The Southland Times. MONDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1866.

Southland Times, Issue 599, 3 December 1866, Page 2

The Southland Times. MONDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1866.

A meeting of the East Road Committee was held on Saturday afternoon, at Mr Pucttelkow'a Hotel, Tay-street. The Chairman (Mr P. Dalrymple), after briefly alluding to the proposition made at a previous meeting — to merge the Committee in a Society to be called the "Southland Association" — requested .the Treasurer, Mr Jabez Hay, to report on the financial position of the Committee. The income and expenditure to date balanced exactly, rendering the task of winding up the affairs of the Committee an easy one. Messrs Dalrymple and Hay were then re-elected as Chairman and Treasurer, resp-.ctively of the Southland Association. The Chairman then

' ; read the following Draft Constitution agfe. ' Ist. The object of the Southland Assoeianjjgl \ shall be to watch over nnd promote the various 1 inWfts'i of the Province, by guarding against thp t misapplication of its revenues, protecting its in- ( terests a?ftinst crude and partial legisla 1 tion, exerting itself to *rpe the provincial system i f -om the abuses which have diminished its u*' » ' fulness, and generally following out vigorouslv 1 everything necessary to the well-being and develop- ( ment of the various resources of the Province, and 1 also to communicate with kindred Associations, i when necessary, to secure combined action for the < common interest of the Province. 2nd. The Association shall be open to the colonists of all 1 parts of the Province. 3rd. The business of the Association shall be conducted by a Central < Committee, to be appointed at a general meeting i of members. The Committee to have powers to i make rules for the management of the Associa- ( tion, and perform generally the duties necessary i for carrying out its object (five to form a quorum.) i 4th. The Committee shall elect its own Chair- ( man, Secretary, Treasurer, and other officers necessary for the proper conduct of its business. ( All Special Meetings not fixed by the Committee ; shall be convened by the authority of the Chairman, who shall call a meeting at any time on re- ] caiving a requisition to that effect signed by two , or more of the Committee. sth. That it shall be competent for the Chairman and Secretary of the Central Committee to call meetings of the Association at such time and place as they may deem advisable. 6th. The Members of the Association shall consist of those who are willing to unite for the furtherance of the objects in view. Each Member shall pay an Annual Subscription in advance of Five Shillings. 7th. All subscriptions shall be paid over to the General Treasurer, to be appropriated™ such manner as the Committeemay direct. After a brief discussion it was resolved that the Draft Constitution should be adopted pending a general meeting of the Association. On the motion of Cant. Thomson, seconded by Mr Copeland, the Chairman and Treasurer were empowered to collect subscriptions, and instructed to call a general meeting prior the approaching session of the Provincial Council. We believe it is intended shortly to hold a district meeting at Wallacetown. The Provincial Council of Otago is taking up the question of the relations of the General and Provincial Governments in earnest. On the 27th November, the Treasurer (Mr Vogel) moved the foil wing resolutions: — "That the course of events in the North Island during the last fpw years has had a tendency to injuriouslyaffect the interests of the Provincps of both islan-lg. nnd this Council is of opinion that those events poi t to the n^cess^ty of en eavo - ■"S to » c re the cooperation of the Pr >vincpgpnerally towards giving effect to the following object* : — I. That the -'outh Island should no longer interfere in Native affairs. 2. That an equith- le arrangement should be made with the Vor»h Island Provinces to u the cost and the respon-ibility of preserving law and order within their limits. 3. That there should be an apportment and adjustment of all existing liabilities, and thit the South Island should be released from further contribution towar.'.s Native purposes. 4. That the present partnership account between the Proviaces and the colony should bo dissolved, and the Provinces b-.- assured of a settled instead of an uncertain revenue. 5. That the Territorial Revenue should be secured to the Provinces. 6. That the present oppressive tariff should be lightened. The House having gone into committee, a very animated discussion took place, in which Major Richardson strongly opposed them. The debate lasted till 11 p.m., and then adjourned to a future day. By the arrival of the William Miskin we are in receipt of the West Coast Times, 24th November, from which we clip the following :— " The gold escort from the Waimea arrived in town last night, with between 4000 and 5000 ounces of gold, the proceeds of nearly a fortnight. Taking [ the late wet weather into account, which has very much retarded mining operations of all kinds^ this return is satisfactory, and suggestive of great prosperity among the miners in the Waimea district. The diggings in tho neighborhood of the Typo are attracting some attention, as we hear that during the past few days many miners have wended their way in that direction. A party of twelve men having during the past two months been located there, and express themselves satisfied." The native difficulties are still cropping up ; a telegram from the Wellington correspondent of the Daily Times, under date 27th Nov. says : — " Rewi threatens to resist occupatiou by stockholders of lands leased from Thompson and others outside the confiscated Waikato boundary ; and in order to prevent the title being brought into the Land Court warns off the 6urveyors. The native lessors are preparing to defend the land against Rewi. The rebels are re-appearing near M'Donald's camp on the West Coast. By the arrival of the " Airedale " we are in receipt of files of Westland papers to the 29th November The news generally is not of importance. The first section of the Hokitika and Greymouth tramway was opened for traffic on the 28th November. The late reports from the Pakihi diggings, and the Buller district are favorable. The West Coast Times, 27th November, says : — " The latest reports to hand from the Pakihi diggings confirm the good accounts before received, concerning the new rush to Fox's River, payable gold having been struck iu several place-*. A great scarcity of provisions, however, existed there, as for & fortnight previous to the arrival of the Bruce no supplies had|reached the place, heavy rains having rendered the country impassable. Hundreds of men were reduced to the necessity of living upon shellfish, of which, fortunately, there was a plentiful supply. Four tons of goods were landed there by the Bruce, and quite a • rush was made by the famishing men to secure a ; portion of them, and the cases and bales were opened on the beach, and their contents retailed at once. The first parcel of gold received from the Pakihi diggings was shipped in the Bruce at the Buller, for Greymouth, and although it amounted to only 53 jozs., may, be accepted as satisfactory evidence of the bona fide charaster of th« new fiold."

