The Dunstan Times FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 1879.

Dunstan Times, Issue 906, 29 August 1879, Page 2

The Dunstan Times FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 1879.

Beneath the rule of men entirely just the pen is mightier than the sword.

In every trade and profession in the world there are to be found men to whom the honourable traditions of their class are as nought. Perhaps there is no profession wherein the adherence to honourable action is more strongly marked than in that which is known, and glories to be known, as “The Press.” And when a member ot “ The Press ” falls from his high estate, and —prostituting Ids type to his personal prejudices—sullies the honour of his profession, he commits an offence against the community at large, and against his brethren in particular. And With this gross and unforgiveahle offence we charge the Editor of the Cromwell Argus. It is matter for regret that we should occasionally be compelled, in the interests, of the community, which the Argus insults and we i epresent, each week, to even recognise the existence of such a libel on the district. But falsehood, if permitted to pass unchalleng“d, may, with weak-minded people, obtain acceptance as truth. And therefore only it is that we are, as it were, necessitated now and again to chastise the champion falsifier of the newspaper press of this County. And whilst doing so we desire to call attention to the attempt made by our indiscreet contemporary to expose the authorship of an article which appeared in our columns last week. The person who writes in the Argus explicitly and in so many words implies that Mr Vincent Pykb (he docs not even avoid that gentleman’s name) was the writer of an article which lately appeared in our columns. VYe shall not imitate the had taste of the Cromwell writer. Nobody ever accused the proprietor of that paper of writing anything, hut wo think those of our readers, who know us, will give us credit for being able to write a leader without the assistance of Mr Tyke or any other man.

As to the substantial question now before the people, we feel quite satisfied that Mr Vincent Ptke will bo

returned as our member, and this notwithstanding any number of “ Captains ” or Philistines who may venture to oppose him. The dirty sneer of the Argus that Mr Pvke’s income “ is derived from sources that demand no vigilant care at his hands,” is worthy of such a paper. The Cromwell Argus is nothing it it is not nasty.

We have authority for saying that the date advertised in the Cromwell Argus for Mr Pyke to address the Electors at Cromwell is wrong, Friday, the slh of September being the day fixed upon, and not Tuesday, the 2d. The instructions given were by telegram, and as follows :—“ Advertisement will address electors Bannockburn School-house first Cromwell fifth.” The correct days of Mr Pyke’s meetings are to be found in another column, to which we refer our readers.

The date of nomination for the ensuing Election for Member of the House of Representatives, as will be seen on reference to the advertisement under the hand of the Returning Officer, is fixed for Wednesday next the 3rd of September, and the poll (if any) on Saturday the 6th. Humour has been busy with the names of several gentlemen who were to contest the seat with Mr Pyke, but from the fact of none hiving, up to this, intimated itheir intention, we can but presume there will be no contest. The Cromwell Argus, which it is to be suppose! speaks with authority as to the actions of some of th rumored candidates gives the following :—“ It, is almost a certainty that there will be no elect'on. Strong efforts have been made to get, Mr S. N. Brown to stand, but we believe that gentleman does not at present see his way clear to contest the seat. Mr MacKollar was at one time spoken of, but he has definitely declined.”

Though the mornings and evenings are somewhat cold and frosty, winter may fairly be said to have passed. With the warm days the frost is well cut of the ground, the farmers have therefore been able to get on with their ploughing, though in many places, on account of the wetness of tho ground, but little seeding has yet been done ; the effect of this will bo to keep back the crops fully a month later than last year. With all the warmth, however, uo perceptible difference lias been made in the flow of water in the races, mining in the sluicing districts, therforc, is not yet in full swing. Wo are authoritatively informed that Mrdeffery, bailiff to the E.M. and Warden’s Court, Cromwell, has been appointed Assistant Clerk at Roxburgh. The attention of owners of horses are called to the programme of the Spring Meeting to he hold on the Dunstan Race course on Thursday, the 23rd of October. We look upon the programme as a liberal one, and one that should bring a fair field of burses.

The Molyneux is keeping lower than wa ever remember to have scon it at this season of the year. The circumstance is most favorable the contractors of the Alexandra bridge, who are thus enabled to push on with the building of the pier on the East side. Should tho present favorable state of things continue for another week or two, we are informed the pier will be so far advanced, that if a flood should occur, it will make little or no difference.

