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Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1319, 6 November 1880, Page 2

The latest phase of the Native que tion is contained in the announcement made by telegraph from Auckland, that Major Te Wlieoro, one of the native members of the House of Representatives, is endeavoring to raise subscriptions amongst the Maoris for the purpose of sending him to England to see the Queen, and seek from Her Majesty the redress of the natives' grievances. The Major is a clever fellow, and we shall not be surprised to hear that he has been successful in obtaining sufficient funds to enable him to take a trip to England. No doubt, too, Her Majesty would permit him an audience, but the work of settling the native difficulty would not be very materially expedited by this means. At the same time Major Te Wlieoro would probably open the eyes of English eapitali-ts as to the maimer in which the New Zealand Government manage, native affairs, and the expose- would not be very beneficial to the Colour.

The Hakateramca nil way is progressing like magic. The formation of the line is almost completed to the Waitaki bridge, and the rails are now laid to Otekaike. The construction of the whole fifteen miles will be completed within fifteen weeks. Had it been constructed by the Government it would have taken as many months at least. Already the advantage of the line is being felt. This year the Otekaike clip will be convevcd over it.

Captain Lloyd, who lias for about two years filled the office of Traffic Inspector on the Tiinaru-Oamaru section of railways, has be n appointee! to take charge of the Dunediu district, as newly constituted, extending as far north as Pukeuri Point, including all the lines in this district, and south as far as Clinton. He will reside in Daucdiu, whither he proceeds on Monday. During his residence here Captain Lloyd has become a general favorite, alike for his promptitude in promoting the welfare of the railways and tiie convenience of country residents, and for his genial good-nature, and wo feel sure his many friends will hear oi his promotion with pleasure, though will regret that it necessitates his departure from (:a:nara.

To-dr.y a deputation, consisting of Messrs. T. Meek, H. Council, and Barr, waited upon M. Hanr.ay, A; si stunt General Manager, to point out several anomalies in the railway tariff {especially with reference to grain) lately issued, and that the rate for grass seed was excessive. Mr. Hannay noted the several matters, end said that he would convey the representations of the deputation to the General Manager, so t-liat they might be considered at any future revision of the tariff.

The I foil. M. Holmes and Mr. E. Menlove will fa rly represent this district at the Chrisrchuieh show, which takes place on Tuesday and Wednesday next. To-day the latter gentleman forwarded north by the express train two trucks loaded with cattle and one with sheep, and on Monday the Hon. M. Holmes yvill send four trucks of horses and a number of isheep. It is quite possible that there may be other exhibits fro.n this district, but we have not heard of them. We believe that neither the Hon. R. Campbell nor Mr. John iieid intend exhibiting at the metropolitan show of the north. While we cannot but regret this circumstance, yye may rest assured that the fame this district has obtained for its stock will be fully maintained by the Hon. M. Holmes and Mr. E. Menlove.

We have been requested by the Commissioner of Crown Lands to draw attention to an important notification which will appear in our advertising columns on Monday, CMiccniing the Macrcwhenua aud Kurow doformi payment lands, for which it will be seen that, in conseauence of thee being more than one application for sections 13, block IX., 2 and 3, block X., and 8 and 0, block 11. (Macrcwhenua District), and for section 10, block 11. (Kurow District), the said sections will be submitted to auction at the Courthouse, Oamaru, on Wednesday, the lOt)} inst., at noon.

We regret to learn that some person has fired the grass on Mr. Gardiner's estate (Tapui Downs) and burnt at least 100 valuable sheep. It is supposed that for the performance of this thoughtless act Mr. Gardiner is indebted to a grazier yvho was selfishly endeavoring to improve the pasture for his own cattl.e,

At the Resident Magistrate's Cpurt to-day. a first offender was fined as for having been drunk and disorderly. Francis Hancock, charged with vagrancy, was discharged. The Directors cf the Caledonian Society will meet at S o'clock on Monday evening, at the Criterion Hotel.

Tin q-nnual meeting of the Benevolent Society ha 3 been postponed from the Sth instant to the loth instant. Bad weather is approaching from any direction hetyveen nordi-west and south. The glass will further fall, but yvill rise within 10 hours. Then there yvill be a southerly gale and cold weather. So Captain Edwin wires to-day. We learn that Mr. Rich, of Bushy Park, who suffered injury through the late buggy accident at Palmerston, holds a policy in the New Zealand Aecidept Insurance Compauy, from yvhose funds he yvill receive the sum of L 3 10s. weekly until he has thoroughly recovered.

