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Dunstan Times, Issue 939, 16 April 1880, Page 2

Register ! Register ! Register ! We cannot too strongly uree upon all the necessity of placing themselv s upon the Electoral Roll. Not that wo expect the Roll for 18S0-81 will he called into requisition, there being no probability of an elec ion, but on ihe principle that it is at all times better to be prepared than to be taken unawares. Moreover, the Electoral Roll is taken as an index of the intelligence of a district, and when it is seen that out of a possible population of, say one thousand, only three hundred enrol themselves, then accordingly is that district valued—looked | upon as a kind of poor relation and treated with but indifference, whereas if the larger proportion of its inhabitants are represented on the Roll, then it is looked up to, and feared foiv its weight rather than otherwise. There are many and weightier reasons than these why the Roll should be well tilled, not the least being that labour should be well represented, and be able, if necessity should demand it, to counteract with its voice any attempt on the part of capital that may be considered inimical to the true interests of the district. The Legislature during the last session, in providing for manhood suffrage or a six months residence qualification, doubtless hail this latter reason in view, and a pity it will be if ’trs not not taken every advantage of. Minors who hitherto had the privilege of voting on their right, will do well to bear in mind that that qualification is now defunct ; and accordingly if they value the privilege, they should register. The law, jas it now stands, is—That the existing Roll I revised, and all applications to register made up to the 81st instant, will bo and comprise the Electoral Roll for the district, aud that when one hundred extra applications are made, then, and not otherwise, can the Roll he altered or amended. By this it will he seen the necessity of a general application being made, as it will be a difficulty to scrape together another hundred names after the roll is once formed, it may fairly be assumed that all those who between this and the 31st instant do not lodge their claim for enrolment, will be disfranchised for years, as to get together another hundred in any one district we t.hiuk would be a difficulty imieed. The qualifications are —lifting possessed of a freehold of the value of L2o —having resided within the Colony of New Zealand lor twelve mouths, and within a district for six mouths preceding the date of making the claim for enrolment. Forms can be obtained from the Registrar, Clyde, from the Clerk to Court, Cromwell, and we believe at all Police Stations. To save, however, unnecessary delay, we give below a copy of the claim as follows : CLAIM TOR ENROLMENT. To the Registrar of the Electoral District of I hereby claim to have my name inserted on the Electoral Roll of and 1 declare that my name, place uf abode, aud occupation [or addition] are correctly stated at font hereof ; and that I nave resided within the Colony of New Zealand for twelve months and within the said district for the six mouths immediately preceding the date hereof. [Note. — ll'Aeu the claim is in respect of a qualification other than resilience, state particulars of same'and omit reference to residence] Dated the day of ISSO. (Name) (Address) (Occupation) Signed... ( Claimant) Signed aud declared by the claimant this day of in the year ISSO, befure ,Qe Signed (]Vitnw) An elector of the District [or Registraticm Officer or J, P.]

It is expected that Parliament will reassemble on the 30th May. A shock of earthquake was felt at Clyde on Saturday morning last at about a quarto ten o clock. Vincent Pyke, Esq., and James Rivers, Esq., d.P.’s, were during yesterday engaged in the revision of the Jurors’ Lists fur the district. Works in connection with the re-erection of the Clyde Bridge are being pushed ahead. The moorings for the suspension wires are all in position, and we notice that the pulling down of the old turrets preparatory to re-building the piers has commenced. Some question has arisen as to whether *he bridge to be constructed will bo sufficiently high to be out of the way of any further floods. It is to be hoped the County authorities will see to it that the bridge is not built a second time so that there will be the slightest danger of its succumbing to the next or in fact any other flood. While the work is on hand, to raise it a few extra 'feet will cost but a trifle, whereas to rebuild it is no easy task. We are informed that the Railway Commissioners were highlyjpleased with the accommodation of the Dnnstan hotel where they- stayed on Monday night last, remarking that sineethey left Wellington they had not not had the equal not oven at Masterton. A petite desert, including grapes, green almonds, apples and [tears they' were particularly pleased with, each expressing their surprise when informed they were all grown