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Evening Star, Issue 3619, 28 September 1874, Page 2

The names of Messrs Armstrong, Pyke, and Leary are mentioned for the seat in the Provincial Council which will bo rendered vacant by the resignation of Mr Oliver. The Star of the East Quartz Company crushed 180 tons, the re sub being 2400z5. A dividend of six shillings per share has been dec aved. A similar dividend was announced about a fortnight a*o. The In vercargill A then ecu m Committee Lave appointed a sub-c iinmittee to consider what steps should be taken to receive and welcome the members of the American Expedition of observers of the transit of Venus, who are shortly expected at the Bluff. Mr Robinson, one of the Martin’s Bay settlers, has made an offer to Government to carry a monthly mail between Jamestown and Queenstown for L6O a-year. He has also offered to construct a substantial footbridge over Pyke’s Creek for LIOO. At the Resident Magistrate’s Court, Port Chalmers, this morning, before Mr Mansfo’d, R.M., J. R. Penny, charged with drunkenness, was let off with a caution; and before Dr DrysJale, James M‘Martin, for the same offence, was lined 20s, or three days’ hard labor.

On the 27th July last several hundred emigrants, consisting of farmers, agricultural laborers, and domestic servants, left the port of Belfast, Ireland, for this Colony. We learn that several thousands of the same class will lewe the North of Ireland for New Zealand immediately. At Wyndham, a movement is on foot, having for its ouject an acknowledgment of the many services of both public and private character rendered to the residents by the Hon. Dr. Menz es, member for the district in the Provincial Council. A meeting will shortly be held to decide the shape the testimonial should take.

The inquiry into the circumstances attending the stranding of the steamer Easby off Waipapa Point, on September 17, was continued to-day, before Mr Bathgate, R.M., and Captain 'lhomson, Nautical Assessor. The witnesses examined btfore the mid-day adjournment were Alfred L. Watson, the second officer; Robert Crrll, chief officer; and Morris Williams, A.B. We are obliged to hold over our report. The various runholders in the interior districts of the Province have agreed to pay at the late of 17s 6d per hundred for shearing this season. Last year the rates were 20s in the northern portions of Otago, whereas they were from 15s to 17s 6.1 in the southern; but men are more plentiful this year than last, and as shearing in Australia is also earlier, larger numbers of shearers from that quarter will arrive in November than formerly, so that ths terms proposed by the runholders in the Dunstan district will probably be the highest offered in the Province. Mr F. S. Canning, who has for some time past been business manager and publisher of the * Guardian ’ newspaper, having resigned his position, was presented by the runners with a very handsome greenstone pendant surmounted with gold, and a meerschaum pipe, as a token of their appreciation of the manner in which he had fulfilled his duties. The present was accompanied with an expression of regret at his leaving that branch of the employ. We believe Mr Canning is still connected with the paper, and is going to the northward.

Two instances have come under the notice of the ‘ Southland limes’ of able-bodied young women leaving comfortable situations as domestic servants, and returning to the immigration barracks. ‘‘ They did not see,” se they averred, “why they should be at the trouble to do hard work, so long as they had a good home to go to in the barracks !” The kindness of the authorities in maintaining these young women at the public expense, cannot be denied, but it would be interesting to know, as a mere matter of economy, how long it is intended to continue to do so.

The farmers in the Western district are up in arms. They complain of the manner in which three padlocks are being laid open by the sub-contractors for the Kiverton-Otauta Kailway, and exposed to the inroads of cattle, and of the absence of fencing, crossing accommodation, and of proper water outlets on the plans in places where they are indispensable in the interests of the landowners. At a meeting on September 2, the following resolution was unanimously agreed to “ That unless Government arranges with the freeholders, leaseholders, or their agents, on the said line, as regards fencing, water-out-lets, crossings, and compensation, on or before the 21st October, 1874, united action will be taken by the undersigned to stop all works within their respective properties,” The inhabitants of Clyde do not thank the Hon. Mr Waterhouse for his actioh in reference to the Clyde Waterworks Bill, which on his motion the Legislative Council threw out, because there was nothing to show that the ratepayers were parties to the Bill. As we pointed out at the time, not only did the hon. gentleman speak. about what he knew nothing of, but if he had been conversant with the law, as anyone in his position should be, he would have known that if the Bill had passed, the ratepayers were in a position, under the Municipal Corporations Act, to prevent it being acted upon if it did not suit their wishes. The ‘ Lunstan Times’ informs the hon. gentleman that the people of Clyde were most auxioifs for the privilege sought, and on their behalf ventures the hope that when the measure again comes before the Council, as of a surety it will, he will not again in sanely interfere, and prevent the passing of so desirable a measure, as the providing Clyde, or any other town r with pure and wholesome water.

