LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VI, Issue 285, 17 July 1873, Page 5

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Thb Governor opened Parliament on Tuesday latfc. M n, TURNBDLL, Provincial Treasurer, made his Financial Statement on Tuesday last, and had the gratifying duty to perform of present, ing ft balance sheet showing L 73.754 ss. 4d. to the credit of the province. The Statement will appear in our next issue. The Weatherstones readings took place on Thursday last. There was a fair attendance and a passable programme. We are glad to learn that our wotby Mayor has prevailed upon the Government road engineer to place the six chains of road between Messrs. Downie and Detert's contract and the corner of Kilmarnock-street in such a state of repair as will make it passable during the winter months. One at least of the Lawrence street lamps {alias " white elephants ") was lit for the first time on Monday night last. We had the satisfaction of witnessing the operation, and were much edifipd. We observed that it took two men and a boy to produce the desired result. The following morning at 7 a.m. the lamp was still alight, and looked painfully melancholy in its solitude. A Committee meeting of the Tuapeka ploug- ! ing match was held on Saturday last, when the various prizes as awarded by the judges were distributed to tke competitors. Mr. Hills, of Dowse and Co.. intimated his intention to give & £5 prise next year for the best set of harness, to be the bona fide property of a resident in Tuapeka. He also liberally presented young M*Rae, son of Mr. Donald M*Bae, with a pair of spurs for his pluck in entering as a competitor In the junior class. Thb Committee of the Tuapeka Athenaeum held a meeting on Wednesday evening last. Present : Messrs. Ferguson (in the chair), Squires, and Arbuckle. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. A letter from the Secretary of the Education ' Board,} enclosing an Invoice of books, was received. A letter from the proprietors of the "New Zealand Tablet," in reply to one sentbj the Secretary asking for a copy of the " Tablet" to be sent to the Athenaeum, was received. The letter stated that they had no free list, and therefore could not supply the Athenseum with a copy unless paid for. A lettei from the Secretary of the Quadrill Club, offering the sum of £5 for the use of the hall once a week for three mouths, was received and the offer accepted. A letter from Mr. Titchener, in reference to organising a concert in aid of the 'funds of the Athenaeum, was received, and the Secretary instructed to acknowledge it with thanks. A letter from Mr. Mollwo, offering to give a lecture in aid of the funds of the institution, was received. The Secretary was instructed to accept Mr. Mollwo's kind offer and make arrangements with him regarding the lecture. The following accounts were passed for payment :— J. O. Love, £20 10s. ; Wm. M'Beath, 25.6 d, ; F. Meyer and Co., £117s. 6d:; S. Wootton, £1 10s. 6d. ; Wilson & M'Kinnon, £1 10s- ; Herbert and Co.', £4 Bs. 9d. ; " Tuapeka Times." £2 15s. The Secretary was instructed to remit £3 for periodicals to W. G. Parsons, the London agent for the Athenaeum, and to inform him to discontinue the "Scientific American" and substitute the "Graphic." The Secretary stated that the birds' skins which had been presented to the institution had been forwarded to the curator, Dunedin, to be stuffed. The Secretary was instructed to communicate with with Mr. Brown with reference to the rent accruing to the Athenaeum from the reserve on the Bellamy run. The Secretary was requested to send a letter to Mr. W. D. Morrison, thanking him for his present of a bird, and also to Mr, R. W. Nichol for gravelling the footpath in front of the building. This con. eluded the business of the meeting. Ooa Invercargill correspondent sends us the following explanation with reference to the objectionable statement made by him in his last letter, and which ought to be satisfactory to Mr. M.' Arthur. We shall be glad to publish Mr. M'Arthur's explanation of the circumstances, so aa to give him fair play :— " Having been informed that Mr. Duncan M'Arthur has objected to statements that he attemptedto personate an elector who is in Britain, I beg to make an explanation. I consider it morally and legally the duty of any person who enters a polling booth for the purpose of voting, before doing so, to ascertain that his name and qualification are on the roll ; and if he neglects to do so, he has only himself to blame for any unpleasant consequences that may ensue. On the roll for Oteramika supplied to to the returning officer for his guidance, and copies of which could be obtained, the name and qualification of the absent Duncan M'Arthur are distinctly stated. Mr. Duncan M'Arthur's name is not on the roll, and never has been ; neither does he now, nor did he at any time, possess a qualification in the Oteramika district. If any person who is not on the roll attempts to vote instead of a person who is on the roll, I consider he makes an attempt to personate, whether he is in ignorance of the existance of the person on the roll or not. However, if Mr. M'Arthur thinks the word ' personate ' neoessa)ily implies a knowledge of the existence of the person who is on the roll, I am willing to withdraw the word ' personate. * The matter referred to was discussed in the looal papers, and I "sent" it simply as a piece of news, and not meaning it aa an attack on Mr. M Arthur."

