THE Mount Ida Chronicle FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1875.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 350, 19 November 1875, Page 2

THE Mount Ida Chronicle FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1875.

It is a difficult problem to define a safe' mean when two distinct parties are; preaching two. separate political gospels of Violent extreme. Set'it is an axiom that the truth in such a case must be between tie extremes. To attempt a true solution wonid draw down, general condemnation. Thera is something so refreshing in this act of throwing one's brains to, the winds, and breaking, the chains of calm reason, in order to follow a political hero — whither .we do not know, and in truth, in our excitement, We do not care — that the world instantly condemns the more cautious, as defective in spirit, if not actually trimming by design. It. is a matter of certainty that in a year's time the political parties of the day will be neither Provincialfsts nor Centralists. "They may be fifty other things, but there is nothing but what is ephemeral in the present war cries. What.is. a. Provincialist? ■ .Whati-is a Centralist? "We should despair of arriving at a definition of'either party which would satisfy its followers. An honest Provincialist would probably tell us he is for preserving- to t.he people local control. An honest Centralist would tell us that he was for conferring upon the people local control. They aim towards the same end. It is true by different roads, but the end is the same. . .If the present rupture resolves itself into the ; establishment ox two Provinces no one ican doubt that the dividing parties of the immediate future will be lldine Rulers and Federal Conservatives. If four Provinces are established we shall,at the least have economist-destructives and the land: conservatives strugglingfor office—each party-ready with infallible . quack, political : nostrum warranted to preserve th«B'State. The term Provincialist is now a misnomer. ; Provincialism is dead.. Her heir-apparent, although like in featured, can never be the same. Provincialism has always shown a, tendency to simplify itself, even under financial pressure. In Napier a Council of fifteen, with the Superintendent as Chairman and general introducer of Government business, has worked well and cheaply. In Otago and Canterbury the same simplification could to advantage have been arrived at. The Southern Provinces were too affluent to. listen to reform in their legislatures. Indeed, their legislatures 'nave come to be regarded as symbols of their strength, as the locks of hair on the head of Samson. There is no reason why simple Boards of Works, with elective Waste Land Boards, should not now take the place of the Councils. .

A sudden creation of Counties would be very unpromising. A Local Government Bill, nicely dividing the Colony, injto" sections mathematically precise, could be made to look very enticing on paper, especially when read in the light of endowments promised in the future. But paper constitutions have proved at the best but inflammable material. By the* 1 gradual and voluntary adoption by the people themselvesspf control over their own local Government by means of' Municipalities and'Koad Boa'rds the work of the Provincial Councils was gradually being rendered superfluous in a healthy way. Even now the practical working, in this busy-young country, of the existing btidies, has not proved, as ypt sc. satisfactory as to incline us o believe three times the number sud-

- s: out exhibiticf-an undue interference ' The is placed hiifY Je,t s the gp\as it truiy. ''lf »9m CenffaM Jhe tpia^lbn- tf> ! £e | ilgrs fcaxed m. op-J for ; expenditure * in" roads 'aitt'd* .iycirks -that will ; not 'cheapen' the' bakers' or the-butchers' bills:«ne fraction/ -* As a mining paper we are utterly at a loss how* to Gol'dfield constituencies in such a-eingu.larly unfortunate crisis. Knowing as we do. T.he ..cruel .neglects andunjost administrative acts of to the interior mining Centres,, it is. gall and wormwqqd to us to support their representatives., On the other hand, the expounders, frave ; proved both feeble and false! Perhaps in the difficulty were safest for once to take aa extremely unsafe course, .and cpnaider the men, : rather than their theories.- . '.-This is a conclusion wcf 'have-Uefefti cbihifig-to during a close scrutiny of the last" worlc, and. to which .we no w .venture t-d ancH6r., ' '■■{>•; ■■ j ; .\. * ' Kemfemberingrthe past services of the men, their age, their edricatipq, their .eloquence, and'their dnflinchingvpatijiotismj there can be no doubt that—putting aside as vain.babblement the inane'writings aboutr of-fice-seeking Superintendents and the like—Sir George Grej, Mr. Macan- . drew, Mr. Fitzherbert, and Mj. Kplleston.are honestj and/not false.- ,-lf they are honest, as their ability is undoubtedj it will be, safer'to return* members to support them,than to help to prop up men who have teen proved' to be false One other fact should not be forgotten in weighing political candidates. If Qrago returns' adiy ijiJed representation ;her; laM fund ,If the representatives returned are liberal in their vie*vsj iand can.agree in the main questions of the day, Otago's weight in Parliament will'b« too great to allow her to be rob.bed of her rightj? it is not likely that.above three men in Utago will be returned - who are unflinching supporters of the present Ministry Jieynolds £f nominated), Steward, and. Cufhbertson. These men; are too true to Ofcago's interest not to give way largely to the majority for the good of the ' • -

