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Southland Times, Issue 1690, 17 January 1873, Page 2

The election for the Waihopai, which takes place to-day, has excited less general interest than any election which has been held for years. In is evident that there is no subject of importance now before the public on which the candidates are expected to'announoe decided views. Some prominence was indeed attempted to be given to the question of the late action o[ His Honor in re the Reid Executive and the meeting of tho Council. The still with which both the candidates — like reteran politicians, as thej are — managed to steer between Scylla and Charjb.iisin pronouncing on this subject is worthy of admiration. Neither of them is in the slightest d gree committed to either side, but each has, by a nice balancing of praise and blame in Mr Wood's case, and prudent silence in Mr Wilson's, left himself free to follow whatever course circumstances may point to as the wisest — for the benefit of his constituency. Mr Wood addressed the electors of Appleby on Monday n ght, whon a motion was p*s3ed in his favor. On Tuesday night, our Bluff correspondent informs us, Mr Wood addressed a meeting of tha elector* of Campbelltown, in the Eagle Hotel. Notwithstanding the severe weather there was a good attendance. Mr J. Smith occupied the chair. Mr Wood's address was nearly a repetition of that given at the nomination. Among subjects of local interest, Mr Wood was in favor of dealing most liberally with the timber trade, and was of opinion that by so doing it would soon increase twofold. Fencing the Bluff aud Invercargill Railway, he considered, should most decidedly be done by the Government. In reply to questions, Mr Wood said that he considered Oampbelltown should avail itself of the Municipal Ordinance. Tlie license fees, dog tax, &0., now paid into the Treasury at Dunedin, would — under the abore Ordinance — be handed over to the Town Board. This sum in itself, he thought, would go a long way towards effecting considerable improvements in the town, and the working expenses with proper care would be very small. He was not opposed to the Superintendent ; he endorsed his action in dismissing the Donald Reid Executive ; but he thought the Superintendent should have called the Council together at once after having done so. A motion in favor of Mr Wood was carried unanimously. On Wednesday night Mr Wood met the electors at Har-~ risville, when Mr A. Dunlop was appointed to* preside. After stating his views, Mr Wood was pressed by some parties present to pronounce in favor of Mr Reid, in the difference between the Superintendent and his late Executive. Mr Wood declined to pledge himself on either side until he should have had an opportunity of examining tha case on its merits, on which a rote of want of confidence was proposed, ultimately followed by a motion in Mr Wood's favor, which was carried by a small majority. The weather for some dayt back has been rather unseasonable. After the great heat and drought rain was much wanted, but the form in , which it has come,- south— westerly squalls and ' hailstorms, is scarcely desirable at this season of the year, when the grain is approaching ripeness. ; In lome parts of the interior a little enow .fell I

upon the lower ranges, but, as might have been expected, did not long remain on the ground. Yesterda» the barometer gave indications of a favorable change, which it is to be hoped will be speedily realised. A further batch of immigrants for Messrs Brogden and Sons — consisting of nine men, of whom several are married, with families — arrived by the Tararua on Tuesday last, having been transhipped at Lyttelton from the ship Crusader, recently arrived from London. The men proceed to the railway camp, but the women will be left in town. Mr E. B. Cargill, son of the first Superintendent of the Province, and a well-known merchant in Dnne3in, lately spent several days in Invorcargill, on his return from a visit to the old country. Mr Cargill, who had not seen Invercargill sinca the year 1859, expressed himself as highly gratified with the appearance of the town and the country in the immediate neighborhood. The railway facilities and harbor accommodatian, taken in connection with the splendid block of country fit for settlement of which Invercargill is tho commercial centre — a block unequalled in New Zealand for extent and excellence — Mr Cargill considers, mutt ensure a prosperous future for the town. A number of influential citizens met at Mr I Mitchell's store on Wednesday afternoon, at the suggesfiott of Mr Walkden, to consider what could be done ia the way of facilitating the obtaining of house accommodation by such of the married immigrants lately arrived as might desire to remain in the town. It was suggested that there were stiil'a number of unoccupied buildings to be ha 1, the owners of which might come to terms with the immigrants, if the latter only knew where to find