! Mr. Dimant, who has delighted and in-tructed the people of other parts of the Colony by exhibiting liis monster-camera obscura, is now in Oamaru, and intends to give the public an opportunity of viewing the wonders and beauties of this optical instrument during the course of next week. The lens is one of the largest ever made, and is the handiwork of Mr. Pugh, an operator in Mr. Procter's workshop, Christchurch, and the table upon which the living and ever-changing pictures of outside objects are thrown is six feet square. We are glad to hear that Mr. Dimant intends tq make special arrangements for the admission of schools.

Ti:e installation of officers in the Star of Hope Lodge,' No. 22, 1.0. G.T., took place last evening in*tho Primitive Methodist Lecture H all.' The installation was performed by Brothers D. Kennedy, and

Brother Jordon as G.W.M. The officers ■• . • : "d for :h< j current <<u.:rt«r were— W.LVT iirotlier... \V. Couper R.H-S., hisiui' amo.s ;• •L.fLj?-.., BiWhv.r T. Aimers ; Vv r .Y;T.,:iSister ".Tull'och y W.S., Brother ■ f ß.'' JlAstiii ; " AV.A."S..-' i r.or.her J. Maddern ; W.F.S. . A:- .Davidson ; W.T., oiircrfM.; Cameroii'W'.C., >ister John- : • W.M., U Brother; : A. 'R; Amie'-; V'". I.G-, Brother tV; Rusbatch ; and W.O.'J., V.r'-r'.nr Joimstone', jnalof. Brother Couper, W.0.T., on eiiig aiitu to the cltair, thanked the ledge for piucnii, him in +ho proud position he then occrpied. The Rev. C. E. Barley -then delivered "an address on the physical, effects exercised by. alcohol. He spoke at some length, urging the benefits derivable from total abstinence from alcohol, and the evils_ of intemperance. During the evening a number of recitations and songs were given by members, and altogether a pleasant evening was spent. The Chairman mentioned that it was intended to have open meetings once a month, at which the programme will consist of songs, readings, and recitations, and those who attend may safely depend upon obtaining a good evening's amusement. The meeting terminated with the hymn, " Havenly Father, give Thy blessing," and prayer.

The Melbourne correspondent of the Auckland Star draws the following comparison between Melbourne and New Zealand tradesmen "It makes me sick and disgusted (he writes) when I contrast the £»cnerous feelings of the New Zealand business mail—his anxiety, to oblige and to encourage trade with the theiving practices of the conceited Victorian shopman. A Melbourne shopman would sooner cheat a customer out of a penny than he would trade honestly, and so make a pound. The same spirit permeates the whole fabric of society in the premier Colony. 1 ' General Phayre is a son of a private soldier, who died at Calcutta some years before the outbreak of the former Afghan war. The General's brother was, when a sergeant, killed at the Khyber Pass, and the General himself, when orderly-room sergeant, had the honor of being imprisoned with Lady Sale and six others, The remnant of the 44th regiment at the conclusion of the campaign, numbered only 60 men of all ranks. Originally the son of a mere private, afterwards the adopted child of a color-sergeant, and educated in the regimental school, General Phayre has carved out his own fortune with his sword.

