The Southland Times. MONDAY, OCTOBER 15,1866.

Southland Times, Issue 578, 15 October 1866, Page 2

The Southland Times. MONDAY, OCTOBER 15, 1866.

Agbicultubal Associations have become national institutions. In England, they occupy a high position, and the n^ost celebrated statesmen avail themselves of the opportunity of their gatherings to enlighten the country by elaborate expositions as to the politics of the day — the position of parties, and prospects of the future. In the Colonies, Agricultural Associations have attained influence and position, and few communities in the Australian Colonies or New Zealand are without such institutions. The establishment of an Agricultural Association is much needed in Southland. It must have been generally observed that in the discussion of subjects of interest to the agricultural settlers, there has not been that attention paid to their wants that they are legitimately entitled to expect. The agricultural class we look upon as the bone and sinew of an advancing Province, and their interests should be cherished and encoui'aged with no niggardly hand. It is to the agricultural class that may be attributed the greatness, the power, and the wealth of nations, and it is the protection and encouragment which the sister Colony of Victoria has given to this interest that may be attributed the rapid progress that is daily becoming more conspicuous in that Colony. It has been the •study of years to perfect a system that would render the waste land of the Colony available for agricultural enterprise on tbe most liberal conditions, and the labor has not been in vain ; country that was deemed barren and worthless now gives forth abundantly the fruit of the vine and the fig-tree, and but indifferently profitable sheep-walks are covered with the waving corn, and the din of civilised activity is heard where, a few years since, the bleat of the sheep, and the laugh of the jackass-bird were the only sounds to be heard. The productive progress of Victoria is worthy of all admiration. It has not, however, been entirely attributable to wise legislation alone. The settlers themselves have been aided in the work. They have persistenly urged upon the attention of the Government, the desirability of the establishment of Agricultural Boards, partly under the control of the Government, and partly under their own. These Boards take cognizance of ail subjects of agricultural interest that is calculated to be of benefit to the cultivator, and exercise vigilant guard over all matters appertaining to the agricultural interest. The consequence is, that Victoria is rapidly increasing in material wealth, and is receiving large numbers of small farmers, with means, from the home country. The same may be said of South Australia. It was the fostering care bestowed on the agricultural interest, in its infancy, in that colony, that may be attributed its steady prosperity. South Australia, a colony in which payable gold has never been disovered, presents the gratifying spectacle of having a balance of nearly half a million in her treasury, besides possessing a railway of still greater value. We have, in our previous comments, digressed from the subject matter of the article, in order to point out the necessity of cultivating in a greater degree than hitherto, and giving more earnest attention to the wants of our fellow-colo-nists engaged in agricultural pursuits. How, then, the question will naturally be asked, can this be accomplished here ? We acknowledge there is a difficulty to be overcome, iv approaching this part of our subject, but still one that does not present insurmountable obstacles. It is true that the Provincial Exchequer presents anything but a healthy appearance, but yet, we think, as soon as we are in possession of the pastoral rents, a little could be spared. In round numbers we ought, next year, to be in possession of a revenue of between twenty and thirty thousand pounds. This sum, if proper economy is exercised by the Government, should leave a balance of some twenty thousands pounds to be expended for public purposes. Now, if the agricultural settlers in other colonies are acknowledged as deserving of encouragement, surely the same rule will apply to Southland. Here we have a magnificent country, eminently adapted for agricultural pursuits, capable of sustaining a large population, it should be our earnest desire to foster, by every legitimate means, the cultivation of the lands, by affording the greatest possible facilities to the pioneer settler to hew out for himself a local habitation and a name. "We think that if a Southland Agricultural Board or Association was formed it would be of great benefit to the country settler, and advance the general progress of the Province. To become a power, its members should be partly composed of elected settlers, and partly by gentlemen appointed by the Government or the Council. It should be a deliberative body, and bring under review all subjects appertaining to agriculture, roads, tramways, bridges, &c. The success that has followed the organization of such institutions in Victoria, is apparent and it may be conceded that they would work beneficially here. Any resolutions which might be passed, or any suggestions that might be made, by a body so constituted, would be certain to carry more weight with the Government and the Council, than fifty promiscuous gatherings or ill-orgauised public meetings. The Board would rank with the Chamber of Commerce in importance and influence, and exercise, if

properly conducted, a power for good of the very highest order. "We hope the settlers will give this subject serious attention.

Someinterestappears tobemanifested in the Waikivi election. The names of two candidates, Messrs M'Clure and Toshack, are mentioned, as likely to enter the arena. Mr M'Clure calls a meeting of the electors for Wednesday evening, at the Theatre Royal, to explain his political views. Mr Toshack preserves silence. Probably we may erpeot to hear something from him shortly. A great many of the voters in this district reside in town.