Ik the neighboring constituency of ■Waikouaiti Mr; Ge&rge s M-Lean, the late to be opposed by Sir Dillon Bell, to. whom we believe a requisition-hSs 8 be£ti : Mmeiroiisly .and has. whom the candidates'are kno^n,'.but; who-are ignorant of -the peculiarities ; of the constituency as developed in elections, would, by a very simple and natural process, immediately jump to the conclusion •ithat Sir Dillon 'Bell Was perfectly safe; and that Mr. M'Lean, having made himselfknown by a season's representation,. would' be Bent forth again, a wanderer upoff the political waste," until perchance he miaTit find rest for the sole of hia-foot in another district;'- as si m pie and confiding as was that of Waikouaiti:. .We are, however, 'means* sure that such will be the result. No fiaan'is a prophet in his own'coiintryand,?strange though it may seem,,it is just possible that Sir Dillon Bell, who was for years justly appreciated by .the. electors of Mataura, may fine! himself met by! the curious,difficulty that bis interests are now, in a measurfe, almost .identical with those of the pep pie he "seeks to represent, while proportionate .advantage in the fact that he has no hold upon ; : the district whatever. '. ; - . ' 1 . :!

We do not'profesa tobe 'in, accord with Sir Dillon Bell jn all his opinions, but it seems to us that this is-a.contest in-which there will,be butljttle of the conflict of ■ or of opinioh. It is a question'of meii riot" ofmeasures ; and,the: position, in ,vvhjch.ih(B electors of Waikouaiti found themselves onthe occasion- of formerelectionawill in'this forthcoming one be entir ly reversed. They could scarcely be censured in preferring Sir David- Munro, .to a-. local man in Mr, Preston, but it suiely would be a unique' and.most fatuous blunder to reject a local man .in Sir Dillori BeU in order to give the preference ,to a, etrangerj in M ; r./ George M'Lean ! We. conceive that in--this case the mere matter of locality should decide the electors, and that the' ability and long politicaltraining of Sir Dillon Bell might safely be left.out of, consideration. . , 'i v - :

TVe have no desire to depreciate Mr. M'Lean, however, that as a representative he ; may have many excellencies, although wejfear scarcely visible to the naked .eye. Like Brutusy he is armed' very 'strong in honesty, and course .covers a multitude of faults, Of ttia ability to do some things we are quite certain. He speak-for ary length of time in such a way that .no humaiif Soul oan understand him ; can instantaneously antTa's by"the wand of a maeician raise a fog about the clearest subject—"--

" A little cloud on a sunny day When all the rest of heaven is clear ; " and, to crown all, he can in the of a speech puzzle himself "withtbe same ease aud dexteHty with which he can confuse his audience. These are powers, which, for aught we know, may be very useful indeed, but they canscarcely, we should imagine, be turned to .in serving the electors of Waikouaiti.

; -The 'St.®BjitbauSsS annual' race meeting is '.fixedifbr.tßg6th of January. ': : ~ ,THB 'New Zealauji Herald' for tire inonth ::ik r Tfrell ii reputation class illustrated journal. " THEReVJ. terrice on next Sunday evening at' the uau&tliour •at the Preaby tettari <&urbf>,-N asetiy: "The rev. -gen tleman. iVill rprea'eh ; «t : ' BLkK&atdritt-Ffm -the forenoon: r- r-t .? •..'.iho.ir -i

cure their nglft of Votfijg at ,the"electiong should keep their rights properly .renewed, i&fter alap3e of-thirty (fayraTdghi could not be renewed; but would .have/ tobe issuedTaa a new right, which would not carry a vote. Ths Kev. Mr. £o3&, of' Queenstowri, returned on Monday last to hia own district, intending to preacheach night at different stages on his road home. His services have been very much appreciated by the NaSeby congregation. The rising of the Tateri" prevented service being held at Hamilton. Mr. Ross carries home with him warm wishes for his welfare from all Who "have come in contact with him. .