According to the calcinations of the New York papers, Dr. Tanner received altogether the sum of 137,6*40 dollars for his 40 days' fast, or upwards of L 27,530. This is at the rate of 3441 dollars, or LGSO a day. This not altogether beggarly remuneration is stated to have been made up from the following sources : —The doctor's own bets, 5000 dollars ; through a betting agency, 12,223 dollars; sale of photographs, 1500 dollars; payments for admission tq the house, 75.315 dollars ; from various manufactures for the dootor's. signature to their commodities, 11,102 dollars; gift from the University, 3000 dollars ; present from the State of Ohio, 5000 dollars ; and from the firm of Liebig and Co., 20,000 dollars. The land on the Waimate ]?lairis (says the Otago Daily Times) which now fetches L 6 or 1.7 an acre has cost the Colony, directly and indirectly, perhaps L'- Q pr L3O; arid the gratification of seeing that district rapidly and prosperously settled is very much qualified by a recollection of the manner in which such a result has been brought about. We do not hesitate to say that the extravagant administration of the West Coast for the last twelve months must. now be regarded as having been utterly unnecessary. There could not be a m re conclusive proof of that than the extraordinary success of the sales already held. If the Government wish to keep up the Maori scare any longer, they had better take sotiie steps to make the next sale hang fire, Nobody will believe the tattle, murder, and . sudden-death story when they see the Land Office crowded with eager bidders at L 7 an acre. : The Farmer, an English paper, says that carbolic soap is frequently used for dressing seed corn, and it answers so well in the case of wheat and barley that the aid of a scarecrow in the shape of a boy is dispensed with. It does not answer in the case of peas and beans, because these, in germinating, cast their skins readily, and the birds devour the middle, 'leaving the husks with the carbolic soap adhering to them.' For garden seeds which do not cast their skins, it wiil be found very valuable, as birds have a horror of it. Mice aUo strongly object to carbolic soap.

The following rates for shipping and landing have been adopted by the Tiiiiani Harbor Board :—lnwards : General merchandise, 4s per ton, 40 cubic feet; coals, 3s Gd do ; timber, Is per 1000 super feet; hardwood 'lul logs, by special agreement; palings, Is per 100 feet; cattle and horses, by special agreement; sheep and pigs, Gd each ; machinery, by special agreement.—Outwards : General merchandise, 4s per ton of 40 cubic feet : wheat, 3s per ton of 10 sacks ; barley, 3s do ; oats,-2s 6d do ; flonr, 3s per ton of 20001bs : potatoes, 3s per ton of 12 sacks ; bran and sharps, 2s 6d per ton of 10 sacks ; wool, Gd per bale, Is double dumped ; ballast, 4s per ton.

Dr. Tanner attended the lecture of Emma Hardinge Britten yesterday morning (Aug. 17). It was 11 Qt known by the audience or the lecturer that he was present in the hall. Mrs. Britten, in closing her remarks on magnetism, referred to Dr. Tanner and the wonderful example he had given of will pver rrjal.ter. She asserted that the density of population, the magnetic iniiuence of the multitude, and the aror.a of fo.od, made his feat possible in the city, while, if attempted in the keen air of the country ■nd in soiltude, the body would soon be exhausted by the vigorous and consuming oxygen. At the close of her remarks a well-dressed, sharp-eyed man rose, and obtained permission to address a question to the speaker. He introduced himself as the subject of the lady's remarks. All eyes were turned in surprise upon Dr. Tanner, who said, " If I continued my fast in Clarendon Hall without the aid of the air in the park, I could not have continued for 20 days, Indeed the bracing air of the Minnesota prairie made it possible for me to continue 42 days at once without food. My experiment in this city was attended with far greater difficulty. Therefore my experience is not in accordance with your theory of magnetic forces." Mrs. Britten did not attempt to sustain her theory. The doctor looked fresh and vigorous, and talked to many who surrounded him bpfore lie left the hall. Under the heading of "A pill for Mr. John Hall," the Manawatu paper has the fo lowing : —"Considering the very great craze which the Ministry appear to have in the way of retrenchment, there is one little circumstance which has come under our notice within the last few days which makes us rather question its bona fides. On Tuesday the lion, the Premier arrived by the Wairarapa coach en route to Foxton, but notwithstanding lie was oil the railway platform upon the departure of the mid-day train, he remained in Palmerston in order to have ' a special' put on an hour later. Supposing even that it would be high treason to bring some low-bprn plebeian between the wind and the Ministerial nobility, an extra and exclusive carriage could have been attached, But evidently such a course would be derogatory to the high dignity of a Minister of a Crown, and a special ' train was put on at an expense of LIS. Considering that it was through Mr. Hall's scheme of retrenchment that the unfortunate Court-house charwoman, who formerly drew the munificent sum of three shillings per week, has been docked of tea per cent., and now draws 2s. Sid., the unnecessary and wholesale waste for a special train seems somewhat incomprehensible. This is certainly an excellent example of saving pence and surrendering pounds. We commend the careful perusal of the above to the Ministry of Retrenchment, and then We pause for their reply." The Pittsburgh Stockman (U.S.A.) says that more persons have gone into the cattle herding and ranching business in the far west since Ist January than in any similar period in the history of the trade. In some parts of Colorado and Wyoming the ranches are so overcrowded with stock that there is not only difficulty in procuring sustenance, but a number of cattle have actually died from starvation. There are still many unoccupied ranges where the business can be successfully prosecuted, but the exercise of more judgment ahd care is required thap at any previous time. Experienced stockmen enjgftggd in ranching see the probabilities of the

