The Southern Cross PUBLISHED WEEKLY. Invercargill, Saturday, Aug, 11. General News

Southern Cross, Volume 2, Issue 20, 11 August 1894, Page 8

The Southern Cross PUBLISHED WEEKLY. Invercargill, Saturday, Aug, 11. General News

In our next issue we will begin the publication of a series of sketches entitled “ Memories of the Victorian Goldfields.” They are from the pen of an old identity—one who was an eye-witness of the incidents he describes, and who took part in the stirring scenes enacted on the goldfields of Australia in the early fifties. Possessed of a retentive memory and a ready pen, the writer relates his experiences in a fashion that should, and doubtless will, commend themselves to our readers. Subsidies to the amount of £4O for the destruction of small birds were passed by the County Council yesterday. A little girl, daughter of a settler, was severely bitten by a dog on Thursday. The animal, which belongs to the child’s father, lacerated the little one’s head. A doctor was called in, and stitched the wounds, and the sufferer is now doing well. - Parliament is still discussing the Financial Statement, and despite the time limit there are still some members to be heard. Latest London advices are to the effect that English wheat is scarce, and that the market is very firm. The war between China and Japan continues. The “ Japs ” appear to be having the best of it. A meeting is to be held in Mr Masters’ club rooms on Monday night to| consider the swimming baths question. Tr e subject has been threshed out before, but hitherto without result—let us hope that the steps about to be taken will lead to something definite, and put the town in possession of suitable and commodious baths in time for the approaching swimming season.

The charge of perjury preferred by J. J. Meikle against W. Lambert, one of thej principal witnesses against Meikle in a sheepstealing case some years ago, is set down for hearing at Wyndham, on Wednesday.—At Gore, on Wednesday, a young man named William Bae, charged with forgery, was committed for trial, and on Thursday a young; woman named Annie Greer, remanded from Winton, was committed at Invercargill on a similar charge. Nearly two columns of the Otago Daily Times were occupied on Thursday with what is termed the Laru ich-McKenzie correspondence. This is an unedifying sequel to the Tuapeka election. The paper might have devoted its space to better purpose. Who on earth is concerned to know that Mr Larnach. thinks Mr McKenzie has fought “ like a political cur and a political blatherskite,” or that Mr McKenzie calls Mr Larnach a liar by stating that one of his letters is “ characteristic of qualities that are not generally associated with truth dnd manliness P” The New Zealand Alliance, in order toorganise the whole of their powers, and thus be thoroughly prepared for vigorous action at the next Local Option Poll, has arranged the colony into five division*. The Southland, division consists of the electorates of Invercargill, Awarua, Wallace. Mataura and Wakatipu. A convention is to be held in our town on Tuesday, August 28th, when an Executive Council for this division will be elected, and arrangements made for the affiliation of all the different temperance bodies in the district, so that they may be directed by the Council and united action taken at any time on matters pertaining to the Temperance Cause. The afternoon will be devoted to the question of “ State Prohibition,” and one of the leading authorities in the colony has promssed to give a paper on the financial aspect of that question. This being the question of the day, no doubt a great amount of interest will be taken in it, and the discussion arising out of it should prove of great value to the advocates of the absolute prohibition of the liquor traffic. A public soiree and meeting will be held in the evening, and as some good speakers will address the people on current topics, a successful gathering may be looked for. Death, which has of late sadly thinned the ranks of our old identities, claimed on Friday week one of the rapidly-diminishing band known as “The Canterbury Pilgrims.” We refer to Mrs John Campbell, of East Invercargill, who passed away on the date mentioned at the advanced age of 82 years. A native of Sussex, she left England, with her husband and young family in 1850, being a passenger by the Cressey, one of the four ships despatched by the Canterbury Settlement Association, whose original intention was to form a colony complete in itself, and composed entirely of members of the then. United Church of England and Ireland. The Charlotte Jane arrived in Lyttelton on the 16th Decomber, 1850, followed a few hours later by the Bandolph and Sir George Seymour, and the Cressey, by which Mrs Campbell was a passenger, reached Lyttelton on the 27th of the same month. The deceased lady and her family afterwards came to Dunedin, and in 1858 they left in a schooner for Fortrose. From this point they made their way overland to Invercargill. The journey, an extremely difficult one in those roadless and bridgeless days, was accomplifhed in due course. Invercargill was then a very small place—the number of families may be judged from the fact that the juvenile population was limited to nine. Soon after arrival Mrs Campbell settled at East Invercargill, where she remained till her death. She was a typical pioneer colonist —brave, hopeful, self-reliant, and hospitable. In later years she was fond of recalling the vicissitudes of the early days of the settlement—among them the straits to which the residents were put through vessels with supplies of food being detained by adverse weather. Her reminiscences were, however, invariably couched in a cheery strain —the hardships of the past being glanced at only in order to bring oat the humorous side of some bygone incident, and this although she had experienced more than the usual quota of sorrow and trouble. Well educated ai\d wellread, the deceased maintained to the last a keen interest in the doings of the outside world, and commanded the esteem and respect of all privileged to know her. She wasa devoted member of the Church of England, and was among those who worshipped in the old Courthouse in Invercargill till a church was erected. Her remains were interred in the Church of England Cemetery on Thursday last, the service in the mortuary chapel and at the grave being conducted by the Yen. Archdeacon Stocker. The deceased is survived by two sons and twelve grand-child-ren. Cr. Dunlop, the representative of Awarua. Biding in the County Council, hoi s that the cost of maintaining the four roads leading into Invercargill keeps his riding poor, and he is determined to get at the users of the«e thoroughfares if possible. He pointed out yesterday that the bulk of the traffic on these roads escapes direct taxation by the Council, and he has therefore given notice to move at next meeting that the necessary steps be taken to have a toll bar erected at the north end of the Waihopai bridge—revenue to be raised either by a wheel tax or by tonnage as ■ may be determined, the money to be expended in metalling the North Boad.

Cp Ward, representative of Oreti Riding in the County Council, says the Noxious Weeds Bill would ruin all farmers livmg near rivers, as after a flood their properties might be covered with weeds of various kinds. —The chairman (Mr Green) thinks that the matter might be left to local bodies to deal with by means of bylaws. The Southland County Council is getting impatient at the burden incurred by way of payment of interest on its bank overdraft, which menbers consider high, and at yesterday’s meeting the following motion was carried at the instance of the chairman: That the Hon. the Colonial Treasurer he respectfully asked to endeavour to procure such amendment in the Local Bodies Loans Act as will enable county councils to alter a portion of their indebtedness now existing in form of bank overdraft to that of a loan, to be obtained on debentures, at, say, five per cent., er at such a rate as may be available, on the same security as that on which the overdraft is obtained —such loan being reckoned part of the amount of indebtedness which county councils are at present authorised to incur as an overdraft only.