THE Mount Ida Chronicle. FRIDAY, APRIL 7, 1871.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume II, Issue 110, 7 April 1871, Page 2

THE Mount Ida Chronicle. FRIDAY, APRIL 7, 1871.

last; of the] Pi ovincial .elections is over, and we fear, (that when the Counpil meets there will be an attempt —an abortive one we trust-^-to v r£-enact the .party conflict whi'qh disgraced the last session, between "His Honor the Superintendent and ,liis ; late antagonist for that olHce. Already has the temper of the S.'eid party'been exhibited and their tactics foreshadowed in the simultaneous resignation .By the Executive of their respective .offices. Nor, indeed, so f;u- ns we aee able to see and judge, could any-other action be expected at the haiidp of these iientlemen, considering throughout the whole.of his recent electioneering, speeches his Honor did not for a moment hesitate to cast upon -their shoulders the blame, of the obstruction and dead lock which had. brought the Province to its present state of depression and stagnation. Constituted, as is, however, the present Provincial Council, of some of the best and most able ipen. ii> jCMtygo, tor better things from its# memDers .tda u that they should lend themselves to' mere party squabbling,.or vvasfe their time and the means of the Proviiice in mere party wrangling. Though tlie. action of the .Heid' Executive in resigning might appear as a throwing down of the gauntlet to his. Honor, and as a challenge to a fair fight and a v rial of the strength of parties, 'we trust that with his Honor good counsels and not personal motives ..may prevail in selecting (from the material at l}ify cqmmajic] plenty of gentle c me^ ; .^blf 4 ia)rd willing 'tp afford him the benefit of lieir adviQe and.assistance in carrying on, in a proper and efficient Aanij'er, ; %lve r busiii(\sb of the Province; ]'Y>r soniQ past the conduct- of p! |:Hie members pf "the Provincial

Council, as well iis.of self, by crimination and recrimination, | has been such as to cause pain and bring regret to the heart of every true and honest provincialist. There can be no denial of the fact the Council has become the field of unseemly—not to say disgraceful— party conflicts, ftfid has been made a vehicle for obtaining personal benefit and advancement. To such things we say that the interest of Otago has been of late too frequently sacrificed. We trust, however, now that a new Council has been elected, possessing not only a strong infusion of new blood, but at the same time a tar greater -amqjint of respectability and talent thaw any which has'for years preceded it,-that era in the, con,-, duct of the affairs as well as in the, prosperity of the Province may and! will be inaugurated.

We are not of those who, as a rule, believe in the old proverb that " in,the' multitude of .counsellors there, is jiyisdom," aaid we hold that a Council of 1 forty-five, members is far mqre cumbrous aiid expensive than the limited population of Otago either desires or requires. On the contrary, we : are inclined to agree with another .snd ; equally old and; hackneyed proverb^, " Too many cooks spoil the ' brothh ,90 far; 'at''least; "§.6' the' Provincial.Coun-'• cil of Otago is, concerned in'oiir' opinion, has been and undoubteiliy is the case. There can be no doubt that •in' the early days of Otago, aftfer the: Constitution" had been Conferred upon New Zealand, with a much "smaller number of members of.. Council, and a vastly inferior amount of - reyenue,; ,a much larger quantity of work'for tlie true and lasting benefit of the Province was accomplished tha-n, Jias been done since the number of members has been increased threefold and ; her revenue many hundred ,if not even thousandfold. There is not the slightest doubl that the Coloiiv of New Zealand is the

most over-taxed and ovej-vgoverned country on the .face of the globe, and if: wotty.- appear to : be the desire and fashion of the; day, as if glorying in her misfortune, t:o carry both one and <>he other to the fuMest extent which it may be possible tor her to bear/ it is'the " last feather that the.,camel's "back" is an old Arabian -proverb, and unless something be done; and that speedily, to discontinue the incessant heaping of feathers upon the poor animal's back, the last feather with its : consequence inevitably follow. We believe that in the Governmentsof New Zealand —(xeneral and Provincial —with a much fewer number of members a vast deal more of really practical work - could and would be done, and a very great expense saved to the over-taxed arid long-suffering tax-payers. We are not'inclined to carry our idea of retrenchment So far as to piake Mr. Macandrew, the virtual pounded by that gentleman in, his address ffrdroguiiig the Provincial Council. Indeed, we should look upon such ah event as the greatest calamity which could befall either the Province or even his Honor himself. At the same time, we should 'hail with : pleasur.# every effort made by the present CounScil to reduce the number of its members very materially, and to keep the public expenditure within the lowest possible limits which efficiency could permit. With these subjects we trust that our new representatives will not hesitate,to deal, in a spirit of earnestness and of honesty, regardless of the interest .of,,either party, be it t?eid of; be it Macandrew, but in all si-igle-and with. the,.sincere sire to serve the various constituencies by whom tney have been returned, as, well as of tile Province of Otago generally.

