THE Mount Ida Chronicle THURSDAY, APRIL 5, 1877.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume VIII, Issue 417, 5 April 1877, Page 2

THE Mount Ida Chronicle THURSDAY, APRIL 5, 1877.

Veuy few of our readers know much, about the taxation raised for Colonial purposes by means" of the Customs House. Certainly when the retail trader is purchasing a Bt'ock of clothing, gum boots, or a parcel of picks, shovels,: and other goods directfrom England, it strikes him as a matter of business that he must allow a heavy per centnge upon first vnlue, for the satisfaction of the Colonial Custom House, before he can reckon the prices to be charged against the consumer. The consumer, again, for his part growls atthe increased price of articles which are essential to the working out of his calling, but does not, as a rule, understand that he is the large contributer to the Custom House. The sins of the Custom House are too often laid to the door of the middle-men. The working men of New Zealand, especially those who are laboring for themselves, are paying a far higher share, in proportion to their earnings than the capitalist, who merely directs labor. It is not denied that the capitalist, too, pays his share, because it is no doubt true that if he has his work done by day labor or by contract the increased charges upon the labor will tell ou the contract price or the daily wage. No doubt also direct taxation, as at present levied, affects the rate of interest obtainable. Still the proposition that the'man whose capital is only his labor is more oppressively taxed than the capitalist will be found to be true. What the former consumes is his living; what the latter consumes ie part of his profit, or at

least is obtainedout'of his abundance. Put another way, this amounts to this, that the 1 great bulk of those who can least afford it are the most heavily' taxed. If this taxation is so severe .a«aimulate<lj no savings, and who find it impossible to accumulate, and have merely to ex--iat,..theiL we.,arg _a system on , fend thaii' the poorhouse and its demoralisation.

Fund is swelled by ! returns, and is that : which should furnish the needful supthe necessary ad ministration "«sAiiy €all&?"Jnade fay Parliament-u for such purposes of administration, illegitimatg. and should be regarded with the mast extreme jealousy by the IPeoplps.l Our public works, as is well *lxifo\viv are beiirg" constructed out of ej^borrovved.The interest upon , -..that Kasjnev&r yet fal- 1 len heavily 'upon . our Consolidated pertain the revenues from neafly^altcales'j arid "therefore th 1 !"* additional, protection tQ the. Consolidated 1 urid, the theoretical mortgage of our lands, is hardly needed. The subsidies to local bodies, payable sit the pate of 10s. in the £l upon rates out of Consolidated Fund, is a direct charge upon the taxpayer. This Fund, which,, as.has been stated, is swelled by the taxes upon clothes, tools, boots, and even sugar and tea, is to supply a bonus to the owners of property who may choose to tax themselves for local This subsidy is a bonus, for'the taxation in any County.drawn from property is, together with its subsidies, wholly available for the improvement of the estates which are rated, for as "yet Counties have no debts. The local rate is in reality likely to be but a co-operative contribution, to be spent for the mutual advantage of the contributors, together with the heavy bonus to be paid by the more numerous body of individuals whose capital is their muscles, or their-mechanical skill. The subsidy, charge is then clearly an illegitimate charge upon the Consolidated Fund, and should not only be iregarded with suspicion, but scouted as a monstrous injustice, or, if Parliament as a representative body can do nothing unjust, an act pf suicidal folly. It ■ is hardly credible that the fortunate purchasers of landed estate —who areiri many, cases, obtaining an annual rental for land equal in amount to what they gave a few years ago for the freehold, ■ through no Virtue oil their part, but on accb'iint of a liberal expenditure of public monies and settlement of population—should receive a bonus contributed by the laboring classes, who have no property, and, at the present increasing rate of taxation upon necessaries, are'.not likely to hold any, to ..the very great detriment of the