THE Mount Ida Chronicle. FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 1871.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume II, Issue 111, 21 April 1871, Page 2

THE Mount Ida Chronicle. FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 1871.

The necessity for the formation of a • new Improvement Committee for this j place appears, we are glad to observe, j to be becoming patent to all reasonable and reflecting minds in the community. JSuch a body should be made to be a reflex of the opinions of all the interests of toe district. What we mean is, that any Committee to be elected should be so chosen as to include anong it 3 members some of the most rational and' sensible men representing the varied interests which constitute our community here! We feel certain that with a body thus organised, and properly and judiciously chosen, a great amount of good cjuid not i'ail to result \ to all classes, ae well as to the district generally. There is, we confess, one point in the matter which fairly puzzles us, and that is the manner m which the members of any Committee should be elected, so as fairly to represent the opinions of all classes of the public. It is an indisputable fact that elections at public meetings by show of hands are a simple farce, and in many instances persons are elected for mere sport or pastime, little or no regard being had to the interest of the district which they are thus called upon to represent, or to their qualification for the office. Believing, as we do, that the appointment of a new Improvement Commit tee for Naseby is absolutely essential to the present and future wellbeing of the district, we should like to see it so elected as to be a fair representation of all interests in the community, and we should also like to see the Committee composed of persons who would pay proper attention to their duties, and • who should be, at the same time, duly and properly qualified to represent the interest which they may be appointed to overwatch. We do not desire—indeed we should regret —to see any interest over-represented, or predominate; on the contrary, of miners and business men we hope to see in any new Committee as nearly as possible an equal number, and to see them all working well and harmoniously together for the public weal. The part of the question to which we desire to draw attention is the manner or mode of election of a

new Committee. That such a body will be elected within the next few days we entertain not the shadow of a doubt. We have before observed that election by show of hands is an utter absurdity. Look, for instance, at elections as a rule, and it will be found that he who at the nomination has the preponderating show of hands not unfrequently. but very frequently —nay, almost as a rule—finds himself at the fag end of the poll at the day of election. The j vote by show of hands is one of the remains of the dark or middle ages, but i in our day, and more especially since the introduction of the ballot system, has become utterly and entirely useless, encumbering and prolonging the proceedings, and perfectly valueless in its result so far as a test of public opinion is concerned. Gur object is, if possible, to suggest something in the place of election by show of hands in the appointment of the soon to be elected Mount Ida Progress Committee, and, as we have above stated, we find ourselves in a kind of dilemma. "We clearly enough see the disease, but we doubt if we be physician enough to prescribe aremedy. At all events, since we have entered upon the question we will not shrink from giving publicity to such crude notions as have so far suggested themselves to our mind upon the .subject. "We will suppose, for instance, a meeting called, to which resolutions- something in effect to the following might be submitted : —l. That it is the opinion of this meeting that, in order to strengthen the hands of our represen- : tatives, and secure an equitable proportion of revenue to be expended in this district, a Committee be appointed to be called the Mount Ida Progress Committee.—2. That the number of such Committee shall be ,

to be elected annually (after the first election) on the first Monday in the month of March, —3. That the term of office for which the members of Buch Committee shall be elected shall be twelve months.—4k That the meetings of such Committee shall be monthly, upon an evening to.be fixed by themselves when elected, and that the meetings sball be open to the public. Then cornea the question as to the manner in which the members should be chosen, so as fairly to represent the feelings and opinions of all classes of the community. For our part, we would propose that, at a public meeting to be held at an early day, resolutions something in effect to what we have given above should be submitted to, and be discussed by, the meeting, subject, of course, to such alterations and emendations as the meeting might think fit to make. "When the resolutions had been sufficiently discussed, any person present should be at liberty to propose a candidate, to be seconded in the usual manner, and so on until the meeting deemed that a sufficient number of candidates had been nominated. The meeting might then be adjourned for a few days, during which interval ballot slips might be prepared and obtained at some place to be decided upon, containing the names of all the candidates nominated. Any i ! person, upon application, should be ; able to obtain such ballot slip, upon giving his name and address, and have the option of erasing therefrom all names saving those of the persons whom he desired to form the new Committee. These ballot slips, when left in accordance with the wish of the voter, should be deposited in a ballot box before the day of the reassembling of the adjourned meeting, and the nine or ten, as the case may be, for whom the most votes have been recorded, should form the Mount Ida Progress Committee. To obviate anything like the possibility, or even the supposition of tampering, the key of the ballot box should be placed in a sealed envelope, and left for safe keeping in one of the banks until the arrival of the timewhen the meeting should reassemble, and the box be opened in its presence by the chairman. No doubt, at a pub ic meeting, the matter will be more fully ventilated and further detailed than we have felt called upon to do. "We have simply suppled a rough skeleton plan which we desire to see the community themselves fill up. We feel, however, that if a body be organised as we have roughly suggested, it will have, with our members and with the Government, all the weight which a < orporate body could or would cany without the taxation and official expenditure connected therewith. The community should bear in, mjind that before j?hfa body

