The Southland Times. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 22,1869.

Southland Times, Issue 1186, 22 December 1869, Page 2

The Southland Times. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 22,1869.

The debate concluded in the last session of the Provincial Council, on the question of re union with Ofcago, Las added but little to the stock of information already possessed on the same subject. Beyond the fact that Southland is in difficulties, nothing has been elicited from the advocates of re- union to prove even the desirability of the measure. Neither of the speakers on the subject has appeared to think it worth while to glance even at the reasons which have caused matters over which a few short months' since they were so jubilant, self-reliant, and full of hope, to assume so lugubrious an aspect, j The change which has come o'er the spirit of their own dream is, apparently , to them, not worth an explanation, and the conclusion is imperative to on-lookers, that whether deliverance by our own resources be possible or not, it is not to politicians of this stamp that we must look for the statesmanship that is to effect it. The speech of Mr Caldee contains in substance all that has been said, or that can be said, ia support of the proposal for re-union ; and the details into which succeeding speakers have entered, have in reality no influence upon the question, because, referring to that which, if effected at all, must be effected from our own resources, and could be as easily and more effectually accomplished by our own hands. The coolness with which Mr Caldee disposes of his opinions of a few months' since, and the gravity and perfect assurance with, which he asks the people of this province to accept as perfectly genuine his new creed, would be amusing, were it not for the suspicion which will rise as to the speaker's sincerity in the newly propounded articles of faith. In reply to Dr Mexzies' reference to the fact that the Mataura district had been supplied with goods from the Dunedin market, and to Dr M.'s explanation thereof, by attributing it to the energy of Dunediu merchants, Mr Calder assumes that ib is to be set down to the wisdom of the Otagan government. It will be sufficient for us, without professing to quote the precise words uttered by Mr Caudeb on a former occasion in the Provincial Council, when the question of re-union was mooted and summarily rejected, to refer to the remarkable contrast between his opinion then expressed of the Otagan government, and that to which our attention is now directed. On the previous occasion, Mr Calder, on the faith of the representation of a most respectable settler on the Molyneux, whose name he furnished to the Council, drew a detailed picture of the impending desolation and ruin to Otagan settlement and industry by the bad government of the province. As he then contrasted most graphically thia bad government with the faultless system and perfect administration of Southland regime, pointing the inevitable moral of the certain destruction awaiting Southland should she unfortunately come withm Otagan influence, we are led to ask the quesiion, has the constitution of Otago changed ? or is its administration in fresh hands ? or; wuafc are our own altered circumstances that we should now be urged to accept as a blessiug what was formerly denounced as a curse? Mr Calder refers to the effect of the system of payment for public works in land. Certainly none can be better able to speak on this subject than himself; and if it be true, as Mr C. asserts, that its operation has been thus far disastrous to the province, none can be more fairly charged with the blame of the disaster than himself. For several years past, however the changes may have been rung as to political offices, the Government has been virtually that of Mr Calder, and since he has been somewhat liberal in his reference to the evil deeds and shortcomings of the administration by Dr Menzies, we may be excused asking, what has Mr Calder done during his term of office ? What has he proposed to do ? The whole pith and marrow of Mr Calder' s system appears io have been the utterance of a whining cry for help in one quarter or another. When the necessity for action can no longer be staved off, instead of an admission of the miserable sham and incompetence of the past, or the introduction of some practical and Btatesmanlike measure such as the province ha 3 a right to expect from those who aspire to govern — the result is a proposal for selfabnegation, and a recommendation to accept as our panacea that which its advocate asserted but a short time since would be to us certain death. Much stress was, during the course of the debate, laid upon the fact that the opposers of re-union were not prepared with a feasible plau for relieving the province of its difficulty. This is altogether beside the question. Whether any member of the opposition bad or had not such a plan, is of no moment in considering the

