THE Mount Ida Chronicle FRIDAY, MAY 10, 1872.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 166, 10 May 1872, Page 4

THE Mount Ida Chronicle FRIDAY, MAY 10, 1872.

The Government have at length began to make the Houndburn Hill deviation, and as. is almost invariably the case with their road making, have selected the verv worst time of year for the construction of-the-work. The winter is now nearly upon us, and the time fast drawing near when road, making will be a very difficult if not impossible operation. . A few months since and the weather was beautifully adapted, and many hundreds of miners would have been only too glad, owing to the long-continued drought, to have accepted employment at a comparatively low rate Now the table:* are turnedwater has become plentiful, labor scarce, and the weather wintry, to say the.least of it. And yet it is at such a time that the Government have determined to commence the work. Under these circumstances there is no doubt that the cost of the work must be much heavier than it would have.been had the dry weather been taken advantage of. The only reason we can assign for this sudden springing into action is to be able to bamboozle the Mount Ida members and. secure their votes during the present session. It is currently reported that the -line to be taken is that suggested by Mr. and protested against by us and the whole up-country districts as beins; little if anything better than a half measure—a mere tinkering with a great and acknowledged evil. It has been hinted to us that the reasons.this line has been adopted are — first, that of expense; secondly, that it may be completed and ready for traffic before the winter sets in. Neither of-these reasons have, in our opinion, any weight. In the first place, the benefit to the whole up-country districts

by the adoption of the Naseby route would fully justify the expenditure of a sum sufficient to construct it, while the completion before the winter shall set in is mere fudge—mere bunkum. Why has not this paternal Government bestowed upon us their favors and shown'their care for us in this matter in the winters that have gone by. We have waited long, enough for something really valuable to be done in the way of improving the road to the up-country Goldfields, and we are willing to wait a little longer rather than accept Mr. Oliver's bantling as the line that is to be adopted. We protest against this line as a mere half measure —a mere sop to Cerberus with which Cerberus should not deign to be contented—and we protest against the absurd policy which has selected the winter season for.the construction of a work which is essentially a summer one.. In all the acts of the Government there appears a fatuity difficult if not impossible to understand. There seems no system in what they do. What is done is done jerkily and by and starts, and always in a hurry, and we all well.know that what is done in a hurry is never well done. We have always beeii and still are of opinion that in the selection of this line of road private influences have been at work, to the injury of public interests. This matter should be looked into, and.,if found to be true, exposed. There is yet time for the Government to adopt the only proper line, and we trust they will pause until the receipt of the petition which is being signed throughout the length . and breadth of,the up-country districts. A j copy of this petition, accompanied by a 1 circular requesting their, support, will ! be sent by Monday's post t« each meui- ; ber of the Provincial Council, and we : trust that no petty pnrty or local jealousies vyill prevent their adopting and supporting : its prayer. Our represent tatives know, .what wewish.in this matter, and.liow.we wish it to be done, and we trust, after the favorable reception they met wifeh when last here, they will use utmost efforts to. get those wishes accomplished. . The"'manner in which the Government begru Ige the smallest expenditure upon the Goldfields, while they are lavish, and extravagant in Dunedin and other pet localities, must be a source of astonishment, if not amazement to all who are unacquainted with the system of logrolling which exists hot only in this Province but unfortuately prevails throughout the length and breadth of the Colony.

A supplement ANY mail for England, via San Francisco, will close to-day at 1.30 p,m; . Mb. Warden Robinson leii. here on Monday last for Dunedin, on leave of absence for a fortnight. It was Mr. Robinson's intention to hold Courts at Hamilton, Hyde, and Macraes en route to town. The Warden made his ustml fortnightly visit to St Bathans on Friday last, but there wnre no cases for hearing either in the' Warden's or Resident Magistrate's Courts. Transfers and renewals of li en.-es occupied the time of the Court until about five o'clock. With regard, to mining we gl dly report that the water supply is still sibimdant, and n 1 hands fully at work with average returns. All looking forward to a still larger and much cheaper supply of water, and the construction of u proper sludge channel. Were these works constructed the population of this place would soon be quadrupled, while in an equal ratio the revenue would be increased. If the 'Government desire to invest the author sed loans upon really paying works, we fail to see ; any which would be more reproductive than those to which we have alluded.

The 'Builder * says that: no less than 1000 skilled mechanics, carpenters, masons, brick : , iayers, smiths, &c, have been engaged: by - the' Brogden firm, at the home rate of wages, for our railways, and are now on the high seas, eighty dayß out. According to recent despatches Dr. Featherston has made arrangements whereby 24,000 emigrants shall leave from several European ports this year for this colony. The official report of the Chicago fire says that 200 persons perished in the flames. 2063 acres of the city, containing 18,000 luUdin<r S , were devastated, and the loss is estimated °at 2,000,000,000 dollars, or £40,000,000. Db Lightfoot, one of the leading minds of the company who are engaged ii revising the New Testament, has said that they have got to the second chapter of St. Luke's gospel, and that they hope to finish their work in six years. Yesterday being the day set apart by his Excellency the Governor as a day of thanksgiving for the recovery of HiE.H. the Prince of Wales, was observed as a general holiday in -tfaseby—the public offices, banks, and stores being closed.

