INVERCARGILL.

Evening Star, Issue 3143, 17 March 1873, Page 3

INVERCARGILL.

(from our own correspondent.)

March 13.

Mr Calder’s continued reticence is creating serious apprehensions. With tho speedy prospect of a session of Assembly, the electors arc beginning to ask Low matters arc likely to fare with them. It cannot be supposed for a moment that Mr Caldcr intends braving out tho situation. His position as a Government contractor, or, at all events, a saw-mill owner, has now been placed beyond all doubt. When the announcement of the contract was first made, it was thought hy some that he was simply a middle-man in the affair, and although no one doubted but that he had a beneficial interest to servo, it was supposed he would manage to “cook ” things in such a way as would enable him to retain his seat. Within the last few days these surmises have been set at rest by the firm of which he is the managing, if not the sole partner, purchasing an extensive saw-milling establishment. Mr Calder may now be said to have launched out in the railway sleeper business, purely on his own responsibility. There is this, however, to be said on his behalf : he was trained in rather a lax school of political economy. He graduated under the administration of the late Province of Southland-an administration to which Government contractors and Government harpies of almost any denorm nation were freely admitted. Under the nurture «nd admonition of such a regimen, few would expect to find in Mr Calder political morality of a high order ; on the other hand, few imagined it had gone so low with him. Despite the fact, we are assured, that an early meeting of Assembly will be held, he maintains bis meaningless silence, thereby not only barring all action being taken for his successor, but also leaving the constituency in a helpless state of uncertainty. Bad as the representation of New Zealand is, as a whole, it is to be hoped there are but few men in it who would thus trifie with the trust reposed iu them. The only explanation that has been given of Mr ( aider’s conduct is that he finds a morbid satisfaction in tho expectancy it is causing.

The Invercargill Athenaeum is not by any means a flourishing institution. One of its great misfortunes is that it has only got one or two really good men on its committee of mangement. To these men the district is indebted for the institution, defective as it is. Both the reading room and the library are fairly patronised, although, considering the size of the district, the latter is short of hooks. For the greater efficiency of the institution, as a whole, rather a plucky suggestion has been made. A central site for a building was granted some time since, and the idea, as mooted, is that an extensive range of tenements should be erected, including, besides a reading-room and library hall, shops and business premises. The cost of the projected, enterprise is set down at 1.2,000, Two-thirds of the amount has been promised, or, at least, there is good reason to believe will be got by loan. To provide for tho remainder the Provincial Government will be asked to give the assistance to Invercargill that has been afforded other district libraries; any deficiency thqp remaining, to be made lip by splLdription, public entertainment, &0-' The project is a bold one ; bv;t, a. I have said, the committee of management consists of a few really good practical men, and unless tbeir movements be intercepted by the sluggards, they arc not likely to be discouraged by trifles. The present is an improving period in the history of| the town. Good building? «re in demand, and for business purposes, no site corr.ld be hettey selected the site set apart for the publii library. ' Besides, it would he the means of filling up an awkward looking vacancy in the very centre of the town. The Bishop Colenso controversy has sprung up here on a small scale. The denizens of one of our ecclesiastical establisbme ts were lately constrained to remonstrate with their spiritual head, for discoursing at greater length than was considered advisable, on portions of scripture which certain classes of the community think would better be left out bodily. This intrusion was resented by the reverend gentleman, who took his hearers to task, and rated then roundly from the pulpit, informing them that, if they were bent on going to the bottomless pit, he was determined they would not go like so many “mealy-mouthed maidens.” That this earnest divine’s figure of speech is alway? well chosen, maybe gathered fpnn tho fact that, some time gg.., wpen discoursing upon a tcndior passage in hi.s own experience, he jauntily observed, “I dropped it like a hut potatoe.” The circumatanoe is causing a good deal of comment, but Avhether it will lead to a split iu the camp remains to be seen.

The following unpublished statistics of the trade done on the Invercargill, Bluff Harbor, and Winton lines will be permed with interest. The results speak volumes in favor of the question of railways now before the public. Hu ring the year ended H Ist December last, the passenger traffic y/a s as against 9,808 for tb,a preceding year. The goods tragic ampunted, to, 20,618, tons, being precisely tons in excess of that of the year prpeedipg. The money receipts were LG, 583. for 1871, :\nd L?, 644 for 1872. We have here a passenger increase of about 75 percent., and a goods increase of over 100 per cent. In explanation of the want of uniformity between the increase of freights and thftt of tiro money receipts, it is necessary to explain that during the lirst seven months of 1871 the rate per ton was 11s; during the remaining five months it was reduced to Ss, and on and after Jan. 1, 1872, it was still further reduced to ss, at which it now remains. The line is working most satisfactorily. Its collateral advantages are conspicuous. It was a standing ioko with, : the more facetious of our neighbors that the Winton railway had beep pffutq fro,in a deserted village no doubt, Invercargill g into"'the very heart of a swamp. Whatever grounds may have existed for that reproach they have now been removed. The swamp, under the auspices of cheap and speedy communication, has become tho fertile plains of Winton, and all along the intermediate line promising industries have sprung up into existoiloo. If these arc the effects produced in this one isolated instance ; produced by circumstances the most discouraging as a preliminary step, who can fail to see that the establishment of railways as a general system must bo attended with advantages of the highest importance? ■> - ■ The development of the coal seams at the Nightcaps is receiving attention, The for.

mation of a company to work the seam has been advocated by a journal which carries some weight in the district. If the thing is launched under proper management, its prospects of success are good. If, on the other hand, it falls into hands similar to those of the so-called “ Southland Coal Prospecting Association” —better known as the mutual friend’s last effort to worm itself into notice—the odds are largely in favor of a complete failure. The Government, as well as the public at large, are cautioned against countenancing any movement of this kind, before satisfying themselves as to its bona >ides. After an unprecedented spell of dry weather, we have had some day or so of bard rain. So far as I can learn, the harvest is now pretty well secured, so that the rain has just come on in good time. The moisture was much wanted to bring in a mouthful of winter’s feed, grass paddocks having commenced to look rather bare.