The Evening Star. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1871.

Evening Star, Volume IX, Issue 2749, 8 December 1871, Page 2

The Evening Star. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1871.

There are several aspects in ■which the meeting of Parliament in Dunedin may prove advantageous. Although to us who inhabit this City, the immediate

pecuniary benefit of an assemblage of the leading men -in the Colony cannot be overlooked, this is the lowest view that ought to be taken of it. We, like everybody else in business, estimate the pounds, shillings, and pence view of the matter highly. It is not a subject to be sneered at. Should it be ultimately decided upon that the Assembly shall meet here, the painting and scrubbing, and cleaning and brushing, and making all look neat and tidy, that every part of the City will undergo, apart from the employment given to many artizens and industrious people, will have a good moral effect. It will have an educational result in cultivating a taste for the neat and beautiful, which will tend much to the comfort and health of our population. We do not see with the Mayor that Dunedin, socially, has been much neglected by the magnates of the land, and are disposed to be so far democratic as to think lightly on that head. The loss has been the Governor’s ; not ours. Our polished manners and cultivated tastes are not known, or have not been sufficiently estimated to lead to an anxious desire on the part of the representative of her Majesty to hold his Court here. This however, we suppose, must follow as a matter of course after Sir George and Lady Bowen have lived amongst us a month or two. Of that, necessarily, most of us are morally certain. We know there are some, in Dunedin at least, that think we have been unjustly treated in not having had an opportunity of attending the Governor’s re-unions nor turning a few pirouettes, nor haply footing a Highland fling in the presence of his Court. Luckily we have survived all this neglect and thriven. We have cultivated our talents in a corner, and only wait the opportunity of shewing the progress we have made, and proving to Sir George and his Parliament how much they have lost by not finding this happy land before now. Unfortunately for ourselves, our minds are of that peculiar twist as to see no Colonial advantage in this transference of gubernatorial favor from the population of one City to that of another. The chief advantages that present themselves to our minds, are of a highly different character. They are political and commercial. It must be very evident from the legislation of years past that the resources of the Middle Island, its mineral, pastoral, and agricultural capabilities are only very partially known by the representatives sent from other Provinces. We believe that many of them knew as little about Otago as the Londoners knew of the people of the North of England prior to the anti-corn law bazaar in Covent Garden in 1845, and may perhaps be as much surprised at our capabilities for commerce, our port, our docks, our warehouses and railways in progress, as the Cockney’s were to see the stalls presided over by elegantly dressed and highly educated ladies, instead of semisavages clad in linsey-woolsey. And it has become necessary in view of the pending constitutional changes that a more intimate acquaintance with the mode of thought and feeling, of the institutions and requirements of the Province should be obtained, than can be acquii’ed by the casual debates in, or returns made to Parliament. The time has come when a practical acquaintance with our educational system, and its effects is needed, so that no violent changes may be made that would tend to destroy its efficacy : and this is the more needed because next session a measure adapted to the whole Colony will most likely be passed. In all probability, when these are immediately under the eye of both Houses, the petty opposition to Dunedin being the seat of a Colonial University will disappear, for it will be seen that the people who have so rightly estimated and made such liberal provision for maintaining an efficient system, are the most likely to work it efficiently. Next, it is becoming neces- ' savy that the political antagonism of different Provinces should be broken up. There is no disguising the fact that Provincialism is a doomed institution, and that an effort must be made to interest the Colony in its own prosperity as a whole. Necessarily men who live in special localities desire the special prosperity of themselves, their friends aud neighbors. The errors that this very laudable selfishness is liable to fall into are, that they cannot see the connection between their own good and that of the community in which they live. It is this grasping at exclusive special advantages that constitutes class legislation—the exaltation of the individual at the expense of the people. This spirit is seen in its worst form and worst effects in such national iniquities as protection and monopoly : in its modified form by the jealousies of Province against Province, and district against district. From the manner in which New Zealand has been colonised, this spirit ot exclusiveness has been fostered to such an extent that each Province has been against every other in turn — Auck-

land against Otago, Otago against Auckland tlic whole, minus one, against that one, when it sought to gain some special end, lawful in itself and likely eventually to be of some Colonial advantage ; but winch on the flimsiest pretences was denied, because none would listen to the voice of tho representatives of that Province. We know of no plan so likely to break through this narrowness of view as to interest our leading Colonists in the progress of so important a Province as Otago. We have no wish to deprive Wellington of the crumbs that fall from the table of the members of Parliament, but we hold that no part of the Colony can permanently advance without benefitting all the rest, and we ourselves are but imperfectly aware of the development that will ultimately take place in our industries when the capabilities of the Province are fully known. And further, since holding the meeting of the Assembly here is the most likely plan to give that publicity that will tend to induce profitable investment, on every ground, political and social, we look upon it that no effort should be spared to secure so describable an arrangement. Much more might bo urged in its favor, but we think it needless on so self-evident a subject.

