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Cromwell Argus, Volume XII, Issue 589, 22 February 1881, Page 5

Furthpr changes in the Bendigo mail service are notified by Mr Postmaster Ward. Parliament has been formally prorogued to April 19th, but it is understood, that it will not meet before June. The appointment of Mr John Hall is gazetted as Registrar of Electors for the Dunstan district vice Mr A. D. Harvey, transferred to Naseby. A correspondent suggests that an effort should be made to get up a day's sport in Cromwell for the 17th of March. The idea is a good one, and if taken in hand by some of our sporting residents no doubt a good programme could be issued that would attract athletes from all parts of the district. Even for sake of our own young men, the course suggested is a commendable one. A Dunedin contemporary states that there are 256 scholars in the Dunedin Boys' High School. If some rumors that we have recently heard be true, the number is a good deal greater than can be looked after. We have heard that out of school hours the conduct of many pupils is to a degreo scandalous and demoralising. We understand enquiry is being instituted owing to complaints by parents. Last Government Gazette notifies that Mr S. M. Dalgliesh has been appointed clerk of the Resident Magistrate's Court and principal clerk of the Warden's Court at Cromwell, and clerk of the Licensing Courts for the districts of Cromwell and town of Cromwell, from the 25th ult.; and Mr Frederick Thomas Duke Jeffery to be clerk of the Resident Magistrate's Courts and principal clerk of the Warden's Courts at Clyde, Blacks and Alexandra, and clerk of the Licensing Courts for the districts of Alexandra and Clyde" from the Ist instant. The Telegraph (an influential Christchurch paper) in a late issue devotes an article to the proposed LIO.OOO loan for Vincent County, which it does not view with favor. Our contemporary fails to see of what service a loau of LlO.OOOwill be, while the liabilities are over L 24.000, and considers it is " only prolonging the agony," an opinion with which many rate" payers will agree. But it is difficult to see by what process of reasoning the Telegraph finds that " commercially Otago is on the verge of ruin, and we might say repudiation, if the present condition of the Vincent County is any criterion whatever."

Longlands has been scratched for all his engagements at the approaching Dunedin races. Urgent instructions have been sent to the police authorities in the North to use every possible effort for the discovery and apprehension of the Te Aroha murderer, and that the services of the most skilful detectives available should be brought into requisition. A public meeting is convened for Saturday evening by his Worship the Mayor to "discuss the desirability of preventing the releasing of the runs in this district in the present large areas." As the subject is one of very considerable public importance it is to be hoped the invitation will be largely responded to. The half-yearly change of chairs in the Loyal Cromwell Lodge of Oddfellows took place at the meeting previous to last. Bro. D. A. Jolly was installed N.G., Bros. Talboys and Hayes being his supporters ; Bro. M. Bridgman, V.G. ; Bro. J. Ark ell, E.S. Bro. E. M'Nulty junr. passed into the G.M. chair. The installing officer was P.G.M. Bro. Preshaw, The Dunedin Autumn Eace Meeting opens on Wednesday, the Cup being run on Thursday. A number of residents in this district have gone to the metropolis to share in the pleasure and excitement of the gathering. Sir Modred is a warm favorite for the principal event. It is noteworthy that up-country there is this year less interest manifested in the Dunedin Races than for many years past, and there is probability of fewer visitors from the interior. Doctor James Corse, a resident in Cromwell for the last sixteen or seventeen years,-was found lying dead in the roadway of Melmorestreet at an early hour on Friday morning. From the appearance of deceased, whose hands were in his trouser pockets, death would appear to have been instantaneous. Dr Corse was a man of very full habit, and his sudden death can hardly be said to have caused surprise, although the conditions under which he departed life