THE Mount Ida Chronicle SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 1874

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 289, 12 September 1874, Page 2

THE Mount Ida Chronicle SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 1874

Exactly a year ago we drew attention to tbu threat value of the larch as a tree probably most suitable to. the- soil land cl imate of this district, while being ati the same time a tree of considerable value for all commercial 1 purposes,; and- an actual improver of the ground for grazing..- All, kbw.ev.er, that wethen" could urge was that large proprietors should pay attention:.t@ the policy of plan&ng a part of their large ewtatea. [The of these -large'-owners! appears, however, to consist of acquiring the trifling vrU% of as jnany ,ac.re'H r ».h possible, with, the View i 'of taking advVrVtageVf the' certain rise \ an. price laud—which must arine through the natural and artificial increase of population—to cut their land into sections for disposal at 500' per cent..profit. 'X hey do not care'.alVbut. such a minor duty as leaving the lsiiids thcj retain of butter value lor poatoniy;Mr. Vtigel'B Htatea, Forest; J3ill put the whplo question of p'lan'tinjr on » better and more accessible footing. tie prop.mCd that. tho. Colonial •Gdvernmeht should take 3 .per cent, of land .'throughout the Colony as'. a ■'; Forest estate. ";We propose," ho'said, " to' talca power--.under conditions " whilch are elaborately set forth in ". tho Bill—to" selei-t 3 per cent, of land " throughout tho Colony for-the: pur-

1 " poso of establishing Si ate Forests. | " Thf* conditions of selection will ef- " fectually prevent the taking of lauds " which would give to a Forest excep- ' tiunal value from its proximity to a " town cr towns. Our idea is so to se- ': li-ct land as to make the Forests- use- ' ful to the population likely to settle ' in I.he»vicinity of them during years " to mine, and also, whilp duly con- " sidering the commercial question of ■■". the value of timber, to'so select the " Forest sites as to afford to the ut"""most possible extent the benefit of " shelter to the neighboring country " According to the spirit of the Government proposal land would be taken in such districts aa our own for the improvement of the climate, and also for'increasing the prosperity of the population that within the next, thirty years must inevitably gather to settle permanently on these, valuable interior plains.

The representatives of Otago Provincialism opposod this scheme, successfully burking its practical working for n season, on the ground that the Otago.Government, at any rate, were quite able to cope: with the question themselves. Canterbury Proviriciulists took up the same parable. Let us put these-professions,to the test. Let it be definitely asked of the Provincial Council, at its next sitting, thai? power be asked for, if riot already existing under the presenfc"Forests Act in force, to reserve suitable areas in this and the Dunstanuisfcricts-for Forest plantations, selecfrng'such 'sites as appear, owing to their natural features and altitudes, adapted for that purpose. ,For the small areas, of .Vol-, canie soil stretching from the township of Hamilton to the river Taieri; and also near the Houudburn Ilill (on Mr. Preston's run). Again, what block could present better facilities for successful plantations than a strip between 'LJlack'stone Hill_and Na'seby, below +he head race—the race itself, as it-would do, forming one impassable boundary to stock, while the leakage from it would bo invaluable to the young trees. The valley of the Manuherikia also abounds with suitrble localities—from the JJunstan Creek to tho Leaning Rock. ■

If the Province is in earnest, and can, with its staff and revenues, 'deal with this large question that the General Government is prepared to at once underta'-e, let a practical step betaken in the direction we indicate. If not, can it be permitted that Provincialism shall staud in the wiiy of such a beneficial proposal ? Mr. Inues, a very able Forest Hanger, stationed at the Wakatipu (whose merits have been publicly recognised on a late occasion) .reported, over a year, ago, that it was essenta'ly desirable that a nursery and botanical garden should be. established in this district. ISo doubt this, and the setting apart of reserves, are the first steps which should be brought before, and urged upon, the Provincial Council at its next session by our members and by public opinion.