Our Mount Ida contemporary is dreadfully indignant. The ‘Witness’—or rather a would-be funny contributor to it—has been decrying Naaeby and ridiculing its inhabitants in so gross and uncalled-for a manner, that the ‘ Chronicle 1 is forced to take up the cudgels in their behalf, and thus makes atswer : To those that know Naseby we need not say that crime is unknown on the records of the Court, and the enly cases of drunkenness at all conspicuous are those unfortunates (for the most parts offshoots from Dunedin) drifted up to more charitable places, who should long ago have been cared for by voluntary supported institutions in the metropolitan town. 1f Mr Passing Notes would look at home first; if he would lift the veil from the drunken debauch and hell tables to be found closed from public observation in private sanctuaries; if he would decry the prostitution crowding the streets of Dunedin (but no, Mr Passing Notes would, if we remember rightly, license it) ; we might then, doubtless, be glad to have pointed out to us the motes in our small town. Till then, it may be more deeoroua and prudent to localise the washing of dirtv clothes. ”

On Saturday night Smith’s Combination Troupe gave another of their enjoyable entertainments at the Princess's to a capital downstairs attendance. The programme of the previous evening was given, with the exception of “ Box and Cox,” which, after its failure ea Friday night, the management

showed good sense in not repeating! The clever DeCastro family take a benefit tomorrow, and in announcing this fact on Saturday, Mr DeCastro promised that several novelties should be introduced. Yo;mg Australia, two and a-half years old, and the youngest acrobat in the world, would make his first appearance; Young England would turn a somersault blindfolded from the circle to the stage, besides catching Annette and Alberto in their leap from the circle to the stage, while he was suspended from the trapeze by his feet; and the last two-named would appear for the first time as vocalises. All would do their utmost to make the performance a success ; and he trusted they would receive what they had striven to deserve —a bumprr house. This announcement was warmly applauded. The DeCastros, taken as a whole, are undoubtedly the cleverest troupe of acrobats that have ever visited this Colony ; and it would be bnt a deserved compliment to see their talents acknowledged in the way indicated. We have a copy of the Order Paper for next City Council meeting, but why it was not supplied to us on Saturday, as usual, we are at a loss to understand. For the most part the notices have reference to trivial matters, such as the metalling of streets. The most imp Ttant is by Cr. Fish, and will lead to some debate—“ That, with a view of at once proceeding with the widening of Princes street, this Council forthwith appoint their arbitrators.” Cr?. Fish and Beck are both desirous that', there should be more business and lees talk at future meetings : for the last mentioned seeks to limit the time any Councillor shall oocuy in speaking to one subject to five miLutes, while Or. Fish will move that no new business shall be entered upon after ten at night. Cr. Reeves will ask the Council to sanction the reduction to their permanent level of Union street, from Forth street to end of Corporation sections ; and Harbor Terrace, from Albany to Dundas streets. Cr. Grant will mdve—“That in order that the services of the Inspector of Contracts be rendered as efficient as possible, the City Surveyor be instructed to supply the Inspector with necessary copies of plans and specifications of all let contracts before commencement; and no departure from the given plans and specifications be allowed daring progress of any contracts without the sanction of the Works Committee and the City Surveyor jointly j and if any alteration, the same be made known to the Inspector in writing.” The following strange epitaph appears on one of the gravestones in the Hokitika Cemetery. It is certainly an anomaly as emanating from the friends of anyone deceased “ Memoria ,in Sterna of Ellen, second daughter of Thomas and Christina Newhouse, of Preston, Lancashire, England, passed into everlasting rest, 10th day of vSeptember, 1873, aged fifty-three years, caused by a cancer, and inflicted upon her, 7th dry of January, 1872, by a person the law denominated her husband. For this brutality she sought justice iu vain at theß, M.C., H.” Several verses of poetry then follow in the stream, ending with “His demonial ruffian soul is indelibly branded with the terrors of the state. Justice yet for the sister dear our lives and souls we ever consecrate.” The Hokitika ‘Leader* of the 20th ultimo says that this extraordinary epitaph was removed by the Borough Council as trustees of the cemetery. It is still in the possession of that body, and there is, we hoar, a possibility of proceedings being taken against the person who put it up. It is rather singular that the publication of the scandalous production in a newspaper should be the first intimation that the trustees received of its existence. We are told that, though net exactly superintending its erection, one of the Borough Councillors was present at the time, and saw nothing objectionable to it. Whether this were so or not we cannot positively say, but should hope such a statement is a mistake.