rather shocked his large number of acquaintances. He was an early riser as a rule, and must have been out on the morning of his death some time before anyone was astir, as the first seen of him was his dead body. Major Keddell held an inquest on Saturday (Mr Marshall foreman) when a ver lictof death from fatty degeneration of the heart was returned, in accordance with medical testimony. Officers in the Cromwell Kilwinning Masonic Lodge were installed on Wednesday evening. The ceremony had been postponed from last monthly meeting on account of the illness of the R.W.M. elect, Bro. S. N. Brown P.M. Bro. D. MacKellar was installing officer, and conducted the proceedings in a most efficient and harmonious manner. The following brethren were invested and installed in the offices set after their names, respectively:—Bro. S. N. Brown, R.W.M.; Bro. P. Ware, S.W.; Bro. W, Griffiths, J.W.; Bro. S. H. Turton, Secretary ; Bro. Marshall, Treasurer ; Bro. James Stuart, Senior Steward ; Bro. Jollv, S. D. ; Bro. J. L. Scott, J.D.; Bro. H. Behrens, l.G.j Bro. P. Matthews, Tyler. The newly-installed Master nominated P.M. Bro. Preshaw and Bro. R. Brown as D.M. and S.M. respectively. After the Lodge was closed the brethren enjoyed two or three hours St the festive board in celebration of the occasion. The proceedings were similar to those which mark all social gatherings of the brotherhood. Naturally enough, the Dunstan Times is enraged at the idea of this journal opposing the proposal of the County Chairman to borrow LIO.OOO, and last week it had half a column of the most bitter abuse that the master-mind of Clyde could evolve. What we considered our very mild remarks anent Mr Pyke's proposal are made to appear by him as fierce and' false. Because we innocently stated that it was ten days after its delivery that Mr Pyke's address appeared in the D. T. and mildly insinuated that the said address had been revised by Mr Pyke—and on this latter point all people here who heard the one and read the other agree—the Clyde paper snaps and froths like a mad dog. Well, to please him we withdraw the ten days statement, and simply say the speech was made in the Council on Wednesday, 26th January, and appeared in the Dunstan Times of February 4th. How then in saying ten days could we have " added 50 per cent, to the real time ?" Evidently the D. T. writer is blinded by rage at the prospect of the great financial scheme being frustrated. For our part we intend to deal with the subject of the loan on its merits, and will not be led from the path of public duty by the petulant outcries of the Times, which no one would expect to follow other than the dictates of the County Chairman. From late Marlborough papers we notice that an old Queenstown resident has recently had to seek the protection of the Insolvency Court. Mr H. P. Macklin was for some years teacher in the Queenstown public school, and his statement before a meeting of his creditors may be read with interest by our Wakatipu readers :--" Five years ago I was teaching in Queenstown, and was paid by salary and fees. The place was very dear, and owing to decrease of population the salary got reduced from £340 to £2BO. 1 was interested in mining, and owed in January, 1876, about £370. I sold my furniture at a great sacrifice, getting about £IOO for what cost L3OO. Travelling expenses to Blenheim cost me LI 12. When 1 arrived here I owed about L 320. The salary here for the first two years was small, scarcely sufficient for necessaries, L 345 per annum. I was thus unable to pay off this debt for this period, but managed to do so during 1878 and 1879, leaving accounts here unsettled. In the beginning of 1879 I was threatened with a Supreme Court action for a mining partnership account, and settled it rather than go to Court, for L 145. I may say that Mr Dowling, the Bank manager, gave me only three days to pay up the balance of LIOO. I wa3 forced to give a bill of sale to iaise this money and pav a few pressing creditors. These liabilities, with furnishing, and the maintenance of a lame family, rendered me unable to pay my creditors when pressod." It may be mentioned that one of the bankrupt's chief creditors is his own daughter, Miss Ann Maoklin, who prefers a claim for £290.

