THE The Mount Ida Chronicle. FRIDAY, AUGUST 14, 1874.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 284, 14 August 1874, Page 2

THE The Mount Ida Chronicle. FRIDAY, AUGUST 14, 1874.

The question of the day raised by Mr. Vogel is that of Conservation of Native Forests. He has, however,, in studying the question, been carried beyond Conservation, and wishes to look forward to an artificial creation of State Forests, to take their turn in supplying the requirements of the future, and to bring in eventually a return, it is calculated, sufficient to pay .interest on the Colonial debt. In moving the second reading of the Bill, Mr. "Vogel said that at first it seemed to him that it would be desirable to keep* the c[uestion of planting new forests distinct from that of conserving those which exist, but the more he looked into the question the more he felt the fallacy of attempting any such separation. . We do not attempt, in this article, any approach to giving even a bare idea of Forestry—either State or private—but rather to bring out, with some clearness, how'the introduction of the subject has brought Centralism and Provincialism into contact. Corresponding with Lord Kimberley as to the preservation of forests in the island of Ceylon, the Governor writes what is very applicable to Otago Provincialism—as to one of the causes of I forest destruction—" Thirdly, the sale of forest laud at inadequate value: " On ; this point I need say but little, as I trust the practice has been fin- <! ally put. an end to.. ' It has been too " often the custom for Government " agents, in order to swell the revenues " of their Provinces, or, perhaps, from " carelessness and indifference, to allow " fine forest land in the most acces- " sible places to be sold at the upset " price of £1 per acre. This has pre- " vailed in the southern and north- " western Provinces. . . . . The " remarks of the Audi tor-General, Mr. " Douglas, apply forcibly to this and " the preceding head. To sum up this " portion of the subject, the evil at the " root of the whole timber question " would appear to have been the policy *' of the Government in endeavoring to " obtain, for the moment, the maxi- " mum of revenue out of its forests, " with the minimum of expenditure—- " if, indeed, it may not be said without " any expenditure at all—leaving the " future f o take care of itself. The " end of such a system is very obvious, " and unless effectual measures are " taken to prevent it, is not far dis- ' tant. . . . After this has been " going on for years, and no care has " been taken to replant the forest so " cut down; the consequence is, that " all valuable timber has disappeared " from the most accessible parts of the " island, and that a country pre-emi- " nently fitted for the growth of every " kind of valuable tropical timber— 4 " teak included —has been reduced to " the condition of having to import the " very article which it is most fitted to " produce." Mr. Yogel was not ignorant of the difficulty he had to face. He stated that the first question that arose in considering this great matter o&forests was, How can it be dealt with by the Colony without infringing upon or in- ■ vading the Provincial rights to an extent which will render it impossible to secure the sanction of the Assembly? At the same time, however anxious to ,conserve the rights or privileges of the Provinces, when their supposed or particular interests conflicted with the good of the country as a whole, the country must be considered before the

Provinces. The difficulty that arises is, " that there can be no Stale Forests " without land—land being a thing, as " to rights over which the Provincial " authorities are very tenacious." After opening up and introducing this subject in a most masterly manner, the Premier laid down his proposal, which was to select three "per cent, of land throughout the Colony for the purpose of establishing State Forests. On the, other hand, the Bill provides for relieving the Provinces from the payment of sinking fund on account of the cost of railways constructed under the different Immigration and Public Works Acts ; while the Bill also provides that the Provinces shall not pay interest on the amount of the principal cost of such railways for a period of more than thirty years after the passing of the Act, These are some of the inducements offered to the Provincialists to bribe them to agreemnt, but with no avail. , The Superintendents were frightened, and one after another condemned the Bill, with no argument—no reason—only that it was an effort to take land revenue from the Provinces. High time, indeed, for Mr. Stafford to suggest that it would be well to consider the relations of the Provinces to the General Government, and for Mr. Vogel, speaking of \\ el-' lingtou, to say tbat the expenditure of money provided by the Colony and spent by the Colonial G-overnment-in Wellington in three years in that Province was £623,000, as compared with £156,000 provided by the Province for' the same period. " Was it not better," he asked, "to take charge of the Pro- " vince at once ? Was it right they " should spend by deputy and borrow by proxy, when they (the General " Government) were charged with in- " citing to slaughter and assassination in bringing forward a measure which " was really meant to promote the set- " tlement of the Colony ? It was time " he stated the facts of the case plainly, " • • . . : It was monstrous that " the Colonial Government should not have the assistance of the land re- " venue of the Colony—that the Co- " l°uy_ should be outlawed while the " considerations asked for were ac- " corded to private individuals." Provincialism has fairly raised its head. There are enormous interests that will be brought to bear against Mr Vogel in his attempt to cope with this hydra, once roused -interests of those who the Provincial system sustains locally as small kings, whose prestige will be gone. There are those, again, who aie interested pecuniarly in the enormously cumbersome mode of Government now in force. The very life of these will be. considered by them at stake, and the battle will be accordingly bitter and keen. .It may be delayed—shelved for a season—but it must be fought. It remains for the people—the taxpayers of the future—to raise their voice in support of the Premier in his efforts to provide for the lightening of future taxation.

