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Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 237, 19 September 1873, Page 4

The mails having been detained since. our last issue, both up and down, we are not in - receipt of our notes from St. Bathans, and cor- ~ respondence from out districts. Our exchanges and files are still on the road. The tei; > .gr.iph ? - iine being interrupted till the commencement of the week, made matters worse.' >

Me. Duhcatst, 0.8 ~is surveying the Coal Creek Hill deviation. I^haslongbeenproposed to make this very necessary improvement. It is to be hoped that the Engineer's weli-known ability will be exerted to make this somewhat expensive work the boon to the public trafficit should be;

VViiniiSNw.e/wenfc to press last it was snowing. Through the day, however, "it cleared, and kept wonderfully fine till Saturday night ;■ when it again poured—clearing tip on Sunday only for a fresh effort, continued through Monday and Tuesday, with snow squalls on Wednesday, and very stormy weather yesterday—the wind being excessively keen ar.d cutting. It is most \musual for such severe weather to occur at this season of the year.

It is to be feared that the lambs all throuch the Province will have suffered very much from the severe weather. We hear that they were killed in great numbers on the Coal Creek runs. Snow did not, however, fall below Waihemo. —** It is with great regret we have to an- .'$ nounce another death from erysipelas. Mr., M'Whirter, long a resident at the Kyeburn, hud been known to be ill for some time ; but it was hoped that he was rallying. From information Dr. Dick received, however, on Monday night, he feared the case was likely to terminate fatally ; so started out to do anything that was possible to be done, reaching the Kyeburn after 10 p.m. Mr. M'Whirter had, however, been, released from his suffering . a little before he arrived suffering that science might have alleviated, but probably could not have altogether averted. On Wednesday afternoon the procession of mourners, so often seepyQi Jafce years in that part of the Kyeburn, followed his remains to their last resting place.

Mr. H. W. Kobinson, undeterred by the severe weather, went through to Maerewhenua on Monday last, to hold his usxxal Court. We confess to rather grudging the Maerewhenuahis services on this occasion, believing the residents there would sooner suffer slight inconvenience than allow him' to endanger his health in their service. To think that a few might travel some distance to attend the Court, and be disappointed,' is apparently motive enough to make our energetic Warden travel in all weathers, in which rivers are crossable.

The report of tile Immigration Committee will be looked for with much, interest. A few of the leading features will be found in our- " telegraphic summary.- The fear expressed that au excess of immigration would flood the labor market is a very uufounded one. The Groldfields will offer a permanent source of independent sustenance lor many years to just that class of men who, for some time afterleaving railway work, will not settle down into good colonists. We rather fear that hands to develop the Qoldfields will be very scarce until the first pressure of the public vvorks is past. The Government have introduced the Immigrants' Land Bill, which gives every immi-. grant paying his own passage land to the value of £2O, and a similar quantity to each member of his family. It seems captious to find fault with this, as it is no doubt cheaper for the country, when once committed to hot house immigration, to pay in laud than in specie. Stiil a large class remains without an * equivalent—those who through all sorts of

struggles and hardships have reared in the \ Colony fatnilies of strong sons and daughters, likely to make far better settlers than m tny, importations.

Our latest telegrams, received just on going to press, confirm our surmise below, that the Upper House would throw out the Provincial Councils Borrowing Bill. The telegrams evidently show that great uncertainty is prevalent in Wellington as to the ultimate issue.

