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Evening Star, Volume IX, Issue 2795, 1 February 1872, Page 2

Provincial Scholarships. The date fixed for the examination is February 28 ; and we notice that the high standard of last year—7s percent of the total number of marks obtainable must be gained before a hoy will be entitled to a scholarship— is adhered to.

Lecture. —The Lev. Smoult Smalley, last evening, delivered, in the Masonic Hall, Port Chalmers, an instructive address on the “ Advantages of Secular Education,” based on sound principles. The lecturer was attentively listened to, and his remarks met with the approval of the meeting. Provincial. —His Honor the Superintendent, accompanied by the Hon, W, Reeves (Resident Minister for the Middle Island), visited Stewart’s Island, and after a pleasant trip returned, and were last evening at Riverton. Mr Reeves purposes visiting the country in the neighborhood of Riverton, and will probably reach Dunedin on or about Tuesday.

Local Industry.— We extract the following from the B vee Herald : —ln our report of the late Taieri Agricultural Show held at Mosgicl, our readers will remember we called their attention to a revolving barr-1 churn made by Mr A. M‘Donnell, and exhibited Iy him. As will be seen from outadvertising columns, Mr Philip M'Carthy, of the Dunedin cooperage, announces that he is now prepared to supply the public with the old barrel churn at prices that defy competition. We have seen a specimen of Mr M‘Canity’s churn, which is similar in every tespcct to the one exhibited at the show, and would recommend our dairy farmers to pay him a visit, and, to use his ora words, “ see, and judge for themselves.” . Spurious Gold. — The utterer of the spurious gold, Kee Chang, has been too much for the .Southland police. His escape was well planned and successfully managed owing to a rare combination of fortuitous circumstances. It appears that finding that the police were at his heels, he embarked in a fisherman’s boat at the lower port, New River, his destination being Stewart’s Island. Reaching Port William, th.rc (luckily for him) he found the Mary Gumming, for Oamaru, bound for Newcastle, lying-road bound. Chang immediately proceeded on board that vessel, and succeeded iu negotiating a passage with the captain. On tiic morning that the vessel sailed, the police, having for the first time discovered any traces of Chang, tet out tor Stewarts Island, at rived just in time to find that the vessel had got beyond all chance of being overtaken. To show the good fortune that attended Chang, it is stated that, with the exception of the Mary Gumming, no foreign aoing intercolonial trader has visited i-ort William for upwards of three months. Chinese in Victoria.— From information received Roip Melbourne we learn that Chinese immigration jg not now being carried on to any great extent The reason given is that alluvial mining is falling off, and that the Chinese have not, as a rule, capital to engage iu quartz mining. They are well spoken of as being industrious and frugal in their habits, and many of those now in the country are engaged as market gardeners, carpenters, or in keeping small stores for supplying their own countrymen with necessaries A few have intermarried with European'womc::, and those may be looked upon as permanent settlorc. The remainder seek to realise a small competen v y and to return to their native land.' The number of Chinese immigrants who arrived in Victoria in 1870 wg,s 459, including three women. Of this number, 112 were from New Zealand ; from other parts of Australia and Tasmania 11; and from the Mauritius 2. The departures were 1299, of whom 521 left for New Zealand ; 9 for New South Wales, and 769 for China. The number of Chinese iu Victoria is estimated at 15,066. Bishop Moran and Immigration.— We arc up.t)’o,vised to state that there is no foundation whatever for the st tement made by Bishop Moran, in his sepnjpn last Sunday", in reference to the exclusion of .cajbjtujlip immigrants from the Government scheme, No shadow of any such imputation was made by any Catholic member in the Assembly, before which body all the instructions to the Agent-General in refer nee to immigration weiv Kid. and the instructions since issued arc precisely ,of the same tenor. It is altogether incorrect to say that instructions have been given either directly or inferentially not to send out Catholics. The instructions have been confined to the physical and trade qualifications of tbe immigrants, and have no; in any way related to their religious belief. One agent, a Scandinavian himself, has been specially accredited for Scandinavia, but the other agents have been placed at the Agent General’s disposal for the United Kingdom. The same spirit which the ’regulations for assisting the friends of settlers display, pervades all the instructions to the AgentGeneral ; and how thoroughly unsectarun those regulations arc, any of our readers can test for themselves by applying for a copy at the nearest post office.

