Untitled

Southland Times, Issue 1540, 20 February 1872, Page 2

Members of the local lodge of freemasons are elsewhere informed that the monthly meeting will be held to-morrow night. Father Garden elsewhere announces that he will visit Riverton on Friday next, and say Mass on the Sunday following at 11 a.m. A meeting of the Presbyterians in the Winton district is to be held on the sth pros., for the purpose of inducting the Rev. Mr Thomson into the pastoral charge of the district. We believe that at the meeting of the shareholders of the Southland Meat Preserving Company, held last week, it was decided to commence preserving without delay. We regret to learn that an old resident of Inrercargill, Mr Robert Nichol, father of Mr Samuel Nichol, of Bluff Harbor, died rather suddenly yesterday at his residence, Don-street. The treasurer to the Southland Provincial Hospital requests us to acknowlpdge his receipt of £4 10s, being th 6 amount of Mr P. M'Kellar's sub- [ scription and collection on that gentleman's station. We have been requested to state that those volunteers who intend firing at the hundicap match on Friday morning at 5.30, must forward their names to the drill instructor not later than 6 p.m. on Thursday evening. The Church of England bazaar, in aid of St. I John's organ fund, is now definitely fixed to be held this week, the day3 appointed baing Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday. The doors will be open each day from 2 till 5 in the afternoon, I and from 7 till 10 in the evening. The stalls will be taken by Mesdames Dalgliesh, Wade, and Monckton. The inland service for the conveyance of our English mails to and from Dunedin, was fairly inaugurated last week. The inward mail left on Wednesday morning, and was received in Inver« cargill at 4 o'clock on Friday afternoon, being delivered the Bame evening. The only cause tor regret was that the delay in the arrival of the Nevada had precluded the possibility of replying to despatches by the return mail. The Invercargill race meeting this year promises to be a very successful one. The stewards are confident that some good sport will be provided, and from the number of horses that have arrived to take part in the " meet," we see no reason to suppose that they will be disappointed. An intimation was received too late to be attended to in this i=sue, to the effect that our old friend Mr J. J. Cuff is to act as clerk of the course, in lieu of Mr R. Powell, as advertised, the latter gentleman taking his original position as a steward. It will be observed that the Banks will be closed all day on Thursday, and after 12 o'clock on Friday. Railway trains are announced to run at an almost nominal fare. An accident occurred at Waianiwa on Friday last to a man named Colin Gray, employed with a threshing machine at the farm of Mr Lachlan Fraser. Whileengaged in driving, the halter of one of the horses became entangled in the drawing gear of the horse in front, and he stepped off the driving platform to set it free. In doing so, his foot slipped, and the heel of his boot became jammed between one of the levers and the guide wheel. The heel of the boot offering considerable resistance, was probably the means of preventing the breaking of the leg. As it was, the iron bar confining the lever, broke, and the limb was set free. A severe lacerated wound of the ancle was the result, and Dr Monckton was sent for. On his arrival, it waß found happily that no fracture had taken place. The steamer Jane Williams, which was successfully launched in Lake Wakatipu on the 10th inst. , is said to have cost a sum of £3500. The local paper gives the following description of the vessel : — " The length of her deck is 90ft. , and the extreme breadth of beam 12ft. Bin. The depth of her hold is 6ft. 6in. in the clear, by 33ft. in length, and it possesses a carrying capacity of about 60 tons measurement. She is fitted up with a pair of high- pressure marine inverted engines of 30 horse power, nominal, capable of being worked up to double that power ; and her boiler is a vertical tubular one. Her storage capacity is large, comparatively speaking, owing to the small space occupied by her compact machinery in proportion to its power — the plan of employing the vertical boiler having only been adopted of late years with mu^h advantage . She has also a roomy cabin, which, when fitted, will, no doubt, be very snug." A Winton correspondent supplies us with the following : — The examination of the school here was held on Friday, the 16th inst. It was chiefly conducted by the teacher (3lr D. Cameron), who was relieved occasionally by members of the committee (of whom there were seven present) and a few ladies who had honored the proceedings by their presence. The examination throughout was rigorous and exhaustive, and the children evidently felt that " to whom much is given, of him much shall be required," as they were prepared not only to give much when required, but to do so readily and accurately. All showed marked and decided progress during the interval since last examination. In the advanced class, the girls especially exhibited the utmost facility in answering questions in history, geography, and English grammar, while their performances in mental arithmetic were surprising for rapidity and accuracy. In composition and reproduction of narrative, somj really excellent samples were given. The singing was also very fair ; — in short, the result of the day's proceedings must have been highly gratifying to the parents and committee, as it was flattering to both teacher and pupils. That Mr Cameron's practical and efficient style of imparting instruction is duly appreciated, is cvi lenced by the increased attendance, it having doubled during the last three months. Prizes to the value of about £5 were distributed amongst the children, who seemed highly pleased with this part of the day's work. 1 understand the committee will soon call for tenders for the erection a new schoolhouse, a .rant much felt in the district.

