The Southland Times. SATURDAY, SEPT. 17, 1864.

Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 47, 17 September 1864, Page 5

The Southland Times. SATURDAY, SEPT. 17, 1864.

Ijrits issues of Thursday and Friday last, the Daily Neics, with the good taste and veracity for which it is by this time so conspicuous, comments on the regulations of the Telegraph Department, and goes so far as to accuse the officials of favoritism in the performance of their duties, and ourselves of disreputable dodging to obtain possession of the wires. We need scarcely say that the News is all wrong, and that the acorn from which has sprung the imaginary oak he is so desirous of cutting down, and destroying root and branch, is, after all, a very puny seed. Both of. the Southland papers have agents at the Bluff, part of whose duty it is, on the arrival of the English Mail, to engage the telegraph for the transmission of the summary to Invercargill. The most active agent gets the first use of the wire, and the paper he represents iB able to publish the intelligence some hours before its rival. The transaction is a purely commercial one, and on the same footing as the transmission of ordinary messages. Better arrangements and greater energy on the part of our agent, enabled the Times, as usual, to get first possession of the wires on the arrival of the mail on Wednesday. This being the fourth time consecutively that the same thing has happened, the drowsy owners of of the News waxed exceeding wroth at finding themselves in the background, and instead of making good resolutions for the future, and admonishing their agent to keep his eyes open and bestir himself, they took a stroll as far as the Government Buildings, the weather having cleared up for a time, requested an audience of the Superintendent, and with child-like simplicity, prayed that the message of the Times might be stopped, and that of the Daily News sent in its place. We have no doubt that the refusal which followed as a natural consequence on such an absurd demand was courteously worded, and uttered without laughing in the faces of the applicants ; that much may be taken for granted ; but the risible muscles of our usually sombre-visaged chief must have had a hard time of it. The deputation was bowed out in due form, and returned to the place whence they came ; but the " angry passions," against which the juvenile part of the community is so strongly and pathetically cautioned by Dr. "Watts, had so far taken possession of one at least of the unfortunates, that he could by no means rest satisfied until he had given vent to his feelings in the remarks to which we alluded at the beginning of this notice. He sat himself down, and in "bombastic style, Buch as he habitually employs when enlightening the public on the fate of nations, discoursed of the loss of a little private filthy lucre,— a loss solely attributable to a want of smartness on the part of his agent. " The subject •' was at once brought under the notice " of the Executive Government, and such " arrangements will be enforced before " the arrival of the next mail as will pre- " vent a recurrence of the circumstance." "Whatever arrangements the Daily Neios may make during the course of the month, the public may be sure of two things — firstly, that the Executive Government, from which the proprietor and editor of the News received their conge on "Wednesday last, will make no alterations for the special convenience of that journal to the detriment of other interests, those being the alterations which our contemporary has in view ; and secondly, whatever efforts the News may make, and whatever changes for the better take place in its staff, the Times will continue to supply the first intelligence on the arrival of the mail. "We are given to understand, though we cannot speak from personal experience, that the proprietors and editor of the Daily News are gentlemen in the widest acceptation of the term, but the public, that graven image before which our contemporary bows down very low upon all occasions, will not feel more inclined to accord them suchanhonorable titlebecause they choose to call a rival hard names, and, without proof, accuse him of disre-. putable dodges, and the telegraph officials of what "must, if true, be considered unworthy conduct, and such as would justly lead to their dismissal. "We deny that on any occasion, or in the smallest degree, ha* this journal asked or received any undue advantage from the officials in charge of the telegraph. Civility and attention we have always met with, but no transaction has been tinged with favoritism, either at the expense of the Daily News, or indeed of aayone. ■ ■• "With regard to the charge of our monopolising the wire by sending a number of spurious advertisements whilst the English telegram of ihe Neios was waiting for transmission, we beg to state, that the writer^^ told— what; might be expressed ia » word of four letters^ but which .we prefer to describe as a tale not conveying