The following is the state of H.M. Gaol, for thr week ending Friday, the 12th instant :— : en tenced to penal servitude, 6 males ; sentenced to hard labor, 5 males ; total, 11 males. Eeciverl during the week, 1 male ; discharged during the week, 2 males. Decrease for the week, 1 male. We would desire to call attention to the anniversary tea and public meeting of the Ragged School, which will be held, in the School-room, Dee-street, on Tuesday next, the 16th October. The Ragged School is an institution which should command the sympathy of every generous mind. Hitherto, it has under many difficulties, been sustained by the few, and the success that has attended their labors, we understand, has been great, but the demand upon their scanty maans has been so strained, that more general aid is required. We hope that all sympathisers with the object, will attend, lea on the table at 6-30 p.m. The Joint Committee of the Assembly, " appointed to consider and report upon all Bills introduced into the House relating to waste lands," has made the following report : — Ist. — That since the repeal, in 1858, of the Acts which surren- , dered the power of legislation on Waste Land? to the Provincial Legislatures, the initiation of organic laws relating to the Waste Lands has boen generally exercised by the Provincial Legis ktures. 2n<\— T mt without any express declaration on the subject having been made by the Assembly, the practice has hitherto been for the Assembly not to legislate on the subject of the Waste Lands of the Province unless the wish of the Provincial Legislature that legislation should take place had been previously expressed. 3rd — I That nevertheless, while the Assembly has not on the one hand originated legislation on the Waste Lands, it has never relinquished any of its powers by which it appeared to the A ssembly expedient to be suided. 4th — That whenever the measure's proposed by any Province interfered with the general principles and policy by which it appeared to the Assembly expedient to be guided, or affected, whether directly or indirectly — the public creditor, the safety or welfare of neighboring Pro vinoes, or the rights and claims of the various classes of its inhabitants — the Assembly has not only amended the proposed provisions in accordance with its own pleasure, but has constantly originated provisions for securing fairness to the respective inte r ests concerned. 4th — That while the duty of the Committee, as defined by the order of reference, appears to have been to examine and consider the provisions and principles of any Bill referred to it, it has nevertheless been the practice of Waste Lands Committees to suggest and recommend any such alterations in the provisions of any Hill submitted to it as seemed necessary to embody and carry out the policy ii approved of. 6th — That if this view be correct it follows that the course of proceeding should generally be as follows in the examination of Waste Lands Bills: — To ascertain whether the proposed legislation is substantially in accordance with the desire of the Provincial Legislatures ; to ascertain whether it interferes, and if so, in what way, with settled practice, resolution or precedent j to ascertain whether it affects the public creditor, and in what way ; to ascertain whether it inflicts injury on any interest or class, or unfairly deals with their claims ; to point out for the action of the House, the general way in which any such injurious provisions can be provided against j to suggest the form in which such provision should be made ; but wherever the proposed legislation did not interfere injuriously with any public or private rights, then the Committee should abstain from making material alterations in the provisions recommended by the Provincial Legislatures. The Penal Establishment Committee appointed by the House of Representatives, has presented the following report : — " The Committee appointed to consider and report on the question of providing a General Penal Establishment for the Colony, have agreed to the following report : — Your Committee have carefully considered the matter referred to them, and have collected returns from the various Provinces showing the accommodation now furnished by the gaols throughout the Colony, their general condition, the number of prisoners confined in these gaols, and the cost of maintaining and guarding snch prisoners. Your Committee has also been favored with the evidence of seven Superintendents of Provinces, as to the extent to which the erection of a Central Penal Establishment would affect the provision now required for the safe custody and maintenance of criminals in their several Provinces. Your Committee find that the cost of maintaining and guarding prisoners in the Provincial gaols is not much in excess of what it would probably be in a central prison, and that at present the labor of the prisoners is generally utilised to a very considerable extent. Your Committee are satisfied, however, that under present arrangements there exists, and must continue to exist, a deficiency in the proper classification of criminals, as well as an absence of such discipline as is calculated to make their imprisonment a reformatory or even an effectually penal process. Although your Committee believe that some saving in expense might be effected' by confining in a General Penal Establishment all criminals sentenced to lengthened periods of imprisonment, yet looking to the cost of conveying them to the central prison iv the first instance, and of returning, them on their release to the Proviuces from which they came, as well as to the necessity for still keeping up the several Provinces proper establishments for prisoners under sentence for short periods aud for those awaiting their trial — your Commitee do not think that the real saving to be effected in expense would be considerable in amount, and there would be loss in the amount o£ value obtained from the employment of prison labor in works of utility. On the other hand, the cost of erecting buildings of sufficient extent and completeness, for a Central Ponal Establishment, would bo very largo, exceeding, as your Committee are informed, ono hundred thousand pounds in amount. Several localities bavo been suggested to your Committee ac available and advantageous sites

