THE Evening Star. THURSDAY, AUGUST 5, 1869.

Evening Star, Volume VII, Issue 1950, 5 August 1869, Page 2

THE Evening Star. THURSDAY, AUGUST 5, 1869.

Had Mr Stafford been at the head of the General Government, and Mr Vogel Provincial Treasurer, when the Otago Hundreds Regulation Bill was introduced into the House of Representatives, by this time Otago would have been at fever heat. Nothing can be stranger than the change that has taken place between the General and Provincial Governments. When the Stafford Ministry was in power, no terms would have been deemed too strong to use in condemnation of the audacity of the assumption by the Central Government to control the land system of the Province. As a climax, the Provincial Treasurer would have denounced it in the strongest language as the first step towards the appropriation of the land revenue. There may be no clear logical connection between a law framed for the proclamation of

Hundreds and the absorption of the land revenue for Colonial purposesBut logical connection would not then have been studied. It could easily have been pointed out that where there was a deep-laid, ulterior design, the sap should not be visible, but the approaches, preparatory to the final should be secret and stealthy. The result would have been that then, as now, the Provincial Government would have placed itself in a determined attitude of resistance to such an encroachment upon Provincial privileges. It would have been referred to the resolutions on Hundreds passed by the Provincial Council last session, and indignantly protested against the utter ignoring of them by the House of Representatives in the Bill lately passed. We believe that indignation would have been just. A greater slight could not have been put upon the Province by Mr Stafford than has been perpetrated under the Fox and Vogel Ministry nor is it one jot the less because the blow has been dealt by professed friends, and meekly acquiesced in by Mr Macandrew, who according to the correspondent of the Daily Times , sees in the consequences of the measure the happiest results. Perhaps we ought not to be surprised at the audacity with which this one sided measure has been brought forward and passed. When Mr Vogkl introduced his compensation resolutions in the Provincial Council as his final legacy to the Province, we took accasion to point out that the proposition was equivalent to a premium on the abandonment of the runs. But barefaced as those proposals were, they were timidity itself compared with those adopted at Wellington, None can more severely condemn than we do any arrangements by which th« public are permitted to profit at the expense of private interests. The runholders have every right to consideration for any improvements that may have been effected by them, and for any loss they can be f»’Oved to have sustained by being deprived of anything not contemplated in their leases. But more monstrous regulations never were suggested than those which Mr Dillon Bkll proposed, Mr Macandrew acquiesced in, Mr ViiGEL supported, and, to to his credit, Mr Howouth opposed. Is it credible that it is gravely consented to, that if a Hundred should be proposed on any run, supposing one can be found on which the conditions of half agricultural land can be fulfilled, the runhold 3r may relinquish his lease and claim compensation at the rate of half a crown an acre for the whole remainder of the run 1 There is no doubt good reason why a large proportion of every Hundred should be agricultural land, otherwise the object of proclaiming it opuld be defeated. It is not the purpose of the Hundreds system to create a number of small squatters at the expence of one large runholder; which would be the consequence of including a large extent of pastoral country in a Hundred. The intention of the plan is to throw a quantity of land into the market that can be more profitably employed than in merely pastoral occupation. What is wanted is a thriving agricultural population, and the Hundred is intended to help those who purchase farms to depasture a few sheep or cattle, that something may be coming in while they are preparing their land for more profitable use. Theoretically, therefore, that which is intended to be taken from runholders by the proclamation of a Hundred,only limits the quantity of stock that can be fed on the nm to a smaller number than before, in proportion to the number of acres withdrawn. This does not injure the rest of his run, provided proper precautions are taken to prevent trespass. But the proposed Bill gives the runholder the power to give up his lease, on the proclamation of any portion of his holding into a Hundred ; and, supposing that to be done, —what would become oi the land revenue 1 In view of the present value of sheep, it would be plainly the interest of every runholder in the country to relinquish his occupation, if he could obtain half a-crown an acre, and sell his sheep; and supposing the whole 15,000 acres included in any Hundred to be taken up —only one-half of which would be sold, for it is assumed that only one-half is fit for agriculture,—what would there be left for the construction of roads, bridges, and public works necessary for access to the land, after paying half-a-crowu an acre compensation upon the remainder of the run 1 After that was done, there need be no bluster about the appropriation by the General Government of the land revenue of the Province. We have not at present the data on which to found an accurate estimate, but we think there would be no difficulty in showing that the sale of 7,500 acres of agricultural land might prove the means of involving an expenditure that would leave no land revenue for any purpose whatever, and the great blessing that Mr Macandrew predicts would be leaving Otago a Province of sheep runs for ever.