Goldfields, put under an able administrative head—the details locally managed by Mining Boards, and the larger particulars referrible to a one responsible'source— could not but reap a great advantage by the substitution of Centralism for self-interested Provincialism. It would ifot, be possible for an attempt, such as'is being deliberately made by a class; at Maerewhenua, to have gone on for so. long,■< and be brought to such a stage, while, confessedly the General Government know nothing of it —never heard of it till the member for Waitaki took the matter up a few weeks ago in his place, in the House—and the state of knowledge possessed by the .Provincial Government in the. same matter, till the accession of the present Provincial Solicitor to office, was little better.'

Mr. Vogel -says truly, "The ques. " tion involved in this forests matter is "of something for .Yew- Zealand to " cling to for generations : to shape " its future, to/decide its climate, its " adaptability'for settlement, its com- " mercial value, its beauty, its health- " fulness; and its pleasure-bestowing " qualities. I plead," he says, "on " behalf of New Zealand, that whilst " we are laborious!}' endeavoring to " improve the country by means of " great Public Works, we sllall not " overlook the value and importance of " those great natural features, without " care for which, however attractive " we may otherwise make the country, " we cannot make it attractive as the " home of an industrious population, " nor can we hope to preserve its cha- " racter and its intrinsic value. New " Zealand entirely unsettled —' New " Zealand in its old world state—- " might be" very much Tin ore valuable " clothed with forest than New Zealand " denuded of forest and covered with " public works constructed at er.or- " tr.ous cost and with enormous la"bor."

This is, indeed, a " question of ques- " tions." It is well it should be known that Provincialism its the creeper now making sure its grasp, to grow on, if pampered and let alone, with luxuriance, but finally to kill that which solely contributes to its beauty and strength—to .die, however, with it.

In the House of Representatives Mr Vogel has given notice that he will introduce three resolutions (1.) 'lhat, considering the altered circumstances of the Colony, it is desirable that the Provinces in the North Island should be abolished. (2.), That Wellington should be made the seat of Government,.. (3.) That the 1 acd revenue should be made a local revenue, according to what ia known sa the Compact of lb5G, and that the Government shall, during the recess, consider how best to give effect to these resolutions. The announcement made, evidencing this intention to deal firmly with tinquestion of'obsolete Provincialism, the

telegraph says, was greeted , with applause. [Our telegrams shew ' that these resolutions will be carried.]-

We! understand that the JTaseby Amateur Dramatic Club intend giving a performance at an early date for the benefit of some of oui> local institutions. ' A iiECTtTEB, by Mr. B: Gordon, on the Irish poets, Goldsmith, Moore, and Magee, will be delivered in ths Catholic Church school room on Saturday the~22nd insfc. The Mayor is announced to preside. ; . . ThD District Court adjourned at a little before 10 p.m. last night to 10 a.m this day, when the Clarks Kyeburn case will be resumed. We intend to publish the continuation in our issue of to-morrow. Mr. MacKellar, arrived last'night in Naseby, and was soon put to work by Committees—Hospital and other; A number of gentlemen interested in the land question met him at the' Empire Hotel. We are sorry' to have to keep out any report, owing to the press of matter. ■ ; ■ - ' Tiie Catholic Church .Committee announce by circular their 'inten l ion to hold the bazaar, in aid of their .Church on the ,30th and 31st October, and 2nd November. We are glad to learn that they will be most heartily supported in their-laudable efforts to free -the congregation from debt': ' Me Yo&el's -remarks re Provincialism are favorably received by nine-tenths of the people. The 'WVst Goast Times' congratulates the Premier- on' throwing -down the gauntlet to so formidable" an opponent as Provincialism. Other ' leading papers on' the Coast hold the same views, and advocate" the abolition of the present system in both, islands • The ' Guariian'states that Dr. Hector has received for the Museufri a real-lusus natura in the., shape. of a osVeyed lambi -The eye' is placed, Polyphemus-like',i in -the centre "of the forehead, and the lower.jaw ia very prominent. The lamb was dropped, on the station of Mr.. Hector - Horowhenua, - Manawatu.