Mr. Vogel's Grovermnent seems to be getting into hotter water than was expected at the commencement of the session. The debate on the Immigration question apparently was very damaging, owing to the weak point in Ministerial harness —the Agent-G-eneral. This gentleman seems to be as much abused when abroad, as he used to be lauded ou all occasions at Home. It is hard to get at the real truth of this very general dissatisfaction. "Whether competent or not, Dr. Featherstone will have to be accountable for a new scheme somewhat immaturely entered upon. The Provincial Borrowing Bill is likely to lead to a crisis. Our telegrams lake it for granted the Council will throw the measure out, and that in that case the Government will prorogue. A prorogation in the immediate van of a defeat, means eitherre-construetion or dissolution. It is to be hoped re-construction, as the Assembly having so soon to dissolve by effluxion of time, it seems unnecessary to hasten the death throes. A natural dissolution would rob the election of an item of excitement that might best suit the present dominant powers. On Friday last the only passengers by Cobb and Co.'s coach for Dunedin were a prisoner, her two children—the latter committed to the Industrial School —and three children from Ida Valley. It will be remembered that about two years ago Mrs. J. Kermode, was killed by the capsizing of a spring cart driven by another female near Hills Creek. She had an infant in her arms, which was saved. It, and the two elder children, were cared for by the kindness of the.Drysdales, till their father could, as he said, get a house built for th.3in where lie was going to work. In the meantime a subscription was set on foot, and about £BO was raised for the children's benefit; but very foolishly was given to the father. This money, it is needless to say, never found its way to the children; who were kept and reared as their own by the kind family whose home sheltered them. Two years having now elapsed, and Kormode having escaped -the closest search of the police, Mrs. Drysdale was obliged, very much against her will, to give the children up to the Crown. They were accordingly committed to the Industrial School, whfre we are sure they will receive every attention and care. Mr. Peter Howard, who always showed innumerable little kindnesses to the children, fetched them in a spring cart to the Hogcurn. The coach unfortunately was detained for some days at Pigroot, owing to the floods, but no doubt Constable Pilkiugton would take care of his mixed charge. It would surely be a good thing if nV could be extended to men who wilfully desert their children. Complaints have reached us from Clarkes that the road requires some improvements and extension So much well done of course makes the inhabitants anxious to see the rest completed. A mistake seems to have arisen with regard to the estimates for roads for this year. A liability for a road at Clarks for £l5O has %een taken as a fresh vote. We wish it were bo. A plan could bo devised, however, by which this road might be done something to, if the residents will, in the drv weather, when water is scarce, combine to find labor. A subsidy could probably be procured sufficient to make the work good. Telegraphic communication was again resumed early in the week. The wire was found to have been broken in eleven places. We hear that the Oarnaru coach was capsized last week in the Shag river. One horse was lost, but fortunately no lives. It is expected that Nettlefold will push up to the Dunstan to-morrow to take the mails down on Monday, whether he gets the Dunedin mails or not. An entertainment is to be given at the Masonic Hall on Monday evening by the Naseby Amateur Dramatic Club, hi aid of the School Funds. The " Wags of Windsor" and the burlesque of " Cinderella " are the pieces selected. We tire sure that those who avail themselves of the pleasure at the million prices offered will be amply repaid. Messrs. Inder and G-eoro-e announce the sale to-morrow of booth, stand, paddock, and cai'ds for the forthcoming spring meeting. Considerable dissatisfaction has been felt throughout the district during the past week that the mails have not been forwarded. This would be fermented by the fact that travellers up-country managed to push through, and that nearly every day somebody crossed the Shag at the upper crossings. We certainly think the authorities might have put a little pressure on the contractors to make them push the mails along. It cannot be said that it was impossible, for, quite independent cf the Shag, there is a boat at the lower crossing of the Taieri, and a foot-bridge at the upper. It would have been quite possible for their groom at jNaseby to have received orders by telegram to meet the mails at the Teiieri foot-bridge with fresh horse 3. Certainly there appears to have been no real cause for four mails to be allowed to accumulate, to come up how and when they may. While saying this much, we do not at all agree with those who blame the drivers. Nq men can know better than they do when the river is safe, and because a man on horseback or with a high wheeled trap and strong horse managed to.get over, there is no reason to conclude that it would be safe for a cumbersome six horse coach, the leaders of which might get frightened, and turn down

the -strexm in spite of the he=t skill at: the reins. The accidents that have occurred lately-no doubt induced proper caution, audit is best for the public it should be so. . "We heard yesterday that the driver of the midweekly coach, finding he could not cross the Taieri—it is probable be had the accumulated mail—made back to Palmerston.

