The Southland Times. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 1868.

Southland Times, Issue 1057, 16 November 1868, Page 2

The Southland Times. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 1868.

j The following tenders for the completion o I the Oreti Railway were opened on Saturday I afternoon, 14fch inst., at the Government Offices ,>«,« presence of fee Executive, Mr^atte^oi tenderers : —

From a telegram received firom Dunedin on Saturday night, we learn that news by the s.s. Bob Roy, from Melbourne, states the result ofthe race for the Melbourne Cup to be — GHencore Ist, Strop 2nd, and Shenandoah 3rd. The following description of a machine for flax dressing, made a*t Wanganui, and brought to Wellington to be improved, *is given by the * Independent ' : — " The principle is the same as that of Dougal's machine, as improved by Price ; of Auckland, but will dress twice the amount of flax with the same amount of labor. Three of these machines could be driven by a five horsepower steam engine, and being of a light and portable character they can be easily removed, when one flax district is exhausted, to another, where it could be worked by horse-power. One ton of flax is produced out of five tons of the green material j the value of the one is £5 per ton, and when dressed will realise at Melbourne £30 per ton at the paper mills. One man and four or five boys can produce by this machine 5 cwt. of dressed flax per day. The flax, which requires no previous preparation, after being put through the machine, has only to be rinsed and bleached to render it fit for manufacturing purposes. The New Zealand Gazette announces the declaration of two new hundreds in Otago. The one, to be called the Traquair Hundred, consisting of 35,000 acres in the Waipori district ; and the other, called the Stuart Hundred, consisting of 15,000 acres, in the Waitahuna district. We learn from Northern papers that a prospecting party, under the leadership of Captain M'Donnell, has just returned to Wanganui from the Taupo district. Notwithstanding the inclement nature of the weather, the failure of their stock of provisions, and the danger to be apprehended from the Hauhaus, they seeui to have been tolerably successful in their search for a goldfield. Captain M'Donnell reports that they struck a reef, and found gold in other places in payable quantities , but were compelled, owing to the boisterous state of the weather, to return. He also expresses it to be his opinion that a payable field exists in the district, though, owing to the difficulties to b» encountered, it will be some time before it can be worked. X? -a _ _.l__~ jviot C..-...3 »f tlxvj. UUBUrrutrrevenue collected at the different ports of the colony during the quarter ending on the 30th September last, we (*• Daily Times') find that, as compared with the corresponding quarter of 1867, there is a failing off to the amount of £5016, or about 2.55 per cent. Of the 26 ports enumerated in the return, only 6 show an increase — viz., Auckland, Russell, Westport, Dunedin, Invercargill, and the Bluff j the rate of increase being 37.65. 16.84, 14.29, 12.63, 5.07, and 177.77, per cent, respectively. Though relatively the progress made by the Bluff is the most striking, yet absolutely the amount — £128 — is but insignificant, and by far the greatest increase is shown by Auckland, owing to the development of the Thames Goldfield. On the other hand, the largest decrease in the returns of the more important ports is shown by Hokitika, being at the rate of 44.66 per ceut ; while the lowest in the scale are the Chatham Islands, wliich contribute only £1 to the general total. The ' Daily Times,' 12th Nov., says : — " From the beach workings at Kartigi, near Moeraki, we learn that avery fair sample of gold has been got for a considerable time past. One storekeeper in the neighborhood informs us that within the last five months he has purchased over £1500 worth of gold the produce of this beach, and it is well known that a large proportion of the gross yield finds its way further down the country." We have to acknowledge the receipt of the Acts passed last session by the General Assembly, and also, Hansard to the end of the session. *

