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Evening Star, Issue 3192, 14 May 1873, Page 2

Labor is in free demand at Camara, where high rates of wages are inling, masons an. carpenters being especially in request. The former get fifteen shillings a day. The New Zealand Herald says that Colonel Haultaiu is mentioned as the probable successor to the Hon. Dr Pollen in the office of General Government Agent in Auckland. According to tho Lyttelton Times's corres pondent, Mr Donald Iteid’s speech has been scarcely noticed in Auckland, and the littl notice it did obtain was anything but compl, military.

We believe we are justified in saying the nothing has yet been definitely settled as t tho formation of a Provincial Executive Report says that Mr Reid will form j Ministry.

The fourth cake of retorted gold, weigh ing 34lbs. troy, from the Gabriel's Gully Quartz Mining Company, will be exhibits n the window of Mr MendershausenV from ten o’clock to-morrow morning until four in tho afternoon. It is the result of six weeks’ crushing by ten heads of stamps fiOO tons of stone havin ' been passed undo' the stampers. The value of the cake is L 1.530,.530, and the estimated cost of production L4OO.

The following is the amount of revenn collected in the various Provinces of the Colony for the quarter ending March 31 Auckland, L 47,654; New Plymouth, L 1.777 ; Wellington, L24,3i>7 ; Napier, 1.7 065 ; No! son, L9.79S ; Westland, LIS, 168; Canterbury, L 33.293 ; Otago, L 62,615 ; Sonth'and, L 5.790. Total, L 210,4 7. Corresponding quarter 1872, L 196 291. The receipts, therefore, show an increase of Ll4 176, of which increase Otago contributes L 2,627. The following notifications appear in the last number of tho New Zealand Gazelle:— Mr W. P. Street to be registration and returning officer for the electoral districts of Dunedin, Koslyn, and Caversham, vice Mr Strode, resigned. Mr J. P. Maitland to be registration and returning officer for the electoral districts of firuce and Tuapeka, vice Mr Dewe, resigned. Mr I. N. Watt to exercise tho exle .ded jurisdiction up to LIOO of the Resident Magistrate’s Court, Dunedin district, and to be auditor of the Court of Law trust accounts for the Dunedin and Oamaru dil riots, vice Mr Strode, resigned. A rather novel presentation was made to Mr Curtis on the occasion of the turning of the first sod of the Nelson and Foxhill line. A Mr Darkness, an old Waimea settler, stepped forward with a pair of watertight boots, which he presented to the Superintendent, with a somewhat lengthy speech that it was quite impossible to hear, but the purport of which was that they had been made at Richmond of locally manufactured leather, and as his Honor had just performed a navvy’s work, he trusted he would not be offended if he presented him with a pair of navvy’s boots, Mr W. White, jun., has been successful in obtaining tbe contract for the construction of the Point railway between the Washdykc and Pleasant Point. At a recent meeting of the Timaru and Gladstone Board of Works, a local contemporary says The consideration of the following tenders for th; Point railway took place—E. G. Wright, 1,26.90b; W. White, jun., L 22.040 Is fid ; E. G. Wright (if 301b rails are used), L 20,900 It was proposed by Mr Hall, seconded by Mr Parker, and carried —“That the tender of Mr. Win. White, jun., be accepted, for construction of the Point railwav.”

A remarkable instance of presence of mind occurred at Auckland a short time ago. Two young men were fencing, when, by an unlucky stroke, one of them had his left eye forced out upon his cheek. In his agony he ran to some friends, and begged them to return the eye to its socket “before it got cold,” but finding that bis friends were too scared to help him, he walked to a ipirror. and actually put his eye back himself. He then drank two glasses of brandy, and lay quiet for three days. Afterwards he went about his ordinary avocations. His own statement is that, barring a little indistinctness of vision in the extruded eye, he suffered no inconvenience.