Mr Mansford occupied the Bench at the Resident Magistrate’s Court to-day. Seven persons were charged with drunkenness, Thsmas Hutcheson and Anne Purcell being let off with a caution; George Welsh and Patrick M‘Carthy were mulcted in a fine of 5s or twenty-four hours’ imprisonment; John Trotter and Catherine M'Pherson 20s or forty-eight hours’, and David Tuppin 40s or seven days’. Robert Johnson, for indecency, was sentenced to fourteen days’ imprisonment. Charles Henry Coleman pleaded guilty to stealing frrna the Provincial bil-liard-room, on Saturday night, the picture of one of the company now performing at the Princess Theatre, Detective Shury, who was put into the witness-box to prove the antecedents of accused, informed the Bench that he had already done a sentence of thirty days for stealing a flute; that he had been hanging about the town ever since he came out of gaol, and had been repeatedly cautioned ; that he arrived in the Colpny by the P'asby, that his father was in a good position in London, and that he had been sent hereto be got rid of. Mr Mansford nowseutenoed him to three months’ hard labor. William Cobbin pleaded guilty to a charge of stealing a coat of the value of L 4, the property of John M ‘Mahon. Prosecutor had been living with prisoner, who took his coat and pawned it with Messrs Isaacs and Marks, and then absconded to the country. Prisoner, who was said to be a new arrival, was sentenced to one months’ imprisonment. * Among the many improvements constantly going on, not the least important is that of a gas burner patented in London by Mr Wm. Sn gg. gas engineer. Mr Genever, of the Dunedin lias Works, has fitted one of these burners in the Evening Star office, and we are therefore in a position to verify most of the claims set up by the inventor. Those claims are that the light is superior to the ordinary burners ; that the consumption of gas in proportion to the light is very much less ; that thorough combustion being perfect there is no unpleasant smell, and the heat thrown off in course of burning is reduced to a minimum. The “ London burnerI’is 1 ’is peculiarly adapted to drawing-room use, as the burners can be rendered very handsome ornaments. A plan of one is given which by day is used as a flower vase, and by night resembles a very handsome moderator lamp. “Any kind of shade, globe, moon, &c., can be made use of with it, and, with that fitted in the Evening Star office, the light is clear, white, and thoroughly diffused. We cannot do better on this point than quote the words of the patentee :-r“The quality of the ligh reflected from those surfaces is very white and exceedingly comfortable for the purpose of drawing, reading, or working, while a space between the screen and the shade allows a current of air to pass upwards, carrying off the heat. It wi>l be found much cooler than the ordinary fish-tail burner, burning In a moon.” For office work these Rights will prove an immense boon, through the eye not experiencing fatigue from the glare.

