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Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume VIII, Issue 419, 19 April 1877, Page 2

Tee Maori boy who lived sixteen months in the hot springs at Taupo is dead;

The animal meeting of shareholders in the Mount Ida Pastoral Company is to be held on the Ist if ay. A tea-meet rso, in connection with St. George's Church, Naseby, is to be held at the Town Hall on Thursday evening next. His Lordship Bishop Nevill will be present. Naseby sent down 803 ounces of gold by the escort this week. St. Bathans sent none, but a large parcel -is expected to be ready for the next trip. His Lordship Bishop M oran, and accompanying clergy, bad a narrow escape from serious accident when travelling on the Manuherikia Plains: The horses started, and ran into a wire fence. Fortunately, beyond a severe shaking and slight bruises, no injuries were received by any of the party. The Oamara Jockey Club Lave not been Xi successful as they deserved to be in the settling up of their late meeting. It is reported that after paying accounts and £3OO for the improvement of the course, the Club will be £SO in debt.

The Brogdens have laid a claim for£lßß,ooo for extras on the Clutha line of railway, and have entered a general action against the Government for extras on all the lines constructed by them. The amount of the action is nearly a quarter of a million. The Solictor-General's opinion i 3 that the claim is a good one. The action will probably be tried in England.

Competition in evangelisation is now the rule; At a late meeting ol the Committee of the Young Men's Christian Association—"The Secretary reported that an offer of a higher rent for the Use of the Queen's Theatre on Sunday evenings having been made by the Freethought party and early possession being wanted he had, with the sanction of the president and other friends of the cause, retained possession of the theatre at the advanced rent al."

The concluding works on the Head Race are now well in hand. The tunnel is just about completed. The dam is finished, being 3odded to the top in a veiy substantial manner. Mr. G. Currie is making every expedition with the flushing race, the difficult crossing to Wet Guilj being now done, and a start made to connect the Channel withthe completed portion cf the race at the main Hamilton road. The distributing race is well in hand, the contractors being confident that they can complete their respective contracts up to time.

A lettee from Dr. Carr appears in the ' Times' of Monday, in which it is alleged that Sherrin had been the subject of the doctor's beneficence on several occasions. His letter is a strong one, and the writer thinks that any further action by him in the matter would be superogatory. In connection with this miserable man, under whose skirt 3 the newspaper proprietor was protecting himself, the ' Guardian' states what will l>e of interest, that, as regards an alleged acceptance of a settlement by apology of the case" against Cumming, it has the best information for stating that it will be settled by nothing of the kind, but by the Supreme Court at Timaru. d __ At a deputation in Dunedin to the Hon. the Minister of .Lands—" Mr. E«id was understood to say that the Government intended bringing forward a measure dealing with charitable institutions generally. "Whether the bill was finally drafted yet he could not say, but the aid to be given was not decided upon. It would be conceded generally that the Dunedin Hospital had better appliances than the hospitals in small up-countrv districts, and therefore it was entitled to a more liberal allowance." As to the appliances we do nob know but what is the use of appliances if they are not applied. Our small experience of Dunedin Hospital is that the " better appliances" did not include cleanliness or suitab'e. diet.

We believe the Maniototo County Council -will be summoned to meet early next -week, to again consider the position of"the County. The Government refuse to assist the Council in any way, or to do anything even within their absolute powers to facilitate public business. Meanwhile the roads are becoming dangerous, and the time for repairing them with economy is nearly past. Even the new road formed by the Government round the Swinburn is being totally destroyed for want of attention. The Government do not care. £2OOO of public money may be wasted—it matters nothing, so long a3 "we'' are untroubled. Yet, strangely, the country this road goes through, is all Government land.

