The Evening Star MONDAY, MARCH 16, 1874

Evening Star, Issue 3452, 16 March 1874, Page 2

The Evening Star MONDAY, MARCH 16, 1874

A public meeting is to be held at Queenstown, this week, to urge upon the Government the immediate construction of the ‘Winton-Kingston railway. In connection with the Census, the Govern* ment is collecting information relating to manufactories, works, industries, &c., in order to ascertain the producing power of the Colony. This afternoon a boy about nine years old had a very narrow escape. In crossing the street ne was knocked down by a car and run over. He was taken into Dr Cole’s rooms and examined, when it was found he had sustained no “jury beyond a severe bruise and abrasion of the skin on the leg.

At the Resident Magistrate’s Court, Port Chalmers, # this morning, Sarah Solomon was charged with using insulting language to Mary Flinn. Mr Mansford, who appeared for the complainant, asked that the case might be adj mimed for a week, which was doue. TVs Drvsdale and O’Dohoghue (J.P.’s) presided; J

The Secretary for the Goldfields has received a telegram from Queenstown stating that the runs are fetching good prices. The grazing rights of No. 1, 8,500 acres, fetched L 485 16s, about 16d per acre per annum; No. 2, 10,500 acres, L 355. John Brook Hunter, who was arrested in Dunedin on a charge of larcenj' as a bailee in disposing of a clarionet, belonging to the Timaru Artillery, of whose band he had been teacher, was tried before Judge Ward, at Timaru, on the 10th inst., and acquitted. , The line of rail which passes through the meat preserving works at Woodlands, has recently been extended some distance, and in the extension there is a gradient of 1 in 20, which an engine went over for the first time on the 9th inst., remaining as stationary at the top of the incline as if it had been a dead level.

The proposed Union Steam Shipping Company has fallen through, because sufficient shares were not taken up by the public. We hear that Mr James Mills, manager of the Harbor Company, goes Home by the mail steamer on Wednesday, we believe with a view to placing its share list in the London market, and obtaining an extension of its capital to meet its growing business.

“The Grand Duchess” was repeated on Saturday evening at the Princess’s to a capital downstairs attendance, but the circle attendance was not over large, which, after all, is not unusual on a Saturday night. The opera went well, the best known airs coming in for plenty of applause, while the song of the glass had to be repeated. To-night “ Sonnambula” ‘ will be played for the first time.

Last night, in George street, Port Chalmers, Sergeant Neil arrested a Chinaman, well known to the police, named Quin Nam alias On Say alias Flash Jimmy, with a number of other aliases, on a charge of obtaining goods under false representations from Messrs Herbert, Haynes, and Co., or Dunedin. He was conveyed to town by train, in the charge of Sergeant Neil, and will be taken before the Resident Magistrate to-morrow.

At the Immigration Barracks, Caversham, to-day, about twenty-five females by the Carnatic were engaged as domestic servants, at from L 25 to L3O per year. Six single men (farm servants) found employment at from LSO to L 52 per year. A great many more would doubtless have been engaged had longer notice been given. Those immigrants by the Mongol released from quarantine on Saturday will be sent North on Friday next._ The remainder of the male and female immigrants per Carnatic may be engaged to-morrow.

The police were put on the alert on Saturday night by a report that two men intended on Sunday morning to prove which was the betterin the use of his fists, for a wager of £5 a-side. The fight was arranged to oome off at the Forbury race-course, and two constables were accordingly sent there to put a stop to any such proceeding. On their arrival at the spot, however, the pugilists did not put in an appearance, and the policemen were informed by some of the horse-racing fraternity, who had also heard of the prize fight, that jthg stakes had been drawxr and the match declared off.

