TOPICS OF TALK.
; 1* was not yery creditable to the heada of hotiaehdldera, &c., at Naseby, that there was such a poor attendance at the annual public meeting held' to elect" the : ' School 'Committee for. 1874 —on the other hand} very discreditable. When the Committee, either of neftfaaity or, maybe, of the whim and fancy of the moment, make an alteratiori;iiii the direction of a rise in fees, indignant "parent* are abundantly prominent with , protesta and memorials ; yet, iti' the election of a body who aro to have the control for a year of all the extensive powers dele-; School Committees, scarcely j nalf-a-dozen not Committed men could be found willing to give up half-an-hour of their timti. Let us not hear, during 1874, of any indignation memorials against action taken by the Commitfce, in the fac-6 of auch indifference. 'The wonder is not that School Committees so apathetically appointed, lay -their actions open to.criticism, but that: they da;their work feo well.
Ix wis a good thing that the . establishment of. a Grammar School was; mooted at the same meeting—not, indeed, * for ; the first time, tor some montha ago we sfronglv the necessity of such an institution, and the . Chairman informed the meeting that the. last Committee had the matter under consideration. It is time now to get on a stage farther. Memorials throughout the district should be 1 subscribed to largely, to support arty of- " forts made in the next session of the Provincial Council to place the benefit of a sound education—rat a cost proportionate to that at which auch education can be obtained ill other to-.vns and diatricta-r-in reach of tliegrowingup 'families' resident in Mount Ida. What ia everybody,'# businesa is nobody's buaineas, and n very great need stands a fair risk of neglect for want of a popular advocacy- It would well become the new Committee to inaugurate their reign, by preparing a plan to -.obtain a general expression of opinion •fur the establishment Vof. a District .< Grammar School. . V;; ~'...t ~
1 " J* a poor body has a wlakneas, it is rather hard lines to everybody. . The doctor of the Surat not have been so unkind as to aloud in Court that Mrs. E- preferred gin. Gin certainly,. so far quiry has go?.#; "seems to have been at the bottom of the disaster—resulting, fortunately in no loss of life, but in an unjustifiable waste of property. The inq.ujry is still dragging on as .we write, and it would not be right to come to, conclusions hastily; but it appears to be not easy to get over the very, strong evidence of the doctor, that a most severe cross-examination "appardntljy could not;shake. The evidence thus adduced, however, shall . speak for iitself: —. To Mr. Stolid T remained on board until , the last boatload cf£ went on sh<vr», I was about half or three-quarters'of an hour aboard at this time. The captain stayed oh board for about an hour after I left He was not sober when I left, but was not so bad as . previously. His movements were queer, and his manners different from what they had beeri before'; and he walked with hia handa in his pockets. When I asked him to land the passengers, he did not take the slightest notice, dor give me a decisive answer. !l heard the first mate give an order, then the captain gave a different one, and then the first mate gavethe same order. I'should say a_stranger would be able to see that the captain was drunk, if he were to see him on shore in the same position; but if he were to say the captain was not drunk, it would not affect my opinion. The captain was on the forecastle when I came alongside. I do not know who was actually in charge of the long : boat. There were able seamen in it. 'I sat in the middle of the boat the same as anyother - person. At the time the second ensign was hoisted, the captain was on the poop walking to and fro. I have often seen the > captain walking on the poop. His mode of giving command was not the same as usual. If the captain has sworn that he was perfects ly capable of understanding what he was dpi ing, 1 would contradict him. When the , passengers were pumping they, asked me for? ' some mn. I asked the captain whether Ij should give them some; he stood with his 'hands in his pockets, his face flushed, and Made no reply. I consider myself the best judge when a person Wants stimulants, " Thora was also the way he stood on deick. I cannot give any other particular instances of the, captain's inability to perform his duties. ,;i I would consider a man drunk when he is not , capable of taking care of v jUmself. I , ,would consider a man not sober JKhen he has taken stimulants so far as to an detrimentally on his nervous system. There are dtfrees c>f drunkennM(f.