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Southland Times, Issue 1646, 11 October 1872, Page 2

The San Francisco mail was due at Auckland on Monday last. The dates from London will be : — By post, to 22nd August; by telegraph to San Francisco, 11th September, or fourteen days later than the intelligence brought via Suez. The spectacle of a string of heavily-laden wool drays, toiling slowly along the road from Winton to fnvercargill, while the locomotive ia whirling jauntily along the railway, in front of a passenger carriage and two or three empty trucks, does not say much for the wisdom of those who settled the scale of charges for freight. Yet it was common enough last summer, and will no. doubt be. repeated this year, unless the tariff is reduced without delay. We are informed that several mnholders are already in terms with carriers to take the coming season's wool all the way to Invercargill, and that at the rate of freight now charged on the railway, viz., 2s per bale, the carriers can do so and make a profit. The Public Works policy will not come to much if things are not managed better than this. We would suggest an immediate reduction of the freight to Is per bale from Winton to Invercargill, and Is from Invercargill to the Bluff. As the trucks can take 30 bales at a time, this ou^ht to give a "fair return, especially If labor in hand--1 ling were economised by omittin-g the weighing ) process, and charging the same rate per bale all round, on greasy an i washed wool. No time ought to be loat in making the necessary alteration in the rates, as the wool season is now fast approaching. The session of the District Court commences to-day at ten o'clock. The criminal calendar comprises two cases, Michael Clear, attempted suicide, and John Christie, escaping from custody. There are two civil cases, Wood v. Grant, and an appeal from the Warden's Court at Orepuki, Richard O'Brien, appellant, and Forbes and Dawson, respondents. His Honor Ju l^e War 1 arrived in town by the Storm BirJ on Wednesday afternoon. The valise containing I2oozs of gold, lost by Mr Coulam in the late bu^y accident in the Mataura, was recovered on the Bth inst., by a Maori named Leonard, 200 yards from the spot where the accident took place, having been carried for that distance by the force of the stream. The gold was well secured in the valiae in two stout bags, and the valise itself was wrapped in a pair of kangaroo skin leggings, firmly strapped around it. Owing, to these sensible precautions none of the precious metal was lost. Leonard will be handsomely remunerated for his eiertiona by the reward of £iO offerei by Mr Coulam for the recovery of the treasure. An inquest was held at the house of James Dore, better known as the " Otameite Hotel," Upper Mdtaura, on Monday laat, upon the body of Thomas Poole, before John Turnbull, Esq., the District Coroner, and a jury of thirteen, of whom Mr G. F. Richardson was foreman. The deceased was in the employ of Mr Bell, of Waimea Plains, and was at the time the accident occurred, attempting to ford the Mataura river in pursuit of some cattle that had crossed over to Mr M'Nab's ma, and whea he had almost reached the opposite bank of the stream, and was attempting „to force his horse against it, he was suddenly swopt down with, tha current, the horse first turning on his side, and afterwards with his heeig up. James Dore, who keeps the accommodation-house at the Otameite, was present, and remonstrated with the deceased upon the impropriety' of going into the river, but was unable to render him any assistance. The deceased was, we understand, a native of Tasmania, and was about 28 or 30 years of age. He had been employed in the Mataura district, chiefly as stockman, for many years. The jury returned a verdict of accidental death by drowning! The body was recovered not far from the Otameite. The deceased is understood to have been in comfortable circumstances, having had several hundred pounds invested at interest in Invercargill. Our Riverton correspondent, writing on the 9th inst., says : — A meeting was announced to be held at the Marine Hotel on the evening of Saturday, sth inst., for the purpose of reorganising our Cricket Club, but owing to the limited attendance no business was transacted. — One of the boats which have been away for the last six weeks to Stewart's Island, on a sealing cruise, returned the other day to Colac's Bay, and I regret to report that, owing to the long continua tion of adverse weather, the crew managei to secure only some 78 skins. A correspondent writes from the neighborhood : of Winton: — The sowing of oats is now com- ; pleted. The wheat on new land is looking well ; that sown on stubble is rather weaker in appearance, but generally pretty thick. The grub which has been noticed in some other districts has not yet been seen in this neighboihood. The youug English grass is now producing a full bite for sheep, and the sheep on most of the farms are looking much better than at this season last year. The staple of the wool is healthy, and the lambing must be pronounced above the average. The double-furrow ploughs on a number of farms are already in operation preparing for a new crop of wheat. A correspondent, writing from some distance 'up the east bank of the Mataura, informs us ; that the weather is colder there than in Southland, and the grasß not so forward.

