THE Otago Daily Times. "Inveniam viam aut faciam."

Otago Daily Times, Issue 223, 6 September 1862, Page 4

THE Otago Daily Times. "Inveniam viam aut faciam."

DUNEDIN, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6. Whilst disposed to give Mr. Dick credit for the best intentions in bringing forward his resolution for the removal of the Seat of Government, we cannot but think he has shown a signal want alike of judgment and consistency. At the Separation Met-ting some months since, Mr. Dick was an ardent out-and-out Seimrationist; and it seems very odd that the proposal of a compromise should come from him. The whole tenor of his •speech was an invitation to the House to hay otF Separation at the price of the removal of the Seat of Government. Mr. Diik evidently regards the Separation Movement as an intimidation cry, and, in fact, on another occasion, he unmistakeablv hinted as .much, when he threatened the House with a Separation tiig as a penalty for paying too much attention to NTaiive affiirs. A little cons-deration should show Mr. Dick that he is placing himself in a very false position~-;me, i:i fact, that will he fata! to his character for political honesty. Unless one is to adopt the theory that the end justifies the means, no possible excuse can be found for the agitation of sham political cries. Mr. Dick puts the separationist? in this position—that they are getting up an agitation—- not for the puqruc which that agitation professes but with the object of extorting certain advantages of quite a different nature. He would hold Separation as a kiiid of rod over the Northern members, and extort from them concessions which they would not otherwise grant. If this be the real object of the Separationists, their strength and influence are gone. The movement they have instituted has been of an influential character, because it was thought that its promoters were earnest and single-pur-posed. But we simply affirm an unmbtakeable truth when we say, that no sham political cry can exert an influence the moment after its real character becomes known. In private life, when a person attempts to extort from the fears of another a price for his silence, the victim often yields in the first instance, but on the second application hands his persecutor over to the hands of a policeman. The Separationists will find themselves much in the same position, supposing Mr. Dick to have adequately represented them. He has used the Separation cry as a threat wherewith to extort concessions. The intimidated members have at first failed to assert themselves. But the next time he " tries it "on " they will tell him, do not speak to us of Separation until you arc really in earnest with it. .Mr. Dick as much as intimated to the House that the Separation movement was started with the understanding that Separation was regarded as an extreme necessit}' only to be stipulated for in case some less severe remedy could not be found. It is a pity he had not a report of the proceedings at the Separation meeting before him, when he would have seen how much he libelled not only himself but all who were concerned in it. The first two resolutions moved at that meeting were as foll&ws:—