- r When-a taan is drunk e'is in a state of'lntoxication. I mean {Be same thing by the terms not sober and a state of intoxication. I decline to answer what; I ' mean. Mr. Stout: If you xise the words drunk and not sober, do you mean the same thine by them?; . •, , . | , The witness: But if I did not use them i ~ Mr. Stout: But I am supposing that you. - . did. , .. . I The witness: I decline to answer. I Mr. Strode: The witness has not himself used the word drunk, so he is not bound! to answer.the question. ,He may, however) if h$ chooses. f The witness: I decline to define the difference between the words drunk and not soUer. , "• i ,Mr. Stout: I,ask that the ruling oflthe Benclf may appear in the depositions, as they will be forwarded to the Board of Trade.H Mr. Strode: It may go down if you lilto. Mr. Stout: Will you explain what is by non-sobriety ? ' ' .. The witness: Do you want the objective or the subjective phenomena ? ; • Mr, ytout: Take the objective firstj'rthey «re the simplest. !■' witness: I consider one of the sjrmptoms of nori-sobriety to be when one has not sufficient control over himself. Other aymp- ' toms are the spirits being aroused, exfcited, , or depressed, according to the peculiarity, of the | ( pewon's coijatitution; in some ptople,. moi;e or less a swaggering gait, a flushed bp-. ' pearancd of the face, and bloodshot,! eyes.; These are the main symptoms. Tremor of .the.hauds and the use of inconsistent language sometimes, difference of manner, and odor from the breath are also symptoDfie. I could not come to a conclusion on thjs last symptom as, to a man's non-sobriety, j If a man were excitod the mgn would not remain. -Tho taking of a small 1 quantity of liquor by abine men when excited may sooner develop , the symptoms of non-sobriety. I wis perfectly calflj at the timojthe vessel str*;k, J
-ofay-have striking oi River.
feea; <e'xcite'd;- between -the ithe .vessel and landing at Catlin's
It isjwaya a pleasant thing to be able to {take flattering unction to a man's that be has been right in an express#! opinion, .or, failing absolute proof ofcthat, that his opinion is supported at any rate. ; cannot ; be ;^uaed,oi!;waut^ofi tiif'ortnution' : or of unsound judgment. It is accordingly satisfactory to us, falling into thj couiuiun mould of human nature, find our expressed opinion that till lauds in<Otago are being sacrificedptao low a rate tbat buyers are carele|i of L "impro ving]:s übh' a: f cheap article aupportc,d._by Mr. Yogel in his ajfeech at the late banquet"in Duneflio. There can be no.doubt that tberejis a great loss ;to the revenue from jhe cheapening of its lands hitherto adopted by the Province. We say: adopted by tbe*Provinee advisedlv, for •howejer'much the Assembly may have mangled, and distorted Otnjio Land BilMaent up by the Council, it has: neve!interfered with the Province in the particular of price. ■, AVhether ; agrefl4. with or not, Mr. Vogel's words deserve much consideration. He said: ' I Mel'thatthe present land laws of Otago are Wasteful and extravagant in their nature, and do not answer the ends for which they were'propo3ed I also feel that Ia in doing no more than discharging "an<absolute duty in now speaking upon the matter; because, . although in my position as a member .of the General Government I am not called on to directly interfere with it, : I cannot help remembering that, as the author of'the policy to which you have done homage to-night, it is to me a very great idisappointment'that one,of the results which I had promised my-' self from it—a larger appreciation of the value of the lands of the' Crown— has'not been seen within this Province. -I,find that in.Otagoa man can buy laud for the same price us the earlier settlers paid for it'fifteen or more years ago. .It is true that:he then hacl a larger area of