The Evening Star MONDAY, APRIL 14, 1873

Evening Star, Issue 3166, 14 April 1873, Page 2

The Evening Star MONDAY, APRIL 14, 1873

Railway travelling in Southland is cheap enough on holidays. Excursion trains arc to run to day from the Bluff to Wmton, a distance of forty miles, return tickets being issued at 2s each.

The Committee of the Wakatip Hospital arc going in for tree planting with a vengeance. At their last meeting the secretary was requested to write to his Honor the Superintendent for 2,000 Californian trees. From the Ist of AprH, 1872, to the 31st of March, 1873, the land sales in the district of Southland have realised the sum of L 73,436 Is 7d ; and from the Ist to the Bth of the present month, the amount received from the same source has been LI 1,835 3s 2d.

At the Mayor’s Court this morning, before his Worship the Mayor, John Boyd and Mary Upjohn, charged with drunkenness, not appearing, both bad the amount of their bail (40s) forfeited. There was no business transacted at the Resident Magistrate s Court.

In a recent case before Mr W. H. Pilliet, R.M., at Akaroa, the Rev. W. Aylmer, the local Episcopalian clergyman, objected to havim» the oath administered to him, saying that a°s a Church of England clergyman he could testify without being sworn. Hie magistrate said he had fleyer heard siic-i an objection before, and insisted on Mg Aylmer being sworn. We understand a contract has boon taken for raising the roof of the Princess Iheatic ten feet, and for thoroughly ventilating and increasing the seat accommodation in both pit and boxes. The contract has been taken by Mr David Hunter, whose plans we have seen, aiid anticipate from the improvements projected that iiivil) be made the most comfortable place of avjiueenpjnt in Dunedin. The alterations will be computed early in May.

The arrangements for the transfer of the Dunedin and Fort Chalmers line of railway to the General Government may be said to be completed, only a few trifling details baying y.et to be settled. Immediate steps will be taken to connect the lino with the Dunedin and Rsdclutha line; the stati n accommodation at Dugedic will be at once extended; goods sheds, engine sheds, and such additional works a< are jyjiJ be at once constructed. The working of the line will be under the superintendence of tjhic Provincial authorities, and it is expected it will be open to Green Island in about six weeks or two months. The following figures are instructive Daring the year 18/2 there left the port of Newcastle for New Zealand 232 vessels carrying 101,605 tons of coal. The vessels paid iu the port of Newcastle for tonnage dues, pilotage, harbor and light dues, L 2,491 8s lOd. Each of these 232 vessels would probably disburse Ll5O during its stay in Newcastle, making the following amount paid out of New Zealand to New South Wales ; Present cost at Newcastle, 12s per ton, for 101,605 tons of coal, L 00,963; disbursements of vessels, say Ll5O each, L 34,800. Total, L95.7G3. There is a comparative statement of the relative postal businesses of the several Colonies published in the report of the Conference recently held in Sydney. The returns include the years 1866 to 1872. New Zealand falls out of the comparative tables in the former year, owing to the then recently established Panama service. The number of letters inwards and outwards were at that date :—Victoria, 1,094,068; New South Wales, 475,302 ; South Australia, 251,423 ; New Zealand, 758,843 ; Tasmania, 82,176: Queensland, 242,124; Western Australia, 36,644. In the above table the comparative result gives the second place to New Zealand. In subsequent years the basis of any such comparison has been disturb' d by the various postal changes and the extension of telegraph communication.

A considerable number of people was attracted to the North Dun*idi;j recreation ground on Saturday afternoon, to witness a walking and running match between a well known ped named Edwards, and a runner named Barker, The former offered to walk seventy yards while the latter ran a hundred, for L 5 a side. Barker, however, objected to walk on the ground, owing to the roughness of the surface ; the raoe, therefore, came off in Great King street. Three to pne was freely offered against the walker, and when the men appeared stripped greater odds were offered. A false start was made, but Edwards meanwhile showed that ho had some go in him, and offered to back himself. A true .ctart being obtained, Edwards went away in splend/d style, winning the race easily in twelve sacou/Js. Barker lost the race by live yards. From the fourth annual report ot thw New Zealand Institute it appears that the several affiliated societies comprise 527 members, viz., the Auckland Institute, 157 members ; the Wellington Philosophical Society, 182 members; Philosophical Institute of Canterbury, ,81 members; Otago Institute, 186 members; aud the Nelson Association, 71 members. The last volume of and Proceedings contains 472 pages, apd 04 original papers, viz , zoology, 1.9 j botany, 12 ; chemistry, 9 ; geology, 9 ; and miscellaneous, 19. The cost of producing this volume was L 391 15s. The Assembly voted LSOO, and the income has been LGIS 17s lid. The balance in hand is LI 95 18s sd, A general geological map of the Colony on a scale of twelve miles to the inch is in an advanced state of preparation. The third annual report of the Botanic Garden Board (Wellington) is also among the Parliamentary Papers published. The vote for this depaitment w r as LBOO. After expenditure, there remains a balance of L 56 17s lOd.

