Untitled

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2113, 12 February 1870, Page 2

Concert. — A concert, given in the North Dunedin Drill Shed last evening, in aid of the prize fund of the IST. E. Valley School, was very successful as regards the a* tendance. St. Andrew’s Church. —The opening services of St. Andrew’s Church take place to morrow. The Rev. Mr Johnston, Moderator of the Synod, will preach in the morning; the Rev. Mr Williams in the afternoon ; and the’Eev. Mr Scrimgeour in the evening. 1

A HUN away. —The boy John Gatoly, who escaped since yesterday from the Industrial School at Lookout Point, was arrested this morning at the Kaikorai by Detective Fan-ell, and sent back to the Reformatory. Mayor's Court. — At this Court tin's morning, before I. N. Watt, Lsrp. L. M., andL. MHilashan, Esq., J.P., James Pettigrew was lined os and costs for drunkenness.—Mary Ann Mitten, for being illegally on the premises of Mr George L. Howard, I. all ray street, and for stealing a school-book from the Cafe de Paris Hotel, Jetty street, was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment, witli hard labor. Gaol Return. Tho following is the state of Her Majesty’s gaol, Dunedin, for the week ending February 12 Awaiting trial, 9 men, 0 women; under remand, 0 men, 0 women ; penal servitude, 97 men, 0 women ; hard labor, 42 men, 12 women ; imprisonment, 1 man, 1 woman ; in default of bail, 1 man, 0 women ; debtors, 1 man, 0 women ; total, 151 men, 13 women. Deceived daring the week, 3 men, 2 women ; discharged, 4 men, 2 women. I" Proposed West Coast Settlement. —The Government have prepared regulations, under the West Coast Settlements Act, for the disposal of land at Martin’s Bay, which are now being printed. They will require the assent of the Governor before coming into force ; but we hope to be able to publish them on Monday. The regulations comprise provision for the mode of selection, for transfer to the widow in case of the death of a married man, for tho sale of town and suburban lands, for making roads, kc. Ihe Charles Edward, as will lie seen by our advertising columns, is advertised to leave on Monday, the 21st, with the Government staff and any passengers that may be going. This is short notice, as many poisons in the country ba 1 been waiting till the regulations were issued before deciding on going. i Yacht Hack. — The race for L2O a side, between Air Mason’s Loyal Alfred, 7 tons, and Mr Hay’s Spray, 9 tons, came off this afternoon. The course was round a buoy off the first beacon in the long channel, thence round a buoy off the end of the train-ing-wall to the starting point at Pelichet Bay—twice round—distance 12 miles. The race, which was a close and exciting one, was won by the Royal Alfred. The Late Surprise.—We are informed that in consequence of ouryide having “overslept” themselves, Te Kooti was enabled to surprise our camp, and inilict a loss, retreating himself with safety, and that an armed party of the enemy were, under cover of a British flag, permitted to approach so near our position as to he enabled to lire a volley and charge, and have an innocuous “hand to hand tight ” with our men. No one doubts the courage of McDonnell who knows him ; he is as brave as a lion and as generous as a sailor paid off after a three years’ cruise, but tho other day he committed two grave military errors which reflect upon his qualifications as a commander, and a repetition of which will most certainly bring defeat and massacre on us ; firstly, in not having, in an enemy’s country, the troops or police—whatever they are called —under and* standing to their arms an hour before dawn, where they should remain until all objects in the vicinity of the outlying picquets—which appear also to have overslept themselves, sentries as ■well—can be clearly distinguished; secondly, in permitting any party, friendly or unfriendly, to approach the camp and picquets, unless it is clearly ascertained who they are. Neglect of these two wellknown rules led to his being surprised by the enemy, who, fighting as they are with tho rope round their necks, will adopt any ruse they think will take ns in. It is much to he regretted that New Zealand cannot furnish a man capable of acting as a successful commander in the field. We have plenty of commanders, officers, colonels, majors, &c., admirable in an office where letter-writing, returncorrecting, and arms inspection, is the order of the day. These men are paid enormously for their work, which could be equally well done by intelligent non-commissioned officers. Can none of the former, with their past military experience, prove themselves other than “ carpet knights,” and be found capable of leading men under a well-orga-nised and digested plan of operation, against a savage who, like “Tantia Topee” in India, seems to lead us, nolr/in volrus, when, and in what direction, Ids superiority as a tactician pleases him ?—Ak Z. Herald. v Red Tapism, —The latest story about red-tapery in New Zealand is too good to be lost. Some months ago, when the hon. the Commissioner of Customs was in Auckland, he was waited on by certain merchants, who strongly complained of the delay which took place in guaging goods liable to duty. It seems either that there were too few guagers, or that those whoso duty it was,to guage did not thoroughly understand the work. Mr Vogel said that the matter would .be set right, and promised to send to Dunedin for a thoroughly competent guager to instruct the officers here. The gauger accordingly came and commenced the work of instruction, in which he has achieved considerable success. Having taught his pupils the theory, and shown them a few practical demonstrations with the instruments, or “ rules,” as they are technically termed, he found that no further advance could be made unless they had instruments put into their hands, and were allowed to try them themselves under his direction. There were several sets of new instruments locked up in a certain cupboard in tho Custom house, and an application was made for their use. Here, however, the instructor was foiled. An obdurate landing-surveyor, whose chief mission in life is to take care of the Government property, positively refused to allow tho cupboard to be opened, or the instruments to be used. “The instruments,” said he, with pious horror, “ would get wet and dirty through being used, and therefore used they should not he on any account whatsoever.” It was needless to point out to this jealous conservator of Government property that, if the instruments could not be had, the officers could not be properly instructed; and that it would be better that the Government “rules” and “callipers” should get wet than that the Government officers should remain ignoiunt of guaging. Ho was deaf to such reasoning, and the cupboard is still locked. Speaking seriously, such conduct calls for serious remonstrance on the part of the public. Here is an officer specially brought up from Dunedin for three mouths to do a particular duty, on the proper performance of which depends the convenience of the mercantile community, and his efforts are rendered useless by the pragmatical obstinacy of an official, -who evidently does not recognise the fact that officers should be taught guagiug, even though instruments I should be wetted.

