BOARD OF HEALTH.

Tuapeka Times, Volume V, Issue 235, 1 August 1872, Page 5

BOARD OF HEALTH.

The Board of health met at the Resident Magistrate's office?", Dunedin, on Thursday Mr A. C. Strode in the chair. The chairman read a letter, stating th>t Auckland and Wellington, where smallpox is at present prevailing, were not declared infected ports, consequently no vessel from those ports, even with disease no board, could be placed in quarantine. It was resolved that section 115 in the Harbor and Quarantine Regulations for the Ports of New Zealand be recommended to the Colonial Secretary for amen 'ment as follows ;— The master of aay vessel arriving from any port shall, on approaching any port in New Zealand, cause the Health Officer's flag, Ne. 8 of Marryat's Code, to be hoisted at the mast or mainmast-head of the same vessel, and shall keep the same flying until she has been communicated with by the Harbor Master, Pilot, or other officer of the port j after wn}ch, if the vessel be considered clean, the sai4 flag may be hauled down. It was al£o resolved that the Deputy-Superintendent be communicated with on the subjept pi prq : viding a suitable place for the reception q| persons who may be infected with smalUpq* or other infectious diseases, and making due provision for proper attendance upon suoh persons. It was further resolved that in the Health Act, now before the General Assembly, it is advisable that a clause be inserted rendering it compulsory for all persons arriving from foreign ports, who bave not been previously vaccinated, to be vaccinated before landing.