At the meeting of the Zoological Society on January 21, among other papers of scientific interest, a ( commimipatiou was read from Ur J. E. Hray, who is at the head of the zoological department jn British Museum, containing a description of the skeleton of the New Zealand right whale { Macleai/iu s Andralionm), and of several other whales. The paper concluded with a list of all the known species of marine mammalia inhabiting the seas around New Zealand. The

learned author referred particularly to the skeleton of a whale recently forwarded to this country by Dr Haast, the Provincial Geologist of Canterbury, and now deposited in the British Museum. Dr Orav pointed out some very curious facts relating to the geographic range of these “ monsters of the deep,” and his treatise, when published by the society, will no doubt bo read with much interest by scientific students in the Colony. It will be remembered that Dr Gray was the author of the first published list of the fauna of New Zealand, appended to “ Dieffenhach’s Travels in 1813 : and this veteran zoologist, if we may judge by his numerous papers on the subject, has continued bis researches with unabated interest to the present day. Noticing the telegrams announcing the marriage of Sir James Fergusson, the newlyapointed Governor of New Zealand, the Melbourne herald says :—“ There is some romance in this alliance. Miss Rich man was for many years engaged to her cousin, a Mr Fleming, and affairs went smoothly enough during the time that Mr Fleming remained in the Colony. He took a trip to Europe, however, and during his absence Sir James Fergusson saw the lady and admired her, and sought her hand. It would be difficult to say whether the lady at first reciprocated this attachment. Sir James seems, however, to have won the good opinion of the young lady’s guardian, her uncle, a rich Moonta proprietor. He favored the distinguished suitor’s addresses, and finally Miss Richmau gave her consent, Mr James left for England, and shortly afterwards. Miss Ricbmau followed, accompanied by her guardian, i They had scarcely left Adelaide when young Fleming arrived, and his consternation was great at finding that the dove had flown, and that Miss Hichman was on the way to Europe to become Lady Fergusson. The bride’s fortune, it is understood, is not held in her own right, but is a marriage portion bestowed by the uncle and guardian. The moral of all th's is that long engagements, like other delays, arc dangerous.” The following is from the Evening Pod; — The Lutterworth, which arrived on Saturday at Fort Chalmers, brought out the last instalment of immigrants that Messrs Brogden are going to import under their agreement with Mr Vogel. That agreement was that the firm should bring out 2,000 ablebodied men and their families, the number not to exceed in all 6.000, and that the Government should give them work sufficient to provide employment for these men. Up to the present time the firm have introduced 1,201 men, 400 women, and 453 children, making a total of 2,174 ; but the Government not having completed its pait of the bargain, and given Messrs Brogdeu contracts sufficient to employ them, they have telegraphed home instructions to send out no more immigrants. Of the 1,291 men introduced, we understand that not more than about 500 are employed by Messrs Brogden, the remainder having been absorbed by the ordinary demand for labor and by Government contractors. The immigrants were brought out in fifteen vessels, and have been distributed as follows :—Auckland, 151 men, 44 women, and 55 children. Napier, 05 men, 52 women, and 71 children. Wellington, 370 men, 138 women, and 104 children. Pic ton, 07 men, 14 women, and 27 children. Dunedin, 479 men, 138 women, and 154 children. Invercargill, 0 men, 7 women, and fi children. Oamaru, 90 men, 7 women, and 6 children. Making a total of 1291 men, 400 women, and 483 children, in all 2,174 souls. While the remembrance of the recent great fire In l ittle Flinders street is still fresh in our minds, It is worth while inviting the attention of our architects and engineers to a system of lire prevention that has bean lately applied in England, and is noticed elsewhere in connection with the mention of the London theatres. It appears that Asiley’s Amphitheatre lias recently been altered and improye.d and the changes comprise the novelty we allude to. This is an arrangement by which, in case of a fire occurring, “any person, by turning a lover, will be able to convert the gas-jets into water inlets.” That is, as we understand it, that the gas is turned off at the meter, and the water supply is sent with such pressure as is available into th* system of gas-pipes, every jet contributing its share to the influx of water at all parts of the house. The advantage of this jpethfld, it will be observed, i a not wholly lost should the pipes become molted or torn down with Still continuing to discharge its stream of water into th,e burning building. > ?be pomr plete application of the method might inv Ive a modification of the gas p : ping and the form of jet, so as to allow of the issue of a larger stream of water, but probably this is provided for in the scheme of the inventor. The account states that when the invention was tested it was found to work “most efficiently, a tremendous body of water falling in less than one minute.” Some of oar gas engineers should look into the subject, and investigate the practical value of the invention, ami the desirableness of introducing it in our largo gasdighted buildings. A rgns.

