THE Mount Ida Chronicle. FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 1871.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume II, Issue 101, 20 January 1871, Page 2

THE Mount Ida Chronicle. FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 1871.

Though in this place the approaching election for the Superintendency has so far created nutlittle, if any, excitement, the Province elsewhere, throughout its length and breadth, appears-p-if we may believe the different ppptfons of the Press—to be agitated'to'the highest degree. Considering that the election is for the highest Executive officer in the Province, and that the term of office is four years, it is important that each and every constituency throughout the Province should well and fairly weigh the matter; with the object of ascertaining, so far as they may be able, the most fit and proper person to place in the honorable but responsible office of Superintendent, of the Province. On the present occasion the electors have but a very limited choice, there being but two candidates in the field. These are Mr. Jarnes Macandrew and Mr. Donald Tteid. With Mr. Macandrew's career in this Province most persons are acquainted, and if there were at any time faults and failings on that gentleman's part during the days of his first Superintendency, those faults and failings were virtually condoned when the electors returned him to the Provincial Council, subsequently to the House of Representatives, aud'lastly to the office of Superintendent. So far then as antecedents are concerned Mr. Macandrew has no right to expect that persons should be uncharitable enough, to rate upthe ashes of the past. What we have, as residents and electors in a Goldfield, to do, is to look at the actions of Mr. Macandrew during the last four years—that is during the term of his second Superintendency. It is asserted that Mr. Macandrew made divers promises, upon the faith of which he was elected,- and all of which he failed, when elected to fulfil, This Mr. Macandrew meets by declaring that he was willing and anxious to perform what he had promised, but. was unable to do so because he was t liwarted on all occasions by hin Executive, and the Provincial Council. Of this fact there is little doubt, and the proceedings of the Council will show that on more than one occasion the "messages" of his Honor received but scant courtesy at the hands of the Council. In fact the replies of the Council to his messages were frequently impertinent snubs, if not gro«s insults. Say what we may of Mr. Macandrew, and differ from him as uiu.nv of us may upon some points, there are we think few who will not admit that he is honestly attached to this Province, and willing and anxious to do all in his power to secure her advancement and promote her prosperity. Mr. Macandrew is essentially a progressiveminded man—a man desirous of controlling evej its rather than of being controlled by them. We doubt if, in the Province of Otago, another man can be found imbued more strongly with the spirit of go-aheadism than is Mr. Macandrew This he has proved upon very many occasions, and this very spirit of advancement, which should be one of his chief claims to public support, is now argued against him by his enemies as a reason why he should be distrusted and avoided.' Yet, \vithout such men, the Province would remain at a standstill, if it did not retrograde. Mr. Macandrew is a staunch supporter of the Financial Scheme of the present Governinent, and though there are some points in that Scheme to which we cannot give our adherence*..we cannot refrain from admitting that the conception was a grand one, and one which, if carried honestly andjuecessfulty out, will confer great and immediate advantages upon, all interests in the Province, and put an end to that depression; and stagnation under which it has. been so long and is still laboring. Of Mr. Donald Reid, the other candidate, the public know little or pothing. He bears it is true'the character of being a sterlingly honest upright man, somewhat flarrow-inmded in his political views and opinions, and wedded to one interest, and to one interest alone, that of the Taieri farmers and cockatoos, to the former of which class that gentleman himself be}on.gs. A gentleman, however, honest and honorable he may b,e, if he seek the votes of the mining community at the forthcoming must submit a more inviting program me than that which, judging from his antecedents, we are likely to get from Mr. Reid. The Goldfields have not hither-

