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Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2142, 18 March 1870, Page 2

Tug Post Office.—A notification has been issued by the Chief Postmaster, that in future the private delivery boxes will be closed at 8 p.m. On Pit. — Mr John Griffon, merchant, of Princes street, and a councillor long and favorably known in Dunedin, will, it is reported, be placed in nomination for the position of Mayor of this City at the ensuing election for that office. Bab low’s Cynodrome.—The attendance of persons to witness this entertainment was, if possible, greater last evening than that of any preceding evening. We notice that a grand mid-day performance is announced to bo given to-morrow (Saturday) afternoon, and that the children of the Benevolent Asylum will visit the entertainment. City Election.—The election of a member to represent Leith Ward in the City Council, in the room of Mr M'Glashan, resigned, took place to day, hut excited little attention beyond the neighborhood of the polling booth, the Caledonian Society’s Grand Stand. At 5 o’clock the result of the polling was made known by his Worship the Mayor, as follows : Jack 132 Fogel 79 Majority for Jack ... 53 Mr Jack briefly returned thanks, and promised to do everything in his power in the interest of the ward. Mr Fogol said he had left the matter for decision at the hands of the electors; and he had to thank those who had voted for him. Although defeated, he did not feel disgraced. Ho had done his duty, and it was not his fault that he had not been elected. A vote of thanks to the Mayor terminated the proceedings. Colonial Prize Firing.—The firing of the Westland contingent took place at Hokitika on the 4th instant. The regulations required that forty points must be made in order to entitle a competitor to proceed to Dunedin; but Colonel Harington, on his last visit of inspection stated, that in consequence of the new rifles having just been issued, the three highest scorers would go, whether or not they made the required aver age, so that it is probable Messrs Hardy, .Smith, and Moss will have the option of stocking for tte Colonial prizes. The following are the scores of the men who go to Dunedin

Waterworks Company. —The adjourned annual meeting of this company was held in the lower room of the Athenamm this ftfterpoon. Mr It. Gillies presided, and there was a numerous attendance of shareholders. A short discussion took place relative to the disagreement between the directors and the Government, as to whether the item of L 378, law charges, was chargeable to the charges account. It was explained that the difficulty had arisen once before ; but the thou Provincial Treasurer had allowed it to he charged against the expenses account. The present Treasurer, however' objected and insisted upon the item being charge.'} to tho capital account. Whether or not it war; sp charged the amount of tire dividend payable would not he affected, but the amount the Govorjinfeut had to contribute towards the present dividend would bo diminished somewhat if it were charged to the capital account. On the motion of the Chairman the following resolution was carried “That a dividend at the rate of eight per cent, per annum he declared on tho guaranteed shares, for the half-year ending the 31st December last; and also a dividend at Ihe rate of eight per cent, on the amount of unguaranteed shares, from the time of payment to the 31st December ; dividends to be payable on and after tho 31st March current. The meeting then separated. Mutual Improvement Society.— About thirty persons (principally young men engaged ii, business establishments) responded to the request po meet at the Athcnanmi last evening, to discuss the advisability of establishing a mutual improvement society, Mr C. Smith, being called to the chair, said he had no idea of taking any part in the meeting. He had often noticed in the public prints »n evident desire on tho part of some correspondent!} to establish such a society, and his (Mr Smith’s) object in attending was simply to hear what sort of a society it was intended to form, and tho reasons that might be alleged in favor of action being taken. If however it wore thought advisable to establish another society, and providing its constitution met with his approval, and tho matter were taken up in real earnest, ho (Mr Smith) would readily give any assistance in his power. After a seme what full discussion had been allowed respecting the desirability of a new society, the reasons assigned for previous failures, &c., the following resolutions were unanimously agreed to ; —“ That this meeting deems it advisable that an association having for its object the mental and moral culture of its members should be established in Dunedin.” “ That this meeting take steps to organise such an association.” “That a committee bo appointed to prepare a constitution and rules, and to submit the same for the consideration of a future meeting.” “That the following gentlemen ho appointed a committee, with power to add to their number :—Messrs Charles .Smith, Thomas Beveridge, Bolt, Asher, and Thomas Low,"

It was then decided to adjourn the meeting till Tuesday week—the reasons given for so long an adjournment being that on various accounts Tuesday was the most convenient night, and next Tuesday being the eve of a public holiday, it was thought a large number of those desirous of attend ng would be prevented by their places of business being kept open later than usual. A vote of thanks to the chairman concluded the proceedings.

