LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tuapeka Times, Volume V, Issue 222, 2 May 1872, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The monthly meetiog of the Tuapeka Hospital Committee, couvened for Tuesday eveuing last, lapsed for want of a quorum. At the^meetirig of the Town Council on Monday night, the Town Clerk was instructed to collect all outstanding accounts without delay. At a well attended meeting of the congregation 'of the Presbyterian Church hpld last week, it was decided to give a call to the Rev. Mr. Cameron, who has for some little time past been officiating in tiie district. The sixth anniversary of the Loyal Waitahuna Lodge, M.UX0.0.F., will be celebrated by a soiree, concert, aud ball, to take place in the Athenaeum, Waitahuna, on the evening of Friday, the 10th instant. Ttic varied character of the -amusement promised for the evening ought to attract a good attendance. < - > % The first of the season's winter evening entertainiuents was given at the schdolhoiise. Wetherstones, on Thursday evening hat. The attendance was exctetlirgly good. The programme comprised a variety of songs, recitations, and readings, vyhich were rendered in an excellent manrer, and elicited repeated marks- of satisfaction from the audience.' After" the "ehtertnin'ment, there was a dance, to which many ! remained, and winch, which was; well enjoyed*

The winter evening readings, in the Lawrence Athenjeum, commence, to-morrow night. "We understand a. very attractive programme has been arranged by Messrs. F, Bastings and Arbuckle. The adjourned quarterly meeting of subscribers to the Tuapeka Hospital, convened for 9 o'clock p.m. on Thursday last, did not take plaoe, none of the subscribers putting in an appearance. The meeting of the Hospital Committee, called for 8 o'clock the same evening, lapsed for want of a quorum. The Provincial Council was opened ou Tuesday. Thirty members were present. .The Superintendent delivered alsngthy address, touching upon the points the Council would be called on to consider. After the delivery of the Superintendent's address, the Council adjourned till the following day. At a meeting of the shareholders of the Beaumont and Tuapeka Water Race Company, held last week, it was resolved to register the Company, in order, if practicable, to obtain & subsidy from the General Government. We understand that the petition to His Excellency the Governor, praying for the cancellation of the sale of 55,000 acres of land, xm Moa Flat, to Mr. Clarke, was forwarded last week. There were no fewer than 2000 signatures of the inhabitants of ' Mount Ben ger and adjacent districts attached tcr*it. The list, of signatures to the petition, the text of which has already appeared in our columns, measures over twenty yards in length. A meeting of the Tuapeka Railway Committee was held in the Commercial Hotel, on Saturday afternoon. The business consisted in appointing a deputation to receive Mr Brogden on his arrival at Lawretfce, to explain and show him, if possible, the resources of the Tuapeka district. The following gentlemen were appointed the deputation :— Messrs. H.f (Bastings, Herbert, Cormack, Moua.t, M'Swiney, and Gooday, Secretary. Wfl draw* the attention of our lady're^aders to the Advertisement of the Misses Campbell, which appears in another column. These ladies, it will be seen, have commenced business as milliners and dressmakers, in the premises recently occupied by Mrs. T;vylor, Ross Place, Lawrence. They have had considerable experience in their business in Dunedin and else where, and are prepared to execute oider s for the most fashionable styles of feminine apparel. A MEETING of the Lawrence School Committee was held on Friday evening last, present — Messrs. H. Bastings (President), Jamison, Abel. Jeffrey, and Hayes (Secretary). The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. The Sub-Committee appointed to attend to ! fencing and othei improvements reported that owing to want of funds, no works had been executed. The Secretary produced a statement of the financial position of the school. The Secretaiy was instructed to collect all outstanding fees. The schoolmaster, Mr. Stenhouse, mentioned that Mr Love had been giv ing lessons in drawing. On the motion of Mr. Jeffreys, seconded by Mr. Abel, it was resolved to give Mr. Love £2 per quarter for his services. ' and that he should be paid £5 for past services. There being no other business, the usual compliment was paid to the Chairman, and the meeting closed. Mb. Geo. Luinsden, watchmaker and jeweller, Ross Place, Lawrence, desires us to draw attention to the stock of jewellery aud clocks he has just received. The adjourned annual meeting of shareholders in the Tuapeka Mutual Benefit Building and Investment Society will be held in the" Commercial Assembly Room, at 8 o'clock, on Monday evening next. Sportsmen who have visited the bush on the banks of the Molyneux state there is a great scarcity of pigeons and ducks this Beason. This they attribute to the wanton destruction of these birds during the close season, which practice is indulged in to a great extent. It is a pity some means cannot be provided for punishing offenders against the game laws, as, if they are permitted to indulge in their malpractices with impunity, in a very short time all birds worth shooting will have disappeared from our forests. Provincial Councillors will be delighted to It am that the sheet containing their lithographed portraits, issued by Jt/essrs. iHills, Dick, & Co., has been designated up country the " Forty Thieves." A Cromwell correspondent says that Kawarau's representative in the Provincial. Council is not so popular as he previously was. His constituents badly wanted him to convene a meeting' and explain the part he took last session ; but he did not do so, thereby showing his wisdom, for had he called the meeting, the probability is that, at the close of his address, he would have been politely requested to resign. Democratic Institutions sometimes produce queer anomalies, and play mischief with the relations of ordinary life which would strike with terror conservative fogies of the old school. The Lakes election for the Provincial Council resulted in the return of a storekeeper and storeman he had discharged from his employ some twelve months ago. The ex-storeman, Mr lunes, headed the poll by a large majority, while his quondam' employer, Mr. Hallenstein, only. polled 4 votes over the next candidate on thp list. Should Mr. Innes be elected Speaker;, or Chairman of Committees, which is within 1 the bounds of possibility, what a splendid chance he will have of "sitting" on the man who " sacked him, and will, as an ordinary member, have i»any opportunities of gratifying his spite, if he entertains any, towards Mr. Hnllenatein. Wr are informed that the negotiations between the Phoenix TFater Company and the Gabriels Gully Quartz Mining Company are in » fair way Qf being satisfactorily completed. The terms agreed upon are that the G.G.Q.M. Co. shall,retain a .prior, right to, only 50 inches of water, and pay a rental of $473 j>er aftnujn.