The enterprising proprietors of the popular Saturday A dvertiser announce i that they have niacin arrangement* with Mr Vincent Pyko for a series of sketches from his pen under the title of "Recreations of a County Chairman." Dunedin TattersalFs haß decided that the bookmaker Drake is indebted to oneGoodiaon in the sum of £I9OO, disputed wagers, and hag decreed that such wagera shall be paid before 23rd February (to-morrow.) The eleven to represent Canterbury in the iuterprovincial cricket match to be played this week in Dunedin comprise Messrs Ashby, Cotterill, 0. Frith, W. Frith, Fuller, E. Fowler (captain), Fowke, Godby, Hartland, Itedmayne and Watson. Dates of sittings of Assessment Courts for the hearing of objections to the County Valuation Lists will be found notified elsewhere. For the ridings of Hawea, Liudis, Clutha, Kawarau, and Nevis, the Court sits on Saturday next, 26th instant, at the County offices, Cromwell bridge. For Dunstan and Earnscleugh, at Clyde on Tuesday next, and for Manunerikia and .Matakanui on 2nd March, at Blacks. Under the hand of Mr Fache, Returning Officer, an announcement appears elsewhere respecting the election of members of the Vincent Rabbit Trust. The nomination will take place on Friday, the 25th inst, at the Town Hall, Clyde, at noon, and should the number of candidates exceed the number (five) to be elected a poll will take place on Monday, March the 7th' The Dunedin Bible-in-schools Association intend to take the opinion of all parents of children attending schools in Otago about the question of Bible-reading in schools. They intend to have circulars given to the children in school, to get filled up at home, such circulars containing the plain question, "Are you, or are you not, in favor of the Bible being read in the public schools?" Typhoid fever has made its appearance at Tapanui. The cause is not far to seek, judging from the local paper, which says that cesspits are allowed to exist that would have been a disgrace to the middle ages, let alone the enlightened nineteenth century ; whilst filth of all descriptions is allowed to lie sweltering under the s un as if the people fairly revelled iii their dirt. At last meeting of the Waste Lands Board, Mr Dalrymple, on behalf of Messrs Hall and Co., applied for the issue of a license over 16 acres of section 5, block 11.-, Bannockburn, first agreed to be issued in October, 1873, and in regard to which applicants agreed to pay all rent accruing from that date. Mr Dalrymple explained that when the original license was taken out the value of antimony was so small and the cost of production so great that antimony mining did not pay, and consequently the license never was taken out, although the Board agreed to its issue. Now, however, antimony had risen in price, and labor was cheaper, so that Mr Hall wished to proceed with work on the lease. It was explained that no license having been taken out, the Board had under the new Act do power to grant such an application as was made, and the applicant would therefore have to apply under the Mines Act to the Warden for a lease. The gentlemen selected as a Commission to report on the Otago Central Railway are—For Vincent County, Mr Donald Reid; Maniototo County, Mr John Bathgate ; Taieri County, Mr Henry Clarke ; the united counties, Mr Horace Bastings. The Commissioners will leave Dunedin about the end of the month to make their tour of inspection, and will be accompanied by a shorthand reporter. Through Mr Pyke we learn theintended movements of the recently -appointed Commission. They will interest many of our readers. Messrs Eeid, Bathgate Clark and Bastings are expected to arrive at Clyde on Thursday, 10th March. From Clyde they will proceed to Pembroke via Cromwell and Mount Barker settlement, reaching Pembroke on Friday evening. They will probably on Saturday proceed to the Hawea Valley, and return to Cromwell via Tarras blocks, Lindis and Bendigo. As the time of the Commissioners is valuable, we trust settlers along the whole route will be prepared to meet them and give them all the information and assistance they possibly can. A fatal accident occurred at Waikaki last week. The Mataura Unsign reports that a daughter of Mr S. M'lntosh (aged 15) had just mounted, or was in the act of mounting, a young and restive horse when it bolted. If she had gained the saddle she was unable to keep her seat and fell from it. Her foot caught in the stirrup leather, and being unable to extricate it, she was dragged along the road for some distance. The horse attempted to jump a creek and the girth broke. The 6addle came away, and thus the poor girl was released from her horrible position. She was soon conveyed home unconscious and li\ ed but an hour after the accident, her death being caused by concussion of the brain. Besides that, she had sustained a compound fracture of the right "leg, and her clothes had been literally torn from her body. No person was witness of the occurrence. At the Wellington Police Court on Wednesday last William Rowe, formerly member, of the House of Representatives for the Thames, was charged with having at about 5 o'clock that morning stolen 2s from the Theatre Royal Hotel, where he was lodging. From the evidence it appeared that money had been missed previously under similar circumstances, and suspicion fell on Rowe. A policeman was accordingly placed in ambush and some money marked. The policeman saw Rowe take money out of the till, and then lie on a sofa, pretending to read a paper. On being searched LI 15s 6d was found on him, amongst it being the two marked shillings. Mr Gully, who appeared for the prisoner, admitted the theft, but urged that Rowe had been drinking heavily, and did not know what he was doing. It was evident that he was not in want. The Magistrate, in passing judgment, said he was unwilling to sentence the prisoner to any lengthened term Of imprisonment, but would sentence him to a sufficient term to show him that well-educated persons like him, who had held public positions, could not do these things with impunity. He then sentenced the prisoner to 48 hours'irnDmonment.