The Evening Star THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1872.

Evening Star, Issue 3069, 19 December 1872, Page 2

The Evening Star THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1872.

What wonderful things happen iu this world ! The Dull)/ Tones is lot into Mr Stafford’s secrets. W hat au important announcement that was that was introduced with such a flourish this morning. “ Messieurs the public ; —We know something that Mr Stafford told us, but we must not tellyou.” Now really our contemporary is too bad. It is tantalising : the public must be burning to know what the great Stafford did in order to form a Ministry that lasted thirty days. Most interesting would it be to learn the fine promises he made to this superintendent; how ho stroked down another; how lie coaxed and patted a third; and finally', by what charm he has managed so to bewitch our sturdy representative, Mr Reid, as to induce him to follow as if he were a spaniel, Hatching every look of his august master. Yet all this is denied us, and all we are teld amounts to this, that the spirit of those letters of the great Stafford is, that, the people are to be taxed to make railnays. We did expect at least to have been let into the secret of those arrangements which will take two years to complete, and that are to culminate in Mr Stafford shaking oft’ the dust of New Zealand from his feet. But no ! not even that is disclosed. We are treated with a bare outline of what Mr Stafford and his mistaken followers said iu the House of Representatives, and which the Times, drinking from that fountain of error, has repeated time after time. Docs our contemporary imagine that such baby-talk can have any other influence tlva.il to hi’iug itself into ridieule Mr Stafford has 'not opportunity of knowing more about the effect of railways upon the prospects and prosperity of a country than other people ; Jiud, from the action he has chosen to take in regard to public affairs, we have arrived at the eouelusion be is very much belliiul the time in all bis political theories. It is on this ground that wo arc opposed to him. But our contemporary has started a new game: he has begun to prate about political railways. We warn bim that that is the most delicate ground on which bo could tread. Of all biddings for support that have yet been made through railway construction, the heaviest were shadowed forth in the scheme of the Minister for Public Works during his short term of oflice under Mr Stutord. We exposed it at the time, and showed (bat, by that scheme Otago would have a patchwork, not a network, of railways. That has been the vice of Mr Stafford’s public career. He never yet rested the stability of any Ministry on the merit of his measures, but has always endeavored to strengthen himself by sops thrown here and there” to waverers. At one time it has been to sacrifice Otago to Auckland; at another to sacrifice the interests of the Colony to purchasing Maori votes. W r hen it suited, lie wus a Centralist: and when the tide set in another direction, be became a Proviueialist, with throe Superintendents and a Provincial Secretary as bis bosom friends. Then we are told, as part of these confidential communications, ns if the nonsense were something new, that: —

The burden of the debt contracted to construct all railways alike throughout the whole country is, by the existing arrangement, laid upon the Consolidated Revenue—in other words, upon every taxpayer throughout, the country, wherever he may tind himself.

How happy it would bo lor tbo taxpayers if imprisonment for debt were abolished . How horrid to imagine that a taxpayer is liable to be shut up in New Zealand by some hard-hearted railway creditor until he has paid bis share of the “ bimlcu ol the debt ” for waking railways Only lluuk

of Mr Stafford being served with a process requiring liim to pay up, out of the nice little pile he is scraping together, before he gives leg-bail to Now Zealand! Bui in sober earnest, what is the meaning of such stuff as this? Is it possible that any one can be brought to believe he will ever be called upon to pay one farthing in liquidation of the cost of a railway ? The work is there the railroad and rolling stock—it may not directly pay interest of the money the first or even the second year; but the indirect savings will far more than recoup any continuation of a tariff that it would not be prudent at present to reduce. And this imaginary burden will really interfere with no man’s liberty. He may come and go: he may leave New Zealand tor Fiji, or he may remain whore he is, eating his bread every day, and drinking his beer, without the vision of a bailiff tapping him on the shoulder for his shaie of the cost of railways. If ho wishes to travel in tlio direction traversed by the railways, lie will save more in one days journey in time and actual expense than would be his share of the liability for a year. For our parts we arc surprised that Mr Stafford has commanded the leadership of the Opposition so long. ' There is nothing extraordinary in his intellect. His political mistakes have been of tho grossest charactci, and have cost the Colony more than all the railways that wifi bo made duiing the next four or live years. His ideas ot social progress arc the narrowest possible, and not at all suited to democratic institutions. But tho true secret of this opposition to progress is disclosed in the latter portion of the Daily Times’ leader this morning. It is tin* old story; tho adscrijiti gle/xe -the landed proprietors—are afraid they will have to pay lor making railroads, and so they want to persuade the public that they are to be heavily taxed to induce them to oppose them. Foolish men!_ They have paid one noniid an acre for their land, and access to it by railway will multiply its value very probably ten times. Metalled roads would cost them more in maintenance. and moreover they would absolutely be taxed to pay it. Instead of that,'they are to have the very best kind of roads made at tho public expense—and they are not content.

Among the projected contributions to the Vienna exhibiiion is, says the Press, a piece of statuary by a Christchurch local artist of acknowledged acquirements. A Christchurch paper states that Friday week was one of the hottest days experienced in that city for some time. The thermometer registered 120 degrees in the sun, and 90 was the highest in the shade.

Two fresh cases of scarlatina broke out on the Quarantine Island yesterday. The patients were two children, brother and sister, and they were immediately removed to the hospital on the island. Although the Nevada was signalled from Auckland Heads at one o’clock yesterday afternoon, it was nearly eight o’clock before intelligence of the fact was received here. She was detained at Honolulu, awaiting the arrival of the connecting steamer.

