The Evening Star WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 1876.

Evening Star, Issue 4143, 7 June 1876, Page 2

The Evening Star WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 1876.

The bullying abuse which has been poured forth in torrents upon those members of the' Waste Lands Board who manfully and patriotically did their duty when asked to give their sanction to the improper proposal of the Provincial Executive to sell 66,000 acres of land in large blocks to runholders, originated from two causes. First and foremost, the desire to lead the public away from a consideration of the Provincial Executive’s conduct in the matter; and secondly, perhaps, a hope that the recalcitrant members of the Board might be frightened into submission. Since, however, the restoration of the cancelled blocks to the runbolders was not followed by a cessation of the insults, it is obvious that the first was the guiding motive for these attacks. Nor have the political partisans who adopted these unprincipled tactics been unsuccessful in their aim. “ Drawing a red herring across the scent ” is a very old ruse to divert attention from the main subject in dispute when the position assumed by one of the parties is untenable, but it has not yet lost its charm. The public eye has been guided towards the Board and away from the Provincial Executive, who have shrunk into their shell, while their noisy partisans are amusing the public with blaster. Tb© cause being remarkably weak the noise is proportionately great. That would matte;- but little jf decency and pro-

priety • were observed. To neither, however, la the faintest attention paid. It Would, perhaps, bo too much to expect it from such quarters, The Superintendent, in a the Premier, made a grave charge against the Board, and the members of the Board, as any other honorable men would have done, resented it forthwith and demanded an. apology. Inipartial’bystanders: Would naturally have waited for Mr MaoanDrew’s reply before expressing an opinion upon the merits of that particular aspect of the case, and most Journalists would haye. done the same thing. We accordingly held our peace,! but the local Provincial organs, with a fullmouthed eloquence of vituperation, called upon the public to withdraw all confidence from the non-political members of the Board, because, they had shown the spirit of gentlemen. An ample supply of slander too has not been lacking. - “ The lie, half hinted, half told,” has been disseminated in every direction, but not a particle of proof has ever been proftered that the gentlemen in question were guided by any other motives than these which should., actuate men in their position. It is impossible, indeed, to suppose that men like Messrs Strode and Bdtterworth, upon whom the attacks have been strongest, could submit to outside influence of an improper character in the discharge of their public duties. Durall the years that Mr Strode sat on the Magistrate’s Bench in Dunedin his integrity was never questioned in the slightest degree, and it is only right to recall the fact that the moment when, occupying a seat in the Legislative Council, he found that, if retained, it would in the future interfere with his personal independence, he resigned it. He is a man of the highest personal character, and to is Mr Butterworth, and it is a public scandal that they should have been subjected to the contumely which has been cast upon them.

It is hot, of course, our place to defend the actions of the Board. Still less should we, wish to defend the General Go vernment if it has attempted to tamper with the members of that body. We heartily desire that the whole matter should be investigated by a Select Committee of the Assembly. The inquiries of such a committee would not, as the red-hot partisans of the Provincial Executive delude themselves with imagining, be limited to an examination of the conduct of the Board, They would begin at the beginning; and the first subject of investigation would be how the runholders came to lodge their applications immediately after the ‘ Gazette ’ was printed, seeing that it is not, as a rule, distributed to the public until two days subsequently to its being printed. Then, too, the committee would probably think it worth its while to learn the reasons which induced the Executive not to make it widely known, especially in Canterbury, where capitalists display a remarkable greed for land, that they intended to dispose of these large blocks, so that if “ the deep sea before and the devil behind ” compelled the sacrifice of the public estate, the utmost possible amount of money should be got for the land! These are points which the Frovinoialist newspapers have latterly managed to conceal ; but they are ./one et origo maU. Dust has also been raised over another branch of the case. The cancelled blocks have been stigmatised as “ mountain tops.” The phrase somie what approaches truth to the letter, but it is wholly false to the spirit; and those who have promulgated the covert untruth have injudiciously exposed its falsity by dwelling on the fact that the lessees of the land offered 2(fe an acre for it, being more than land of,pastoral quality might be expected to fetch. We put it to any sensible man whether, if this land were of the barren quality described, the lessees, who had : been in occupation of it for years, and must perforce have understood its capabilities, would have been in such a hurry to buy it, that the ink was, scarcely dry on the * Gazette ’ before ; their applications were lodged ; still more, that they would have voluntarily; offered to pay an unusually high price for it? The notion is absurd; and the action of the runholders conclusively proves the value of the land, even if wp had not the testimony of indepen-' dent witnesses. That leads to another: point. ,It has been repeatedly asserted that the non-sale of these blocks will cause distress amongst the. laboring classes. If such be the case, the blame, will lie wholly upon the, shoulders of the Executive. Apart from their responsibility for a reckless system of finance, which depends upon extreme measures for its maintenance, we should like to know how the action of the Waste Lands Board prevented them from selling these 66,000 acres of land?. Why did they not cut the land up into, moderate-sized blocks and sell it in that way ? If any loss had then occurred, the responsibility would, obviously have rested with the Board. Instead of adopting this simple and obvious course, the land is summarily restored to tie landholders by a legal device more remarkable for its ingenuity than its honesty, and the, “ thousands ” of working men are left to starve, in order that the Executive, foiled in their improper project by the Waste Lands Board, may have an opportunity of bringing the Broad into disrepute* The Executive, however, will find the pnblie both able and willing to put the saddle on the right horse.

