celebrated by a midnight service in the Church of England, Clyde, the Rev. Mr John Uewe officiating. Tire attendance was good. Up to the present our squatter friends have had very bad weather for their shearing operations ; with the present fine weather however they will be able to get on apace. The rain, though it has had the effect of keeping the wool on the sheep’s back a few days longei than otherwise, has yet done a great deal of good, it having wonderfully improved the pastures and effectually laid the dust.

\Ye notice that Mr Grant is making good headway with his contracts. The approaches are all but finished, and the work of the bridge is going a-head apace. The most of the material is on the ground, in f- Cl, so far at we can learn, everything ex. epting the big wires, which, however, are expected daily. : Mr Grant expects to be able to hand over his contract “The Clyde Bridge,” by the specified time, but when it will be ready for traffic—through wanting the connecting link between the main abutment of the bridge and the end of the approaches, a distance of some 20 feet—is is very hard to say, as, up to the present it is not settled as to whether the Government or the Corporation is to be at the expense of this. We shall defer making any remarks till further communications with the Government are replied to.

The Guardian understands that Sir Francis Dillon Bell has withdrawn from the political contest for the representation of Mataura in the House of Representatives. We are requested by the Resident Surgeon of the Dunstan District Hospital to acknowledge the receipt from the undermentioned gentlemen, Messrs Hazlett, Attfield and Welsfovd, Hastie, Fames, and Hawthorne, of a lot of delicacies for the use of the patients during the chiistmas. The considorateness o' the gifts is deserving of special mention and more than ordinary thanks, which we most heartily unite in giving, Abolisl^* w *wincialisra and we shall have public wontwamrried out economically. So say some, Well here is a specimen. The new railway bridge here, has been under way for many months. There is one mason and two laborers at work, and they are superintended by a resident engineer, and two Government inspectors ! Economical, very, but it is said the official staff is so hard wrought that their health is giving way, and assistance will he necessary.— Clutha Leader. A reward of LIOO is offered to any person who shall first give such information to the Police as will lead to the arrest and conviction of one Martin Cunningham, who is charged on warrant with having, on or about the 25th of November, 1875, at Lake Chou, murdered one Hugh Hannah. Cunningham is an Englishman, but looks not unlike a half-caste, a sailor and station hand, about 35 years of ago, 5 feet 7 inches high, stout square build, with broad round ffat face. One of the oldest horses we suppose known to tame in the district, Mr M'Morran’s Roderick, was to the fore again at the Arrowtowa races, when he won the Hurry Scurry, carrying however only 461bs. During the hearing of a case in the R. M. Court, Queenstown, the following dialogue occurred.— Plaintiff, “ I sue in this case be cause I understand the defendant intends filing a Declaration of Insolvency, and because he refuses to transfer his mining claim to me as security for my debt.” Mr Finn, Solicitor for defendant—“ Then you wanted a preferential claim on his assets.” “ No Sir, I wanted a sluicing Claim.” The polling for the Wakatip election takes place to-day, the 7th instant. The candidates in the field are Messrs H. J. Cope, H. Manders, and J. B. Bradshaw. The Mount Ida election takes place on the 17th instant, for which seat Mr C. da Lautour, Mr E. A. Chapman, and Mr H. C. Hertalet contest. We have to acknowledge receipt of a volume of statistics of New Zealand for 1874.

A Melbourne telegram states that Baron Rothschild, the Parisian banker, is expected to visit Melbourne shortly. Judge Gillies, in his charge to the Grand Jury at the last session of the Supreme Court held in Nelson, remarked as follows : —“Before ho met them again an Act of Parliament would ba in force by which persons accused of crimes would bo allowed to give evidence in their own cases. This would be a great improvement on the existing law, as it would frequently give those accused an opportunity of explaining what would otherwise be hidden, while at the same time the guilty would often bo condemned out of their own mouth.’’

A change in fortune is thus reported by the Bendigo Advertiser lately One of the earliest residents in Sandhurst, Mr H. oaloshin, has just returned hero after a lengthened absence in New Zealand. In 1853, together with Mr Moritz Cohn, Mr Joseph Walloch, and Mr L. Wolfe, he erected the Criterion Hotel in Market square. He left Sandhurst iu 1852 for Deniliquin and Hay. For a considerable period these allotments did not rise in value, and ho left for New Zealand in 1869, without attempting to realise upon them ; but so greatly has land increased in price of late in those localities that Mr Saloshin now finds his property to be worth from LIO,OOO to L 12.000.