From Greymouth, ; the Press Association telegraph that good reports continue to arrive from the Greenstone rush. Sixteen cla'ms are bottomed, and parties are at work with excellent prospects.—The Bev. Father Belliard left for Christchurch to-day. A magnificent gold watch and illuminated address were presented, .to him.

The sale of . land in Hamilton, Macraes,and Blairtaieri, which, took place at Hyde on the sth instant, was very poorly attended. Six sections in Hamilton were sold, and one only at Macraes. There were no bidders present for land in Blairtaieri. ' We understand that so" far as Hamilton is concerned, several more. section's might have been sold had the sale taken plabe in that township, instead of at Hyde. ■ •. The report we alluded to last week as to the sending up of 200 men for the public works is materially correct. As we surmised the Government have made an agreement with Mr. Abbott to- employ a gang of the new chums from the Immigration Barracks. The' ' Daily Times ' mentions that 30 are intended for the channel; but this i*. probably incorrect, as the contractors have heard nothing about it, and they, being, the payees, would necessarily have to be consulted. The truth is that in Dunedvn the channel—some call it the wet ditch—and the head -race are supposed to be the same thing. . . Fbom the Serpentine-we learn that the frost this year has been more intense and more protracted than has been previously, the case. The amount of snow that has fallen has not been so great, not. exceeding two feet —of course in places drifting to seven or eight feet. This year the inhabitants have taken- to snowshoes—a .Norwegian resident having been successful in constructing about twenty pairs. are made of pine, steamed, and bent at the toes, about eight feet in length, and smoothly polished and tarred.. With these the practical- expert can keep .up with' a horseand, assisted by his guiding staff; can suddenly stop, turn, or guide . him-, self with , unerring certainty up or down gradients of the roughest nature. Beyond'this mode of healthy locomotion, pig-hunting, and duck-shooting, there has been no mining done .at Serpentine since the middle of April. Like all high country in this Province, there is a plentiful supply of good'peat, which is stacked in summer.

The usual monthly meeting of the Mount Ida District Hospital Committee was held on Friday evening last. Present: Messrs. W. Inder (chair), Brown, Anderson, Green, Stewart, Jackson, George, and Barron.—The minutes of previous meeting were read and confirmed.—Letters were read from UnderSecretary, re application for grant to build fever ward.; from Secretary Cromwell Hospital Committee, asking for particulars in reference to the conduct of the Hospital; from Tuapeka Hospital Committee, re fruit and vegetables.—Resolved: "That the Chairman, Secretary, and Dr. Dick wait upon the Goldfields Secretary, and urge the necessity of the erection of a fever ward."—The Surgeon reported the number of patients to be five on 30th June; admitted, 1;. discharged, 1; remaining in Hospital, 5.—The "Visiting Committee reported matters as satisfactory. —The Treasurer stated the balance at bank to be £164 9s. 0 1/2d.; due by Government, £105 7s. 6d.; total amount in .of institution, £269 16s. 6 1/2d. —The Secretary said that the quarterly returns for March and June were ready for audit, and that he had written to the Auditors, Messrs. Glenn and Wilson, to that effect.—Accounts to the amount of £53 5s. 4d. were passed for payment.

