The Dunstan Times. CLYDE, FRIDAY. JUNE 9, 1882.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1051, 9 June 1882, Page 2

The Dunstan Times.

CLYDE, FRIDAY. JUNE 9, 1882.

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

Fourth Pack.—For balance of reading mat er see f. uirth page. Dentist—Mr Straker, dentist, informs ns that he will he at Dickie’s Hotel on Monday next and following days- “ Hansarp. - ’ -We have to acknowledge the receipt of the first number of Hansard from tho Oovernment P.-inter, together with a quantity of Pailiamen'ary papers and Bibs.

Hotel Licensee.—Hotel-keepers will do well to bear in mind that license fees have to be paid within fourteen days of the sitliny of the Licensing C-mrt, and not at tho end of the month as formerly.

CT. vuE Library. A meeting of the Clyde Public Library Trust and Committee is to he held this evening at 8 pm. Members are particularly requested to attend ns tho business is of importance.

“Crown Lands Guide.”—The Government Printer lirs foi warded the May number of tlio “ Crown Lands Guide.” Besides the usual information regarding land for settlement it contains two splendid maps of rhe North and South Islands

“Snow, Beautiful Snow.”—Tim first definite sign of winter appeared on Monday morning last when the hills—and, for the matter of that, the flats—the streets of Clyde oven, wore covered with snow. The indications are in favour of a severe winter. Blasphemy,—’V e learn from the Tahir I diat Bishop Moran at t.ho close of the service? at St. .Tosonh's on Sunday last intimated that prayers would he offered in futile at the. end of the Masses ns a reparation for th- Maanhemy which was so much preva-

lent at present, and for which Dunedin particularly is u ito 1.

The Deep Leah, Blacks —Work in still being pushed ahead at the Company's Deep Lead Claim, at Blacks No. 3, with prospects equally as good as when first hotfomed. The shareholders are quite jubilant over their prospects and fullu expect to reap a good reward for their labo.s.

Oh tiir Track.— The Pleaeanl Creek' News (Victoria) has the following;—“ Detective Forster left Stawell the other day for the metropolis, to commend his inquiries in New South Wales and New Zealand concerning Charles Forbes, who's supposed to have been murdered between Stawell and Deep Lead on the 20th December last. Scarcity of Water. —Right along up to the present time there has been a plentiful supply of water at Tinkers and Drybread and other places under the Dnnstin Ranee, and all the claims have been running with full heads, The last three or four nights frosts, however, have so materially reduced the supply that many of the claims will have to, if they have not already,' knock off running. Deferred Payment Settlers. A copy of memorial or petition to the Legislature (drafted by Mr Connell) by deferred payment leaseholders is lying at the store of Mr Naylor, Clyde, for signing All deferred payment leaseholders if ?they study their own interests will not omit to attach their signatures to same. A similar document is at Blacks, the Ida Valley and Lauder Hundred settlers should, toJaTman, siyn.

Reduction of Railway Rates for Flour.—We learn from ft ho \Cowrhr that Mr J.'l’atten-on, of Tapanui. received intimation from Mr Vincent Pyke, *M.H.R , member for the district, that at his reque t the Ministerlof Railways has decided to reduce thojrate of freight on flour and oatmeal to the same price as grain. Mr fyke’s action in this matter will be a great benefit to country millers.

Quadrille Assembly.—We understand that a quadrille assembly will be held in the Town Hall, Clyde, once a week durum the ■'-inter months. There is little question hut that something is badly needed .whereby to while away in a pleasant social manner one evening in the week. There is a strong likelihood of its success, as the conducting of the assembly is in the hands of one who commands the confidence of all classes—Mr. W. Heney.