The Dunedin shareholders in the Grey Coal Company have appointed Dr Morice, of Greymouth, to protest their interests at the company’s annual meetiugon the 10th ixyst. Considering the boisterous weathefthere was a moderate attend&hco at the Queen's Theatre, last night when Saturday's programme Was repeated. In “ Nine Points of th e Law” Mrs Hill played capitally as Widow Stnylie. ■ Thin morning a funeral of a Chinaman, whose , name we were unabletoascertain, took place at the Southei&Cemetery. Some fourteen or fifteen Cabs were engaged and filled with the deceased’s'countrymen, who on their way to the cemetery scattered thousands of slips of paper bearing Chinese characters about the streets. ""Tcle^nisiforEtiropr<anrbirfowa«tedott : the - ,l4th inst. They will be telegraphed to Adelaide and! posted thenee to Gaue, and on their arrival there they will be telegraphed to theirdeetination. In addition to. the-rate to Adelaide there will be a. charge of 4s 9d Ser word, being the rate from Galle to Lonon. Judge- Williams goes to Invercargill- to open the crimihal session there on Monday. There are only two oaseii on the calendar— ; .Regiiia v. M'Shahe and I'fmith, robbery with violence; and Regina r. M ‘Kay. The latter is the Wintoa rape case, and it will be remembered the accused married the prosecutrix immediately after the information was ; laid.

To-day’s * Gazette ’ contains proclamations setting apart 3,200 aores In Kingston Hundred and eOO acres in North (•lenkenich Hundred for occupation on deferred payments ; also the following notifications Messrs M. Morton, ofKakanui, and J. R. Elder, of Maheno,. to. be members of the Kakanui Harbor Board, vice Dr Webster and ktr Teachemaker; and Messrs R. Charters, J. Sutherland, G. Prain, and James Forrest, all of East Tuieri, to be rangers under “ The Protection of Animals Aot.

At a meeting of the Otago Institute, held at the University Building last night, the president (Mr R. Gillies); intimated that D/Filhol, of the Venus Observation Expedition, had been elected a member of the New Zealand Institute.—Captain Hutton read papers “On the Fall of a meteorite in Otago,” by MrLeec'e ; and “On the Earthworms of New Zealand,” by himself.—Referrma; to the rabbit pest in Southland, this President said had the settlers been less destructive of the.-native woodhen, the rabbits would not have been so .'numerous. Captain Hutton suggested the introduction of the weasel.

The novel breach of promise case, in which a jilted lover jmes a^well-known Boniface, the husband of his original inamorata, and to the hearing of .which at the next Supreme Court Sessions many people looked forward with great interest and curiosity, has been settled. The plaintiff estimated the damage done to his lacerated feelings at LI,OOO, but after considerable negotiation he has thought it wise to accept the sum of Ll5O down, and not trust his case before a British jury, whose sympathies in such affairs are generally beneved to be on the side of the fair. sex.