selection, and he was able to takej land more ready for, cultivation.; But it is not to be forgotten that .at the. pre,h seht day the purchaser i 3 able t<J select land which ia practically much nearpr to the sea- ■ port, and the produce of which can, be. much more readily taken to a market. You have not only , made roads,: and so:, opened'up the way to the land, but have brought into thecountry a market for the produce, in the people that have been distributed, through the Province. And is not the land now worth more than it was fifteen or twenty years ago? Indeed, it is not difficult to show that you are even, selling land fori half 'the price aj. which it was sold long ago. A great deal 5f land is bought with borrowed money—no matter whether the -borrowing takes pi aC e before the purcliase or ,vr.c/ «Win« to the reduction of the"rate'of interest, which is really very little more than half of what it wa3 at the period I am referring to, you may now, by means of the same yearly payment■ as interest, purchase t\vo acres of land where before you could purchase but one. Is that, I ask, showing an increased appreciation of the value of land? But you may say, "It will pay to give away the land if we get good settlement' for it." I grant you it may pay to give land away where settlement is urgently, needed—where a country is entirely undeveloped', and' where there is plenty of land to give away. But it is not fair to those who, by their own exertions, have given an artificial-value to land in'.tfils Province, to sell it now for the same price as it was sold to the original settlers: _WhfcV ther you are obliged to' me or hot, I have t^fce&a -grssi deal oi trouble to inquire into the subject. There may be those who will say, " Granted we have sacrificed the land, but the result shows that we have promoted settlement, are quite content with tthe result." 1 am bound to say, from tme result which I have arrived at, that in . Whatever shape or form you examine the Question, a comparison with the system of the neighboring! Province of; Canterbury, of free selection at £2 an acre, shows a result very much against the Province of Otago. .
DoEs itr ever occur-to people given ! to excess in drink; in their sober moiments to consider what r-.sks they run, jnot of personal-danger—for they often, console themselves with the proverbial saying ■ that : drunk men and fools always 1 escape—but, of injuring ; others, and so becoming amenable to the law. If a mau in a drunken fit stabs another, the plea..of~being drunk would not savethe hangman a victim. In la case heard the other day before: Judge Chapman—a easd of robbery only—a plea of being drunk was put ■ in. As reported, the'ense was this:—... Henry Harvey (19), who pleaded guilty to a charge of stealing a watch at Oamarii,' said he was suffering from the effects of* drink at the.tjjjje.of committing the offence, and knew nothing of what he was doing. ! His Honor: I suppose that was your own act—no one forced the drinlt ■■down your ■ throat? ■ Prisoner: No. , His Honor: I lind that you committed an assault at the time of the robbery, and were convicted for it; The sentence of the Court is that yotjjbe imprisoned and kept to hard labor for the space 'of- twelve months. tyT. IDA DISTRICT HOSPI^AIf' ANNUAL 'MEETING OT SUBSCKIBEBS.i This meeting, duly called by adverwas held on the evening of January 'Bth, 1 : at the JNaseby' School'-f house. . Mr. 11. W. Robinson, President, in the chairr ;The Chairman called upon <", 'J he SEOEEXAtir, who read the'report of the. Committee : Export of the Committee of the Mount Ida District Hospital, foe the Yeah EN DIN (i 1873. / In into the hands of the subscribers tile trust:confjded'to:them, the Committee beg to report as follows:- :• . The .Committee were elected: on the 9th January, 1873, at which time they,found the ; establishment in full working order, t but irequiring certain additions and improvements to render it as complete as it should bel lt was found nißcessary. to fence in a portion of the land as a garden . This has been done at an expense of about £9s and there is now a very promising garden about the house; 'A"! bath-room, also, was found to be required, i This has been provided;', 1 and s is now complete, i with tanks, boiler, and, boiler,-house. This improvement has cost in all about £75. Some additional outbuildings have, also bieen' erected. ;1 : At the this Committee's term of 1 office there; was only' onelpatient in' the house. There, have been admitted and treated during the' year, 61 patients; 'discharged cured, 45; relieved, 7; died, 3; and remaining in the house 6. Of this -number eighteen were paying in-patients, thirty-five' were destitute in-patients, and eight out-door patients. The sprgeon's report will afford full information-& to diseases, &c. The tmancial. condition of the institution