Ist. " J'hat fie proper Ojverament of the Mi Idle Island of New Zealand from a seat of Goverament'inj; the North Island, at all times inconvenient, has now* from VWvasC increase of European population in iKe Middle Island, become an impossibility.*' 2. '"Ehat justice to the British Colonists of the Middle Island, now numbering nearly 60,000 (sixty thousand, demands that legislation and administration for their interests, which are so dissimilar to those of tlie North Island, should not be, as hitherto, trameiled by and subordinated to considerations of » native policy, with which the Middle Island has no immediate connection." It ■will be seen they do not breathe of compromise. But if there was any suspicion of anything of the kind, Mr. Dick, who moved the tlnrt! resolution, effectually did away with it. Here was the resolution he took charge of:— •'That this meeting considers that the only " remedy for the evils referred to iv the fore- " going resolutions is the aeparation of the •' two Islands, and the having a ixovernment " and Governor permanently resident in the " Jliddle island, and that this separation " should be effected upon term 3 consistent 11 with the honorable fulfilment by the Middle •' Island of all public liabilities to which it is ] '; now a party." In speaking to it, he again! and again asserted that the time had gone by j for htiy compromise. " The necessities of the i ': case," he said, " were such that there was no j "alternative. If an alternative could have " been proposed to meet the difficulty, he for " one would have supported it, but no alter- " native had been suggested." Then, again, he made a strong point of the absorbing nature of Native legislation. "He had " listened to the debates for weeks, when in " Auckland, not on the subject of governing " the North and Middle Islands as European v settlements, but as to the policy of govern- i " ing the Maories themselves; but, inasmuch " as the money of the Middle and Southern " Islands had gone, and wa3 still going, to " keep the natives in subjection, it was a mat- '• tcr in which this colony must feel greatly '• interested; and, inasmuch as all the laws, " the tariff, and all the regulations were guided "• by Native policy, he considered that it did il con3tituteone of the greatest reasons why ths t; country shouM now agitate for separation " The Northern Island was not an island of •' Europeans; it \va3 an island of Maories with " Europeans in it. They, on the contrary, " occupied an island of Europeans, and they " required to be governed us Europeans should " be." The present session has been particularly marked by the attention devoted to native a's'airs, a»J how can he withdraw from the position hs then clearly laid down, that Separation was an inevitable necessity. Mr. Dick cannot even say that the Wellington alternative was not suggested, for he himself brought it forward to demolish it. Could anything be clearer or more explicit than tliis : " The time was when all was quiet in the v Northern Island that the Middle Island 4i would have submitted to a government from " Wellington, but that time had gone by and " their position was such that there was no " alternative but to have a separate government li here." The question of the removal of the Seat of Government to Wellington, as an alternation to Separation, is not a new one; in fact, Mr. Dick on a previous occasion made a considerable amount of political capital by his refusal to endorse the alternative. Major Kichardson was known to consider the removal to Wellington as preferable to Separation, and great stress was laid upon it when the two gentlemen were nominated as rival candidates for the representation of Dunedin. The late Mr. Kettle put this question to Mr. Dick : "Are " yon in favor of the unconditional Separation 41 of the Middle Island from the Northern " Provinces," when . Mr. Dick replied distinctly that he was. Major Richardson's more qualified opinion made hiai regarded as an Anti-Separationist, and this was urged against him at the subsequent election, he having retired from the contest with Mr. Dick. Mr. Cargill also, was regirded as an Anti-Separationut, because he entertained the same views. Mr. Dick has i-i fact, showed himself trebly a traitor. He is false to his own previously expressed views, fal<e to the Separationists who looked to him to advocate their cause in the House, and false to the members whom he endeavoured to pursuade that the compromise would be endorsed by the Separationists. Our present limits will not permit our reviewing the terms of the debate, nor the aspect which the separation question has now assumed. We do Mr. Dick the justice to believe that his tergiversation was not occasioned by a wilful desire to injure the cause of Separation, but that he acted through misapprehension of the position he was assuming. As a young politician of plastic materials, he was more open to persu ..sion than he should have been. lie wants ballast; he is apt to speak lightly, and therefore not feel deeply. Had he reflected upon hi« previous connection with the Separation movement, he could not but have recognised the fake position he wa s taking up. We are sorry to have to make these remarks, because we beiieve that throughout the session Mr. Dick worked zealously and industriously in the interests of his constituency. He has erred in judgment, he has proved 1-imself weak where he should have been strong. Meanwhile the Separationists, if they would not have their cause lost, and themselves scouted, for raisin"- a sham political cry. should at once disavow complicity in the Wellington compromise. We have simply treated the matter in the relation in which Mr. Dick stood to his Separation colleagues, but it is impossible to be altogether blind to the breach of faith and injustice he has shown his constituents At his nomination, when he was elected, he stated in reply to Mr. Kettle that he was in favor of unconditional Separation ; but in his remarks to the House he altogether lost si-ht of this pledge. Oh, Dhk, Dick. "Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel."

-o» —■ . The present high price of animal food in Dunedin, has assumed the shape of a public grievance. On every hand may be heard loud and bitter complaints of the exorbitant charges made, and this too in the absence of any direct cause, arising from the scarcity of sto;k or extraordinary cost in productiDn. It cannot be doubted that the high cost of living in Dunedin will act to a considerable extent a^ a restraint upon those who may be desirous of settling dovra

