TO-NIGHT'S MEETING.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 72, 24 March 1873, Page 2

TO-NIGHT'S MEETING.

u ■ Of the importance of this meeting it is unnecessary ..for us to dwell upon now. It is i fully recognised by. the people of Nelson^ amongst whom a determination prevails to do all in their power to tring about a different and a more satisfactory state of things tban that which now obtains. Tbe Committee, who after much and careful consideration, have adopted a report upon which are based the resolutions to be proposed to-night,, have worked heartily and well at the task they bad set themselves, and if the public will ODly enter upon the matter vin a similar spirit, and with an equally strong desire to arrive at such conclusions as are best calculated to produce the wished for result,. we feel certain that good must eventually arise out of the movement that was set on foot two or three months ago, and which has led to the calling of this evening's meeting. One thing, we' trust,will be remembered in any discussion that may take place to-night. This is not a political meeting. It is simply an assemblage, of a number of men who have in view the welfare of their province, who believe that some little light has begun to dawn upon them as to the best means by which their object is to be attained, and to whom the political opinions of those who have worked, and who are desirous of working with them, are a matter of complete indifference. There is no need to look back. The work we have to do lies before us, and in that direction we must keep our eyes steadily fixed if we are really desirous that success should attend our efforts. Heaven helps those who help themselves. Let us show that we are deserving of such assistance by taking determined, immediate, and, aboye all, united action. Then, if we should fail, we shall at least have the satisfaction of knowing that we have v done our duty; if We succeed, we shall in the days of our prosperity look back with pleasure and .pride upon the part we had taken in bringing about a more healthy state of affairs than that to which was owing the agitation that has given rise to the meeting of this evening. The following are the resolutions which will be proposed by Mr Sclanders. 1. That to promote the prosperity of this province, and to develop the mineral wealth. in the Buller, Inangahua, and Grey .Valleys, and to induce settlement upon the , rich flat and timbered lands therein, it is necessary to establish some cheap and permanent means of overland communication between Nelson and Greymouth. without further delay. 2. That as the greater part of the proposed line will pass through heavilytimbered country, and as coals and other minerals will form a large proportion of i the outcoming freight, a railway 'will be the best means of establishing permanent communication, and encouraging the settlement of the lands proposed to be opened up; and also will connect the short lines now being constructed at Nelson and IG-rey mouth;, and enable 'trains to run through from port to port. fi y

:^"-:--gr Thatl; in 'view! of f tbfe" vast sources 7 of •wealthi (especially cf coal and gold) known A tb 1 exist, in I- the .country propossd to, be opened np, it is desirable to form •. a Company^ under the Joint-Stock Companies Acts, for the construction of a railway oh the basis ot, the Report ; of the Sub- ? Committee on Finance. :'• '•■< .-'„„■ ; u ■«..<£- rji^^ the co-operation and assistance . ',- t of rithe -^General and : Provincial Go'vernYments be requested, on the ground that no 7. : Ptherc ppblic work can equal the proposed * in the benefits it will confer on the 7pr,oyipce. ■- .; *•-,- •■•-■7- ,•• "- ;Ysi;That the Superintendent be reTquested to endeavor to obtain an Act from ; 'the Provincial Councilat its next session, . recommending the Governor to set apart and apportion at least 900,000 acres of the .; :WBBte..lands-of the province, as an inducement for the construction of such railway, and grant the same to the Company, under the provisions of the 17th section of the .^.lmmigration and Public' iWorks Act, '"1870.""" 6. That the Governor, be requested to enter into an* arrangement with such Company for the construction of. the railway, and. under the 9th and 10th sections of the " Railways Act, 1870,'' to grant the above land to the Company as an inducement /or the construction pfsuch railway. 7., That the Waste Lands Board be requested to grant to the Company a lease of the 1280 -acres set apart for the Brunner Mine, on the minimum terms authorised by tbe 65th section of the ' ' Waste Lands Act, 1863.'' 8. That the General Government be requested. to obtain the necessary power to lease to the Company the Nelson and Foxhill, and Greymouth and Brunnerton rajlwjaysi ,with their > respective rolling stocks, upon such terms as may be agreed. „j; 7 9. That ;. the .'- Superintendent < be requested to place on the Estimates the sum of £5000; to defray "the costs of a • forking survey of. the line and the preliminary expenses' attending the formation - of -a Company, and the . passing of the necessary legislative enactments.