Colony. This is inversing the tax upon property with a .vengeance. It is the deliberate act of our Parliament, which is supposed .by. many an ardent worshipper at the setting sun'of Centralism to be liberal, in tone and in idea, and a body trrily representative of the people of. ,New Zealand. Before it can become : so political education must spread among our people to a much greater extent than'it has hitherto done. If Centralism by. its glaring illiberalities tends to politically educate the people it will at least have developed one small virtue. We do not expect much. For small mercies we are prepared to be 1 thankful. - - •>-r- . Tiiat the great plains of Strathtaierij Mamotpto, Ida Valley and Manuherikia must be opened by rail communication within the next ten year s is one of those propositions that to our mind has long been axiomatic. Those plain's comprise the bulk of the valuable country now remaining unalienated south of Christchurch. Smaller patches of gdod land in the Mackenzie Country, on the Waitaki, and between Clyde and Queenstown do remain, but not to any very great extent. The Tuapeka railway will do these agricultural plains some little harm, m so far as it will tend to hide them, as the bulk of the travelling public will go to the Lakes ..by Lawrence and Clyde, thus, not seeing the immense resources for population on their right hand. There is then a natural tendency in the traveller's mind to favor an assertion of knowledge of the Interior, when in reality , its grandest but most barren portion has orily been seen. ' '■ ? . The real .value of the Plains cannot much longer Jbe concealed. We ride through the Mr niototo for twenty or thirty miles expecting to find shingle everywhere, as on the Canterbury plains, but we see little or.no shingle, but a sleepy, bank-.confined, sluggish river, as beautiful to look at as the Thames, the Avon, or other river flowing through the-.choicest 'counties of England. Following the river down farther past the Lake and round Hyde —although it-has lost its, beauty because of the mining carried on —all through Strathtaieri we have the same clay-bank confined river, which, so far from having formed shingle on its course, used, even prior to the days of sluicing, to afford a soft ford of- mud at Outram. The bulk of the Lower Plain itself has been carved out of the despised Maniototo. The thirty-mile Ida Valley has no shingly river or creok, except the Ida Burn, in its upper reaches. The Manuherikia, coming from the Hawkdun Mountains, brings down shingle, but does not pick it up on its course, its numerous feeders—with the exception of the Dunstan Creek, which is more truly a main branch of itself—being notoriously dangerous beds of bog and spongy clay. Perhaps no sounder guess could be made at the nature of an unknown

couritrjr than one founded on a description of its rivers. To make roads into this County fit to carry traffic would - be a great waste of money—the distance to the seaports is too great for the pro- " J>j means of the* ' best ; roa~ds. At the same time the 'coSE?rTof railroads in average country is|aQ«""very little more i-han the cbst of- well pitched waggon roads. -- - --> There are three alternative routes by which a railway can be brought. First, and most naturally from Pall mers_ton, by Kyeburn, Ida Valley and Blacks; secondly, from Outram, by Strathtaieri, Hyde, Kyeburn, '&c ■ -thirdly, from the Waiareka terminus' in. Cave Valley, by Livingstone, the Pass, and- -Kyebiurn rpigjgings* first o£ theses lines has ' in detail to Waihemo, "and " the have been taken and an estimate prepared for its continuation from the Kyeburn Hotel as far ; .up as. Clyde. The cost of construction of this line i 3 per mile on the whole disytaiiee, the special expense ending at *1? from whence tnere is no difficulty. Seeping in view the expense of the 26 miles from Waihemo and the determination of the Palmei&tdniarisf to resist-the etflststrac-i % | tion of such a line—as Palmerston is j to remain a terminus' -for ever—the route in the meantime must be abandoned. _ With : regard- ito- tke" jaiddle alternative, the expense of the line from Outram to Strathtaieri is not Known, while the distance of rouo-b country is from twenty td thirty miles. If the expense of getting through this rough country shouid prove to be light, and ways and