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Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 281, 25 July 1874, Page 2

We have to thank the Government Printer for Parliamentary Papers to hand. The '■ English maiL via San Francisco, closes at the Naseby post office this, day (Friday). . Fourteen thousand shares' in the "newColonial Bank hwve been applied for at Wellington. From a. Dunedin contemporary we learn that a Magistrate at Wanga'nui has decided that a billiard room connected .with an hotel may be kept open all night. Aj? Wanganui, we learn, from the ♦ Star,' a stud company has been formed, with a capital of £15,000.. Negotiations are pending to purchase Mr. Walker's thoroughbred mares. The result of the Mayoral election at the Arrow has been to return Mr. Ihnes to the post of civic honor. . The numbers were— Innes, 42; Goldstoh, 38. Mr. Stratford Jhas kindly consented to give a lecture at' Blackstone Hill, in aid of the school funds, on Tuesday evening, July 28th. The Committee announce a ball as the conclusion of the evening's amusement. The sale, under Sheriff's order, of the Perseverance Quartz Mining Company's property at Dunback, Shag Valley, including battery and plant, will be held oh the 28th instant, at the Criterion : Hotel, Palmerston.

A special telegram to the 'Guardian' states . The Gold Duty Kep'ayment Ordinance- has been disallowed because of <. the faulty "and imperfect construction of the Ordinance. There is no constitutional objection. The Government intimated the mode by which the object can be obtained otherwise.

The Directors of the Colonial Bank have succeeded in obtaining the services of Messrs Beal and Warren, long connected with the Bank of New Zealand. Mr. Beal will. take the management, Mr. Warren to act as Branch Inspector. Mr. A. W. Morris, of Dunedin, has also consented to act as Managing Director. Through the courtesy of Mr. V. Pykeand Mr. T. L. Shepherd, we are in receipt of the Goldmining Bill introduced by the latter gentleman. We have not had time to compare the new measure with the one as amended last year by the Goldfields Committee. "W e understand that very material alterations have been made.

The ' Guardian' of Tuesday last. states that Mr. Wiltshire attained Lis, two, hundred and seventy-first milo last night, and his wife the same number of half miles. The late boisterous weather .has caused several of the lashings of the marquee to give way, and in other ways made it very disagreeable for the walkers; but, notwithstanding, they both appeal as fresh as ever, and as determined to finish their match against time.

In the Supreme Court, Dunedin, last week, Mr. Joseph Mackay, proprietor of the ' Bruce Herald,' was summoned for libel—damages laid at £I,OO0 —for having published an advertisement, which turned out to be a forgery, announcing the birth of -a daughter, the mother being a young, unmarried girl well known in Tpkomairiro.. .It was abundantly proved that the announcement was fictitious, and that the paper was hoaxed. £SO damages were granted. The H.A.C.B. Society's anniversary ball aud supper came off in the Masonic Hall on the night of the 21st instant, and was a complete success. The attendance was large, and nothing could exceed the harmony and good-will of the Assembly. The catering of Mr. King, and the music of Messrs! Deaker and Vickery were excellent. The hall was nicely decorated with flags, &c.-, diversified by several appropriate mottoes-hung round the walls. On the whole, the Committee certainly deserve credit for the really firstrate manner in which everything was carried out, and we trust that this will prove the precursor of many anniversary balls to" be carried out in as able a manner under the auspices of the Society. The snow, which seems to have been general throughout the Province, after a couple of .days' severe , weather and squalls, fell in quantity, and gave'those on mischief bent an opportunity to give it a mild vent at the cheap expense of accidental windowbreaking, not to speak of much good-humored snow-balling. Notwithstanding the weather -the' up-coach made very fair time—at the hill coming into Naseby the driver taking the precaution to put - his male passengers out and fix the wheels. /A severe frost has, since the fall, set in, and the bright, days seem to promise a continuance. The fall of snow on the ranges must have been considerable, and should furnish a good spring'supply of water for mining purposes.

On Friday evening last an adjourned meeting of the Municipal Council was held to consider the tenders received for the Town Hall roof.; Three local tenders were received, and one from Dunedin, the last being considerably the highest. After a protracted discussion, it was decided to accept the lowest tender, subject to the acceptance of conditions—as to deposit, time of completion of work, and,interpretation of specifications—drawn up and approved 'by the Council. Should the lowest tenderer not accept, the next lowest to be accepted. On Monday morning : Mr. G-ason, whose tender was the lowest one, declined to accept the proposed conditions. Mr. G> Stephens was accordingly offered the work, which he Has accepted. The : amount of the successful tender is £453 10s. 6d., and the work is to be completed within three months.