A distressing and painful accident occurred on Monday last (says the ‘ Herald ’) to a man named Thoinas M'Millen, who was about entering the employment of Mr Markham, the contractor for suppling metal. It appears that the man was walking alongside of one of the loaded drays coming down from the quarry at Flag Swmp, or near Paddy’s, when by some means one of tbe horses trod on his foot—tbe shatter, we suppose—which caused him to fall, and the wheel of the dray passed over his chest, fracturing several ribs and inflicting severe internal injuries. He was afterwards forwarded to the Dunedin Hospital. As an instance of the manner in which valuable property is sometimes treated, the Moerakicorrespondent of tbe 'Palmerston Times ’ mentions that some days ago, when, •wing to the continuance of calm weather, the water in the bay was remarkably clear, Captain Liddle f< the harbor-master at Moeraki, when out in bis boat, discovered some twenty-five jarrab piles, which, by some carelessness in discharging from the timber vessels, had been allowed to sink, and were laying at the bottom of the sea—a loss in themselves and a great danger to shipping. Captain Liddle at once took steps for their removal, and handed them over to their owners, Brogden and Sons, and no doubt salvage will be claimed on them. Their value is close on L2OO.

There was only a short sitting at the City Police Court to-day, when Messrs Begg and Mercer presided. Edmund R. Buckle, Chas. Martell and Philip Bolton, charged with drunkenness, were all fined 6s, with the alternative of twenty-four hours’imprisonment. Bolton, for disorderly behaviour, was further fined 10s, in default forty-eight hours’. A charge of soliciting alms against Albert Sfcuart was dismissed, as it was shown that prisoner had asked the mono) (3d) as a loan, and promised to repay it. John Russell, for breaking in a door, the property of Henry Stentiford, was fined 20s, in default, forty-eight hours’ imprisonment, and ordered to make good the damage (L2) done. Russell: “I’ll go to gaol like a man, but Stentiford shall pay for this.” He was removed in custody. A man named Carroll, who recently arrived in Palmerston from Dunedin, made a hasty and unexpected exit on Saturday morning last. • The * Palmerston Times ’ says he was accommodated at one of the restaurants in the town, but soon after midnight several of the inmates were roused by' a loud noise in the topmast story. On in2uiries being made it' , was ascertained that iarroll, who, it is stated had been imbibing too freely, had jumped from his bedroom window amongst some huge cabbages that were in no way improved by contact with the rash visitor. He also left his lodgings with no covering but his shirt. He subsequently visited a farmhouse near the townsnip, and, as may be imagined, somewhat startled those who watched his approach. At this place he. obtained a pair of trousers, and told a story which left no doubt that he' was deranged. SoOn afterwards he left, the farm as abruptly as he has previously left the restaurant, and, thus poorly clad, he is still at large, the efforts of the police to discover his whereabouts. having proved unavailing. The Duke of Edinburgh Hotel, Russell street, had a' narrow escape from, total destruction this morning. Constable Bolgers while pasting along Russell street at twenty minutes past three, had his notice attracted by flames visible through the open windows in the end of the new building now in course, of erection on the site of the present hotel, and on entering the place he found nearly everything in the room between the walls of th,e old and new buildings on fire. With the assistance of the inmates (whom he alarmed) and by the aid of aeopious supply of water, the fire was soon extinguished. The room was one in which the carpenters have been working, and a quantity of shavings and timber had accumulated in it. Beneath the floor was stored a quantity of carpenters’ refuse, and an examination showed that all this stuff bad been on fire. Gn the floor there was also a quantity of lime, and the heavy rains had doubtless reached through the window and the heat of the lime ignited the shavings. Had it not been for Constable Bolgers’ promptness a destructive fire might have occurred.

At the Fort Chalmers Police Court this morning, before Dr. Drysdale. J.P., Wm. Cobb and Henry Cooper, for drunkenness, were each fined ss, with the usual alterna* tive; John Robinson, for being drunk and disorderly in Beach street last evening, was remanded until to-morrow. A well-known criminal ruuja&l • James Everest, who has undergone {/sentences here for highway-robbery, hbwe-stealing, vagrancy, &c., was recently at Timaru on a charge of the person, and committed for trial Bis-' trict Court sittings, to be held there-on the 13th inst.