DURING the session pf the Provincial Council, | some interesting information regarding the Invercargill and w inton railway may be expected, The amount of Driver, M'Lean, and Co.'s contract was originally £20,000. After they had completed it, they pat in & claim for, we believe, £17,000, for ''extras." This claim was referred to arbitration, and the arbitrators sat for some months, taking vast quantities of evidence. A decision was arrived at recently, the particulars of which have not been made public. We have, however, been* informed that they have awarded Driver, M'Lean, and Co. £15,000. The cost of the arbitration will probably amount to one half the amount of the award ; so the arbitration^ if our information is correct, has resulted in the province being mulcted in £5000 more than the sum originally claimed. The province would therefore have made a profit to the extent of that sum if Driver, M'Lean, and Co.'s demand had been satisfied without demur. We hope the Council will cause a strict inquiry to be made as to how Driver, M*Lean, aud Co. were permitted to claim so much "extras." To allow them to have done so, there must have been something wrong somewhere. The railway engineer, we presume, is the responsible party, and that officer ought to be compelled to prove clearly that it.was not through any deficiencies in the plans and specifications or negligence in seeing them earned out. In view of the large^contracts about to be entered into for railway construction, it would be well for the Provincial Council to signalise its dying hours by practically demonstrating that due diligence aud care are .exacted fr Jin public officers, ami that officers cannot with impunity neglect their duties. . » We are informed that Mr. Miller recently impounded a large number of cattle belonging to the settlers residing in the vicinity of his run. Mr. Miller alleges that an agreement, was entered into between himself mid the farmers to the effect that he would not inteifeie with cattle trespassing on his run if no notice were taken of his sheep crossing the boundary and going on to the goldfield's commonage. This agreement has beeu rendered null by the Depasturing Inspector laying an information against Mr. Miller for allowing his sheep to trespass on the commonage, and Mr. Miller thereupon impounded all cattle found on his lun. We believe that the owners of the cattle declined to pay the damages placed on them, but that they were afterwards released by the poundkeeper, with the consent of Mr. Miller. As legal proceedings are likely to arise 'out of the matter,- we shall refrain from further comment upon it at present.

Mr. Brogden returned to Dunedin on Tuesday evening, having taken the Hogburn route, W hat-motive he had in not returning to Dunedin via Tuapeka is difficult to conjecture, as that road is shorter and hetter than the Hogburn one. Whether he will visit Tuapeka now is extremely problematical. Great disappointment is felt at this district being slighted in this manner, especially as preparations had beeu' made by the Kailway Committee to receive him, and give him every information he might wish- regarding the Tuapeka and Tokomairiro- Railway, iiml also to show him any objects of interest he might like to see.