The Dunstan Times. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 1880.

Dunstan Times, Issue 962, 24 September 1880, Page 2

The Dunstan Times.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 1880.

Beneath the rule of men extikely just</i TEN is MIGIITIEK than <7lt swonn

Owing tn the lateness of the hour to which the County Council sat. last night, we are compclle Ito hohl over the dehate on Cr Colelongh’s motion relative tn retrenchment in County management. The dehato will appear next week. On Sunday evening last, at about 2:) n. past S o’clock, a sharp shock of earthquake was felt at Clyde, the direction being from S W. to N. E.

The coming fruit season promises to be a prolific one. All the gardens throughout the district are a mass of blossoms. The farmers have well nigh got all their crops in ; a good deal of the autumn sown wheat is a long way out of the ground and looks well, as also some few paddocks of oats. The s-ttlers on the K-roseVn.Ji b’...-k arc se'ting into work in earnest—some ploughing and harrowing, others fencing.

1 lie following oliituary notice was handed to us for insertion At Earnscleugh, shortly after the ten per cent, reductions, and from the shock of which, increased by starvation and old age, “ Tapioca,” a faithful Civil Servant, and relict of \V. 1,. Simpson Esrp, It.M Let him 11.1.P. “For take him all in all, we ne’er shall look upon his like again.”

Mr it. Stewart, manager of ila«ksburn station, informs us that he is now employing about 4!) hands on the station exterminating the rabbits, some being engaged in laying poison, others in preparing it, others packing it out to the layers, and ■ others again in picking up the skim, and that about twenty thousand skins a month are brought in to him. This will give some slight idea as to the number of rabbits there are in this part of the country ; but when it is considered that not above onefifth of those killed are found, the other four-fifths dying in the burrows and under the rocks, a still better estimate can bo formed of the hordes that infest the country. Mr Fraser, of Earnscleugh Station, lias also a large gang of men and boys engaged on his run in tlo destinotion of the rodents, but we have not heard of the results of his elf irts. Both gentlemen tell us, however, that on account of a largo tract of country on the southern boundary of their runs lying unoccupied—a portion of it Crown 'amis, the other poition a run hold by one Mr ITainson—on the whole of ' A bii'li the pest is unmolested, and consequently is li erally a breeding ground or warren for th on. All that they are doing is little better than nothing, as for those they kill others again swarm in upon them from the adjoining country. Now it strikes us that if there is no remedy for this sort of tiling a very great omission has been made in the law, and the sooner it is remedied the belter. But we cannot believe that any such omission exists. The Babbit Nuisance Act invests the Trustees with p >wer to expend money in the ridding of country of the pest, and to sue the owner or holder for such expenditure—that is if such owner or bolder refuses or neglects to t ike steps himself ; and we hold that the Government an I the representatives of encumbered estates arc equally liable with freeholders an I leaseholders. The question is one that should bo settled, and the Babbit Trustees cannot do better than to test it.

The Fraser river linco Mondiy last has been danger,.u-dy high, and it is to be sincerely hoped the County Council will agree to erecting a bridge at the crossing.

Miss Jenny Nyo and party gave another of their pleasant evenings entertainments at the Town Hall, Clyde, last Wednesday, before a large and appreciative audience There was an entire change of programme, which was gone through to everybody’s satisfaction Miss Jenny Nyo and Mr Fisher were as happy as ever in their parts, being ably assisted by Messrs Marshall and Manning. Madame Ermyne officiated at the pianoforte in her usual masterly way. Pressure on our space prevents our giving a more lengthy notice, but we can recommend the entertainment as being well worthy of patronage.

Our Blacks correspondent says : —“Tt is my sad duty to record the death of one of the oldest residents of the district, who died on the I Sell instant, the wife of Mr J. Hughes. A kinder hearted woman never live I —she was one ot the first to tender services in any case of sickness or trouble. The large concourse of people at the funeral showed how highly she was respected aiTl esteemed by all who knew her—fully 203 attended her remains to the cemetery. Too burial service was read by tile Rev. Mr Clinton, of Clyde.”

On an I after the Ist October the undermentioned stations are to be exempt from the additional charge of fi I on telegrams : Castorton, Clinton, Coromandel, Uargarillo, Diiving Creek, (close I,) Peitherston, Geraldine, Grey town (north,) Halcombe, Himinui, Kaitangata, Kumara, Ngaruawham, Olmupo, Outram, Oxford, Rangiora, Southbri Ige, Te-:,wamntu, Tcmiika, W’.-.ik-ouaiti, Wailali, bate (Blueskiu,) Waverley. Wiuton, Wynb nn.

The service of song “ Eva,” as given in the Town Hall, Alexandra, on Friday evening last, was most successful. The choir were well up, both individually and col Icetively, in their parts, and the solos and choruses were well rendered, and Mr Rees was particularly happy in his readings.

