GENERAL INTELLIGENCE.

Tuapeka Times, Volume V, Issue 359, 27 May 1874, Page 6

GENERAL INTELLIGENCE.

During the week ending May 23, 13 males and 4 females were received into the Dunedin Hospital, and 11 males and 10 females were discharged therefrom. No deaths occurred. There are at present 157 patients in the Hospital, of which number 32 are females.

The following lands within existing Hundreds in the Southland District have been sot aside for sale on deferred payments, in terms I of clause 5 of the Southland Waste Lands Act Amendment Act, 1573 :—2,854: — 2,854 acres in the Oteramika Hundred ; 900 acres in the Now River Hundred ; 2,100 acres in the NVw River Hundred ; 3,500 acres in the Kore a t Hill Hundred ; 1 \SOO acres in the G^bi iTiynlveil . 4,000 acres in the Oreti Hundred ; ' o\?^ ?': v £2 in liie^oTtf^VGou " District, at Oivyukij 2,760 :■&<s m (lie Longwood District, at Pallia.

The agricultural statistics of Westland, published in the Gazette, do not speak very highly for the progress of settlement in the new province. The total area under crop was 2,730 acres, of which 2£ acres were in wheat, and expected to yield the growers 7 bushels. Oats, for grain, occupied 7? acres, and gave a return of 130 bushels. There was no barley, but 241$ acres were planted in potatoes, and the balance of laud under cultivation was in grass and green feed for cattle. It does seem absurd to create such a district a province.

We direct attention to the report of the select committee of the Provincial Council on the petition of J. and N. Campbell, contractors, relative to the circumstances attending the rejection of tlieir tender for the construction of the Orepuki, Otautau, and Wallacetown light railways, whereby the province lost £2,495 6s. 2d. To put it mildly, the facts disclosed do not say very much of the business habits of the late Provincial Executive, and this report is another and a very strong reason why Mr. Fish's motion for inquiring into the charges against Mr. Bastings should be gone into.

An expedition under the guidance of the renowned Fox, of Arrow River celebrity, has been despatched southward by the Westland Government, in the Waipara. The party consist of : Fox (leader); James Teer, one of those who were saved from the wreck of the General Grant, on the Auckland Islands ; and four others. We learn from the West Coast Times it is their intention "to follow up the tracks of previous explorers, and pursue the golden vein that is reputedly running from Westland into Otago. In pursuance of this object, it is their intention to be landed in Barn Bay, though it is exceedingly improbable that the boat will be able to land them there, but if not they will be landed at Jackson's Bay. Should this be the case, the explorers will have company, as Mr. Collyer goes down with them to the latter place, and has had certain deserved privileges granted him for settling at such a forsaken spot. Reverting to the prospecting party, we may say that they intend testing the country from 20 to 30 miles inland, where some years ago Barrington and Farrell went and got gold, but were compelled to give up through the impossibility of getting provisions. The party that left recently have no fear on that head, inasmuch as they have provisions for a full six months. Before their stock is exhausted the summer will be in, but before that season comes we have every confidence that a goldfield will be opened up that will fully justify the expenditure that the province is now going to."

Makerewa rejoices in a representative whose name is James Wilson. This gentleman has made himself famous by a few words which fell from his lips on Monday last, when this sagacious legislator rose in his place in the Provincial Council to utter the astounding doctrine that it was the duty of newspapers to advertise, free of charge, the contents of the Provincial Gazette. He was fitly answered by Mr. De Latour that it was just as much the duty of tailors to clothe naked Highlanders. Mr. Wilson is an excellent specimen of the ignorant " clodocratie" class, which hate newspapers and every thing and person connected with them. We happen to know that his sentiments on this subject ar3 entirely in accord with those of Mr. Donald Reid. But we beg to ask these gentlemen why, if it be unnecessary to advertise, they desire newspapers to publish the contents of the Gazette gratuitously ? And we have to add that, if the newspaper Press of Otago consults, its own interests, and desires to conserve its self-respect, Mr. Wilson's outspoken avowal of opinion — applauded as it was by some of the occupants of the Government benches — will have the effect of henceforth preventing any notice whatever being taken of the Provincial Gazette. But for the republication of its contents in newspaper columns, it would long since have fallen into the utter oblivion whereto it 'should now be universally consigned.

The materials used in the colony for the production of spirits in the four years ending June, 1873, were: — Malt, 70,604 bushels; barley, 16,635 bushels; oats, 468 bushels; rye, 2,874 bushels ; molasses, 276,0051 b.; wine, 525 gallons; and beer, 11,121 gallons, yielding altogether 199,298 gallons of proof spirits. The consumption of such spirits by the New Zealand public for the six months ending June, 1873, was 31,5361 gallons.

From a return placed on the table of the Provincial Council, we learn that the following light lines of railway have been contracted for at the annexed prices : — Green Island, 2i miles, £5,800 ; Orepuki, 7* miles, £28,397 95.; Otautau, 17£ miles, £37,104; Waiareka, 15 miles, £45,000 195.; Otautau to Makarewa, 13 miles, £32,080 Bs. For the Awamoko line, 21£ miles, estimated cost £25,000, a contract has been let for £7,300, and a contract for the remainder of the vote is in preparation.

The last published Gazette contains a comparative return of the business of the Telegraph Department for the December quarters of 1873 and 1872. From the return it appears that the cash received for the last quarter of 1873 was £11,147 135., being an increase of £1,385 65., as compared with the corresponding period of 1872. The value of Government telegrams was £3,210 ss. sd. during the December quarter, 1873, as against £2,482 Bs. 6d. in 1872. The number of telegraphs forwarded was 182,596 in the latter period — a fact which shows how necessary it is that public confidence in the Telegraph Department should be sustained.