The City- Council of Dunedin . has struck a rate of Is 6i in the £ for the year "lß72. The Borough Council of Hokitika employ only one day laborer, and the " post" being lately vacant, 17 persona applied for it. The Thursday half-holiday in Christchurch has not worked satisfactorily, a number of the business people having broken through the arrangement. 1 T)uring last year (says the Southern Cross) the Bank' of New Zealand refined 300,000 oz. of gold, from which they obtained 100,000 oz. silver, thereby saving the duty of 2s 6d per oz. on the latter amount — a very considerable saving. The Dunedin Evening Star says : — " It is stated that the costs, the main part of which have to be borne by the Provincial Government, in the Souhland Railway arbitration case, come to £6,000, or a fourth of the award made. Mr Brogden's firm is open, it would appear, to undertake the construction of other public works besides railways, the representative of the firm having made a proposal to the Auckland City Council to construct works for supplying the town with water. At the meeting of the Otago Waste Land Board, held on the 15th inst., Mr William Brunton applied for a mineral lease of tin and copper lodes in Bligh Sound, and in the meantime for six months' protection to prospect. Protection for six months was granted. The local agents of the various insurance companies taking fire risks in Auckland, have resolved to employ four night watchmen, and to pay for a sufficient volunteer guard in the event of a fire occurring. These precautionary measures would appear to be called for by recent occurrences. The representatives of Dunedin in the General Assembly, Messrs Reynolds and Bathgate, met their constituents on the evening of the 13th inst. At the conclusion of the respective addresses, each gentleman was severely catechised regarding his conduct. At the close of the proceedings, the following motion was carried, although it is said that not half the number of those present voted : — " That the thanks of this meeting be tendered to Messrs Reynolds and Bathgate for their attendance, but that it declines to approve of the course adopted by them in the General Assembly." . The " Wellington Independent " says : — " The gold export tables for the year show an actual increase in the quantity of gold produced of 185,149 ozs., but this is entirely due to the very large increase in the production of gold at the Thames, the shipments from Auckland for 1870 and 1871 being 85,5340z5. and 330,3260zs respectively. All the other goldfields Bhow a considerable decrease in production. Taking the whole of the West Coast goldfielis, the quantity exported in 1871 was only 243,676023. as against 292.1 170z5. in 1870, showing a falling off in value of £193,764. This gradual declension in the productiveness of the West Coast goldfields should enforce the necessity for extending the operations of the miners by opening up the country, by roads, and other public works. The Ofcago goldfields also fell off during the year by about 12,0000z3. , the total production for the year being 150,6250z5. as against 162,6940z5. in 1870 The " Oamaru Times " of the 13th inst. publishes the following agricultural report : — "Harvesting is progressing rapidly, the weather being generally very favorable. Labor is still somewhat scarce, £2 to £2 5s and found, being current rates for wages. North of the Kakanui nearly all the grain, and more than half that in the Otepopo district, is cut. Many of the farmers are threshing in the field to save time, although tliis is a somewhat risky procedure. The severe winds of last week shook out a considerable portion of the ripe grain then uncut. Samples of wheat threshed out, although the grata is smaller, are in better condition than any we have had for the last two years, and, should the weather continue fine, this season's flour ought to be of first-class quality. Oats will be a light yield, but the sample in many cases verj good. Barley will be also a light crop, and small in the grain, but of good color. ■•' Certain residents of Lawrence, " fearing that ■the apparent apathy of the Tuapaka Railway Committee will have the effect of indefinitely postponing the commencement of the railway line from Tokomairiro to