the truth. The only message which was forwarded by our agent on "Wednesday, before the transmission of the English news, was one relating to the Aldinga, and occupied about eight lines, no other message being, waiting at the time. Supposing it to have been, a spurious message, neither the Daily News nor its agent had any right to meanly pry into our affairs to ascertain that point, which, after all, it would be utterly impossible for them to decide; and , with regard to K the operator, we imagine he knows his duty sufficiently well not to be in leading strings either to ourselves or to the agent of such a " yery influential " journal as the Daily News. He did not, so far as this paper is concerned, take, any message out of its turn, but simply did his work as it came to hand; and had a, spurious message been sent, which we do not admit, it certainly would have been no part of his duty to determine the question. That is what only the sender and the recipient are enabled to decide. It is a usual practice in Europe to send telegrams for the sake of secresy, worded, by previous agreement, so as to convey either a wrong meaning or no meaning at all to the operator. "We have, ourselves, both sent and received many such telegrams, in the old country and the Colonies, but the safeguard lies in the fact that they have to be paid for, and the operation of keeping the wire closed to the public, is rather too expensive a one to be lightly adopted. Certainly no such temptation is at all likely to arise in Southland. "Why did not His Honor, when in the first instance informed that so gross a wrong was being perpretrated at the expanse of the Daily News, give instructions at once that the message of our contemporary should take precedence? For the simple reason that the statement could not be supported by proof. It is evident that the Daily News is horribly jealous, or it would never have forgotten itself so far as to adopt this last " disreputable dodge," to sustain its fast waning influence. The public, bearing in mind a former occasion, when the proprietors of that paper actgd in so disgustingly illiberal and ignoble a manner, towards the Times (we allude to the great fire) will be apt to scrutinise closely the motives which have led to the exposition of their fictitious wrongs. Our contemporary published yesterday a letter from his Bluff correspondent. We, in like manner, subjoin one from our's on the same subject ; and if, as we understand, an inquiry into the whole matter is to be made, we trust it will be a thorough one, and that the correspondence may be published without delay or reservation. Such a course is demanded, both in justice to the telegraph officials and ourselves.

(jo thb bditoe of thb southland times.) Bbab Sib, — I have read in tho Daily News of this morning a leader respecting the telegram forwarded by me from the Bluff, on the arrival of the Aldingawith the English Mails on Wednesdaylast, and as the greater portion of the said leader is utterly untrue, I shall briefly state the whole of my proceedings on that occasion, as -well aa thoso of the correspondent of the Daily News, leaving you to make what use you like of the letter. Firstly, we wont down to the Bteamer in the same boat, but unfortunately could not get on board. We returned without any paper*. Immediately on landing I proceeded to the Telegraph Office, and handed in a communication for you. I then went in search of papers. All this time the correspondent of the Newt was dodging at my heels. I got my summary from Captain Thomson — proceeded to the Telegraph Office — was first at the office — the correspondent of the Daily News coming in after me ; he had no summary but a Some News. I stopped my firßt message in order to forward the English news, as I was entitled to do, there being no other message in the office. The correspondent of Daily News then handed in, not a summary, but a copy of the Some News unsigned ; my summary having been previously given in in the usual manner. On no grounds could the correspondent of the Daily News have claimed a right to the usa of tho wire, until ioth my messages were completed. I am, Sir, Yours truly, Jjlscbb Wad dill. Campbelltown, 15th September.

