The Southland Times. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6,1868.

Southland Times, Issue 1052, 6 November 1868, Page 2

The Southland Times. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1868.

Thi completion of the Northern Line of j Rulway is a matter of more than ordi- ' nary importance. "We do not advance any arguments in justification of the policy or wisdom that led to the initiation of this work further than to say at the time the enterprise was projected it was plausable and attractive. The railway system appeared above all others to offer facilities for the speedy opening up of communication with the Lake district — then in its high day of mining prosperity —by which all classes in the Province would be materially benefited. The question then was, shall Invercargill or Dunedia reap the advantages of the gold discoveries made in the "Wakatip locality. It was patent that geographically Southland bad the advantage over the neighboring province of Otago, and that by energetically pushing forward such works as would render speedy and cheap the transit of goods between the Lake and this Province, Invercargill jr would have obtained a commercial position of great importance. ItLwas kiiown that the Wakatip district abounded in agricultural land of a most prolific character, and it was reasonable to suppose that as settlement progressed a large .trade would spring up between New Zealand and the Australian* Colonies, and if the Lake could be brought by an easy- mode /of transit , into immediate .connection „,w ith ihe Bluff Harbor — the nearest port to the colony of Victoria— a 1 prosperous and increasing trade could be cultivated. The idea was good, -the calculations /upon. which it was expanded sound, and the inducements to make it a reality; great.. It is useless! now --to -revert, -to the over haste and systematic Plundering -that shattered to atoms the sanguine expectations indulged in at tifat'tirireV "Mistakes — grave , jnistakes — were made; but it is "xrot too late to mitigate, or in; some extent^ jreetifyv them. The completion of the Oreti Line of Eailway, in a measureiatleast^.woiild-do this. ; If the Northern Eailway had not been commenced — if the tens of thousands of pounds that hate been' spent upon it l

were Btill in possession of the Provincial &oTernment, We should strenuously oppose> tinder existing circumstances, its •'construction. "We should say, make roads and railways will come afterwards, &ut looking at the changed aspect of the affairs of the colony, the doubt that clusters round the future of every province the large amount of capital in- , vested in this line from which no benefit is derivable, and the great advantages ; likely to arise from its completion, we most emphatically say, .finish ifc now,! or years may elapse before another opportunity may present itself ; whatever \ ttite difficulties may be, strain every \ j nerve to overcome them. time will j doubtless arrive when all the Provincial j Land 3?Wls will be absorbed for colonial , * requirements. We do not affirm that such an event, under certain circum- i stances, would be a calamity, but we do affirm that while the question is in abeyance, it is the imperative duty of those provinces, possessing a landed \ estate, to invest the largest possible; amount in reproductive public works. Eor the time, the Land Fund of this ' Province is still our own, and ftniy work that is calculated to augment it should be undertaken. The completion of the Oreti Itailway would have this effect. The country through which it will pass is equal, if not superior/ to any other in the Province, and the construction of this line, there is little doubt, would lead to a series of land sales which would justify the Government- in extending its road-making operations to a very considerable extent. In addition to this, it must be kept in mind that the working expenses would be but small. The staff now employed on the* Bluff Harbor and Invercargill line would be sufficient to work the two, and the first outlay would be almost all that would be needed, while the benefits arising to the settlers and the commercial community would be at once felt. This has been the result in all countries in whicH railways have been introduced, and there is no reason to suppose that Southland would be an exception. We acknowledge ignorance as to the intentions of the Provincial Government in this matter. That it has a firm desire to carry out the work, there can be no doubt, but has it determined to make that desire a reality ? The unfortunate procrastination, by the non-acceptance of a tender on the last occasion when tenders WP.l*ft »»i».ll oA l_jfiniv— 3mu«_»«.o4j - c* • - olx«»cLoTtr of doubt on the present implied desire to proceed. It is not out of place to warn the Executive that public confidence is in the balance, and even a straw might kick the beam. : The Oreti Eailway has already cost a very large sum of money, a great portion of the plant expected from home has been paid for, and if the work is not immediately proceeded with, almost irreparable injury will be inflicted upon the Province, the opportunity of finishing it may be lost, and all the money already expended sunk in the slough of governmental hesitation. It this line is not now finished, there is little hope of Its completion being again entertained for years to come — not until the colony is consolidated, and all the railways made General Government institutions. Let us open the country in every direction while we can, and then we may with safety hand over to the Colonial Government such reproductive public works, with the consciousness that the foundation of permanent prosperity has been laid. .