Thb resignations ..of the Executive were placed in his Honor the Super.nbendent's hands at a late hour on Saturday afternoon, and have been accepted. Xo steps have yet been taken to form a new Government. ■Tiiii General Assembly will, we ' (' Oamaru Times •') ■understand, meet for the despatch, of business the first or second week of July. Late telegraphic news from Auckland, dated March 30th, states Thegale on Sunday was very destructive to the shipping in Auckland hnvbpr and along the coast. • A number of small crafts became total wrecks. At the Thames, one man was killed and several injured by the falling of a tree. The wharfs and several houses were washed away, trees uprooted, and in the country districts roofs blown oi'.' the bouses., v . , Tub dog nuisance is one under which. this town, in our opinion, labors in a very large and disagreeable degree. "We would, therefore remind those who are desirous for the lives of their canine friends that all dogs un'registered after the liysl; of the present ljionth are liable 1 o be shot by the police,

mining,Aefrs from the Thames is ? liiehly encouraging. The Caledonian lately unearned , a specimen containing 80lba. weight of.isolid gold, valued at £3OOO. Another dividend of £l3 is payable this week. Shaves are selling freely at £IOO. Thames sell at £l6 ; All Nations at £6 l n s. Junction at 40s. Otherproperty is rising in value. - It is stated that during the first month *the Land Transfer Act was in force in this Province, property to the va he of £2o,0()(> had been transferred uijder its provisions.—'Star,' The Chinese who lately .arrived in the Pro- | vince, in the Whirlwind, from China, have located themselves in Tuapofca. The census shows the population of the r Province of Otago and Southland to be 70,000 I—an 1 —an increase of 14,000 since 18G7. ' . ■ i ;

l)a. Care is at present giving his lectures and phreno-mesmeric entertainment's at tlie' Oardrona. j : u

I We clip the following from the ( Wakatip j | Mail —Sickness of a peculiar diameter hasbeen very prevalent throughout the district of late. It took the fprm. of a..e>uddeu attack of severe vomiting and . purging—a species of cholera, in fact, from which both old and young have suffered—in causing insensibility, and in one instance, we hear, the death of a child. - We have not heard the origin qfrthpj^isease ( has besei} the sudden change of the, season {. but not that' alone, ye think,-r-Qii feu&day, Jind' t£e,.friifo, suceeed'iiig days'/ 'we' weres Viidddnty'plhtagfed from summer into quite wintry weather, and the 'season! was' completely broken up—fitfiil showers of F rain.and s^eetTbeing the, predomi r> nating -feature;' wiiile^'bitter^Mai^cfii-iike'Tvindir 'seemed to pierc<? every nook alifl r cranny of our dwellings. Tlie days, hafrie Bincfe been fine, and the nights cool. But winter is evidently coming on apace ; and so, we predict, r ai-e harjd tjine£-fpr in! jour midst We regret words, but; truth demands thai;, we should do sq. <r The £abt is, the pla'cle is 'overdone witli l4'rowh^population; £ind, afcthe'seasbri*/Advances • veral works in course of construction shortly become' completed; it will' 1 fare'- ill faith ' the • poorer class through the .winter," unless aid is rendered by or ot>r ( merchants are willing, to add to, their list many and Jong outstanding accounts., Glowing accounts' t'f ovir prosperity have attracted hither many —and some of them with large -families—from the less prosperous districts of Southland and elsewhere. f , t. (1 » . , J =- An "amusing'incident occurred at Welling- ! ton recently to a new chum. He went to a livery stable and asked what -they charged for; a horse to the Hutt. "Ton 5 -shillings," ; t 1 : e reply; and he mounted and rode away, j On his return lie tendered 10s., but whs asked i lot* another half sovereign. " \Vhat's that j fur:" he said. The reply was, "You were j not 1 i>ld it would be 10s to the Hutt and ; buck." Chum saw he had been "had." and ! paid quietly without a m-jrmur. Next day he j went; again, and asked, "How winch tor a i horse to the Taita ?" (about, fifteen miles dis- ; taut). ■ " Fifteen 1 «1 lillings," was the answer, ! and he mounted und rode off. Arrived' i at the Taita, lie put.tlie horse in a stable, and ref iirin i d,,to (own by the " 'hufl." I£e went to ' the place where he had hired the animal, and tendered 1 <s. " But where'* the horse ?" was the natural question. "At the Taita. I only hired him tt> yo there," was . the, reply-j—unci* not so bad either for a new chum. j We are glad <0 learn that t,he Quadrille 'Club, whose assemblies have already eontri- ■ bated so often to the pleasure and recreation : of the Nasebv folks during the long winter, I have again commenced operations', 1 their first j gathering having taken place at their usual ; place <jf assembly, the ; Masonic Hall,-yesterday ! evening. We liave not the least dDubt of their j perfect - success, and we only wish some influj ential and energetic persons 1 .would •'further. J assist in 'lessening the tedium, of the quickly , coming winter evenings by the establishment jof an Athenaeum. We feel sure that nothing { would more conduce' to the'lhorai improve- | ment and advancement of Naseby than would I such an ' ( . v i , 7 :'.:'x ' j