question uader debate. Mr Webster, however, showed that the circumstances which had caused the immediate pressure were exceptional, and suggested a method of relief, assuming, from facts and figures, that the province would, such relief being granted, be able to surmount all her difficulties. "With a Council committed to a foregone conclusion, it is much to be doubted whether any scheme, however rational and well digested, would have been entertained, which sought to avert the calamity threatened to be inflicted. It will be a matter of surprise of the course of time does not reveal the fact that the real motive^of the chief advocate of re-union has not yet appeared. After the dolorous representations of our state which our own Councillors have been pleased to favor the world (or such portion of it aa through their utterances in the Council may be made aware of their existence) with, it is somewhat refreshing to find that thinking men in Otago look upon the absorption of Southland as a pretty good bargain, after all. It is the rather so, because the idea which Dr Menzies put forward as to the value of the railways of the province, and which the supporters of the re-union system in their cuckoo-cry so persistently derided, ia the very one taken hold of by the mover of the matter in the Ofcagan Provincial Council, and relied upon as an item of great value. Mr Gillies (in movino 1 the consideration of his Honor the Superintendent's message on the re-union of Ofcago and Southland), after referring to the geographical point of view of the subject, and touching upon the advantages in the matter of steam communication which Otago would derive from re-union, dwelt upon the ample nature of the assets of Southland as security, showing a decided gain under any circumstances to Otago in making such an arrangement as the one proposed. After showiag that Ot.igo would receive two-and-a-half millions of acres of land as security for £157,000, the speaker proceeded to remark — " Then there were the railways, and he must say that after having seen, the country in Southland and round about Invercargill, he had no hesitation in saying had those railways been judiciously managed, the province might have rua a race with Otago." In an Otagan point of view, then, it appears that Southland's difficulty is want of able management, and this opinion the proposers of re-union here appear anxious to further. Mr Gii-lies, after touching on the security of the public works, ef* a value of between £400,000 and £500,000, and referring to the leasing of the railway, goes on to say — " If there Wcjre any greater reason required for union, it lay in the fact that many persons who had takea up land in Southland vere Otago settlers, and had their house 3 and farms in the province." Strange that while Southland politicians assert that Southland ia despised and derided, and denied — and ever must so continue unless she shall flee to the embrace of Otago — Otagan settlers, with full experience of the benefits of the district in which they live, are yet willing to renounce them all, and take up with the miseries inseparable from existence in Southland. The argument is hollow. There is an error in Mr G.s statement of the cause of the spasmodic character of the land sales— which he attributes to free selection — the real reason being the system pursued of late, of payment for public works in land, vvhi^h has operated directly and indirectly, more than any other cause, to make land sales irregular and uncertain. Had Mr GtlLLies's speech been delivered before the meeting of the Southland Provincial Council, it could not have been withoat its weight on the minds of any who were open to conviction. It forms a sufficient! answer to Southland's detractors, and ought to be accepted as a significant rebuke by those professing to govern, but lacking the qualification. Regarding it as the i duty of those who hold office to stand by : their post in the time of difficulty, and not meanly, and with cowardice, and without reason assigned, to ignore all former recognised principles, Southland has need to cry, " save me from my friends 1"

A telegram was received yesterday, 21st, by his Honor the Superintendent, from Mr Macandrew, announcing that the Otago Council had passed resolutions concurring in the action of the Provincial (Jouncil of Southland with regard to the reunion of the two provinces, and requesting bis Honor the Superintendent of Otago to have a Bill prepared, to be brought forward at the next meeting of the Q-eneral Assembly, embodying the general conditions arrived at by the commissioners. Two very attractive additions have been made to the programme of sports to take place on New Year's Day, under the augpices of the Caledonian Society, namely, a wrestling match (Cumberland style), and a velocipede race. At the annual meeting of the shareholders of the Tokomairiro Coal Company, held on Saturday last, a dividend of 8s per share was declared. The Clyde paper states that the crops in the Cromwell district are unusually light, and that in some places, unless rain falls abundantly, they will not be worth gathering.

