LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VI, Issue 282, 26 June 1873, Page 5

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ondit, that the "Morning Star" has been purchased by a company in Dunedin, and that Mr. Pykeis toedit. Our Switzers correspondent writes as follows : -Mr. Ireland-addressed the electors on Saturday night and was well received ; but Nicholson had most decidedly the best house of any of the candidates, on Monday night. After his address, he was severely questioned, and his answers were considered very satisfactory ; and a unanimous vote was carried, that he was a fit and proper person to represent the district. A motion was afterwards submitted, that Mr. Bradshaw was the candidate most deserving support, which was lost by the carrying of a counter resolution. I believe Nicholson will head the poll at Switzers. We have to acknowledge the receipt from the Commissioner of Government Life Assurance and Annuities, a pamphlet — being a guide and tables. It contains a large amount of valuable infoi-mation ; and as we are requested by the Commissioner to afford infoimation, we ca\\ attention to pages 6, 7, aud 15 of the (pamphlet relating to the forfeiture and surrender of policies, and to the dispensing with the production of probate and letters of administration in proving claims under small policies, as showing the desire of the Government to extend to policy-holders every concession that from time to time may be found consistent with safety.'' The pamphlet is filed in our office, and may be perused by any person who may desire to see it We observe that Messrs Downie and Detert have nearly finished their contract on the Beau, mont road. They have made a first-class job. Several heavy waggons passed over the other day without leaving a wheel mark, thus proving the excellence of the pitching, The Council is calling for tenders to complete the road as far as Kilmarnock-street. No doubt the present contractors could complete it at a low price, as they have all working material at hand; Thb Loyal Roxburgh Lodge, M.TJ.L0.0.F., celebrated its anniversary in Beighton's Assembly Room, on Thursday, the 19th inst., by a ball and supper. Our special reporter was unavoidably absent, but we obtained the following particulars from a correspondent. The supper was put on the table at an early hour in the evening, in host Beighton's usual excellent style. Mr Albert Birch, N.G, occupied the chair. After the usual toasts, songs. &c, the hall was cleared for dancing, which was kept up i with great spirit till early dawn The music was provided by Mr. Burton on the pianoforte, accompanied by Mr. Lewis on the violin. Mr. Harry M'Douall acted as M.C. throughout the evening, to the entire satisfaction of the dancersi The late heavy rains have filled the Phoenix dam at Wetherstones to overflowing. It is rather annoyine to the company that now they have a large supply of water, there is very little demand for it, Wb observe that Mr. Nichols has finished his contract for gravelling Whitehaven-street, in his usual exoellent style. We again call the attention of farmers and others to Mr. R. W. Capstlck's sale on the 30th inst. The land is some of the best in the Toko mairiro district, and such a chance of getting a first-class farm in perfect working order seldom occurs. Mb. W. M'Beath has on show a magnificent variety of colonial furs. They are well worth inspection, as articles of that description have never been brought before the public in this district before. We call the attention of stock-owners in this district, to the meeting called by Mr! W. Draper, to take place in the Athenaeum ha;l this evening, at 8 p.m., for th» purpose of ; forming a Boatd of Wardens. The partridge may now be said to be throughly acclimatised. A few days ago, Mr. ! Mackay, of the Dunrobin Hotel, Switzers road, saw a fine specimen of a partridge on Mt/SWjwart, on his way from Clutha Ferry to Tuapeka. AT the half-yearly meeting of the Loyßi Tuapeka Pioneer Lodge, M.U,LO"O.F. held on Tuesday, tha 17th inst., tha usual change of chairs took place, when Bro. W. G. Anderson was elected N.G. ; Bro. J. Roberts V.G. ; and Bro. G. Young, E.S. It will be incumbent on our members during the sitting of the Provincial Council, to get a large sum of money placed on the estimates forthemetallingof theroad between Tuapeka and the Teviot ; and we hope the residents of that district will impress their member with that subject in particular. The bridge crossing the Molyneux at the Beaumont, will no doubt be completed in about 18 months, and the railway will then be near completion ; and it is the duty of the Government to get the road finished at the same time, or Tuapeka will be the terminus of the railway in more senses than one. The road being almost impassable now will become quite so with the increased traffic! The larger portion of the heavy waggons for Cromwell, Queenstown, Clyde, &c, already come this road, it being shorter than that via Pigroot. and with the railway bringing the goods to Tuapeka, the whole of. the traffic would be diverted to this road. The Teviot district is specially deserving of a good road, as the Government sold land there to the tune of £72,000, and have never Bpent that number of shillings for the benefit of the district from which it was derived, after expressing their intention of spending a portion of the land revenue on public works in the neighborhood of land sold. Only last week, a waggon with 5 tons of goods was fast for two days. The combined efforts of thirty horses could not move it; the wag. goner was compelled to unload the goods, and drag thee mpty waggon out of the rut. This is only a single instance, but it is of daily occurrence, we therefore wish to draw the attention of the people +o it in time. Let them acquaint the members with their wants, and ice that they j do theii best to obtain their requirements.