A New Style op Teeth —A curiosity was brought into town yesterday by the son of Mr J. Ferguson, Swiftburn, in the shape of a rabbit’s head, in which the incisor teeth of the jaw have each grown to fully an inch and a half in length, and round, the ends just touching the jaw again. Thus the animal was unable to close its mouth, the rings—forthey are thus be st described—being entirely within the mouth. When the rabbit was caught it could scarcely run, and was reduced to almost a skeleton. The skull is to be forwarded to .the Dunedin

Minins at Blacks, The question of getting the Deep Lead, B'anks No .3. prospected by means of boring rods, is beinv mooted. The idea, to our nun’, is a very excellent one and would doubtless pay for the outlay, inasmuch'as by their means the course of the deep ground would be traced and the nature of the drifts learnt. To ihoroughly and offieontly do it will doubtless cost a good bit of mousv in the pur. chr.se of pi; cs to sink the 'ore in, and in the calcinations of the exp e this i'rm must not he lost sight of. 8 . far as the rods are concerned, ih- county set are now lying idle and can be had for nothing, and there being skilled labor in the field the present is a good time to go in to it.

The Crain and Stock Market All sort of drain are in demand thnm/noat the district at fairly remunerative prices. For I moderate sized pare is wheat may he quoted at 4s, and oats 2s 61 per bushel. For next year’s crop, however, there is little or no preparation being made, as in hut a solidary paddock here and there is the plough yet to be seen. During the last few weeks there has ho n a great clearing out of cattle, prices for them consequently arc on the rise. We have hear I of several small mobs of mi Idling fat steers changingowner. at from £3 to £G ills per hfa ! ; whilst stores may he put down at £2 15s to £3 or and mixed young catt’e at £3 per head. The farmers just now are reaping a veritable hacvcs 1 , and high time too, as they have had hard times to face the last two or three years. Black’s K.M. Court.—A num'er of sly-grog-selling cases w:re dealt within the Resident Magistrates Court, Blanks, on Weknesday last, but the whole were either dismissed or withdrawn, sufficient evidence not being forthcoming to prove payment for the liquor supplied, all the witnesses alike being for the occasion blessed or cursed with wonderfully deficient memories, One witness was specially amusing, though wishing to speak the truth and the whom truth he felt the false position ho was in, and when pressed by the prosecution for an answer that ho thought might he damaging to the accused lie would appal to to the Bench to know if he was hound to reply at the same time in the most apologetic tones, assuring I lie Bench that the charges had nothing to do with him, and that much against his will he was dragged into them. All the cases, however, as we before slated fell through. Birr ox tub Nevis Road.—A sevenroomod farm house of Mr W. Parcells, on the road between Nevis and Cromwell, was totally consumed by lire on Tuesday after noon last, about halt-past two o’clock. On receiving information of tho event, Sergeant M‘Bco.l proceeded to tho spot and instituted enquiries It seems that Mr Purcells was at the time in the chaff house some little distance from tho dwelling. On observing the smoke ho van to the place, only to find that tho flames had got a firm hold hevond tho power of extinguishment by one man with no water or other assistance at ham). Thu p.-, uer managed to get <nt only some 1114 worth'of property before the house was a smouldering min. The Louse was insured in the South British i fflce

for £l5O, and £SO on furniture ; but over and above this Mr Parcells estimates his loss at not less than £l5O. It is not known bow the tiro occurred. —Cromwell Argus.

Sale AT OPHtK.—Mr Foche reports having sold by auction, atOphiroo Wednesday last, by order of the mortgagee, etc. 3, block I. Ophrr, together with the store and dwelling-house, butcher’s shop and stables, for the sum of £2sl—a price that must be looked upon as highly satisfactory.

“Australasian Medical Gazette.”— We have received No. 8 of the above journal, issued under the authority of the combined Australasian branches of the British Medical Association. It is full of instinctive information and statistics alike valuable to the medical] and non-raedioal men, and is Well worthy the partronage of all in the profession.