tb received at the hands of any Govern- i ment that attention to their wants and that recognition to which their import- ' anee entitled them. The Government have been too desirous to obtain all the possible revenue from the Goldfields, but as a rule have begrudged the expenditure of even the smallest amount Upon thorn. This must be altered ; and be the coming man who he may--be he Keid or be he Macandrew— a pledge ujpon this point should be exacted. We do not think it would bo • too much to demand that the special Goldfields taxation should be expended in the Goldfield in which such tax is d raised. This would not fail to be pro- I ductive of immense advantages to any V Goldfield district, while it would at the ' same time be nothing but fair and equitable. It will not, however, suffice that the electors should be satisfied, with a mere verbal pledge or- promise, from either candidate. They should look at past conduct as a guarantee 1 for. future performance. Such being the case, when we look back upon the past career of the gentlemen who are now aspiring to fill the office of Superintendent, we have no hesitation in saving that, in our opinion, the Goldfields are more likely to obtain fair treatment u\ the hands of Mr. Marian drew than at those of Mr. Keid. This opinion in not our opinion only, but one which in en-' terrained b.v the entire Goldfields and not only the Goldfields Press, lint the Press throughout the Province, with one or two exceptions including 4 !ie 'Daily Times ' or Sarah Gamp, as that, journal was facetiously designated n, short time baclr by Mr. Vngel. 'fie supporters of Mr. Heid assort thai Hiey* ' are confident of success, notwilhstanJ- , ing which we fully expect :that the Ire- j suit of the poll will reinstate Mr. Mac- i aiadrew in the office of Superintendent by an overwhelming majority. i In a late issuo we chronicled an accident, I from earthfall on Surface Hill, which tjooK place about a fortnight previously. We then' reported that the sufferer, Alexander Mnc'liii'lane, was progressing favorably, and that, v t ho j injuries were comparatively*slight. It now. becomes our painful duty to record that the v' L( *e ' lias terminated fatally, and that the sufferer has ceased to exist. About the middle of jaft .week, very dangerous symptoms making their > appearance, Mr. K. Hall proceeded to Blacks to procure further medical advice and aumx- , tance, and on Saturday evening Dr. Niveu arrived. A consultation having taken piace be-, > tween Drs. Nivcn and M'Cambridge, it was, decided to amputate the leg, as hi ing the only chance —and even that a poor one—-of saving life. On Sunday morning the operation wnff skilfully and successfully performed by Dr. Niven, assisted by Dr. M'Cambridge, tnd though the patient was weak after the op nation, there appeared to bo some slight hoi' l of his surviving. Macfarlane, however, became weaker and weaker, and about five on the morning of Tuesday last exphred. Both .doctors express the pleasure they felt for the : ' dness and attentioi. which the patient received at the hands of Mr. and Mrs. Collett, O' the Ancient Briton Hotel, and their recogn: of the very valuable and able assistance of f, -j. i Wainwright, of this town, who was i '■ y« ' '' present when wanted, willing and able m&q anything that was necessary to be don<: Jid who on this, as on other occasions of a i w nature', proved herself to be not only a 1hearted woman, but an efficient and incor able nurse. ) The Bev. J. Martin will not officiate in .ne Union Church, Naseby, on Sabbath flrat, an announced on last Lord's Day, in order to ,: r«» place to the deputation from Dunedin t On the evening of Sunday Inst an Irf was effected into the premie oocn . wl v i Franks and M'Kimna, at the top of* ■- street, with what other purpose than t, %X robbery wo are at a loss to imagine. If appears that Mr. J aggers, who represent? ''r. Franks, was away from homo some pit'j >)f Sunday afternoon, and that upon hit* rot n, when opening the front door to gain.adnnV a, he heard somebody making h;s exit by ie back of the store, through an aperture w h had been made by the removal of a shee iron. The door which communicateH betw # the dwelling-house and the store being lor * on the'store side, Mr. Jaggors was unable. ' , I follow sufficiently fast to catch the in triad r, .who ran with the speed of a hare down . ue' right-of-way into the Main Gully. It being dusk, the would-be thief was able'to defy pursuit. The timely return of Mr. J aggers'in all* j probability prevented the committing of aeon- j templated robbery. So far as wo have yet heard, no property of any kind is known to be missing. ■ • The miners of Roach's Chilly have been busy since our • last issue, in constructing a wall of tussocks to prevent the discharge of tail water into the town. The w i'k, like all the work of the miners of this place, is weil and subslan- ] tially done, and will, we trust-., savo them fr nn * further trouble and annoyance for some time at least to come. The old question, however, still remains—when will the tailings grievance cease, and when will the miners be allowod to pursue their,legitimate avocations in peace and without ''molestation? We hear that Mr. Macandrew is likely to be hew in the couth* of a few days on an electioneering tour, and a. 1 better opportunity pf bringing the whole quet- j tion of the tailings and the sludge channel j under his notice it is impossible to i-oucoive. J At electi-on times men are generally profuse of M promises. If we are able to obtain a promise from Mr. Macandrew in this matter, we must I