would necessarily come (to be discussed in open court) all the questions which are at present affecting this 'district — namely, the water supply, sludge channel, athenaßum, hospital question, and a host of others. We would, in conclusion, take the liberty of pointing out to all who take an interest in the affairs of the district that, if the members of the Committee give their time and services, they cannot be expected to furnish from their own pockets the necessary funds to make there services a success. We do not imagine that the expenses of the Committee would or should be great; still, they would be something. The people of Naseby have never, however, when money has been wanted for a good object or public purposes, turned a deaf ear to any application, and we feel sure that, should our plan be adopted, and a Committee elected in terms thereof, or in others somewhat similar, they will, one and all, contribute their mite towards an object wliich cannot 'ail to result in the greatest benefit to all.

We have heard with pleasure, since onr leader was in type, that it is proposed to hold a public meeting at the Oddfellows' Hall for a somewhat similar object of which our article treats. Considering the importance of the questions, and the magnitude and diversity of the interests involved, we trust to find that there will be a full attendance ns well of the miners as of the residents of Naseby. Wr understand that scarlatina has broken out in Christchurch, where two cases are raported within.the Inst few days. We would remind all persons interested that the monthly sitting of the Petty Sessional Court will be held on Saturday, the 29th inst., at twelve o'clock noon. There are, we hear, a number of cases to be tried, for the best part of a debt character only. We are glad to hear that the petition from the people of the Serpentine to the Chief Postmaster, to have a weekly mail established between Linburn and those diggings, has met with the approval of the Government, provided that the service can be performed at a cost not exceeding £25 per annum. - Seeing the benefit which must necessarily accrue to the Serpentine district from the proposed boon, and seeing, moreover, that Mr. Murray has consented to act gratuitously as postmaster, we may, we trust, look upon the establishment of the post between Linburn and Serpentine as an accomplished fact. We regret to have to record a sad acident from five, which occurred at the Ida Valley Station—the residence of Mr. E. Scolan. : From the particulars to hani we learn that j Mr. Scolan was from home on Friday, on business at the Wiitaki, and that Mrs. Scolan.was ! also from home, on a visit 1o a friend in the j neighborhood—the house being without an ' inmate. At about ten o'clock a.m. the build- j ing took fire, and the shepherd being away, j and the hut-keeper's house being at some distance from the station, the fire had made rapid i progress before it was discovered. Immedi- ( ately upon its being seen the hut-keeper pro- j ceeded to the spot, in order to save what pro- ' pert.y he might be able, but such was the fierceness of the fire that he was only able to snatch from the table of the parlor an empty pistol case and a. workbox, when he was compelled to make a hasty retreat through the window. Ultimately the building, with its entire contents, -was completely destroyed. There is, so fir as we can learn, no satisfactory cause to which the origin of the fin> can be attributerl. Mr. Scolan, we understand, estimates his loss at about £4OO. The greatest sympathy, is felt for Mr. and Mrs. Scolan throughout the district. j A curious and unusual ceremony took place at the cemetery on Wednesday, 19th instant, upon the occasion of the erection of a fence and tablet round the gnve of the Chinaman who was lately interred there. After the erection had been completed a large hamper was unpacked, which contained a loaf of bread, a bottle of old torn, two roasted fowls, a piece of roasted pork, and some etcetera*. These articles, when unpacked, were placed at the head of the grave, outside the fence,, around which sundry Chinese lighted tapers were fixed in the ground. After this, a large number of square pieces of paper of nil colors were produced, and carefully burnt to ashes. The old torn was then poured into a bowl, and portions of the various kinrls of food pi teed also therein. The contents of the bowl were then emptied on the grave, and the remainder of the fowls, <fce., carefully repacked in the hamper and taken away. Th* ceremony did not appear to be of a very serious nature, as the Chinese were throughout laughing, talking, and smoking. We understand that coal of superior quality has been discovered within one mile of Eden Creek. Should this coal turn out as good as is anticipated, it cannot fail to be productive of the greatest advantage to Naseby. We believe that the discoverers have applied to the Waste Land Board for a lease. There has been no business either in the Resident Magistrate's or Warden's Courts since our last issue, the Warden having been absent upon his usual monthly visit to Hamilton, Hyde, and Macraes. The*concert in aid of the school funds, and for the purpose of procuring prizes for the children, took place at the Masonic Hall on the evening of Wednesday last. There was a full a'tendance, and the entertainment was a complete success. Mr. John Bremner occupied the chair. It is understood that the Provincial Council will be called together for the transaction o! business on the 22nd May. Messrs. E. B. Cargill and C. E. Haughton are appointed members of the Waste Land Board-