Thk meeting of the Mount Ida Cricket Club, advertised in our lust issue to take place on Monday last, lapsed from want of attendance of members. • r , ' Thte monthly meeting 6f the School mittee took place at the schoolhouse on Monday evefaiig. A'report'6Y- §roeeeditigs' will be found elsewhere. , ~ 1 -It <wbuld'-appear* tliit'the'•Digflings are becoming a favoritfe'' resort for the Chinese. We have been informed, upon good authority, that there are in Moke Creek alone a population of at least thirty of these Celestials, and from what we gather from oth<?j* sources there would appear to be every prospect of a still further augmentation of their number. Wfe ' hslrdly ' kribw whether' thfe Chinese will be able to endure the climate of the Serpentine, extremely seyai'o in the winter. Mb. Hawkek,.- late enterprising propi'ietor of the coach between this place and Dunedin, via Hyde an(l Macraes, has again shewn hid disposition to meet," as far as possible, the spirit of the times. Mr. Hawker has, Ave are informed, Ijiid on of omnibuses between Dunedin and the Water of Leitli at million prices—3d. each way. The line is to be called the jftiiry line/ We wish Mr.-'Hawker success in his nev> and spirited undertaking.',' We regret to announce/that Mr. Frank Rutherford, long ancl favorably known as one of Cobb and. Co.'s drivers, died recently at Yoki?hamp,. Japan, of small pox. A notice to t)«W effect; appears in our this day's .obituary. List of letters received at the post office, Naseby, during the mopths of November .and and December, 187 , nnd remaining unclaimed on the 31st March, 1871: —Wm Burns, James Hickey, George llpnrv, Mr Kenasher, John

j M'Donald, Roderick M'Donald, James Mathe- | son, C Mowbray, John O'Jjalloran, John 1 o'D.onnell, Donald liuss, Matt Stvehen, j Sutherland. I We understand that the Rev. Mr. Flamjspk J will preach in the Union Church on Sunday | first, April 9th, fprpnoon and prpning, at the j sual hours.

The IWs J.,Wood will preach in the Masonic Hall, on Sunday evening next, at bajfpast six o'clock. Axotuer accident occurred on Friday lost;, in the claim of John Creightbn on Cemetery llill, to one Patrick Joyce, a wages man. While .working with the pick Joyce struck the npper part of his foot; penetrating to a considerable extent. We are glad to Hear that no serious results are anticipated, To-day and Monday bMftg G-ood Friday and Easter Monday respectively, will be observed as holidays by the local banks. ■An advertisement appears in another column. We understand that it is in Qonternplatio# to get up an entertainment at an early date in aid of the .school fund, and for prizes for the children. ' J

The sea.ts recently placed round the Court House are a vb'ry great convenience, ! aM we sincerely congratulate the public; on having' - obtained thorn. >■ ' < >»» i: The only business' iu the Resident Magistrate'B Court yesterday were two oases of furious riding, in ,both of which respectively ,a fine of 10a., with ss. 6d. ; opsts, wjis inflicted. We have been shewn one of the finest samples of oats for quality and; weight w;e ... have seen in this district. The oats weiffe ' grown by Mr. John Bradley upon a small plot f>f ground in Home Gf-ully—a little over one acre,„ and. weighed 49 bushels lUbs. The 'ground was new, and had received bit' little' tillage or care, of any kind., This says a good 4eal for some, at least, of tlie land in this vicinity. , Tiib Wnikouaiti off ;on Wednen-' day last, with the following results Maiden Plate,of J.Q"sovs, distance one mile and a-half. Five' entries.* "• Ist,' Pearce's Ranger ; 2nd, Russell's Q-eneral; 3rd, < Eagan's Duchess. .Handicap of 30 sovs; distance, "two and a-half miles. Four entries. Ist, Pattersdri's 1 jßuf-guhdy';' ; 2ntl; 'Stanton's- Miss King; 3rd, Little's-Kuri Boy.—District; Handicap of, 13 s.o.ys.j /distance one mile heats. Ist , -Pearce's- Rartgiy \ 2-Uid,-, lagan's Dui-hews; 3rd. Johnstori's Hurdle Race of 12;Sovs ; i mile heats,.- ;Three entries. Ist, Schleuter'e Honest John,-—Handicap Trotting Race of 10 sovs ; distance, three miles. Four entriefs,. Ist, Pratt's Maori ; 2nd, Stanton's . Tapioca. Hack Race of 5 guineas ; distance, one mile. Three entries. Ist, Te Kooti. i ii i .