The settlers in the Warepa, Waitipeka Pnerua, South Clutha, and Ahuriri districts are memorialising the Minister of Public Works agaiusc the proposed deviation of the Balclutba-Matama line of railway by way of Four-mile Creek. Some six months since the staff, under the orders of Mr Brunton, district engineer for Southland, made a flying survey of the line by way of Waitipeka Valley, and recommended that that route should be adopted. The settlers understood that that would be the line ultimately chosen; but on the return of Mr Thomson, M.H.R., from Wellington, he received a letter from Mr Brunton, stating pt he could not recommend the construction of the lino of railway by way of Waitt-

peka Valley, because (amongst other reasons) “ it would be about three quarters of a mile longer than the oiiginal rente as set out.** The memorial alleges that this is not a valid objection, considering the great advantages that would result to the settlers in the district interested, and the large revenues in. the shape of increased traffip that would accrue to the railway by the adoption of the Waitipeka route \ that from the general know.edge the memorialists have of the two routes, they would expect that the earthworks by way of Waitipeka would cost considerably less than the other, and the eradients be easier, wherefore they are unable to understand why the Waitipska route should entail extra expense and garthwork to the extent of L 12.500, and much steeper gradients; that as tne traffic by way of Waitipeka would be very much larger than by the Four-mile Creek route, the Government would be amply justified in incurring the extra expenditure ; that by the route of the flying survey there would be numerous sharp curves, which would not occur on the other route ; that the original route passes through a district ip which there are very few settlers, the land being chiefly occupied for pastoral purposes, while if the line took the Waitepeka route, it would catch the traffic, not only of the Warepa, Waitipeka, and Puerua districts, bnt of the districts beyond in the direction of Port Molyneux and Catlin’s River districts, that would largely benefit by the railway being brought six miles nearer to them ; that unless the line went by way of Waitipeka the greater part of the traffic of the districts just mentioned would go by sea as at present, and therefore, because of distance from it, be entirely lost to the railway; that whilst many of the memorialists enjoy the Advantages of water « carriage, yet iu view of the inconveniences connected with suoh means of conveyance they preferred railway communication ; that in regard to the branch line to Port Molyneux, which Mr Brunton suggested would “ give most of the settlers who would be accommodated by the diversion all the advantages they require,” such branch would be of no use to the settlers in Warepa, Waitipeka, and Puerua, inasmuch as it would net pass through or near those districts ; and. in conclusion, the memorialists express their conviction that if the Government were acquainted with the two routes, and the way in which the Waitipeka one opened up a means of com munition by bringing the railway so much nearer to a very large population, to whom it would prove a very great boon, as they would then be enabled to go and come to the station with their produce in one day, the Government would cause the line te be constructed according to the Waitipeka survey. This morning a deputation, consisting of Messrs Tolmie, M.H.R. and M.P.C.; Donald Henderson, M.P.C. ; M'Neil, M.P.C. ; David Whytock, John Somerville; Robert Banks, A. C. Begg, and fl. P. Hardy, waited upon the Superintendent and brought the matter under his Honor’s notice. Mr J. W. Thomson, M.H.R., who introduced the deputation, went into the matter very fully, and in replying, his Honor said that he perfectly understood it both from what had now been stated and his personal knowledge of the district. Of course, it was a matter with which the Provincial Government had nothing to do, but so far as any influence h<» could bring to bear was concerned, he should follow up the representations of the settlers by at once writing to the General Government, urging strongly that the line should go by way of Waitipeka. There could be no two opinions as to which line should be adopted. The deputation then thanked his Honor and retired.

The Colored Opera Troupe’s concert at the Queen’s Theatre, in aid of the Sailors’ Home, takes place this evening. Tfie locale of Mrs Hamaan’e dancing classes has been shifted from St. Geode’s Hall to the Friendly; Societies’Hall, which has been length* ened and improved, and now makes a comfort* able room for such assemblies, A Musical Society has been formed in connection with All Saints’ choir, which appears likely to be verv successful The first meeting for practice will bo held in the school-house next Wednesday evening, to commence at 8.15. A l a J£ e number of members is already enrolled, and it is expected the rules will be submitted to the meeting by the committee, who invite the attendance of ladies and gentlemen who take an interest in music. The Honorary Secretary of the Sailors’ Home fund desires to acknowledge, with thanks, the receipt from Mr D. Cherry of the sum of L 9 4s 6d, being the proceeds of a performance recently given In the North Dunedin Drill-shed in aid of the institution. Mr Cherry desires, on behalf of the Committee, to tkank l Oddfellows, w bo gave the use of their forms; the North Dunedin Rifles, who kindly gave the use of the Drill-shed rent free ; and Mr Robert Bain, who was not only the promoter of the concert, but to whose exertions its success was mainly owing.