At the Mayor’s Court, this morning, Thomas Kitebards was charged with having left his licensed cab unprotected in High street on Monday night, and fined 40s. There was no other business transacted. The Mayor and Mr J. B. Bradshaw occupied the Bench,

“ Macbeth ” was repeated last evening at the Princess Theatre to a thin house. The threatening state of the weather, no doubt, affected the attendance somewhat. The cast was the same as on the former representation, and the performance ran smoothly throughout. “The Rivals” will be repeated this evening, and we recommend all who desire a a capital evening’s entertainment to attend.

From the Ist to the 26th of last month (November), 7595 tons of quartz were crushed on the Auckland goldfields, which yielded 9014 ozs. of gold. The following were the yields from some of the principal claims during that period : —Bright Smile crushed 580 tons of scone, which yielded 664 ozs. of gold ; Caledonian, 615 tons, 756 ozs.; Cure, 230 tons, 1701 ozs. ; Golden (Town (tribute), 120 tons, 520 0z5; Tookoy (tribute), 118 tons, 407 ozs. ; Tokatea (Coromandel), 740 tons, 700 ozs. The two crushiugs from the Cure claim yielded remarkably well. One, of 110 tons, gave 958 ozs. ; and the other, of 120 tons, 803 ounces of melted gold.

During the first week of February next a ram fair will he held at Havelock, in the Province of Hawke’s Bay. The Teletjruph, published in Napier, states that Mr Rich, of Bushy Park, intends to send fifty rams of his celebrated flock of merino sheep, to be offered for sale at this fair. Our contemporary further remarks that the fair is likely to he very successful, the lion, secretary informing bim that ho has already notice of about S-'tO long-woolled rams for sale, including 50 from the celebrated flock of Mr Buck land, of Auckland. '1 he following nominations for the Palmerston Paces have been received Pal-mer-ton Handicap--Captain Hutcheson’s Miss King; Mr Walker’s Bobby Burns; and Mr T. M‘Kay’s Rose. District Handicap—Mr A. H. Gill’s Maori Maid ; Mr J. Jotmaton’s Mias Vulcan ; Mr J. Scott’s Minnie Grey ; Mr Little’s Watty ; and Mr J. Drumm’s Boh Apples. Handicap Hurdle Race —Mr J. Johnston’s Miss Vulcan; Mr A. M‘Kay’s Kildare; Mr J. Stephenson’s Banjo: and Mr T. M‘Kay’s Saladin. The weights will he declared on Friday. It was rumored in town yesterday that the navvies brought out by Messrs Brogden and Go., per Christian M'Aasland, refused to work at the rate of wages contracted for in England. Such, however, was not the ease. Immediately on their arrival, Mr J. A. Sraythe informed them that the company were prepared to pay them at the rate of ninepence per hour, instead of sixpence, as originally agreed to. The men expressed their satisfaction, and forty of them are now employed on the Clutha line of railway. Work will be found for the others iu a day or two.

The Water Company have accepted tenders for the laying of about twelve and a half miles of new mains ; and the localities in which the water is to he placed are William, High, Graham, Grant, Maitland, Market, tones, Bond, Arthur, Dowling, Cargill, Constitution, Queen, Russell, Pitt, Regent, Great King, Howe, Grange, Cumberland, Leith, St Andrew, Hanover, Albany. Union, St David, Castle, Clyde, Forth, and Dundas streets ; Princes street south to Kensington, Club reserve, Canongate, Heriot row, York, Forth, and Athol places, and along the road to Port Chalmers.

This afternoon Messrs Barnes and K. Ramsay waited upon the Provincial Secretary for Land and Works (Mr Bastings), to request that the prisoners might not be withdrawn from the work now in progress until Dowling street is cut down to its permanent level with High street, extending to the railway station. Mr Barnes represented the advantage the Government would derive from horse labor by the better gradient that would ho obtained through completing the proposed work, and Mr Bastings having heard the explanations of the deputies, said that there would an Executive meeting tomorrow, when the matter should he considered and a . answer given.

From time to time relics that originally belonged to our “dusky” predecessors are brought to light from the dens and caverns of the wilds, in the early part of last

week several interesting relics were discovered in a cave oh Messrs Gellibrand’s Run, Strath Taieri. Among the curiosities discovered was a flax rug of peculiar manufacture, and when found was in a good state of preservation. It has been much admired, and the maker has been pronounced a genius. When the rug was opened out the remains of a (supposed ) Maori chief were found inside. The skull is perfect, and certainly bears trace of a different race of Maories treading the “ war path” at that period to what wo witness at the present day. There was also a large ball of gum found inside of the rug. The whole of these relics are to be forwarded to the Museum in Dunedin.

The Dunedin Bowling and Quoiting Club ground will be open for play on Saturday next, after two o’clock.

The Governor’s reception committee will meet at the City Council Chambers, Manse street, on Friday evening, at 7.30. His Worship the Mayor requests, by advertisement-, the citizens to observe a holiday on Saturday from 2 p.m., in honor of the Governor’s visit. The Band of Hope and Sabbath School children are requested to attend at the Drill s hed at 1 p.m, on Saturday to practice the National Anthem. The Good Templars and Sons of Temperance will meet at their rooms on Saturday afternoon, at two o’clock, to join in the procession, to receive his Excellency the Governor. The second concert of the season will be given by the Choral Society, at the University Hall this evening. The first part is entirely devoted to selections from Mendelsohn’s “Elijah”—an Oratorio not much known in Dunedin, but a very favorite one at Home and in Australia. As usual, the second part will comprise miscellaneous selections. The band will be effective, and it is expected the concert will be more than usually successful.