Mr. Viwcent Pyke, the County Chairman of Vincent, is determined to earn the gratitude of his trusting supporters. ThereTis no holding him. One day he is at Lauder, another at Blacks, then Alexandra he delights to honor, and possibly Cromwell. He is Road Inspector, Engineer, Paymaster, County Barrister, Magistrate, all rolled in one. Under his rule the roads are being got into order, and made fairly passable for the winter, and even the ' Dustan Times ' is getting readable. A sporting friend offers us long odds that before 12 months are out Mr. Pyke will be the most popular man in, Vincent County. Even the very roadmen are sacked as if he loved them. The onlv pity is that his great qualities should be re-

stricted. Let him open his arms, and take in Lake.,, County and Maniototo to participate in tho fatted calf now being killed at Clyde. At the last meeting of the Waitaki County Council a telegram was read from Wellington stating that tho Government had ', authorised the sum of £11,355 9s. Gd. to be paid iuto tho bank to the credit of the ■ Council. Tnit Canterbury land sales Inst quarter ', • ttmountod to £108,541 10s. 2rt., the amount for March boing within a pound or two of £90,000, and lust wock and on the 9th, £26,000 worth was sold. Hx3 Lordship Bishop Nevill is expected at Naseby on Tuesday next, to bold a confirmation service on Wednesday, and various other gcrvicea during the week throughout tho district — tho particulars of time and place of e ach being notified in our advertising columns. The ' Oavnaru Mail' reports that: —Messrs Fleming and Hodlcy held a sale of the Maerewhenua Hotel, sections in the township of Duntroon, and 100 acres of land adjoining the township. There was a very large attendance. The first lot submitted was the hotel, which was started at £6OO, and ufter a spirited run, £I4OO was reached, but the reserve being £ISOO the property was passed in. As the sale of the township was contingent upon the sale of the hotel, all the sections were withdrawn. Privately, the 100-acre section adjoining the township was sold to Messrs. Hislop and Creagh, solicitors, Oamaru, at a very satisfactory figure. There were a gr«at many buyers for tho sections, and, privately, tho most of them could have been sold' at satisfactory prices. The auctioneers are in treaty for the sole of the hotel. As soon as the purchase is completed, the sections wil be advertised and sold. The Nwoby branch of the Government Life Insurance Department has been doing good service since the inauguration of the scheme. About eighty-five life policies have been effected, the amount insured being now * £28,000, the annual sum paid in premiums being £IOOO. The business has largely increased during the past twelve months, shewing creditable energy upon the part of the department, or a groat increase in habits of thiift on the part of the people. During the year 5G of these 85 policies have been ■effected, tho amount insured being £IB,OOO, the annual premiums amounting to £7OO Such results are very sati-factory, as shewing the permanent hold men have taken in the district. To judge of tho real amount of money thus providently invested in the district i« not easy, U3 a large amount is insured in private offices. In addition, also, a respectable sum is insured in the Government office through tho Duuedin office, which is ever on tho look out for big fish, rather than small ones. One or two such have been landed from Naseby district. At the Warden's Conference, to bo held shortly in Wellington, the subjects which it is believed will form chief matter for consideration are the consolidation of all existing mining regulations into ouo codo which will be applicable to tho entire colony, and tho amendment of the existing regulations in respect to leases, which vesta the granting nnd cancellation of leases in tho holder of the Governor's delegated powers. It is proposed to substitute for the latter ans uthority to the War • den of the district in which the lease is situated to deal with all leases in bisministerial capacity. With respect to the solidation of the numerous mining rules, the labours of the Conference, if successful in effecting it satisfactorily, will have been exorcised to good purpose, but it is to the question of the manner in which leases in the future shall bo dealt with that we purpose referring at present. It may very properly bo argued that, inasmuch as the iiersons in whom the power to deal with leases ias hitherto rested have never been resident upon the golclflelds, and in arriving at a conclusion as to the manner in which any particular mining lease shall be dealt with, have been solely guided by the Warden's recommendation, and the written testimony of the parties interested, therefore the disposition of applications has practically rested with the Warden j and it having been so in practice, thero can bo no reason why tho Wardens ahould not be clothed with the actual power to finally determine these matters. In support of this view of the subject it will be conceded that expensive delays will be avoided, and oubstaritial justice more speedily awarded, lor our own part, wo are of opinion that if there is to bo any change the power of Wardons should be restricted rather than •widened, and wo certainly think that there exists very grave objection to these officers being invested with the power to deal ministerially with the immense interests involved in the grant or cancellation of goldmining leases.— * Inangahua Herald.'