The Daily Southern Cross.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXIII, Issue 3132, 31 July 1867, Page 3

The Daily Southern Cross.

LTJOEO, NON ÜBO. If I h»y» bun »xUn|ul»h»d, yrt tb»r« tlii A tboxuand bMOoni from tba ipuk I boi*.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 31.

Things are not so bright in Canterbury as we would wish to see them. In fact, there is quite as great an outcry there for employment as there has been in Auckland, and with more reason, for, after all, working men can turn their hands to many things in this province to earn a livelihood, which they cannot do in Canterbury, or most Southern provinces. We find in the LyUelton Times a report of a large public meeting of the unemployed, held at the Town Hall, Christchurch, on the 15th July, at which Mr. T. Garlick presided, and expressed his faith in Mr. Moorhouse, the Superintendent, as " the " pilot who would yet weather the storm." And here, we would just observe how very general, and how very absurd, is A the faith in individual rulers which the people of New Zealand manifest. Instead of relying on their own efforts to better their condition, they thrust their hands into their pockets, j meet and talk, and resolve to trust entirely to [ Mr. Whitaker, or Mr. Williamson, or Mr. Macandrew, or Mr. Curtis, or Mr. McLean, as " the man for the province," " the man to " get them out of the mess," " the pilot that " will weather the storm." So long as the settlers of New Zealand remain in this helpless and apathetic state, so long will they continue to be in "a mess/ and the days of prosperity will not dawn upon them. But referring to the Canterbury meeting, Mr. Dixey moved the first resolution :— That taking into consideration the present depressed state of the working classes of this and of tbia colony at large, it 11 the opinion of this

meeting that some energetio measures should be taken to alleviate the distrets generally existing, by promoting a system of emigration to other colom«3, where there i» a wider field for their exertions ; and that the United States of Amerioa offer such an induoement j and that a memorial should be addressed to the OoTernment of those States, praying for assistance, if necessary. The resolution having been seconded, Mr. J. Wakefield, in the midst of great uproar, opposed emigration to America, where things were worse than in Canterbury, and proposed -the following amendment : — That the unemployed workmen of the province, in order to relieve the distress of themselves and their fellow-workmen, should urge upon his Honor the Superintendent and his advisera the necessity of immediately adopting some publio works which have a fair probability of being remunerative, and which will therefore call for useful expenditure from the revenues of the province ; and that a committee be appointed by this meeting to communicate its resolutions to the Government, and to take every step, by action at eleotions and otherwise, to press those resolutions on whatever Government may be at the time existing. The report goes on to state that the amendment was lost, and that the original resolu tion was " carried by a large majority, amidst " the utmost noise and confusion." A committee was appointed to carry out the original resolution. At this stage of the proceedings, Mr. Moorhouse, Superintendent of Canterbury, ascended the platform, and delivered the following speech : — His Honor said that he was himself a labouring man, and all his sympathies were with the working classes. He deemed it his duty to take any measures for the alleviation of the distress which had caused the meeting to assemble that evening. It had been urged against him that he received a large salary. He could assert, upon his aacred honour, that not one sixpence of that salary found its way into his own pocket. It had been expended — every penny of it — in the alleviation of the distress com plained of. He thought that the prevailing distress might be attributed to the depreciation which had taken place in the price of grain. Let us not desert our country— do not let us apply to foreign countries. Let not the pink and pride of our adopted land be transferred to a strange country, because , all are suffering from a depression which may, after all, prove only temporary. It had been falsely alleged against him that he was disposed to lower the rate of wages. He had done nothing of the kind. The very strength of the province retted in the agricultural produce of the land, and it ought to be fostered by every legitimate means possible. He had always been elected as a member of the Frovincia Councill, of the General Auembly, and as Superintendent by the popular voice, and he bitterly regretted the outcry which had been so unjustly raised against him. There was a popular clamour against him, but it was totally unfounded. He implored the meeting not to think of emigration to America. (" We will ; we will. 11 ) Well, let them obtain some information from those best qualified to give it. ("So we have.") As sure as they were all assembled in that hall, so surely was he convinced that times in Canterbury would be as good as ever they had been. (" Oh ! oh I") The present Government had been accused of extravagance j but it must be borne in mind that they had a large amount of debt bequeathed to them by their predecessors in office, and thot debt they were bound to discharge, for repudiation was the worst disgrace that could befall any community. He besought those present not to lose courage. Quietly and unobtrusively he was doing all in his power to devise measures for the alleviation of the existing depression. la six months, he was sure, the existing distress would be greatly relieved. We wonder what other Superintendent of a New Zealand province could say as much as Mr. Moorhouse, that he did not finger a a shilling of his official salary, but that it all went in alleviating the prevalent distress j for it must be borne in mind that Auckland and Canterbury are not alone in their unfortunate state of depression. "Wellington, the seat of Government, is perhaps worse off, its population considered, than any other province in New Zealand, except Taranaki, which is absolutely in a demoralised and destitute condition, in consequence of the war, the native difficulty, and the manifold evils springing therefrom. What we do not understand, however, is the free system of immigration still maintained by Canterbury. We seldom take up a North Irish newspaper without finding a paragraph headed " Free " emigration to Canterbury, New Zealand," setting forth the manifold advantages of proceeding to that province, where the labour market is overstocked, and where the unemployed are about memorialise the American aud Australian Governments to enable them to get away from it. No doubt a memorial from the working classes of Canterbury sent to the Immigration Company at Sacramento, the capital of California, or to a similar company which has been formed in Texas, would be promptly responded to ; but we trust this alternative may not be forced upon the working classes. That this may not be so, however, the Government of Canterbury ought at once to discontinue its free system of immigration. By adopting a different land policy, and breaking down the squatting land monopoly, theprovinceof Canterbury would soon add thousands of fortunate diggers to its yeoman class, and thus provide remunerative employment for the surplus labour of the Eastern settlements. If, however, the present policy be continued, the consequence must be disastrous to the province. We trust this state of things in Canterbury will prove a salutary lesson to the Superintendent and Executive of England. Reverting to the report, we extract the next speech :—: — Mr. Si Quentin said he should like to know if his Honor the Superintendent, with the assistance of his Executive, would do anything to alleviate the prevailing distress. The working classes were in distress, and they wanted relief, and that relief must be obtained immediately. The strength of any country was its working population, and they ought to be supported by every possible means. The great evil of Canterbury was the extravagance of the habits of the population. From the highest to the lowest amongst the population, all were living beyond their means. He undertook to get ready a petition to the Government, praying the Superintendent to take steps for the relief of the working classes, which he hoped that all those present would sign. If the existing Provincial Council would not attend to the wishes of the people, let the Council be dis•olved, and give place to better men, who had the welfare of the people truly at heart. He would have the petition ready on the following: morning, at his place of business, and he hoped that all those who had taken part in the meeting would sign it. The following sequel to the meeting appeared in the Canterbury Times : — A deputation, consisting of Messrs. Garlick, St. Quentin, and Cutler, waited upon his Honor the Superintendent on Tuesday night, with a view of laying before him a statement of their grievances. The petition, signed by three hundred persons, was laid before his Honor. The deputation suggested that some works of a remunerative character should be carried out. His Honor remarked that the state of the public finance forbade the Government from spending a large sum of money upon such works at present. He saw no prospect of a revenue to meet a large expenditure. He objected to a sacrifice of the debentures by parting with, them at a loss. An op'nion had gone abroad that the colonial credit was at a low ebb, but he thought better times were at hand. He would gladly send the petition to the Council, but he must own that the Government was in a very serious dilemma. Their predecessors in office had left them a heavy burden of debt. His policy might have been blamed, but he was sure that, iv the long run, it would be found to be the correct one. He was conscious of many shortcomings, but he could confidently state that be had always laboured for the benefit of the province, Objections had been raised as to the salary wbioh he received ai Superintendent ; but it wm topoisible for ft ohief offloev of ft province to live

without the appiianoes belonging to hii rank. Mr. Garliok hoped that the petition would receive the attention at the hands of the Oounoil whioh it deserved. The existing distress was very great, and some active measures ought to be devised towards alleviating it Bis Honor suggested that a oommittee of the Connoil should be appointed to inquire into the matter, and to report upon it ; but he feared that it was almost too late in the session to undertake Buch an important matter. Mr. Garlick stated that the deputation did not come before hit Honor as paupers ; they only wanted a fair day s pay for a fair day's work- Mr. Cutler remarked that the meeting recently held at the Town Hall was a proof that the existing distress was very great. After some conversation, the deputation thanked his Honor for his courtesy, and withdrew.