— , I™ The ChristchurcK Evening Mail says :— " T * ' f-ared that the loss- occasione - by the lute fire ml' be much greater tban waa anticipated, beng con siderablv over £33,0^0. The various insurants are as follows :— Cookham House— Liverpool and London Company, £2500 ; Northern, £2500 ; Im- \ perial, £?s^o ; New Zealand Company, £2500 : . London and Lancashire, £2000; and North ( British, £2000; total, £14,000. Mr Ronch— , stock, £500, and premises, £700, in the Royal. ( Mr Trelaven was uninsured. Mr Baylee insured , in the Phoenix Company for £500 ; and Mr Campion of the Golden Fleece, for £400 in the Victoria Company, the premises were also insured , for £1600. ( 1 The New Zealand Gazette, of the 6th inst., contains the following notification of the allowances ordered by the Judges of the Supreme > Court to be paid out of the proceeds of a debtor's > estate by way of remuneration to trustees and sequestrators appointed under the Debtors and ' Creditors Act : — To sequestrators in respect of each estate, £2 2s. To sequestrators receiving the proceeds of property sold by them under ' order of the Court or a Judge, the same allowance as trustees in like case, in addition to the last mentioned fee. To trustees upon the net amount of their receipts on account of the estate, a percentage as follows : — On the first receipts up to £250 of 8 per cent. ; on their next receipts after the first £250 up to £500 of 6 per cent. ; on their next receipts after the first £500 up to £1000 of 4 per cent. ; on their next receipts after the first £1000 up to £3000 of 2 per cent. ; on all further receipts after the first £3000 of 1 per cent. Provided that the percentage on the proceeds of the sale of property subject to any mortgage shall be calculated only on the surplus payable to the debtor's estate. Provided also that no percentage shall be allowed to trustees on the proceeds received by a sequestrator of property sold by him under order of the Court or a Judge. Two or more joint trustees or sequestrators shall be entitled only to a Bingle allowance. Inspectors in Bankruptcy appointed to act as trustees or sequestrators shall be entitled to allowances at one- fourth of the above rates. The following specimen of the style in which Parliamentary debates are carried on in the colony of New South Wales is taken from the Sydney Morning Herald's report of the debate in Committee on the Public Schools Bill. The Colonial Secretary, at the close of a speech on Denominationa 1 schools, made reference to the intentions of the Government on the Bubject. Thereupon the following conversation took phice : — Mr Forster — " T rise to order. I take your ruling, Mr Chairman, whether the hon. gentleman i» in order." Mr Lucas — "It was the understanding o«* the House." Mr Forster—" I object to the hon. member travelling out of the question." An hon member appeared to remonstrate with the hon. gentleman. Mr Forster — " Well. I don't care a damn." (Hisses, and cries cf (Oh, oh!) Mr Isaacs— " Pretty sort of theology that." Mr Garrett ruled that, as therp had be -n no objection to the Colonial Secretary making the explanation in the first instance, he was now in order. Mr Forster — " Have I not a right to object at any moment to an infringement of the rules of this House ?" Mr Garrett alhered to his ruling. Mr Forster — "I ought not object to what the hon. member said five minutes ago; but I object at this moment to any infringement of the rules of this House ; and if it be an infringement according to your ruling, Mr Chairman, I call upon you to do your duty." Mr Martin argued in favor of the Colonial Secretary, and held Mr Forster's interruptions to be unwarrantable and unparliamentary. Mr Forster — " Neither the hon. member's big words, nor the hon member's big manner" — Mr Isaacs — "The hon. member has spoken three or four times." Mr Forster — " I have a right to speak four times." Mr Garrett I — " The hon. member is in order." Mr Forster ! repeated that neither hon. member's big words nor his blustering manner would prevent him ! from exereising his right in this House. He (the Attorney-General) had no right to call his askiag for the Chairman's ruling, unwarrantable or unparliamentary. The hon. member had used words that he had no right to use ; and coming from a Minister of the Crown, they were unworthy of the position he held. He was not to be put down by the hon. member, and he could tell the hon. member that his insolence — that the style in which he had been in the habit of addressing him (Mr Forster) would provoke him to answer that which would perhaps contain a reference to his past life that the ho*, member would never forget. From the report of the Otago Supreme Court (in Banco) of the 27th November, published in the Daily Times, 28th ult, we learn that the case of Howell and others v. Raymond recently tried here, is still going on. We extract the following: — "Howell and others v. Raymond. This was an action for damages for injury to the plaintiff's sheep, by neglect of the defendant, in allowing scabby sheep of his flock to stray upon the plaintiffs' land. The action was tried before Mr Justice Chapman and a Special Jury, at the recent sitting at InvercargiU ; and a verdict was given for the defendant, with one farthing damages. Mr James Smilh now moved for a rule nisi for a new trial, on grounds of misdirection, and of verdict against the weight of evidence as to negligence, and as to whether the plaintiff's' sheep were scabbed by sheep belonging to the defendant. The Court was somewhat against the rale going on the ground of misdirection ; but the rule was granted on both grounds." Mr Alfred Cleave, recently a merchant in Dunedin, has been committed for trial for an offence under the Fraudulent Trustee Act, »in the i estate of Fargie. H« has been admitted on bail. I .