Some extensive drainage works are about to be commenced in the Timaru district. The Timaru, Herald says that Messrs Hayes and M'Leunan have made arrangements with the manager of the Coldstream drainage works to cut ditches amounting in I ngth to about eight miles, being equal to the excavation of about 40,000 cubic yards of earth. The land is a large swamp of several thousand acres lying between the high ground on the plains belonging to the Coldstream Station and the sea beach north of the Rangitaia, belonging to Messrs Scudholme Brothers, Rhodes, and Hassal, and the whole work of drainage, including that let to the above contractors, will cost about L 30.600. The lapd is of excellent quality and is intended for a cattle rqn. His Honor Mr Justice Johnson pronounced an interlocutory dictum of some iipp- stance the other day in Auckland. He said where a juryman was cognisant of a fact connected with the case, and did not mention it to the Court, if he gave effect to that fact in the juryroom while deliberating upon a verdict, he would:be acting inconsistently with his oath. The immediate circumstances which gave rise to the opinion was in the interpretion of Maori evidence, it being stated that tin re were one or two Maori scholars upon the jury. Where a juryman was cognisant of facts, or of a more correct interpretation, he might be sworn in to give evidence. A juryman could only decide up n the evidence actually adduced before him in the trial of a particular cause. Last evening a lecture, under the auspices of the Dunedin Mutual Improvement Society, was delivered by Mr Stout, in the Lower Hall of the Athenaeum. The lecture, in fact, was the inaugural address of the fourth session of the Society. Mr Stout touched upon the question of strikes, education, the relations between Church and State, the sphere and duties of Parliament, and the International treaty, and gave illustrations showing the absurdity of war. fie also entered on a disquisition on the germ theory in epidemics, which, in common with the other subjects, was ably bandied. At the conclusion of the address, Mr Redmayne moved a vote of thanks to the lecturer, which was seconded hy Mr Beveridge Twelve new members were placed upon the books of the Society, including four ladies. In addressing the people of Nelson, after turning the first sod of the Nelson and Foxhill line, Mr Curtis said .-—“ There is one subject that I must allude to, which was mentioned by Mr Vogel in the telegrams that between him ami myself relative to the ceremony pf namely, the hope expressed by him that all animosities plight be buried beneath the sod that was to h B turned. I can only say that it would afford pae the greatest happiness to Join in burying tjiom, but at the same time 1 may say that so far as our pcfsojual relations are cou ‘ cerned no two men could be op better terms; and, notwithstanding that wp sit on opposite sides of the House, I believe that a strong personal friendship exists between us, and I would take this opportunity of expressing the hope that in Provincial as well as in Colonial politics we may all of us, when occasion offers, agree to differ without the slightest disturbance of any friendly feelings that we may entertain one towatds the other. I only mention this for the purpose of impressing upon the people of the Province the desirability of laying aside all local jealousies, and of joining heartily and earnestly together in promoting the construction of the Nelson Trunk Railway. Let all asperities of feeling, and all disappointments and regrets that have hitherto been experienced be buried and placed out of sight under the sod that has this day been turned.” It may be remembered that at a recent meeting of the Philosophical Institute of Canterbury, a paper, the substance of which we gave, was read by Mr F. E. Wright, on the subject of “ Village Creens of England.” The idea was so warmly entertained by the members present, that a deputation was appointed to wait upon the Provincial Government to “urge upon them the desir ability of taking steps to provide in every new township for the setting apart of a certain plot of land fora village green.” The deputation waited on the Provincial Government on the 16th ultimo, and it was promised all that the members requested, viz., that the Government would gladly make reserves similar to those suggested hy the . Philosophical Institute ; and promised that i circular letter should bo sent to each of the Hoad Boards in Canterbury, requesting them to point out pieces of waste laud in their listricts, in which, in their opinion, such eserves could be advantageously made. The •ii'cular was promptly issued, namely, on the :9th ultimo, the subjoined being a copy ; “ The Provincial Government being desirous •f making public reserves to a reasonable extent {of recreation would foe glad

if you would bring under their notice any pieces of waste land situated within youi district, which, haying regard to the futurr requirements of the surrounding neighbor hood, you may consider suitable ior that purpose. ” In a recent leading article, the Lyttdto Time* ra-ido the following references to tb Superintendent’s opening speech : —“ In re capitulating ‘ the leading features which indicate the progress of the Province during tho past year,’ Mr Macandrcw points on* that the declared value of imports has been L 1.884 998, tho duty on which ha-; added !,252.000 to tho f "denial revenue. This, be significantly but rather incorrectly, adds is equal to about onc-third of the Customs revenue of the Colony. If Mr Macandrcw had said one-fourth, he would have been much nearer the mark, but the exaggeration is pardonable under the circumstances. If Otago does not contribute one-third of the Customs revenue, it is pretty clear that she does more than one third of its business. Otago ‘bagmen* are to be found every where, pushing trade and elbowing less goahead people out ol their own market. It would have been more ; alhfactory, as indicating the real industrial condition of the Province and the extent of settlement, if the exports had been given in detail. The value of gold can be calculated, but we want to know how much of the remainder must be set down to wool, how much to grain and other agricultural produce. The figures as they stand are certainly very encouraging, but they might have been made more interesting and instructive. . . . There is no uncertainty, no hesitation in the sound of thfe trumpet about the railways that are recommended to be constructed as connecting links with the main lines. Otago means to have her portion of the trunk lines of railway completed as soon as possible, and to reach the southern portion of Canterbury, if she can, before Christchurch.” There is an unmistakable Nemesis visible, says the Australasian , in the necessity Mr Francis feels to devise measures to mitigate the crushing effect on the intercolonial trade of the protective system he was a main agent in introduemg. It was with the view of reducing, as far as possible, its mischievous effects on this trade that a comprehensive system of drawbacks was brought into work by the late Government But it is found now that if Mr Parkcs carries out, as it appears he will endeavor to, his avowed intention of making Sydney a free port, it is hopeless for Melbourne to attempt to compete for the trade which Sydney wou’d then struggle to obtain, so lung as our merchants are hindered and oppressed by all the hampering conditions of a heavy, elaborate, and most vexatious tariff. Mr Francis sees that the commercial prosperity of the port is a much larger element in the welfare of the community at large than it was represented in the oratory of protectionist agitators seven or eight years ago, and that it is hopeless for Victoria to try to climb to greatness and wealth over the ruins of the commerce of Melbourne. ■ So, to engage in the competition with which Sydney threatens us, with any hope of holding our own, it is fopud needful tp restrict an much as possible tbe injurious an 4, indeed, disastrous effects of the tariff which Mr Francis aided to impose, and tbe evils of which Sir Charles Duffy so fearfully augmented. Doubtless Mr Francis lias undertaken this task with all sincerity, and fee's its necessity most strongly ; and the fact that it is necessary is worth pondering over by the advocates of the system which has imposed the ncces“ity upon him.