A. O. K; Court Pride of Dunedin’. —The balance sheet of this prosperous Lodge has been made up to December 31st, 1871, and shews it to be in an increasingly prosperous condition. The balance transferred from ISA) was L 1217 12s 7d. The contributions and income from other sources during the year amounted to pGGn 8a Id. "’he expenditure was, for levies and goods for't he district, LGI ISs fid. Doctor’s salary, chemist for medicines, &c., L 174 11a Del. Sick benefits to 23 persons, L 124 15s. Salaries, L 35 13s 7d. Shares in the Hall Company, LhO, Remitted to other Courts, LlO 17s 6d. Sundries, L&'} Is 7d, leaving a balance in hand of LI3OO 2s fid. At a greeting of the first Court of this order on the Nelson S.W. Goldfields, the editor of Charleston Herald closes his rc marks thus;— f We hail with pleasure the advent of such societies as the Forester’s in our district, as tending to greatly benefit it—pecuniarily, by reducing the charge upon the local institutions devoted to the assistance ui the sick and distressed ; socially, by knitting men of all classes together in bonds of good fellowship ; and by giving them a personal interest in one common object; and morally, by raising their self respect, and so increasing their abhorrence of anything that lowers them in the eyes of others. Sucii societies commend themselves to all alike as one of the most efficacious means of providing goodwill among men, and securing the yreatest happiness of the greatest number—provided always such societies arc under proper and respected heads, and arc carried out in that

ntegrity and honesty of purpose on which they are supposed to be and should be based. ” Dunedin Athen.eum. —The annual meeting of subscriber?, held last evening, was not very largely attended. Mr Charles Smith who occupied the chair, after referring to the successful operations of the Institute during the past year, advocated the getting up of conversaziones in connection with the Institute, observing that by such means the annual meetings might be rendered of great advantage, by making them productive of social enjoyment and intellectual pleasure as well as of substantial profit to the institution. The report submitted showed a satisfactory state of things. During the past year the number of subscribers had largely increased, there being 25 new annual, 25 half-yearly, 40 quarterly, and 4 extra subscribers. The bound volumes in the library had been added to by 116 volumes ; all the magazines usually ordered from Home had been retained, while one or two new serials had been added ; the reading room had been well attended ; while the issue of books showed an increase of ISOO. By means of the money received from the Government, the debt which at the beginning of the year was L 999, was reduced to L SOO ; but the committee had not felt warranted this year in paying any portion of the revenue to a sinking fund to meet the debt, yet hoped that their successors would be able to do so, and pay a small portion of the revenue, at all events, yearly for this purpurpose. The report went on to state that the committee had not been successful in letting the shops ; the total rents from which had been Ll3l, but from which Ll5O a year was at least expected. The attendance at the classes held in connection with the University had decreased by eleven; but this, it was explained, was owing to the fact that many of those who had attended the classes were now students in the University. It was also stated by the Secretary that the subscriptions had increased to nearly the sum of L 44 19s ; while some of the charges had been largely reduced. Mr John Logan was elected vice president; Mr C. B. Winter, treasurer ; Mr Stout, secretary ; Messrs G. M. Barr, F, Begg, Blair, Caldwell, Fellows. Gardiner, Hawthorne, Lubecki, Quick, and Smith, committeemen. Why the Land Transfer Act was Passed.— Prior to 1860, when that most delusive Act, called the Land Registry Act, was passed, which was intended to be palmed off as Torrens’s system, the people agitated for the adoption of “Torrens’s Act,” and it was always a standing question for catechising electors to put to candidates for legislative honors. Since 1860 the people have never failed to agitate, and popular candidates have invariably inserted it in their printed addresses as a chef <l'centre; but it was not until the session of 1869, when the Hon. Mathew Holmes, Captain Fraser, and others in the Legislative Council, denounced the exhorbitant charges male for conveyances of real estate, and instanced two cases where something like between LSOO and L6OO each were charged by two solicitors for preparing the transfer of certain lands from one company to another, the title concasting of simple Crown grants. This was putting a director upon the buffer” in the person of a large lauq. owner , and the consequence was, Government brought down the Land Transfer Act the following year, 1870. The bills were taxed, but the taxingmaster had to allow the rate charged; because the Conveyancing Ordinance, which is still law, runs thus—“ And for the purpo-'e of further securing the simplicity and of conveyances in ordinary use, and of affording at the same time an adequate remuneration for tbe trouble and responsibility of sblicitors ; Ee it enacted that the sum to'be received f6r the drawing or engrossing of any p'nrihasb deed or mortgage deed, sffall be a per ccntage upbn’the c6n- j keiaration money,' of such'deed, according to the following fate, and no groge (that js to say), such Where the consideration money shall not exceed one hundred pounds, then the sum to be received shall be any sum not more than one pound and when the consideration money shall exceed one hundred pounds the additional sum to be received shall bo any sum not exceeding the rate of ten shillings for every additional one hundred pounds of such consideration money.” It is pot pengl for the profession to act under this clause, hut'ifc spited the circumstances of the case in point. The annual general meeting of the subscribers to the Otago Benevolent Institution, will be held in Farley’s Hall, Princes street, on Monday next, sth inst., at 4 o’clock, p.m. The monthly meeting of tbe Albion Cricket Club will be held at Hutchinson's Prince Alfred Hotel, Great King street, this (Thursday) evening, at 8 o’clock.