Export of, Qoljx-— The export: of gold from Auckland for thelialf year en !e<i 39th June last, as compared witu the half year ended June, 1871, shows a decrease of 77,534 oss. ; Marl borough, an increase of 38 oz. ; Nelson, a decrease of 118 oz. ; West- , land, jv decrease of 483 oz. ; and Otago, an increase of 15,056 oz. The totals for the ! hah* years were— lß7l, 355,060 oz ; 1872, ! 287,672 oz, or a decrease of 67,388 oz. Ordinances Assented To. — It is officially intimated that the Governor has not been advised to exercise his power of disallowance in respect of the following Ordinances passed by the Provincial Council at its last session : — The Otago Roads Ordinance Amendment Ordinance, Impounding Ordinance, Fencing Ordinance, Lawrence Athenaeum and Mining Institute Ordinance, Police (Southland) Repeal Ordinance, licensing Ordinances Amendment Ordinance, Hospitals (Southland) Ordinance Repeal Ordinance, Licensed Carriages Ordinance, Ceinet,rie3 Ordinance (Southland) Repeal Ordinance. Interesting. — TlieEdinburgh papers received by the last mail, notice, in their local columns, the marriage, at Sb James's, i ondon, of Mr W. Fenwick, of Marewaka station, near Oamaru, to the third daughter of the late Mr Farquharson of Invercauld. The Daily Review says the Queen presented the bride with a handsome Indian shawl, and the tenants and residents on the Invercauld estates presented her with a magnificent silver epcrgne, or centre-piece, as well as a gold bracelet in blue and white enamel, and with a diamond star. Plating with Firearms. — A very narrow escape from death is reported to have occurred in Christchnrch on the evening of the 18th inst. It appears that Mr Gapes, a rolunteer, brought his rifle home from the Drill-shed, and his brother, thinking it was unloaded, put a cap on and Dulled the trigger. To his astonishment the piece went off, the bullet penetrating a partition close to where the other brother was stinding. He was proceeding up the stairs at tue time, and had he progressed another step he would have been shot. Political. — The report has been current for some time, in what is usually called " well-informed circles," that Mr E. J. Wakefield, M.H.R. for Christchurch City, is in the pay of the Wellington Provincial Government. Even the amount per week he is receiving, L 3, has been mentioned, with the addition that " there was no hurry with the work " on which he is engaged — compiling a pamphlet on Wellington Province for immigration purposes. In a letter to the Post Mr WakeSeld himself confirms these reports. He refers to the Wellington Provincial Government as his " employers," and seems to be of opinion that his employment leaves him free to take an independent course as a member of the House of Representatives. A Legal Witticism. — Mr Acton Adams said a good thing in the Magistrate's Court, Nelson, lately. In a toll evasion case it came out that had the defendant been allowed to pas 3 through some slip-rails into Bishop Suter's land, hs would not have evaded the toll, whereupon it was argued that the Bishop had not given any permission, and had attended the Court to give Cockram a good character. Mr Acton Adams in commenting upon the manner in which the Bishop had espoused the case of the Cockrams, said that whether or not Paap had committed tiespass on his Lordship's land had nothing to do with this action, and reminded the Court that the proverb Ne sutor ultra crepidam, had probably escaped his Lordship's recollec ' ion. Literally translated, the proverb runs "No shoemaker should go beyond his last ;" and the Bishop's name being Suter, the point of the pun will be easily seen. Kaitangata Coal. — Through variout causes we have latterly received short supplies of coal from Newcastle. Although this has been productive of some inconvenience, it has turned attention to the value of our Otago ooaL which it appears has been much underrated. The Green Island coal has been brought more largely into consumption, and latterly the Harbor Company have been using some very excellent coal from Kaitangata. We are informed that although for certain purposes, the Newcastle coal is preferable, for steam purposes the heat of the Kaitangata coal is greater, and the consumption only a small per centage in excess. Taking cost inte consideration, therefore, there is a large balance in favor of our native coal. We are glad to learn that the Tuapeka steamer is to resume her labors on the Molyneux, and that, through her agency, a regular supply of this pleasant burning and useful coal is, likely to be secured. — Sfar. Coloitial Defence, — The monster cannon sent to Sydney from England by Sir Charles Cowper, Agent-General, arrived, the Sydney Maaiitig iferoW'states, last week by the ship Thyatira. They have since been «»fely landed — three at Blue's Point for the batteries on the north shore, the other three at tha Circular Quay for the batteries on the southern shore of the harbor. Their immense weight rendered their careful removal a matter of considerable difficulty. They are now waiting to be removed to the batteries. It has not yet been decided at which batteries they will be mounted. In fact, they cannot be mounted until the carriages arrive from England. The following are the dimensions and weight ef each gun : — Calibre, lOin. ; length over all, 15ft. 4in. ; length of bore, 10ft. 5.75 in. ; number of grooves, 7— I.sin. wide and 22in. deep; twist in calibres, 1 in 100 at the breech, increasing to 1 in 40 at the muzzle; weight of projectiles — Palliser shot, 4001 b. ; Palliser shell, 3901 b. empty ; common shell, 3681 b. empty ; bursting charges — Palliser shell, 101 b. ; common, shell, 321 b. ; charges — shot, 601 b .; shell, 641 b. ; preponderance, lewt. 2Jlb. Mining Notes. — We take the following from our country files : — The Coleclough Company, Carrick Range, crushed 108 tons of stuff last week, the yield being 55 ozs. It is intended to establish a Minen? Accident Fund on the reefs. — Davis and party last week applied for a prospecting claim, on a newly discovered quartz reef at Table Hill. The reef is situated about a mile to the south of the Ocean View line, aud wns east and west. Tho party had worked ••' on the quiet" about 200 feet along the surface, washing the stuff on the top of the reef, with good results. The attention of other parties being attracted to their operations, and a claim being taken up, the two parties amalgamated and applied, for 1200 feet. They brought up some specimens to Lawrence; in which gold was plainly visible. Should this reef prove payable it will be commanded by the water of the Table Hill Company, and add to the value of that property. The discovery has already had a favorable effect <m the shares of the Tuapeka and Beaumont race company, for a sixteenth ■hare in which L 250 has been refused.— The last washing up of the O.P.Q. Company, Waipori, yielded 56 ozs. —Favorable accounts continue to be received from Muddy Terrace, Waikaia. Penny and Davis, who have been at work there abount two years, have nearly exhausted their claim. It is expected that they will net abont L2OOO a man.— lt is anticipated that the Waikaia will net be workable until Christmas, in consequence of th# »rge quaititj of mow tfea* Jim Men,

