MISCELLANEOUS.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VI, Issue 302, 8 November 1873, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS.

It is an error to suppose because a fee is charged for letter registration that the postoffice authorities are responsible for the contents of these should they be lost, destroyed or miscarry. The safety of a registered letter lies in this. It c-m always be traced from the sender to the last hand it passed info, for the simple reason that a receipt is given and laken for every registered letter as it passes on from one postal centre to another, until if is finally delivered to its address, Avhen & receipt is taken from the receiver before it is delivered up. On the Ist January last, the postage on newspapers posted in. the colouy for inland delivery was reduced to one half -penny, • ' but the reduction," says the Postmaster, "hasnot been t-ilten advantage of to the extent it was anticipated." On and from the Ist January next the nostat* e on intercolonial letters will be reduced from threepence. It must be confessed that the colonial working man, as a rule, cannot afford the expense of 'drinking champagne. It is 6aid the price of champagne is likely to much advance' owing to an unlooked for growing demand for it. The workpeople of the North of Eugland and Scotland in the colliery districts are getting so rich that they are becoming chanipagno drinkers. We read such satisfactory accounts from Adelaide and Victoria as to the excellent roeulta of boarding out orphans and deetitute children, who had previously been confined in asylums, that Aye should greatly like to see the experiment tried Avith at least some of the children of our Otago Benevolent Asylum. The Roy, D, M. Stuart, at a public meeting, lately, furnished ovidonces of the fact that educational facilities wsro keeping pare with' the increase of, population. On M'Rae's Flat he noticed a "very fine stone building, well lightedandpossessing every requisite and dedicated to the cause of education. - At Naseby he had likewise found there was a very excel- , lent school; capable of holding 100 children,' who were there instructed in tho-three " Rs " as in other branches of education. As far as "he could sco, the country had 6hot far ahead of the town in the provision of elementary education fortiie young." The "Cr.>mwell Argus" asks for a commonage for Cromwell, it says: — Last year-, about the end of October, Mr. Laughan impounded nearly two hundred head of cattle and horses, v and bin proceedings called forth such a unanimous outburst of indignation that the Superintendent was obliged fe> in*erpose his mediation in the -matter. ■

The Anglican Bishop of Dunedin referring to Naseby - stid recently: — The enterprise manifested* by this district is worthy of all - praise, a id, I may add, of any help it may be in the power of Churchmen to render. The district is not just now very prosperous, and it has just raised a considerable sum towards the erection of a church. The " Guardian " objects to Bishop -NevilFa eulogy of the Hussion iSfcitc Church. A gentleman Avho, impulsively took, ns change, a Victorian note on the Bank of New South Wales, had to pay 3s 6J, for having it changed at Dunedin. -^ \ -, Victoria-had an Emigration Agent at the South Kensington Exhibition. There, wo -are told, in the interests of Vicfcor.'a, Mr. Q-. Levy delivers short explanatory lectures upon the exhibits, and illustrates- the products and resources of the colouy, and by this means has taught the peoplb more about Victoria than they dreamt of a f cav weeks ago." The " Guardian " ridicules the absurd cou- ■ tribution of Our Traveller in the " Bruce Herald." - , Mr. Bradshaw's Employment of the Females Act is noAV in force in every part of New Zealand. Employers who keep Avomen employed longer than the hours prescribed by the Act, or who do not give Saturday half -holiday, are liable to a heaAy penalty for each offence. The folloAving "Labor" paragraph i 3 extracted from a recent " Hawkes Bay Herald." It refers to skilled and unskilled labor rates for a day of 8 hours. . For carpenters we should be disposed to put from 10s to 14s in« stead of from 10s to 11b. Navvies employed on the public works get from 7s to 10s per day ; farm laborers from 20s to 30s per week (all found.) Shepherds from £50 to £70 ■per annum, also found. Ploughing by the acre costs from 14s to 20s, according to the nature of the ground to be ploughed. Printers, we may mention get 13 J per 1000 ens. The rates at which shearers Avill be paid are probably not definitely fixed as yet. They are likely, we hear, to ,run from 20s-* to 22s 6d per 100 sheep shorn. The runholders, moreover, are not isolated in their prosperity ; all other classes share in it. NeAV buildiugs are going up by the dozen ; neAV shops are being opened almost daily. A hotel is being erected which will vie in size and commoJiousness with any hotel in the colony. A new journal is about to be started, and we ourselves, Are may be permited to say, are about "to stretch thd curtain and the cord." John White, one of the plaintiffs in the lat<J case of White v M'Kellar, gave the following interesting evidence :—": — " We had to dip with the avool on, and Avhen the sheep were on the point of lambing. Had, we had our own dip, and