means, could be fpuud' to construct it, this line, as' tapping Strathtaieri, would have, such "great advantages as not to be laid aside without serious consideration.. - At. the same time the distance by such a route "that produce would have "to fce carried would, at a mileage rate, entail heavy transport charges. The TPass rout© would join the Waiareka railway, now open, about seven miles from .Livingstone, better known as the nua Diggings township. The distance from the Kyeburn Diggings to Livingi stone is eighteen miles, and from KyeI burn to the Waiareka terminus twen-ty-five miles, and from Kyeburn Diggings to Oamaru forty-three. By adopting this route, twenty-five miles of railway would connect the Maniototo Plain with a seaport town, with an excellent and safe harbor. If this line is practicable, and we believe it is, the short length of the carriage places it far before the Shag Valley or the Strathtaieri lines, as regards Maniototo, Ida Val r „, ley, arid the Manuherikia. " TKe Pass"! country does not appear more difficult 4 ' than either of the others. Already a party of miners, with little capital, have taken a water race from the very heart of the Pass, on to the Otekaike... downs. From where this party of miners lift their water supply to the Eye- *: burn there is no more serious obstacle than a rough jagged bluff of* schist rock here and there to be tabled. The .difficulty in this respect is not ne irly so great as was dealt with through a much greater stretch of country on the road -from Clyde to Queens town by the'Pro-' yince of Utago. The. Kyeburn saddle i 3 of a more serious nature, but it is believed that a survey, at the gradient's •' successfully in use on the main line, would shew that a sufficiently high point on it could be reached, to surmount the difficulty, with the* aid of" J st ' short and inexpensive tunnel. Such a line would have many additional f advantages. Foremost among tlfese w\rald j be thejfine Port of Oamaru, and the advantages of connecting the interior with, the most promising town, outside Dune-din-and Christchurch, in the South Island. We believe, also, that landowners and others interested in the prosperity of the Oamaru district would b& prepared to give the land free, arid even undertake the construction of the line, receiving in return a concession of land in the Interior. So far as appearances go at present, the most favorable route is that by the Pass. It is to be hoped that the Government will allow an Engineer of ability to survey this route Oxford the next session of Parliament, when overtures will, we believe, be made for the construction of the line. —♦ The honest effort being the Ma-? niototo County Council *-o carry out the requirements of the Counties Act without a costly system of administration is very galling to the extreme advocates of Centralism who have been instrumental in instigating heavy expenses in other Comities existing under similar conditions. It is tobe feared that the effort is to be bootless. For it to succeed, the two parties of the compromise would to be eager to attain the same end. Unfortunately it is only too evident that the Government isdetermined to evade the spirit of the Permissive Principle, as embodied in the legislation of last session.-' It is, unfortunately, very easy for this to be done. The only requirement to "ensure it is that a masterly inactivity should be followed out by Ministers. It iseasy; thus to make the Permissive clauses inoperative* and starve the Council into a compliance with the full Act. This course has been determined upon. No member.of the Council can suppose that the course adopted at the last meeting,, of relegating the whole functions of the local body to one of its members, can be sanctioned, or that if it eould be that it would give satisfaction. The Government will not give any money if the Council, does not constitute —that is the whole thing. - The Council will have this morbid satisfaction if forced to constitute: that its members have honestly striven to economise the public administration, and, in so far as they have failed, have only so failed because of the evasion of legitimate responsibility exhibited by the Government of the day, whose sole cry is, and has been, Economy. We fear the Economy of Centralism is as unwholesome a thing &a Centralism, itself.