In mining matters we may state that the supply of water has been moderately abundant, the demand good, and the yield of gold about the average. We regret, however, to have to report that the once favorite and rich claims on Surface Hill have lately become almost abandoned. This has arisen from a small tail race in Ihe Main G-ully of inconsiderable value, into which the tailings from the hill must necessarily flow whenever mining operaare being carried on. By the eiereise of the powers claimed by the owners of this tail raccf under their certificate a large number of miners have been driven from the lull, and a very severe injury inflicted upon the district. We regret to find that the tailings in Roach's Gully are again becoming a nuisance, but on this occasion not on the township side of the Gully. There are frequently several ablebodied men in the Camp doing short and (he police officer in charge would be doing a public service if lie would employ them for a day or two upon the reptir of-the footpath, which has in some places been almost destroyed. Two smart shocks of earthquake were felt by several persond in trwn on the afternoon of Wednesday, a little after 4 p.m. We shall feel anxious to know whether these ...shocks •' were felt elsewhere, and to what extent. Writing of* the Maerewhenua reef, on the 12th inst., a correspondent Bays:—The reef looking very well. They have lately sunk another shift 50 feet deep into the solid reef, the last 20 feet of which is looking ii,ore promising than nny stone previously obtained. The parallel reef has not yet been driven through, though the drive lias closely approached it from the 50 feet shaft. The casing gves very good indications. The erection of the crushing apparatus of the company is nearly completed, and will be shortly fit/ to make a start. There arc already about GD() tons ready to be crushed. We trust that the anticipations of the company may be realized, and their pluck and energy ainplv rewarded. Thb presence in Melbourne of Wain Wong, the soi disant Emperor of China, and the great generalissimo of the Taepings, who on e held nearly a fourth of the Flowerylan I, ani commanded the allegiance of as many subjects as the C/.ar of Russia, would never have been known outside the classic shades of Lit lie Bourke-street, Melbourne, had it, not been for recent lottery prosecutions there. A QrrRENSTOWN correspondent, writing to the ' Cromwell Argus,' draws a gloomy picture of the condition of the live stock market in that town. He states that a decent looking hack can be bought at prices ranging from £2 10s. to £6. I saw one sold at second-hand for* £5 —as handsome and useful a hor.se as can bo seen in this neighborhood—and the first purchaser realised a profit by the transaction. Another animal was knocked down at £2 10s., and next day 1 saw the sam* horse prancing along the streets of Quoenstown with all the fire and elasticity of the noblest racer. Cattle, I too, are extremely low in price.

Accohding to the advices reee'ved by Viscount Canterbury, the American filibustering expedition was to leave America in February and would visit Melbourne, Sydney, and Dimedin. Wb (says the ' Wakatip Mail') liave lately been honored by the presence of three wellknown members of the legal profession, namely, Messrs. Maeassey, Barton, and Burrowed. Other districts less populous and prosperous than the Wakatip find remunerative occupation for one or m ire gent emeu of this class, and wo are therefore glad to learn that MY. G-. B. Barton intends to remain here a» legal adviser. TLvDKtf the head " Brilliant Prospects," the ' Western Post' (New South Wales) snys : " We learn from the testimony oi' several, whose evidence we cannot doubt, that a diamond has been discovered at the Two-Mile Flat, by some diggers who were prospecting in that locality, weighing sdwts., and valued at about £10,000." We are glad to learn that the parties engaged working on the beach near Port Molyneux are, at present, doing extremely well. There are two parties at work close to the beach, while others have selected ground further up into the bush. One cf the former are said, to be making the handsome sum of about £2O per week per man, while the others are making very good wages. All appear to bo highly satisfied with their returns, and there is every prospect that the ground in the locality will yet afford good wages frr a large number of miners.—' Bruce Herald.' The San Francisco mail for March was seven days ago due at Auckland. The Suez mail, with detailed news up to Feb. 24, and with telegraphic news up to March 17, is overdue at Melbourne. The New Zealand portion of the mail will, in all probability, be brought by the steamer leaving Melbourne on April 15, and may be looked for at Hokitika about the 2 th.