Articled Clerks. —Mr Warden Simpson has followed up the advice he received when in Dunedin a week or two ago. At the last sitting of the Resident Magistrate’s Court at Lawrence, when the case of Griffin v. Buchanan was called on in Court, Mr Mouat stated to him that he could not for the future allow articled clerks to appear as solicitors in his Court, as wc had novy a qualified solicitor resident in the district; and added that when he had been down in Dunedin Judge Ward had addressed some very strong remarks from the Bench on the subject, and had expressed the view that articled clerks had no right to ac'fc as solic’tors until they became solicitors in the usual way. Not only so, but after the Court was over he (Judge Ward) had sent for the Resident Magistrate, and in his private chambers had called his attention very seriously to the matter, Mr Keen then appeared, and the same remarks were repeated to him. Ironclads.— The Times notes that, while the British Admiralty has decided on dispensing with masts, sails, and rigging in the fighting ships of the future, relying for purposes of propulsion on steam alone, the United States Government has adopted a resolution of exactly an opposite character, and has decided on making its mcn-of-war full-rigged sailing vessels once more. In future, American war steamers are to employ steam power only as a possible auxiliary. It follows, therefore, that a cruiser under the American flag will ho rigged for the future like one of our China clippers. The apparent contrast between our view and those of the American Admiralty disappear on closer inspection. We say, “ Our fighting ships need have no masts, for they arc never intended to sail, and only occasionally—in other words, for immediate purposes of action —to bo moved at all.” The Americans say—“ Our cruisers need use no steam, for steam is only indispensable where certainty of movement is required, and that requirement is not felt on an ordinary voyage.” On these principles both nations would be acting alike, the principal difference between the two navies at present is that by our latest designs we have obtained a class of vessel which they do not possess. The American navy may be roughly divined into sea-going ships and harbor ships, for although it has been shown that their monitors, or at least some of them, could cross the Atlantic, the service was allowed to be exceptional, and the ironclad fleet of the Union is substantially a fleet for home service only. On the other hand, our ironclads were always more movable, and now we have designed a type of ship as fleet, movable, and handy as any cruiser within given limits of time. New Flax Patent. —The Wellington Independent gives the following respecting Journeaux’s patent for the preparation of the phormium tenor-, which has been looked forward to for some time. With the exception of a plan for utilising the gum after its extraction from the phormium ten ax leaf, we fail to see anything whatever original about it. Messrs Journeux’s patent provides for the preliminary bruising or scraping of the leaf by fluted rollers, and the leaves so bruised are then subjected to a fermentation in vats, into wbiflh steam is injected, the fermentation being hastened by the use of potato and sugar yeast, which every bush housekeeper can make by rule of thumb. It is, in fact, the modified retting process patented by Mr Schenck, of New York, for treating! the Unum udtatissbnum, with the addition of the suggestions thrown out by the Jurors in their report on the New Zealand Exhibition, providing for the special requirements of the phormium tena.v. This will be seen by a reference to the publication issued by the New Zealand Commissioners in 1801. At page 123 the detailed account of Schenck’s modified rotting process is described, which is in some particulars a decided improvement on that part of Mr Journeux’s process which provides for the steaming of the flax; at page 432 it is stated that the preliminary process to fermentation of bruising the leaf is an absolute necessity ; and at page 433 the suggestion to use yeast is made, and the result of an experiment given in which it was employed to promote fermentation. To Mr Jfiui'ncux belongs the merit of discriminating between the differ§nt processes suggested at various times, and by a happy arrangement of details he arrives at a definite result, and we have no wish to detract from any merit which may fairly belong to the patentee, who has probably been obliged to undertake the divers experiments, more or less costly, before deciding on the adoption of his present plan.

400 800 600 yds. yds. yds. Toll. Hardy, Grey Rifles 16 .. . ’ 15 .. . 13 — 44 Smith do 13 . 15 12 — 40 Moss do 16 .. 10 .. 13 — 39