"It will be'seen by advertisement that-laiid sales will be held at St. Bathans on Monday, the 3rd of August, at noon; at Hill's Creek .o.rithe following day,'"Tuesday; the 4th, at ten a.m., and at Naseby the sanie day (Tuesday) at five p.m. At on Wednesday the sth of August, sections' at Hamilton, Blair Taieri, and Macraes. This last is a ■most curious arrangement. The onlyi town where apparently no land is to be sold is se■lected as the mustering ground for those willing to purchase land in other towns. Most wondrous wise is our Survey-Land Department nowadays. Why the Hyde township - is withdrawn from sale is a mystery we cannot unfathom. Why, again, Hamiltonians should travel to Hyde when-it would not inconvenience' the ' auctioneer in the least' to ride through the Gorge to Hamilton, is another piece of wisdom the reason of which is 'no.t.easily discoverable. The Hyde Committee ■ should make a point of' discovering at whose instance, the .sale of their town has been withdrawn,' if .they have not been consulted.

A sheciaii meeting of the Naseby School Committee was held on Tuesday last to take into consideration 'correspondence relative to' appointment of pjpil teacher. Resolved— That Mr. Menzies recommend a pupil teacher, either male or female—recommendations to be in accordance with instructions received from Education JBoardi A discussion here ensued regarding advertising the appointmemt, but the opinion of the majority was averse to doing so, but that the schoolmaster should give it every publicity. Two applications for the appointment were received. The Secretary was instructed to return them to the applicants, with the intimation that the schoolmaster,was the_ proper person to apply to, : who would'examine and recommend candidates. The Secretary was also directed to draw the attention of the Education Board to the difference between the letters of June and July forwarded to the Secretary of the. school regarding the salary granted to a pupil teacher—the former stating £25 for female, and £3O for male ; and the latter £2O, ,and; £24, per annum "for the first year. ••.,.» ...

Ejjom the special, correspondent of the ' Otago Guardian' we clip the 1 following matters of Parliamentary interest.— r The WardChapman telegram discussion' you will find but a meagre report of in the Wellington papers.. The .Government endeavored to discredit the "motion for an inquiry, but did not go- to the vote j so the "committee has been duly appointed. With what result we shall see hereafter. There is a strong desire exia,tent to bury the matter in oblivion. Mr. Bradshaw called the attention of the Speaker to some rather smart practice by the Taranaki members,-who, by partially distributing some locally printed documents' were able to get the.Taranaki Waste Lands Act read a second time before the authorised copies had been issued from the G-overnment Printing office'. Then arose Mr! T. lAx:Shepherd, and ventilated a grievance of nis own. He complained that in consequence of the Speaker's ruling he had been prevented from-proceeding with his Waste Lands Bill, although he _had secured the assistance of Mr. Macandrew and Mr. Reid in its preparation. Mr. Speaker, however, remarked that, if those gentlemen would assure him that the Bill of which Mr. Macandrew had given notice was the Bill prepared by Mr. Shepherd, he could have no objection to allowing the latter to proceed with it. Thus appealed to, your Superintendent was forced to get up, and he really tided over the difficulty very skillfully. He said that, of course, if he were allowed to go on with his Bill as from the stage readied by Mr. Shepherd, he should be glad to do so to save time, but he thought no useful purpose would be served by continuing the discussion; and then lie went on, without pause or stop, to give notice of his distillation resolutions.' The remaining business was speedily concluded and the House adjourned before dinner." Speaking generally, Parliamentary affairs are' in a state of perfect quietude. At present there is not so much as a ripple-on the political sea, but steady old stagers, versed in and portents, predict great storms ere the session is over. First, there are the Loan Bills—Otago's little request for half-a-million and sundry similar demands put forth by the other provinces. In. anticipation of these, Mr. Waterhouse moved in the Council' " That this Council would see with regret any increase to the general indebtedness of the colonv, except for the purpose of completing undertakings already authorised, until such time as the works now in progress are so far completed as to enable' a reliable opinion to be formed as to the' capability of the colony to meet the annual expenditure thereby required, without having recourse to a degree of taxation which might injuriously affect the industrial resources of the colony." But the Legislative Council does not believe in provoking possible difficulties. Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof, so they quietly shelved the motion by " the previous question."