By telegram yesterday evening we learn that Messrs. Capstick, Cunningham and Goodall were nominated as fit and proper person* to occupy the position of Mayor of Milton, and that Mr. M'Dermid was elected as J/ayor of Port Chalmers. Thk first annual Waitahuna diatriot ploughing match will take place to-morrow. Full particulars will be found in our advertisement columns. The rivalry between the two districts^ it is expected, will produce a good turn out on the occasion. The usual monthly meeting of the Waipori Miners* Association Committee was held on Saturday, the sth inst. Mr. Andrew Maxwell and Mr. William Spearing were elected to fill vacancies in the Committee. Mr. William Caudwell tendered his resignation as Treasurer to the Association, and Mr. George Ellis was elected in his place. Some discussion took place with reference to t, petition being signed in the Waitahuna district, praying that the clause providing for two sluice heads of water being left in the natural channel of a creek for general use be inserted in tho new Goldfields Bill, The opinion of the meeting was decidedly against such a clause being inserted in the Bill. Some other questions relating to mining matteis were discussed, but it was resolved that the whole of the questions stand over till Saturday, the 12th inst., when a special meeting of Committee will be held to receive the report of the SubCommittee appointed to examine the new Bill. Ouu Blue Spur miniug correspondent writeß : — " All the workings on the Spur are going on very satisfactorily, having plenty of water and remarkably fine weather. Messrs. Elliot and White, on the Munros side, are ste'idily was Ling. On the Gabriels side. Messrs. Morrison and Co. seem to be determined to have no more disputes about their ground. At the rate they are now working it, their claim will soon be numbered as one of the past. Work is carried on 16 hours a day, and, the stuff being very loose, an enormous quantity is washed away, and the position of our old acquaiutance peg 85 is as much a mystery as ever. Messrs. Hales and Hinde and the Nelson Co. are about having a wash-up, after a considerably long run, and will no doubt, as usual, get handsome returns. The Great Extended Co. washed-up a few weeks ago, and gave veiy handsome returns to the shareholders. Mr. Kendall is superintending ' the laying of the iron piping across the claims, and is getting on well with the work. In some places, where the ground is much broken, it is a work of considerable difficulty, as a deal of j ground has to be removed to fit the pipes ; but i no doubt, with care and skill, they will be laid successfully. It is reported that the Oddfellows, who have had their place of meeting in the schoolroom, are going to betake themselves to the Assembly Rooms, the accommodation in the old room not being sufficient for their increased requirements. Their removal will no doubt be regretted by the inhabitants of that long metre locality, who will miss the more lively strains of ' Ring the Bell Watchman, ' ' Marching Through Georgia,' not forgetting ' God Save the Queen,' so heartily given every fortnight by the Bros. The 12th of July was celebrated by the Blue Spur Orange Lodge giving a grand "spree" in the Assembly Rooms. A great many visitors from other lodges put in an appearance. .Many recruits were sworn in and other members promoted to higher shades. The company then i sat down to » fine spread, provided by Bro. j Hinde in his best style, to which ample justice j was done, after which 'Dunville,' 'Theßoyne Water,' and the ' Deny Boys " came in for their share of praise and song. After a most enjoyable night was spent, considering the inflammible nature of the material, the meeting proke up about midnight in peace and quietness, with wishes for a speedy reunion." Saturday, the 12th instant, at noon, was appointed for the nomination of fit and proper persons to occupy the mayoral chair for the ensuing twelve months. The ratepayers made a fair muster. After the advertisement and the clause in the Ordinance bearing on tho nomination were read, the retiring Mayor, who presided as returning officer, opened the only nomination received, the substance of which was as follows .-—John Mouat proposed and Richard Williams seconded, Edward Herbert, as a fit and proper person as Mayor for the year. The paper was signed in tho usual manner. Mr. Herbert then declared himself duly elected as Mayor for the municipal year commencing on the Ist August, and said he consented to again come forward to contest the election chiefly on account of his having received such a flattering requisition from a large number of the ratepayers. He did not intend offering himself as a candidate again, as his time would be more occupieJ in his business during the coming year, and he would be more absent from Lawrence than he had hitherto been ; but, being pressed as he had been to again come forward, there was no other course open for him but to accept. Referring to the time when he took office, there was a balance of upwards LIOO to the credit of the Corporation. This year the Council had to acknowledge an overdraft ; but, when the ratepayers considered the numerous works which had been carried out, they could not obiect to that. No doubt there would be complaints, but it was impossible to please everybody, so in occupying office he held it as a principle that they should do their duty without considering the consequences. Although the the Beaumont road had been a considerable drag upon the funds of the Corporation, he hoped they would be amply compensated for the extra outlay by the Government handing over to the Corporation the land reclaimed from the creek. The property rateable was now valued at L 8750. The rates actually received during the year had been L 350, and the licenses L 350. all of which had been expended, lifter touching upon the various works which had been done during his year of office, and matters which he hoped would be taken in hand during the coming year, he again thanked the electors for the position in which they had placed him. A few questions having been asked and satisfactorily answered, a vote of thanks to the Returning Officer closed the proceedings.