been able to dip in the right season, the dipping would not have cost us one third the amount we incurred. My travelling expenses were about £300. In 1866 we lost about £150 on the shearing. The number of the lost sheep, 250, I valued at 28s. Dipping iv the wrong season caused damage to the extent of Id a lb. on the wool, 350 sheep were lost at the dipping, independent of those lost That avouM be equal to £350. We shore 8194 in 1868. would'clip s£lbs wool each (£lB5 odd). The carrying capacity of that part of the run of which we were deprived Avould be equal to one sheep to three acres, 11,000 sheep. We have lost by the loss of tho country since December, 1866, to May, 1871, about £3000 or £4909 a year. The land carries 11,000 sheep, and the average of wool ought to bo from five to six lbs, at an average of lOd a lb. We Avould have at an average of 2250 to sell, at 15s, each year. Agricultural wages are rising in Scotland a* Avell as in England. The " Farmer " reports that at tho feeling market for Kinrosß, wages Avere in a very unsettled state, and while a number of hands Avero engaged at the old wage?, a rise of from £1 to £2, andj in exceptional cases, as much as £3 extra was given. Every student of tho late session knows that principle had nothing to do with tha debates arid divisions. Mr Donald Eeid forcibly pointed out that on ono debates the members recognized the *teolony as " ono and indivisible ;" whereas, on the next day, the House agreed to seperate the financial borrowing power of the eight provinces* The ship William Tapscotfc, whose crew mutinied on the high seas, and brought the vessel into Wellington harbor, with the cnplain in irons, has, after a long detention, sailed for the United States, After a careful and patient enquiry, His Excellency the Governor orderel the first and second officers to be sent to take their trial in America, for an attempt to murder the captain of tha vessel, and the Tapscott, with a fre3h crewi is now on her way to her destination. Mr. John Mitchell, ofPrahran, grocer, was pressed by the Colonial Bank to make up a sum of £1,400, which had been credited to his account, on false pay-slips by the ledger, keeper. Goowin, acting under the advice of his creditors, sequestrated his estate, and it now remains for bant authorities to show, if they can, that a customer who was admittedly no party to the fraud can be held liable for the defalcations of their own servant. Some twenty years or more ago, during ths time of the Chartist demonstrations in London, the courtyard of he " Times ''office Printing House Square, (which is a parallelgram enclosed by buildings on three sides) was crowded by a noisy mob, which sortie upon the " Times " office was me 1 by a shower of metal from the doors and windows. But the manager, warned of their intended demonstration was pre pared ; and had fixed tho 6re hose on to the plugs, and as soon as the square was crammed full, the fire engines inside were set to work, and so copious wa3 the supply of the cooling element poured upon the KSpless agitatp/3 that it incontinently quenched the fire of their pent up eloquence," and their highly wrought enihusiaaca melted like snow in a shower of rain before tha deluge of water poured upon them from window and r.oof • The correspondence between the Immigration Department and the Ofßcial Agent in London Avould seem to show that the medical inspection of emigrants at the port of departure ia very defective. MrJ O'Rorke draw* attention to cases of disease of various kinds. Iv one case, a man is affected with chronic rheumatism. Men* ion is mad? of youne women suffering from consumption »na scrofula, and men affected with heart disease. This is a serious matter, for neglect of this kind is a thing that grow 3. Canterbury ha» voted 20,000 for special immigration, and sent a local agent to London, who will act independently in the choice, but with tha consent of the Government in the shipment of, suitable immigrants. An Act to provide- for the resumption of land for the purpose* 1 of mining for gold or silver passed the two houses of parliament during last session. It proves that land* hereafter alienated from the CroAcn may be reserved for mining purpopcaj wit.li the oxceptiori of Isadiue las gardens and .the warden may call ht skillp-l Yrifcneeses to as#fsfc his- dt>cision, and the whole evidence will^be- forAvarJed to tho Superintendent. Notice of " intended resumption mwi be given to licensed lessees or owner.and iP no suoh notice be give* no subsequent application can be made within twelve mouths unless under &peoial circumstances. Arbitrators may be* s appointed and the notice of resumption mai' tie gazetted* This act is at present in forje within j>r«» claimed goldneidsnn Otago onl v,. -_ Fn>ra InvercftrgilT, -we learu t^Kt3ast week, the Inspector ©f JN'msancea, is the'exercise of his authority, made a raid ttpon the goats, of he town, nnd succeeded ia driving in no les» than 48, which were mercilessly elaughterai and denuded of their skins. . It ia intended to pursue the war of extermination, m <ent> plamta of the goat nuisance are heeeatiaf very rile, Seven hundredweight of quartz from 'the Outlapa Keef, at th-sFar North, Queensland, yielded 2 Jows to the ton. Geld lias leat& ditcovered mtlun twenty mild* oi th» Spcj^k. Sixes* y r