m the neighborhood and out o doors. The foil owing telegram has been placed at our disposal fur publication “ Walter Inder, Mayor of Naseby, bad bis house and furniture partly destroyed by fire at 8 p m. on the 14th inst. It was accidentallycaused by' his child throe years old. The house and furniture were insured in the Norwich Union Office for L3oo. The total damage is estimated at about L 500.” We are pleased to state that the funds of the Ounstan District Hospital will benefit to the extent of nearly fifty pounds sterling, the which, together with the subsidy, means LIOO, from the entertainments lately' given at Clyde, Alexandra, and B'acUs, in aid of the funds of that valuable institution. Too much praise cannot be given to the ladies and gentlemen who, at ■i“ small trouble and expense to themselves, gave their services on each occasion. As the season is fast approaching when fires will bo a necessity in every room, we cannot too strongly recommend heads of families, before they indulge in the luxury, to invoke the aid of Tom Webb, who advertises himself as the real sweep. Mr Spence H Turton notifies in another column that he has commenced practising as solicitor and conveyancer in Cromwell. A notice appears in onr advertising columns, of lands open for selection in the Lauder, Tiger Hill. Shotover, and kawarau Districts, at 20s per acre. Application may be made at any Laud Ofiiee in Otago on or before Monday next, 19th lost. We note the arrival in Dunedin hy the ship “ City of Florence,” from l/indon, of Captain William Jackson Barry. We .vas requ ;-ted to intimate that thn memhbers of the A.0.F., Alexandra, intend giving a Ball on the 21st of next month. Advertisement, with full particulars will appear in future issues. We are requested to direct attention to the sale by auction by Mr Facho of household furniture, etc , to morrow, belonging j to the Rev. Mr Asb, who is leaving the ■ district. See advertisement for particulars. I The various County Councils are nowreceiving notification from the Treasury of the intention of Government to discontinue the payment of subsidies after the expiration of the current financial period. We notice by advertisement that the thoroughbred blood entire horse Roebuck is for sale. By an advertisement in another column it will bo seen that with the view of raising funds on behalf of the Otago Benevolent Institution, the Committee have decided on holding a monster bazaar and bruce auction and other amusements on or about the 31st May next. Following after our own local hospital as deserving the support and assistance of the general public, we place the Benevolent Institution, and we shall hope the call for assistance will Oe liberally responded to. We shall lie pleased to take charge of any articles and will sec they are forwarded to their destination. We learn by our Milton exchange that Mr Michael Kett, an old resident of Alexandra has succeeded Mr Thomas Staubrook another old Dunstan district resident, in the management of the Royal Hotel, Milton. We have to acknowledge the receipt of Bradshaw’s Share Report ami Investors guide for April, ISSO. To speculators and investors the report is valuable and well worthy of inspection. Tenders for leasing the Recreation Deserve -extent 2o acres—between the School and the Hospital will close on Saturday the 17th instant. Those who arc desirous of possessing a capital paddock should make enquiries as to the conditions of lease. The Tablet says—The Rev. T. Keboe has been appointed to the new mission of Riverton and Wiutou, the Rev. I’. O’Leary to Cromwell, and the Rev. W. Burton, lately arrived from England, to Dunedin. The Wellington correspondent of the Press writes to that journal on Monday—“l hear on apparently good authority, hut not from official sources, that it is probable the Government will introduce next ses sion, a modification of the provisions in the Municipal Corporations Act respecting valuation, by arranging that the Government Valuators under the Property Assessment Act should supp’y valuations to municipal bodies at small fixed charges, thus enabling the municipal valuators to be

dispensed with and their salaries saved, while securing more uniform and reliable valuation throughout the colony." We have to acknowledge receipt from the Government of a batch of Parliamentary papers, including, amongst others, a return of all monies paid to newspapers for printing and advertising for the fifteen months ending 30th September, 1370, amounting to L 22,018 7s lid; a detailed statement of the liabilities of the Public Works department ; reports of gold-fields, and other Committees, 4c. At the sitting of the Waste Lands Braid held on Wednesday the 7th instant, Mr J. Blakely applied for license for deferred payment lauds, section 2, block X, Poolbum district; but the application was declined as the applicant already held one section under deferred payment, and could not be allowed to make another selection.