THE Mount Ida Chronicle FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 1872.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 180, 16 August 1872, Page 4

THE Mount Ida Chronicle FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 1872.

In another portion of our present issue we "publish the report of Mr. G. M. Barr, C.E., on the subject of the Houudburn Hill deviation —a report which led to the rejection by the Select Committee of the Naseby Memorial, advocating a particular line in opposition, to that proposed by Mr. James Oliver, the District Road Engineer. Thei;e may be some little difficulty, in the.absence of the tracing frequently alluded to-Mn Mr. Barr's report,, in arriving at the real merits of • tfae. case ; at the sasio tiiiig, to any person conversant with the district, and the advantages or otherwise of'the two lines, there can exist no such difficulty. To our mind, Mr. Barr's report exhibits a feeble effort to bolster bad case, rather than a. Dos-ire to e..ter into a question of great importance and magnitude in a practical, scientific, and logical manner. In the first place, we take the liberty of disputing Mr. Barr's measurement as to the length of Mr. Oliver's pet line, and that recommended by the "Naseby memorialists, and we feel sure that when the line was measured by Mr. Barr (if measured, at all) he must have been mistaken as to the course which the memorialists desired to see adopted. .Supposing, however, that Mr. Barr's measurements be correct —which we emphatically deny—and that the line of road advocated by the JN T aseby memorialists be a mile more or less longer than the one recommended by that gentleman, in our opinion the advantages of the one line so thoroughly preponderate against the other that the Government should have no difficulty in arriving at a fair and sensible conclusion on the subject. On the one side we "have advantages of the utmost importance to the district—and not only to this district, but to all the upcountry districts. On the reverse side we have" nothing to expect but darkness and, as a town population, annihilation. A dmitting, as we do, Mr. Barr to be a really clever, scientific, and practical man, we cannot but feel that, in; making the report he has made on this subject, he has been extremely infelicitous, and has allowed his feelings, it may be, in favor of a subordinate to fetter his better judgment. There are very many points in Mr. Barr's report to which we might take exception,.but, as our space is limited, and most people here know more of the matter" than does Mr. Barr. we shall content ourselves with observing that'the swampy ground to which he. alludes as au argument against the Naseby .line', is common to the line proposed by. his friend Mr. Oliver and endorsed by himself. From the junction of the two lines on this side of the Hound burn Hill the difficulties disappear, and a better spur than that which the road would" take if the Naseby line, were adopted it would be difficult to find i:i the Proviuee, perhaps even in New Zealand- Again, Mr. Barr asserts that the extra altitude necessary to be attained by .accepting the Naseby line :s somewhere about 200 feet.- Whan we consider, however, that the country to be traversed, from the point where the-road diverges to suit Mr. Oliver's

line, is some ten miles, the ascent cannot be Tery nor, indeed, in any way way extreme -in fact, so. slight' as to. be almost imperceptible. Reviewing Barr's report from first'/to last, we feel compelled to say.to him, as a schoolmaster is reported to have said to a-pupil'prompted by another pupil: 'Bad exercise; do it over.again." For our part, we feel sure-that had, Mr Barr himself, seen the ground and the two lines proposed, he would'never have signed the report which-bears the signature of Gv.M. Barr, C.E. ,

The usual monthly meeting of'.the-Mount Ida District School Committea was held in the Schoolroom, on'JYidaj evening last. Present: K. W. Eobinsoh, Esq., in the chair, and Messrs. Ivoss, Stewart, Hay, and Wilson.— The Schoolmaster's monthly report was read. and adopted.- The number of children attending the school was twenty-eight boys and thirty-Severn girls.—The Secretary, on behalf of the Committee appointed at last meeting to consider Mr. Brookes' letter, stated. that" he had communicated with the School Committees in Clyde, Alexandra, and. Waikouaiti, m reference to the. fees charged at these places. The fees charged at Clyde are : pupils underten years, Is. per week ; over ten, Is. 6d. per week ;no charge made for all. above.the three eldest of one family. . Alexandra • reading only,. Is. per week; reading,, writing, and arithmetic, Is. 6d.; one in four ire'e. Waikouaiti, 65., Bs., 10s., and 12s. per quarter; one in four of same family 1 free.— Resolved: " That the Chairman and Clerk consult with the Schoolmaster and Schoolmistress on the subject of fees, with.full power to make such alterations as they may deem advisable.?— The balance sheet was produced,, showing : cash in hand, £1 lis. 6d. ; accounts passed for payment,- £lO os. Bd. ; thus leaving a deficiency of £8 14s. 2d.

A meeting of tha Mount Ida Jockey Club was held in Greorge's Victoria Hotel last evening. In consequence, we presume, of the severity of the -weather," the atteudance-of members was limited. The meeting was adjourned till Thursday, the 29fch inst. SiifOii our. last issue snow and frost hare been the predominating- influences, thereby depriving the miner -of his opportunity of washing-up, and suspending all mining opelations. On all sides we ho:iv of coaches delayed, passages lost, and hairbreadth escapes from suffocatiou in consequence of the depth of the snow. Cobb and Co.'s coach arrived here on Tuesday evening fifteen houi's behind time, and was unable to proceed till next day. How Nettle fold managed to plough his way through the snow we have yet to learn. Contrary to our expectations, the mail via Hyde and Macraes arrived on,'horseback yesterday afternoon.' We have 'much pleasure in bearing testimony to the indomitable pluck of the mail tarrienin fulfilling the conditions of the contract in weather such as the present. ■ ."

Murray's' Great World Circus arrived ye - terday afternoon. Into the merits of this Company we are : not, fit the present time, in a position to enter. Suffice it to say that, if they are able to do and siiy what other journalists report., there .must be and is a great treat in store for the people of ~ jSas'eby. As will be seen on reference to our advertising columns; the first entertainment will be given this: evening. " In connection with tho present .bad weather we have full authority in stating that a miner, resident in Speck Gaily, on liis return homo, was unable to find his ordinary domicile, the whole affair being buried in snow. A.favorite dog was, as we are informed, left chained up to guard the hut, and was also buried up in his kennel. r His fate we have not yefc ascertained.

We ('Arrow Observe.-') understand that on the 15th instant Mr. lii E. Field, Gold Keceiver here, takes his departure for Naseby. We believe it is in'contemplation to present that gentleman .with an address previous to his leaving. The Star Variety Troupe performed.in the Masonic Hall on the evenings of Friday and Saturday last. . The attendance was but midling,, which fact is solely, attributable to tho extremely bad stale of the weather. We have no doubt that, had "the weather even been passable; the excellence of tho entertainment would'have "secured-a crowded house "on'each occasion. The singing waa good; the farces laughable, a!nd last, though not least, Messrs. Prosser. and Melville on , the.-trapeze were simply excellent. In fact, ta"ke it as whole, we have in pronouncing "this the best eiitertainmens'of \&te kind that we have witnessed in'Naseby. During the week they gave several performances in the Oddfellows' HaU,.Daniel's Empire-. Hotel: