The Daily Southern Cross.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXII, Issue 2745, 11 May 1866, Page 3

The Daily Southern Cross.

LUCEO, NON TJKO. " If I have been extinguished, yet there rise A thousand beacons from the spark I bore."

FBIDAY, MAY 11. In a letter which we published yesterday from the pen of Mr. George Graham will be found a comparison between the positions of Auckland and Otago, which, in several respects, is not to the advantage of this province. There is much that is true, and not wanting in interest, in Mr. Graham's statements ; but we must be allowed to point out that there is also much which is, at the very least, questionable in his views. It is well that every interest in a community should have a mouthpiece, and Mr. Graham stands forth, with admirable consistency, as the representative of capital applicable to pastoral pursuits. Mr. Graham is in the enviable position of having spare cash, which he is eager to apply to pastoral speculations in such a "way as to benefit at once himself and this province ; and we need scarcely say v that we have not a single word to urge against so very proper a wish. Our only objection, indeed, to any of "his views has been that they were so remarkably one-sided. His mind seems to be so entirely occupied with one idea that he cannot very often grasp others that are quite on the surface. In the letter now before us, we have, first, a statement of the wool export of Otago for the present season, which will be of interest to many people in itself, but which Mr. Graham uses only as a text upon which he may enlarge on the subject of Auckland's blindness and folly in not being in the same position as Otago. As he observes, with some naivete", he does " not intend to say one word about the cattle, "grain, and other exports of Otago f and for the present we shall follow his example, | although we may show by-arid-by that these

have a good deal to do with the question tit issue. Mr. Graham, however, is struck by the quantity of wool sent away — as, indeed, he well may bbande — and his mind evidently is wholly intent at present upon sheep runs. He thinks if we only had bixch an export as this of wool, where would be the native difficulty ? This, curiously enough, although not as he intended it, hits the nail exactly on the head. Otago has an immense export of wool, collected from runs extending over an immense space of country. If we were to send as much, wool away, it would only be through having the like vast runs for our sheep — or, in other words, thi'ough occupying the whole country. "Where, then," as Mr. Graham observes, " would be the native difficulty V or rather, as we should put it, where would the native difficulty require to have gone before this would be possible ? It never seems to occur to Mr. Graham that he has a strange way of beginning at the wrong end of his subjects, and generally putting the cart before the horse. He is full of admiration of the Otago export of wool, but it doesn't appear to occur to him that Otago's wool export depends on the breadth of Otago's sheep runs, and these again upon the millions of acres of open land, covered with grass, now in the possession of the Otago G-overnment. If he had thought of it in this way, he could hardly have failed to see that all the blame he was bestowing upon this pi'ovince for its past mismanagement i was simply nonsense. Nothing is easier than to point to a province that seems more prosperous than our own, and to ask, Why don't you do as that province does ? And the selfsatisfaction springing from having thus acted the Mentor to the public is a cheaply earned, and, let us hope, an easily carried possession. But, in the case in question, it would be quite as seusible to ask why we don't export forty thousand ounces of gold a month, as why we have not a large wool export. The reason is self-evident : we have not the goldfields to produce the mineral ; we have not the land for runs, on which the wool could be grown. But we may be told that Mr. Graham looks to the future, and does not so much blame us for our past sins. He may say that he ■is looking, not at the scanty blocks of land which we used to be able to buy, with a great deal of trouble, from the natives, and when we had bought thorn had to cut bush lines with great labour to get on to them ; but to the million acres of confiscated land, and to the twelve millions of acres of native lands, much of which, is open, and eveu grossed, so as to be suitable for sheep at once. And here we join issue with Mr. Graham. We want to know what he "has to complain about in the matter % He says we have not offered for sale one farm on the Waikato or East Coast, and he seems to think we have done somebody a great mischief by not doing so. Now, it so happens that', the surveys have but just been commenced, or scarcely that ; and that it is not customary, even in Otago, to sell farms before the surveyors have marked out their boundaries and ascertained how much land they contain. But ib so happens, we believe, that out of the million acres in the Provincial Government's hands, there is not a very large proportion at all suitable for purposes of sheep runs. If Mr. Graham wants a sheep run, we take it, he must fall back upon the twelve millions of acres of native lands, which do contain a large proportion of land suitable for pastoral pui'poses. The thing is now being done by other gentlemen situated as Mr. Graham seems to be, and it is a course which seems to us likely to pi'Oduce the best results, not only for the province and colony, but also for the speculators themselves. We presume from the tone of our correspondent's letter that he has not succeeded as yet in obtaining a sheep run; but we see no cause to despair. It would appear that the Taupo natives are well disposed to lease their lands, and some of these would suit him, or any other capitalist similarly situated, better by far than anything the Government has to offer, even if, as Mr. Graham seems to think desirable, the townships at Ngaruawahia and Tauranga were set apart for him to run sheep over. Some indignation is expressed against those people who are of opinion that meu, and not sheep, are what we want. Mr. Graham, brands t nose w^° no^ l*^ s as " foolish " people," but it strikes us that a little consideration might convince Mr. Graham that sheep, however useful for affoi'ding an export, are not equally good either to over-awe rebellion or to clear land covered with heavy forest, as most of the land in the hands of our Government is. In fact, it appears to us that our correspondent's feelings have overpowered his judgment not a little in several particulars. He is actually found vaunting a population of shepherds and hut-keepers as a prosperous and desirable one. He does not seem to observe any distinction between a prosperity which is confined to a few, and is in its very nature sure soon to reach a limit, and one which benefits ten times as many without giving such wealth, it may be, to any. He can contemplate with satisfaction the degradation of a population of yeomen, struggling indeed against difficulties at present, but certain with, perseverance to overcome them ; and one of shepherds and hut-keepers, proverbially the most miserable and unintelligent class in these colonies. In all these things we disagree with Mr. Graham. We have no objection to seeing the land now kept waste in native hands utilised by the sheep-farmer as soon as possible. The capitalist may do this, and, in doing it, may do good service to the colony and province ; but we must and do most strenuously oppose any such change of system,f in dealing with the lands we have in our own hands, as would swamp and push out the small farmer with limited capital. Few, indeed, we suspect, are the shepherds that develop into useful farmers, and we are not ambitious to see this made — as Mr. Graham would have it — the main road to the position of a yeoman farmer. The grain and cattle exports, of which Mr. Graham does not speak, are not the results of leasing huge blocks of the Otago lands to great capitalists, but of the sale of smaller farms to practical men with limited capital; in facty to the men whom Mr. Graham would probably condemn to a year or two's experience of shepherding.

The preparation of Sax, by boiling it in salt water, , and afterwards washing in warm fresh water,' 'is being carried on with considerable success, we have been informed, at Mercury Bay. The main difficulty is the hand-rubbing, but that is easily over' ■ come. About a ton of prepared flax, we ate told,-, has been produced by this process ; and as a simple' machine is to be erected for cleaning the fibre after boiling, theie is reason to anticipate a considerable, supply from that district, which abounds in flax. The Wellington experiments have been unfortunate because pains appear to have been taken to go astray. A meeting of the Chamber of Commerce was held yesterday, when the report brought up at last meeting by the committee on the _ ajteam postal question , was discussed, and ultimately carried by 6 to 2.

J arc glad to find that Europeans liave turn their attention to giitn-dijgin^ in the Mercuiy B:v district, where gum is found in large quantities. These men have arranged with the natives, and for a. small consideration are permitted to dig over native land. The natives, however, produce more gum, in the same time, than the Europeans, but wo presume the latter will become raors expert. Our informant states that there appears to be an unlimited supply of gum, and that all the unemployed men in Auckland might find profitable work digging for it. Certainly, at present rates, it is far mote profitable than gold-digging. The greater part of yesterday was occupied in the Resident Magistrate's Court with the hearing of a case in which Pr. Corbet t sued Mr. S. H. Webb for fees for attendance on his wife. Mr. Webb paid a sum into Court, which he considered sufficient ; and the point was raised as to the right of a physician to sue for his fees. It was urged that the Medical Registration Act of 1858 empowered any person registered to sue for his fees, flis Worship took time to consider his judgment. A meeting of the committee of the Gymnasium Club was held last eviuing," at eight o'clock, Mr. J. N. Flower's school-room, Hobson street. Major Yon Tempsky was voted to the chair. Several gentlemen joined as members of the club, after which a discussion arose about the room for the club, but as the gentleman who had undertaken to look after one wag absent, the discussion was dropped. Mr. Flower was then appointed treasurer, and Major Yon Tempsky president of the club. It t was also agreed that a general meeting should be called on Tuesday evening at seven o'clock, in the Mechanics' lnstitute, to receive the report of the committee, and that a meeting of the committee should be held half-an-hour before the general meeting. The committee were empowered to receive subscriptions. The meeting then adjourned. A coroner's inquiry into the origin of the destructive fire on the premises of the New-Zealander newspaper on Monday last wns held at the Masonic Hotel yesterday, before Dr. Philson. From a report of the proceedings elsewhere, it will be seen that a mass of evidence was adduced on behalf of the insurance companies that, had accepted risks amounting to £8,000 upon the property destroyed by the conflagration j and the inquiry terminated in the return of an 'open verdict. .No evidence as to the origin of the fire could be elicited from the twelve witnesses brought forward for examination. A meeting of No. 2 Company of Volunteers was held la3t evening, in Crescent Hall, Brown's Buildings. Ensign Mathews occupied the chair. Mr. Richard Hunter was elected as secretary of the company, in place of -Mr Mathews, resigned ; and Walter Grahame was appointed treasurer. Captain Mitchell was elected as captain, provided the Government will allow him to give his services'. Ensign Mathews was elected lieutenant, and Sergeant Graham was appointed to the vacant ensigncyv ' It was agreed to- leave the appointment of the noncommissioned officers with the captain. Six honorary members were elected, and the subscription to be paid by such members was fixed at £1 Is. per annum. It was arranged to hold parades every Tuesday evening, from eight o'clock till half-past nine. Mr. Brown, it was stated, had consented to give the use of his room to the company for a few nights gratuitously.' At a recent meeting of the Canterbury Rifle Association Mr. Weld was elected president, and no less than thjrty-two vice-presidents were chosen. The Superintendent of the province was appointed ex officio patron of the Society. We are glad to learn that another extensive shipment of new publications intended for the library and reference departments of the Mechanics' lustitute is now on its way to Auckland by the ship 1 Monarch,' which left London in February last. The books have been very judiciously selected by th« firm of (Juillaume and Co ; and from the descriptive list already received by Mr. Sargent, the librarian of the Mechanics' Institute, the selection will be found to include many of the most recent works of the most popular authors of the present day. The Young Men's Christian Association Debating Club meet this evening in the rooms, Wellesleystreet, when Mr. Laishley (by request) will read his paper on " The literary Men of the Day." We inspected yesterday a very choice selection of French ornamental clocks, imported by Messrs. E. and H. Isaacs, Queen-street. It is satisfactory to find that importers meet a ready sale in Auckland for such a superior class of goods. At a recent meeting of the Canterbury Acclimatisation Society the Secretary stated that since the last meeting the following contributions had been received : — A paradise duck ; a bat from the Fiji Islands, from Mr. Rayner, of Lyttelton ; a pair of black swans, from Dr. Mueller, of Melbourne ; a collection of seeds, trees, and shrubs, consisting of 180 varieties, from the Fiji Islands, from Mr. Adams ; Scotch heath andtCalifornia prairie grass, from Mr. Hislop ; a quantity of cuttings from the Cupressus Torulosa, by Mrs. J. C. Wilson ; a variety of the cypress, from the Himalaya mountains ; a sea gull, from Mr. J. G. Cotton; and a pair of bantam fowls, from Mr. Trahern. The following letter was read from Dr. Mueller :—": — " The Pittos Poria are such lovely, hardy, and quick-growing plants, that thousands of these plants are wanted for our cemeteries, town churches, and schools : hence I accept the seed you so kindly offer with the utmost gratitude. As a commencement of a reciprocation, 1 beg to offer you two collections of seeds and shrubs and trees, which will at least be useful to you for interchanges if you should not want them yourselves. The native flax is now in abundance here, but we have not a single plant of the Arabia Schalfflira. Dicksonia Antarctica is very common in Victoria, but we have no Cyathia Dealbata here. If these plants are packed, the roots having been soaked in water for a night, they would arrive in safety, and might be sent here under the care of a friendly captain of any vessel free of charge. I have a gully or ravine which I am anxious to dress with specimens of this plant. Some annuals will ere long be sent by myself under the care of the captain of the 'Albion'; others will be sent through the Victorian Acclimatisation Society." Mr. Deßourbel having offered to procure some seeds, plants, and shrubs, from the Himalaya mountains, provided the society would pay the expense of carriage, it was decided that Mr. Deßourbel be requested to obtain some seeds, and that the sum of £15 be guaranteed for the expense. The Curator mentioned that he had sent to Melbourne for some magpies. The secoud entertainment in connection with the winter session of the Mechanics' Institute is advertised to take place on Monday evening next, in the hall of the Institute, when Mr. Burgham will exhibit Albert Smith's Mont Blanc ; the musical part of the illustrations being presided over by Mr. J. Brown. Mr. Eastwood will also give a dissertation on phrenology, and a few words on the bumps. His Honor the Superintendent h«s kindly consented to preside. A public meeting of the residents and landowners at Mangarei will take place this evening at six o'clock, in the school-house, for the purpose of considering the proposed intentions of the Government to erect a toll-bar near Otahuhu. A public meeting of the residents and landowners at the Flagstaff, North Shore, is fixed to take place this evening at seven o'clock, at the Flagstaff Hotel, for the purpose of considering the propriety of forming a Local Board under the Highways Act. Messrs. John Roberton and Co. will offer by public auction, to-day, 100,000 feet of kauri timber, at two o'clock, on Custom-house-street. , Messrs. E. and H. Isaacs will sell to-day, at their stores, Queen-street, handsome bronze, gilt, ormolu, and marble clocks, with large glass shades and stands. Mr. S. Cochrane announces that he has received instructions to offer for sale by public auction, to-day, at the residence of Mr. W. B Crawford, Parnell, the whole of his household furniture, &c.