and remaining in the Province. It is a fmatier of) notoriety Uiat tise" business is almost, entirety in the hands of a few capitalists, who taking advantage of their position adopt every possible means to keep down competition and maintain exorbitant prices. Meat is now being charged from fourteen to sixteen pence per lb., a price bearing no relation to the cost of stock, and it is probable that in the facs of the coming rush, prices will be still further advanced. A great deal has been said in favor of the removal of the restrictions on the importation of cattle, bat, pending anj' action that may be taken by the Legislature on the subject, we think the public have it in their own power to remedy the evil. A co-operative society might be formed without much difficulty, and would be attended with the best results. In England similar societies have been uniformly successful, when properly conducted, and there are two or three eminent examples to which we will refer. Some years ago, the flour-millers and dealers in Leeds, kept up the price of flour far | above its proper value, and this became so great a grievance, that the working-men of the town, initiated and succeeded in forming | a Co-operative FJour Mill. The principles embodied in the scheme, are briefly as follows :—A certain number of shares were issued, toform the capital of the association. A Mill was erected, and furnished with proper machinery, and placed under efficient I management. The Manager, or the Agent of j the Society, bought wheat in the best markets, I and all the organization of the mill was conl ducted similarly to that of any other private ! concern. The Society then appointed j retail agents, who supplied the flour to I shareholders at a small advance upon | cost. At the end of the year, ! the accounts were properly gone into and the profits alloted to the shareholders, in the shape of bonuses, which couH ba taken in flour or c money at the option of the shareholder. Not only did this Society turn out a financial success, —for year after year very large profits were made, and the operations of the association extended—but, it had the effect of thoroughly breaking down the monopoly previously complained of, and compelling the millers to reduce their prices. In Rochdale there are several instances of the success of cooperation. These societies originally instituted for the supply of provisions, have extended their operations until they now embrace the supply of every class of goods and provisions, and also large Corn Mills, and Cotton Spinning and Manufacturing concerns. It would be very eisy to establish an association on a similar basis in Dunedin. It might embrace both butchering and baking. Supposing a thousand persons subscribed £2 each, this would form capital for a beginning. The members might select experienced practical men to buy their stock, and tike charge of the several departments and each member being supplied with a proper certificate might be supplied with bread and meat at a small advance on cost, to cover the expenses of distribution * and any unforeseen losses. , Having given an outline of the system, we leave it to the public to carry it out. Probably, if a public meeting were convened, the subject would be further elucidated by those who may be acquainted with the workin" of similar institutions. We cannot better conclude our remarks, than by quoting the following account of a co operativesocietj* formed a short time ago in a small village in Northamptonshire:— In the spring of ISSI a few of the working men in CHpMone ca:le<l a meeting, and afterwards canvassed the village, obtaining thirty-four members and a subscribed capital of £34 17s. 3d., which led to the commencement of business on the 2Sth June last. For once the village of Clipstone was movei from its centre to its circumference—the bakers sank the bread, and the butchers their meat. That only helped them on, aad .hey took the fir-t two nights the store was opened eight jruineas. During the first quarter the re?urns averaged £15 per week, and after payment of expenses they had a dividend of Is. 6d. in the pound to pay all purchasers who were shareholders; several new members joine-3, and several other articles were then added to their stores. The second quarter they contracted for their meat, as they ha<l been buying the l>est beef and mutton at Bd. per pauud all the winter. Their sales that quarter ;.muuiited to £277 75., averaging more than £20 per week, and the dividend to purchasers was Is. 9d. in the pound. The weekly sales, exclusive -of meat* weK now upwards of £23, and last quarter s returns were £318 175., and after discharging all expenses, and paying 5 per cent, to the shareholders, they were able to give the members 2s. in the pound on the whole of their purchases. One member has paid in s*. ;he has drawn 125., and has £2 3s. left in. The profit of another lias been £2 14s. 4d. : another, £2 14s ; another, £2 10*. 6d., and some others exceed £2. In the third quarter, just ended, the dividend returned to one man was 2Gs.; auother, 235. 6d and three others over 20s. They were vow clearinsr besides paying ail expenses, over £100 per annum! They did not sell inferior articles to do this, and the society had done go*l to the whole of the village by cheapening the daily necessaries of life. They had 52 members, and a capital of £-30.

In the letter of our lavercargiU correspondent, whica appears in another part of to-days paper appears an account ot the dhcovery cf another new gold-field within the province of Orago. The first intimation of the discovery* of tins gold-field reached Invereargili about the 29th August, when it was reported that a payable field had been found on the forks of the Nokomai and Mataura. On the Ist of the present month 28 oz. 11 dwts. ofgold were talcen into Invereargill It was said to have been obtained from the gully of the Moa Creek, a creek running into theXokoma?, which again is a tributary of the Mataara River The gully is situated on Cameron's run being wuhia two and a-half miles of the home station rhc gold is described as heavy and nuo-<r et ty lite that of Bendigo. We are not yet of any particulars with regard to the supposed gold-field beyond what are obtained in our Invercargiil correspondent's letter. It i s not <*f e - therefore to jump to the conclusion that a new payable gold-feld has been discovered It *» quite possible that the finder of the gold may have merely dropped upon a rich patch. Still it can not be denied that the news is very important," and, no doubt, Aye shall soon hear whether nnv fresh discoveries have been made, The supposed vj gold-field, we should mention, is within the pro vmce of Otago. With regard to the exact lo cahty we find that the Xokomai fl.«vs to the west of the range of hill, which extends from the Ooehak to the East Dome, and which again lie to the west of the Umbrella Ranges. The distance from Dunedin i v a stnujjht lineia uader