fci i i i ~ — ; . i j ...The,; Hon. Julius Vogel. — The Charleston Herald gives the following . sketch.of- the .lifeof Mr Vogel up to the time of his joining the Ministry in New Zealand r^Mr Vogel ~was feorn in London on the 24th February, 1835, so that he is .now in. his thirty-eighth year. In. early "life he had very delicate health, and was chiefly educated,; by masters, at home. In 'his thirteenth year he attended the London University., he remained , until he was sixteen. At this age%e lost both his- parents; ,7. After, he left school he entered .the. office of his grandfather, who ■was the head of a large honse in the West ' India and South American trade. It was ' intended Mr Vogel Bhould acquire a knowledge of mereaptile, pursuits, 7.and: with this! view he proceeded to South America, where,,; .through his connections; -good ; prospects awaited him. But when the Victorian goldfields became famous he was seized"with f the restless feverto visit them which attacked so many young men, and against' the advice of : his friends he proceeded to the new El Dorado. Before leaving, however, he went through a course; o£ 7- study in the chemistry and metallurgy of gold and silver at the Royal School of immeß,Jermy n-streefcr was Dr Percy's first ."pupil in the metallurgical . laboratory" of that institution and, from that gentleman, 'took out with him to Melbourne a proficiency in the art of melting and assaying the precious metals. Some time after his arrival Mr Vogel was concerned" iir various business pursuits in Melbourne. and on the goldfields. Tp oblige a friend, who was ill, he wrote an article fpr an up-country newspaper, and so first became connected with journalisaa, tb : which W' J afte E rwar^s-:, "devoted hjmseljf. . He became editprj ; 0 f .XheyMdryborougJi and DungUy Advertiser, proprietor of theinglewoodiAdvifliser, arid partsproprietor of lhsl:Tqlbot.y Leader. When the rush 2 to7otago, New Zealand, commenced,, he wjenTY6~TD^nediH ""and purchased an interest ip the principal i paper, .started the Otago Daily Times, -tlie first daily news--7 paper., in7'Newi(jZealah;d,7 and Owbich 7fqr/ f some years he; edited. 7 Before & heT left? Victoria, he stood jt;cjrnt'ested for the Ay oca -districts -' fie^pblled 2000 votes, Wt«w'aTß;'defeated by the Hon. Mr GranY' and.Slr-Pavisf the - present Chairman^ of~ j Committees. Annoyance at this defeat had a great deal todp with his departure for -New ;Zealand, ;. He. studied; hard : the politic.? 1 A yearßjibsc^ 7', ; H;OUBiJJ4^ ' ; arid? l-pl^ theft ;. YPrpyiaciaV; Ppjancil : 9sp •£ ■Ass(i &>«?»e :"•.;. y earfihe ;|^ S*^ i^ebutiye^b^ . baying disposed, of ■7A7sfa Gape jDews is from the Argus. of the 4th

Free State territory, : between some Basutos and a party of farmers. The Free State authorities: required thej natives"; re-'\ turning to'their. home's frbmHhe diamondfields, and passing through their territory, to be furnished with passports from the^ state- officials in addition to those granted at the fields. . The Basutos were also required to give up guns -in theijyposseSjSipnr and, on refusing to dp so, wer.e^JLrejd upon.! 'Some pj thej77iatives ;>were |iil|ed, >and others wounded. The Basutos retired to British territory, Sir Henry Barkly has-, informed the Free State Government that any further aggressions by its officials onthe territory of West jGriqualand will be; resisted^and thei aggressor's, punished; .ac»| cording to law. The Free State authorities protest, and hold Her Majesty's Government liable for any loss the Free State may sustain. They had captured waggons and -goods, which belonged to.. British subjects r travel ling in?.. West f Gritl qualand. tAJ dispute .has arisen 'between ; Government- of the Transvaal and the Zulus about the boundary line of the South African Republic. Two. cannons., a. Whitworth muzzle-loader and a mountain' gun, have been sold to the Transvaal Government, together with. -7^5.G01b of : gunpowder, by -tho^Free State authorities. The witch doctor has given orders to all tbe natives in Kafirland to make all their sons wear a tuft of ostrich feathers just above the forehead,. -as a f dire- disease, is about to come upon' the. inhabitants^ which will cause the tops of their craniums to fall in. The wearing of the tuft of ostrich feathers is a certain preventative; no other feathers will do. Ostrich are in* demand." ■•. 