Tna San Francisco mail will arrive on Tuesday next. Tns Suez mail cloaca at Naseby to-morrow at'the usual hour. Parts 12 and 13 of tho Municipal Act of 187G are now extended, try Proclamation, Dunedixi. ■ ■ * ' / Good FiUdav and Euater Monday were obMerved as close holidays in Naaeby. Special services, which wore well attended, wero h<ld at Naseby. Tick Governor has appointed Thomas Meredith Smith, oilicer in charge of police, Naseby, to bo inspector of weights and measures for tho district of Mount Ida. Foil the representation of Totara, vacant by tho death of Mr. Tribe, two candidates have appearod—l)r. Doyle, of Wellington, and Mr. William Findluy, well known on the West Coast as a partner in tho firm, of Hall and Fiudlay. Tiie proclamation of the agricultural lease block on tho Kyoburn run appeared in the Government Gazette of tho loth ult. The further notification o£ date on which applications can be received will probr.biy bo. notified as soon as the lithographic maps are ready. Fkt?B payable to tho Chief Postmaster for private mail bags arc now fixed at £2 for 12 months, and £1 for 0 months or loss, payable in advance, the term ending in all cases on tho iJOth of Juno or tho 31st of December. On Thursday last" (20th)-Mr. 11. A. Sherrin was brought up at Waiinato, charged with li-. , belling Mr. G. M-. Reed, of the ' Otago. Guardian,' and committed for trial at the Supreme Court, Timaru. Bail was accepted—Lho acelided in £200., and two sureties of .-filOOeayh.. ' Tho bail not being forthcoming, Sherrin is detained in Timaru gaol. Tub advertisement in our last issuo proclaiming a suspension of certain regulations appears, in the ' Gazette ' of the 15 th ult., and is in reference to an application made some time ago in tho interests of those who have claims protected near the Channel. The jjrayer of tho petitioners appears to be granted just about the time when it is a matter of indifference. Blessed red tape, great are thy virtues ! to the Treasurer. Our readers aro awaro that the sum of £9 4s. was netted by the complimentary concert to Master W. if. Collett a few weeks ago. With this money Messrs. Vickery and Strong, whilo in Duucdin, procured a handsome writing desk, microscope, and music box, ' which they presented to Master Collett. Tho materials we're procured from Messrs. Hayman and Co.'s warehouse, and were of excellent value. On the plato in tho writing desk was inscribed, "Presented to Master W. H. Collett by his Naseby friends." Tint Rev. T£. Royer ■will lecture to-night (Thursday) at Naseby on " Insanity," in aid of tho funds of St. Patrick's Church. In the hands of the rev. lecturer this interesting subject will bo made of a most instructive charactor, its foundations in the general intemperance of mankind being, we suspect, startlingly revealed. Father Royer's deep insight and research in the field of physiological and psycologicaL science will be of great value in illustrating his subject. 'Die lecture will be delivered in St. Bathans on the 9th inst, in aid of St. Patrick's School, C. J. Allan, Esq., M.D., in the Chair. The Lawrence railway was opened on Monday last with a considerable amount of enthusiasm, a largo number of gentlemen leaving Dunedin by special early train to .bo present at tho demonstration. A committee of energetic men bad been untiring in their efforts to make the opening a success The event is no common one. To place Lawrence within a few liours of the metropolis is to confer a great boon on tho interior. At tho same time the prosperity of Lawrence is confirmed. The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Ager.ey are about to erect warehouses and departments for the receipt of grain and produce at the terminus. Other businesses are also about to be established. From this forward Lawrence should be one of the most thriving, as it has long been one of the most pleasant, up country towns in Otago. We understand that a letter has been received from the Secretary of the Palmerston Cricket Club in reference to tho return match with Naseby, and referring to the letter which appeared in our columns a fortnight ago. He naturally assumes that it is generally thought in Naseby that tho Polrnorston Club had -promised to play tho return match this season, and says that no such promise was made. To this the Secretary of the Naseby Club has replied that this Club as a whole did not expect tbe return match would bo played this year, and that probably no one of the Eleven but the writer of the letter in question ever* thought that such a promise had been given and expressing Lis regret that such a reference had been made in the ' Chronicle' to the matter. Tho Secretary to the Palmerston Club, in his letter, offered, to xnako the return match with Naseby tho first obligation on his.Club for the next season, which proposition has 'seen acceded to, so this little misunderstanding has not been without some good results. At the Waate' I/nncls Bourr!'jnoeting last -woelc, a report by tho District Land Officer at Naseby, with reference to a blook of 600 acres on Run' No. 220, offered to bo opened for sale by Messrs.