tutnre, ard are preparing for the effects of ;L ..llssjijsitioa to overdo by improving tiio ijuaiicy a: ciieir stock. It; is stated that ; 30.000 rattle are crossing over the Comanche •reservation from Texas. The Omaha Herald says tli3 dnve of cattle from Texas will be heavier this 'year' than ever before, the number being estimated at SOO,0 (1 0. Many of the •stockman '• of Western "Nefc.»skft are. now m.'tkirig prepa~ations to add largely to their herds of Texas cattic. This is ho'.v the Table'" writes of the Government and our system oi education : 7 Our politicians seem to be only capable of piling taxation bill on taxation bill, till the burden has become almost too much to be borne, and establishing a godless system of education which, while it taxes the poor man to pay for the free education of the rich man's son, and compels the Catholic to contribute largely to the free and godless education of other people's children, is in nothing so efficacious as in producing a race of larrikins. Looking at the present position of New Zealand, one is compelled to admit that neither wisdom, prudence, nor foresight presides over the political, social, and material destinies of this country. . . New Zealand can produce wheat, oats, and barley in iarge quantities and of the finest quality. Why not, by spreading information and.endeavoring to provide facilities of cheap transit to England, stimulate the production of these cereals. Why not take measures to promote the industries for which the. country is so well fitted? But, no; all energies are now concentrated on retrenchment and godless education, to the neglect of the most pressing interests of the community. Our Parliamentary men seem more zealous to trample on consciences, to mulct Catholics for daring to maintain schools for their own children, than to promote the well being of the country, to place people upon the land, or keep them here." We regret that we cannot dissent from the views so vigorously expressed by our contemporary.

" There is trouble in Israel (says the Taranaki Herald) ! The Fatetere business is not yet settled, and Mr. John Sheehan has been deputed to negotiate with the Government with the view of making a definite settlement of the great question. The Government appears to be somewhat perplexed—with every desire to make matters pleasant for the big speculators there is a still small voice, a kind of suppressed conscience which urges them on to better things. But whether the pricking of conscience or the more urgent pressure of the speculators will have the best of it, appears to depend on the result of the hand-to-hand encounter between "rollicking" John Sheehan, the exNative Minister, and "honest" John, the present one. We shall watch this bargaining with much interest. 'Tis a pity that these matters are not settled in open Cabinet, so that all the backing and filling on. both sides, called negotiation, could be seen. It is the old story of the good and the bad boy enacted in real life—no longer a goody legend of the story books for the admonition of the infant mind, but a real practical guide, and, perhaps, warning, to politicians for all time to come. Were two characters ever more diverse to, all appearance, than honest John and rollicking Johnny ? One, the embodiment of all the virtues, who never told a fib to escape- a whipping or to obtain jam surreptitiously; the other, who never made any pretence to virtue—who appropriated jam regardless of consequences, and fibbed if necessary to cover his retreat, and, shocking to relate, has continued to hanker after forbidden fruit even when the dawn of youth has passed away. It is a very big plum you are after now, Johnny, and you ought not to get it. We should very much like to knqw in the impending ne.goticitions. whether you will believe all that honest John tells you with regard to Patetere. We know that he will not believe all that you will tell him. He will carefully discount all your little tales at the market value, and we fear that they will be rated like Egyptian, Turkish, or South American bonds —rather below par—at any rate not higher than deader Wood sold New Zealand debentures for during that epoch of our financial history when he was Treasurer. However, whether honest John will obtain all he hopes for, or whether Johnny will get within SO per cent, of what he wants, we have no doubt that the Colony will not get all it is entitled to, if a bargain is concluded between these negotiators. "There is scarcely a newspaper in New Zealand that has the courage to countenance the action of the Government in this matter. But we did not expect such plain writing to emanate from Taranaki.