Messrs Mitchell and Walls, who have the contract for the Otago Company's dam at. the head of Gabriels Gully, have been very un. fortunate during the late heavy rains, portions of tbeir work have on two occasions, been washed away. We are informed that Dr. M'Brcarty, late in practice in Waitahuna, is going to tho Teviot. The residents there have long felt the want of a resident medical practitioner, as in urgent cases, they have been obliged to send either to fclyde or Tuapeka, and in several cases the gentlemen sent for have arrived too late to be of any service. A quartz reef has been discovered in the ranges between Waipori and Waihola. The prospectors will not make known the precise locality, but are anxious to obtain funds to further prospect the lode. Sous weeks ago a disgraceful occurrence took place reflecting upon the management of the Lawrence Cemetery. At the time we called attention to it in our columns, and Mr. W. Mears, the' undertaker in charge of the funeral to which the accident occurred, wrote us a letter, which we published. Mr. Mears therein stated that he demanded an enquiry at the hands of the Trustees. We have never heard another word about it, and as we are informed that unless the matter is properly sifted and reported upon, an appeal will be made to his Honor the Superintendent to "institute an investigation, we think it right to state that such a movement will have our hearty co-operation and support, in order at all events to test whether the rhinocerous skin of the Trustees is absolutely impervious or not. The Old Chum, from his grand height, looks like a king of mining claims : the thousands of tons of "cold grey stones," lying in immense piles around him, tell of human effort and perseverance in times gone by, as well as present. For fifteen years or more, the mine was worked without profit, and sometimes with small hope iof profit. In the year 1854, a man named Gunther, with a party, formed the Pioneer Company to work the giound, and spent a large sum of money on or rather in it. These people got into difficulties, and after some time —in July, 1859 — the claim and the whlui, and, in fact, everything belonging to it, was knocked down to a plucky bidder for £lno. Then the Phoenix Company arose from the ashes of the Pioneer, and collapsed even more quickly, when it fell into the hands of the piesent Old Chum Company, which, however, was not registered until June, 1871. The Old Chum Company, at 525 feet, struck the Old Chum Beef, and a continuous run of good fortune seems to have followed them ever since. They have de. clared upwards of £45,000 in dividends since *hat time, and have had nearly 18,000 ounces of gold from their reef, or, in other words, they have had in money value £52,000 for £150, with ! the almost certain prospect of as large, if not I larger returns. — "Bendigo Advertser." ! A mektikg of the Railway Committee was j held on Tuesday. 24th inbt.. to determine as to I what means should be taken to celebrate the turning of the first sod of the Lawrence and Tokomairiro railway. It was resolved to com* municate with the contractor on the subject. The celebration will take place about the first week in November. M'Lelland and party's pneumntic dredge is on good payable gold, and there is now some hope of the plucky owners being remunerated for their labor. Judge Chapman has kindly consented to deliver a lecture on Tuesday, Ist July. Subject : "Popular errors of the law." The learned gentleman's well-known ability as a speaker, will no doubt draw a large audience. We are informed by a gentleman recently returned from Switzers, that electioneering matters ran pretty high there during the Candida- ; ture of Messre'.lreland, Nicholson, Beighton and I Bradshaw. At the nomination, Nicholson had the show of hands, and in the evening addressed a large meeting at the Crown Hotel Assembly Room. Mr. Ireland had previously addressed the electors here— as had also Mr. Beighton, and J | in each case the formal vote of confidence was passed. Considering the amount of neglect j which the