Otago Hundreds Bile. — The Otago Hundreds Regulation Hill is expected to pass the third reading in the Legislative Council to-night. Suicide. A horse dealer of the name of John Laing committed suicide this morning at his house, Brunswick street. His wife, it appears, left the house at eleven o’clock, leaving her husband in bed perfectly sober, and on her return at twenty minutes to twelve she found him lying on the floor of the bedroom with his thro it cut from ear to ear. From the manner in which the wound was inflicted death must have been instantaneous. He had been drinking very heavily lately, and had lot some money by gambling. This m* doubt prayed upon his mind, and led to his untimely end. The Budget. —lt may not be generally known, that the Colonial Treasurer’s Budget speech was transmitted by the Government free of cost to all the principal newspapers in the Colony, dhe message contained a little over 3,000 words. Its transmission was commenced shortly before eight o’clock on Thursday evening, and the last slip was received by the newspaper offices in Invercargill atone o’clock on Friday morning. Wc believe that this the first instance of a Minister's speech being published in extmiso in this Colony, the morning after its delivery.

Late Eng i.ish Telegrams.—A telegram iu an Indian paper, dated London, June 5, states “In the House of Lords, last night, Earl Clarendon replying to Viscount Stratford de Redcliffe narrated the progress of the ‘ Alabama ’ negotiations, ancf said that the policy of the Government would he conciliating, hut that they would never submit to a sacrifice 'if national honour. The Earl considered the appointment of Mr Motley as a good omen.” The flying squadron will anive in Melbourne about the 12th of November, and will remain there ten days. President Grant and Mr Sumner have disagreed.

Preserved Meat, — To-day we had an opportunity of comparing some mutton preserved by Mr George Duncan, with samples of mutton and beef from the Melbourne Meat Preserving Company. Both were good, hut we have no hesitation in giving the decided preference to that preserved by Mr Duncan. The Melbourne meat appears to be too much cooked, while that of Mr Duncan retains all the juices, and is turned out from the tins not only with the appearance, but retaining the flavor of cold fresh mutton. We understand it hud been in the tins about a month, but no one, from its appearance, would have judged that it had been cooked more than a day. There is in fact nothing in the appearance of Ihe meat to distinguish it from that cooked at home, except the advantage of having no bone in it. There can be no doubts of its meeting with ready sale at Home,

Princess Theatre. To-morrow evening Me and Mrs Sam. Howard take their joint benefit at the Princ-ss Theatre, and, U they have what, they de erve. tiny will hav. a full house Mr‘and drs Howard, sine their arrival, have always used every elfor to do full justice to the parts allotted to them, and as their talents are decidedly above the average, we need not say that they have become favorites. But apart from this fair claim on public patronage, they put forward some novelties by way of attraction. The “Poor Strollers” is to be the first piece. In it Miss Lilly Forde will appear for the first time. This will he fol owed by a burlesque, “A la Japan,” and “The King of the Peacocks,” in which Mr and Mrs Howard sustain prominent parts, will conclude the evening’s amusements.