The patience and good humor of a Saturday night audience are proverbial. Managers are aware of the fact; and the result is that on one night in the week atall eventsthey display an amount of indifference that is positively charming. The ailment is not confined to the management: the company is to some extent —greater on some Saturdays than on others—affected in a similar manner. Thus we were prepared with our experience of the past to believe that “ Ireland as it was/ which constituted the feature of Saturday e bill, would not receive as much c ire and attention as if performed on some other evening ; but we did not expect to see it so indifferently performed as it was. Let us except Miss Stephenson, who makes a tolerable Judy O’Trot, and Mr O’Brien, who as the rollickinglrishman is thoroughly at home, and scarcely a word can be said in praise of the performers. Mr Burford, when he plays ‘ old man,” appears to be utterly unconscious of the fact that it is physically impossible for a map, y/ho is supposed to be an octogenarian, to possess a vojpo akin to that of a Stentor ; while Mr South makes tpo jjiuchof a burlesque of his characters. Incidental to the drama was a song by Miss Stephenson, which had to be repeated ; and a jig capitally danced by the lady and Mr 0 Bnen, which narrowly escaped an encore. The afterpiece was the musical comedietta of “The L 04.11 of a Lover,” which compensated for the defects of the first piece. Miss Stephenson plays in this class of piece with such verve that we expect to see her to still greater advantage in burlesque, in which she appears this evening. Mr H ydes, as Peter, aided the success of the comedietta materially. A capital hill is put forward for to night. “ Tim Daughter of the Regiment, am), the burlesque of “111-treated 11 Jiovatore/'Misa appearing m both. At the last two fires in fjhristphuroh, crowding on the part of spectators has been a source of such inconvenience to the firemen that public attention has been called to the subject. A correspondent of the Press makes some observations, the application of which admits of a much wider range than was intended for them. He says Ihc general pubhe lather like to go to a lire. 1 don t know why', hut I lots of steady-going citizens who \yill, att)ie spiled of the lire-bel , arise in the dead of night, apcl iyp tyro 01 three miles on tho chance of seeing even a small conflagration. If such folk ■would confine themselves to being simp.y spectators, it would be no matter to anyone, but they will insist on being of use when there are perhaps hundreds of firedevouring Richards in the field already. In their endeavors to learn the origin of the lire —to get a good sight of it, or save goods --they get in tho way, and make the lives of the firemen and police a burden to them lor the time being. The attempts at salvage made by some of these beings are sometimes superlatively idiotic. 1 saw one swivelhcadpd chunk fhe other night throwing crockery into the street to save it, and crying out wildly L) others who were working, “ Kcepcool, lOl' gpodgeM Sftke, kCc 1 ]) cool.” I could have incremated that fellow with delight, and danced a break-down all