Prospecting at Tuapeka.— The Tunpeha Times is {informed* that three or four parties have, in response to the Tuapeka Prospecting and Mining Co.’s advertisement volunteered information as to the existence of likely localities for gold bearing reefs. The Company are very anxious to do all they possibly can to develope the mineral resources of the district, and is to be hoped that those parties who wish to see the mining industry again in a flourishing condition in our midst will do ail that lies in their power to second the efforts of the Prospec ting Company. It is said that several old and experienced Victorian quartz miners during their sojourn in this district have come across good gold-bearing} stone, and that they have kept the secret to therase ves in the hope that they would be in a position sooner or later to set to work in these likely spots. If such be the case, we trust that these parties will boldly come forward and claim assistance from the Company, who, we feel assured, will deal very liberally with all parties making application in a fair and legitimate manner.

The Morning Herald.— In reference to a paragraph which has been going the rounds (f the papers during the last few weeks, we take pleasure in inserting thefollowing contradiction which appeared in Monday’s Mommy Herald:— Certain parties, doubtless jealous of the prosperity of the Morning Herald, have resorted to a species of warfare which is not only unjournalistic but unfair, but which is based on untruths. The Herald having a short time ago assumed a more independent, tone in its criticism of public men and measures, gave some little offence to a few of those interested in it. but while the slight irritation thus created has subsided, yet on the strength of false rumours some of our contemporaries have inserted a local about us for sinister purposes. We can only assure our contemporaries that tho popularity of the Herald is increasing, and that it is not only a favoured medium for general advertising, but is the journal for the public ifinn nf many public bo ?I* ■'* mu rfitw folia and the Government Gazelle for the Provincial Districts. The circulation is such sto warr ant nr in predicting a prosperous f-i'ure for the Herald. Tho tact that it is gaining favour in different parts of to e colony as a journal of a thoroughly indepen- entch-irac-ter should remove any apprehension on the partof our contemporaries as toils tburou.h succa s.

j Yankee Grab. - Tim d-oision given in a case tried in the Dunedin Court lately re- : gaining an alleged breach of the Licensing | Aot ia of importance to hotel-keepers | "This is a charge on information'!hah defe . | daat snff -red a certain’unlawful came, to wit, “ Yankee grab.” to he carried on in her licensed premises, the Captain Cook Ko cl, contrary to section 149 of ‘-The Licensing Aot, 1881 ” The evidence discloses that two games known as “ Yankee grab” were played with dice, the stakes in each game being 3s. The defendant was present during a portion r{ the game, and it does not seem that she made any inquiry or attempted to put a stop to the playing, and she personally supplied Fqnor to the players, which by a usual condition of the game, was to be paid for out of the stakes There is here ample evidence that she knowingly suffered the game to be played. It has been submitted that suffering a game or two to be played is not suffering it to be “carried on’'; that the statute prohilils allowing gaining to he continually or habitually pursued, hut nothing more. The words of the Act are somewhat loose, but there can be no doubt that the mishief to be prevented is the allowing of an unlawful game, and not the keeping of a gaming-house, which is provided for by another statute. To agree with the argument for the defence I would have to hold that the Legislature intended to tolerate a little unlawful gaming at an hotel, but to prevent it being excessive. My opinion is that the provision is intended to he entirely prohibitive. The test question is whether the game played is an unlawful one, and this is the point ! have taken time to consider. I find it laid down that playing at cards, dice, etc., as a recreation and for moderate sums, and withont cheating, is not an offence at common law, and all the prohibitions against it are the work of statutes. The Gaming and Lotteries Act of last session deals extensively against houses kept for gaming, and persons gaming therein, ami other matters, but does not affect a case like the present in which there is no imputation that the house is kept for gaming. I have, therefore lo fall back upon the statue 13, Geo If., chap. 19, and by section 9 all games invented or to be invented with one or more die or dice (back-gammon and other games then played on back gammon tables only excepted) are prohibited under a penalty of £SO. The game proved to be played was with dice and comes within the prohibition, and is therefore an unlawful game, being ! fo bidden bylaw. The defendant is con- | victod and fined 50a