hag, on. the whole, been satisfactory. The 'balance in the hands of the . Treasurer at; the beginning of the year was.£346 Sd.; subscriptions and donations received amount to £241 4s. Gd.; Government subsidy received, £258 4s. 6d.; in paying patients, £45; rules, 2s. ; The expenditure has Jbgeii £757, < and there is nov/ ; in hand £134,95. ; ..to (this _must be added Government subsidy now'due, £l6l 12s.—making a total to the credit of the institution of £296 Is. Bd. ,< ~;-■■■■ | Your Committee have held ; seventeen meetings during the year, at .which tliti attendance has been as .follows:—H. W.':Robinson, Esq., President, 14; Messrs. Horswell, 10; A. M'C4. Brown, 33; V. A. : Pyke, 10; W;, Inder, 13; E. 0. Smith, 14; ,32. T. George, 17; T. Jackson, 14; K. Boss, l|; C. A; de Lautour, 2; J. Green, 5; H. C. Hertslet, 0. The District Local Committees have'rendered valuable assistance during the year. Contributions have been sent in as follows: From St. Bathans; £32 18s; Serpentine,' £l7 125.; Hamilton and ftowburn, £;l2 lis.; Kye-; burn;' £l3• 65.; Hill's' Creek, £ls 65.; Clark's, £5 3s.
In conclusion, - your Committee can only hope that the public support which was. so liberally given to the Hospital at its first establishment,; will be.continued in the same liberal manner now that its usefulness has been so fully demonstrated..: The. "He v. J. M'Cosh Smith said the report was a most satisfactory oue. A great deal of work ; had been done, and well done, which deserved the thanks of the subscribers.' Ue would, therefore, propose a "vote of thanks to the Commi'tee for their'exertions; •
. Mr.! Kowrx'soN, having left the;chair,: was again called upon to preside, ancl; put the resolution to the meeting, which was carried unanimously. The Ckaikman stated that the business _of the meeting "' was " to elect a Committee and officers—a Committee oi* fifteen (nine in Nasebv and: sixain out districts), a President, and Secretary/ ' ,
Mr. 11. W. Robinson was elected President; Mr. ,H. v Anderson, Trea- ; surer,;., and; :Mr. George,. Secre-'• tary. The members of Committee"elected were iiVaseby ;I<ev.; J. M'Cosb Smith, Messrs: r, <Andrew M'Gv Brown, E.' Hor3\vell;> 'Walter Inder, Thomas Jackson, John Green, David -Stewart,--P. J; Greer, Davjdsßarron. For H amilton: Mr. Cunningham. For St. Ba,thans :,Mr„W., Pyle., For Serpentine: 'Mr.' J'oKn 'Cogari/ fi Kyeburn: Mr. Walter Morgan. For Hyde : Mr. J. Laverty.' For -Hill's "Creek : Mr. K. '"ifoknlsiorrgr The Chaiiiman highly eulogised; the, services renderecl to ; the institution by Dr. Dick services which, he said; were not sufficiently' Recognised in the report of the Uommi£"- v tec, which was necessarily confined to a bare statement of figures and facts, [iie :mighfc,.however, be alio,wed-to say, as President, that he had felt verygreat satisfaction with the ; conduct of' the institution.- There could be no doubt patients had been treated as ably as in any other institutional! the Province. Should ;thfy\popuktion increase, iV* will building '■tbaugufr'that the state of the finances .of the institution should be a matter "of congratulation. <The proceedings then closed with a vote of thanks to the chair.' I'lie medical report was laid .on the table early in the evening, for the inspection of subscribers. We publish a summary of it in-another column. *
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Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 254, 16 January 1874, Page 3
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2,867TOPICS OF TALK. Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 254, 16 January 1874, Page 3
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