A concert and readings, in aid of. the funds of the Mount Ida District Hospital, will bo

held in the Masonic Hnll on the evening of Monday next. Ihe institution being a new one naturally requires eveiy possible help and support, and, ,as the object, is undoubtedly a good one, we trust. o see a full attendance. For further particulars see advertisement. Snow fell for the first time in anything like a large quantity, on the night of Monday last. The whole country was covered, and while upon the low ground it lay only thinly, upon the mountains and uplands the depth was onsiderable. All, however, has disappeared, with the exception of that on the mountain?, where it will in all probability now remain until the return of summer. The winter is, however, fairly upon us, and though the dnys are warm and fine, the mornings and evenings are sharp, and the nights frosty. An open w.nter is only wanted to make up for the long drought, and regain for Naseby her former high position in the escort list. Oub Maerewher.ua correspondent, whose leLter will be found in another column, speaks in very encouraging terms of the prospects of that Goldfield. We sincerely trust those expectations, sanguine as t hey are, may be veri- ] fied. j The small amount of support accorded to; Cobb's third coach has caused the running of it to be discontinued. Considering the days and hours of departure and arrival, there are few, we think, who will regret its discontinuance or death. The usual monthly meeting of the School Committee took place at the school house on the evening of Monday last. Mr. Wilson in the chair. With the exception of a resolution that Mr. Hislop, Inspector of Schools (who is expected here soon) be request d to deliver a lecture in aid of the school funds, the business - wa3 simply of the usual routine character. The decision of the Government as to the reservation or otherwise of the present so called cricket ground awaits the arrival of a memorial from the inhabitants of Naseby upon the subject. The notice on the Oi\ie'r Paper would seem to indicate that the Government-incline to the opinion that the ground in question should be set apart for the purposes of public , recreation. :* : We regret to be compelled to chronicle an accident of a severe, character which occurred yesterday afternoon to a young man named Charles M'Dermot, a carrier, well known in this and the other up-country districts. It appears, from what we have been able to gather, that M'Dermot left this place yesterday driving a timber carriage, and when on the descent of the second pinch from the town, when attemp ing to put on the break he either slipped or fell from the truck, the wheel passing over his right leg and c»using a severe fracture between the knee and the ankle. A vehicle immediately started to.bring in the disabled in, and Dr. Dick, the Hospital surgeon, was in quick attendance, doing all he was temporarily able to do to alleviate the pain of the sufferer. M'Dermot was conveyed to'the Hospital, where every nitention and care was bestowed upon him. The arrangements of t lie Hospital are complete enough, but it unfortunately happens that the surgical appliances and medicines have not yet arrived, and substitutes have to be put up with, which, to say the least, are not desirable either for the character of the institution or the credit of its doctor. This should be looked after at once. The question as to who was to be the first-patient of the Hospital is now unhappily solved. Dr. Dick, whom we saw last evening, reports his patient to progressing satisfactorily.. It will be seen by an advertisement in another column that a movement is on foot to obtain the establishment of an Episcopal Cliurch in this place, and that a meeting having that object in view is to be held at George's Victoria Hall, on Tuesday evening, 14thinst, at 8 p.m. A full meeting is requested. The Fire Lrigade turned out in force yesterday afternot n, under the command of Captain Inder, performing all the operations usually incident to Fire iirigade practice. All seemed to be fully up to their work. Last evening there was an exuberance of British feeling, the occasion being a holiday in celebration of the restoration of U RII the Prince of Wale* to health, after a dangerous and protracted illness. Naseby. during the day set apart, manifested her adhereCce, if not to royalty, at least to loyalty, and during the whole day all offices, banks, and stores were closed. We desire not to enter inio the question of Royalty as opposed to- any-other form of Government. At all events, the British public have shown hy their united efforts :hat Royalty is not extinct, and . hat they appreciate the rule under which they live. The celebration of the event was commemorated here not only by the ordinary flying of flags, but by bonfires, firing of guns, shooting off of Chinese crackers, and the other ordinary methods of doing honor to the great. So far as we have heard, the whole affair was a success—the bonfires burnt briskly, the guns sounded loudly, and the cracktrs Kept up a continuous excitement. At all' events, the day was a holiday, and bll in this place, both by day and night, did thier utmost to prove that royalty or loyalty was a great fact. Wo desire to quarrel with no man's creed, still, we are the advocates of loyalty and order wherever and in whatever ranks it may be found—respecting all creeds and ignoring none.

A Mr Peppercorn, who has arrived afc Auckland from Sydney claims the land on which Wynyardton, Coromandel, is situated, asserting that he purchased it from the Maoris 20 years ago. A bachelor, according to the latest definition, is a man who has lost the opportunity of making a woman miserable.