The necessity lor the establishment of a corporate body of some description foi the town is becoming painfully conspicuous. Sickness, especially among children, is more general this spring than has ever before been experienced. Some may attribute this to the atmospheric agitations arising from recent volcanic disturbances which have been experienced all over the world, but we take a more common .'sense view of the matter. We ■ look nearer home for the cause of the serious amount of sickness now raging, and find that its origin lies in the deep open drains throughout the town, charged with putrid matter, and casting foith noxious gasses of the most poisonous kinds, and in the existence of swamps on private property in which the filth of the neighborhood i 3 flung, thus creating a maleria dangerous 1 to health. If steps are not taken, ... and,.that speedily, to obtain a municipality, a body that would be entrusted-^with- the sanitary- control of the town, Invercargill, instead of being considered the most healthy settlement v . hi New Zealand, will come to be looked upon as one of the most unhealthy. The small amount that would be required in the shape of local rates is but a bagatelle, compared to' the "toss of' life which must inevitably follow the total neglect of "sanitary : precautions, which is now so marked a feature in the town; V .::*■!. •••■ ; .. ■•.•"■'■•- "" ■

Monday, the Mh November, being the anfci* versary. of the Prince of !Waleß Birthday-, will he observed as a general holiday. A rifle match by members of the Rifle Volunteers for the Southland Trams medal will take place, and several excursions have been arranged, and the Amateur Concert in the evening will wind up the .amusements of the day. ... : The ' Argus ' of the 27th October, says :— "ln one tent at the late National Agricultural Show ' at Ballarat, on Friday last, not fewer than 7,450 nobblers were served over the bar !" Mddle. St. Denis, a rising actress of Considerable note, has committed 'suicide in Melbourne, under strange circumstances. XTnreturned affection appears to have been the cause. The "Taylor Scandal" is still the exciting topic of discussion by the public and the press. The lady who he stated hd& been his companion in guilt has made a declaration, before a Magistrate, to the effect that the statement made is \ false, and entirely without foundation. Some j I people appear to think that the reverend gen- ! 1 tleman is in a state of insanity, and imagines he has committed sins which he never did in reality, although he might have done so in mind. The correspondent of the 'Hawke's Bay Herald,' writing on Oct. 23, says :— " On Tuesday, the 20thj Captain Satmders, with 40 men of the armed constabulary and military settlers, joined with a force of 150 natives in charge of Mr Worgan, marched from the Clyde to .the military settlers township at Te Kapu, and retook possession of the abandoned township. The houses were found to have been looted, but, from the circumstances, it could only have been done by the friendly natives of Tamihana's pah and Te Ruataniwha> At a meeting of the Acclimatisation Society, held in the Government Buildings, on Wednesday, 4th November, a resolution was passed instructing the Secretary to take action of applying to the Provincial Government to grant 2000 acres of land to the Society, also if the application was favorably received, to request the members of the Assembly to endeavor to watch over a 1 Bill that would have to be brought into both Houses of Parliament. A sub-committee was appointed to make arrangements for the reception of the salmon ova. It was resolved that the monthly meetings for the future should be ontbe.second Friday in each month. It was stated that the funds were getting low, the balance to the credit of the Society being only £27 13s 3d. The Colonial Bank of Australia held its half, yearly meeting in Melbourne, on Tuesday the 23rd October. The report of the directors re. commended that a dividend at the rate of 8 per cent should be declared. The ' Economist,' (Melbourne,) 12th October, reports : — "The farmers have serious reasons for being anxious for the future ; the fall of rain having been almost nit since the commencement of the year. Excepting in those seasons known and remembered as years of drought, this month is one of the wettest in the twelve, at all events the waterholes are generally full and the creeks running, but now a good supply of water is an exception to the rule ; the entire district around Melbourne is evidently in want of moisture, there is no growth in anything^ _ ' V_ * ' The 'Inglewood Advertiser,* (Victoria) stateß that one gold buyer has forwarded them a list of nuggets purchased by him at Berlin during the kst six weeks. There are 188 in all, varying in weight fromloz.to 