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Southland Times, Issue 1252, 17 May 1870, Page 2

The Acclimatisation Society committee met at the Government Buildings on Friday, the 13th inst., for the election of office-bearers, and other business. There were present, Messrs Jnoj-Black-lock (in the chair,) Wood, Fielder, M'Arthur, GKlmour, and Butts, hon. Secretary and Treasurer. The hon. J. A. E. Menzies was elected President, Wm. Wood, Esq., vice-President, and E. D. Butts, Esq., hon. Secretary and Treasurer, the minutes of former meeting having first been read and confirmed. With reference to the proceedings of the sub-committee sometime since appointed with a view to increasing the popularity and funds of the Society, Mr Butts intimated that an interview had been had with the Government, at which certain proposals and requests had been made which were still under consideration, and it was • expected the result would be made known in the form of a report at the next meeting. Mr Fielder introduced the subject of red deer. He said the doe of the pair turned loose some years ago, was still alive, and* domiciled on Castle Bock run, where she had become comparatively tame, having, in fact, been run into the yards with the sheep only recently. It was supposed that the stag had either died or. left the district altogether, and the advisability of procuring a successor to him was favorably discussed. The Secretary•• undertook to . communicate with the Nelson Society to that end. The question of the introduction of hares was next taken up. It was thought thata special, fund .might be raised for this purpose, and.that an effort should be made to procure twenty pairs. • The price of the animals in Melbourne—the source of supply — was said to be a pound each, so that about £60 would be required to get that number over. The Secretary was instructed to solicit special contributions towards this object, the money to be returned in" the event of the proposal not being carried out. It was also agreed that an effort should be made to obtain-another, lot of trout ova from Tasmania, also some salmon-trout Ova, and the ova of several other sorts of lake and river fish, such as perch, tench, roach, &c, and the secretary was instructed to ascertain whether such could be granted. In the event of ova being procurable, it was proposed that a messenger should be sent for it, and that the hares should be got from Melbourne at the. same time. With regard to the latter, it was said to be of no use applying for them unless some person was on. the ground to take charge of them the moment they arrived in Melbourne from the Island where they are bred.