Hokitika. — The County Council of Westland ami the Borough Council of Hold tika have each agreed to pay o e-half of the expense for cutting a channel through the bar at the port of Hokitika. Heavy Nuggets.- -A Rockhampton telegram savs “ A nugget was brought into the Union Bank, this morning from Mount Wheeler, Caw ami ; it was found one foot from the surface, and contains 258 ounc. f 11 dwts pure gold this splendid mngei was discovered by a boy named Caddeu working with his father. Another uugge was found just underground, : u an adjoining claim, by a lad named l.uckman, weighing 180 ounces, and also placed in the bank. The Law Practitioners’ Act.-- Mr Borlase has given notice of a motion to amend the Law Practitioners Act. Its object will be to carry out a suggestion made some four years ago, and which has often been repeated, as to the injustice of excluding Resident Magistrates from the category of those who are allow- d to pass a Judge’s examination, for a mission a- barristers and solicitors, without the usual requirem nt of at tides heim; necessary. Judge’s cl rks registrars, and some others who are presumed to have very favorable oppor tunities for becoming acquainted with ’aw, are entitled to preset,t themselves for examination, without having undergone the actual practice of a solicitor’s office. Whether it is, or is not, advisable, is not now the question, although it is open to doubt whether men can properly practise law without the actual apprenticeship, any more than medical men can he considered qualified until they have gone through the practical work which devolves upon medical stud-nts. The Legislature having, long ago, admitted the principle, it is only fair to extend it to Resident Magistrates. It will encourage them the more to study to become profi cieut; but when sufficiently proficient, the country will very likely lose their services, as a conseciueuee of the leeisla 1 ion now proposed. The Government, the AttorneyGeneral, Mr Travers, Mr Main, and the lawyers generally, have undertaken to support the Bill which Mr Borlase is about to introduce.

Feeling in England towards New Zealand. — Major Atkinson, who was Defence Minister in Mr Weld’s Government, and who is now in England, has written a letter to the Taranaki settlers, which is pnbli lied in the local journal. The Major says “ Since my arrival here I have endeavored, as far as possible, to ascertain how colonial questii.ns generally, but more especially those relating to New Zealand were looked upon by the English public. Tne results of my enquiries are, I regret to say, most unsatisfactory ; for although 1 was prepare*l to find the “ Salutary Neglect Policy ” generally advocated, I was not prepared for the all but total indifference shown by all cl a s s to all colonial questions, except those which might cause the expenditure of British money. The ('feat difficulties with which wc are contending, and the enormous sacrifices we have made, and arc making arc prac-