In order to confine our columns to-day to a complete summary of the" month's history, we withhold, till next issue, a variety of news received per the Mail from Europe, and also from Australia, and the New Zealand Provinces. The following is the state of H. M. Q-aol, Invercargill, for the month ending 16th inst. .wSentenced to hard labor, 19 males ; imprisonment only, 1 ; awaiting trial before Supreme Court, 2 ; debtors, 4 ; lunatics, 5 ; total, 32 males. Keceived during the month, 18 ; discharged during the month, 18. Of the 18 received during the month, 6 were for debt, 3 for larceny, 2 for drunkenness, 3 for assault, 1 for breach of Vagrant Ordinance, 1 lunatic, 1 for horse stealing, and 1 for fraudulent conspiracy. A meeting of the Committee formed at the recent public meeting of electors was held in ' Colyer's Princess Hotel, Dee-street, last night. There was a good attendance of members. The chair wa» taken by Mr. C. S. Button, brewer. A lengthy discussion was introduced, on the mode of operation to be adopted by the Committee, but Mr. John Munro at last moved the following resolution, to counteract the party spirit which a few of the members appeared to indulge in. " That this Committee in endeavoring to obtain suitable candidates for the Provincial Council, have adopted the principle that their ropre - sentative men are put forward as men of average intelligence, with liberal political views, and of sufficient colonial experience ; and in no way pledge itself to support any local politics." Mr. Tapper seconded the resolution. Mr. Osborne criticised the terms of the resolution, and was proceeding at some length to inform the meeting of his ideas of reform and liberalism in polities, when he was cut short by Mr. Pratt moving an amendment to the effect " that the committee proceed no further in business." On this being seconded by Mr. D. M'Donald, Mr. Osbome moved another amendment to the effect that this committee be called tho "Southland Be. form Association." This was seconded by Mr. Perkins. Both amendments ultimately were loot, and Mr. Munro's resolution was declared carried. The meeting then proceeded to carve out more minutely the line of action, which it would bo thought desirably to adopt. After a long consultation and discussion on the merits of various gentlemen considered suitable as candidates for the Provincial Council, the following were selected, viz. : — Messra. Alfred Grilles"; Matthew Holmes, J. R.Daviee, John Henderson, C,E. Button, T. M. M'Donald, and John M'Donald. The meeting then adjourned till halfpast ■even p.m., on Monday first. The first adjutant's parade in connection with the yblumteer movement in Southland took place last evening, when large numbers of our citizens turned out to witness the military display. The volunteers, who mustered well, were preceded by th« Provincial Brass Band, whole inspiring strains •nlivened the town in no inconsiderable degree.

A meeting of the joint committee of the Mechanics' Institute and the Winter Evening Lecturen Committee took place yesterday afternoon, in the office of Mr. J. S. Johnstonc,' registrar. The folio-wing were present, viz. — Eev. Messrs. Shaw and Searle, Messrs. Beaven, South, Bright, Johnstono, and Stock. Mr. South presided. The report of the sub-committee appointed at last meeting of the joint committee was submitted to tha meeting, and endorsed, after a few slight amendments were . made. A discussion then ensued as to the most desirable manner in which the work of canvassing the town for subscribers to the Mechanics' ; Institute, and resulted in an understanding that each member of either committee should do his utmost to obtain subscriptions, and donations of books or in money, to the institution, after which a meeting will again be held, and a regular prospectus of the new institute be laid before the public. The committee enter on their work full of the most sanguine hopes in the success of their endeavor to resuscitate the presently almost ignored Mechanics' Knstitution into an association of a mor» prosperous character, and one calculated to benefit largely the community. A report will be read to the avidience at the conclusion of the lecture on Tuesday first, setting forth more fully the views and intensions of the Joint Committee. We may merely m ention that the addition of a library will be on<s of the chief objects of the Committee, and an additional course of lectures will shortly be announced, to which adiniseion will be given to members of the Institute gratis, and to non-members at a small charge. An adjourned me eting of persons interested in the establishment a Young Men's Christian Association in Southland was held last night in the Wesleyan Chapel, Great North Eoad. W. F. SDirlton, Esq., presided on the occasion, and several clergymen took part in the proceedings, which were of a ye ry interesting character. A concert which was liberally patronised, came off last night in the Theatre Boyal, in aid of the Ladies Benevolent Society of Invercargill. Miss Fleming, through, whose instrumentality the concert was got up, was in excellent voice, and delighted the audience with some charming and favorite ballads. Miss Eloise Juno gave readings from Bobert Burns' and Allan Bamsay's works ; the pieces selected being that famous production of Scotia's bard, the " Cotter's Saturday Night," and selections from the equally well-known " Gentle Shepherd." The readings were exceediugly well delivered, and elicited great applause. Several amateurs kindly lent their valuable services on the occasion, and contributed much to the entertainmen ts of the evening in their fine rendering of some :favorite songs, duetts, glees, &c. The concert on the whole was most successful, and reflected the greatest credit on Miss Fleming, as the prosioter, and likewise on all who took part in tha proceedings.