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Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2397, 7 December 1870, Page 2

The Colonial Treasurer.— lt will he seen by advertisement that to-morrow the Hon. .T, Vogel will address the citizens at the Princess Theatre at 5.30. The deep interest which the industrial scheme of the Government has excited throughout the Colony, will render this meeting more than usually important, and we look forward to such an exposition of the views of the Colonial Executive as Will render their plans satisfactory to all parties. Testimonial.— Last evening the employees at the establishment of Messrs A, and T. Inglis, met tog ether at Bannatynos Sussex Hotel, and presented their late manager, Mr Shackloton, with a beautifully finished walnut writing desk, a cigar case, and very handsome card case. The proceedings'were of the most cordial nature, and intended to shew Mr .Shackleton that he carries with him into his new employment the best wishes of all who had the pleasure of serving under him at Messrs A. and T. Inglis’s. Meeting in Leith Ward. —Mr Barns, in fulfilment of hia promise made to the citizens of Leith Ward, held a meeting last night at the Caledonian Hotel, King

street. It waaAfly attended. Mr Thomas Redmayne chairman, Mr Barnes explained that the City Council had agreed to allocate the LIO,OOO loan, if obtained, in equal proportions among the four wards Mr Jack, Mr Barnes, and the Surveyor had gone over the ward and made a schedule of the works most urgently required. Mr Jack said that about L 2,500 had been taken up in Dunedin, and that, from private information, he knew premiums on debentures already' purchased had been obtained in Melbourne. The meeting appeared sat slu: j with the explanations of Messrs Barnes and Jack, ami votes of thanks were passed to those gentlemen and the chairman. New Baptist Chapel, Caversiiam. —The wooden building in the den which has served the Baptist friends for some two or three years, having become too strait for the growing congregation, is about to be superseded by a new stone chapel, which is being erected at the corner of the lorbury and Caversiiam Roads, on a piece of ground

(value, H00) gifted for the purpose by Mr W. lugs, gardener, Forbury. The now chapel, which will accommodate about 200 persons, will bo opened early in 1871. | | le cost of the building when complete will he about 1.J70, the whole of which it is Imped will be raised, through the assistmcc of sympathising Christian friends, by the time of tlic opening services. This laudable endeavor to supply the inhabitant- 1 of Cavcrabam with the regular preaching of the Gospel, free fiom all denominationalism, web deserves the practical support of all Gio-e Christians who .-re interested in the diffusion of Christian truth without respect to sect or party. City Council. —A special meeting; was called this afternoon to consider the following report of the Reserves Committee :

“ In regard to the propriety of making provisionf ni the leases of that portion of Princes street lying between the Manse reserve and Police street for the future widening of Princes street, the Committee recommend that all leases both north and south of Police street should be alike ; that the proposed arrangement for 14 or 21 years leases for the whole of the allotments, include and extend up to the present building line of Princes st. South, but that the valuation clause for improvements shall apply to buildings which may be erected on so much of the reserve as lies .'l3 feet east of the present building line, the tenants to have no compensation for improvements erected on the 3.1 feet, nor any riuht to a renewal of that portion of the ground lease ; ami with the consent of the Governm-nt the tenants to be allowed tu.e use during the currency of the lea-cs of the land reclaimed by the Government being 3.1 feet in depth, situate between the eastern boundary of the reserve and the harborsuch piece of tand having been reserved yu view of the widening of Princes street.” The report was adopted. Deputation.—This morning at 11 o’clock a deputation from Roslyu waited upon his Honor the Superintendent to ask the assistance of Government to repair the road by Stuart street to the Half-way Hush. The deputation, which consisted of Messrs R. B, Martin and several others were introduced by Mr H. Driver, M.P.C., who stated their object very briefly. Ho said they desired to have the ro ul widened and fresh metalled, as nothing had boon done to repair it for seven or eight years-; the traffic upon it was very great, as was evident from tuo tollagc exceeding the expcnce of collection by L2OO. jThe portion between Dunedin and the toll-bar could be done by the Mhori and other prisoners, while the remainder of the road was include 1 in the vote for Silverstream road, which Mr Reid had stated was unexpended. His Honor said that unless the labor of the Maori prisoners could be made available, ho could sec no prospect of anything being done. He would bring the matter before the Executive, but to bo frank with the deputation from the action of the Provincial Council, the funds at the disposal of the Government were very low, and until the consequences of that action could Ire got over, the Government were obliged to be chary of their outlay. He did not see that even the, votes of the Council could be expended, as the Government had not ihe money to spend, Mr Martin suggested that the road surveyor should be directed to go over the road in company with the members of tha deputation, who would point out to him the dangerous portions. His Honor said the matter matter should he attended to, and the deputation thanked him and withdrew. The Colonial Financial Scheme. Writing upon the action of Mr Reid’s “tail, - ’ the Southland Times says .-—The result arrived at by the Provincial Council in the matter of the Public Works and Immigration Act cannot he allowed to pass without comment. If insisted upon, it will increase that outward pressure, which has brought the affairs of the Province to a state bordering on stagnation. Our liability for expenditure from which no material ad vantage is derived, hitherto limited to an interminable Northern war, will be increased in proportion to the magnitude of the scheme adopted by the Assembly. A more suicidal policy could scarcely have been expounded. The most charitable view that can be taken of it is that it was the offspring of a deliberative incapacity, altogether ignorant of the effect of its o'vn actions. . . . The Council has committed us to an.act of pettiohness that can onlv recoil on our own heads. The Province, from the very nature of its constitution, is prevented from providing for itself, a fact pointedly alluded to by the Superintendent in his remarks ; and simply because the provision that lias been made offends the official dignity of a few of onr Provincial magnates, our affairs are to be brought to a standstill—every incentive to material progress and development is to lie rejected, Otago is to provide liberally for others, ami because its own Provincial caterers have not been made provedpres, wo are to submit to voluntary starvation Mr Donald Reid and his colleagues may be estimable men in thoir own way, but we can hardly imagine their claims strong enough to -warrant such a .species of materialistic martyrdom as propitiation to their wounded vanity. The decision is one which we do not expect.will be acted upon. It was evidently based on iho assumption that it would draw sufficient sympathy from outside the Province to induce the new Parliament to alter the policy. Of that hope the Council may disabuse its mind. . . . The comments by the Super-, intendent—a copy of which accompanies the Council resolution to the General Government will to some extent clear up matters, the more so when it comes to he understood that these remarks are acquiesced in by the general public. Meantime Otago must be content to suffer temporary inconvenience, inasmuch as this extraordinary proceeding will prevent her securing that preference which belongs to first applicants.

The quarterly meeting of the Otago Yacht Club will he held in the Committee Room of the Athcmeum this evening, at eight o’clock. The twenty-second anniversary of the Hand and Heart Lodge will be celebrated by' a ball, to be held at the Odd fellows’ Hall, on December 9fch Dancing at 9 p.m. The officers and members of the Provincial Grind Lodge of Now Zealand are summoned by advertisement to meet at the Masonic Hall to-m uTow (Thursday) evening, at 7. JO, to instal the R.W. M. and officers of the Otago Kilwinning Lolge, No. 417.