LOCAL ITEMS.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 228, 18 July 1873, Page 3

LOCAL ITEMS.

The usual weekly meeting of tlie Waste L*mcls Board was hold on Thursday last the 10th inst; Present—Mr J. T. Thomson, Chief Commissioner (in the chair), and Messrs Strode, Butterworth, Clark and B'cid.—Mr G-eorge Oordon applied to be allowed to purchase seetion 42, Waihemo district.—Refused, pending receipt of Attorney General' 3 opinion, which has been sought for. —The matter of the sppoiufcment of a District Land Officer for. Lawrence came up. Warden to be appointed, subject to approval of the Government.—The applications of Messrs Inder aud George to bo appointed auctioneers for the Board for the Mount Ida district, was recommended by the Government, and approved at usual rates.—The applications of Messrs Or. Stephens, E. Francis, and P. Law—transmitted by the District Land, officer—to have their business sites at 2fa3eby offered for sale. To be surveyed and put up with valuation as recommended by Warden. —Tho Ivaseby District Land Officer reported on an application of the Canterbury and Otagb Association, to purchase 92 acres of thsir homestead on run Wo. 250, Deep Dell.—Approved.—The Town Clerk, Naseby, telegraphed protesting against the sale of sections 70, 71, 118, 120, and 121, Naseby. The Government recommended all sections to be withdrawn.^—After the transaction of other business, ,theßoard.,, passed a resolution requesting the Chief ConimJ3sioher to communicate with the JSxecutivc, to get a better room for the holding of the Board's meeting. . ( f : The recent sale of land,at Maerewhenus, is strongly commented on by, the Oaraaru jTinies : —ln September.the agitation of the minora at Maerewhenua commenced, and Mr Sumpter representative of the district, did his best to atop the completion of the contract. Until! the whole correspondence was before us we hoped that there was ground for the Government refusing to ratify the sale. We are now reluctantly compelled fee acknowledge, that r*

fir back as July 1872 the bind was absolutely sold, and to refuse to complete the purchase after that'■period,- except by arrangement, would have been on the part of the G-ovem-menfc ■" repudiation," which "would hare been discreditable to the.country, and-eventuated in the latter being forced into a costly law suit, in -which the Government would inevitably have come oiF second best. It is not our intention to eensuve the conduct of those who were in-office at the time this unfortunate sale was made—Mr Keid and Mr Hughes, who were'.'\indoubtedly the parents of the -blunder we acquit of'any intention to favor capitalists to the detriment of mining or agricultural progress. We cannot, however, disguise the fact that ia this instance they ; dis« played ignorance in an important. transaction,. on which, as members of Executive, they should have been posted up, and a reckless desire to obtain money regardlees of consequences.

Isr reply to,questions, the Government said the cost of the Maerewhenua Sale Commission had been £42 2s 3d.—lt was the -intention of the Government to doiino the boundaries c commonage in the Roxburgh district, and to give access to it by proclaiming a roadway to it. The reason the Government bad not done thework up to the present time was that they had not a sufficient number of surveyors at their command to do the necessary work throughout the Province, auditwasthe intention of the previous and present Grovernments to revert to the system of having a surveyor for the Goldfields districts. It-was necessary, in .the interests of the Grol&fieids, that surveyors should be under the control of the Groverument, because if the Government had to pay surveyors for every little thing done, great, expense would be incurred, as well as inconvenience and expense to the mining community. The arrangements will be completed as soon aepossible, The Secretary of tho Mount Ida Miners' Association acknowledges the receipt of one, pound s't-g. from R.Oliver, M.P.C., with .a request to be enrolled a member of the Association. It is rumored that an eiFort will" he mado this session to increase the pay of tho Commissioners and cub-Inspectors of the Police Force, and that the sergeants,and men will*be maiulained at the pre3enVscale. ... VJ&iin..WihTjJ&in>mmx" is the title ofthe promised book, by'Mr,'.Vincent Pyke, now in V the Press. The story, we believe, is. one of Colonial life—the scenes being laid principally, in the Ofcago, and partly in the Victorian, Goldfields. --•...-;......■ We are/glad to record the fact. that the efforts lately made in this district for. the extension of the line of telegraph from Kaseby to the T>anstan, via St. Bathans, are likely tobe successful- —the Government having intimated to Mr de Lautour that they were prepared to recommend that extension of the telegraph system. We have to acknowledge receipt of a circular from Messrs Sillies and Street, land and estate agent?, Princes-street, Dunedin, announcing their intention to publish monthly, commencing on August Ist, a Property List (with circulation gratis) of freehold and leased hold property wanted and for sale. The usual monthly meeting of the Mount Ida District Hospital Committee was held' cat--Friday'the 4th. irist. Present—,H. W. Robinson; Esq-., President, and Messrs Brown, Smith, Pyke, Jackson, and.George. Minutes of previous meeting were read and confirmed. Surgeon's report.was read, showing that there remained, in the hospital last month 1 patient, admitted 1; discharged 1, remaining 1. Treasurer's report was read. Received during the month £26 25., disbursements, £B6 ; balance in bank, £11ß 10s. 2d. due by Government, £176 11s. 6d.; total, £295 1s.; 8d. Accounts and salaries, to the amount of £56 18s. were were passed.—-The visiting Committee for July are Messrs Pyke, Horsweii, and Smith. On Monday evening last a concert and dance took place in the Masonic Hall—his Worship the Mayor in the chair. The occasion was for the benefit of the Naseby Brass Band fund. The entertainment was a decided success, and'as a pleasing evidence of thepublic appreciation of the efforts of the/baud, the hall was crowded; The programme commenced with a song by Mr Kirby, "Meet mo in the lane," which pat the audience- in good humor, followed by Mr Gruraitt with " Come back to Erin," which was tastefully rendered. Mr Jacob was well received, and had to respond to a ,call; after which Messrs Vickery and Deake? gave a flute duet very effectively, which was loudly applauded./. kiss me in my dreams" was .well sung by Mr Webber, and a comic sons: by Mr Beaker, "A new chum digger," took : and an encore was immediately demanded. . Miss Eoberts was in capital voice, and sang sweetly and with taste that good old son?, " The boatie rows." " The old Musquetairo "by Mr Jackson was encored, when he gave an Irish song, with dancing accompaniment, which so pleased the audience that a tliird appearance wasne* cessary to satisfy them. A cornet duet by MessrrMartra and Hieks-was well executed. Mr Ladd had to submit to an encore, and sang "Steady' bov9, steady" with spirit. Two comic songs by Mr Newmarch*(onean encore) were given -with his •, aeenstomed drollery, which elicited the,:appTova,l of the house. The first portion of/the programme was brought to a conclusion by the faitor's hornpipe, in "oharactor,' by Mr Jacksou, which was performed with agility and skill A dance, which vraa well attended; follo-arsd. Th» total amount realised wat £l4 la.