A general meeting of the member’ of the Otago Institute was held in the I niversity Buildings last evening; Mr R. Gillies, vicepresident, in the chair. The meeting was convened for the purpose of hearing read a paper on “The Acclimatisation of Salmon in New Zealand,” by Dr W, L. Lindsay, honorary member of the Society ; but on account of the small attendance proseut, it was decided that the whole paper be printed and circulated among the members of the Institute, and be brought up for discussion at the next meeting. Tlie introductory portion was, however, read. It related mainly to the proposed vjsitojf the Sweclisfy botanist. Dr Berggren, to this Colony j and it was resolved—“ That the Cpuncil he requested to take suitable steps to greet Dr Berggren on his arrival in (itago, and to brirg his intended visit under the notice of the Government,” Mr Murison, who had looked over Dr Lindsay’s paper previous to the meeting, made some remarks upon it. He stated that, from what experience he had, he agreed with the doctor, that the experiment at present in operation had proved highly successful, and it met with his unqualified approval. He thought it would have been preferable to have sent the whole of the ova to on? good pond, instead of sending ten thousand to Christchurch, and the rest to Southland. The first experiment of breeding salmon in the Colonies was in 1894, when a shipment of ova arrived in Tasmania, and were found to be in very fair condition. The boxes were taken to the ponds in Now Norfolk, and under the care of Mr. Rarashottham, whose name every one interested in salmon breeding should be acquainted with, the ova turned out in excellent condition, and 10,000 were driven into the sea. From the evidence of men whose testimony should not be doubted, it appeared that fish had been seen in the Dcrweut several miles up, many times since 1864; but others, whom he might call the opponents of salmon breeding, doubted this, and sail that they would not believe it till they saw' the fish. He was strongly of opinion that if the fish would not breed in the Derwent, salmon-breeding would never be a success here.— A fish, presented to the Museum by Mr Jpwitt, was laid on the table ; and Mr Webb stated that, from examination made by Mr Purdie and himself, they had pronounced it to be the Odax vilnltm , spoken ef by Captain Hutton, but which that gentleman states he never saw. The lish, which is only procurable in Otago, was, wo are informed, caught near the Heads, by some fishermen in the employ of M r Jcwitt, The ipeetiug then adjourned for a month.

Through the unavoidable absence of our reporter from the Court, we were nnalile to hear the defence in the first case of Fish v. Reeves, in the R.M. Court, on Tuesday. In justice to Mrßeev.es, weripwgi.ye the substance of it t—He considered that ip tire case heard on the 7 t-h—Stewart v, Fish, Reeves, and Gr?gg—he had been placed in an unfair position, and bad been dragged into Court against his will, as he had previously asked Mr Gregg to see Mr Stewart and settle the matter. He would never have come into Court if Mr Fish had before shown the document he then produced. After the ease was over, he met Mr Fish, and thinking that it wis a most paltry thing that a man should withhold a document, he accosted him and said, “ Fi*h, you are a mean, paltry scoundrel tor withholding that document.” At the time he made the remark he had no intention of assaulting Mr Fish ; and he knew he would not assault him Mr (Reeves). Scoundrel meant a paltry fellow ; and he thought any man acting the pa»-t Mr Fish did acted a mean part. He regretted that he acted as he did in so far as regarded making himself amenable to the law ; but he certainly thought at the time, and did so then, that be Mr (Fish) was doing a mean act. There was no intention to provoke a breach of the peace on either side.