Improvement of Goats. —The following appears iu the Australasian : —** iSir —the hostile feeling exhibited towards goats and goalkeepers, and the practice of keeping goats, especially on goldllelds, despite of all opposition, suggests the very reasonable in(|i,iirv, cannot objection to the practice he lessened, and flic goats at the same tune be made more prolitahle to keep? Wero they not prolitahle as well as r great convenience, the practice of keiqiing them could not outlive the hostility evinced towards goatkeeping— hostility fairly earned by the enterprises of the gnats themselves, against which no garden is at all times safe. It is not, I think, an over-estimate to say that 20l)0 goats may he set down to the credit of every goldfield township among the 100 townships or localities deserving of note as townships throughout Victoria. Assuming this calculation to be not wide of the mark, we have 200,000 goats in the Colony. Now, if these goats can lie rendered more productive than they are by 10s each per annum, we get LI 00,000 a year. And in doing this, if we can reduce the destructiveness of goats —for their predatory visits to gardens, and their audacious attacks on the pollard and bran placed invitingly at store doors must not be overlooked—there will he a still further gain. The how to do this appears simply to substitute the Angora goat for the goat ordinarily kept in our country districts. Turc-bred Angora goads wtll each give a fleece yearly worth about 10s, and they are more docile than the goats usually kept, and are for the purposes of milk equal to any other goat. Many will say, and do say, that goats are a nuisance, and should he destroyed. Bo it so; but if you cannot destroy them, and can render them highly profitable compared, with what they now are, why not do so ?” Many of our readers will regret that St George’s Hall will ho closed this evening, as there will be no concert until Monday. For that evening an excellent programme is provided; and Madame Carandiui takes her benefit on Tuesday, when we have no doubt so old a favorite will not he allowed to leave without substantial tokens of remembrance. The Garaudini company appear at Tokomairiro on Wednesday, and Clutha Ferry on Thursday.