—Mr C. C. Boycs applied to purchase 2300 acres of land ou Run No. 3 to, known as Peninsula Hill, Wakatipu district, in order to fence the same with wire netting, with a view of exterminating the rabbits. Application referred to the District Laud Officer for a report. At a recent meeting of the Southland Comity Council it was stated that the credit balance in the bank was LG 1,200. At the last meeting of the Lake County Council, a letter was real from Mr Warren ( proprietor of the Wakatip Mail) complaining of the difficulty of obtaining access to documents and other communications dealt with by the Council in consequence, for a long time past, of the eccentric conduct of the Country Clerk who (when not absent from the Chambers during office hours and duly waited upon) assumes the ro'e of dictator by withholding any document which, according to his light, the Press has no j right to see. The writer who asked—in consideration of having to maintain two I printing establishments within the County —of a fairer share of support than the Comity Clerk—who : “also exercises the j sole right to dispense favors and patronage in this direction ”as he deemed fit. It was unanimously resolved that all documents 'discussed at the Council table be open to inspection during office hours to | any member of the Press, provided such j can be executed without loss of either I mmey or any reasonable time of Clerk.”— I At the same meeting a petition was received I from J. G. Adams, 11. J. Cope and others, j stating that L40,U00 had been expended in | opening lip the Macetown Reefs, and that jif a proper track is not sc,on formed to them the mines will become unremmicrative and interfere with the prosperity of the district. In discussion upon this, it was ssserted by Mr Edgar that LLIOO had been expended by tbe Council in making a road from the Tipperary claim to the public battery at Macetown, solely fur the benefit of the former. ! From late Sydney papers wc observe that Miss Fid lor, the pmaiere tuish-c.is </<? la cuisine of New Zealand, has most successfully open'd her classes in that town. At the first lesson over bOt) ladies wore present, while half as many again were unable to gain admission. Tbe Now Zealand Herald publishes the following extract from a private letter from , a gentleman in Wellingtou :—“ From what i I ran gather, I should not he surprised to I learn that when the House meets, Minisj ters will bring in an amended Couut'cs Act. In many provincial districts the Act is I wholly unsuited to public requirements, whilst in other counties the amount of expenses for management leaves but little for the real work which the framers of the enactment contemplated. In the proposed now bill extended powers of borrowing are talked of, consequent upon the state of tbe exchequer being such that all subsidies must be stopped in the future.” Referring to a paragraph in last week’s issue iu which a sale of 80,000] bushels of oats at Bi'l was reported, and which was extracted from the Otago Daily Times, tho Vi'aimate Times thus contradicts the statement “ There are only two persons that we know of in the district who have 80,000 bushels of oats to dispose of, and neither of these lias, wo are informed, as yet marketed his crop, Tiie only' largo sale wo have heard of was a line of 11,000 bushels, at Is 3d. We are aware that smaller parcels have been bought at Is, but arc informed that the purchasers found their own bags and took delivery from the threshing mill—tho price being thus equal to from Is 2d to Is 3d delivered in town. The Dunedin message about the 80,000 bushels at 8J 1 is therefore, wc fear, only' a dodge on the part of some member of a corn riim to rig the market and keep prices down, though the rates for oats this season is already so low* that the trick is especially disgraceful. Farmers are losing enough by tneir oat crop without being cheated into selling it for a rate which represents only about half the real market value.” A rather amusing incident occurred at Masterton lately. It appears that an unfortunate debtor there had 11 the man in p issessiou ” as an unwelcome guest at his house for a night or two, and getting tired of him, suggested during a quiet game of cards that a beer would do them no harm, and induced the bailiff to go and fetch tho liquor. Meanwhile the debtor fastened doors ami windows and prepared for a seige, but was heartily disgusted to find the limb of the law iu a very short time make entrance by' descending the chimney* ( Previous to doing this Mr Bailiff, with careful regard foi bis habiliments and the majesty of the law, had impressed a small boy' to get down tbe chimney' and open the door, but the adventurous youth went down the wrong one, much to the astonishment ot the occupants of an adjoining tone'meat. T imam (say*s tho Oamaru Mail) appears to be infested with a number of the undesirable class of ruffians that are nightly showing the cloven hoof in Oamaru, Premises arc infested with them, servant girls cannot stir from the doors of their dwel-