- Handyside and Roberts, without receiving compensation for same, was rend. Land to bo surveyed as near as possiblo into three 200 aero sections, and other conditions, as stipulated for by Messrs. Handysido and Roberts, as to upset price, valuation, &c., to bo complied with ; tho Chief CommisHioner to signify the terms of this resolution to Meßurs. Handyside and Roberts. Messrs. Connell nrid Moodie, for L. Grant, applied for leave to purchase a portion of land between the road-lino* and sections 1 and 13, block IY., Maerewhenua, to complete property. Postponed for furthor particulars.—-The Board' considered a letter from Mr.'Mrtin with refereuce to petition of Bottlers at Hvrte, transmitted by Mi', do Lautour. 'Read, and consideration adjourned, pending report of District Land OfJicor.—Warden Robinson transmitted plan of water rnco applied for by F. G. Dalgoty On 17th of November, 1875, for approval. Approved. Tiie Maerewhenua railway, better known perhaps as the* Awatnoko line, on account of its junctio/i with the main line being so called, has beetfi working for over twelvempnths. It is Very satisfactory to find that .this line, conceived and carried out bj tho Provincial authorities, is one of the best paying lines in the Colony, At one time it was thought that the traffic on it would bo confined to tho busy season of the year, during shearing and harvest. This has not proved to bo the ea«e. The wool certainly is carried during tho summer months, as soon as possible after shearing, "but the grain continues to pour in all the year round.' 1 It was also considered tho passengor traflio would be nominal. This conjecture, fortunately, was also erroneous, the receipts. from passenger traffic ncing very goVid. . The line is worked cheaply, and the only complaint heard itfthat the rails', are too licrKt; and'there is great Ytifiieulty in properly, ballasting them. "'.We 'suppose this means that the ballasting has to bedohe'too'thoronghly to suit the contractor, who lias gone in at low figures. With regard to this complaint, "*i(r isr understood that very shortly, the Government intend to take, lip. #ll 401 b lines on tiie main lines, replacing with, others of 581bs. In this case the whort- portions of .the branch lines laid -down with 281b rails will be replaced with 'others weighing 4t)lbs. After all the only fault is, that a slower pace ib needed, and this, we venture to believe, is as yet a very secondary fault in New Zealand.

A juseting of tho Niißeby School Committee Was hold in tho Schoothouse en Saturdayevening last. Present -Rev. J ; Hobbs, H. Anderson and H. Wilson. . Tho Schoolmaster's iiioptlily report, and report from Inspector of Schools on the rscont examination wero. read. Resolved—Tluvt the consideration of these reports be left oyer for special meeting to bo held on Wednesday next. : Resolved That the Committee desire to congratulate the teacher (Mr. Menzies) for the very,favorable report of the school by the Inspector. Resolved—That tho Chairman be -requested to audit the accounts for the year ending 31st March.—-The meeting then adjourned;— The adjourned meeting was held on Wednesday evening. Present —Messrs. Wilson, Anderson-, Gillespie, and de Lnutonr. Tho annual returns to March 31st were audited and approved. " Schoolmaster's report:—The Secretary was instructed to seo tho parents in cases where arrears of school fees wero considerable. Irregular attendance :—A large number of children wero reported as : being absent the greater part of the month. It was suggested that a circular be drawn up f or transmission to patents in all eases where children are absent a fourth of their time in any month. It was resolved to apply for aid in the .purchase of suitable school-furniture, the Committee agreeing that the Inspector vvas quite justified in reporting the present desks as utterly unsuited for children learning to write. The Committee then adjourned.