The Commissioner of Police paid his annual Visit to the district last week. We understand the site'for the new gaol was fixed upon between the stable and the Sub Inspector's office." on the ground ait present occupied by the old We cannot understand why grimnd worth abotit £3OOO should be wilfully withheld. from the miners." It cannot even be said that the camp ground is improved, forevery buildingon it must he shortly rebuilt. There can be no doubt that the real government .of the country is entirely in the hands of the non-political heads of departments. •

Thk Representation Act provides that 'the writs for the ensuing election shall be issued as soon as the altered Electoral ; Rolls shall have been formed and published. In case cf accidents a clause is introduced giving'the Governor power to practically postpone the operation of the Act for five years, and to issue writs independently of it altogether, and depending upon the present existing electoral rolls. 4 Thfe chances are the work ia abo6t done by this time, writs may be sued at any moment.

An arrangement has been come to between the miners at Maerewhenua and Messrs. Borton and M 'Master for the ensuing wool season. The miners have agreed to stop running into the Maerewhenua during the sheepwashing. The period at the firsfagreed upon or stated as likely to be required was from the 7th November to the 7th December, but owing to the difficulties of mustering the sheep occasioned by the change, of the weather, the,commencement of the shearing had to be postponed for a week. • This may probably have the effect of causing a largcr'suspension of sluicing was at first intended. At a meeting of shareholders of the St. Bathans Waterworks Company, held in the Scandinavian Water Race Company's .office on Friday last, the following gentlemen were appointed directors and officers for the ensuing twelve months, the old directors~'havirig resigned in a body at a former meeting Messrs. J. Ewing, Wm. M'Connochie, Geo. Prescott, G. H. Smith, Wm. Pyle junior, F.' J. Bunny,- and P., O'Connor • Wm. M'Oonnol chie, Chairman of Directors; F. J. Bunny Hon. Secretary; Wm. rer. A financial statement of the company's position yill appear in a future issue. K verything is in good working order-now, !anjJ good regular dividends are hopefullylooked for before long.

The settling for the Chris'clmrch races took ■place on M&nday afternoon, e The following amounts were paid over:—Delamain, £t72 ; Humphries, £SO; Lrmn,£2<3sj Redwood, £550 ; -W. Cumpbell, ■£7 SO - f It.' H. Campbell. £4O; D. ©lßrien; £5; K. Ray, £9o j Shand, £2O. J. and R, 11. Canipbe-ll ;held their annual sale of racing stock the same.day. Only a few lots were sold. Blair Athol was knocked down .to U. Goodman, bf Dunedin, for 130 guineas; Cocksure, to Harry Prince;- bookmaker, for £250 guineas ; Twitter, to A. Drake, bookmaker, for 135 guineas ; Hercules 120 guineas, and Castilian 60 guineas, to Mr. M'lvor, of Blenheim. Kauri, The Chief, Cloth of. Gold, Xorari, The Fair Puritan colt, Ranoif, Mulrirm.Tommy Dodd, and Pakefca failed to realise-ownera* reserve, and were passed in.—' Guardian ' Ox Monday evening, Bth instantj the Rev! D, Ross;' of Queehstawn, visited the Ark "of Safety Lodge, 1.0.G-.T. , -and during the course of: the evening delivered an interesting and able address, giving a synopsis ~ of th&„ progress of. the total abstinence movement' generally, and especially, its-progress and vitality in the district of Queenstown. He stated that the at Queenstown had been in existence.some eighteen months, and that it had been the means of doiiig an incredible amount of It had met with astonishing support from all classes ; so much so that the liquor traffic had become almost a thing of the past-. Indeed that branch of the Order had been the means of shutting up more than one hotel, causing the proprietors to seek means of living more commendable, and,- triumph of triumphs, in one instance an hotelkeeper bad given up his house and become a member of the Order. He might say that, the ,- members of their lodge. were not composed exclusively of the uneducated and illiterate population of the district—they had the majority of the intelligent and educated of the district, as well as the less erudite. He noticed that in Queenstown in oner respect they had decidedly the superiority over the lodge at A'aseby—viz., in the number of sisters: . He had associated himself "with the movement from its first institution in the Queenstown district, and he had ever considered that, the - more sisters there were the. more vitality would the movement have. They gave a tone to bhe proceedings of the i unknown to' lodges of. a: similar nature, and they were the means of bringing out many more of the brethren. The wives would bring their- husbands,- and-the young >ladies would lirng the unmarried men. He_ considered this method of. augmenting their numbers quite legitimate, and "even eommendable.* Moreover, the • mothers always had more influence over the" minds of the young, and themselves; prose- ' lytes of the movement they would 'always endeavor to inspire in their children a knowledge of the benefits of temperance. He fully believed-in -the proverb brought to his memory by a remark from one of their brethren that evening—" Train up a 1 child in-the.way he arid when he is old he will not depart from it." In conclusion, he must say how much it pleased him to see the progress the movement had Aade in the district, and he would be sure to inform his brethren and sisters aft Queenstown in what a favorable state th? Templars existed here. They had the people on their side, they had the clergy and the * press, and what was there to fear ? He looked confidently forward to the time when the movement should have extended from one end of the earth to the other; i- and have effected its manifold object—-the total reformation of society and the creation of a healthy temperance, feeling. The, rev. brother on resuming his seat was enthusiastically 1 applauded. The W .C.-T. heartily thanked their brother for his visit and his address, and requested him to convey to their brethren and sisters at Queenstown expressions of the goodwill of the Ark of Safety "Lodge. They had not been so fortunate as to secure the members of the clergy in this district, although they were considered favor-' able t<f the movement. He hoped that Bro. Ross would exert his influence to bring about their conversion to the cause. It was not necessary to assure- him of the support, received here—-he could judge for..hiiaself from the representation of - theirthen present in the lodge-room.;