170z., 2250z., and one, the largest, 288oz. Tha Ballarat correspondent of the Melbourne ' Herald ' of the 24th October, in an account of the Ballarat . Agricultural Show, says : — "_ If a universal expression of popular opinion may be taken as a fair criterion, the Ballarat National Show has been one of the greatest successes on record, and has fully answered the purpose for which it was initiated. The money receipts at the gate, amounting to £46 on Thursday and to £505 yesterday, also prove that Ballarat, from if s central position, is one of if not the best, places for holding shows of a similar nature. Not only is it the market town of a large, fruitful, and populous agricultural district, but it is the natural emporium for all the stock of the wealthy <Western district." . The 'Kelson Evening Mail,' 22nd October, says : — ' Information has been received by telegram from Westport, announcing the total destruction, by the storm which took place on Thursday night last, of the new jetties on the Buller, which had recently, been constructed at a cost of £2,000." Hia Honor the Superintendent of Nelson has since his return from Wellington addressed a letter to the ' Examiner,' which journal describes the prospect of that Province as being anything but satisfactory, that, ' misled by the Colonial Treasury, the Superintendent over-estimated the available revenue for the present year by £35,000 j and as contracts were entered into and works commenced, it was not possible when the error was discovered to stop all expenditure at once, so it will be found, we fear, that littla or no money will remain available, and we shall not be fortunate if, at the end of March next, our account at the Bank can be balanced. It will elsewhere be seen that anniversary religious services, in commemoration of the opening of the new building, are to be held in the Wesleyan chapel, Leet-street, on Sunday next, and that a public tea meeting will take place on the following Monday evening, at which a statement of the financial affairs of the Church will be laid before the congregation. We have to call attention to ah advertisement in our other columns, convening a meeting of the General Committee of the Penny Readings 1 Society for Wednesday evening next. As there seems to be a hitch somewhere in the affairs of this lately popular institution, it is to be hoped all the members will attend, and that matters may be so reorganised as to place the society in a more satisfactory position. Our Bluff correspondent, under date sth November, writes : — " The Resident Magistrate, ■H. M'Cuiloch Esq., held a sitting at Campbelltown Police Court, on Wednesday the 4th' Oct. Edward Clark, master of the ' Kate ' was charged with a breach of the Harbor Regulations, for which he was. fined £2j he was also charged with having violently assaultsd Sergeant Chapman while in execution of his duty, for which he was fined £5 ; and on & third charge of ' drunk i and disorderly ' ten shillings. , , A private of the 14th Regiment, at present stationed in Melbourne, has come into a fortune i of £7000. ,

. In the Rfiiidenfc Magistrate's Court yesterday, Peter M'Ewan sued Daniel Fale, carter, for £100 damages, for trespassing on his land and cutting down and removing firewood. It appeared that the defendant had purchased from a Mrs Bowe the standing timber on the land for the purpose of cutting firewood, and had cut down a considerable quantity which was lying on the ground when Mrs Howe sold the land to plaintiff. Plaintiff then offered to allow defendant to remove the firewood if he would acknowledge plaintiff's right to the land and refrain from Cutting down more trees. Some misunderstand* ing appears to have existed between the parties, and to settle the question the action was brought. Mr Harvey appeared for plaintiff, and Mr Macdonald for the defendant The Court was of Opinion that the defendant ought to have complied with the terms offered by plaintiff, but as it had not been shown that defendant had cut down any trees since the plaintiff bought the land, the verdict would be one farthing, with costs of court, £2 9s. Mr M'Culloch remarked » that he was surprised that parties whose pro- I perty was trespassed upon by dealers in firewood did not avail themselves of the law and punish them criminally. The cloth now produced at the Geelong woollen manufactory is said to be a great improvement upon the earlier productions of that establishment. The 'Register' states — More durable' really good, and sightly cloths could scarcely be conceived than some just finished from this season's clip of wool. A Company is being formed at Port Adelaide to lease the salt lagoon at Yorke's Peninsula, and to erect works for the manufacture of fine table salt, for home consumption and fdr export. The