AND WAITAKI REPORTER. THURSDAY. APRIL 7, 1864.

North Otago Times, Volume I, Issue 7, 7 April 1864, Page 4

AND WAITAKI REPORTER. THURSDAY. APRIL 7, 1864.

When the question of public free libraries was first moved in England, it was deemed by many absurd; but the experience of twelve years has now proved that such public collections of books are a great blessing to the community, and have proved one of the great means of enlightenment to the ma*s of the people. It was in the year 1848 that Mr Ewart first brought the subject before the English Parliament. He then succeeded in getting a Committee formed to fix on the best means of establishing free libraries throughout the kingdom. It was a modest motion, bu' pregnant with good results. Two years after the same gentleman again brought the matter before Parliament. The Committee's report had been most favoiable, and had recommended strongly the advisability of founding "free public libraries." Emboldened by this first success, leave was asked to bring in a bill for enabling town corporations to establish j libraries with a fund raised by a tax not \ to exceed one halfpenny in the pound. Some of the Ultra-Tory party, however, carried their dread of innovation so far as to prevent this new method of education from becoming law. Their opposition, though especially brilliant, was very harmless. " However excellent," exclaimed one, " food for the mind may be, food for the body is now most needed for the people. Ido not like reading at all, and hated it when at Oxford." This was an exemplification, on a sublime scale, of the " fable of the tailless fox." Mr Spooner, as usual, conjured up a ghost, and got terrified :—": — " I fear, by the institution of lectures hereafter, these libraries might become normal schools of agitation." Many other similar orations were spoken. The bill, nevertheless, was carried, and the Tories were made ridiculous. This Act was afterwards superseded by another P'ssed in 1855, which is the present " Libraries' Act," under which so many of these noble institutions have arisen in different parts of Great Britain. It is a most popular and liberal scheme. It gives power to Town Councils to impose a library rate, not exceeding one penny in the pound, to be expended in the erection and fitting-up of a library. In large towns the Act has been generally adopted, and also in many small ones. Manchester was the first to take advantage of it, and that town was very soon in possession of a very fine collection of books. Many other towns now throughout the United Kingdoms, and also America, can boast of large and wellselected collections of books. AYe have ourselves been privileged to watch the working of a few such institutions. We have known many who earned their bread by " the sweat of theii brow," to amass in dpare hours speut in free libraries no inconsiderable amount of learning, and thus to have raised themselves higher

in social status. And some of the leading minds of Britain of the present day obtained their knowledge through such channels. Thus Mr Spooners prediction has been verified the wrong may. The movement we look upon as being one of the most hopeful of the present age. Little, however, has been done in this colony towards the establishment of free public libraries. True, in some centres of population small libraries have been formed. We are convinced, however, that purely voluntary contributions of money and books will never in our colonial towns produce anything worthy of the name of a library, whilst we are equally convinced that few centres of population would object to a similar law being enacted for each Province to that in force in England, especially if the several Governments were to supplement such efforts by sums equal to that raised by local rates. Still, in the I absence of such a law, the people should recognise it as a duty to provide themselves with such institutions. And we are glad indeed to be able to say that a number of gentlemen in Oamaru have taken the matter in hand, and have definitely arranged to deliver a course of lectures during the winter months — the funds raised by snch lectures to go towards the forming of a library. This, however, will be but a beginning. It will then rest with the residents of the district to secure the boon by voluntary contribution. And we so much desire to gee Oamaru possessed of its public collection of books, that no I trouble will be spared on our part to sectire the object : for we are convinced that the silent effect for good of the establishment of such an institution would be at once enduring and incalculable.

