The Oamaru Mail. WEDNESDAY, MAY 12, 1880.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1278, 12 May 1880, Page 2

The Oamaru Mail. WEDNESDAY, MAY 12, 1880.

Proceedings to secure the alienation of the renowned Patetere Block, consist ing of 300,000 acres, situate near Cambridge, has, according to a telegram, occupied the attention of the Native Lands Court at Cambridge to-day. This is the same block that caused so much hot discussion in Parliament i„.fore the accession of the Grey Ministry. It was the Atkinson Government's sympathy and co-opera-tion with those who were attempting at that time to acquire this and other laryc tracts of country that hastened their downfall, and compelled them to crive place to an administration which was the avowed enemy of landsharks and such wholesale spoliation. The Grey Government resolved upon securing the Patetere and other blocks of native land for the Colony, and, to promote that object, placed themselves in the position that had been occupied by these private negotiators in relation to such blocks. During the period that the Grev Government remained in power the active operations of the bands of land cormorants that infest the North Island were arrested. Then arose from the ranks of these men the cry that the Grey Government had been guilty of maladministration and every other act that was calculated to bring them into disrepute. This cry was so speciously raised that, being favored by the falling oIF in revenue occasioned by the commencement of a season of commercial I depression, those of the colonists who are not given think for themselves on political matters, believed that they were true. Had they only looked beneath the surface —had they placed the next indictment, that the Grey Government were negotiating for lands that would cost the Colony L 1,250,000 —in juxtaposition with the first, they would have clearly seen that the attempt to unseat the Grey Ministry was intimately connected with an attempt of land speculators —the wholesale despoilers of the Colonial estate—to oncemore gain the ascendancy and rule the Colony. How perfect was their success is now only too well known. The Hall Ministry was hoisted into power on the shoulders of the all-powerful landed aristocracy of the North and those of the people of the Colony who were too weak to act, or too careless to think, for themselves. How conclusively the present Government have shown that they are nothing better than a revivification of the Atkinson Government —a Government that, as everybody knows, parted with every shred that was left of its honor, and was turned out of office because of its unholy alliance with a class that was fast devouring the Colony's substance to fatten themselves. What did they promise to do if entrusted with the Government of the Colony 1 What they did not promise could be more quickly answered. They stole the vestments of the Liberal partv, and, in disguise, said that they fitted them more gracefully than they fitted their owners. They promised anything and everything to gam their point. Did the Colony want-Liberal measures'? — Thev should have them. They it was, and they only, that could elevate the Colony in the scale of respectability—that could renew the world's confidence, which had been so sadly shaken in it since the Grey Government had put their foot firmly upon the land sharks—their friends. How have they clone it? Can anyone point to "a single act by which the Government has redeemed its pledges 1 No. We challenge the votaries of the Government to publicly prove that they have done so. Of course there is the calling of Mr. Wliitaker, whose landsharking proclivities ruined the jMinistrv with which he was last connected, to" the Upper House, in order that he might be given the portfolio of Attorney-General, and this in defiance of the "wishes of one of the most important and intelligent Auckland electorates ; there is the Property Tax Act; there is the attempt to settle the Waimate Plains difhculty, by making a road at a cost of LI ,250,000 through lands that the Commission appointed bv them has decided should be returned to the natives, although they were confiscated at the close of the war because of native rebellion; there is the extreme liberality to Auckland by which LI 65,000 are to be exjjended on roads and railways in that district. Want of space only arrests our pen. We could fill a volume by recounting such acts. But the last act, and we think nearly the last that they will be permitted to perform, is that of abandoning their right to the Patatere block in favor of those that keep them in power.

After a prolonged period of retirement from public writing, Mr. Peter Aitchison lias again emerged from bneolic obscurity. A dissertation on nothing in particular profoundly written, and containing a spice of the old forcefulness, appeared in our contemporary of yesterday's date. Therein we have been honored with some reference, and it is to this reference that we shall direct attention. Plainly the letter was written for the purpose of influencing the electors. Nobody has any reason to complain at this. Every elector has a right to express his opinions on political matters in the public prints, provided that he adheres to the truth. We do not think that he knows it, but Mr. Aitchison has not done so. He says that we have held him and Mr. Murray up to public scorn. It is difficult to understand why he thus champions the member for Bruce. We think that Mr. Aitchison has proved that he has had quite enough to do to

champion himself. Invariably, when Mr. Aitchison writes he needs no one to hold him up to scorn. As to Mr. Murray, we know that we have at times written of him in a manner not complimentary. That is because he is a thick and thin opponent of our views and those of the majority of the people of this district and the Colony. But we have never denounced his or any other drainage scheme. On the contrary, many of our readers who are amenable to reason will remember that we have on several occasions inserted in our paper articles recommending the subject to the serious consideration of the settlers and Parliament, As