Banks of Victoria have reduced the price of gold 6d an ounce, in consequence of a fall in the exchange on London. We observe the fencing of the ground granted by the Government to the Agricultural and 1 Pastoral Association, is being proceeded with. i The fence is being constructed in a manner more ! substantial than any we have seen in the colony. The site (5 acres) is one of the best within the bounds of the town, being in a central position, high and dry, and of easy access. It will be seen from an advertisement in another column, that the right to erect refreshment booths on the ground, for the forthcoming Annual Show, will be put up to auction by Mr A. J, Smyth, on Saturday, the 14th inst. The 'New Zealand Advertiser,' 20th October, says: — "We are gratified to learn that several gentlemen, of military experience and tried courage, notwithstanding the attempts which have been made by a most unscrupulous Opposition to make political capital out of the misfortunes of the Colony, hare volunteered, or are about to offer their services for the Front. Among other names we hear mentioned that of Captain Robertson, who, it will be recollected, occupied the position of Inspector of the Mounted Defence Force in Wairarapa until that corps was disbanded. Captain Robertson is almost a veteran in the science of war, and those who recognise his many excellent qualifications will be glad to learn that, by the very act of Volunteering for actual service, he does not scruple to risk bis life in order to arengd the deaths of personal friends and Comrades. We hope to see the Government supported by many other men of a similar character." 'As washing and shearing progress,' remarks the 'Hamilton Spectator,' 'we have day by day evidence that the pains taken by the flock-masters of this district to get up the clip in the best style are more than realising the expectations of those who interest themselves in wool-growing. We have now before us samples from the clips of Mr Mackersey, of Eenilworth, and Mr Sanderson, of Brie-Brie, each of which we think would challenge comparison with the wool of any country in j the world. Mr Mackersey's two tooth and , four tooth specimens are as near perfection as could be hoped. For length of staple, evenness of character, and fineness of fibre, combined with carefulness of washing, we do not think they can be excelled — at least wo should be very glad to see superior wool. It may be interesting to many of our readers to know that this wool is the produce of sheep got by rams of the same class as those which Mr Mackersey recently sold for shipment to New Zealand. We hear also that Mr M'GiU's (Hyde-park) clip will bear comparison with any that has yet been exhibited this season. It is encouraging to know that even though the price of wool has fallen in the London market, the style in which this season's clip is got up will, in all likelihood, more than compenate for the disappointment." Fourteen deer passed through Ballarat on Thursday, the 23rd ult., on there way to Mr Learmonth's station at Ercildoun. The first batch of immigrants under the New -Immigration scheme may be daily expected, having sailed in the * Chile,' which left England on the 27th August. The following list of the names of the immigrants for this port has been supplied by the Immigration Agent, D. M : Arthur, Esq. viz : — Hugh Sutherland, James and Catherine Young, Bridget Murphy, John Ford, Raphael Maher, Thomas and Catherine Colh'ns, Nora Keavemy, Mary Hughes, Thomas Delaney, Walter Hughes, Mary Boyle, Bridget Murphy, Mary Burke, Mary and John Morton, Jane, John, Isabella and Donald M'Quarrie, Michael Ford, Mary Collins, Andrew Boyle, Bridget Ford, Annie Monaghan, Michael Staunton, Michael Hannau, Martin Higgins, William Hargre a yes, David and William Murdoch, John Ford, John, Isabella, Jessie, William, and James Robertson, John M'Kay, Martin Quin, Joseph, Jane, Sarah, James, Joseph, and Jane Child, Hannah Qualter, Helen Donovan, Helen Espie, Catherine Deegan, Margaret Murphy. The first of a series of readings, such as have been so successful in Invercargill and elsewhere, came off at Riverton, on Tuesday, the 3rd inst., the good people ot Riverton choosing the long days as it seems, rather than the Ion.; nights for their amusements. The whole w t is a most successful affair, the readings ami music being fully appreciated by a lai-ge, compact, and goodhumored audience. We are informed that a party of two miners who were out prospecting in the Longwood Ranges, found two small nuggets containing quartz. They appear to think that as soon as the cutting of tracks is commenced, valuable discoveries of quartz reefs will be the result. Private letters, quoted by the • Tuapeka Times; state that Lord Stanley intends to visit these colonies next summer.

