Untitled

Southland Times, Issue 1543, 27 February 1872, Page 2

A special meeting of the Municipal Council was held last night. The business transacted was the consideration of bye-laws. The wife of a blacksmith in Dunedin has presented her husband with triplets, two boys and a girl, one boy being still bornIt is anticipated that licenses to shoot pheasants will be issued in Nelson next year, the birds having become so numerous. A robin redbreast has been presented to the Christchurch Acclimatisation Society, by the steward of the Charlotte Gladstone. A sum of £132 6s was collected in two days by the Mayor of Dunedin for the relief of the sufferers by the floods at Q-reymouth. A resolution has been passed by the Westland Cjunty Council mulcting members £1 eich for every absence from the sittings of the Council. From Auckland we learn that fish-curing is being actively carried on at Wangarei. Half a ton of preserved mullet, in lib tins, was lately forwarded to Auckland for local sale. A contemporary says that the Auckland Protection League is soon likely to become a thing of the past. Even now a quorum of its members cannot be got together. The Wairau (ilarlborough) election, says the Evening Star, was solely a battle between Protection and Free Trade, and the latter, which in Mr 3eymour has found a devoted advocate was triumphant. The Bruce Herald says that 170,000 sheap have been booked for the supply of the season's operations at the New Zsalani Meat Preserving Company's factories at Washdyke (Timaru) and Kakanui. The Wanganui Chronicle says that Mr Walter Buller (Resident Magistrate of that district), who has some reputation as an ornithologist, and who is at. present on a visit to the old country, will soon return to the colony, finding the winter in England too cold for him. A reaping match for £25 a- side took place the other day between two residents at Oroaiweli. The conditions were that each was to mow, gather, and bind an acre of ripe oats without any assistance whatever. The winner completed his task in about four hours and a half, or ia twenty minutos' lesa time than tha rival competitor.

A sum of £70 was subscribed at a public meeting held in Wellington for the relief of the Q-reymouth sufferers. A Farmers' Club in the Titnaru district has resolved to send wheat to England through the Bank of New Zjaland. We weuld direct special attention to the large number of town, suburban, and country properties to be submitted to public competition by Mr H. B. Osborne, in his rooms, at 12 o'clock to-dny. On the morning of the floods at Greymouth, the local Argus says the water stood 2ft. 6in. on its office floor, and the proprietors publicly thank their staff for thf ir exertions in getting out the paper under the trying circumstances. The Dunedin livening Star gives it as an on dit that Reichelt's case is at length settled, the insurance companies and Mr Reichelt having come to an understanding which will render the proposed application for a new trial unnecessary. ' The News of the World says that the cropa in California will excel those of former years. Many had s:>wn double the number of acres, and it was expected that the gross crop would be worth at least five million dollars more, or about £1,000,000, than in 1871. It is a noticeable feature in the new buildinga contemplated or in progress that brick has in a great measure superseded timber in the erection of business premises. Our columns this morning contain invitations for tenders for two structures of this material. In a telegram received from Greymouth. yesterday, the Mayor of that town conveys the following message to the Mayor of Invercargill :— " Accept of our thanks for your timely subscriptions. The urgent cases of distress having been disposed of, you will therefore close your list." At a meeting of the Otago Waste Land Board, held in Dunedin on the 21st inst., a report of the District Land Office, Invercargill, regarding Mr Alex. Elliot's application for Run No. 441, was read, and it was resolved that the run be assessed, and then be offered for sale bj auction upon the -usual terms. We are requested by the hon. treasurer to the Provincial Hospital to acknowledge his receipt of. £5, subscription by Mr J. M'Pherson ; £3 3s from Mr Mathew Holmes ; £1 Is from Mr T. L. Barnhill, and £2 5s collected on the Castle Rock station; also £2 2s 6d, collected after Divine service at Campbelltown on Sunday, 25th instant. A match for £20 a side was got up on Saturday last between the owners of Firetail and Maniototo, the race to te run on the Wallacetown course. As it was expected that the contest would be a close one, there was a considerable attendance on the ground. After a keen struggle, Mr Lawson's horse was landed the winner by a neck. It is reported — says a Dunedin contemporary — that Mr Macassey will be supported by Bishop Moran (now in Queenstown), because he is opposed to secular education and in favor of the aided schools clause ; and that in consequence th 3 Catholic party to a man will vote for him. The correspondent of the " Cromwell Argus " says Mr T. L. Shepherd is exerting his interest in Mr Macassey's favor. A correspondent of the Waikouaiti Herald, writing from Naseby, says : — " For sevoral weeks past kite-flying, in the absence of better amusement, has been all the rage. Our Chinese