WASTE LANDS BOARD.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 270, 9 May 1874, Page 3

WASTE LANDS BOARD.

The usual weekly meeting of the Board was held .last week. Present: —The Chief Commissioner (Mr. Thomson) in the chair, and Messrs. Strode, Butterworth, Clark, and Bastings. The following business wag disposed of: Waihemo.—Mr. Connell, for Mr. J. B. Luks, applied for the decision of the Board on his application to purchase section 13, Waihemo district. The application was adjourned for a fortnight.

Mr Warden Stratford intimated- the resignation of Mr. H. B. M'lntosh as a member ofthe Board of Inquiry at JS r aseby and recommended the appointment of Mr.'David Barron, district surveyor, in his stead. Agreed to.

Sale of St. Batkans.—Mr. W. Inder wrote, asking if lie might conduct the sale of the township of' St. Bathans.—Rcsolvcd that lie might do so witli the consent of the Clyde auctioneer.

A Decision Requested.—Sir P. D. Bell wrote, asking the decision of the Board as to whether or not the land in Shag Valley, recently added to the gold field, was open for sale or not.—The decision in Luks's application will decide Ihe question. Al essrs. Eenyon and Turton, for Mr. D. Macreadie, applied for a coal lease .of two acres at Kyeburn. To wait the decision of the Government as to whether the ground is to be reserved.

The process of taking the census of the Haast would not be a very tedious one. We learn from a Hokitika paper that its population consists of twelve persons'; whilst in the vicinity of the Police Camp, the totaKinustei' isjfour persons—two members of, the force, their washerwoman", and a man—who, we presume, is unable to leave—invalided with rheumatism.

A somewhat original mode of collecting bad debts is at present in force in JM elbourne. A negro has undertaken the collection of doubtful . accounts, which he does dressed with a monster hat, around which appears the printed placard: " Bad debts collected." lie very seldom has to call twice at the same house. The Lion and me Lamb.—The reign of political peace and defeat of faction appears to have arrived in Victoria, for the Lion and Lamb, if not lying down together, are marching on in loving bands to the sweet strains of music. Imagine Orangemen and St. Patrick's processionists joining together in loving unity. This is what a Melbourne paper records as having taken place in Ballarat on St. Patrick's Day:—" The Irish Protestants in oiange and blue, and the Catholics in" green, marched together' behind the same band, and away to the same sports to enjoy themselves in the same national festival. The idea of Irish Catholics and Protestants combining together for anything else but a mutual breaking of heads seems almost impossible to those who know what they are at Home; but now that we have shown that the thing can be done wfthou t fatal consequences, I hope, our friends iii the old country will follow our example. Home rule would not appear quite so absurd if all Irishmen.'were like those of Ballarat." We recommend this important historical fact to the Orangemen. An instructive story was told us the other day by the captain of one of the Melbourne steamers. While at anchor at Lyttclton and on the point of sailing, a gentleman of reverend and clerical aspect came on board and announced himself as the Rev. Mr. So-and-so. of Christ church. He then produced , a largo bag evidently full of money, and asked Captain if he would kindly give him gold in exchange'for the same amount in threepenny pieces. Captain ; expressed his readiness to grant this singular request, but entertaining grave doubt as to the

mens sana of his visitor, prepared, for a' precipitate " bolt" the instant any further sign of mental aberration appeared. On producing the sovereigns, he ventured to hint the very natural question—why he did not go to one of the banks for the gold*' especially as small change was very scarce and such an amount would be received with joy. The minister groaned. "My Christian friend," said be, " it is for that very reason I come to you. I verily believe this bag contains all the threepenny bits in Canterbury, and I wish to send them all out of the country in-order to prevent my congregation being able any longer to disgrace themselves by giving such a shamefully small coin at the church collections. This glorious work I have achieved. O, let us be joyful, joyful ; O, let us be joyful !" So saying he departed. Captain conveyed the money to Melbourne, but was by no means so joyful as his late guest, when the bank teller insisted on his remaining while the threepenny pieces were counted, an operation which (Captain says,) occupied nearly 24 hours. And this is why small change is so scarce in Christchurch.— ' Evening Post.'