the time. I have one invariable plan at a fire. I sit down in the glare, and cry. Some one thinks I’m suffering, and takes me away to drink. The over-zeal of some people might he cured by a little judicious reporting. After giving the usual particulars of the fire and voting the thanks of the community to the Brigade and Police (which to speak truth they usually well deserve), your reporters might add a few words of praise such as the following : ’We observed Mr Kabtacle getting in everybody’s way, acting like a drivelling idiot; Mr A. S. Siduous, by his unceasing but utterly insane exertions, increased the loss to the N.Z. Insurance Company by about LBO. We hope he will eschew fires for the future. At one stage of the proceedings the curiosity of seven larrikins became of snob a character as to induce Mr Superintendent Harris to order them to he squirted on This order was obeyed with most effective results.” 'Flic travelling correspondent of the Bruce. Herald visited the Waitaki last week, and describes the rate of progress being made in erecting the bridge. The cylinders are of various lengths and of two sizes, the largest being the first to be inserted, measures 2ft 9i(in i ll H* e clear inside, and 9ft lone ; the next length, 3ffc, tapers from the above size to 2ft Gin in the clear inside, that being the finishing measurement of each cylinder at top. The entire length of the bridge wi l be about 1,43 /ft, and 30ft wide ; 14ft for railway line, and 16ft for dray traffic, boHi on a level. There will be 13 ) spans of half a chain each fri-m centre to centre of cylinders. At the spring of each span three cylinders are t > be inserted, making a total of nearly 400 in all The girders measure 2ft Gin deep, and join together square on end, and are to be strapped top and bottom will plates of iron full width, and about 4ft long. > The entire length of the cylinders, when finished, are supposed to be 3Gft Gin. They are to be sunk in the shingle 24ft hj low ordinary water lev 1, The sinking will avora con or about 24ft all over-the deepest stream only measuring 12ft of water. Three first lengths of these cylinders have been inserted, at which five men worked the first mouth, and nine men for the second, and are still endeavoring to get them down. One of these cylinders is sunk to a depth of 17ft, and notwithwithstanding that four feet of shingle below that depth lias been taken out, the cylinder remains immovable. The other two, which have each a gang of men—one of four, and one of five—are down, one ten feet, and the other twelve feet. By the present process of extracting the shingle from below the cylinders, the average depth gained each day does not exceed two inches, and in the event of a boulder being struck, the present mode of working would become utterly useless Then, again, the cylinders are on the small side for the use of the pneumatic apparatus. The sinking appliances in use at present are very simple in construction. But the method of excavation is extremely slow. Mr Dunn, the Government engineer, intends trying an eccentric scarifier or harrow, so as to loosen the shingle for the bucket, and clearing exactly under the edge of the cylinder. Should the present process be improved upon, and the improved apparatus he found to succeed, the work could be pushed on rapidly in the event of a go-ahead contractor obtaining the contract, as the expense of the fixings for each gang of men would not cost a very great amount of money, and could men be obtained the one-half of the cylinders could be proceeded with at once.

We may expect Mr J. L. Gillies to assume the role of a reformer this session. In the last issue of the Bruce Herald he details a scheme for cheapening the cost of provincial administration, and improving the working of the departmental service. — I( We would abolish the present system of election of a Superintendent, and also the office of Speaker of the Provincial Council as a separate office from that of Superintendent ; or, in other words, amalgamate the two ofiices Wc would reduce the number of the members of the Proaincial Council to at least one-half of its present strength, and make thcChainnan, Speaker, or Superintendent, whatever it might be thought proper to call him, elective by the Council, and directly responsible to them. Such officer should have the sole control of the departmental service, and be personally responsible for the efficient administration of the departments. The only way to secure a simplification of our system, and still retain responsible government, is, to make the office of Superintendent slso tp be that of Speaker or Chairman of the Council, and the person appointed 'to that office to be elected by apd be responsible tp the Council or Board for bis administration. If the Suppriptppdopt wpre thus placed ip direct contact with the Council, and responsible to them, a great deal of the official routine might bo dispensed with, and our system of provincial government reduced to one more in accordance with the scale of our requirements ; and we see nothing to hinder this, now that municipal and road boards have undertaken much of what is local in administration, and the Assembly curtailed so much of the legislative duties formerly pertaining to the Copncil and Go' r ermeut. Bet the Superintendent be in a position similar to the manager of a bank, directly responsible to the directory, then we see no reason why the offices of Provincial Secretary, Provincial Treasurer, and Secretary of Land and Works should not be done away with, and a simple board of directory, to meet once a month, be substituted for the present executive system. At this mouth y meeting matters involving policy wou’d be discussed, expenditure authorised, and an advance for current monthly payments sanctioned. Under an efficient and practical head, who had no other purpose as an object to attain but that of efficiently meeting and serving the public requirements, departments could be consolidated, and much of the present red-tapeism rendered unnecessary. While thus indicating in what way retrenchment could bo cffiected by a change in our system, we would strongly deprecate and warn against any change that may be proposed having any centralising tendency, and weakening the influence and check which outlaying districts have at present, by possessing the pov/cr of saying who the Executive shall be.*’ '

It has been stated that Mr Sykes* concert would be p 'stpoued on account of the weather, but we have been requested to state that it will positively bo held. The passengers by the Philip Laing who purpose taking part to-morrow in the reunion commemoration of their landing must be on the platform of the railway station at noon to-morrow.

We begto call attention to an advertisement in another column, stating that Mr Percival’s benefit at the Olympic Music Hall, which was postponed on account of that ycptlcimin’s illness, will take place tonight. We have received a letter signed “ FMr Play,” which deals with matters that the public really is not concerned with, and the object of which appears to bo merely to throw discredit on an individual. As a matter of wages, it is of no moment; for whether the statements in t c letter are true or untrue, they will have no influence upon them, and we do not know any hctlci authority on the subject than he who pays and they who receive. As these pretty well amce iu what they say, their authority must he held conclusive, and no good purpose can he answered by a counter assertion from a third party.