take care that he does not forget it, by bring- ! ing it constantly and forcibly under his notice. The judgment given in the Resident Magistrate's Court on Monday last in the jeaSe of the Chinaman convicted of stealing. gold from; a tail race on Surface Hill, appears to have given i great offence to the mining community on ac- | count of its leniency. We do not know' what the exact law in the matter may be, but we do think that the case .was one in which the utr most rigor of the law should have been put in ,*orce, not so much as a punishment to the offender, but as a warning to others. It must he evident to all that nothing is more easy than to rob tail.racee by night, »nd though, among the European miners, a feeling of honor would prevent such pilfering, there is no doubt, that the Celesth's know little and careless about such a creed. An uneasy feeling has for some time past obtained as to the means by which j aome of the Chinese here continue to exist, and we fear that the fact of the ate robbery*, and the comparatively light punishment inflicted by the Bench, will tend to render them anything but popular on these diggings. ; A bale by auction of the horses of Mr. J. C Rowley took place at the yards of Messrs. Inder and George, in the rear of the Victoria Hotel, on Saturday last. There was a moderately good attendance, and the prices realized -were, we are informed, satisfactory. An inquest was held at the Ancient Briton Hotel, oh Tuesday afternoon last, before H. W. Ikibihaon', Esq., Coroner, on view of the ■body of Alexander M'Farlane—whose death from earthfaH is recorded in another part of ■our present issue—when a verdict of accidental "death was returned. Ox Wednesday the remains of the late Alexander Macfarlane were conveyed to the cemetery. The facts connected with tins! case from first to last caused a very large%mouiat to be attached to.it, a'rrl tS| .wks" ■evidenced by the xevj numerous attendance; at- , the funeral, which was, we believe, the 'laVofest, which has,taken pla.;e on the Hogburn,;. there being over 300 followers. • ' ! Scaijcklv was the breath out of the body v of Ihe lat«| tjuffi'iw from earth fall a(-Surface! Yjili. —Alexander Macfarlane—than the residents;-] of the town iwre horrifiVd to heur that another, accident of a kind similar to the last had r; poi: eurred at the same place, and from the sa'mei cause. In ithis instance the sufferer, George: Garth, received a fracture of the leg. He wasimmediately conveyed to his own hut, and; Drs. M'Cambridge and Niven were speedily in attendance and set the broken limb. *&t present we are glad to hear that -no-further, ill consequence than a lengthened inability to,, work is anticipated. Long after Surface Hill has been worked out and perhaps"forgotten, a record of its victims will be found written bn the numerous .tombßtpnes and tablets which are, contained in the cemetery here. The greater part of the deaths in this district have been from accidents from earfchfalls, and the larger part of these accidents have occurred at the same place—the notorious and treacherous Surface Hill. We are sorry to be called upon to another accident, resulting in a compound fracr ture of the thigh, which tqok pkco on ■ Wednesday last, Captain Hamilton's station;' Mamototo Plains. From what we have been able to gather, the unfortunate man, who is, employed as a cai'ter tc a Mr. Jones, was = pn the top of his dray ,( racking"' bis load when the rope parted, throwing him to the. ground—coming in contact with a piece of wood or stone the leg was, as we have said, fractured. Dr. M'Cambridge was immediately sent for, and returned with the messenger to the scene of the accident the same afternoon. A MKETisa of the supporters of Macandrew as Superintendent is advertised to. be held in the Oddfellows' Hall, Empire Hotel, toJmorrow (Saturday) evening, at eight p.m. Putting aside the policy or impolicy of selling the land down the Hogburn Flat,' the result of the sale on Wednesday last clearly demonstrates the great faith which the people here have in the permanency of these workings—a faith which we equally entertain, and which we trust that nothing may occur to lessen or subvert. The following were the lots offered for sale by Mr. David Barron, district surveyor, and the prices realised':—Sec. 28, £5, A. M'Cool; sec. 29, £3, E. Glenn; sec. 4, £5, Mapomc J fall Oompaiiy ; sec. 5, £5, E. Lawson ; sec. 6, £l7. W. Inder ; nee. 7, £5, W. T. Kirby; sec. 9, £s,' W. Inder; sec. 10, £7 10s., R. Strong; sec. 11, £5, T. Baird; sec. 3, £3, E. C. Smith ; se-.. 