A correspondent of the ' Brace Herald' makes the following suggestions, relative to the exhibition of sheep at shows, which, are worthy of consideration by Agricultural • n <l PastoralSocieties : — " I have been considering what aright be an advantage to judges and exhibitors of sheep at all shows. I think it will he very difficult for judges of the merino breed to tell whether wool, is one years*, eighteen months,' or two years* growth. It is not so with any other breed of sheep that I know of, at least to such a degree. I hare thought that it should be the rule at sheep shows, that exhibitors ought to put over the sheep pens those portions of the following questions that might he applicable, and to be ready to answer before a Justice of the Peace such of the annexed questions as might be put to them, if any doubt should arise. It is the custom of the home country both in regard to the exhibition of sheep and wool. Ist. If over two toothers s*ate date of last shearing, and whether high or low shorn. 2nd. Whether imported and when, or whether New Zealand breed. 3rd. How the sheep have been fed, whether New Zealand grasses, or artificial grasses, and if on the latter the names common and botanical to be stated. 4th. Whether running all the year in the open air, or whether housed and stall-fed, or whether partly in the open air and partly under cover, and if so, what portion of the year." The paper-mill established by Mr Eamsden, at Melbourne* in May laßt, is meeting with good support) and turning oat very creditable specimens of paper. The cost of manufacture has been lessened, greater care being taken in procuring waste materials. Experiments have been made with various native grasses and plants, but hitherto the cost of working has prevented them from being generally used. It has also been found that many of the native earths are of value for coloring purposes, and papers of several shades have been thus wholly manufactured of native materials. The manufacture of printing paper has also been extensively carried on, and several newspapers, not only in Victoria, but in the adjacent colonies, use Mr Eamsden's paper. Arrangements are in progress to extend this branch of the business. Mr Seed, the acting Auditor-General, stated before a 'Committee of the Legislative Council that eggs to the amount of nearly £16,000 wera imported into New Zealand last year, and that there was a falling of off £10,000 in the duty on imported beer. At a meeting of the Canterbury Acclimatisation Society, held on the 30th ult, it was stated that the whole of the trout ova, to the number of 400 or 500, had been hatched. The curator suggested that 100 should be kept in the ponds, and the remainder distributed or sold to members. A letter received from a Mr Stoddart stated that the simplest method of feeding the young fish was by suspending a piece of fly-blown meat over a pool. A Committee was appointed to report as to the best mode of disposing of the trout. It was also stated that several of the kangaroos had escaped from the Society's domain, and that one oi them had been killed by dogg. "A rare occurrence in the annals of beekeepers has taken place at the farm of Mr. J. Wright, Sandy Creek Hat. He purchased a hive of bees last year," says the ' Majorca Indepeddent, 1 " and they appear to have thriven amazingly, ii we may judge from the fact that within the last twelve days they have swarmed no less than three times, and on each occasion the swarms were very numerous, all of them were saved, and are now accommodated with boxes beside the parent hive, from which Mr Wright expect another swarm before the end of the season."