A , Difference. — Under the heading "An Interval of Twenty Years," the Nelsoi Examiner writes on the occasion of receiving the first direct telegrams : — A correspondent refers us to the Examiner oi July, 1852, which announced the arrival in Nelson of the ship Persia from London, after a passage of 155 days, " with latest English dates." In our columns today will be found the first through telegram from England, giving English dates only nineteen days old. The Auckland Mining Swindles. — The Auckland correspondent of the Hawke's Bay Herald, writing of the Green Harp swindle, by which he believes the perpetrators have netted upwards of L 50.000, says — " There is every reason to believe the management of the Bismarck will also be brought to book. Daring swindles have been perpetrated in Auckland— witness the Otago and other claims, whose erst managers walk our streets with impunity — but for insolent effrontery we may vainly look for a parallel to the conduct of the individuals connected with the Green Harp and the Bismarck." The Permissive Bill. — The advocates of this measure appear to be gaining strength in the country districts. At Tokomairiro the other night, the Rev. Mr Chisholm, in presiding at the annual meeting of the local temperance society, strongly urged the signing of petitions in favor of the measure, and condemned the proposed Bill of the Otago Licensed Victuallers Association as being intended to modify existing restrictions, and thus to increase the number of publicans. On Wednesday last, the Rev. Mr Roseby lectured on the "Permissive Bill at Mosgiel, and at the conclusion of his address several gentlemen volunteered to go round their several districts with petitions in favor of the Bill. The Dunstan. — The winter (remarks the Times) has at last come to an end. succeeded by a downright good earnest thaw with rain in galore, thus rendering everything as uncomfortable as could well be desired, and trie roads in that state called execrable. By this timely change the miners, and in fact the entire people of the district, are quite elated, and all look forward to better times. The past twelve months in the Dunstan district proper, that is, including Black's, Drybread. and the diggings under the Dunstan Range, has been, for gold producing, the worst ever experienced : the summer and autumn being exceptionally dry, not above a third of the water as usual available, followed by the most severe of winters, locking ground and water up entirely in its iron grip. Impobtant to Benefit Societies. — A case of importance to members of Friendly Societies has been brought before the Resident Magistrate at Charleston. The plaintiff was Dr. Henry, and the defendant Patrick Morrissey. The action was brought by the plaintiff to determine whether he, as medical officer for the Hibernian Society, Charleston, was entitled to charge the members thereof for vaccination performed on their children. The agreement between the lodge wa3 put in, and defendant relied for his case upon certain exemptions contained therein, amongst which vaccination was not mentioned. His Worship having read the agreement through, said that according to its contents the medical officer was only bound to attend the members of the lodge and their families incases of "hurt, accident, or illness," with exceptions arising out of these ; that vaccination was not an illness, but only a precautionary measure adopted against a certain disease, and was not necessary to be put under the list of exceptions. Judgment must therefore be for the plaintiff for the amount claimed with costs. The All England Eleven. — We are glad to learn that an effort is to be made to endeavor to get the English Eleven, who it is expected will visit Australia about Christmas, to come to New Zealand. The Chriatchurch Club have considered the subject, and invite the co-operation of cricketers in this Province. Their proposal, so far as we understand it, embraces a series of matches with an eighteen or twenty-two of Otago and Canterbury against the Englishmen, which should be played at Christchurch during the week of the Inter-Provincial match. Canterbury lays claim to this consideration, on the ground that the visit of the English Eleven in 1864 was to Dunedin, and that Canterbury players then remained here to take part in the matches agaiust Parr's team. In favor of their view this is to be said. If the English Eleven are brought over, the matches must either be played in Canterbury or the Interproviuoial match must fall through, as players could not afford to give time to both matches if they are played in different Provinces. Besides, the expense would be too great ; and, however much we should like to see the Englishmen here, we incline to the opinion that on the score of economy, and in order to seoure a better display of cricket on the part of the Colony, it would be better that the great match, if it can be arranged, should b 3 played in the sister capital. The whole subject is to be brought under the notice of the town clubs tonight, and we hope the attendance of cricketers will be as large as its importance demands. Apropos of the glorious uncertainty which distinguishes cricket, we commend those who like the noble game* to turn up the London papers of May last, in which they will find a report of an extraordinary match played between the Surrey and Marylebone Clubs, in which the latter, including the renowned Grace himself, went out for a total of 16 runs. Eight of that side signalised themselves by ducks' eggs, and probably such an innings was never before chronicled in the records of a Marylebone club. — Star. A Just Rebuke. — A civil servant wrote to Mr Luckie, M.H.R. for Nelson City, asking that gentleman to use his " influence with the members of the Ministry " in obtaining an advance of salary for the applicant, to which Mr Luckie replied :—": — " I should be glad legitimately to assist deserving public ameers ; but I already find myself receiving so many applications of this kind,, all based on an imaginary 'influence' of mine with the Ministry, that I am compelled to decline all such action as that you desire. You will mot fail to perceive that (even did this fancied influence really exist) for either myself to exert, or the Ministry to be moved by it, or to act in the direction indicated, unless on the basis of service and abilities, irrespective of applicati ns from any member of the Legislature, such a course would, in my opinion, be an improper exercise of a member's influence, and of the powers of the Administration. It is presumed that the officers having the management of departments are both just in their dealings with, and -recommendations of the officers under them, .and that they take the necessary trouble to ascertain their deserts and capabilities, according to the rules of the public service. In cases where injustice, is done, there is always a power of representation and appeal. But to my mind, unless such bases are made out, and just appeals neglected, it is no part of a representative's duty to exercise influence, real or imaginary, with members of the Ministry in the manner you propose. A representative has other work to perform than, on the strength of his personal acquaintance with any officer like yourself, to recommend additions to the .civil expenditure, while ignorant, as almost always jfe m q,s hf , of the real business merits oftiwewe," . • - ~