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Southland Times, Issue 1582, 24 May 1872, Page 2

To-day being the 53rd anniversary of Her Majesty's birth-day, will be observed as a general holiday. A royal salute of 21 guns vrill be fired by the Artillery Volunteers at noon. We must protest againßt the plan adopted by the Government of not giving the fullest publicity to advertisements for tenders for supplies of various kinds. The Gazette, as every one knows, is never seen by the general public, and the newspapers afford in reality the only means of communifiation with the community at large. An instance of the evil effects of this penny-wise policy has come to our knowledge. Tenders for the supply of 50,000 sleepers for the Canterbury railways were recently called for, advertised in the Gazette, and for a short time in the Canterbury papers and the Otago Daily Times. Our local sawmillers were thus practically shut out of the competition. As a matter of fact, the greater part of this timber will almost certainly be out in, Southland, and the Government will lose the difference between the price at which the tenders are Bub-let, and that at which the local sawmillers would have been willing to supply it at first hand. As doubts have been expressed about the suitability of black pine for this purpose, we may mention that specimens of that timber, which have been in the ground for twelve years, may now be seen in a state of perfect preservation afc the Invercargill Railway Station.

Considerable disappointment has been expressed that provision was not made to run excursion trains to-day. We were repeatedly asked last evening if any announcement had been received with that object in view. A local celebrity, familiarly known as the " Black Doctor," died at the Hospital on Sunday Ja9t. Deceased, who 'had been a resident of Invercargill for over twelve years, was most in his habits, although of a perfectly Fharmless disposition. He had the credit of being -a splendid axeman, and, when he chose to work, earned his livelihood as a woodcutter. His " Robinson Crusoe" hut, which used to stand in the bush, near the site of the Melbourne Hotel, will be remembered by many of our early settlers. We have been requested to state that as the share list of the proposed South Pacific Steam Navigation Company closes in Melbourne on the 10th June, it will be necessary for intendine shareholders to make application without delay. The annual Masonic ceremony of installing the Worshipful Master elect of the Southern Cross liodge, took place at the hall, at the rear of the Prince of Waleß Hotel, on the evening of Wednesday last. There was a large muster of the craft on the occasion. The unanimous choice of the lodge having fallen on Bro. J. T. Martin, that brother was duly installed in his high office by P.M. Bro. Butts, who conducted the ceremony in his usually impressive manner. The Worshipful Master thereafter invested the following brethren with the insignia of their respective offices:— S.W., Bro. W. J. Moffett ; J.W., Bro. F. W. Wade ; S.D., Bro. J. Stock j J.D., Bro. W. Wilkinson ; Secretary, P.M. Bro. E. D. Butts ; 1.0-., Bro. W. B. Scandrett ; Stewards, Bros. D. S. Montagu and J. H. Smith j and Tyler, Bro. W. Sugar. After the business of the evening had been disposed of, the brethren aat down to a most sumptuous banquet, prepared in a style which afforded abundant proof, if proof were necessary, that under the management of Mr Powell, the resources of the " Prince" are of the very highest order. Ample justice having been done to the luxuriant provision of edibles, the toasts pertinent to the occasion were duly honored, and the company dispersed highly delighted with the meeting. The hon. treasurer to the Provincial Hospital requests us to acknowledge bis receipt of £2 4s from Mr J. H. Kerr, treasurer to the Greymouth Belief Fund, being the balance of funds collected 6n that account. We are also requested to ack■nowledge the receipt of a valuable contribution fef books and periodicals from Mr A. M'Neill, of Ardlussa Station, through Dr Grigor. The arrival of this contribution will do much to supply a : want that was beginning to be seriously felt in the Hospital— that of suitable interesting reading for convalescent patients — and we hope Mr M'Neill's example will be promptly followed by many others who have the material at hand. The Thursday half-holiday movement at Oamaru has broken down, after a short trial. We suppose our Wednesday half-holiday has met with a similar fate, as no notice seemed to be taken of it this week. At the usual meeting of the Town Council last night, there were present the Mayor, iCrs. Garthwaite, Blackwood, Pratt, Jaggers, and Boss. The successful tenderer for the formation of the Gala-street footpath was Mr Henry Craven, £19 10s, and for the supply of 10,000 feet of sawn timber, Mr Wm. Fraser, 8s per 100 ft. There were no offers for the removal of the engine-house. A proposition to form Woodstreet was deferred until the whole question of dealing with the garden reserves should be discussed. The annual soiree and congregational meeting of the Presbyterian Church took place last night. There were about 200 persons present. From the Treasurer's report it appeared that for the financial year ending 31st December last, the total receipts amounted to £715 14s lOd, and the expenditure to £665 5s 4d. In consequence of the recent additions to tho Church, there is now a balance against the congregation, which, however, it is expected will be speedily reduced. Speeches and vocal music filled up the evening. A special meeting of the Town Council took place on Tuesday afternoon to consider the acceptance of the moßt suitable plans for Public Gardens ; present — His Worship the Mayor, and Crs. Ross, Jaggers, Pratt, Blackwood, Garthwaite, and Goodwillie. A long discussion ensued on the respective merits of the plans bearing the mottoes " Wandsworth" and " Attain." Ultimately the latter was accepted, being the drawing of Mr James Morton, landscape gardener, North Boad. We understand that it transpired after the close of the meeting of the Town Council on Tuesday evening that the drawing by " Wandsworth," which had caused the lengthened diflcussion as to its relative merits with the successful plan by " Attain," drawn by Mr James Morton, was from the pencil of Mr W. B. Scandrett, Town Clerk. A meeting was held at Mr Teviotdale'a, Limestone Plains, on Tuesday evening, 21st met., to take into consideration the motion proposed by Mr Baastian in the Provincial Council, that a tramway or light railway from Riverton up the valley of the Aparima to the Otautau, should be constructed. There was a numerous attendance of the settlers in the neighborhood. It was resolved that the proposed line should connect the district with the Winton and Kingston railway ; and further, that a public meeting should bo convened for the purpose of discussing the bosfc route. A northern paper says that the "pigeon express" has been successfully tried between Coromandel and Auckland, the time occupied by the birds on the passage being about an hour. In view of the stoppage of the telegraph works, reported in late telegrams, this method of obtaining news will probably be continued for some time to come. On Friday last,anewLodgoof Free and Accepted Masons, under the Scotch Constitution, was erected at Oamaru. The Otago Daily Times says that, according to »■ statement made by Mr Reid in the Provincial .Council, the daily cost of the patients in the sSwitzers Hospital is £2 11s 10id each. Mr Karslake, M.H.B. for the district of Coleridge, has resigned. Mr G. Hart and Mr J. Jebson are candidates for the vacant seat, and several others are spoken of. In writing to a home paper, a correspondent says : — The firm manufacturing for me have been so pressed to get their own especial work comr pleted, that they have not been able to spare the looms to work up my yarn. However, from a i