tically unknown and unacknowledged here. There are not, I believe, a dozan members of the House of Commons who know—or care to know —our real position at the present time. Nor is it against indifference oidy that we have to contend ; for there is prevailing a verv general feeling that wo wish to be protected by British troops and British money, upon land which we have either obtained by fraud from the Maoris, or wrongfully taken from them, I hive said that I think we have but a poor chance of obtaining help from England, I have however some hope, although it is but faint' that upon proper representation we might got some pecuniary assistance, if we can only get the English Government and people to believe in our honesty and truthfulness, which they certainly have not much faith in at present. The great difficulty in the way of our getting any help is that they don’t believe in us here. Can wc overcome this fee’ing ? I believe we can, but I fear it may take ears to do so. Our only plan is to follow on to the end in the manly course we have adopted without faltering or without shrinking ” The Superintendent. —The part Mr Macandrew has taken with regard to the Otago Hundreds Regulations Bills has met •with pretty general condemnation at the hands of the country press. The Brnrt Herald asks :—Who could have supposed that a member of the Provincial Council, backed by the Superintendent of the Province, if not at his suggestion, would have had the impertinence to introduce in the House of Representatives a proposal scouted and rejected by a large majority of the Coined as injurious to the public interests and obnoxious t" nineteen-twentieths of the community ? For such indeed is the case in regard to one leading feature of Mr Bell’s new Laud ltill, its proposal—viz., to compensate men who have had fmm ten to fourteen years use of ihe public land of the Province for a mere bagatelle of a rent—a compensation that will doubtless be calculated by a reference to recent transactions iu this direction under the Government of the present Superintendent, between whom and the runliolders it is well known tiiere is a “good understanding.” Till now there has been no such thing as compensation for laud required for Hundreds. To introduce this principle now can only lead to a burden being laid upon tire Land Fund, the mainstay of the Province, that must deprive the public at large of much of the advantage wliich that fund has hitherto yielded to the Province ; and this, let it be remembered, for the pecuniary benefit of a class the smallest amongst us, and the least contributors to the customs revenue of the colony, in which, as a Province, wo share. If recent events had nt be>-n such as to make it manifest lint the Superintendent has resiled from alt his early political action, and broken thoroughly away from those who placed him in the Superintend ut’s chair, in violation of even promise made, and every assurance given at the time of his election th d he would be faitlilii' to the interests of the general public, we could not have failed to be astonisln d at his lending aid and countenance to the proposed amendment of our land laws ; i,ot merely on account of its indicating a policy quite the opposite of what was pursued by him in the days gone by, but on the ground of the present state of Otago finances, and the much that is required from those finances on the part of those from whom they are chiefly drawn. The whole matter lies here—that Mr Macandrew deserts the public interests, and seeks ‘he private hem fir. of a few. Backed by the great body of Ot >go representatives, iuclud ing his Honor, Mr Bell will carry his measure—a measure, if allowed to be carried into operation" must cripple Otago, and mar the progress it has been making in roads and other public works. Who are to blame for this ? The representatives, of course, many will say. We say, the public that have chosen such representatives. Had they chosen right men, true men—men having a ■dakc in the country, and alive to the necessity of the country’s setileme t —such a Bill would n ver have been proposed such a Bill would never have become law. Will the Clutha again elect MrMacandr.w. If they do th y C an only expect worse treatment at his hands than even this Bill measures to them. Offenders become hardened by encourage incut.” The WuikouaHt Herald has ihe following At the Waikouaiti Ploughing Match dinner, held the other evening, at which the majority of those present had been heart and soul supporters of Mr Macandrew at the time he was elected to the position he now occupies, the health of the Superintendent was, of course, proposed among the toasts ; hut it was drank in solemn silence, instead of as heretofore with ‘ He’s a jolly guod fellow,’ kc. We suspect the recent tinkering in Wellington with the Hundreds has had something to do with this change.” New Zealand Flax. —Oar files from most of the Northern Provinces indicate reat activity iu the matter of New Zealand flax. A Wellington pacer says :—There is a great demand for th • flax-dressing machines manufactured by Mr E. W. Mills, Lion Foundry. They are extremely simple in construction, and are found to answer admi‘ ably for the purposes required. One machine will turn out from two to three tons of dressed flax per week. We hear that nine of these machines have been sold, and that orders have been received for the manufacture of six more. Another Wellington paper has lie following:—The following extract from a letter from a gentleman on the West Coast will be read with interest ;—“ln the name of the prophet—Flax. Your riend ’s mill is at work, and is turning out! wo tons a week ; and, if the present prices last, he will he a swell of the first water before long. I hear that Cummins, at Wanganui, got L3B 10 for some of his that he sent home iu the Asterope. The sooner we go iu for flax in preference to wool the better. Getting a run useh to be considered the high road to prosperity ; those who now want to walk in that direction should go iu for the Mauawatu swamps. Flax swamps will bo all the rage ere long.” The following is from a Wanganui contemporary : —lt is well known that there are large areas of flax both on the Rangitikei and Waitotara side, of Wanganui, sufficient to affi.rd employment to twice the present population All this is waiting to be turne to account. But there are hundreds of farms scarcely paying expenses, which might have their value enhanced threefold, by cultivating the growth of flax The first experiment of the kind in the diatri t has been made. Mr Finnim-re has just finished plaining 30 acres of flax on his farm. He has planted it in flat land, and in the area named, with three feet and nine feet respectively between each alternate row ; there are 40,000 i Jants. The object of leaving tinnine foet space is to allow a cart to pass between the rows. Some of the plants have

been in the ground for ten days, and in that time have sent up young shoots from four to six inches in length. It is generally supposed that the flax will not be grown aufliciently for cutting before two years, but Mr Finnimore thi ks that it may be cut without injury, and to pay, in a little over twelve months.

We are requested to call attention to the advertisement of the sale by Mr Moses on Saturday next. j A meeting of the members of the/ Otago Political Association will be hel l in/ t ;, .e Old Masonic Hall (behind Wain’s Hote / to-morrow (Friday) evening at S o'clock. { A meeting of the ratepayers will bA held at the new Post Ottic • building. Princes street, to-morrow (Friday) morning, at 11 o’clock, for the purpose of conferring with Mr A. K. Smith, civil engineer, &c. , on the subject of the supply of gas for the City.