a hundred miles, but by the way that it would be necessary to travel, the distance would of course be considerably * more. The best and easiest-way to reach the spot wonld bo by way of Invercivrgill, and should it be found that there is really a rich field, there will doubtless be a considerable rash. . .. ■* " Joorisse" and'the " Pacha of Pimlico" were repented last evening at ih:-. Princess's Theatre. There was a moderate attendance. The drama was again exceedingly well received 5 and the farce, as ever, was played amidst, the-heartiest.of laughter. " Bulwer Lytton's fine drama "Richelieu" attracted a tolerably, good house at the Theatre Hoyal hisfc evening, and the piece passed off with considerable success. Mr. Holt has evidently a very correct einception' of the character of the crafty Statesman Cardinal; and the wiliness of his nature was well pourtrayed. Mr. Holt also spoke some of the notable passages of the play— such as the eulogy of the pen over the sword as a ruling power—with flno feeling and effect, and there was a .happy mixture of solemnity aud daring while lie was threatening the curse ol Rome on Baradas and his fellow courtiers, if they dared to molest Julie da Mortemar. Mr. I Wolfe-made a good De Mauprat, arid-the Joseph of Mr. Shields had the right smack of unctuous suppleness of mind and manner for the time-server who has jo other object than to " be a bishop." The loving, daring, persecuted-Julie, de Tilorteniar, found a lit representative in .Mrs. Holt; and Marion de Lorme was quietly and well played by Muss Matthews. "The Dead Shut/ with Madame. Durc-t as the dashing-Louisa Lovetrick, concluded the entertainment. We see that "Hamlet'- is announced for Monday eveniug. For to-night Oliver Twist is to be performed. We have to notice that the private boxes have now been fitted up at this theatre, and that they add greatly to the appearance and comfort of the house. It would appear' that the statement of there being a direct and practicable road to the Dunstan Diggings from Invercargill, was somewhat premature. Mr. Ilcale, the Southland Surveyor, writes to the Superintendent of Southland--us follows :•—" Invereargill, August 28th 1862. Sir, I have to state that, in accordance with your desire, I prepared on Tuesday last, in company with Mr. lVarson, to start to the neighbourhood of t'ue .Whakatipu, with a view to ascertain if a practicable line of road could be found to the recently discovered diggings near Cairmnuir. Some information which we received led us to defer our departure until we had communicated with a gentleman who formerly had a run in that country, and with Mr. M'Kerrow, the able assistant of Mr. J. T. Thomson) who happened to be at thelHuii.nud who hasrecent'y surveyed the locality of the Kawc- I rau. Having obtained the information we sought.we were about to leave to-day when then unfortunate occurrence at tho Bluff led your honor to dot ermine that my presence is demanded there in the first instance. My exploration being thus indefinitely postponed, it may still prevent some disappointment if I lay before you the result of the careful inquiries I had mailc for the guidance of my intended journey. Mr. M'Kcrrow explicitly states:—lst, That the Kawarau River, five miles after leaving Lake Whakatijnt, enters v deep and abrupt go«ge utterly impassable for man or horse. 2nd, That the Nevis at its junction with the Kawarau runs in a similarly precipitous ravine; and that all the mountains between the Umbrellas and thes.; rivers appeared to him so lofty, broken and snow covered, that any i \ attempt to pass them at this season 11 would be vain. Still there remains one : range to the eastward of those over which I have good hopes of finding a less difficult line; and which leads down to the range,—the very site of the new dig. giugs—and this line I trust shortly to explore, j Bat it b clear to m; that the difficulties aud the j uncertainty of this route are yet so great that it would ha in the highest degree imprudent for any parties to undertake it unless such as are fully j prepared to pass at least several days among untracked ranges, still deeply covered with snow. I am apprehensive that some parties have already j started on this journey with means very inadequate to confront its difficulties ; probably, on a nearer view of them, and with the information) they will obtain at the higher run:!, they will not j persevere in attempts involving so much danger; ) ami there is gooi reason to hope that they may j find gold fields well worth their attention on.this ' side of the mountains. Still, I cannot but think j that soniii warning is called for to prevent illinformed and ill-supplied parties from rushing 1 blindly into danger und disappointment." I ■- ' " . ■■■■.-■ I The excitement in Southland on the subject of j the new Dunstan Diggings, appears to rival that j in Dr.rte'din. The Southland News of the 30th August, has a leader-on the subject, warning the people against an inconsiderate rush. Tho Niws \ seems to have swallowed a "crammer,"lbr it states, j that bc-yoni! the S7 lbs. weight brought down'by i HavtK-v .'fid. I^niy, another party had brought { in 27 lbs. weight a few days afterward.?. Some j idea of the feeling prevalent i:i Southland, may be gathered '■ from the following remarks in the Southland News —The news of the new diggings reaches this town—and almost instantaneously a marvellous change comes over men's minds. Steady work, at wages which at home would be deemed fabulous if not ruinous to either the Go- j ■vernment or to private employers, suddenly be-j comes distasteful to scores and scores of industri- \ ous nxen who before were congratulating themselves on '-their lines having fallen to them in such pie."sant places ;"—the implements of their several handicrafts were laid aside; the sounds otbonafide reproductive work are almost wholly hushed ; and nearly the only business transacted during the last week, has been in the purchase of gold-diggers' traps, and in the formation of parties of gold-hunters, scarcely one in ten of whom knows anything of the route he will have to take, of the difficulties and hardships he will have to encounter, or has formed the least idea of how he will be able to get a fresh supply of provisions after the first scanty stock he takes with him from this town is ex! austed. Already, we believe, nearly 300 men have " humped their swags," and taken their departure from luvercargill in search of the last opened " Tom Tiddler's ground." The following was the state of Her Majesty's Gaol-in this city, up to last evening (Friday) :-— Awaiting trial before t'le Supreme Court, 12 males and 1 female ; under sentences of hard labor, 44 males and 5 females; sentenced to imprisonment, 2 males and 3 females ; debtors, 9 males ; lunatics 2 males and I female ; in the gaol, GO males aud 10 females-being the same total as last week. Received during the week, 11 males and 1 fcmalej discharged. 10 males and 2 females' The San Francisco Minstrels, we observe, announce a series of performances in the Mu&ic Hall at the Commercial Hotel, commencing this evening.