friends first set the example by the flying of a musical Lite, which was a great novelty to most people here. Europeans soon followed suit, with kites both large and small ; but latterly the amusement has been taken up by the juveniles, who are now masters of the art." We are pleased to learn that some of our flockmasters are turning their attention to the growth of long- wools. We understand that C. Baastian, Eeq., of Dunrobin, has purchased from that famous Canterbury breeder, George Gould, Esq., 35 sheep of the Lincoln breed. They are said to be very choice, the fleeces of one ewe and one ram having weighed 21 lbs and 26 lbs respectively. The sheep will arrive per first steamer from ihe north, and will be placed on Mr Basstian's estate at Halfway Bush. Notice is given in the Provincial " Gazette" that the following Road Boards have applied for authority to borrow the amounts following upon the security of their rates for the purpose of constructing a light railway from Oarairu to Waiareka, and that the General Road Board will, at its meeting, on the 14th March next, grant the request, unless before that date two-thirds of the rate-payers in each district signify their dissent, viz., the Enfield Board, £8000 ; Windsor Board, £11,000 ; Xeanerika Board, £5,000 ; Total, £24,000. The New York correspondent of the " Echo " gives the following account of the successful efforts of the Associated Press. He says : — A very clever telegraphic feat was accomplished the other day, which, so far as I am aware, is quite unique here. The London agent of the New York Associated Press, obtained, it would seem, an early copy of the London " Times " of the 9th, and at 6 a. in. sent a cable despatch, giving a short synopsis of the " Times' " remarks on the downfall of Tammany at the recent elections. This came through promptly to the Associated Press, and reached the newspaper offices in manifold at 2 a.m. the same morning, in ample time for publication, so that our New York morning dailies of the 9th, printed at 3 a.m., contained the fifth of an article in the London " Times," published say at 5 a.m. A melancholy case of drowning took place at the Makarewa River, on Sunday last. It appears that a young man named Elijah Hodgkinson, residing with his mother in the neighborhood, went into the river to bathe at a spot near the railway bridge. He got beyond his depth, and being unable to swim, he soon disappeared beneath the water. A brother of the deceased, as also a companion named Patterson, who went bathing along with deceased, made exertions to rescue him, but unfortunately they proved unsuccessful. Eventually a boat was brought to the spot, and after dragging the water for some time, the body was recovered. At that time it had been three hours in the water, so that not the slightest chance existed of animation being restored. Yesterday the district coroner, Dr Hodgkinson, held an inquest, at which Mr J. M. M'Clure acted as foreman. After evidence had been given, a verdict was returned that deceased met with his death by being accidentally drowned as above. He was 22 years of age, and bore an excellent , character.

The bazaar in completion of the organ fund of St. John's Church was continued on Saturday, i Last night the remainder of the effects were disposed of by auction, Mr D. Macrorie acting as auctioneer. As near as can be calculated, the entire proceeds amount to £133, Mrs Dalgliesh's stall realising £60 ; Mrs Wade's, £45 ; and Mrs Monckton's, £28. The Defence Minister (Mr M'Lean) narrowly escaped a serious accident the other day. It seems that he was in a two horse buggy, accompanied by Colonel St. John, and about two o'clock in the afternoon, as they were crossing the temporary bridge over the Okehu, in the neighborhood of Wanganui, which is without any side-rails, the horses shied, and there being no protection, horses, driver, vehicle, and passengers were precipitated into the stream. No one was much injured. Mr M'Lean was a good deal shaken, but felt quite able to pursue his , journey next morning. Mr W. S. Lockhart, in a letter to the West Coast Times on the subject of a new propeller about to be patented in New Zealand, says that it is [ certain to effect a great improvement in the speed of vessels, and it is more than probable that the I passage between Liverpool and New York may be reduced to six days, and that between Melbourne and Hokitika, with our class of vessels, fitted upon the new principle, three days and a half will be the maximum, without an increase of consumption of fuel, and that the invention will all but annihilate the unpleasant vibration experienced in vessels fitted up with paddle or screw. A correspondent of the Oamaru Times, who was on a visit to Dunedin when the M.H.R.'a for that city addressed their constituents, thus alludes to the leading characters who took part in the meeting : — Dunedin is well worth living in. Other cities may hare come advantages, but Dunedin has many. No other city can hare so many of the ingredients for an enjoyable mobrow. There is happily but one Jock Graham — " none but himself can bo his parallel." But then there is only one J. G. S. Grant — and Dunedin has him. There is not a second Barnes — Dunedin has the onlyone. Mr Bathgate, as a goodnatured kind-hearted humbug, who humbugs himself as much as he does the