letter received on February 21, I am led to expect my cloths will very soon be put in hand, and that before the mail leaves for New Zealand in March, I shall be able to show sheeting, towelling, coal-sacking, and probably table-cloths, all made from pure New Zealand flax. There is an " Acclimating Society " in San Francisco, organised for the purpose of introducing birds and fish from other parts of the world. The fish-ponds and hatching houses occupy sixty acres about fifteen miles from the city; Spawn of speckled troufc from the East has been hatched with remarkable success, fully 90 per cent, of 10,000 eggs imported last winter coming to maturity. The trout are from one to five inches in length, far exceeding their growth in thoir native waters. The Wanganui Bridge has been a great mystification to the Maoris there. They could not be made to believe that the bridge could be swung round, and forty or fifty natives accordingly mot on the bridge to try it. When all was ready, the Collector set the machinery in motion, and the natives were soon startled at finding themselves swing clear in the middle of the river, but when the circuit was completed, they signified th eir joy by three hearty cheers, and willingly paid the " one cop" a head for the trouble. The following is from the Westport Times : — " Driving cattle from Westport to Christy's is no playful undertaking with the present condition of roads. Mr James Suisted, in company with two others, started the other day with a mob of bullocks, among which was one of the ferocious kind, which took a favorable opportunity on a narrow part of the road of testing the strength of its horns against human ribs and shoulder blades. Not content with favoring Mr Suisted to a gentle • rise' from the saddle, which caused him to kiss mother earth, the animal disposed of one of the canine race by making him perform a series of ■omerßaults in view of his master, and afterwards introduced itself from behind to an inoffensive digger who was sauntering home with his week's provisions. Tea, sugar, and flour were indiscriminately supplied to the piscatorial frequenters of the Buller river, while the owner was heard thanking the presence of mud in place of quartz for having saved him from hospital board for the next month. The naturally enraged miner, when finding his equilibrium, sought revenge in his gun, but the animal had more respect for the auctioneer than to be ' knocked down' t in that way, while ' Schneider' by this time was steering a course for the Westport butchery direct. Ultimately, the bullock was penned, and so is the narrative of his journey." It is said that a measure is about to be introduced into the Fijian Parliament, to adopt decapitation as the mode of capital punishment.