We hate received* a communication entitled "After Dark: a one horse Drama (continued from the * Southland News ' of May 14, 1870). Scene 11. Interior of the ♦ Southland News ' office, 11.30 p.m. }" but as the matter therein contained is of too personal a character, we must decline to insert it in our columns. A meeting of the Chamber of Commerce is called for tomorrow, at noon, to consider the proposal relative to the sale of grain by " cental." A full muster is desired, and will no doubt be obtained, as the question is one deserving of attention on the part of the mercantile public. ' The natives of the Wanganui district have become dissatisfied with tbeir present representative Mete Kingi, M.H.R., and a request has been made to Topia to represent the West Coast in the Assembly, if Mete can be prevailed upon to resign. The Herald states that Topia has given his consent, and it is probable will be returned. With reference to the report that Mr Macffarlane waa about to resign his seat in the House of .Representatives, the Auckland Herald says:— " There is no foundation for the rumor. At all events Mr Macffarlane i 3 not aware- of the ' fact 1 which rumor has published. The fact is that Mr Macffarlane's presence will be necessary in the As. sembly during the ensuing session of Parliament. We believe that Mr Macffarlane is engaged in procuring all the information obtainable in respect to the culture, growth, and dressing of flax, with a view to legislation upon the subject as early as possible. The protection of the crop has become a very important public question." The Timaru Herald has the following :—" The Wellington Post, in dealing with Mr Fox's figures, points out that a sum of £10,000 for the purchase of the steamer Luna must be added to the total sum, bat our contemporary evidently is not quite up to the devices of the able and ingenious Colonial Treasurer. We believe we are correct in stating that a small sum—something like £2,000 — was paid in cash, and a long dated bill given for the balance to drive it over into another financial year ! • Even Colonial Treasurers understand "flying kites" it seems. Will our contemporary make enquiry into the truth of this report ? It may possibly lead to other discoveries of a like nature." From our Riverton correspondent we learn that a meeting of miners, which was also attended by the principal townspeople, took place -at the Marine Hotel there recently. The purpose of the gathering was to discuss certain proposed alterations in the rules regulating the operations of the miners, more particularly with regard to water rights, and the absolute power wielded by the Warden. Several resolutions on the subject were passed, but reserved for further consideration by a subsequent meeting at Orepuku — On Sunday, the Bth inst., quite a commotion was occasioned by the appearance ou the river of a mosquito fleet — whale-boats and cutters— belonging to D. S. Lawlor, Esq., which was preparing for a start to the whaling station established by that gentleman. The good wishes of the inhabitants go with them, and their return successfully laden will give much pleasure. A meeting of the local Horticultural Society was held at the Court-house on the evening of the 10th inst., but owing to the absence of some of the leading citizens from town, had to be adj ourned to that day month. — — _ We have much pleasure in informing that eminently classical, refined (save the mark!) and once truthful old lady, The Southland Dry Nurse, that the Southland Times regularly " exchanges " with the Cromwell Argus j and further, that our hundred-eyed contemporary seems to look upon ,the Times as the most reliable source of information, if we are to judge from the frequency with which extracts referring to local affairs are made from our columns, and, of course, duly acknowledged. At the request of Q-eorge S. Cooper, Esq., Under Secretary of the Defence Department, on a business visit to Southland, the local volunteers were hurriedly called out for drill in the Exchange Hall on Friday evening, 13th inst. About forty men answered the summons to muster, and were put through their exercise by their officers. After the evolutions, Mr Cooper complimented the men on their appearance and efficiency, saying i that even Wellington, which aspires to be the " Empire City," could not boast of a corps anything like them. ! Dredging (says the Lake Wakatip Mail) is | quite a success on the Shotover. The party at the Upper Shotover are, we hear, obtaining from 30 to 40 ounces of gold weekly. The Dunedin correspondent of the Cromwell Argus says : — " The ensuing season will, I fear, be a bitter one for the people of Dunedin in more ways than one. In the commercial world I anticipate many failures. A goodly number have already headed the list, and as I heard a tradesman remark the other day, ( He will be a strong man who stands next winter.' " The Bruce Standard of the 7th inst. says : — "]lt is now quite a common practice in some parts of England for those thoroughly acquainted with the principles and practice of cheese-making to travel through various counties, and to communicate by oral and practical lectures the art to those who may express a desire to acquire a knowledge of this domestic industry. It might be premature to expect the Government to assist in establishing such a practice amongst us ; but it may be a question in euch a young country as this, whether the money devoted to the payment of a musical and drawing master might not more suitably be spent in teaching technical knowledge. It gives us pleasure to note that private enterprise, on the part of a West Taieri settler, Mr Stevenson, is about to do something in this direction. His dairy is already celebrated for its Cheddar cheese, and his success in this branch of farming has induced a wish on the part of many to place their daughters with him for a time, so that they may become practically capable of managing a dairy. " There is many a truth uttered in jest," quoth the old proverb ; but those who deliberately tell untruths, even as a joke, are characterised by a very harsh-Bounding name. Our " blundering contemporary" has been placed in the provoking position in which it is well known those who tell a falsehood almost invariably find themselves, namely, that of being compelled to invent a. series of " fabrications" in order to hide their guilt. In its issue of the 7th inst., our local " blunderer", acknowledged that "a slight mistake" had occurred in its notice of the soiree of the Ladies' Benevolent Society, and at the same time charged " a local sheet" with having "copied" the "mistake." We alluded to this " mistake " in our issue of the 10th, and made some remarks which caused the '' blunderer" to feel that it had really made itself ridiculous. As a means of extrication from the difficulty, it was thereupon determined to avow that a " trap " had been set for this journal. Bat, unfortunately for our would-be "joker," he fell

into hi 3 own " trap," and his words were turned upon himself with a most telling effect, for, in his last issue^ he enters into a labored attempt to justify his conduct, but only adds to the gravity of the offence, by standing confessed a "miserable trickster, who is capable of descending to any mean and contemptible subterfuge for the purpose of gratifying personal spleen. We now de. nounce the ;whole 'story of the " trap " as a deliberate falsehood, and we are prepared to prove our assertion ! The " blunderer's" remarks about our making use of his " locals" with, out acknowledgment are as false as they -are unfounded. If we deemed the matter of sufficient importance, we could reproduce, side by side, from our issue of the 12th ult., and the " blunderer " of the following day, a report of a meeting which is almost word for word ; but to show what is thought of the "^plunderer" by journalists elsewhere, we will quote a short passage from a letter we recently received from the editor of a paper in a neighboring province. The writer says : — " I notice that the News has been reprinting our articles as their own original articles, "having failed to acknowledge their authority. This is too much after the trouble {and expense I have been at in getting them."