public, has no equal ; and the egotism of Mr Reynolds is almost ■übiime. In the charge of libel brought against the proprietor of the " Wakatip Mail " by Mr Macassey, the Magistrate delivered a lengthened judgment. There was not, in the Court's opinion, sufficient evidence upon which to send the case for trial. The sentence in the article referred to " It is currently reported that Mr Miller has — for a consideration — retired in favor of Mr Macassey," — was hardly libellous, though it approached, in the opinion of the Court, very closely to a libel. There was no doubt that the latter part of the article was highly spiced, and contained the sting ; but no libel had been proved. The Court deferred to Mr Macassey's knowledge of the law of libel ; for, during the ten years Mr Beetham had sat upon the Bench, no similar case had come under his notice. He would, however, express an opinion that the article was unnecessarily written and unwarranted. — The case was dismissed. Mr Macassey applied that the depositions be forwarded to the Supreme Court, Dunedin, as he intended to take other proceedings. The request was granted. In referring to the " croaking" indulged in by certain sections of the opposition press, the Wellington Independent says : — The " miserable lull" predicted by Mr J. C. Richmond in native hostilities has la3ted nearly three years ; settlers everywhere feel that peace between the two races is not now resting on the quicksand of " con« quest," but on the sound foundation of mutual wish and advantage. The generation of fighting colonels and majors, and the expenditure of millions on the chimera of military subjugation of the native race, are things of the past. Then, with respect to our credit, is not the quotation of New Zealand five per cents at 102, both in Sydney and in London, a conclusive proof of the advance of that credit ? Lynx-eyed capitalists are not content with superficial show ; they probe deeply, and would not risk their money on such terms if they were not assured th.it we were sound in wind and limb. Lastly, it cannot be denied that colonisation progresses when population increases, and the means of settlement and inter-communication throughout the length and breadth of the islands are multiplied. There are no doubt and always will be numerous faults in any administration, but when large considerations are involved it is advisable, irrespectively of persons and of parties, to discuss principles and to take issue on facts, such as the evidence within the colony of a strong feeling of security and of substantial improvement, and without the colony of the increased and increasing value of its bonds. The Canterbury Press, in an article enforcing the necessity of efficient drainage in towns, draws attention to the excessive mortality amongst children in New Zealand. It says :— - Alluding to the great excess of infant mortality in the provinces and cities of New Zealand, an Auckland contemporary has taken the colonial statistics for five years ending 1870, and it appears that during that poriod 9959 children were born in Auckland, and that of these 1837, or nearly one in five, died before the age of five years. Id Wellington, in the same period, there were 4382 infant births and 593 infant deaths j in Nelson, 2859 births, 385 deaths j in Canterbury, 9905 births, 1464 deaths ; in Otago, 11,091 births, 1336 deaths. Putting the figures in another form, during these 5 years Otago lost 120 ; Nelson, 130 ; Wellington, 135 ; Canterbury, 145 ; and Auckland 180 out of every 1000 born. Of deaths of infants from one to two years of age, during the same period, there were in Auckland, 376 ; in Wellington, 107 ;in Nelson, 76 ; in Canterbury, 228 ; in Otago, 186. Of deaths of infanta under one year old, there were in Auckland, 1223 ; Canterbury, 1066 ; Otago, 963. And the question is naturally asked — " Can anything be done to reduce this death rate ?" Could we by thorough drainage, and closer attention to other sanitary measures, save the lives of only a fourth of these children, a very simple calculation in political economy would show us that these lives would be worth much more than the rate levied, or the interest on a loan to carry out sanitary measures. The most ruinous extravagance that any young country can indulge in, and especially a young country such as this, situated so far from the source whence immigrants can be obtained, is the waste of infant life. —

The protest entered by the owner of Pope against Chance, the winner of the Hank Hurdle Race on Friday last, on the ground that he had won advertised money during the present season, was withdrawn, failing proof. It will be remembered that when we exposed the mendacious attempt made by the contemporary print to throw the blame of its own stupid blunder about the floods at Greymouth on GreviUe's agencj, the editor retaliated by charging us with being Greville's " paid" agents. We should not have again referred to the matter had it not been that the following telegram was received by us on Saturday last, with a request that it should be published : — " Wellington, Feb. 24, 1871. — Editor Timb3,— l have seen the paragraphs in the News calling you ' paid' agent. Your statement that you have acted aa agent without fee or reward is strictly true. — Chas. O. Montrose, Manager G-reviile's Telegraph