,TjttK Melbourne Cup'was won toy an butsider—Wollomay 1 ; Uichmond, 2; Qoldsbo- ... . rouyb, 3., . 'r ; ir "I iff ahnprst-on Tipua' .writing of Mr, P. vConnolly's. Hotel states—-"The . < is equal to anything, - Court atNaneby " : i .iiVt ithe.itnogt of yesterday in bearing and deciding a number of local case ;, eome of thum involving, very doubtful and. difficult Tpoffitiaf. . Ouf'TCtibrt'Has to be . held Over till 7;; J' . 1. V. will give thb lecture .• on ohomtatqr provioixsly announced in aid of . the Naseby. iHhcnieum .bneday next week; As experimentalJ^ußtraj;ipn£)..wilKbo given.daring th'^%v^hii^ r^e will bo highly instructive. Rumor is increasing 'the number of- 6andi-

datos'for Mount Ida,.. Probably- both Mri. IjCiiry and- Mr..D. F. .Main would agree to '•tandif .thoir-stihmerotis friends' would give reasonable, promises of support."- Mr.; Armstrong.Whose. chance-would be good whoever the contest., Wq are authprjjfGd. to state that Mr. de Lautour will Stand..' ''

. It will bc secTi, the ' Gunrdian 'says, from •'toil report of the infecting,of .the North-Hast Volley Road Board that the.Harbor Board ia not the only public body., whose members ' are; riot aboVe* accepting '.' honoraria" "for their, attendance.. At- the meeting of the ■North-. East Yalley Road Bo'urd on-Friday,"a" notico' of motion was given that members dhouldreceive two' guineas per sitting. Certainly there is nothing like voting oneselves salaries j and "wo hare •nO doubt, ttbould the motion bo carried, the example,of tins Board will very soon be followed' by ; all the other road boards in the Province-. • £t is> astonishing how the noar approach df • the elections shasrperia thec.wita'and'dulls the logic of some papers: . A writer ' Quar,dian' has a most amusingly ignorant - article on the line of railway to the interior. We cull three choice paragraphs:— "Oh every fic-' count the extension of the lino, to the, interior—to Roxburgh,, Clyde, and CroniweU— be by way of Tapanhi,"'ahd.we have laot the slignest hesitation in spying that'any othef -route -would fitly come' under'the, -Frenchman's description of the worst of all' ■crimes—it would be a mistake. " 0 . t Thia much, however, we may he permitted to'say; not in depreciation' of the Palmerston lihe, but as a valid reason for delay, that it would not -pass through"any considerable»area of land already settled, or opener or, fit for,settlement.. No Occasirtn ;d by .dela^ng^ita^hstrpctioricyeta • little longer. °9 n ' Wderaiioiij whieh' tHe^o^p'fuißta'.themselves at variance upon—namely," whether linos of railway should, by preference, be taken through districts '.already settled, or through districts*, that might,could,- -and jihotila.be sottledrr-whichi.vin fine," offer faci-, lit|e(i " C/ 1 y\