7 i? i 1 'J'j; ■;. -7.fiy .'7 a Y The Colliery Strikes anb the Price of Wool. — If the squatters of Australia, says the Australasian, had been told' a short time ago that the clip of wooL they were then shearing would hvve ..its "price; injuriously affected by the strikes in the collieries in the North of England, they would have hesitated for some time before believing tbe statement. Yet now we see tliat the price- of wool- has • undergone a[. great reduction, and it appears likely that the dearness of coals consequent on7 the recent strikes and other causes has much much to do in contributing to this. ..effect. Coal being so dear and scarce, a, movement has been commenced -to -close the. Lancashire cotton mills, and: the same/ probably works in a similar way on the woollen factories. .Where .they are notclosed/'the miilowners, andTwith them the buyers, " operate," as the telegram tells us, " cautiously." They only take what is'wanted for pressing trade requirements, and do not buy at the present high rates quantities of raw material which they may " not be able to work up for some time. The effect of this caution on tbe part of the buyers is, that prices have gone down from as much as l^d to 4d per ib. This is a very heavy reduction, and will ma- ; terially] affect the r returns }oi late shipments, 7 and if ;last year's prices. .^era; calculated upon, the growers will have to take a very large, discount off their expectations. There is this to be said, tbat few anticipated tbat the prices which ranged through last year wppld^be ;;foWd; toj endure very long. \ .They. < seemed toj-ha^e reached a maximum. which they cou ldL.no t long maintain. Prices were in a condition of unstable equilibrium, and any change .must_prpduce a decline. . .The change has , come iahdfthe 'market at once lowered, apd ; ' at the 'date! of the iatest'news was" still lowering. We do not know with precision what are the causes' to which the decline is due, but when we cpaie .to-be fully inforced irespecting^ttiem we shall probably find that prominent amongst them will be the general effect of paralysis which the high price of coal has exerted on almost all branches of manufacturing Industry in England. In Country places when the :3 races. are* lover thev have two soitSidf 'setfeling^'lf. w 'man does not settle, m^pne^wj^rhetmu^t in_ the other. This we state on the authority of the Wang aratta Dispatch which gives the following as a conversation wbich recently occured in the township;-^" Were you at Moyhu Races ? ' " No.' * Ah, you should have Jbeen Jherej^ they^yjrer^ „ first-rate j and as ? ttf. lth>f;s|tt|ipg^ih Ithe; evening it was the^besVl -'ever /u 'wa"B""ai;."''" r f How so ?' ' Why, for about three hours thore was about the best, solid fighting I ever saw; it wa3 splendid good genuine hitting' 'Ah, but you.were^not at Beechworth."' 'i|-, :r f 777 : 7 71 , • 777f P : .\ THEpath administered tp witness, ihf^ , old iSonlmissary and Obnßistorial Cou#t air " Edinburgh used. to be a very solemn one. The witness had to kneel down on a cushion, lay his right hand o^ny a ; biblPOvhlp^ ,,' " placed before hiip^ntfe repeat ai7 wl- ; lpws:--i";I hereby^ renounce all the blessings contained in! this h^ly^po^; and^naay allthe cursestlierein: 'cbnWih'e^-be^'i'mV-:'^ .truth; and I swear by Almighty God, 'as I (Shall answer to" God at the great day of judgment, I w ilttell the ;|rpth', r the^ hoJe.i ' ;*p%e%iceaßi6nfr:a^ I