We take the following from the Greymouth gfa r : — " Life on the Wast Coast is not quite couleur de rose. A conflagration has laid the most valuable business portion of the Buller in ashes, and the whole of the populations of the town 9Of the We3t Coast of the Middle Island, from Okarito, south, to the Buller, north, have now had a surfeit of bitter experiences from both fire and flood. The first destructive fire occurred at Okarito ; skipping Hokitika, it seized Greymouth, and, as if regretting the omission, it turned back and burned down twenty business establishments in Hokitika. Passing Greyniouth en route, it attacked Charlestown and has now visited Westport, where it did its work very effectually and with the utmost despatch. The following are estimated lossjs by fire on the West | Coa9t : — Okarito ... ... ... £5,000 ' Greymouth ... ... ... 60,0')0 Hokitika ... ... ... 30,000 Charleston ... ... ... 3,000 Buller ... ... ... 15,000 Total loss by fire ...£113,030 And all this very large amount of losses (leaving out Okarito) happens us within the period of a tew months." Shearing on the stations on the Five Rivers Plain commenced a fortnight ago. The clip is reported to look well, and hands are plentiful at 15s per hundred. In the Tuapeka district the prospects are by no means so favorable, the lamb - | ing this year having been very bad. On one station, the local paper states that the losses exceeded 70 per cent. — a proportion chiefly occasioned by the want of sufficient hands to attend to the flock. This year's clip is also said to be considerably below the average. The work of refitting the Taranaki (says the Wellington Independent) is now being vigorously proceeded with, but we regret to learn that the [ Wreck Recovery Company is likely to find the work of restoration much more expensive than was at first expected. Until the last few days it was thought that the masts were sound, but further investigation shows that the indefatigable worms have been at them, too, and entering from the top, have worked down in such a way as to render it unsafe to keep the sail spars in the vessel. The undermentioned tenders — for the excavation, &c, of 51J0 cubic yar is of gravel at Long Bush — were opened at the Government Offices on Monday : — J. Gallaher (accepted) £949 Johu Vint 1080 Henry Mayo .. ... ... 1215 Richard Powell 1600 William Moffett 1650 B. Berndston , 1664 As a curiosity in natural history (says the Thames Advertiser of the 26th ult.), we may mention that a toad was loan! yesterday at a depth of five feet from the surface in a well which was being sunk on the back premises of Messrs Harrison and Co., Pollen-street. Its back is of a bright green hue, whilst the other parts are of the usual light brown color. The curiosity may be seen by those interested at Messrs Harrison's store. We believe this is th? first toad found in the neighborhood of Shortland, although several have been found in Coromandel. It is a question for the scientific to account for the presence of toads at such a depth from the surface of the ground. The Wanganui Times of the 7th inst. says :— " The survey of the Rangifcikei Maaawatu Block is being carried on in spite of the native opposition. On Saturday last the ringleader of the obstructions, Te Miratana, who had failed to appear to a summons to the R.M. Court here, was apprehended by Constable McN-iulty, under Mr Buller's warrant, at Mungamahoe, and brought into town. The Ngatiraukawa, who had assembled in some force, refused to give the man up, but Mr Buller was firm and ordered the arrest to be made at once. A number of Ngatiapa, who had accompanied Mr Buller to the place, responded to the constable's call for assistance, and after a severe scuffle, in which some hard knocks were given on both sides, the arm of the law prevailed, and the chief offender, Miratana, was handcuffed and despatched to Wanganui in a dog cart in charge cf two constables. We feel sure that this arrest will h*»ve a very good effect on the natives, and will, in a great measure, protect the survey party from further molestation. The lion. Mr fox, whose policy in native affairs has always been one of firmness, entirely approved of the course adopted by the Resident Magistrate, and commended the Nga'iapa chiefs for the assistance they had rendered. We are informed that the hon. gentleman held a meeting with the Ngutirauhawa at Rikariki yesterday, but we have not yet learned the result, AH the Hau haus of the district (including even Wi Hapi) hai congregated at Kakariki to meet Mr Fox, and appeared most anxious to hear from him some of the views and intentions of the Government." A Riverton correspondent informs us that on Saturday last a stamper erected under the superintendence of Mr Fryatt, at the back of the extensive Stores of Whittingham Bros., was set to work for the purpose of testing the quartz taken from the shaft of the Morning Star Company, working in the Long wood Ranges. Having sunk to the depth of 82 f et, they wished to decide whether to continue their operations, or try a fresh locality. The machine was erected by Messrs Reid of Riverton, and is doing its work in a very satisfactory manner. The result had not then been tested. Messrs Devitt and Hett, the well-known London brokers, in a letter to Mr R. D. Bust of Christchurcb. regarding New Zealand flax, write as follows : — " With regard to dressing, we would strongly recommend your shipping it as well dressed as possible, and in regular quantities. Some of the Auckland flax has come to hand very well dressed, and if we had any here now could readily get £41 to £42, or possibly even more. I The Otago and Canterbury is just as good flax, but seems to be dressed in a different way, being much rougher and entangled, but this, to-day, is worth about £32 or £33 per ton. We are testing a machine, invented by a Mr J. H. Dickson, by trying several kinds of flax, and if successful, we may be able to induce our friends to send some machines out. They are very simple, consisting merely of rollers which crimp and cut the flax, and another machine combs the fibre ; but like many inventors, Mr Dickson is a needy man, and we labour nnder great disadvantages in helping him, although we have ourselves advanced him money and supplied material. Have you seen the tussock grass prepared by beating with hammers on wood ? By a sample shown us it appears to be a very valuable article, and a good substitute for some sorts of wild flax. We might get £60 per ton for it, we think."

The hill crops throughout the province have this season, says the Bruce Herald, sufferel most from the incessant drought, and, judged as a whole, the crops in the Taieri Plain look better and are moie advanced than those of any other locality. The whflat crop of Mr Donald Borne is specially worthy of notice, the field adjoining the township of Outran: being nearly fully ripe, as shown by the yellow tinge of the straw for a foot from the stem, as well as the ear, which is quite yellow, and will very shortly ba ready for the sickle. The crop is extremely regular, and has great length of straw. The wheat crops of Messrs John Andrew, of the Grange, and Alexander Todd, of Islington, are not quite so far advanced, but rank next in superiority ; however, should wo be favored with an early rainfall the average crop may even yet be expected. Yesterday, 2lst inst., was the day appointed for the annual examination of the pupils attending the Invercar2ill Grammar School, Mr A. Macdonald, principal. Owing to the fact of its being mail day, tha attendance of parents and friends at the school was very limited, ani that p irt of the day's proceedings passed off with muuh less eclat than on former occasions. At the Theatre, however, \a the evening, there was -a large muster of both old and young, and the juvenile competitors acquitted themselves in a manner at once creditable to themselves and their teachers, and which mu3t have been highly gratifying to their relations. It is said that the Dundea barque Helen •will probably be chartered in Canterbuiy to load home wholly with flax at £6 a ton.