Since Mr. Donald Reid's, visit to Naseby, and his acceptance of the responsibility of directing tho Engineers in the final steps to be taken in tho matter of completing the works, every possiblo expedient conducive towards speed lias been adopted. Bed tape appears to have vanished for a time. The timber for the tunnel is on the ground, and indeed nearly in the ground, for a very, short timtf will suffice to put it nil in, and Jet the Water through The distributing race, for one milo and twenty chains, has been let in short sections, and when this is completed; and a few small dams are put in, nothing will be-required to'.enablo tho miners to commence work eicept tho regulations. The Channel has to be put right where broken, but this work is progressing—a number of Chinamen having beon employed, under Mr. Bowes. Tenders for the six sections of tho distributing raco have been accepted, -as under : Section 1, 7 chains 20 yards, Kum Yean ; section 2,12 chains, 40ft, Q-corgeHodginaj.sectior) 3, 20 chains, George llodgins ; section 4, 20 chains, Ah Lim j section 5, .20 chains, John Bradley ; section G, 20 chains, Beraard Gordon—specifications to be signed, and work commenced before noon on Wednesday, 24th, under penalty of refusal to consider tender. Tho prices given vary from £1 Bs. per Chain, for section No. 6, to £3 55., for section 2. Section 1 is taken at £2 108., section 3 at £2 155., section 4 at £2 125., and section 5 at £2 3s. The total coßt, if carried put as let, will be a little over £232. In addition, there, will bo two or more slight flumes to makeup. The work is expected to bo done in a month from the 3rd insl., when the tenders were let. The condition in all eases imposed was that work must bo commenced forthwith.

The impounding epidemic has set in. When our runholders are idle, which is very often, and aro troubled with dyspepsia, the epidemic sets in. This attack is bad—so bad that Stanley, well known about Macraes and Hyde in connection with his faithful services for Mr. D. F. Main, has, it is said, been engaged by three neighboring runs to clear off all cattle to the pound. As the same hardworking gentleman probably gets a premium on each head from the poundkeeper, .his zeal is never satiated. We think Mr. Mackenzie is ill-advised in forsaking the policy so successfully* pursued by the Messrs. Sanders Brothers, of using a wise forbearance, while not allowing free grazing on the run. It is evident that the district is now about to make a progressive leap, which will place it in the first rank of prosperous inland towns. Its people can obtain as much land as ever they like, if they choose to ask for it. That Naseby can progress without.injuring the. the neighboring pastoral tenants, to a slight extent, is impossible. That -was known when Air Mackenzie's firm, and the Pastoral Company, bought. They speculated on tho inevitable but gradual decay of Naseby. Their speculation to that extent is on the wrong side. Naseby has not decayed, is not near decaying, aud, from a careful outlook on all sides of the country, we are glad to be aide at last to say with confidence that no people, or no district, in spite of the pastoral tenants, in spite of bad public administration, in spite, too, of »n unpardonable apathy and faintheartedness on the part of its people, has a brighter or more immediate day of prosperity before it. One idea strikes Us.; In this case a good deal of the impounding.' is illegal, and a good deal in violation of the Act for tho Prevention of, Cruelty ,to. Ani-. mals. What a scene for our reporter—Veal and Calf v. Mackenzie, damages' £2O. Heard before M. J.'S. Mackenzie and E. A. Chapman, Esqs., J. P/s, at Naseby. ■ , Mnssns. Indeji AND'Georoe-will sell, on Saturday next, freehold property in Lcven-strect. Tekdehs for tlio lease of the rioncer Water Raco claito, and tools, are callad fof. . f Owners of .dogs and gorita nro required to register ; tlio same within seven days'. See advertisement. Tendehs for tho Maerewhenua "Water Race, for twelve moutlm,Ayili be received by J, Lory, manager until tho 20th inst.' • • - - • '• Alt, cattle trcspndsins on Norton hnd M'Haster's run, at Kyeburn, will bo impounded, if not removed by the 21-st inst.-