TOPICS OF TALK.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 198, 13 December 1872, Page 3

TOPICS OF TALK.

Some people delight. in attributing all sorts of evil to anything and everything connected', with horse racing. •We know that it is useless to by'a flat denial to disturb the&e folks in their conviction. We cah ; , however, point otit the unanimous action of the Jockey Clubs throughout the Colony, in the disqualification of Mr Walters' mare, Peeress, and theijoekey M'tCay, for t ip suspicious transactions evolved at the late Canterbury meeting. ! Mr. Walters had hitherto been most popular, and a source of income to the different clubs, through* the numerous entries he was in the- habit of making. That'.the action of the clubs; in these two matters, ha& been impartial, afid" produced by a desire, we would say a that honest sport, aid honest sport alone, shall be. the. characteristic of .the New Zealand turf, we are 'sure will be-recog-nised by every unbiassed mind.

>; ■•Whatr is known as the E.ien Greek station, has lately changed bands—Mr. David Maitland having attached this block bfcountry to his EWeburn Station. . The history of the Eden Creek run is somewhat peculiar : in the first instance it was supposed to be a part of Messrs Comber and Douglas' application, which was stated to be 5 one of 50,000 acres, bounded by Mt. Ida on the one side, and the Gimmerburn Gorge on the other, the side boundaries being, the Idaburn and the Wetherburn; JVir. F. D. Belt (who has just honor of kniga*hood), well up"iu' A the'' details of the Survey Office, conceived an idea thai: Messrs Comber and Douglas' bloek' exceeded 50,000 acres, and put; in an plication for those gentlemen's surplus country-which was granted,ail that portion between Mount Ida ana the ; main Dunstrfn road' toeing grantel to Mr. Belli the other boundaries being at that time the Idaburn, and -what is novv known as the Wetherburn. An error, however, had crept into-the survey maps, viz;, a bleuding of the fclden and Wet lerburn Creeks, and, it app a ed, that the Wetherburn oni the maps, coincided with what was understood to be the £ieh. In consequence of the discovering of this error, it became necessary to re-adjust the boundaries of the runs, which was done by an : rrangement which extended Mr. Bell's Wetherburn boundary to the Ewe- ; burn, and fixed other boundaries which had beeir undefined; : This gave to that gentleman and liis thert lessee, Mrl Champion, about 25,060 acres of country, which has since been, known as the Eden Creek station, and which, after, coming into Messrs Dalgety and Raitray's hands,'has now passed on to' Mr. Maitland. The rtin is of a cold, exposed nature, and not very Favorable* except for strong young sheep. Worked, however, in connection with lower country, at the present high rate of wool, it will no doubt be remunerative. • .-i

For some time past negotiations, applications, a%d ahy amount of cdm-. -protnisial action has. been undertaken' by- the Union Church in their endeavor to settle the problem set before them, by the s late public- meetings, -viz What is to be done wifch ; thei Union Church ?" Matters have now so far arranged themselves, that the building, balance of £6O, and a Govern s ment subsidy of £2OO, are avail-' able for an Athenaeum, the ground also being specially reserved for such a purpose. The committee now about to remove tlie building j tjo make it suitable for ksnenv requirements. Before tha evenings set

inj the doubt raatteirf pf fact. Arranged mentii, we believe, will be made so that .country supporters can, by subscribing to; the library, jquite independent of the subscription to the reading room, obtain a supply'of- bo>oks T J[t is to' behoped that the Committee will fit up the reading room with,a: due regard to comfor tand warmth, for men will not leave the comfor-tab'e fire of the public house, for the cold, desolate, floor of a bar-rack; such ; as. the, ? Temperan<-e trail:- ! We -shalll in ! the interest of the k'(^ep l am-y?Vj Vvitch on the plan' of actionVaidopteti by the Committee. ,_ "J " week the usuaL quarterly licensing meeting was held, whu-h resulted in a general grant of eve- ything that everybody desired. We hear in these adya^d,times, pf wb/itis called " free tradeiin pub-'ic houses " Does it not occur to pur licencing magnates, that " irt anything for vvhiHi a, liceN"s'e -nfe; paii 1j:- is an aktoll ndi«g aindfrjalyy Pnttiiig the matter broa ily. free trade iii 'public*. housbs insane un-. limited of; the arii-ies consumed, Avith, the very probable addition of deleterious substances. The Danedin* Beneh for sotna time past, have steadily set against the addition :of -any publie houses which, it appeareJ.'wouiJ l*e anp portedby Hi -bar tradO alone..and at the last , meeting -} -refuse I a. renewal "of. licenses to several well-kno vn houses, the- vof■'sueb :(. ref Jisml being either ths bud : conduct 'of the landlord, trans:acti()ns beingcarriedon in the house, or the house suppor-.. ted by a bar trade al on p. We do not sav that the general licenses granted last ? Week vere Very rniicli to b& condemned, but we do say that plenty of licenses are being constantly renewed, that coufer great injury on the town, and 1 are a disgrace to the Bench that authorises their renewal.