We learn .that about a month ago a Chinaman, named Ah Fon, left-Naseby-for Hamilton to visit some of his countrymen. As he did not return inquiry: was toade at Hamilton to ascertain what-had becdme of him; the result being that it was a« once found out that he had not been there at nil. It was accordingly, concluded that he had been drowned in the Taieri. On the Btli-insfc. the matter was reported to. the police, and Sub-Inspector M'Cluskey sent Constable Walsh the following morning (who was accpmpaiiied by.five Chinamen) to search the river. The search party found a pair of boots tied .together close to the bank in the water, about a quarter, of a mile below the present very dangerous ford which has been so destructive to life. The boots were identified by one,of the Chinese as those worn by the,miß?ing "Chinaman. Enquiries have been set-on foot by the police at Dunstan Creek, Maeraes, arid other, localities, but no trace has be'erjvfqund of the man. The strong probability, 'ibM'ce'd almost certainty, is .that the rivef jwai) deeper than, lie fancied, if not deep enough to carry him-off his legs at once too deep to allow of his legs being withdrawn from the shifting dangerous mud about half way across. We have heard of ho attempt having been made to drag the'river for the possible recovery of the body.

Since our issue of last week, we have had a list handed to us, showing the extent of land fenced, and held on sufferance by residents in the neighborhood of. Nascby to be 552 acres, distributed am org twenty-two The land thus who till it knowing that it is exceedingly improbable that they will ever be allowed to obtain ai title—is, of course, being worked out as fast as it can be. ■ >'o Jong as a few Crops can be go't ou<; of it, it does not much matter tho\<di the land is ruined: Lately we have heard a great deal about the ruin of land caused by goldmining. Now the whole.of the la"d worked and deeiroyed for mining purposes in and arour.d Naseby during eleven years working-,. fo>" Ihe most part by a- large population,' does not exceed 590 acres. This 500 acres has.

brought into circulation an immense amount of wealth ; yet the miner 3 are.almost looked upon /with jealousy 1 because,;-after realising such a large amount of capital' the land is destroyed. How -about these 500 acres under half tillage, certain to be very shortly destroyed as completely for agricultural purposes as if they were composed of rough tailings ? Nobody says a word about that loss—a loss incurred, too, after the very minimum amount of wealth has been taken from the soil. As we said last week, the fact that so much, land has been taken on sufferance, with positively no security, but that at amoinenfc's warning the occupiers may get notice to quit, condemns in the strongest manner the delay in opening land in the immediate neighborhood of Naseby, which has successfully prevented any one for several years now, however anxious, from obtaining an acre of ground which he could legally call Ms 0..n.

A private correspondent telegraphs to the 'Southern Cross' that Judge Ward was several hours on the Inquiry Committee, and made a statement in general terms like that contained in his telegrams. He insisted that there was either gross partiality on the part of Chapman, or gross, negligence. He contended that, as barrister-at-law, he (Judge Ward) was entitled to practice as counsel, and that the order of Judge Chapman gives ex parte permission or inspection of all telegrams passing between him as such counsel and his solicitor and client, to the prejudice of defendant. This fact entitled him to complain of the partiality in this particular case. He spoke of the intimate relations between Judge Chapman and Mr. Macassey, and thp general public dissatisfaction regarding this .which prevailed in Dunedin; and private business was interfered with by Judge Chapman's order. > He explained that possibly he was irritated at the moment by the extraordinary illegal nature of the order, and telegraphed accordingly. Regarding Judge Chapman's excuse, made in rescinding the order, that it was made in the hurry of business, Judge Ward said there was no. colorable warrant for such statement on the- records of Court; that in cases of orders- in Court Judge Chapman was in the habit, on application being made, of asking " Are all papers right ?" and being answered in the affirmative, to say " Take the order at your own peril." If gross partiality had been waived in this instance it was gross negligence on Judge Chapman's part: to one or other of these, facts point. As for similar orders having been granted for the inspection of telegrams, Judge Ward declared that the manifold repetitions of wrongs did not warrant the wrong order complained of and all were equally illegal.—l am informed that one witness is not yet called. I can testify to the offer of a bribe of £SO to one or other of the telegraphists to secure or steal copies of telegrams stating that the story that Mr. Murison is ill is all gammon. Mr. Larnach, who is here, is believed to know all the circumstances, but is bound under honor to Mr. Miirison to- disclose nothing without permission.