for a large prison, and public work* of con* siderable extent have been suggested upon which the prisoners might be usefully employed. As* suming, however, that the existing financial condition of the Colony, ia not such as to warrant ■my considerable outlay of public money on other than indispensable objects, your Committee are not prepared to recommend that the erection of a Central Prison should be undertaken at the present time." The West Coast Times, of the Ist inst., says : — " By the Omeo, we have Melbourne papers to the 20th ult. Their contents are not of much importance. The publication at home, as a Parliamentary paper, of the complete correspondence between Sir Charles Darling and Mr Cardwell — in which many passages are given which vere suppressed in the copies laid on the table of rhe Victorian Legislature — furnishes the Argus with the material for a very trenchant attack upon both Sir Charles and Mr M'Culloch, the Chief Secretary. The Argus goeß the length of saying : — ' The documents which exhiMt the dupe and confederate of the Ministry in such a discreditable light, proclaim the Chief Secretary to be — we leave each of our readers to finish the sentence for himself. Or, if the Chief Secretary was himself duped'and deceiveu by Sir Charles Darling, we leave it to the most devoted admirer of the late Governor to say with what a measure of opprobrium he should be visited who could attempt so foul an imposition, both upon the Chief Secretary and up*on the public!" A report from Mr Todd, the telegraphic superintendent of South Australia, gives, a sketch of the progress and present condition of Australian telegraphy. It is only eleven ypars ago since the first telegraph line was set up between Melbourne and Williamstown, and now there are more seven thousand miles of telegraph line connecting, two hundred stations (exclusive of Tasmania and New Zealand) . Four of the colonies are linied together, and there is an unbroken wire from Moonta, on the shores of Spencer's Gulf to Port Denison, and we are still going forward with fresh exjjfai* sions. The different colonies have spent altogether about £535,000 in telegraphs, and they nett an annual income of about £30.000, or somewhat loss than four per cent, on the outlay. This is scarcely a paying interest, but it is higher than we sret on our railway investment, and the indirect advantages of the telegraph are very great. We should not like now to be without them. On the whole, the telegraph pays better in this colony than in the others, and it pays least in Queensland, where the population is at present too thin to furnish much business. A " lusus naturae " of the truest kind was discovered this morning by Mr Drummond, of Bealey street, in the shape, literally, of an underground fish. Mr Drummond was working in a small garden at the Jack of his house, and wishing to put some of the small growth that had been cleared away he dug a hole about two feet six inches in depth. At that depth he met with a clayey loam, and found a hole in the soil about a foot in length and an inch and a-half in dinmeter. This was cut out to the end, and then a perfect fishwas discovered in the moft perfect health. We may premise that the ground was by no means marshy, but comparatively dry. Mr Drummond put it into water, and it immediately swam about like any other fish would, and on a piece of meat being put into the Water it seized it eagerly. Up to this afternoon it was still in good health and lively. It may be thus described — its length is about five inches, its color a dark brown with mottled black spots. It has two pectoral, one dorsal, and one ventral fin, all of which were laminated, and looked like threads slightly held together. Its gills are like those of any oilier fish, but set slightly back, and it has two Hnail like horns projecting from its snout.. The head is rather flat, but not peculiarly so, and the eyes are bright, whilst it possesses all the activity of an ordinary fish in its new home. Such as are curious in natural history can see this phenomenon by calling on Mr Drummond, who has shown every courtesy to those who have inspected it, and we should be glad to receive any further information on the point that scientific men would favor us with. Digging for fish ia a new pursuit in New Zealand, and we shall gladly give insertion to any explanations that may be furnished to us. From a telegram published i;i the Bruce Herald, of the 11th October, we learn that Fratson, the Clutha murderer, escaped from the Dunedin prison, on the afternoon of Thursday, the 10th October. Immediately after leaping the wall of the exercising yard, he was speedily retaken, and is confined in irons. We cannot account for no telegram of this event having been received in InvercargilL The political excitement now raging in Otago is as surprising as it is untrue. Indignation meetings are being held in all the Up-country towns, and resolutions being passed, calling upon the " unfaithful stewards" to resign. In Dunedin the populace appear to have run wild. The objectional members have been hooted, and exhibited in efligy in the public street, and afterwards thrown into the sea. A monster meeting has been called by the Major, to be held this day, when it is expected a great demonstration against the Stafford Ministry will be made.