Lawrence," have requested the Mayor " to convene a public meeting for the purpose of taking into consideration the means necessary to impress upon the Minister for Public Works for the Middle Island the expediency of at once beginning the construction of that work." Conformably to this request, " His Worship" calls a meeting for tomorrow evening. The following paragraph from the local paper may possibly furnish a clue to the necessity for this movement: — "During his visit to Dunedin last week, Mr Bastings had an interview with Mr Reeves, Minister of Public Works for the Middle Island. Mr Reeves regretted his inability to visit Lawrence, but expressed his intention of doing so at some future time. He further stated that the railway from Tokomairiro to Lawrence would be commenced next summer." With regard to the harvest in Auckland, tho " Southern Cross " writes : — " Harvesting operations are being rapidly pushei on in this neighborhood; in facfc, through the greater part of the Province where wheat is grown, the sickle and reaper are at work. One thing is remarkable and worthy of attention. AH the wheat from the seed obtained from the South Island has been almost a complete failure. This is more particularly the case ia the Waikato district. The fields sawn with Aielaide, Auckland, or Californian grown wheat have borne good crops, indicating that seed from the South has to be acclimatised before good crops can be expectei from it. The same result has been seen in former years, but not so conspicuously as during the present season. As the time is near at hand when the -farmers will be making a selection of seed for 'winter sowing, we hope they will avoid a choice which must be fatal to their hopes of profit in a future season. If seed is selected from wheat grown in this Province, or obtained from wheat grown in countries having a simitar climate to that of Auckland, no fear of tho result need be entertained. This cannot be too earnestly pressed upon their attention, as not only their own profits, but the character of this Province as a wheat-growing district depend upon sush a choice. vVe have heard of some farms where it is anticipated a yield of 40 bushels per acre will be obtained. This is the result of careful culture, and a judicious selection of seed."

It is confidently expected by the AuoKland 2Zeral<Z that Major Jackson will bo returned unopposed for the seat in the Assembly for the Waikato electoral district, vacated by Captain Macpherson. The Auckland papers notice as a satisfactory sign of the altered state of the natives at Oootiki and the Bay of Plenty, that, a schooner owned by Mr Kelly, M.G.A. for the East Coast district, I had arrived with a full cargo of whale oil and maize, the produce of natire labor. This fact is mentioned, says the Herald, because it illustrates the altered habits of the Maoris in the Bay of Plenty district. Some years ago, as our readers are aware, the natives there wholly abandoned industrial pursuits, and gave themselves up to war. Gradually, however, they have returned once more to the cultivation of the soil and fishing. We are indebted to Mr D. Macrorie, sharebroker to the Nokornai Flat Gold Mining Company, for the perusal of a letter from the secretary, , from which we make the following extract :— •" I am afraid the proposed capital is rather too small. At the last meeting, I managed to get the time for payment of calls extended. I also submitted a proposal for increasing the capital to £1500 or £2000, but did not succeed in carrying it. If we run short, as we are almost sure to do, we will require to go into the market again with more shares. I have little fear but that they will go off easily, as a good few of the shareholders here have promised to double the number already taken. I have also had applications from persons wishing to know as to the nature of the ground. For their information, and the information of the public generally, I may explain that the sinking is about 80 or 90 feet through good standing ground, but very wet. It is proposed to put an engine on the ground. I have hai offers of four or five suitable ones at reasonable rates. Pumps are already on the creek, and can. be had at the rate of £1 per month until the ground is proved. If we