Oar Russell oorreipondent states that, owing to the active exertions of Mr. Williams, R.M., Mr. Baratow, R.M., and other influential settlers, farther fighting between the opposing hapus at that place has been prevented for the present. The nomination of a candidate to represent the electoral district of Pensioner Settlements in the House of Representatives, will take place at the Police-station, Panmure, on Monday next, at noon ; and the poll, if necessary, oh the succeeding Thursday. In the last published Wellington Provincial Gorernment Gaxette a return is given of lands sold and deposits received in the province, from the Ist to the 31st May last, from which it appears that 654 a, 3r. 14p. were disposed of j cash rtoeived, £795 155. ; and military land orders exercised for 60a. The usual monthly parade of the Auckland Rifle Volunteers took place last evening at the Iron Store, Princes-street, and was largely attended. Before the Volunteers were dismissed, it was stated that a I parade would be held weekly after next Thursday. At the Police Court yesterday, Clement Crispe was charged with a breach of the Distillation Ordinance by setting up an illicit still at the Whau, and was fined £50, or to suffer two months' imprisonment ] in default. Joha Shiers was ordt r d to undergo 14 days' imprisonment as a common drunkard. James McShane was ordered to be fined 20s. and costs for assaulting John Knox. Frederick Connapp was ordered to enter into bis own bond of £20 to keep the peace towards Sophia Hunter. Mrs. Smith was fined ss. and costs, and John Maher 20s. and oosts, for breaches of the Sale of Bread Act, 1863, the former by selling bread short of weight, and the latter by neglecting to have a beam and scales with proper weights in his shop, in West Queen-street. Isaac Emery was charged by James King, of Parnell, with stealing two bags of green oats; but. prosecutor desiring to withdraw the charge, prisoner was liberated. Charles Connell and James McGivern pleaded guilty to charges of desertion from H.M. 57th Regiment, and were ordered to be handed over to the military authorities. The trustees of the Auckland Savings Bank are convened to attend a meeting this afternoon, at 3 o'clock, at the Banking-house, Queen-street. It will be seen from the following paragraph, which appeared in the Independent, that Auckland carried off the first and second prizes for designs for Provincial Government buildings at Wellington :— • "His Honor the Superintendent has decided to distribute the prize money offered for the three best designs for Provincial Government Buildings, amongst the authors of the five designs previously classified by the Commissioners according to their merits. It will be remembered that designs were asked to be sent in for a building the cost of which was not to exceed £8, 000; but as this limit was found to be too low, and as the beat designs supplied could not be carried out at a less price than from £13,677 to £18,422, the Coinmi<sioners wisely decided to classify them according to their intrinsic merits. We subjoin the previous classification, adding the name of the designer and the prize awarded in each cast. No. 1, IX. in circle, Edward Rumsey, Auckland— prize, £50. No. 2, • Hurry,' Rumsey and Russell, Auckland—prize. £50. No. 3, 'Moa,' J. McGregor, Dunedin- prize, £25. No. 4, 'Spes,' W. H. Clayton, Dunedin— prize, £25. No, 5, 'Spes in Arduis,' C. J. Toxward, Wellington— prize, £25. It will be understood that the designs are classified in their order of merit." An entertainment is advertised to be given on Thursday evening next at the Young Men's Association room«, when songs, duets, readings, and recitations will be given. Professor Bartine, the wonderful acrobat, will make his first appearance before an Auckland audience at the Brunswick Hall to-morrow evening. Meetings of creditors continue very frequent, and the results almost invariably are most unsatisfactory. The rule appears to be, that the debtor calls his ere. ditors together when he has made away with all his property either by bill of sale or preferred payments. It is time the merchants stirred themselves to check this state of affairs, or there will soon be but little chance for an honest man. Great complaints are made of the little protection given by the law to trade from fraud, and it is hoped that some measures of reform may be brought forward in the House of Representatives this session. The propagation of false rumours affecting the position and credit of r9spectable firms appears to have become very prevalent, and in some instances has evidently been done from malicious motives.— Canterbury Times, July 13. The establishment of a grain and produce-export-ing company continues to receive great attention. On Friday last a meeting, very largely attended, was held at the Wheatsheaf Inn to discuss the subject Mr, Moorehouse was present, and addressed the meeting in an eminently practical speech. A committee was formed, and we may shortly expect to hear of some practical result. The Northern Agricultural and Pastoral Association held its first annual meeting at Rangiora on Saturday last ; and, from the report submitted, the Association appears to be in a very flourishing condition. We trust it will receive every support and encouragement from the residents in the district, for there can be no question as to the benefits it may confer, properly managed, on the province generally.— Canterbury Times, July 20. A meeting of the unemployed was held in the Town Hall on Monday night, and a great number of persons were present. There was some talk about I petitioning the American Government for assistance to emigrate thither, but this can only be regarded as most senseless bravado. A petition tohia Honor the Superintendent was drawn up, and a deputation presented it. His Honor transmitted the petition to the Council, and a select committee was appointed to consider the matter. There ia no doubt a considerable number of unemployed in and around Cbristchnrch, but we see no substantial reason for supposing that the distress is so great as to cause serious alarm. — Ibid. His Honor Mr. Justice Moore is expected to arrive by the f Airedale* to hold the sitting of the Supreme Court advertised for to-morrow. As, however, there is not a single case for trial, no great inconvenience will be caused if his Honor should not reach Taranaki in time.— Taranaki Herald. There is a danger which the promoters of the penny readings have to guard against— that of cultivating a taste for the weakest kind of comic literature and for mere buffoonery, alike among those who read and those who listen. No doubt the majority of the latter expect to be amused, and are not particularly anxious for anything resembling instruction ; but an effort ought neverthless to be made to provide something more solid than the extremely light and not invariably wholesome intellectual fate which is commonly set forth on such occasion*. Inferior pastry may be savoury, but it is far from nutritious, and a dinner or supper composed exclusively of fl iky tarts and indigestible buns is not conducive either to the satisfaction of s healthy appetite or to the maintenance of one's physical stamina. This holds equally true of mental food, and considering the boundless abundance and the splendid quality of that which lies open to all comers in the wide lange of English literature, considering what matchless paasages are capable of being detached from the writings of our poets, orators, historians, essayists, and novelists— how various is their style, how choice their language, and how vigorous and original their thoughts -the neglect of these writings by public readers is wholly inexcusable, while the substitution for them of comic songs (sometimes sung in character, after the fashion of the music-halls) adds indignity to neglect. The English people, wherever settled, are the inheritors and the guardians of the noblest and the richest literature ever possessed by one nation ; and since property, according to a hackneyed phrase, " has its duties as well as its rights," ib becomes our duty to enable all classes to pairtcipate in that opulent inheritance, to enrich their minds with the best thoughts of the greatest thinkers, to make the language of Milton, Shakspeare, Bacon, Taylor, and Wordsworth a common possession, and elevate and purify, a« far as in us lies, the literary tisfcesand predileohong of the vatkK6u,—AvAtral«slan,