A special meeting of the Municipal Council to consider Mr A. J. Smyth's proposal to supply the town with gas, was convened for Tuesday evening, when the following members were present, viz., the Mayor, and Councillors Pratt, Blackwood, Goodwillie, and Jaggers. It was resolved that owing to only one-half of the members of Council being present, the Council should aljourn. A meeting of the inhabitants of Appleby was held at Rodie'a Hotel on Monday evening, for the purpose of taking into consideration the forming of Appleby proper into a separate Road Board District. It was moved by Mr P. Dalrymple, and seconded by Mr Brownlie, . " That in the opinion of this meeting the Otago Roads Ordinances of 187 L and 1572, so far as the Invercargill Road District is concerned, are not workable, and that the Superintendent be petitioned to proclaim Appleby proper into a Ward." After some discussion the motion was adopted. Yesterday being the half-yearly Presbyterian fast— day, wa9 observed as a ho'iday. The Provincial Q-overoment offices and all the places of business in the town were closed. A number of excursionists left town for the Bluff by the morning train. One party, of several ladies and gentlemen, was unfortunately left behind, much to their annoyance, as although they had secured tickets, and were sitting in the waiting-room, owing to some misunderstanding about the time allowed after the signal whistle, they made their appearance on the platform just as the train was starting. Contrary to the reports which have been circulated as to the want of punctuality which prevails on the Southland railways, the rules of the department are so precise in requiring that the trains shall start at the proper time, and once started must not be called back, that no exception could be made, even iv such a case as this. At the meeting of the Southland Waste Land Board^on Tuesday, there were present the Commissioner of Crown Lands, and Messrs M' Arthur and Dundas. The application of Mr Gh M. Bell, to take up 289 acres, amount short on completion of survey of a former application for 1500 acres, was granted. The Commissioner of Crown Lands stated that he had been in correspondence wit i the Provincial Treasurer regarding the survey feeß retained by the Provincial Government, and bad been informed that they could not be refunded until the Receiver of Land Revenue had furnished a detailed statement of particulars. It was resolved that section 2, Waimurau hundred, ahould be thrown open for sale, improvements to be valued in, event of the land buing bought by anyone but the occupant. A petition from settlers at Limestone Plains, in favor of making certain reserves for lignite pits, was considered, and it was resolved that the petitioners be requested to furnish a description of the lands desire. l to be reserved. From a return showing the performances of the San Francisco mail steamers, whL'h has been lai 1 on the table of the House of Representatives, we learn that the only amount deducted from the subsidy payable to Messrs Webb and Hoiladay, during the financial year ending on the 30th June last, was £3,35 L 12s 3d, " for nonarrival of April steamer, and non-despatch of steamer from Auckland in May." The loss to Ihe contractors was caused by the break-down of the Mohongo. In the Assembly, on the 4th inst., Mr Macandrew asked whether the Government inten led to take any steps towards the continuance of the main line of the Otago Southern Trunk Railway from Clutha to Mataura, and the construction of a branch line from the Waipahee to Papanui, Ettrick, Roxburgh, Alexandra, and into the interior of the Province of Otago. Mr Reid replied that he had already indicate! the work 9 intended to be undertaken during the rece3a. If means allowed of it, however, they felt it to be desirable that all Une§ intended to be constructed should bo surveyed as soon as possible. In responding to the toaat of his he alth at a dinner giren in Newcastle (N.S.W.), Sir Hercules Robinson, the Giveruor, said: — I bslieve it is only fifty years since a gentleman now resi iin^ amongst you, and whoso son, I am told, is present here to-day, embarked in what must have been then considered an undertaking of a very speculative character, in asking permission from the Q-orernmenb to build a sloop of fifty tons to trade with tho " Coal River." Sarea years after that, in 1829, I find the item of coal mentioned for the first time among the productions of this colony. In 1829, I think it was, 800 tons of coal, valued at £400, were raised in the district of Newcastle. Ac that time also, if lam informed correctly, the only means of communication between Newcastle and Sydney was a single cutter, called the " Lord Liverpool," of eighty tons burden, and which frequently occupied two or three wseks on the passage. But how different is tho picture which we see around us this day ! Why, last year— that is in 1871—790,14:3 tons of coal were raised from the Northern coalfields, of the value of £274,000. Of this, 565,000 tons of coal, value 1 at over a quarter of a million sterling, was exported from the port of Newcastle to twenty-seven foreign and intercolonial ports, ia nearly 1000 vessels. As regards the trade of the port, it appears to me at present to rival that of the metro'poli'-.an port of Sydney, as I find that last year — exclusive altogether of coasters, 1040 vessels, of 376,000 tous burden, clears J from the port of Newcastle for foreign and intercolonial ports, whilst the total number of vessels clearing from the whole colony, including Newcastle, was only 2123, whose tonnage was 794,000 tons. In short, Newcastle, which only a few years ago, within the recollection of gentlemen now sitting at this tablo, was an unimportant, isolate 1, and almost unknown village on the coast, communicating with Sydney by means of a single cutter of eighty tons burden, is now a large and thriving port, bustling with commercial life and activity, and brought by means of the steamers and telegraph into intimate associations with tho outside world. I scarcely remember anything which can compare with the marvellous rapidity with which Newcastle has risen, except some of the incidents which we read of in the fortunes of Aladdin. And I think I may fairly say that your genius of the lamp ia your coal. The following is a copy of a notice placed in an hotel at one of the seaside towns in Canterbury ; — "Lost or Stoled. — A red kaf. He had a white spot On lof his behind leggs. He was a she kaf. I will give 3 shillings to ererybodJie wot will bring hym hoam at wonst." The rabbit catchers of the Kaikoura district (Marlborough) hare been holding a series of balls lately* '

A Melbourne firm has received orders to buy I 5090 bales of wool for a Berlin house. A large wool trade is expected to spring up between Victoria and Germany. . Judging from trale ad^ertisementi in the Fiji Times, quoted by a Melbourne paper, it aeams high time that some civilised power stepped in and annexe! the islands. A large number of these advertisements, offering wares for sale, contains the notification, " No Fiji Government notea taken." One, advertising an estate for sale, gives " the Buicidal policy of the Fiji Government" as the owner's reason for selling. Another person, wanting to sell a public-house, says, " 'Ilie sole reason of the owner leaving Fiji is the excessive and exorbitant taxation." Then a lot of freehold properties are to be disposed of, "on account of the unsettled state of Fiji, through the action of tho present Govern nent." Another gives as his reason for wishing to leave the island, " the ma- administration of the laws and excessive taxation." The Wellington carters' strike is settled, and work resumed. The Corporation has conceded moat of the deman Is made by the carters and expressmen. The share list of the deep sea fishing comp any proposed to be formed in Christchurch is reported to be filling up, an! there is every prospect of the project bein<j carried out to a successful issue.