to Ml'. Aitchison's ideas upon drainage, we have never known him propound anything half so rational as the views on that subject contained in yesterday's North Otago Times. One would, indeed, conclude that he had been fortifying himself to treat on the subject by searching a file of the Mail. Cannot our readers see that Mr. Aitchison and we are agreed on the necessity for the adoption of a Colonial drainage system 1 The only points of difference between us is, probably, when it should be adopted, and its nature. Until the Colony shows signs of a recovery from its present horrid nightmare, there will be no money available for drainage or anything else. It is nonsense to talk of Sir Robert Peel's Imperial Drainage Act as though it were only necessary to adopt that measure in toto, By Sir Robert Peel's Act three millions were advanced by the Government to the landlords, who in turn lent it to their tenants for drainage purposes. It is plain that such a system would not at present be applicable to the Colony. In the first place, the Government have not the money to lend, and, in the second, they cannot 1 borrow for nearly three years to come. A company might be formed to assist the farmers, but it would have to rely upon the English money market for the money to carry out its operations. But the question interposes itself—ls it possible for even a company, in view of the indebtedness of the Oolqny to the same source, to succeed in securing the necessary funds 1 We think not. We approve of a Colonial drainage system, and have always advocated that one should be initiated at the earliest possible moment, but it will be seen that there are obstacles in the way of its immediate initiation which, if not actually insurmountable, render it advisable that the matter should not be hurried to an issue. Mr, Aitchison's attempt to influence the minds of the electors by misrepresentation will prove abortive. It is too palpable that he has, as usual, allowed his judgment to be stifled by personal dislike engendered by old grievances which have no connection with the question of drainage, and with which the electors, fortunately for themselves, have nothing whatever to do. Notwithstanding Mr. Aitchison's derogatory statements, we are sure that the settlei-s will continue to view us as a true friend to anything that will tend to their advancement.

There seems to have been an error made by our legislators jji framing the newElectoral Act. While the electoral rolls under the old Act went out of operation on the Ist inst., the new Act specially declares that the new rolls shall not come into operation until four months have expired from the same date ; so that from the Ist May to the 31st August there is actually no official roll upon which to hold an election, unless the manuscript roll of the Registrar is deemed to be an official and effective docu> rnent. Even supposing that the Registrar's rough roll is deemed to be the official roll under the Act, it will at once be seen that it could not be used at some thirty different polling places, and the question then arises : How can the forthcoming election be held ? In order to overcome the difficulty it has been decided to print the roll as soon as arrangements can be made, and upon this the election will be held, although the roll will not be circulated as an " official" document. Truly the matter gives evidence of an amount of unpardonable carelessness on the part of the framers of the new Act.

"We learn that a new telegraph station is in course of erection at Maheno, It is contiguous to the railway station, and the settlers of the district are hoping that the office will be available for public telegrams, and that the district post office business will be carried on in connection with"it.

The Gazette just to hand contains the names of a long list assessors . nnder the Property Tax Act for various districts, but there is no mention of any assessor having been appointed for this district.

Mails for the Australian Colonies, per Ringavooma, close at the Bluff at 11.30 a.m. on Friday, 14th inst.

Mr. Borton's woolshed at Maerewhenua has been appointed the place in which to hold the sittings of the Licensing Court for the district of Aliuriri. Mr. T. W. Parker has been appointed Chairman of the Court, and Mr. Filleul Clerk.

A meeting of No. 1 Company's Band was held after the regular practise last evening, and was attended by the officers of the company. An agreement of a highly satisfactory nature was read and adopted, setting forth the manner in which the band shall be conducted. Messrs. Jones, Pheloung, and Mitchell were appointed to act in conjunction with a Sub-Committee appointed by the company to arrange matters in connection with the concert and ball to be given on the 24th inst. It was decided th.at the band should make its first appearance in the new uniforms at the inspection parade on Friday evening, and members will meet at Mr. Sumpter's office to morrow evening for the purpose of receiving their uniforms. Those holding temporary uniforms are requested to return them at the same time. Inspector Thompson has been gazetted Fire Inspector for Oamaru. The appointment of Mr. Thomas Howley as Deputy Property Tax Commissioner for the District of Waitaki is gazetted. Three "drunks" were dealt with at the President Magistrate's Court to-day by T. A. Clowes, Esq., J.P., John Foley and Dennis M'Cartby were each cautioned and discharged, and James Kelly, who made his forty-fifth appearance, was fined 40s with the alternative of going to gaol for 14 days. We need scarcely remind our readers that this evening Mr. J. W. Jago will deliver a lecture on " What the Doctors said in the Contemporary Review/' in the Primitive Methodist Lecture Hall. Mr. Smith, the agent of the "Froliques," is now in Oamaru, The readers of the Dunedin papers will have observed that this company, of which |Mr. Martin Simonsen is the proprietor, has had a most successful season in Dunedin. They will appear in Oamaru next week. There is a danger that, after all, the new House of Commons will be deprived of whatever benefit, or the reverse, it might obtain from the presence of Mr. Bradlaugh. That gentleman is a Secularist, or Freethinker, of a pronounced type, and he objects to take the op.th necessary for ad- | mission to the House of Commons. Not I being a Quaker, or objecting from religious motives, the Acts passed for the relief of such persons do npt apply to him. It i very doubtful whether the House of Commons will pass a law in order to aduut Mr. Bradlauglj. A committee of the House has been appointed pn the subject.