The election of a member to represent Lyttelton in the Assembly, instead of the late Mr Macfarlane, took place on the 2nd inst. Mr J. T. Peacock was elected without opposition. Mining affairs in Westland are in a promising condition. No excitement has taken place anywhere on account of large finds, but a steady yield is being obtained. We learn from Canterbury papers, that the ship Light Brigade, now loading at Lyttelton for Londo n, will take the largest shipment of New Zealand flax yet sent from this colony. The Halswell Flax Company have already shipped 100 bales, and during the present month 150 more will follow, making a total of 50 tons. The flax has been very carefully manufactured and put up, and is said to be in excellent condition. An experimental shipment of half a ton made last year by the ship Beautiful Star having proved highly successful, great hopes are expressed re- | I garding the present venture. * Sickness is said to be very prevalent in Hokitika just now, the prevailing complaints being low fever and bronchial affections. Referring to the report that the number of men ~T~iXX t--.^— -^--J^c^uiJCc-fflaru is 800, the Wanganui Chronicle' statesTofr^roliMO^ authority, that not even half that number has^ ever been in the district at one time, provisions for so many not being obtainable in the locality where Tito has pitched his camp. A dinner, in commemoration of tie return of Captain Alexander M'Kinnon fron Japan and the East, was given to that gentleman by several friends in Dodson's Provincial Hotel, Port Chalmers, on Friday evening the 6th Oct. The * Tuapeka Times' says.— 'One of "Big Clarke's" bullock drivers sumooned him the other day for wages due to hin: from the time the station changed hands to the date of his leaving the employment. Clarl, who appeared in person, evaded payment by stating that the run did not belong to him, bu*; to his son! It is an amiable trait in the character of a man reputed to be worth millions, to deprive a poor man of his hard'gained earnings by a mean paltry trick." A new daily paper is announced to be shortly published in Dunedin. It is to be called ' The Sun.' Some of the leading merchants are said to be shareholders, and it is to be published at the 'Star' office. We extract the following from a letter under date 18th October, written by the Thames correspondent of the • Daily Times.' After detailing the particulars of progress in the mining districts, which it would appearis very small, says : — " The foregoing are only two or three amongst a number of crushings that have recently been made, and are, I think, amply sufficient to satisfy your readers that we really have some gold here notwithstanding the hitherto smallness of the returns, which I think will be found now to increase very rapidly. There is no denying the fact that as far as the Province of Auckland is concerned, this field is under a cloud at the present moment. Everybody who could promptly raise the money to do so purchased right and left when the diggings first broke out, with the expectation of obtaining a very speedy return for their outlay. They quite forgot tho fact that the Thames is a reefing, not an alluvial field ; in fact, the majority knew nothing at all about mining matters when they purchased, and consequently, in many instances, burnt their fingers. At the present time, if you offer a man in Auckland a share for sale, he looks upon you as a swindler, and characterises the whole body of miners as a lazy, loafing, good-for-nothing lot. The notorious bushranger Garrett has again fallen into the hands of the Otago police. He was brought up at the Dunedin Resident Magistrate's Court, on the 10th inst., charged with having burglariously entered the premises of Mr Allen, seedsman, Princes-street, Dunedih. The case was remanded. A deputation from the miners of Orepuki and Longwood waited upon W. H. Pearson, Esq., on Friday last, to tender to him the thanks of that community for his efforts in the furtherance of the mining interests, and especially for his. representation to the Postal authorities ot the necessity for a Weekly Mail to Orepuki. A meeting of the citizens of Dunedin was called by the Mayor of that city, in order to give the members of the district the opportunity of rendering an account of 'their stewardship during the last session of the General Assembly. The only members availing themselves of the invitation of the Mayor appears to have been Mr Reynolds and Mr Dillon Bell, Mr Paterson declining to attend, Resolutions were passed, expressing confidence in Mr Reynolds, and censuring the conduct of Mr Paterson, with a request that he should resign. The ' Lyttelton Times,' sth Nov., says :— " It appears that the promoters of the Constitutional Association are taking steps towards its formation. A form of declaration, stating in broad terms the | r-bjoct oought to be obtained, is being handed round, and has already received the signatures of about two hundred ofthe leading people of Chrischurch. Steps are being taken to canvas the whole of the province, in order to obtain the support of [ a[l those who are favorable to tlie views of the , Association. An Otago journal states that the Otago Provincial Gazette of the 28th ult. contains an account of the revenue of the Province for the quarter ending 30th September. The Gold Fields receipts— including £2,711, revenue during suspension of delegated powers —are £20,000; from Urown lands, £26,000; for •-oils on roads, £2,336 — making a total, with sundry items, of £53,480— 0r in round numbers (deducting exceptional revenue) £50,000 — equal to £200,000 per aunum. The revenue is mainly kept up by forced land sales, and these returns show how rapidly the province is parting with its capital— the waste lands. Yet, with all these sales, we doubt very much if the revenue will not iall short of the estimates, even taking into account the large areas of land taken out of the squatters' runs that have yet to be sold. As to carrying out all the votes of the Council without a loan } that is simply ridiculous to expect. The expenditure is £109,000 odd, being nearly double that of the revenue ; and under this head loans figure for £32,782; roads, £21,083; bridges, £2,250; public works, £6,514; and goldfields, £1561. The chief amount of the expenditure still continues to be in the Dunedin home district, i

The right to erect refreshment booths on the grounds of the Agricultu al and Pastoral Associa- : tion's yard for the forthcoming Show, was sold at auction by A. J. Smyth and Co., on Saturday. Mr Wilkinson of the British Hotel was the purchaser, £14 being the amount given. A new district, said to be adapted both for agricultural and pastoral pursuits, has been opened up on the Rees River at the head of Lake Wakatip. According to the local journal two large mobs of cattle have already been taken in this direction — one by Mr James Bridge, and the other by Mr Butement. The Melbourne Meat Preserving Company would appear to be fairly at work. It stated that by the ship Red Jacket, which will sail shortly for London, they are sending 50 tons of tallow and 850 boxes of meat of the value of £3500. The Company have also orders on hand at present that will occupy them for fully a month to come. During one week the production reached 8000 tins, and as the men employed get better acquainted with their duties, still greater i progress will be made. About £250 a week are already paid away in wages, and it is anticipated that if the undertaking prospers as it bids fair to do, a still larger number of hands will be employed.

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