I think it is in instrous (said Judge Harvey the other day in dealing with an ajip'icaiiitu for the discharge of a bankrup') that a man should be allowed to take up land upon deferred pivment when ho sees no chance of paying the whole of the instalments. I have Sven instances where the amount paid on the land to the Government by the holder was sufficient to satisfy all his creditors, and I think in such cases the money should be refunded 1-y the Grown for that purpose. Of the late 11 cv Mr Dewc, whose death wc recorded last week, the Bruce Herald writes “ Ho arrived in this Colony from Ivivjland in the ship Benicia, sometime in the year IS4S H was entitled to and re ccivtd from the Otayo a sooiation giants of 50 acres and It) acres respectively, of cnmtry lands, and a quarter acre town section. This last lie selected at- IMiohet Bay, and die 50 acres he selected m ar Milton, which he named the Grove, where Mr Gcorye Jones now resides. Mr Uowe had been trained for the ministry, hut was not then ordained. After Mr Mnsgiavc, the first 11. M., left Tokomairiro, Mr Dewe was appointed R.M. in 1 SU'2, and performed the duties until he finally resigned, when Mr J. I*. Maitland was appointed. Mr Dewe used to hold service in the Church near the Cemetery. About the limn he resigned.his position as II M., he got into Some slight difficulties with a farm ho had out, near the present Church of England parsonage, and finally he gave up farming. He was duly ordained, and proceeded to

the Dimatan about the year 1872, since then he moved to Invercargill. Mr Dewe was esteemed by everyone who knew him. Ho was essentially a good man in every sense of the word, and will be remembered by many in this district with feelings of loving regret.” Goldsbo rough’s Monthly Circular for the month of September in speaking of the third annual show of stud sheep, says : “ The number of sheop was not quite as large as on previous occasions, but the quality of the exhibits was pronounced by competent judges to have been unequalled at any previous exhibition in Australia, This is very high praise, and it must have been extremely gratifying to those gentlemen who have been instrumental in starting the association to find that their efforts to improve the stock of the colonies are meeting with d ue appreciation and success. Indued, the influence of such an association on our staple product cannot we think he over-rated. By the persevering and intelligent application of the knowledge and experience gained by these exhibitions to the improvement of our flocks, wo can, by the aid of our uurivalle I climate ami pastures, produce a merino wool possessing qualities that will reu ler it an absolute neecssi'y in th; production of the finer and more valuable goods which arc now coming into almost universal consumption, owing to the constantly increasing prosperity and wealth of the middle and the woiking classes.”

The Himhm correspondent of tlie Times writes ;—“ Soon shall it be known whether the Otago Central Railway is to bo proceeded with or to enjoy a spell. The formation on the Hindon section is almost finished, and it is computed that the 15 miles from Mullocky to Deep Stream has not cost more than the six miles on the Wingatui section, though the work on the former has been much rougher and more difficult of execution than on the Utter. A number of men now employed here will have to clear out in a week or two unless in the meantime fresh orders arrive at the camp. It remains with the Government then, either to open work somewhere else, or throw the men a burden on tlie already overburdened settlers, or proceed with the Otago Central. In case the work is opened elsewhere, then the plant is to be removed from here, which will not cost loss than tlie formation of the next section, the only rough portion of the remaining part of the line. Should the unemployed he sent on the ‘wallaby’ (they have saved hut little hero, 1 fear), then the electors will, I am S'- 1 re, be very choice in their selection of representatives at the coming elections. Then the continuation of the Otago Central recommends itself. Much money has already been spent on it. It opens up the country, enhances the value of the hind, firings gold and coal within easy distance, and benefits not only Dunedin and Otago, but the public at large.” This is what the Wairarapa (Wellington) Standard says: —“The Southern papers commenting on the late scene in the House consider that many of the members hid liven too frequently to Bellamy’s. In other words they want to make out that many of tlie members were “ ha'f seas over.” There is no truth in the supposition. There was not more than one man in this condition and he came from Southland.

The following is from a Melbourne paper A correspondent writing to Messrs Hoyle raid Scott on the doings of the Australian Eleven in England, supplies the following gossip Tlie remarks 1 heard in sonic instances were very amusing. One of the crowd said to Ids neighbor that it was not surprising the Australians fielded so well, as in Australia they got the natives to throw the ball at them, and to save themselves from being struck, caught the ball. Another fellow said the Australians had been playing together this last two years, and had done nothing but practice all that time on purpose to defeat the Englishmen. They called Spofforth the demon emu, and said that the reason he was such a good bowler was that he was an emu hunter, ami made his living by catching emus, his mode of operation being to knock them over with balls made of wood, the same size as cricket balls. [ enjoyed the conversation of the yokels muchly, but male no remark. I may mention that the members of the Australian team are much stouter than when they left Victoria. Bonner now weighs I met an old gentleman, about SO years of age, who toll mo that ha had seen all the host players this last 50 years, and ho never saw a fielding team like the Australians. The wicket-keeping of lilackham he considered marvellous, lie said Paling, the Lancashire man, was very good, but Black - ham was more than bis master.”