The water-race heading from the Lauder creek, ami terminating at Blacks township, and which was up till lately iu the market is, we are credibly informed, withdrawn from sale, the proprietary (Chinese capitalists) having determined to extend it a distance of about a mile towards the lower end of the township, and to work some ground discovered to be highly auriferous. This should be good news for the tradespeople of Blacks, but how it comes about that the ground should have b.eu left for our Mongolian friends, when there is to much said about the number of unemployed, and the depressed state of business, is a question that can be only answered by one or other of two ways. Ist—That the Chinese capitalists and laborers have more push and energy in them than the Europeans, or secondly,- That the cry of bad times and the unemployed is all moonshine.

The Chess Congress, which is now taking place in Christchurch, is causing a large amount of excitement all over Xcw Zealand. Our local champion—-the Rev. T. E. Ash—who is one. of Otago’s lepresentativcs, has not as yet realised the expectations of his admirers, and occupies a kind of middle position. There are eight players, each of whom lias to play fourteen games, and there are three prizes. The following shows the state of the tournament so far as news is to hand Jacobsen, played S, won 6 ; Hay, played 6, won 4 ; Bray, played 7, won 4i ; Hookham, played 6, won oj ; Veel, played 4, won ; Ash, played S, won 3J; Janion, play d 9, won li; Newman played 4, won 0. The halves denote drawn games.

We have to acknowledge the receipt from ahe Government printer of a batch of Parliamentary papers, and Nos. 8 and 9 of Hansard.

By the last English Mail we received from the Agent General’s (Sir Julius Vogel) Ofßce, Lon lon, a copy of a book, entitled “ Land a id Farming in Now Zealand,” edited by Sir Julius Vogel, for the information of intending settlers. Besides the information respecting the mode of acquiring land in Now .Zealand, particulars as to wages, cost of provisions, copy of the Land Act of 1577, a vast amount of other infjrmation is given, making as a whole as useful a book as conld possibly have been compiled. There, aro also two colored maps of the North and Middle Islands, shewing the exact land tenure up to June, IS7S. Intelligence respecting the Laneefiold striking-up case states that Lanceiiod is sixteen miles from the railway lino and be-

ween thirty and forty miles from Melbourne. The Commercial Bank is the only one in the t township, and thirty yards away the police camp is, the two buildings being only divided by a fence. When the men entered the younger took out a ponket-book and turned over the leaves The other man said “ We are the Kellys, and have secured the police, ” at the same time presenting a revolver at Mr Morrison. They afterwards took out a piece of rope and tied and gagged him. The younger man then went round the counter, but hearing a noise in in the dwelling-house, put up the chain of the door leading to it. One man then opened the teller's drawer and took all the money. He asked for the key of the safe, and Mr Morrison said the safe was open. They found this statement correct, and took out LIOO pounds in notes, asking if that was all the money in the bank. Mr Morrison answered in the affirmative, but the fact was that there was L 4,000 in bank at the time. When the men the safe Mr Morrison, though gagged, murmured that the LIOO of money in the safe was his own, and that the elder made the younger return it. After having obtained all the money they could get they decamped. When Mr Musty, the creditor, came into the bank and was bailed up be thought it was a joke. He was locked up in the manager’s room, and seized the opportunity to hide his money—L2oo, under the hearthrug.

The Daily Times says “ A very common error is made regarding the honorarium. It is supposed by many that when a member goes up for only a few days of the session he can pocket the whole amount. It is had enough as it is, but not quite so bad as that. They can do arithmetic in Wellington as far as rule of three, and they make a rule-of-three sum of it, as thus;

As the amount of the honorarium (CHO guineas) is to the number of d-ys in tho session, so are the number of days of actual attendance by members to their respective shares. If the session, for instance, was 30 days long, and a member only attended three days ha would only get one-tenth of the amount, and soon. It is as well we should not paint hungry members blacker than they deserve, which is black enough iu all conscience. ” '

A good story is told of a city merchant who lost a gold watch, quietly advertised for it, and paid for its recovery HO to a man who confessed that he had stolen it. Being anxious to know how it had been done, this condoner of felony asked for the story. The thief, having the 10 sovereigns safe in his pocket, stated that he had run up against him in Bow lane, and so abstracted the watch. With admiring attention the owner of the watch showed the thief out of his house, and returned to congratulate himself and to tell the story to his wife. When he got inside again, however, he found the watch gone the second time, and the 1.10 with it.

It is hard professional pride to remain silent when a good obi tradition of tho craft is outraged. Tlie other night, when a new drama was produced at a London theatre, the gallery was crowded, and tho “ gods ” Were pleased to approve of tho piece generally until the burglary scene. But, when the burglar was seen “ doing “ the place with all the blinds up, so that lie could be seen “ at work ” from the street, an expert present could bear iu it no longer, hut yelled out, “ \\ by don’t you pull your blinds down ?”