In an address to his constituents, published in the In vercargill papers, Mr. P. M'Caughan makes these remarks The next, and last question I will touch upon is the matter of native lands. , You are. happily ignorant of this. Of all the sources of corrupt practices, chicanery and fraud, this is the greatest. The opinion I hold is, that all sales of native lands, other than to the Government as settlement may demand, should be finally stopped. There is the land. The natives love it—love to enjoy it in their own way, which means to allow it practically to lie dormant, that they may hunt over it. And thus would I let it remain, until all our Crown lands were exhausted, and finally settled. "When this shall be the Maories will be greatly less numerous than they are to-day ; and when they sell, as sell they will some day, there will be fewer disputes and border raids between the races ; for the dark man withers from the face of the earth as fast as the white man increases. But at the present time the Native Office and the Maori tribes are Invested with a. horde of Pakeha Maoris, the most loathsome parasites of the human species, buying from the Maori and selling to the white man or the Government 5 paying in kind, or but a mere per centage of the actual price at which the land is changing hands, which but affords a passing momentary debauch to the degenerate and demoralised native.

Some sensation was caused yesterday when it became known that a gentleman well known in commercial circles had suddenly disappeared. It is known that he was in financial difficulties, but we have reason to believe that many of the rumors that have been circulated are without any foundation. Otago Daily Times.

It was proposed at a late meeting of the South Dunedin Borough Council, while discussing the question of a proposed loan, that one and a half per cent, commission be given to any one who could "float the money." We are anxiouly waiting for someone to come forward to perform a feat which will necessitate nothing less than a suspension of the laws of gravity, although such a proposal is -calculated to suspend anyone's gravity,

A writer with a calculating turn of mind gives the following, which is well worth the consideration of the intelligent farmer If a farm of 160 acres is divided into fields of 10 acres each, there are 5 nailes of fences. If each fence now is one rod wide, no less than 10 acres of land are occupied by them. This is equal to CJ per cent, of the farm, and the loss pf the use pf the land is exactly equal to a charge of 6J per cent, on the whole value of the farm. But nearly every fence row in the country is made a nursery for weeds, which stock the whole farm, and make an immense amout of labor necessary to keep them from smothering the crops. Much damage ahyays results to the crop from these weeds, and if these expenses are added to the first one, the whole will easily sum up to 20 per cent., or a tax of one-fifth of the value of the farm. To remedy this we would have fewer fences, or we would clean and sow down the fence rows to grass or clover, and mow them twice a year. Ten acres of clover or timothy would at least supply a farm with seed and a few tons of hay every year. We would, in short, consider the fence rows as a valuable part of the farm, and use them as such.

Commenting on the working of the bankruptcy laws, the Wakatip Mail writes "If any change is made we should revert more and more to the Scottish system which the English one has lately been assimilating to. But what the cry really means is protection of large mercantile concerns by treating the small debtor as if he were a criminal, allowing the larger fry to escape by means of composition deeds. The present system may not be perfect, may have the merit of cheapness, but if we are to have change, do not let our exhausted public funds be saddled with a new and costly department, or evade an Inspector of Bankrupt's estate control, under a new name, say that of public trustee. We can fully understand that the Government would not be loath to call into existence a new staff. They could dispense through it much patronage. Head office, Wellington, sub-offices in provincial capitals, agencies through districts in which Courts sit. If paid out of fees, the Treasury is robbed of these, and the judges and staff are supported directly from the consolidated funds. The present system does not burden the public revenues, and the fees help to pay incidental expenses. Better to endure the evils that we have than fly to others that we do n.ot know. Of course, we leave out of question the public morality point of view, the shocking examples, "&c.