We are informed that the work on the Beaumont and Tuapeka Water Race is progressing splendidly. Upwards of twelve miles of the race have heen completed at an expenditure of £1400. This has been done altogether independently of any assistance from the General Government, altbough-from what we can learn the company have been in correspondence with the Government, both General and Provincial, since the foundation of the Company. Where the hitch is no one seems to know. Lawyers have been engaged and all imaginable influence exerted without any apparent progress towards extracting from the Government their proffered assistance to this work, which we have no hesitation in saying fis above all others ono of a bona fide character. On Monday last the usual quarterly sale of Town sections took place in Mr. Hay's auction rooms, Ross Place. The sale of sections in Tapanui wao withdrawn, with the object of having certain valuations made. The following are the sections sold in the various townships, with the names of the purchasers and the total amounts realised :- Dunkdd, sections 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, block 11, Jwere purchashd by Mr. Wm» Hayes for £23 ; Havelock, sections 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, and 18, block IX, were purchased by Mr. Wm. Cairns, and sections 4 and 5, block XIX, . by Afr. John Thompson ; sections 7, 8, 9. and 10, block XXII, by Mr, Wm- Hayes ; sections 5, 6, 26, 27, and 28 by Mr. Auld, realising a total of £114 ; and in the Waikaia township sections 6 and 22, block VII, were purchased by Mr. J. G. Brown ; sections 13, 14, 15, and 16. of the same block, by Mr. Wm. Williams; and sections 7 and 21, block XXIV, by Mr. Robert Feiguson, realising a total of £24. We cannot comment too severely upon either the neglect or the parsimony of the Provincial Government in not advertising those sales in the local paper. Such a course is neither good for the Government nor the province. The following is a list of books which have been added to the Taapeka Atheaaeuin library : — Hotel de Petit ; Rosetti's Poems by Dante ; Waterloo ; The Conscript ; Outbreak of the Great French Revolution ; Stebbing's Essays on Darwinism ; Ginx's Baby ; Huxley's Lay Sermons ; Vera ; The Coming Race ; Lothair ; He Knew He was Right, Vicar of Bullhampton, Ralph the Heir ; A Man of the People ; Descent of Man ; Viola ; Station Life in New Zealand ; Tennyson's Holy Grail, Princess, Maud, Enoch Arden, In Memorium ; Lord Bantam ; Saint Abo and His >'even Wives ; Screamers ; Life of Dickens ; The Switzers ; Behind the Tomb and other Poems ; Pictures from Italy ; Dilke'a Greater Britain ; Captain Brown on the Habits and Characteristics of Animals ; Captain Brown's Illustrated Anecdotes ; Lytton's Poetical Works ; Macaulay's Lays of Ancient Rome ; Thackeray's Vanity Fair, Ihe Virginians ; Harry Ksmond ; Pickwick Papers ; Lorna Doone ; By Order of the King ; Clara Vaughan ; Dog Crusoe ; Keel Court Farm ; Cou Cregan ; Alan and Wife ; Queen of Hearts) ; Story of a Peasant ; Blockade of Phalsburg ; Southern Seas ; Popular Natural History ; Story of the Plebescite ; Lady Weddcrburn's Wish ; Legends of the Black Watch ; Life's Secret ; Advontnres of Dr. Brady ; Tales of the Colonies ; Romantic Tales; Griff; Dark Night's Work; Put Yourself in His Place ; Elsie's Dowery ; Melbourne House ; Vinegar Hill Stories ; Short Words on Health ; Playook of Metals.