4, £3. 10s., E. C. Smith; sec, 5, £3, P. A. Connolly; sec,-6, £4 155., H. W--Robinson ; sec. 7, £5 ss.j H. W. Robinson ; Bee. 8, £4;:155., E. H.' Carew ; sec. 9, £6, E. H. Carew;' sec. 10, £5, S. Ash ; sec. 11, £9 10s., E. C. Smith. Total amount realized, £lO7 ss. We have received a communication from Mr. D. F. Main, intimating hiß acceptance of the .office of Disti'ict Land Registrar under the Land Transfer Act of last session. Mr. Main expresses his regret at the cessation of his political connectio . with this diwtrict, and strongly urges that in the choice of members at the forthcoming election the electors should return men who can " demean themselves " properly, and who are able to speak out "boldly and fearlessly," adding that unless such men are returned the district would be better without representatives. W? understated .that .sports, consisting of horse racing, foot racing, quoits, &c, &c, are being got up on the Kyeburn Diggings, to' come off on an early date, and an attractive programme will be announced next week. Thk art union of oil paintings in Horswell's Royal Hotel is postponed till Friday, February 3rd. The first monthly meeting of the Mount Ida District School Committee was held in the schoolroom, on Wednesday evening last. Present : —Messrs. Grumitt (chair), Inder, Bremner Horswell, Dixon, Ross, Hay, and Wilson. The late Secretary (Mr. Ross) read the minutes pf last meeting of previous the motion of Mr. Ross, seconded by Mr. Bremner, Mr. Inder was appointed Chairman of Committee. —Mr. Bremner proposed, and \ Mr. Horswell seconded, that Mr. Petchell act as Clerk and Treasurer to the School Commit-

;ee..—Proposed-by Mivlrider, seconded by Mr..; Hay, thai Mr. Ross act as Clerk and Treasurer ' to the 'Committee.- 'Carried.—Mr. Bremner j proposed tbat tbe Secretary's salary be reduced. I Lapsed.—Mr. Inder'then took the chair.—The ! 3choolmastei*'s montlily report was read and j adopted, and the Secretary was instructed to acknowledge ■ receipt, and inform him that the suggestions contained ■ therein, would receive attention.—Mr. Grumitt proposed, Mr. Bremner seconded, That the Secretary be requested j to furnish, at the next meeting, a statement of | the number of scholars, together with the amount,,of receipts from school fees for the past half year. The Secretary was further instructed to write to the Secretaries of School Committees in Tuapeka a 0,4 Queenstow,n, to ascertain the amount of school-fees as charged, and how, classed.—The Chairman consented to see that the suggestions contained in the schoolmaster's repprt were given effect to. The meeting then . . , in ablate issue of the 'Times' states that the Wakatip. races, on the. i3th, were a failure, though the. attendance was good. The Town Plate was a genuine "sell;?, and' the '-'pot" on the Wakatip Handicap boiled over. For- the Maiden Plate, Mr. Grant's Mora was first, and the same gentle-. man's Charley second. The Town Plate of £75, was won by Mr. Ray's Misfortune. Southern Chief was withdrawn, and another horse started. The winner was hooted, it being evident the race was a made up one.—On the second day (the. 14th) the l-aces run were again very hollow. The attendance was large. The. following were, the results of the several events: — ! Hurdle Race: Sir Tatton walked over.-—Dis-trict Handicap^: Misfortune, 1; Cromwell, 2. "Won easily.—Ladies' P.ur3o : Sir Tatton, 1 ; Pretender, 2'.., Pretender was the favorite, .but it was no race. ~ , ' At the St; Bathans annual raees t theHospitalßaee, in which owners of, houses took a praiseworthy interest, was won by Mr;. M'Phailfs Norah. The pi'esented to the Hospital was £l7 58. 6d.,'which was collected Qn the: racecourse by Mr. George and several otlfcrs. ■■'. We. understand that the Rev. Geo.' Suthcii- ■ land, of First Church, Dunedin, \yi},l conduct l)ivine service in the Union Church, Najseby, ■,pn:Sunday.:.next,"* '2lst instant, forenoonj and evaning. >■ .;*.'> ■ - ■> ■ ; Ax.adjourned general meeting of the Naseby Water Works Company washeld in, their ofijces, on Friday aft ernoon last, for the purpoae of electing directors for the current year: and .transacting ;other.: business. Preaent—Messrs. J. .<S; M'lntosh (chair), Inder, Thomson, Petchell, Aitken,. Maitland, Wilson, M'Gregor, George, G. A. Chapman. Collett, Campbell, W. J. Millar, Brookes, Keenan, Q-lenn, Morrison, and Greer.—The Mr. E. T. George, read the minutes of last general meeting,' which were confirmed.