them. Messrs Wooi, M'Arthur, and M'Ewan, ultimately consented to act as a committee to forward this object, and an advertisement accordingly appears in t'lis issue requesting owners of unoccupied property to communicate with Mr Scandrett. Since Messrs Yogel and Reynolds were interviewed by the Railway Committee on the 28th ult., Mr Brunton, in accordance with instructions, has been engaged in inspecting and reporting on all the public buildings, both connected with the 0-eneral and also with tke Provincial Government, in Invercargill. We understand he considers that before any changes are made, a carefully elaborated plan should be prepare I for a block of buildings capable of accommodating the departments of the Customs, Land Revenue, Land Transfer, Survey, Land Board, Post Office, Telegraph, Public Works, and Resident Magistrate's Court. This block of bailrtin?s he does not recommend should be erected at once, but in portions as required, the present offices being retained in use as long as sufficient for the convenient transaction of the public business. The present Custom House, he advises, should be devotad to the accommodation of the Supreme and District Courts, and the present Supreme Court handed over to the municipal authorities for a Town Hall, upon condition that they provide a suitable site for an Athenaeum, in which case we believe he proposes the si'e for the aforesaid Tjloclj of buildings should be in the centre •of the present Provincial Government Buildings Reserve. The following gentlemen have been elected Wardens of tfa'e Mokare'ta Hundred, viz., Dr Menzies, and Messrs Douglas, Brand, Robertson, and Milne. Messrs Richardson, Carswell, and Russell have been cho3ea as Wardens of the Toi Toia Hundred. A meeting of the Aparima Road Board was held at Islabank, on Saturday, 11th insti, when all the members were present with the exception Of Messrs Gterard, M'Xcil), and Scott. The clerk to the Board submitted his valuation roll for the current year, which was considered at some length, and ultimately passed with several amendments. Mr W. A. Lyon having been appointed at a former meeting to communicate with the District Engineer, Mr Bews, respecting the repair of the Riverton road via Wallacetown, reported that Mr Bews had informed him that there was no money voted for repairing the road in question, but that 1000 acres of land had been allocated for the purpose of gravelling the lately* r formed portions of the road. It was resolved ■that the clerk should communicate with the Government on the subject ; and also that the attention of the Executive should be directed to i the fact that no reply had been received to a communication sent by tke Board some two months ago, requesting that the Government should proclaim the different main roads in the district, in accordance with the provisions of tho Ordinance. Permission was given to the members of the Waimatuku subdivision to resume the work of gravelling the main road in that district at the point where it was stopped last season. At the meeting of the Waste Land Board on Tuesday, the following applications were granted : — John, Darid, and James Spence, 2200 acres, on run No. 149, Taringatura district, and 7300 acres, Oreti hundred; Thomas T. Brown, 92 acres, saction 17, block 2, Winton hundred ; Henry Young, 880 acres, on run No. 136, Hokanui district ; James. W. Hamilton, 185 acres, sections 23 and 24, block 2, Jacob's River hundred ; John B. M'Lean and Muttbew Fallow, 196 acres, ■ections 25 and 26, block 6, Jacob's Rirer hundred Applications from Fitzwilliatn Wentworth for 440 acres, on run 119 A, Hokonui district, and from G. M. Bell for 500 acres, on run 112, Hokonui district, both under the Pyramid bridge contract, were ordered to stand over. James Mackintosh, Otautau, applied for 2100 acres, Oreti hundred, and 2400 acres, also in Oreti hundred, under the Oreti railway contract, on the understanding that the contractors had been allowed to abandon their applications for 8000 acres on runs 143, 156 B 1, 156 B 2, and 165, Waiau district, and take land elsewhere. Telegrams were read from the Provincial Secretary directing that the said application for 8000 acres should be cancelled, and the contractors, Messrs Driver, Maclean, and Boyes, allowed to take a similar amount of land elsewhere, in blocks of not lets than 1000 acres each. The land applied for by Mr Mackintosh was accordingly withdrawn from sale, until the Superintendent's certificate should be received, and it was resolved that the 8000 acret in the Waiau district should be advertised open for application on 17th February next. Applications from Edward Clark for 5 acre?, Sandy Bay, and George Preece, for 2 acres, Halfmoon Bar, Stewart's Island, were received ; and it was resolved that they should be recommended for favorable consideration when the Island is declared open for settlement. Mr W. A. Lyon obtained a temporary license to raise lignite on section 4, block 14> Jacob's River hundred.