The ‘ Arrow Observer’ is responsible for the following : —“ We are informed by Mr Powell, Koad Inspector, that on examining the Shotover bridge this week to see if it required tightening up after the dry weather, it was found that forty of the nuts had been taken off the bolts beneath the flooring, and outside the parapet. Some of the bolts were quite bright, showing that the thief had no small difficulty hi getting tjpmi to stir, and that the theft had been done very recently.” The police should use every endeavor trace the perpetrator of such a dastardly act. At the request of a number of the residents of Palmerston Mr C. 11, Chapman, of this City, delivered a lecture there in the Town Hall on Saturday evening on the subject of “ Building Societies.” There was a good attendance, and Mr Gilligan was in the chair. The lecturer gave a long and interesting account of these societies in general, and concluded by referring to the National Building Society and the advantages to be gained by joining ifc. After a number of questions had been satisfactorily answered, a vote of thanks to Mr Chapman for his lecture was accorded him, and a vote of thanks to the chairman terminated the proceedings. At the termination of the lecture a number of shares in the society were taken up by those present.

When on a visit to the Carrick range during the paafc week we (‘Dunstan Times’) were shewn specimens of copper ore, plumbago, cinnabar and antimony as discovered in the district. The party, in whose possession they are, informed us the two first nj°ntioned, under existing circumstances, are of no market value, the veins from which they were taken being very thin, and the returns, after analysis, bein'* very small; with the two latter, however, a different account was given, the return being 75 per cent. A largo parcel, in all about three tons of the antimony, has been sent Home, and if the return equals the first trial, not only does a competence await the fortunate holders, but a branch of industry will be opened that must raise the district second to none in importance in the Province. The existence of these various metals has long been known, but their locale has been a bidden secret until now. There was a very large attendance at the Queen’s Theatre on Saturday, when “ Aurora Floyd” and “Lady Audley’s Secret” were presented. We have on several occasions commented in favorable terms .on Miss Stephenson’s representation of Aurora and Lady Audly; it is therefore unnecessary to say more than that this lady surpassed all her former efforts—luer acting throughout being all that could be desired. Miss Gassy Mathews played very well as Mrs PowelJ, Messrs Hydes, South, and Glover being also good in their respective parts. Mr Searie, as the Softy, never appeared to greater advantage; lie displayed uuava ability in his rendering of this difficult character than we had previously given him credit for. Qn the whole the performance was very successful, and Miss Stephenson had repeatedly to bow her acknowledgment to the audience. Saturday’s programme will be repeated this evening. The following circumstance, the accuracy of which is vouched for by the ‘ Times,’ occurred not many miles from InyenjargiJ), not very long since. A local sawmiller found it necessary to be abroad at five o’clock on a Monday'morning, in order to collect his men together’ so that operations at the sawmill might lie resumed without loss of time. After getting a number gathered, it was found that one who had an important post to fill was not among them, so there was nothing for it but “ to hunt him up.” After a little trouble, the missing man was found, but he positively refused to move until his employer treated him to a “ nobbier.” This demand was complied with, and a start was then made for the place of rendezvous After proceeding a short distance, a demand for another “ nobbier” was made, and the sawmiller goodnaturedly returned to satisfy this unnatural craving for strong drink. The two then proceeded on their way, and had gone but a few yards when a further demand was made for a bottle of beer. This was also supplied but proved ineffectual in the way of inducing the.man to go and earn 12s for his day’s work for, after walking a short way with his employer, he positively refused to proceed any further. The sawmiller left him in disgust, and had the further mortification of finding,’ when he reached the place where he parted with the other men, that they had all dispersed, and the sawmill was consequently doomed to remain idle for that day at all events, The fiouthlanders were led to expect that the barque Omgga would bring a shipload of immigrants to their port, and be the precursor of a line of two monthly /ffiips with immigrants for that part of the Province, Great then was the disappointment of the people when the barque arrived without any immigrants, and loud have been the grumblings and accusations of qufair treatment since. The ‘ Times’ believes the disappointment results from another of those egregious blunders for which the Immigration Department has become unfortunately too remarkable, and remarks“ We hav,e patiently waited our turn in the face of frequent arrivals? of immigrants in Dunedin, of which wc were promised our share, and it is needless to say that the promise has not been kept, we submitting in tho meantime with the bettor grace because of ttie hope of an early direct shipment. In vain do .owe zealous district immigration officers discharge their duty, throwing into its performance an amount of energy worthy of a better shc'cCHfi 5 and equally in vain do we seek to make the Province and its resources as attrac-