On Wednesday night Mr. Reid made a statement of an important alteration with regard to the declaration of deferred-payment blocks in the first instance proposed to be opened outside Hundreds. He stated the Government was indebted to the member for Dunedin, Mr. Haggitt, for his statement last night, that tho declaration of blocks in the manner at first proposed could be resisted by the pastoral tenants. In consequence the Government meant to bring down resolutions asking the Council to agree to the proclamation of small Hundreds round and including each block. 40,000 acres would thus be added to the original proposal as being open for settlement, but as the half would be the deferred-payment blocks already proposed, the real increase of the proposal would be only 20,000 acres.

A mysterious circumstance has recently occurred in this city, to which we desire to draw the special attention of merchants and others having safe 3 wherein they are in tho habit of depositing money and other valuables. About 10 days ago the workshop of a locksmith was entered, and a quantity (four dozen) of steel block safe-keys were stolen therefrom. Many articles of far greater intrinsic value were lying about, but these were untouched. The inference is that the blocks were wanted for burglarious purposes ; and having now amongst us such a large percentage of the villainous outpourings of the United Kingdom, it behoves all owners of safes to be doubly vigilant under these suspicious circumstances. No clue to the abstractor of the blocks has yet been discovered.

There is generally a considerable amount of interest taken in the health of any town or country, and it is a well-known fact that in New Zealand the province of Otago is lowest in its death-rate percentage. Yet we scarcely think any town in the province could present a lower death-rate than the town of Port Chalmers during the last six months. During that time there have been only six interred in the Cemetery. One of these was a corpse from the Lunatic Asylum, one was the body of a man drowned in the harbour, a third was that of b. man who died from drink in the Lock-up, another was an infant on a visit from Dunedin, and the others were two infants, onef of whom died in Waikouaitiand the other was | ?ti!i:fe*?J* Thus, si ace November last, not' one jiersonf Las djgoise that could be attributed to locality. * ' -"* "--..

The following were received by the Provincial Council as messages from his Honor the' Superintendent : — Ist. " The Superintendent desires the co-operation of the Provincial Council in recouiinending his Excellency the Governor to proclaim four new Hundreds, to be named respectively Tuapeka, Lee Stream, Dunback, and Caddon Hundreds, comprising together an area of 51,000 acres." 2nd. " The Superintendent desires the co-operation of the Provincial Council in recommending his Excellency the Governor to proclaim further Hundreds, to be named respectively Kaiwera, Her riot, Otavia, Waipahi, aud Kuriwao Hundreds, containing in all an area of 79,600 acres."

On Monday, Mr. J. Miluev sold sections No. 1 to 8, block LIL, of the reclaimed land adjacent to the ■ Railway terminus, Dunedin. The upset price fixed by the Government was £500 per section. Section 1, comprising three-quarters of a rood, waa, after a spirited competition, knocked down to Mr. James Smith for £1,500. No. 2, comprising one rood, was also purchased by Mr. Smith, at £1,425 ; section 3, one rood, realised £1,335, Mr. Robert Sparrow, being the purchaser; section 4, one rood, realised £1,175, Mr. Sparrow, purchaser ; section 5, one rood, £1,350, Messrs. A. and T. Burt, purchasers ; section 6, one rood, £1,375, Messrs. Burt purchasers ; section 7, one rood, £1,300, Messrs. Kempthorne, Prosser, and Co. being purchasers ; section 8, one rood, was purchased by Mr. Proudfoot, for £1,250.

There are some extraordinary things sometimes published in the shape of telegrams. But it would be difficult to surpass the absurdity of the following message, which we reprint as it appears in a Parliamentary paper "presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by command of his Excellency," and printed at the "Government Printing Office in Wellington":— "Dr. Featherston to the Hon. J. Yogel. Hokitika, 17th July, 1873. Two thousand six hundred fifty souls saved May-June — probably twelve hundred July; total railway plant shipped, sixteen thousand five hundred tons, sixteen locomotives, thirty-one carriages, seventeen break vans, one hundred sixty-three wagons. Medals next mail ; coinage moat gay sent. — Featherston, London. — Yogel, Wellington." Who saved the 2,650 souls, and what is meant by " coinage moat gay sent " ?

A report by the Provincial Engineer on on the proposed deepening of the Upper Harbour has been laid upon the table of the Provincial Council. It concludes as follows : — " Having perused the elaborate reports prepared by the late Mr. Balfour, I am free to confess that the mode of improvement suggested by him, in the shape of a central wall extending between the existing deep water and the Upper Harbour, is the only natural solution of the question, as by it alone can the current be controlled and utilised to advantage. At the same time it must be apparent that, as the Dunedin sewerage and reclamation questions must form part of the scheme of harbour improvement, correct data of the direction and velocity of the tidal currents, and of the nature of the material forming the bed and. substrata, aided by a correct map showing the true line, soundings, position, and extent of the shoal banks, are indispensably necessary before entering into the minutiae , of sectional form, nature and position of channel wall, and cost of its erection, the mode and extent of dredging and disposal of material, together with an .effective arrangement of shipping accommodation at Dunedin: otherwise any scheme, if attempted and carried out, will have a strong tendency to prove abortive or practically inoperative. I would accordingly recommend that* a complete survey of the harbour between Port Chalmers and Dunedin be instituted, with the view of enabling an exhaustive report to be prepared upon the whole question in all its bearings, with a detailed estimate of the cost of the works required, embracing the' deepening of the channel and construction, of protective works, providingrequisiteshippingaccommodationand necessary reclamation and sewerage works."