Com? pany." Havin? been repeatedly convicted of circulating deliberate falsehoods, we must decline to hold further parley wih such a disreputably conducted journal. In the Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday, judgment was given in the case Rogers v. the Corporation of Invercargill. The Magistrate found that it was the duty of the valuator (plaintiff) to return the names of the owners of unoccupied sections. That duty had been n» cognised by Mr Rogers on two or three occasion!. In a memorandum dated 19th December, he wrote to his Worship the Mayor—" I shall do all in my power to get information as to th» names of unoccupied sections." That expressed generally a willingness to foil in with the viewi of the Council. Plaintiff relied on a communication from the Council, written on the 9th December, to delay giving any more notices (or a few days, or until the meeting on Monday. That was merely a temporary notice, and was clearly not intended to limit him in his operations. The time for completing the valuation was afterwardi extended from Bth December to the 10th January, and that allowed abundant time to obtain all the necessary information from the books of the Registrar. As to the detention of the book, which appears to have been in possession of the Council from the 22nd December to the 12th January, Messrs Wood and Scandrett both aver that plaintiff said he could do without it, as he " had it all in his memorandum book." Mr Egerton also avers that the assessment book was written by him, being dictated by plaintiff from memorandum books. Judgment for defendants, with £3 3s costs. The "Melbourne Age" says:— " Fjp th« philosopher and for those who would see what one may come to at last, there is now on view in Bourke*street something of interest. We hare all seen the bodies of the dead, the untenanted house ; and most of us have seen the skeleton— the framework of the mansion. Many of us have seen mummies, the remains of the house of life held together in swaddling clothes and bandages ; and that is all that, the human world has seen of poor humanity when the aoul^ has left it. A strange variation of these familiar shapes is now to be ieen, and one that in the language of Hamlet " gives us pause." It is the dried- up body, bones, sinews, skin, and nerves of a native Australian, found in a tree in Queensland. Nothing is wanting. The skin has dried up, and not decayed, and so have the sinews and bones. In that Egyptian climate, decay seems to have been arrested, as it has been with the monuments of E-jypt. The object on which we look, at the museum opened in Bourke-street, is that of • corpse preserved by a baking process. This specimen of poor humanity preserved from the worms cannot weigh more than a few pounds. In life it may have weighed many stones. Except that it is warped by the branches of the tree that supported it, the full-length figure is complete. Hair, that undecaying part of humanity, is to be seen about the mouth and chin. Horace Smith poetises on the Egyptian mummy, and Thomas Hood on the drowned suicide taken from the Thames. Thoughts akin to theirs arise on looking at this new form, in which the dead thus revisit " tue glimpses of the moon." The " Melbourne Leader " has commenced to give a series of portraits of successful colonists, the first "subject" chosen boing Mr W. J.T.. Clarke. In the biographical sketch given of this gentleman's career, it says : — " It is impossible to form an exact estimate of Mr Clarke's wealth, but he must be worth at least two millions sterling. His landed property consists of 120,000 aores in Victoria, 50,000 in Tasmania, 75,000 in South Australia, and 45,000 in New Zealand. He has valuable town properties in Collint street, Eme-rald-hill, and East Melbourne. He owns 15,000 shares in the Colonial Bank, and ha has a large number of shares in other banks, gas and insurance companies, besides large sums lent out on mortgage. At a full meeting of the Waikiwi school committee held on Mondayevening, 19th instant, plan* and specifications by Mr A. Kerr were submitted for the erection of schoolhouse and residence. The same were approved, and advertisement* directed to be inserted calling for tenders. A letter from Mr W. Wood was laid before the meeting by the secretary, which amounted to a virtual withdrawal by Mr Wood of the offer made by him of an acre of land for site, except upon conditions which the committee deemed impracticable, and not coming within the scope of the original offer. The dilemma was, however, speedily got over by the information of the chairman and secretary that Mr Jacob Ott had kindly made an offer of an acre of land gratis on a very eligible and preferable site to that originally contemplated, being within a quarter of a mile of it, and on a rise on the west side of the North Road with two chains of frontage thereto. This offer was accepted, and the secretary was instructed to tender to Mr Ott the thanks of the committee for his liberal gift. It was deemed probable that in order to the substantial and efficient completion of the work on the proposed plan, providing accommodation for nearly 8i) scholars, some appeal to the resident publio might be necessary. Should such be the ease, the object to be accomplished will commend itself, and its completion becomes almost a matte* of certainty.