THE COUNTRY.

Evening Star, Issue 3663, 18 November 1874, Page 3

THE COUNTRY.

Tim following resolutions were carried at % special meeting of the Invercargill Cham her of Commerce on the I3th inst. ! hat, in the opinion of this Committee, the rare' charged for general merchandise on the Bluff and Invercargill railway are too high ; and jfpekoning the cost of the Igbor of loading spd Uploading at 8s per ton, Tor instance* on the Chalmers line, would leave say 2|d as the present rate per ton per mile for haulage ; this Committee therefore recommend and:respectfully submit to the Provincial 6ov‘ foment that a similar rate be applie I to the Bluff and Invercargill railway, bringing the rate to Invercargill to about 7s per ton from Buff, and so on in proportion and, “ That the increased rate to bo charged for wool from Winton to the Bluff will lead to a large quantity of wool passing the Winton railway station.”

Owing to some bungling on the part of officials no action has been taken at the Arrow for holding the December licensing meeting, and considerable annoyance and inconvenience have resulted. The ‘ Observer ’ hopes inquiry will be made into the carlessaess which has been productive of puck a mess. We are not in a position to give the aptual result of the applications for the Dart Hundred, hut believe all the-land open for purchase his been applied for, and that for some of the sections there are two appheants.

• During the week a traveller for the new firm of M'Beath and Co., Dunedin, met with an accident on the Shotover Hill. He waa driving a buggy and pair, with a heavy load of “samples of leading lines.” When about a hundred yards up the hill, he jumped off to give the hjo r ses less weight to Ve ry foolishly he jumped out on the on side—the side nearest to the back wall The horses “ slew' d ” right round, went over the bank, ran down the steep slope, landed without any injury on the flat, and t£en commenced to gallop, finally smashing a fence and th©-buggy and harness, but lea.v--ing themselves and the ’“leading line pampas uninjured. The damage done will COBS 20 to replace. Jt is strange what an infatuation some children have for playing with gunpowder Last Sunday, evening two boys, children of M.rtWni. Shore, of Queenstown, managed tc Bebura their father’s powder flask, which they took out into the garden, and, after pouring the contente on the around, set fire W w|th * watob. Thfc totpente was

that were burnt most severely, and it is a question whether one or both may not lose 'heir eyesight. The Comcraug, on her last trip to Riverton, took a number of Chinamen to work on the railways. The Celestials have taken a contract for a large cutting about two miles from the Oreti biver. Two or three things have come to our (‘ Wakatip Mail’s’) knowledge lately, showing that “John” has no consideration for children of the “barbarian,” so long as he can gratifj' his morbid apetites ; and one ca.se is of so glaring a character that longer sience on our pari, wod-1 be culpable. A farmer, living near Miller's Flat, had a daughter a little over thirteen years of age. The Chinese on the liig Beach, Shctnver, were purchasers of this farmer’s poultry, ducks, and pigs. Brine of these were deJivered by the iiai referrei to at their nuts. The farmer and his family afterwards removed from this district. About two months ago the girl, who had gone to Southland, was confined of a half-caste child The parents turned away the errint daughter, and she was afterwards beholden to toe charity of the stra-ger for care and succor. The “ childlike and bland ” putative heathen father was worthy of the occasion. He said “that the girl came after him, him and other fellow-China-men. *■ f course that is an improbable story, for the girl was but of tender years, and going to school at the time. The allure*n t^’B was a set of jewellery, which the gjrl secreted wtmn at home, but wore when away out of sight of her parents 1 fcis painful example ought to act as a caution to parents.

Mr Wenkheim has left Queenstown, we understand, with a view of a two years’ stay m his > ative country, Germany. We (‘Mail 5 ) presume, therefore, that the case of Malachan v. Wenkheim, sander, Ll 000 damages,'has been in s me way arranged. Mrs Beetham’s illnoss“has assumed a very dangerous and critical stage. Sho has once or twice rallied, hut a relamo has followed.