do not gefc payable gold we are to return the pumps. If the affair succeeds, we pay a price to be previously agreed on. We all believe the run of gold from the head of the creek comes down fco the flat. A great many tributaries have been traced into it more or less payable. The last of them that was worked, paid 3 or 4 ounces to the set of timber. The water got too heavy, and they had to abandon the ground. When the ground is opened up the expenses will be comparatively small, as there ia plenty of firewood and driving timber in the immediate neighborhood. Shares are going off pretty well. I think somewhere about 1000 are already disposed" of up-country. I expect a good many applications from the Lake." The lash which we felt bound in common justice to apply to the contemporary print has had the effect of making "the galled jade wince." True to its established character as a " mudrake," it retaliates by indulging in the congenial employment of dirt-throwing at ourselves. The only part worthy ot notice in the tissue of falsehoods fulminated in this process, is the statement that we are the paid agents of Greville. To this we have to give a most unqualified denial. So far as we are aware, Greville has only one paid agent in Southland, resident at the Bluff, and although we act as agent ia Invercargill, we have all along done so without fee or reward. We have therefore no reason to be governed by those sordid motives which find a fit resting-place in the mean and grovelling spirit of a " mudrake." We have no desire to become the apologists for the laches of Greville's agency. On the contrary, as we have to pay pretty handsomely for the information supplied, we will freely condemn any failure to fulfil its proper functions when we are assured that blame is properly chargeable upon it. In the case of the last telegraphic summary of European intelb'gence, for instance, we felt satisfied that any shortcomings were blameable on the telegraphic department, and on many previous occasions have boen convined that this was the case. When therefore W3 find that i bass attack is made without any j ust cause, our natural love of fair play revolts against gush conduct. It may be as well to explain that the celebrated telegram which was received by the " local sheet" in question, and stuck up in its " office window" some few Sundays ago, was also in our possession at the same time, but we deemed the intelligence so unreliable that we declined to put it into circulation. It is Greville's duty to send the earliest possible information to the Press, but it is the duty of the conductors of the latter to decide whether or not it i* worthy of being published. In the matter of the disastrous floods at Greymouth, to which we referred in last issue, identically the same information was conveyed by telegraph to both local papers. The exact words of the telegram wore as follows : — " Greymouth, feared township at Little Grey junction disappeared in flood. News received whole township twelve miles gone sea except one store." This our " veracious chronicler" interpreted, according to its own admission, in this wise :— •" The township at the Little Grey j unction, and twelve miles of the adjacent country , have been swept out to sea" (the italics are ours). Had it not been that the blame of this most egregious blunder was cast upon Greville, we should have allowed the matter to pass with a smile, as we have become quite accustomed to the amusing distortions of telegraphic news perpetrated by the " local sheet" in question. And yet, forsooth ! its readers were gravely informed some time ago that the intelligence via San Francisco was " slightly colored." The above sample of coloring is quite equal to any of trans-Paoific origin, and is certainly worthy of being placed under the heading of " another invention." The order in which the principal ports of the colony stand in regard to their contributions to the Customs revenue, for the year 1871, is as follows :«—

Dunedin £194,522 Auckland 148,403 Lyttelton 86,741 Wellington ... .'.. ... 56,933 Hokitika ... .- ... 4i,921 G-reytnoiitb. ... ... ... 38,684 Nelson 29,759 Napier 22,520 Invercargill ... ... ... 20,635 Westport 18,405 Wu-nganui ... ... ... 14,673 Thames 12,857 Timaru 12,485