Wk regret to learn that the General Government have adhered to their decision previously intimated to the Provincial Government through the Colo"inal Secretary, not to exceed the Appropriations ■ on 1 the 1 Naseby Channel. It is an old story now how, since the original survey of the Channel was undertaken, the efforts of the Mining Association Committee, under Mr. James Hore, definitely proved the value of the; llogburn 'Plat down ft> and, indeed, up Enterprise Gully—a fact; that had been-privately known to a few old. residents, but does not appear publicly in any of the early public papers initiatory to the "survey and estimates of the Public Works'now happily in progress/ It is, indeed, brought out iu those papers that some well-known payable ground wa.? at thattime covered up with tailings, anda--Flushing Channel through which these', tailings could be. conveyed would enable this ground; ,to be worked; but ; there is nothing definitely to show—as there might have been so easily if it had been generally known—the immense value of the ground which is now proved good.for.ibur miles down : at least. ;,Mr.:Hangbtbn, inibrvvarding the early reports to thb Minister for, Public Works,.', write's!: -'Mt will be " seen, upon; perusal, that these docu- " ments are of a very exhaustive cha- ■■ racter, and deal with " jects'at issue in a and "precise manner. The papers ; at- ". tached (and upon which Mr, liobiri- " son to some.extent bases his report) " comprise the ■« hole, correspondence *' between the various local bodies, "Miners' Committees at intervals eou : " s'tituted, and the Provincial autbfo.ri- " ties, and; also; the ; very valuable! resports of Mr.-Warden Fyke and jMr? " ±sarr, Chief Engineer of the Province '■ of 1 .Utago, upon questions Especially " referred to-them, the most important "of which would ap'pear'to have'been " the feasibility of of -&■ " Main .Sludge Channel, in order to al " low of the disposal of the. tailings " from.the ordinary workings, and; the " bringing in of a sufficient quantify of " water to ; flush the said Channel, 'and ' to . be available for working 'at a " higher le-bel than is now accessible by •' the present supply." It is in these reports that Mr. iiobinson first publicly suggested a scheme he, himself, appears to have been frightened of—" a "possible source of supply from the " Manuherikia Ki'ver "—but advises that, in the first instance,• a .survey should be undertaken froni the Little ivyeburn. aud'also from the Manuherikia.. This suggestion, folio wed upon the ground with indefatigable exertion and skill by Mr. Simpson, led to.;the adopfcion of the present scheme—-the Criuunel bfciug.Jaid oft' as'a Flushing Chan-. ' nel, and as : b«ing ofsufficient depth to

unlock the golden 'ground known t6 ex?st under the accumulated tailings in. Main G-ullj. The Provincial Government are, we learn, willing'to modify the plans and deepen the Channel so far as the money procurable will allow ..them. This, unsatisfactory as it is and' must be to many, is no doubt better than to allow the Channel to come, up_at,_a depth at which it would not open up the lower portion of the Flat and .Enterprise Gully. The_ Government will "have to devise ways"and" means t"b'conduct the Head .Race water to the Channel, and "it will no doubt be found necessary, to extend the Channel, wherever it may, in the first instance, terminate, rather than allow the establishment of" another monopoly between the Government works. Jf the.attention of the General Government had been drawn to the matter when the difficulty was first foreseen and very ably pointed out by memorandum forwarded by *he Mining Association , ■Committee, aud not delayed till the late session—when a scramble for money was sure to take place, and Government supporters come best off,, to the detriment of opponents—we should not find the works in the delaying muddle/they have drifted into. Anything seems, however, better than that the Channel should come up at a depth that would be of no use to open up the rich auriferous flats now known to exist.

. It should ,not be forgotten that the old-Miners'"Committee'"of 1870 did good work in the initiation of these works. It is to be regretted that they did not longer remain a united representative bo'dy. Though at intervals such Committees may find little to do, yet, - when occasions do arise, their existence is invaluable, and well {repays any little trouble in keeping them afloat. " "

A Hospital Sunday is mooted at the various churches established for the benefit of the local institution. Ottb St. Bathans readers will observe that the Court day, originally fixed for the 29th inst., has had to be altered to.the-30th. A.good number of new arrivals are drifting into and through the district of lute. A few, we are glad to see, are obtaining employment for short intervals. Major Axicrxsow ha 9 been sworn in as a member of the Executive. The ' Post' 'understands that he will be gazetted as Minister of Immigration and Secretary of Crown Lands Thr total height, of the chimney at the St. Rollox Chemic.il Work-*, Glasgow, i 5.455 feet' 6. inches, and that, of JTownsend,'.s, at_, Port Dundas. Glasgow, is 468 feet, or 156, yards, the "highest in the world. We are glad to learn that the Secretary of the Hospital Committee has received £100 from the Government towards the erection of a-fever ward, which is to be built, we hear, at a cost of about £150, and detached from the main building.