New Industry.—lt is reported that MrJ. D. Fra ad, of Monte Christo, near Clyde, is going in for the manufacture of Colonial Wine on a large scale. Sabbath Desecration. —The case of horse-racing of Sunday which occurred in the neighborhood of Cromwell, formed the subject of an enquiry before Mr fyke 11.M., the other day. The offenders got off with the light line of ten shillings and costs. Battalion Band.—The following is the programme of music which the batta'ion band will play in the Botanical Garden tomorrow afternoon. March, “Stella”; quadrille, “ Broadway ” ; selection ; mazurka, “ Violett® ” ; Scotch melodies. High School. —We believe that it is intended to present Shakespeare’s tragedy of Julius Carsar by the High School boys on breaking up fur the holidays, at the Masonic Hal 1 . The arrangements will be made public in a few days. Acclimatisation.—The trout have been fairly acclimitised .in Nelson. Some remarkably line fish, both males, were found dead in the Matau last week. One measured twenty-six inches in length, and weighed six pounds all but an ounce. Supreme Court. —At the sitting in banco yesterday Mr Smythies asked that his petition, which prayed that he might be exempted from the penalties of the Law Practitioners Act of ISGG, and that an order should be made restoring him to practice, should be heard first; but his Honor declined to take it out of its order on the list,, which at present is last. The arguments in Bathgate v. the Bank of Otago, motion for a new trial, were only part heard when the Court rose. Californian Seeds.— The General Government have procured from California the seeds of eight kinds of American pine trees, amongst which are two kinds, very rare, and quite New to New Zealand—the Abies Douylassi and the Thuya Giyantea, The latter is a pine of enormous size when at maturity,, and second only to the WtUlnytonia Giya)itea ; the former being a very fine ornamental pine. Some of the seeds have forwarded to this Province, and were, he believed, distributed by the Acclimatisation Society; the rest are to be planted in the Wellington domain. Colonial Riflemen. —lt is often said that colonial riflemen wonid be able to distinguish themselves at the Homo competitions, if they went there, and this opinion has been bourne out. The volunteers here will remember Lieut. Hazard of the Thames, who was a representative at the colonial competition here in ISG9. Mr Hazard, who is now now on a visit to England, has according to late papcis, been distinguishing himself there. He was too late for the Association’s meeting at Wimbleton, but at a country meeting at Birmimgham he fired four matches, and took prizes in two shooting against Queen’s prizemen, of whom there were several at the meeting. Deputation, —A deputation from Porto Bello waited upon his Honor the Superintendent this morning, to urge upon the Executive the necessity for continuing the construction of the Porto Bello road, a further distance of three quarters of a mile. They were introduced by James Seaton, M.P.C. who presented a memorial to that effect. His Honor replied that the Government had no funds at their command for the purpose. It was then represented that the men employed in maintaining the road would be able to do the duty in the summer months, and Jus Honor promised to bring the matter under notice of the Executive. Stamp Duties.—As copies of the Amended Stamp Act are scarce here, we give a short statement of the most important alterations. Cheque- s and orders must now bear duty stamps of the value of twopence instead of ono penny as heretofore ; and all receipts given on the payment of money, to the amount of Ueo pounds or u/ wards must bear a twopenny stamp, instead of one penny for 1.5 or upwards as hitherto. Persons using adhesive stamps on cheques or orders should be careful to deface the stamp by writing their signature and the dale across it, in such a way that the writing may be partly on the face of the cheque on each side of the stamp. The Amendment Act of IS7I does not interfere in any way with the duties on acceptances or promissory notes; but will affect the following to what extent will be learned from the Act itself, or better still, on application at the Stamp Office: Government buildings, appointments under Government, joint stock companies, license fees, apprenticeships, authority to deal with pro perty, appointment of new trustees, awards, certificate of title under the Land Transfer Act 1870, certificate of inc operation exemp’ifications, memorandums of transfer inschcdule D of Land Transfer Act 1870, memorandums of lease in schedule E of do., memorial registered under Deeds Regulation Act 1868, petition, power of attorney, re-

lease of property, deeds of settlement, affidavit statutory declaration, appraaement of property, notorial acts. The Assembly and its Sitting Place. —As we were not treated with the customary courtesy of receiving notice of the deputation from the City Council that waited on his Honor tho Superintendent yesterday we wee unable to give a report of the proceedings in last night’s issue. It appears that a committee of the City Council, headed by the Mayor, impressed his Honor with the desirability of procuring a suitable residence in the city for the Governor, as that course would tend to facilitate the making of arrangements for the holding of the next session of Parliament here. His Honor agreed that the Provincial Government should favorably consider the matter. The General Government seemed to be disposed to call Parliament together at Dunedin. L'he only question was the accommodation to be furnished for the Governor. Of course, if the Assembly came to Dunedin, he would be certain to visit them, and there could be no doubt that Fern Hill was the place for him. It was at pr< snt offered for lease or sale, and for his own part he bad no hesitation in saying that he was anxiously desirous to secure it as a residence for the Governor, believing, as he did, that the expense would be recouped a thousand fold to Dunedin and to the Province, He had an official letter from the Colonial Secretary, stating that in any case the Governor and Lady Bowen intended to visit Dunedin in the course of the summer, and the Governor himself had intimated to him personally their intention of residing three or four months every year in Dunedin, provided there was a residence. So that, all these things considered, it looked very like a “penny wise, pound foolish” policy not to undertake some little responsibility in connection with this matter. Tho whole object of the deputation, he fancied, was to signify their desire and opinion as to tho expediency of the Province securing a residence for the Governor, and he would submit the matter to the consideration of the Executive at a meeting which was to be held the following day, when he hoped the wishes of the citizens, as well as of the Province, would have due weight. We have received Reith and Wilkie’s Almanac for 1872. We will give a further notice.