A public meeting will be held at Palmerston on Friday for the purpose of talcing into consideration the frequency with which recurrence or the same, and to devise the best means of discovering the guilty persons in connection with the late fires. A public meeting was neld the Royal Assembly ’Roonis, Port Ghalmere, to receive the report from the committee appointed to take the necessary 4teps for the formation of a fire brigade. Mr A. M'Kinaon (the.Mayor)’. Was called to the chair, and stated to the meeting that a committee had been most zealous in their efforts to procure the necessary- information ‘bW all points relative to the formation, of the proposed brigade. He then called upon Mr Thomson, the secretary to the committee, to read the report, whichreconunendvd that the brigade should consist of a captain and fifteen working members, to be under the:control of the Corporation; that the probable oostbf getting the Brigade in full working order would be L3QO, of which amount L2OO was expected from the several insurance offices. Through the kindness of the Collector of Customs the use of the boat-shed at Port Chalmers had been granted for an engine- : house; and it was recommended that those members of the brigade not elected working ■ members should remain in office for,three ■ months to act as a vigilance committee, .■ that Mr David Miller, the projector, of the Brigade, be elected a life .member : thereof; that the.rules of the Dunedin Fire Brigade; be adopted as far at applicable the fffit; twelve months j ! andthat On Saturday mt; the election of sixteen inembers teKC place, Who shall have the power to appoint their I own 1 captain. l i ! A 'motion- by Mi* Gordon, seconded by Mr R. Miller, that tffe u report be adopted was carried. A vote of tn’anks to the Chairman terminated the meeting. **Prompter'** sends us the following:— “,The Darrells have finished their engagement t in Christchurch, but X think Mb Hoskins will continue it until he sets .out for Dunedin. Harrell talks of paying ,a visit to the old country very soon. De Marsha continues to draw excellent attendances to the Qanterbury Music Hall, and is likely to statin Christchurch for a fifth week.' Meanwhile Mr Medcalfe goes t6 the Empire City to aee if he can Smooth' over the difficulty about De Murska showing there, as at present the Theatre and Oddfellows’ HallOrc closed to her. It is not at all improbably that she will appear in the Provincial 1 Council Hall. The Simonsens are doing excellent business in Wellington,. and in .every opera they have yet appeared (“Lucrezia Borgia” excepted, which went wretchedly they have given thorough satisfaction. “The Hermit’s Bell” was especially taking, and is to be put. on a, fifth time. My letters state . that ,oh a Friday last the company appeared in a mixed, programme, finishing with “ Sonnambula.” In the opera Mr Morley surpassed himself. A mutual friend writes to me that his El vino that night was a splendid performance; and I observe the locm papers * -accord" -him - “high-praiße-for it. The tenor song of .the opera produced excitement unusual with a Wellington audi ence. They cheered him again and again; and the orchestra joined in the general acclamation. The aria was sung; a - second time, and the -audience, not manded it a third time,, Mr, Simonson has determined to. go through to Auckland with his company,'but his route after leaving Wellington is not yet settled.; papier. is fixed upon; and it.says much for the enterprise of the people there that in a couple of days they subscribed the amount asked- for a twelve nights’ season, viz., L7OO. ; Iste ‘ Colonel’ Wilson got worsted at Timaru. It will be recollected a local .tradesman named Bell, whose weakness is to bring talent of all kinds to that town, agreed with the ‘Colonel’ that he should show ms circus there for three nights forLSOO. But on the first ziight the seating gave way, and a panic ensued, which militated against the success of future exhibitions. Bell sued for L2OO damages', and recovered L 65, which has been satisfied.” , '•he Pioneer Enampment J.0.0.P. NoT will meet this evening, at 7.30, in the new Oddfellows* tiall.: The annual meeting of the Chamber of Commerce will be held to-morrow (Thursday), at 3 p.m , in the Exchange.