The Evening Star WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 1875.

Evening Star, Issue 3930, 29 September 1875, Page 2

The Evening Star WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 1875.

The country has now a good opportunity of estimating the value of the opinions of the leading members of the Opposition, as expressed in the debate on the Qualification of Electors Bill. Two points appear mainly to be aimed at by it, viz. : to place miners on the same footing as other electors, so far as their power of voting is concerned; and to confer the franchise upon a large class who, from their intelligence and social position, have hitherto been debarred from voting. We do not think the miners will consider it any unfairness that the special electoral privileges they have been invested with ehould be done away with ; for, as a rule, they are quite willing to be placed upon the same footing as their fellow-colonists. Their position is materially altered from that of the first diggers. They have made goldmining a settled industry ; and having thus what may be termed a perma* nent interest in the country, the specialty of their position no longer remains. With regard to what is termed the lodger class, it comprises a large portion of the population. This is necessarily the casein every recentlyset led Colony. Men who come out to make their fortunes do not usuallv bring wives and families with them. Ihey are seldom of that class whom Bacon describes as having «given hostages to fortnno" TK« b l^" tI.P •-«» tune, They may have Hie nostages" m view, but they Pre.er securing the fortune for the sake Oi the prospective " hostages," wisely conquering that with undefined prospects of future success, wife and childrenmight prove "impediments to great enterprises." In the eaily years of a colony, therefore, there is invariably a large class of well-educated young men who have their position to make before undertaking the responsibilities of house-keeping, and who find it convenient to occupy lodgings. Ifc has always been esteemed a wrong done to (<ms class th u t thoy are excluded from voting for representatives, while others, not nearly so veil qualified to judge of what is best for the community, "rough tl; l6 accident of high rents and J emg Householders enjoy that privi[%G. Objection is taken by some to twelve months' residence in the Colony before being allowed to vote. We think this a very necessary restriction. Twelve months is a short time in which to acquire sufficient knowledge of men and things to decide upon what is desirable to be done, and who are fit to act as' members of Parliament. New-comers are generally discontented with A.everything about thom. They know no body, they have their position to rnak e, all is strange, they feel timid, and i ire ready to swallow any claptrap that our shallow, openmouthed politician, pretentiously put | forth. It is only \ 'ight, therefore, to themselves and the community, that time should be afford* them for observation, lest in then ' haste to do right they should com mit grievous wrong. We regard the l on the whole as a judicious imp ro?' ernent > anf l the opposition to bo faofc,' oug Ifc is well to remark who the Hl :' f __ M o-

Mr Brown, of Ashley* Mr Holleston, ! and Mr JDosald Reid, are among them. For popular represent fives they are very* conservative. " Wouilerful like," says Lord Bacon, " is the case of boldness in Civil business} what first? boldnßßp; what second and third? boldness. And yet boldness is a child of ignorance and baseness, far inferior to other parts j but, nevertheless, it doth fascinate, and bind hand and foot those that are either shallow in judgment or weak in courage." Mr Donald Reid and his coadjutors display boldness, and give their fears as reasons. They are afraid that the opinions and interests of men of property will be swamped by the votes of those whose property is prospective only. They seem to think that when a man acquires a few thousands everybody wants to rob him. « Property," said Mr Brown (Ashley), "had its rights, and thev should be considered." Mr Donald Reid maintains that " the Bill is too much in the direction of universal suffrage, and too neglectful of the rights of property." Bravo! Mr Reid. Another step and we shall be in a position to ask with Dr Franklin, in case a man haR "property" in an ass, whether the ass or the man votes. This bugbear of property " not being considered" has always been the coward plea of a territorial aristocracy. The wealth or possessions of a man, no matter how acquired, are assumed to confer a right to dictate. For our parts, in view of the use " property '] has made of its privileges, our conclusion is that men require protecting against property, for it is always in a position of influence to take care of itself. Much has been said of late, most unjustly, against MiReynolds : the real friend of the people, as compared with the hollow one, now stands revealed in the parts he and Mr Reid have taken in this matter. Mr Reynolds has confidence in men—Mr Reid in acres.

The farmers are well on with their work at East Tr.ieri, and that part of the Flain is reported by tho local paper to be looking remarkably well.

e The sum of L 192 lias so far been collected .or the widow and children of the man named Jeffreys, formerly in the employment of the Corporation, and who was drowned in the Water of Leith a few week.? ago.