In the House of Commons, on May 6, Mr. Headlam Mked the Chancellor of the Exohequtr whether the attention of the Government had been directed to the presentment of the grand jury i» the ca«e of Colonel Nelson and Lieutenant Brand, «• that martial law ■honld be defined by legislative, enaotment j and whether the Government propose in any manner to act upon the reoommendation of the grand jury. The Chancellor of the Exchequer replied that the Government did not writ for the presentment of the grand ljury — •• T.ov, with respect to the important subject to which the question refers, my noble friend, Lord Carnarvon, then Secretary of State, very shortly after the meeting of Parliament addressed a circular to the different oolonial ulovernnients. As that circular will probably lead to very important I results, the best course for me to adopt at present i will probably be to lay that document upon the table." Mr. Alfred Bucldand announces that he will sell to-day, at 12 o'olook, at the Remuera yards, 5 dairy oows, in milk ; also, at 1 o'clock, 100 head choice cattle, 600 long-woolled ewes, and 10 first-class 1 rams. Mr. George Sibbin will sell to-day, at 11 o'olock, on the new timber wharf, 500 puriri posts. Messrs. Turrell and Tonka advertise that they will sell to-day, at (11 o'clock, pomades, scented soaps, &o. Mr. S. Jones announces tbe receipt of instructions to sell to-day, by public auction, at 12 o'clock, at the Albert Barracks, surplus military stores, galvanised iron house, &c; also, furniture, glassware, houses, cow, &c., the property of Lieut. -Colonel Pitt and Major Baker, who are leaving the colony. Messrs. Bright and Co. will hold their usual j weekly sale to-day, at Mr. Cunningham's mart, Victoria-street, when they will* offer cheese, butter, I hams, maize, poultry, Ac. Messrs. C. Arthur and Son will sell to-day, at 12 o'clock noon, at their mart, iron piping, butter, cheete, potatoes, drapery, fancy goods, earthenware, gun, &c. JMr. Henry Ridings will sell by public auction, today, at 11 o'olock, at their mart, a quantity of new furniture, pump with lead piping, &c.