THE Mount Ida Chronicle FRIDAY, AUGUST 13, 1875.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 336, 13 August 1875, Page 2

THE Mount Ida Chronicle FRIDAY, AUGUST 13, 1875.

We are not a bit more in love with the Government proposals than we were at first sight, particularly in regard to the pretence of maintaining special taxation upon mining simply to give it back again. The administration ,of our waste lands being in the hands of nominees appointed to the "Waste Lands Boards by the Ministry of the day is also a very doubtful good. Our space precludes, this week, any minute criticism upon these and other difficulties we foresee. The bad -taste and flippancy shown by the Treasurer in moving the second reading of the Abolition Bill, unaccompanied by the slightest explanation, should cause every district to receive the proposals with very great jealousy. There is not the slightest excuse for pressing forward measures of such magnitude. If Local Government is to be a government by the. people the form of it should be decided by the people. •

In our issue of last week a land application was advertised in which the name of the applicant.was by accident omitted. The error is rectified in this issue. Mr. Jacob, of Naseby is the successful tenderer for the bridge crossing the Main Gully into that town. The bridge is very much needed. We have to hold over correspondence from Maerewhenua and from.Fiji, .Naseby Municipal Council proceedings, aud. our Essence of Parliament, owing to pressure on our space. Farewell sermons were preached at the Masonic Hall, Naseby, on Sunday last by the Eev. E. Williams, who is leaving to take charge of a cure at Poverty Bay. The Hall was well filled. We are requested to intimate that a little oyer £l9 was cleared at the entertainment given by the Brass Baud in aid of a charitable purpose—almost £2l being taken for tickets and at the doors. Friday, the 20th instant, is the night fixed for the anniversary celebration ball in connection with the H.A.C.B. Society— Naseby branch. The ball will be held in the Naseby Town Hall. _ The entertainment in aid of the Presbyterian Sabbath School library fund is announced for Tuesday, the 17th? at 8 p.m. The date has been altered on account of other engagements on Wednesday. The programme is advertised in this issue. _ The Hospital Committee are making exertions to overcome an overdraft which is creeping up in spite of their best efforts. We understand the Naseby Dramatic Club intend to give an entirely new programme shortly in aid of the funds of the institution. We regret to record the death of Mr W A. Tolmie, M.H.R, and M.P.C., which took place suddenly at his residence near Dunedin. Mr. Tolmie has held public positions of importance in the Province, and was offered the post of Colonial Treasurer by Mr. Vdgel. Mr. Tolmie has been interested in runs in this district and in Southland. The second lecture given by the Naseby Athenteum Committee in aid of their funds was delivered at the Town Hall on Tuesday evening last. The lecturer—the Rev. E Williams—handled his subject with great ability, and was warmly applauded at the conclusion. A vote of thanks was accorded to him, coupled with an expression of "hope" for his future welfare in the distant sphere to which he was about to remove Mr. H. W. Robinson, President of the Committee, who occupied the chair, also thanked the lecturer for his ready response to their invitation, and the audience for their attendance. There were about seventy persous present. The bridge <v/er the Taieri at Hamilton has been, making rapid progress since we last referred to it. At that timo only one abut-

ment had been built. Both abutments are now constructed, and the girders oi* which the bridge is to rest have been erected. The bridge is thrown across in one span on three girders. These are built in an arched form, of ten thick planks, bolted together, and are embedded' for a considerable distance into the solid masonry of the abutments, and then encased in an iron socket of great 'strength. The arch of the span at it its lowest point is higher than the water has ever been observed to have reached in the highest floods. The contractors are well forward with the scaffolding, and are now awaiting the arrival of timber, which is on the, way up, but delayed by the wretched state, of the roads. The contract will be completed, according to present appearances, under the contract time of six months—a state of things which will comj pare favorably with other Government contracts within the district.

From Mr. Haughton's annual report it appears that upon the 31st March, 1874, there were 18,142 persons engaged in gold-mining, and upon 31st March, 1875, 16,424. This includes Chinese, of whom there were at the latter date 4893, as against 4103 in the former year. Mr. Haughton goes on to say : '' Considering the very large increase to the. population of the Colony during the year ending March, 1875, it is undoubtedly a fact that other pursuits have been found to pay better than gold-mining, and that the attraction of, making money"easily upon our Goldfields no" longer exists. . '. .' It is a matter of consideration whether goldmining—when it ceases to be a mere lottery, as in rich newly-opened diggings it undoubtedly is—pays as. a, steady industry—whether, in fact, to raise an ounce of gold does not cost in ordinary cases very close upon its value. li this is the case—and the public opinion ipon the Goldfields seems very much to tend this way—it results that if the raising and export of gold is admitted to be beneficial to the Colony, encouragement should be given to this industry, andsome of the special burdens with which it is now weighted removed."

A special meeting of the Naseby Fire Brigade was held at the Council Chambers on Friday evening last. The meeting had been called to make a presentation to Captain Stephens and Sergeant Langmaak, arid afterwards to spend the evening in sociality. A letter was. read from' Mr. Busch, in which he asked to be allowed to show his appreciation of services rendered to himself on the occasion of the fire on the 24th of. June. Mr. Busch then.presented Captain Stephens with a silver watch;: and Sergeant Langmaak with a gold ring. Captain Stephens, in a few appropriate words, thanked Mr. Busch for the handsome-presents, accepting them as a mark of : appreciations for the services of the Brigade as a whole. The Queen's health, proposed by .Mr.. Busch,. was then drunk with all the honors. Mr. Busch proposed, "The Memory of Daniel O'Connell," which Mr. Brookes replied to. "Success to the Fire Brigade," was proposed by Mr. Brookes, and replied to' by Captain- Stephens. . " The M>ypr_and Councillors," proposed by Mr. Collett, and replied to Mr. L. "W. Busch. "The Miners," replied to by Mr. Pinder. "The Local Press," by Mr. Collett. "Native industry," by Mr. Hall. "The Ladies " by Mr. Jacob. "The Water "Works Company," by Mr. Chapman, brought the list to an end. Songs were sung by Messrs. Pinder, Jacob, Brookes, Collett, Allen and G. Chapman,