ARROWTOWN.

Dunstan Times, Issue 717, 14 January 1876, Page 3

ARROWTOWN.

—o—(FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.) Happily, the elections are over, and Mr Manders goes in by a very large majority. The final result of the poll, as declared on Monday last, was : Manders, 261 ; Bradshaw, 200 ; Cope, 35. Manders and’Cope, it appears, run together for one issue, which was, that a local candidate should be returned. The election, as in the case of Mr Hallenstein and Mr Macassey, turned upon the Education Question ; both Mr Manders and Mr Cope are modified denominationalists, Mr Bradshaw is a strict sectarianism and so the war was waged, and the block vote which was destined for either of the two first gentlemen, falling to Mr Mandars he was duly elected. At the declaration of the poll Mr Man ‘ers and Mr Cope were loudly cheered by the successful party, and they both made capital speeches. Mr Bradshaw also spoke very well, but he was seriously interrupted, party feeling running pretty high. Mr Bradshaw attributed. bis defeat to malicious publications in the Wakatip Mail, and continued throughout the election, for which he threatens legal proceedings, narrow-minded local jealousies ami the Education Question, which had been trailed like a red herring before him. Otherwise, Mr Bradshaw took his defeat in good part, and I should imagine that his candidature has rather increased the number of his friends than otherwise. It is a great pity that he suffered himself to be persuaded by the small faction which sent for him. and which, like the Tooleystreet tailors, thought themselves to be tho people of the Wakatip, but whose miserable failure proved how little they were able to direct public opinion, and how little the public thought of them. Had Mr Bradshaw stood again for Waikai there is little to doubt but that he would have been returned. Telegrams from Roxburgh and neighborhood all go to show that he stood very well theie in public estimation, and need not to have been frightened by the great Horace Bastings. We appear to he on tho eve of a sheep and settlement war. The ample commonage facilities which the district enjoy excites the greed of the sheepists, and all manner of schemes are being laid to get possession of the peoples’ pasture lands, and a serious bone of contention is before us. It is, however very clear that the commonage does not bring in a revenue commensurate with its value, but tho fault lays with the Government not appointing a Board of Wardens to arrange it It is excellent cattle and sheep country, and were its uses properly applied a large revenue would bo oh tainable. To permit persons to take it up by mere applications to extend the area of their runs or to hold it for runs is unfair. If the Government desire to lease the commonage let it go by competition, and not by private bargain to a private few supporters of Provincialism. It is such proceedings as these which has brought Provincial Governments into contempt. Tho commonage is public property and lot all tho public have an equal show of getting it if it is desirable to dispose of it.

DUNEDIN. II; - (FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT,) January 9, 1876. Tho political excitement which has exercised the metropolis for tho past month is drawing to a close. Tho poll for Port Chalmers takes place on Monday. This election is looked upon as a most important one, inasmuch as tho constituency has for a number of years returned Mr Macandrew. The battle is now clearly Anti-Centralism versus Centralism, therefore it is hardly thought Mr Reynolds will succeed, though tho party who bring him forward are fighting hard to secure his return. Some slight damage has been done to Mr Green’s cause through the stupidity of a Mr MTndoo unwarrantly stating that he was acting for the League Tho chairman of tho League, whose letter, side by side with that of Mr M ‘lndoe in the Star, show that there is untruth on one side or the other. The man Jenkins, who is charged with setting fire to his place in George-street, is to be liberated on his own recognizances. There has, it appears, been a lot of bungling in the matter. In the first place the coroner failed to send in tho depositions in time before the grand jury were discharged. The jury ordered him to appear and explain the contempt, this he did, and of course the orthodox serious picture followed, and Mr Coroner was told he could go, but not to do the like again. The solicitor for the prisoner applied for a writ of habeas corpus, that he might be discharged, being in illegal cus tody. He is now out on his own bail, and is to appear on Wednesday next, when the judge’s decision will be given on the points raised. You have, no doubt, often heard of a storm in a teapot; but we have had one in a coffee stall, or rather a fire which caused some considerable amusement and chagrin to our Fire Brigade and populace It mus‘ be understood that on the sound of the fire bell a general rush from all quarters takes place, denoted by the number of peals of the bell, which in this instance was at the foot of High-street. The brigades both North and Central were soon on the spot, and hoseman No. 1 squirted a pannikin of water on the burning machine and extinguished the flames midst the plaudits of the thousands assembled, who, after a considerable amount of hauling and chaffing began *o wend their way to their homes, regretting so small a blaze was made for their edification. A coroner’s inquest has been held on the body of one of the young men who were drowned at the Ocean Beach. It is stated that the spot, which is near the Tomahawk, is a most dangerous place, and already some ix or seven have been drowned there. It is stated that scarlet fever is abating, and the cases are now of a mild typo ; but it is clear that it is not owing to the good sanitary condition of the town, for it is full of stinks, and one’s olfactory nerves are tried at almost every comer ; and would it be believed that the stench arising at the corner of the Hospital grounds is frightful. Of all places this should be at least apXiroaehable without the risk of encountering a malarious fever. The Evening News made its bow last night, notwithstanding the thunder of the typos. The proprietors, however, have agreed to pay their men the current rate of wages. The s. s. Hawea, with the Otago portion of the San Francisco mail, arrived this morning at Port Chalmers. The Matau, built by Messrs Kincaid and M ‘Queen, at Pelichet Bay, was successfully launched in the presence of an admiring crowd of spectators. She is to take the place of the Lady of the Lake, lately wrecked at the Molyneux, the port she traded at. She is to be fitted with fifty horse-power engines. Southland has gone in for Anti-Central-ism—her four men are all on that ticket. The return of so many of these makes the occupants of the Treasury Benches in a nit of (to use a vulgar phrase) a “ funk.” Their gran 1 coup de mam is likely to cost them the sweets of office, which, judging of the Hon. gentlemen who have for a long time—some for years—tasted, arc as sweet to them as a sugar barrel is to tho vagrant fly.