tive as possible to visitors coming expressly to ?. e ®, ou 1 1 ' requirements. Our labor appears to be little better than thrown away by mismanagement in some quarter or other. We have no hopo whatever of a speedy alteration from the existing disregard of our wants as a district, unless in the meantime a strong remonstrance, based upon the unpardonable omission in the matter of the Omega, is forwarded, and followed up by the continuous urgency of our claims to consideration in an equal ratio with any other portion of the Province or Colony.” A certain Dr Bruce, who for a short time past has resided in the West r l’aieri district, would appear to have made up his mind to gain a living by some means, failing the establishment of a_ lucrative practice. It seems that he has obtained goods from several of the local tradespeople by means of valueless cheques, from one confiding tailor getting about L4O worth of clothes. One person, with whom he had exchanged cheques, however, having his suspicions aroused, managed to get his returned. On the 10th inst. the doctor went to a country branch of the National Bank and persuaded the manager to cash a cheque for L2O, on the strength of nis assertion that he had an account with the same bank at Outran. He finished ™ exploits by going to see Mr Goodison, of the Plough Inn, Caversham, with reference to a horse belonging to the latter, for which he had offered L4O. Mr Goodison gave him the loan or the horse for the evening, as the doctor wanted to take a lady for a ride,” but instead of returning it he.appears to have made for the South, giving Mr Eagerty, of the Rose, Thistle, and bhamrock Hotel, a turn on his way, in the shape of a valueless cheque for L2. The telegraph was set in motion, and he was arrested at Balclutha on Saturday. The victims of Dr Bruce have no one to blame but themselves, as it appears that since his arrival here from Canterbury, in Jauunry last, the police, who were made aware of his character, have kept an eye on him; and the people of the district where he settled down were warned of his habits. He was discharged from the Lyttelton gaol on November 15, last year, after serving a sentence of nine months’ imprisonment for obtaining money at Akaroa under false pretences. We hear of Mr Holloway in the South, He arrived m Invercargill on Saturday last, and on his way thither inspected some of the land on Al'Nab’s run, which is shortly to be thrown open for application on the deferred payment system, and, as we learn from the ‘Southland limes,’ expressed himself as being satisfied with the quality of the soil, but disappointed that the area to be dealt with on the deferred payment principle in this particular locality was so limited in extent, namely, 5,000 acres. Ou Monday forenoon, Mr Holloway visited the Bluff, and in the afternoon, accompanied by Air J. W. Alitcbcll, Chairman of the Immigration and Railway Committee, and Mr Duncan M‘Arthur, proceeded to Woodlands for the purpose of inspecting the meat-preserving establishment there. On arriving at the works, Mr Holloway met Mr Moodie, the Colonial manager of the Meat Preserving Company, who showed him through the different departments of the establishment, and minutely explained the various operations in the process of meatpreserving. Mr Holloway appeared to be fully satisfied that the meat utilised was of the very primest quality, and that the most scrupulous cleanliness iyas a characteristic feature of each process. The 'visitor’s fancy was much tickled when he saw a pile gt sheeps- heads lying in front of the furnace door, ready to be used as fuel for the fire. “ Our men,’* said he, “ will be rather astonished when I tell them that out here sheeps’ heads are made use of to get up steam. In my part of the country, witli the heart &c., attached, they fetch Is 3d apiece.” Air Holloway made several entries in his notebook in connection with his inspection of these admirably-conducted works, and it may therefore be confidently expected that when he returns to the old country he will be able to remove a gqod deal of the prejudice which exists with regard to the use of preserved meats, one very popular idea being, as he informed those who accompanied him, that a large number of old horses were submitted to the preserving process! Mr Holloway seems favorably impressed with what he has seen of Southland, and feds convinced that if large blocks of land were set aside for settlement on the principle of deferred payments, he could induce a great nmjiber of his people to come to this part of the Colony,

The Dunedin Naval Company will be inspected on Thursday next. Calcutta sweeps for all events will be drawn at the Empire Hotel this evening.