We are pleased to inform the members of the Church of England in the district that it is the intention of the Lord Bishop of the Diocese to hold two services at Oamaru on Sunday, the 10th instant, and to hold a Confirmation on Monday the 11th insbmt. His Lordship is expected here to-day. Our Waikouaiti Correspondent communicates the following : — About half-past eight o'clock on Tuesday evening last, the premises of Mr. J. Merrit, in the Government Township, and fronting the main north road, were discovered to be on fire. The premises consisted of a shop and dwelling-house of four rooms, all under one roof. So rapid was the spread of the devouring eliment that little or nothing was saved. The whole building was Boon a mass of (lames and was soon burnt to the ground. The place was quite new, having been finished only some 3 or 4 weeks. I believe that it is insured for £^00 in the New Zealand office. Mr Shrimski, of the firm of Shrimski and Moss, has been unanimously returned to fill the vacancy in the Town Board occasioned by the resignation of Mr Grenfell. A severe south-west wind visited us on Sunday last. It increased in force until about noon, when it blew quite a hurricane. In the afternoon, however, some rain fell, and towards evening the storm passed over without doing much damage. In our issue before last we stated that Mr France had on hie business premises combustible matter prohibited by the rules of Insurance Companies under certain conditions. Mr France has since been at our office, and informed us that ; such was not the case. We may add that we have since then visited the store, but found no combustible stores. The rivers throughout the district are now very low, owing, we presume, to the long season's drought we have experienced. It is said by many of the old settlers that the Waitaki has not been so low for many yearß. The news from the Lake district is very encouraging. The Times says that many good finds have been made, and that in consequence of the falling of the rivers there is every probability of the beaches being worked to advantage. We are happy to announce that Messrs. Cobb and Co. have completed arrangements to run a four, instead of a two-horse coach through from Oamaru to Dunedin during the winter months, three timeß a week — leaving here on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and returning the following days. It runs right through between sunrise and sunset, and is most punctual in its hours of departure and arrival, for since it commenced to run it has not been behind time once. Passengers can therefore rely on a quick and easy transit to and from the Capital. We believe that it ib their intention, as soon as possible, to run their coaches through to the Waitaki Eiver, and thus, by meeting Cole and Co.'s coaches, complete a direct line of communication between Christchurch and Dunedin. The Superintendent of Canterbury has caused a proclamation to be issued prohibiting the importation of cattle from Wellington, which <has been declared an infected country.

It will be seen by our advertising columns that the district School Board are advertising for an assessor for the current year. Messrs F. Pinkerton and Co. have been gazetted agents at Oamaru for the sale of the Maps of the Province and its several districts, as published by the Survey Department. A supply is now on hand. Persons may, therefore, obtain them at the office of this paper at Government prices. Mr Home, inspector of diseased cattle at Shag Valley, reports that two head of cattle were shot on Saturday last at the Shag Biver, and on opening them were found much diseased. He also reports that a number of Mr John Jones' cattle are infected. The disease is spreading rapidly throughout the district, especially among colonial-bred cattle. The Adelaide telegram in the Argus, of Tuesday, the 15th March, reports : — "There has been a great native fight at Lake Albert ; 190 blacks were engaged, and 20 wounded. From Wentworth, the murder of Dowland and four men on the Paro Kiver is reported ; also the murder of a man between Mount Murchison and Fort Bourke." The Orange Guardian has the following interesting paragraph : — We have been favored by Messrs. Allen, Brothers, of King's Plains, with the inspection of a most beautiful sample of wheat, and at the same time with a brief history of some of its progeny. It appears that a brother of Messrs. Allen, while inspecting a sample of wheat, noticed a very fine ear of white Lammas, which he took home and planted, and from which he got about a cup full of grain the first year. Soon after this he left for New Zealand, taking with him the produce of the single ear. This he showed to many of the Nelson farmers, and on one occasion to a Maori chief, extensively farming his own land both at Moteuka and Motuppi. He was so struck with the peculiar plumpness of the grain that he offered one shilling for twelve grainsOn returning to this colony, the party before mentioned planted the remainder of the sample, and realised about a half bushel, and at the end of another season the produce amounted to twelve bushels. These twelve bushels were given to a relative of the above by the original owner,'conditionally that the result of the first ear should be continued to be planted in soil adapted for it. This has been done both in the light soil of the Bathurst district and black rich flats, and also upon the red soil of the Orange district, and in the latter instance with marked success, both as to quality and quantity. The possessors of this very fine sample of wheat are very desirous to recommend it to their brother farmers, as being of the most prolific description, and very scarce. The above-named parties are also in possession of a fine specimen of wliitesicle bearing oats, yielding about fifty bushels to the acre. The interesting narrative of Mr Robert Bains' expedition to the West Coast, has been re-pub-lished in a convenient form, and may be had by all interested. Mr James Harvey, Solicitor, has been returned as one of the representatives of Invercargill in the Provincial Council. The Melbourne Correspondent's letter of the Evening Star, contains the following paragraph : — " Mr. F. M. Rennid of the Brown Hill, Ballarat, has discovered a process for the dressing of New Zealand flax, by which the gum, the great impediment to its useful manufacture, can be got rid of at a cost of not more than ss, per cwt." Nearly 450 entirely new voters, have been added to the Electoral Roll for Dunedin this season, and 200 or more besides, though qualified and asked, refused to be registered.