The selection of a thousand ,acre, block across the river at-Hyde is, we believe,- to be uade on the 28th instant. As the District Surveyor will be-'engaged for some weeks on the Naseby block; we fear the survey-of the Hyde block will be delayed. The vacant section in Leven-street, which for so long presented an unsightly appearance, is now being 'built on by some Celestials. From the look of the foundation, a substantial building-,is to be put up. The ground was purchased at, we believe, £2 a foot,

We are glad to observe Joseph Leys, who has for so long a time been delayed through the difficulty caused by his having to cross the Naseby Recreation Reserve, has at lenglh been enabled to get to work. His tail race, which will open up a considerable extent of rich ground wher<j the Catholic Chapel formerly stood, will, it i* thought, be completed in about three weeks. The ' Daily Times' of Tuesday has the following leading local.—Our Wellington correspondent telegraphed last night as follows,: " It is understood that Mr. Prendergast will accept the position of Chief Justice, and that Mr. Travers is to be appointed Att6rneyGeneral. The Chief Justice and two Judges will probably reside at Wellington permanently. Mr. Vogel will go home after visiting Sydney.

A PttEttMWahy meeting of those interested in the establishment of a Public Coal Company was held on Wednesday at the Waterwo:ks Office, Mr. E. T. George in the'chair. It was nnani. ously agreed that such a com> pany, would be a public benefit, and should be floated. An influential Provisional Directory was appointed, and the prospectus .will,; we understand, be published next week. ■ According to the census, the population of .he following towns and districts is*Teturned is .being : —Naseby, 552 —313 male*, and 239 emales ; St. Bathans, 215—125 males, and )0 females ; Blabkstone Hill, 128—82 males, -nd 46 females ; Naseby country, 376—269 uales, and 107 males; Kyeburn and Swin>urn, 213—138 males, and 75 females; 1H&nilton, 110—7rmsileB, and 39 females j Sow>urn, 82 —54 males, and 28 females ; Hyde, males, and. 69 females j Macraes, 106 —149 males, and 57 females. The whole lopulation of Mount Ida is givesi as 2688. On Monday last the District Land Officer, iccompanied by the District Surveyor,' Mr. dg jautour, M.P;C., and (as re)resenting the Progress Committee) visited he block of land-on the Ewebumruu, agreed o by Mr. MucKellar, to be set apart for agriultural settlement. The object of the visit vas to fix the actual boundaries, preliminary o survey of a 3000 acre block, or~two blosEs >f 1500' aore» each. The exact, boundaries Lre, we learn, to be determined on Saturday iveuing, and. the • Survey will proceed [with lispatch next week. A number of gentlemen nt crested accompanied the gentlemen seeding. " - - ; Thb half-yearly general meeting of, the Naseby Volunteer Fire Brigade was held in Chapman's Kveburn Hotel on the evening of VTonday last, Captain Stephens in the chair. Liierc was a good attendance—The minutes )'* the previous meeting having been read and ionfirmed, the Chairman handed in £1 lis. to ,he credit of the Brigade.—The officers for the. :nst six months then, through the Captain, .endered their resignations, and tn*e' /l election )f officers for the ensuing six months was proceeded wifch. Kesolved—" That the preit»nt officrrs (caotaiii, G-. Stephens ; lieutenmt, VV. Gh. Miller; sergeant, J. Morrison; oreman, E. Hall; secretary, A. Costelloe; r«>a3urer, M. Brookes) remain in office fdr the lext six month-" " —Resolved—" That a 1 vote )f thanka to the oQkers for their iervioes diirng the past six mojiths be recorded."—lifter, mditors t—to- tvubruifc .balance-sheet afcjiifeX'* nonthly meeting—iiajl Jjeen appointed! the neetiug adjourned.. -■ ■ | <#"■'

Tjie / Tuapeka Times '-sftltes Mi till-4 < fin occurred at Mr. .M'Uoombe's residence, 'situ utied on tlie ranges between the Blue Spur and Wuiporii'oiV Wedußssluy;last. :■'■. Tlie lionee wus

rbtellytfestrbyea, Ml-s._Ste*;art'si'Cqoinbehav-ing barely to" escape* window. The fire is supposed tohave-qrigLnated through a spirk from"some ashes that had .been removed by a child from the house a few minutes previously, thus setting fire to a heap of grass lying outside the dooi*. A. sharp- breez' wns at the_timp,_and in an incredibly short space" of time the whole buildirg was demolished. ■The property, we>iearn, was not iusured.