At a meeting of the Dunedin Cricket Club yesterday evening William Hendley, who has for so many years been connected with cricket in Dunedin, was appointed to taka charge of the Oval for the ensuing year. At the Quten's last evening " Cheo'- and Counter-Check ' was repeated to a good house, and was again w« 11 received. This evening will be produced "The Man wit. the Iron Mask," and to-morrow is set apart for a benefit to the widow of the late Joe Small, the humorous vocalist.

_ A petition is in course of signature requesting the Mayor to call a meetiog of the citizens to take into consideration the Bill now before the General Assembly, introduced by Mv D. Heid, to amend the Employment of Females Act, and its p<obable effect on the welfare of women and children.

The • l.ruce Herald' announces that the successful tenderer for the bridge over the Matau branch of the Molvneux Kiver is Mr ?r 0 o^ r !L SO^ Tokomairiro "' *!»«» amount being L 5 240 12a 2d. Also that the Clutha line where it cro pcs the Stirliug swamp, has not subsi ;ed in nny noticeable degree Bince it was ballasted, shortly after the opening of the railway. hj , An , Alu,klan <l newspaper has discovered that there is nothing in the standing Orders of tha House, or May's Paili mentary Practice, to prevent members of the House of Representatives indulging in a song occasionany, and thinks that as there arc some gool Mngers in the House an occasional co iio s ng would enliven the proceedings immensely.

As an instance of the perseverance of bhiuamen, and the privations they will endure while fearching for gold, a contemporary mentions that one Celestial worked m.the neighborhood of Mount Stuart all through the last winter, and at night never had more shelter than ho could get in a fhx bush tied at the top. Notwithstanding this John looks cheerful now that sprint has come, °

The Southland ' I'ews ' reports :—" "he lambing season in Southland haß now fairly begun, aud we learn that in the Oreti district the crop of lambs promises to ba a marked ooiitnut to last year's, which was scant and unprofitable. At present the weather throughout the district is extr: mely fworable to a successful lambing, and we trust that it will continue to be s;> for Eoma time."

The ' Bruce Herald ' is informed on authority that since the Ist of Septembethe receipts on the Duncdiu and Clutha line have averaged L7S per week—L6o per week representing the passenger traffic. Tht> same pap.-r adds that this is decidedly encouraging, especially when it is considered th-.it the goods traffic on the newly opened line has scarcely c nimcnceJ. Account.- to hand from the stations in the Tuapeka diitiict report that the lambing seisou, now about ooe-half through, is, despite the unfavorable weather which p ovailed a few weeks ay.o, very good. The local yaprr says an estimate cannot as yet be placed upon the probable yield ; still, the opinion is confidently entertained that, unless some unpropitious event occurs, the nercentage will he considerably above the average. Farming operations are going on vigorously in tho Waitahuua district, a T area of ground being cropped up wi'h cereals.

In reference to the fol'owing paragraph, which has lately appeared in several of our contemporaries :—" It ij publicly rumored that the Rex. Mr Coffey, pastor of the Episcopal Chnreli, Milton, is about to become a Good Templar, iu consequence <i the drinking customs of his parishioners," tho 'Bruce Herald' remarks ?—«• We have nothing to say with reference to the Rov. Mr Coffey'h determination to become a Goo 1 Templar, bat as the paragraph in question is likely to cre.xre a false impression, we may state that for sobriety and general good conduct the inhabitants* of Mi'ton will compare favorably with the people of an" Colonial town of the same tize."

- t the p.evident Magistrate's Court, Port Chalmers, this morning, before T. A. Msnafonl, li\.q., i>.M., (Jeorgo Smith, Jame ß Jhcmsoii, Charles Hnir, ami Samuel se!U »en, belonging to the shi;i City •f T;j,-.j.y, yj eluded witfi being p.bsont from rim ..-j(,-.,. ve.-:s 1 without have, were, upon of Mr Joy.e, who appeared ior Captain Smith, remanded for tho production of the .ship's articles. The following civil catm were tiheo disposed of, judgment

given for plaintiff:—George Styles v. W. P. Pearce, claim of L 39 6s Bd. for wagcß; Ah JSoon v, W. Sfcracfean, claim for wag« U5 lb*; Henry Turner v. W. ■ trachan claim of Ll9 16s for wages ; Anthony Pow>.iu Samuel. »Jai i ey I sojourned case foi cattle trespass, judgment for 20s and costs Slaughtering licenses wore grained to Join Mackley and WUiitvjv 'rove??,