" — ; . '„■!*■- —it ..a ,*i ...... -.■ ..-..,.; ~PAPPA~ppp. judge toi khe'ePdb wn. before" he administered - the i oath. 7 "P-P you.jnegn. on my bar.e^ Knees, r*Bir,f? " -she a'skedii r The Commissary}, was eqnaHo thVoccaßJon^&nd replied with* quiet dignity. " Whichever way you<> hayeb.eeu accustomed to kneel to God. " j A Painful Contrast between th;e present condition of the English anil AmericanffarmeSr isfdfa'wn byFtbje'^ew^ J^qrk^Tripune^'.X W,ith;|cqbs fana bjirns bursting with- the-procee'ds P^-aYbountifpl harvest, with a fair demand and comj- \ paratively good prices for his products', and with tbe comple test -assurance that he may enjoy his good fortune without j^let), or hindrance frqmahy enemy athoDie^abrbadi, the Am'eVicariifar'mirLor^lotdayj^saysT^i^ Tribune is pre-eminently a man to be thankful. Moderate ills he has, but these he will be disposed to bear with patience when he measures lots with Jhose less favoured;. In" other , w.or<fsj he will find consolation, fsr the^bainpr^trbujoles of life by- observing'-the^misfbrtun'ls of the English farmer. Across the Atlantic bystress of weather and tbe ravages of disease, his| -brethren have been reduced to a condition of comparative poverty. Great Britainj laments the loss of 25 per cent, of her \yhea| prop, W'softoi7s of. l|er| po'ta'td'crbpY tfre mVney value of which is recorded at 180^O0.O,0CM)ldollars, white the deadly foot - and mouth disease hasj depleted the 'barnyards of ., 50,000,0p0| ~ dollars mdrpT and : the % dreaded IripMeipeStj causes the greatest anxiety for what is; left. This, the _ Tribuneraßßertß,,^ea l m ipoverty -L if ::', 'not ■ star viatfon, 7 f or A tnfany .1 "" With us," it adds, "all is plenty andj superabupjdance^of 7epmforfc7' «_ v W;hen? v tfiej American farmer 'haB 1 "got over" his ""first | feeling of delight , at this distressing ( in-| jteiligen(ce^ ;he '- jwjll* iio tfolgbtf jiafllpS?"! Kis r Christiarifeelibgs to prevail, and lose noj .lime in despatching cargpes t rof fppd*an;dj I'mojiey „fq[ helpihis'fEn'glis^ brethren^ vin \ their hour of trial. j SEALING- AT „THE SNAREsI-^-lTiiß j schooner-Nancy arrived in thVltfew* River I last week from a sealing cruise to the ■ Snares,Ywhere7T she: had 7 been s singtflany j successful. Her cruise extended- over a period' pf two months, and she brought; back 400 skins. The Nancy, which was \ out daring the five months of winter at : the Aucklands, left Invercargill the middle - of -November. t? She .^ipli^own to the' Spares |p;i36. hours,: arriving, there just in time to efiect a landing before a south--east-wind set in; r The Snares are wholly 'devbid : of either coves or bays, fit at all events ! for a craft of any size. A slant of weather has accordingly to, be;: watched, and the landing made in the ship's boats on the rocks.^ Haying Xan dedLfive ,, aLJier. hands on the island, the Nancy, with the remainder of her crew — two men — steered back for Stewart's Island, where she remained until the time appointed for closing the expedition. She then returned to the , island, about two weeks ago,^anj|_jß]foppnt ] away"'|i'he J"fivs&]^me^^tog4heVj^|tb^|the Lproduce of- 'their 1 arriving-at Invercargill as stated above. The sealing party report having seen a number of hump-backed whales during their stay upon the rock. Tbevjr,oek is altogether destith'lei'pf/^i^etolijr^^l^at it is said to be litefpiiy Cape pigeon deposits, a'kind df guano, wbich from its great quantity kills vegetation. The eggs of these birds were likewise found tp be very, numerous. v-Thet sealing- ,psrty i reppr;t havtfcg found noj. traceJLPjOafiyfijie iiaving~been on the rock for many years past.