-- -T-hb usual-monthly-meeting of-the Nnseby School Committee waa held in the schoolhouse on Monday evening last, all the members of committee, and the schoolmaster (Mr. Menzies) were present.- The-Kev. E.=-Williams presided. Letters were read from Mr. Hislop, Secretary to/the Education. Board, anent fvneing the school reserve, and pu-iil teacher s salary ; and from Master Blair, claiming 263 for cleaning school up to March, 1871 This account was passed.forsrjayrnenfc. There weie four r _candid ites for =f the of pupil teicher, viz , MLss-R. Grace, VLiss A Millur, Miss R Dixon, and .Master F. Blair Mr F. Blair having passed the mo3t fav-orible ex.-im-ination, wa>>, on the recommendation of the schoolmasters and by resolution", 'of "the"Com--mittee, appojiik-d office./ The seeretafrywas instructed to inform Master .Blair of liis appointment. Resolved that the posts of tinfront gate of the schoolmaster's residence be put in proppr repair.' Resolved'th-jt the secretary ir-form the Education Board'of tile 1 appointment of pupil, teauher, and that thn,' salary commences from the Bth September. A vote of thanks" to the chair closed the meeting- : r. *.'-'' ■, ~ \

Ox WednesdayJasta man of the name of John Mark died suddenly at the Eden Creek Hotel while at dinner. The following day an inquest was held on'view of the' body—the jury being summoned from'Naseby for the purpose—before ,ths Acting Coroner Mr. L.'. W. Busch.. From the evidence it appeared that the deceased, while sitting at the table, gave what the witnesses described as a gulp, and appeared at once senseless.' Those present thought he was choked, and took him into the air, thumping his. back and trying other restorative means. At the inquest, Dr. Dick, who made a postmortem examination, gave evidence of finding a large lump" of apparently hard hotted meat fixed, in the throat, which was the cause of death.' The jury brought in a "verdict in accordance with the medical evidence, that deceased died from partially swallowing a. lump of meat. From the evidence it appeared that deceased had stated that, he, had a .'wife and three children in the South of Scotland. jSome £9 in cash and papers found on the body were taken'charge of by ithe police:' ' -' '< The ' Star' in a leading artiele'refers to.the cry of our Provjnciaiists that abolition,of the Northern Provinces"will endanger our land Tevenue.T-iiTtie writer very plainly, shows that our land revenue is in ,very serious, danger through the existence of the landless landhungerftig bsng wjthoue the"seciCrity of a legally confirmed compact, which is now offered to the Southern Provinces. - ,".As"

for the morbid fear pup, land fund for Colonial purposes, siicl'i aVarguine'it' as a reason for opposition is* simply ■ absurd.' It is like the rest, of the arguments—an as-* -sumption implying" that no sueh'"danger exists or Ciii exist under. Provincial institutions. The very fact that there is a strong feeling jn the North towards the commission of such a robbery is one of the most powerful arguments in favor of the abolition of Provincialism there. At tins moment the compact of 1856 can beconfiWed'; 'but experience'tells'lis that Provincialism .' gives ito • landless Provinces temptations,to political yickery, leading te a lojs-rojhng support of Governments on -disreputable conditiom", tending to degrade states 'ltianshTp'to'a'position of'sa ! le' and' barter of principle for the sake.of office. Our Parliamentary history abounds with instances; and we shad be inviting a repetition (Joints if we delay sanctioning ' a*' fetep : that' will ba -made the means of,securing'the land to' ourselves. We can :i,a.,fe,w years and it will ,be too late."\/• , ; " ~-» . • . >

' Southland :jS T ew s \ learns-that Mr. Lumsden, file resident Proviucial Minister for Southland, was the other day at Invercargill, the vioiini of a rather suvirt trick practised by ,a couplg of Qlunamen. On i'opcn-jbn.pt, the d.ty'<-in quest ioii'the Celestial's entered' His shop, Hud -with " aspect". blaiM V./repYesented that they wished some;lung rlonn t"Oc an old gl.-tss-f.tced watch, which one of them carried. Neither of the pair could or would speak plam English, and it was only aftt-r showing them a new hunting wntch that Mr. JJumsden- uh-' derstooJ they wanted a similar case put on theirs. -They ,wei-,e in .a hurry-loop and would have it done at once. After a of chaff" ering, one'uf the-Chinariien suddenly deft, and the a slior.t time, w.henihfi, also departed,*'tak'ing'with him' th'e article' which was to be altered)/'"Nothing .more was thought,of the matter till,the following Manday, wheri'MrV'Eumsden'mis'se'd fro'm'its case the watch he had been showing'to the-coolies, ftnd, suspecting they knew something of it, he applied to the police, who used such expedition that by the following morning the inno-cent-looking Celesta,.] was apprehended on the road to Dunedin with the watch in his oos.session: ---,'".