Switzyrs district has suffered at the hands of the Government, and the large amount \ of revenue it has contributed, it is a wonder J that the people there manifested anyjinterest at all in political matters. Anyhow, the one topic all over the town was the election, and we certainly must congratulate the Switzere people ; | upon bting good subjects. At the tiina we j j write, we do not know who has been returned, although the election is over ; but whichever is i the successful candidate, we hope and trust that 1 he will endeavor to effe*t something for the interests of this very deserving but hitherto | neglected district. At Teviot and other places, large sums of public money have been expended and rightly so, but at Switzers, with the exception of the bridge over the Pomahaka (18 miles from Switzers), and Winding Creek, (two miles) we are not aware of one shilling having been expended in public works at or near Switzers— and there is no district known to us where the expenditure of revenue is so urgently needed. Even the bridges above alluded to were only obtained by dint of the utmost importunity, and in consequence of the great loss of life their absence was occasioning. The member for Mt. Benger, whoever he may be, has a capital chance of signalizing himself and confirming his popularity, if he puts his shoulder to the wheel and does lllS duty. We by no means say or tUink that he ought to neglect other portions of his district ; bat we do say and think that he ought to begin by paying special attention to those of his constituents who. up to the present time, have been the victims of special neglect— whose very existence, indeed, has been practically ignored. If we were to take item by item, we should be able to make up a pretty good bill of wants — and urgent wants too, but our space forbids at present. We shall, howver, return to the subject before long, and prior to the prorogation of the Council.

Our attention has been directed to an eiis tin postal arrangement which is most extraordinary and inexplicable. It appears that if a letter addressed to Lawrence is registered and posted at the Teviot (or if a letter registered is posted at any place out of Dunedin directed to any place out of Dunedin), such letter cannot be delivered at the place to which it is directed without first passing through the Dunedin office. Thus a registered letter posted at Queenstown and directed to Cardrona would be sent to Dunedin and then to Cardrona ; and a registered letter posted at Wetherstones addressed to Lawrence or Blue Spur would first visit Dunedin and then travel back to its destination. This iB economy with a vengeance. We could hardly believe our ears when we were told of the strange regulation. There are many departmental rules which at first sight appear strange, but reflection suggests a reason for their adop" tion. Very mature reflection upon our part has failed to supply any reason whatever for the rule now under comment. The registration of letters is supposed to increase the probability of their safe delivery. We fail to see how that object is attained unto by sending letters backwards and forward in the manner indicated ; we incline to the belief that the chances of loss are increased by far and not diminished ono iota. Fresh tenders are invited by the Colonial Government for the construction of the Glenore contract of the Toko-Lawrence line, tenders to close at 4 p.m. on the 30th inst. > The half-yearly examination of candidates for employment under the Education Board, is to be held in Dunedin, on the llth and 12th prox. ' We are requested to intimate that the Wetherstones Readings will take place tonight. An excellent programme has been prepared. The " Daily Times" some days since stated in error that no provision had been made for a return to the writ issued for the Mataura district. Our contemporary subsequently corrected himself, as all was found to be right. The Keturning Officer by telegram requests us also to correct the error, which we gladly do, every provision of the Act having been complied with.