(• The existence <?f gold in payable quantifies in the neighborhood of the Dunstan Ranges was made known so long ago .is March 1858. At that time Mr. Garvie, a gentleman connected with tho Survey Department, bat since dead, brought to Dunedin some samples of gold, which he had obtained in the vicinity of the Dunstan. We extract the following report from the Otugo Witnes of March 15th, 1858, and which may prove inte- j resting "at the presenf. time:—" The gold was | much of the same character as that which was procured at the Waiona, and was mixed with iron sand and oxide of tin. Mr. Gnrvie, who was accompanied by an experienced digger, reports that they found gold in every dishful of earth they washed." it is singular that those indications of auriferous deposits should have attracted so little attention at the time as they appear to have done. The exportation "of kauri gum is a more important branch of the colonial trade than U eenerally supposed. During the quarter ended March 31st, no less than 452 tons, value £5,000, were exported from the port of Auckland to Great | Britain. We notice in the Auckland papers that a rew branch of intercolonial trade has been op-ned. A vessel has left that "port laden with coal from the I Waihoihoi mines or Canterbury. The coal from these mines'" is much superior to what has been hitherto brought to market from the coal fields «>f the southern provinces, but it possesses the objectionable quality peculiar to most kinds of Xt-w-Zealand coal, becoming exceedingly friable after exposure to the., atmosphere, and "crumbling to dust. It seems ..singular that the Canterbury people, who.boat.such extensive coal deposits, should be compelled to import their coal from the other extreme of the colony. One party who have returned from the Dunstan state that the river had risen considerably, and had covered where they wcro working. Oneman found a very ridi patch, under two large boulders, and another m-\n had got out about 5 oz. in a few hours by working into the bank, but the rising" of .the river checked ""him" also."- All the available river claims were taken up, and they did notijear of any one else trying the flats or anywhere but the river. ________________ i