Mb. Voo-Eii, in his Financial Statement speaking of the G-oveminent proposals for the future, said :—We feel that the land question cannot remain as it is. We cannot tell the source, nor the duration, nor the result of this great demand for land. We known that the products of land—food, wool, timber, iron, and coal, in short almost everything on which depends the necessities and the comforts of life, and the realization of the wonderful advantages which science has given to civilization—have risen in value: this is to say, a sovereign possesses in respect to them a less purchasing power, and the value of the land from which alone they can be obtained must rise with them. Land, wherever situated,, is beginning to command a. value for - its produce and for the facilities it - offers for bringing that produce to market, quite irrespective of its suitability for residence. The land which, amongst the everlasting snqws and ice of the far north, yields coal and timber, has its value—commerce is cosmopolitan — and the capitalist will buy it without thinking of ever visiting it. Attention is being turned to colonial laud; and though T will not say it has yet been the case, it may and will be, that laud in large tracts will be bought for mere speculation. We do not want this ; but if we do, are we not entitled to ask for the land the land's worth ? To the bona fide occupier—the person who takes n& more land than that on which he can make two blades of grass grow where one grew before—we may give the land, and profit by the transaction. But to speculative capitalists is it right that land should pass for such .prices only as it commanded when the land products were less valuable, when money was dearer, when the country was- not opened up by railways, or population settled on it ? We do not wish to -interfere with the land laws in the vai'ious Provinces ; but if it is the wish of those who control those laws that land should prxss away in huge quantities, W8 cannot forget thal.it is right we should require that some of the land should be set apart as security for the railways. . ... . We express the opinion for what it is worth that, except for purposes of actual settlement, it is now wise in a oecuniary sense to charge for land a higher price than the early settlers paid for it. Indeed, the 'early settlers would have the right to complain if speculators thousands of miles away could now, after the lapse of years, command, for the mere purpose" of speculation, land which the labor of the settlers has made valuable, at the same price as the pioneers had to pay for it when they redeemed it from the wilderness. s ßut; we will not compel or control. We propose to provide, by Bill, that railway reserves shall be subject to the laws which apply to other Waste lands within the Provinces, leaving it to agreement between the Governor and the Superintendents to provide for special settlements, or to give special facilities to settlers. Those Provinces which are liberal will reap the benefit. The Government will concur in the utilization of the reserves for purposes of settlement. They will agree to special settlements, in the profits of which labor and capital shall both share. They propose to give to immigrants who pay their own passages land subject to occupation conditions. They will be willing, within those Provinces which desire it, that parts of the railway reserves should be open to occupation under some such homestead-l;nv as that which prevails in Auckland. I make these explanations to show the wide discretion which the

Q-overnrnent, although they exact •security for railways, are wilting to accord to provincial authorities. As a matter of opinion, I may say that a homestead-law wiVti free grants of land may be an error ia the direction of too great liberality—in other words, I think that payment, not in advance, but deferred, may, without hardship to the settler, be asked. We shall seek, as security, land to an extent which, taking it at its nonjinal value, will represent double the cost of the railway in each case. This will be no hardship to the Province. The proceeds will pass to the extinction of the railway debt and to the payment of interest. Fifteen per cent, of the proceeds we are willing to pay to the Provincial Loan Account, or to an account for provincial public works. It will be asked, why do all this now ? Why not let well alone ? I answer, The well of the present will not be the well of the future, if we neglect to scan with vigilant eye the necessities of the position. I might compare the public works policy to the setting in motion of a highlypowerful and carefully-constructed piece of machinery. As safe and wise would it be to set that machine in motion and allow it to work on untended, as it would be to refuse to recognise the necessity of carefully guiding and watching the vast machinery which, properly worked, will prove as valuable •as otherwise it may prove injurious. The question must be dealt with now, for demands are being made on every side, and Parliament must meet them. The question is one Which belongs to no .party —it would equally beset any Ministry. It is the question of wisely restraining the hea'thy exuberance which makes each village think itself of such colonial importance that it should be collected by railway with the next hamlet.