The “Intelligent Vagrant” in the New Zealand Mail tells the following story : “Mr Fitzherbert ia not easily taken aback. On nomination day, at the Hutt, so soon as he had done speaking he lit a cigarette and put a box of matches in his coat pocket, where they presently took fire. An excited friend rushed up to him, and with horror in his face, informed the man who had so often set the Colony ablaze that he himself was alight. Mr Fitzherbert did not stir or jump, but quietly pointing to Mr Hutchison, who was talking political toast and water, said, “ Can you wonder if I light up under such fiery eloquence.”—Guardian. We understand that oue of the party that was engaged in su.veying a track from the head of Lake Wanaka to Jackson’s Bay on the West Coast has been missing for some time, and fears are entertained for his safety. It appears the missing man, whose name is Lindsay, was ordered by the head of the party, Mr Hutcheson, to go from where the party was at the time encamped at the Haast river, but from the time he left the camp, though diligent search was made, nothing has been seen or heard of him or of his collie dog, which he had with him.

The Wakatip Mail, after enumerating eight persons who have filed declarations of insolvency within the past few days, says : We believe a few more will be added to the list before the new Act comes into force, after which it is to be hoped the district will be spared from further degradation. A New York journal advertises for two compositors ‘-who dont get drunk,” and adds that “ the editor does all the getting drunk” necessary to support the dignity of the establishment, and can swear “a few” lif occasion should call. An American exchange says:—“As a nation we are afflicted with two much law. Here we have Congress in full blast for a fourth of the year round—bunoumming, blackguarding, blowing, and conspiiing to plunder. Next comes our ■'Hate Legislature, holding over months at a stretch—enacting, amending, repealing, guzzling bad whisky, or mixing in doubtful expedients. Then our city councils, sessioning ad nauseam - contracting, dividing, multiplying, and subtracting from the people’s pockets. The Law used to he considered the perfection of human wisdom—a regulation of communities for guarantee of individual rights. Just now it would seem like an arrangement of a minority to ride roughshod over the natural privileges of the great ma jority.”

The following advertisement appears in a late issue of the Dunedin Evening Star:— “ Wanted to know if the Secretary of the Anti-Centralist League receives an appointment worth Ll2O per annum from plausible Mac in return for services rendered j is Honest John properly remunerated with a single payment of L 43. The following are the names of the successful tenderers for carrying the mails for the year 1876. Dunedin to Clyde and Queenstown, John Chaplin, L 3200 ; Ophir to Drybread and Tinkers, J. Mellor, L3O ; Cromwell to Nevis, T. Gilmore, LIOO ; Cromwell to Bendigo, T. Gilmore, L 73 ; Bendigo to Cardrona, T. Gilmore, LIOO. From the Tuapeka Times we learn that on Wednesday evening last a presentation of a handsome gold watch and chain was made to Mr Hugh Craig, driver of Cobb’s co»oh between Benger Burn and Cromwell. Mr Williams, of the Victoria Hotel, Lawrence, in whose house the presentation was made, said Mr Beaton and Mr Cummings, of the Beaumont, were the prime movers in the matter, that the idea was at once taken up along the road and that L 62 was collected, with which the watch and chain was purchased. Mr Fraer, mayor of Lawrence, who made the presentation, said he had great pleasure in being present to perform such an agreeable task. He had travelled by coach several times with Mr Craig, and thought he well deserved the acknowledgement of his services for keeping up, many times under difficulties, internal communication with the goldfields This present would show him that ho had the good wishes of everybody in the district, and he hoped he (Mr Craig) would live long to wear it. The watch bore the following inscription : “ Presented to Mr Hugh Craig in appreciation of his uniform kindness and obliging disposition whilst driving Cobb and Co.’s coach from Lawrence to Clyde during the past five years.” The following is a list of the collectors, and the sums collected by each ;—Mrs Hopkins, L2 12s ; Mrs Howard, 10s ; Mr M'Laughlin, L2 2s ; Mr S M’Beath, Ll7 8s ; Mr Cox, i (Clyde) Lll 13s; Mr Robertson, (Alexandra) LII 17s 6d ; Mr M ‘Leod, L 7 17s ; MrG, B. King, L 8 18s. Total, LC2 17s fid.

The Wakatip Mail in speaking of the re* turn of Mr Pyko ns Member for the Dunstan district, says “ The result has not surprised anyone here, Mr Pyko’s ability ia well known, and having been an old resident of the district which has wisely returned him, it is natural that he should have been preferred to even a local man, who has never, as far as we know, distinguished himself in any capacity as a public man.”