Ave take the Mowing from the Gre\ River ' Argus' of the ISth inst. :~" Tht hopesentettainel as to the bucgch of th< experiment of IntrOlticing trout to this district have, so far, b en more than realised The ova sent from Otago was safely cob yeyed from the steamer ivlpori to the hatching boxes prepared fOf their reception, and Within twenty-four hours of their arrival a large number of them had germinated. On Friday morning nearly two hundred young tr out Were seen swimming about in the different boxes, with every appearance continuing in a healthy stats. An the day advanced, a large number of the remaining eggs gr&anally changed their color, developing into live fi?k, and it is expected that se-eral hundred more will be hatched this morning. It is evident that ttic* Maori did not arrive a day too early with this interesting consignment, as many of the ova were so advanced that any longer period at sea would have proved fatal to them. It is creditable to the skill of Messrs Duncan and Beg?, of that out of the total number of 1,300 eggs, only ten were found to be bad, and that since their arrival more than three-fourths have been hatched and thoroughly formed.

The Tuapeka « Times ' has the following complaint :-"So far as we can learn, the opening of th* railway hj s done nothing towards modifying the tariff for through rates. The faro charged by coach and rail to and from Dunedin is twenty shillings, which is quite as high as the fare has been 'or many years. For heary gjoda the charges are even more extravagant. As an example we may instance the following : , quantity of loading, for conveyance of which by dr .y an offer of LlO was made, was despatched by rail to Tokomair ro in the hope that by that means a saving would be effected. Exclusive altogether of tbe charge for conveyance between Tokomainro and Lawrence, the railway compan. extracted Lll oj. Other instances of a similar nature have bean brought under our notice, so that this district cannot as yet be said to receive much advantage from the railway. 'ihe matter is one to which we earnestly recommend the atteution of the railway authorities. So long as the present state of mattero exist, there is no chance Whatever of the railway participating in the 1 eavy goods traffic to and from Tuapeka ; and in making that remark we have to remind those interested that the same objections will apply to the traffic further up-country."

The members of the Dunedin Synagogue, at thu ir meeting on Sunday, agreed to present Mr B, Isaac with an engrossed testi n-onial, in recognition of his services as President during the r>a:-t year ; and Messrs Mendellsoho, M, Moss, and R. M. Marks Were appointed to have the testimonial prepared. Thi presentation was made this afternoon through Mr Mc'3, who ei»id he trusted that Mr Is-;ac might live long in Dunedin, and might always lend them a helping hand, to he had dona during the past year. Mr Isaac, in reply, sail that the testimonial was of more value to him than a:, y thing thai could have been giv.-n. Ha had to thank the gentlemen for their kind expressions. The fo lowing in the body of the raatim nial, whic was engrossed by Mr D. Henderson : "To Barnard Isaac, Etq., President I'unedin Jewish Congregation. "We, the undersigned, having been appointed to convey to you the undermentioned resolution carritd in Committee this day have much pleasure in testifying to your zeal and abi'ity in fulfilling the duties entrusted to you whiLt our chairman. The prosperity of our congregation during your year of office we assured fully compensates you for the anxious care you have evinced during your presidency, and we trust you may be spared for many years to make yourself useful amongst us." Sigucd by Messrs M. Moas, E. M. Marks, and L. Mendelssohn.

An amusing affair is the subj ct of an article in yesterday's 'Herald/ headed "A Libel Action.'/ The writer says:—"We Were considerably 3tartledyesterday morning wh n the following letter reached our hauds :—' Dundin, 24th September, 1875. To tho Editor of the • Bruce Herald,' Tokoniairiro. Sir,—Mr Alexander Ross has consulted us with reference to certain verges in your issue of the 7ih inst , headed " Wee Tammie Twenty," and to certain other verses in your issue of the 17th inst , headed " Her Letter," which he considers libellous and calculated to injure his reputati n, and render him an object of ridicule and contempt, and has instructed us to write to you with reference thereto, and demand a public apology for their insertion in the next issue of your paper, in the event of .your failin i to comply with tin? demand, we are further instructed to commence legal r-rocecdinga against you We are, sir, your obedient, servants, Haggitt, Bkos , and Brent.' We regret that we cannot see our way toniakethepublieapologydemande.l.but have no hesitation in at once giving the names of the authors of the verses referred to. "\\ ee lammie Twenty" was written by Ja:nes Ballantiue, a well-known author, and was published about thirty years ago in a collec•tion of poems and sketches of Sottish cha racter, entitled ' The Gaberluuzie's Wallet.' ' Her Letter' is by Brut Harte, and was first published, we be.ieve, in America, about five y> arj back. It will be apparent to everyone that Mr Alexander Rosi is laboring und r some hallucination, and we have no desire to make any further reference to him in the maiter."