T'be Hospital Committee held their nionth'y meeting on Friday evening last. Present— Messrs. Jackson, Greer, Green, George, Barron, arid JJev.- J. M'Cosh Smith. Theminutrs 'of.previous meeting-were, read and confirmed. Letters were read from.the. Government sanctioning the expenditure 'of £IOO for erection of fever ward ; from the Surjreon reporting that the number of patients in hospital on the 31st July' was 5; admitted since,"2; discharged, 3 ; remaining, 4. - The report of- the Visiting Committee was reid and approved. The Treasurer repon ed that the balance at last meeting was £164 9s. O&d. ; balance' in ba\;k, £ll3 13s. 7£d ; subsidy du« by Government, £lO6 17s. 6d. The sub-committee appointed at last meeting to wait upon the Goldfields Secretary (Mr. Mackellar) "reported that he promised to recommend a~grant for "the erection of a fever"ward. * "Resolved that a subcommittee'be appointed/consist ng of Messrs.luder, Anderson, George, and the Rev. Mr. Smith, to get plans, specifications, and estijnatej CQstj)f„eree,tionj)J fever ward, and lay them before~a "general "meeting ~as soon~as possible j and that -Dr. Dick be invited to assist th"e""committee. - Accounts- were -passed for payment' to the 'amount of £39 9s.' sd. Messrs Barron, Jackson, and Greer were appointed the visiting committee. ' . We do not ,very clearly see why the Edu-* cation Board should have objected to. the very reasonable request of the St. Bathans School Committee,''to increase the money grant for their new school, as they had determined to erect a permanent building. ', At .the instance of the Secretary, the matter was not definitely.decided, but referred to the Government. -We think, if the necessity for the building and the permanence of the; district is properly represented to the Government, "a ijaore favorable result will be arrived at. .Somehow or another St. Bathans-does' i not gels anything like a fair" amount of atten- ! tion at* the hands of the authorities-rcei-

tainly not anything like an attention 'corn? mensurate with its importance .or. its'prolonged revenue - productiveness. rWlien a /telegraph.-wire is actually erected, and an : • officer ;■. appointed, the.money iaPgrVdged to house j the'''uistrujnents-'siinijly; becaußejit is sfe Bathatia. ; .We know of no other reason; -xinlttßis, iißdeed>iit isjihat inhabitants are too quiet—are not" ajv:tatiye enough. J St. in "Sir opinion," [supporting at the'present fci'me, in an independent manner, a purely "mining population. Itisnot at all creditable that its modest requests should beiso disregardo'd;- The. authori-tiea seem to know- that"

the residents are we cannot-account for unjust' in price of the township sections impOsjsfcfupon them. -. r ''■'} „, ?*%■''■'

At the conclusion on -Tuesday last of the Acclimatisation Society's annual meeting:— Mr. Thomson moved, " That in recognition of the va'uable servicos rendered by Mr. A. Young, of Palmerston, to the cause of acclimatisation, in Otago, a vote of thanks to that gentleman be parsed by this meeting, and that* -the sum of £lO-be contributed by the Society - towarda the fund which is now being raised in the southern part of the province for purchasing a testimonial for Mr. Young." He said he had great p'eanure in bringing this" be'ore th>s meeting. He recollected many jveais ago regarding it as a matter .for regret that the many beau+iful streams of Otago contained no valuable fish. Eels, it w"as true, were plentiful, and, although he had enjoyed, maiiy a heartv meal of thenVhe was never- I theless aw ire thatj. people, they were ! considered unpalatable. In seconding the | motiop, expressed-it as-his opinion that Mr 'Young deserved much credit for the part he had taken in the work of acclimitisation: In puttrnothe'motion, the Chairman saidjie cordially agreed with the recommen-_ dation it contained. He had not the slightest doubt but that ihe motion would be not only passed unanimously, but that, if the funds of the Society could have 'borne it, or if- Mr. Yourg were' willing ■ to*'accept substantial recognition of his services, the Society would readily have grauted it. They all knew, however, the work he (Mr. Young) had undertaken wastq.hiin a labor, of lovpj and any suggestion that lie should be paid for his serviceswauld be resented by him. It was very fortunate that they hid'had the assistance of such a man who li.ight fairly be regarded as a model colonist. ' The motion wa» put and carried. , -. ,