—The Treasurer, Mr. Thomson,'submitted ■ to. the. mcetiug a statement'of'the'Compaiiy's affairs to date, which showed that it was* in.a flourishing, eon/ dition.—On the motion of Mr! Inder, seconded; by Mr. Morrison, the' Treasurer's report, as read,--was and! Mr. Glenn secbWecl,' ";That tins meeting pass a vote of thanks'. fo\"the retiring directors, for the very satisfactory s mah|ier in which they have conducted the. hiisini'KHpf the C'ompany.'' Carried.—The following gentlemen were cho-.-sen directors, for the, current year; Messrs. Thomson, Indjer, George, M'lntosh, Petchell, Aitken-,.and r .G.,; A. Cha.pman.—Mr.. M'Gregor state(l.tli;it.several 7 9fi the residents at the foot of Le veil-street wereanxious that the Company should extend the...main iu that dh-ection.: — Mr. Morrison, proposed, and Mr. Glenn seconded, "That power, be given to the directors to extend the inkih down Leven-street, if thought necessary." ! Carried.—Mr. Inder ' suggested that the ; Water 'Works Company should assist the Fire Brigade in their endeavors to make the fire plugs available in case of fire—the late formation of Leven-street necessitating some new castings being;made.—Mr. Glenn proposed, Mr. Morrison seconded, "That it be left in the hands of the directors to consider the advisability of contributing to tlie Fire Brigade."—An amendment'on the above by Mr. Petchell, seconded by Mr. Aitken, to the, effect " That the fire plugs be raised to the street level at the cost of the Company, and at a sum not exceeding £10," was declared carried.—fVotes of thanks to Mr. E. T. George and the Chairman concluded the meeting. The report of the Committee on Church Extension, read by. Mr Watt before the Presbyterian Synod last week, states that they (tne Committee) were authorised to sanction Mount Ida and surrounding district as a regular charge, and ( to instruct the Presbytery of Dun : edin to ordain at once the Goldfields minister expected shortly to arrive, and send him to labor in the Mount Ida district—to be regularly inducted after a call had been dulv given. We will publish in our next week's issue the important judgment delivered by his Honor Judge Gray, in the appeal case Ross and another v. Roberts and others. The English mail via Suez, with detailed news up to November 26, and telegraphic news up to December 28, was due at Melbourne yesterday, the 19th. It is expeeted that the Rangitoto, which was to leave for Hew Zealand ports, via Hokitika, about the 17th instant, will bring the telegraphic summary. In the Resident Magistrate's Court on Monday last,, before H. W. Robinson, Esq., R.M., and Dr. Niven, J.P., Fang Chang was brought up on remand charged with having, on the morning of the 9fch instant, stolen gold to the value of 20s. from the tail race of Sullivan and party on Little Surface Hill. Police Sergeant M'Cluskey prosecuted... Ah Yan being sworn interpreter. From the evidence it appeared that a mpier named David Shirlow;-.VBas ■'ori : his way home from , INasebytbi 'Spec Gully, shortly after 12 a.m. on the morning of the 9th, and that when passing by the claim of Sullivan and party his attention was attracted by a noise as of falling earth. Stopped to listen, and distinctly heard a sound .similar to that of panning in a tin dish. Thinking something, was wrong he cop-e'd for-assistance, when two Chinamen bolted from the claim. Gave chase, collared pne of the Chinamen, and held_ him until assistance arrived. The

value of the gold ill disk and hag aiuo< uted to about 2Us. The prisoner, who ;nadt- no defence, was sentenced to one month's imprisonment in Naseby gaol, -with hard labor. The missing downwards St. Bathaus mail, i due here on the 9th instant, did not turn up until the 16th. So far as we have been able to learn, the missing mail took, by some inexplicable accident, a trip to Dunedin and back. As it has since been returned en regie, we can only say, in this as in many other cases, "All's well that ends well." In the Warden's Court yesterday, before H. W. Eobinson, Esq., Warden, the case of G-reer and others Y. IJremner and others was heard. The plaintiffs prayed that the defendants' title to a certain water race at Clurks might be declared abandoned, the same having been disused for a period of upwards of one calendar month; The Court inflicted a penalty of £$ in lieu of forfeiture, and 19s. costs, the plaintiff to receive one-half the penalty. In the ResiderikMagiatrate's Court yesterday, before H. W. Robinson, Esq., R.M., the following cases were disposed of:—-Brookes v. Ah Yah., Claim, £4 9s, goods supplied. No appeaisance ; struck out. —Daniel Kermode v. William-Clucas. Claim, £8 14s, balance of I O TJ. Judgment for full amount, with £1 5s costs. —Thomas Stanley made application for a slaughtering license at Macraes, which was granted. .'