At the meeting of shareholders in the Old Wakatipu Company, held at the Prince of Wal«» Hotel last night, a resolution was passed to the effect that the sha r t and plant should be sold bj public auction on Thursday, the 30th January, it being the opinion of the meeting that sufficient | oapital could not be raised by the present company to bottom the shaft. Now that harvest has commenced (says the Timaru Herald), complaints are made by several farmers of the scarcity of labor, a&d in consequence, harvesters are obtaining exorbitant prices for tieing — a great deal more in faot than the work is worth, or than the farmers can afford. The Lyttelton Times draws a comparison between the show of the Otago Agricultural and Pastoral Association, recently held in Dunedin, and the exhibition of the Canterbury Association. It says : — " The Christchurch display this season, when taken as a whole, may in faot be considered considerably superior to the one at Dunedin. The exhibits at the former were double those at the latter, whilst the departmental arrangements were still more in favor of this province. But this is not tli9 only gratifying intelligence brought by visitors on their return from Otago, for with their wonted enterprise, Canterbury breeders availed themselves of such opportunities as offered for purchasing stock likely to improve present flocks and herds." Of these purchases the following is the most interesting to Southland breeders : — " Messrs Satton Bros.' Lincoln sheep realised very well, the brilliancy of their wool and purity of breed attracting considerable competition. Looking at the former, it was in fact greatly regretted that samples had not been sent to the Interprovincial Exhibition, in order that they might be forwarded to Vienna. Messrs Ford, Bluett, and Gray were all purchasers of these sheep, and secured some of the very best." The Arrow Observer of the 10th inst. says : — Harvesting operations are in full swing throughout the district, anl the crops as a rule are reported of favorably. A great scarcity of labor is felt, and farmers are at their wits' end to obtain men. The wages ruling are from £2 to £2 10s and found, and it is not unlikely ' a further increase will be demanded. Large numbers of miners have given up the pick and shovel for a spell in the fields. The Bruce Herald of the 15th inst. says :— We regret to learn that the late hail storm has in sDme parts of the plain done a vast deal of injury. One field of oatg, we have been informed, of what was a really excellent crop, it is calculated, will not jiild 10 bushels to the acre, there being an estimated loss of at least 20 bushels — the green heads being actually stripped wholesale. We take the following from a Christchurch paper : — An experiment of a very interesting character to agriculturists took place on the farm of Mr Jones, West Malton. Mr Kemp being desirous of proving the usefulness of the stripper he has lately imported, undertook to strip a •mall paddock of rye grass, which was hardly worth cutting and tying. A week ago there was an acre cut, tied, and afterwards threshed with a flail, and the remainder was left standing till it was dead ripe. It was very gratifying to both parties when the operation was over and the seed cleaned,, that the average yield was equal, j if not more, to the acre cut, tied, and threshed. The seed &3 it was delivered from the machine was in the same state as if hand threshed, thus saving time, securing the seed thoroughly ripe, and in gbo<i order. Another m veiling of the same character is on the way for the same district, making in all four within twelvemonths. The Hokitika Exhibition was closed on the 11th inst., after having been open for 6 fteen d»¥S. It is said to hare been a great success. Mr Warden Beetharn, of Queenstown, who r?cently visited the settlement, reports that at Martin's Bay tho soil in many places is 20 feet in depth. The letter published in ou >% i»sue of the 3lst ult., by Mr Walkden, on behalf of Messrs Brogden and Sons, has been very generally commented on. A writer in the Oamaru paper, referring to the letter, says : — " It seems a very poor return to the introducers of such a good class of laborers to carry off their emigres, irrespective of all former agreement. It is a bad precedent. But I suppose they are a ' cool people' down there. I should fay thut Messrs Brogden won't Btand that sort of ' little gamb' long." We have already explained that since the wishes of Messrs Brogden and Sons were made public, employers in this district have conformed with the request of the firm, that negotiations for the hire of its laborers should be carried on with its representative*.