A meeting of the Ofcago In&titute was held last evening; Mr P. i honis.m, vice-presi-dent in th' 1 . chair. The following gentlemen were elected members : —Rev. J. Upton Davis, Messrs MV.eod, Urbc)], and Ruckland. Mr K. M'.Naughton read a paper on "Ships' Boats," advocating the building of in the shape of a pair • f iron cylinders with a deck connecting the t»vo. After so.! e discussion Mr W. N. Blair real his Rucond paper on " The Building Materials of Utago.' Hu said the materials for making bricks were so widely diffused throughout < tago that the difficulty was to lind a locality where they do not cxidt. Like many other native products, Colonial brk-ks were for a long lime held in great disrepute ; but there was nut th'j slightest ground for this impression : the clajs of Utag' were, so far as he was able to judge, superior in qua'ifcy to the English ones Comparing Or I.'re's analysis of a clay that ivill make good red bricus with Professor Black's analysis of a t.ample of ordinary brici clay takjn at random i.om a heap al Cavtrsham, he : aid the - tago sample was bo close an approx m ••ion to the ifing ish product iu its essential constituents that we may safely conclude there would be no difficulty in finding any quantity of clay in Utago identical iu ev.ry respect with the English type. Pottery, tire, and pipe clays existed in endless variety throughout th> Province, and, a'though thoir colors were belilom very' blight, they were ex remely fine in texture ard unctuous to the tou> hj. A fc;w years MF>ee it was sc*reely possible to tet a well■jv.vni brick iu t'tftuo, lr.it latterly a able impiovenuno hail beer, mute, ''. he raw materials for drain-pipes, chimney-pots, and tiles, toaselated pavemeutß for hulls/ and

earths, and terra-cotta goods of all kinds ! '" r ornamental purposes, twisted in considerble quantities throughout the Frovln e, aud e bad no doubt a supply of Native manuactures would bo forthcoming whenever the ! maud arose. Jhe relative <.oi?t .if building i Dunedin with the vaiious materials .at ■ommand was aa follows : - t ri k'.vork, 1.00 ; oncrete, 1.11 • Eckan .v-glomor.-.! (French con ■r<:te, 1.33 ; rough rubb'e, 0 ill ; coarse ■abble, 1.25; freestone a3blar, 2 70; hard rone afhkr, mak faced, 2 70; hard stone i-hlar, fine dressed, 300 j ordinary imber work iu wal's, 0 44. Wor.don Dot only in the c-x'erior but ti the interior, ww*t more tubj ct to leterioration tlnn fchofie Of stone and brick, md. independent of tho increased comfort aid security obtained, he believed that it was true economy to bui'd houses with the nore durable ■• ate Jill. A Valuabb deposit if slate had boeu dscovered in the Otepopo ■iotriefe, and the product was infinitely upeflor" t0 anything hitherto discovered in ■■-ho other AustraiauaH Colonics. There had ioeen no time in tho history of P ta K° xn which the choice of building material n*,.. ! l0 nuch importance as at present, and they should spare no paius In selecting the materials that were most conducive to health and comfort, and that would reman for generations a record of their skill and good taste. After comments by some of the mem-be-s the proceedings were concluded by a \'ote of thanks to Mr Blair.

The annual meeting of the Acclimatisation society will take place on Monday, the 7th October.

We hear that the spelling bes on Thursdaj '•vening is to be preceded by a short concert. In making this change, the committee have been j'uided by the generally expressed wish of their friends, and we think the alteration very judicious. The programme will be published tomorrow.

We are informed that the competition of the machines, which was to have taken place at Tokomairiro to-morrow, has been postponed, owing to an accident having occurred to one of the machines yesterday and the impossibility of some of the judges being able to attend.