The Daily Southern Cross.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXVI, Issue 3972, 16 May 1870, Page 5

The Daily Southern Cross.

„ - , LUOEO,,NON TOO." If I haYe J been'extingtu»lied, yet 'there, rise' A' thousand beacon's from ttii spark I bore.

/ ' ltONJ>4jrijMAY. t i 6, 1870.it-. ,v ,«

The Provincial 'Council ;of Qtago^is' in session:' ( The were' opened' by My, Superintendent, Macandfe^', T>y" a long, and in several respects,- an < able speech, Judging, however, bVi. the- Adr ; dress^' reply, whftli/was; ado^t'e'd ; , b^ the ddtme'ij^e j J%di^ f tive are not ; ,quitej in Wjijn < iis> Honor, toriat all Bvents, r tliat thephavemodifiedi/hei^'ppHcyto^feuittheXTndjbrity in the,Oounejl. JButijbia^&l^niuch" to the*^ddress'th^^siirow. .^po^.as, to theSuperiritendentfssjJeechjand thei comments on W'Sti JnefGounfeiVfif %6' desired £6r&' ' A/fßB»itte Wjg |^of the statejpl^^liis^jfeejjngio^fea^iag questions in Otagdlt«/Mf.u'iMacandre\vj is a representa#v«dpa«aKKa^hfisrg^ieral ' electiouris approaching ; .and we ,haye , » shadow^^^^^^^yß^l^SKf l^ o^ Jj c i proposes tp " goMiftisclw^r/^ijlt^

m this light rt Opposition m the Cqunoil and^in the Press regard th? speech ; and-ikis in this : light, also, that we propose to deai ri wit3i. ,itL f ; The programme of ..'the session is large and attractive. It includes public works, immigration, * and education. Otago possesses large resources; and these resources it is proposed ,tp niake the most 'of. If his Honor has, his way, and can carry out his plan successfully, there can be no possible ' doubt Otago ■will Boon distance all the other provinces ; but there are many causes in .operation which may prevent the complete realisation of 1 his views. Take, as an example, the 'question of immigration. ' The Superintendent >of Otago says : — > • ' Gentlemen, — I have again' to call your special attention to the subject of immigration. I r am persuaded that tHis is the quest ion, beyond all others, 1 which ought to" force itself upon our earnest consideration at the present time ; hot as a subject for mere, abstract discussion, but ior prompt practical action. It cannot be disguised that, as a Legislature, we have sadly' failed in what has been required of us in this matter, and that much of the depression which at present prevails is to be attributed to our neglect. The one thing 1 needful ' to secure the prosperity of every class, is a population in some measure adequate to the beneficial occupation of the country. At present the province is comparatively a wilderness. ' During the past year the balance of immigration over emigration has been 1,530, a mere drop in the bucket. Instead of 65,000— the present population of Otago and Southland— l believe that several millions of industrious people might find the means of comfort and independence within our borders. You will observe, irom the correspondence with the British agent, that, anticipating your concurrence, Mr. Auld has been empowered to make arrangements for granting passages to two hundred adults per month at £5 a head, the Government to pay , the difference. This arrangement, if successful, will involve a vote of i £17,000 a year, a,n amount which I should be glad to see doubled. But it is. not assisted immigration that ' should be looked to exclusively to develop the resources of this province.- There can be i no doubt that there are, in' the overgrown i countries of Europe, thousands of industrious people, possessed, more or' less, of means of their own, whose condition would be greatly bettered by coming here. In order, however, to get at this class, it is essential that there should be an agent at work, personally acquainted with the province and its capabilities — a man who culd boLh write and speak from his own personal knowledge, and one withal who could associate with, and I feel himself at home in every sphere of society. I trust that, before the session i closes, suitable provision will be made for securing the services of such an agent. This extract is sufficiently explicit, It admits the necessity for promoting immigration, and intimates that a very practical step has been taken towards meeting the requirements of the case. Instructions have been given to the home agent to provide assisted passages for two hundred statute adults per month, the contribution of each emigrant towards his passage money being £5. This is entering into , direct competition with the United States and the provinces of British JSTorth America, and would be eminently successful, no doubt, were it possible to offer the emigrants the same facilities for acquiring a homestead as are offered bythecountriesabovernentioned. But there is just that great difficulty in the way; and for that reason, if for no other, we fear the plan of assisted emigration to Otago will not be so successful as it might have been. The Council appeared to take this view of the case ; and several leading members expressed the hope that no emigration agent should be commissioned to England until Otngo adopted a more liberal land law. Indeed it was stated that persons were deterred from leaving Scotland to settle in Ofcago on account of the present law. The Superintendent of Otago admits that the province has failed to ooloni.se : "It cannot be disguised that, as a " Legislature, we have sadly failed in " what has been required of us in this " matter, and that imieh of the depres- " siou which prevails is attributable to " our neglect." Again, he says — '■" At "present the province is a wilder«ness. . . . Instead of 65,000— " the present population of Otago " and Southland — ■ I believe that " several millions of industrious people " might find the means of comfort and " independence within our borders." "When it is recollected that Otago has enjoyed a territorial revenue of something like £180,000 a-year for several years p^st, in addition to a large surplus from general revenue, this confession by the Superintendent is not what we should have expected.. But the first' step towards improvement is to acknowledge one's error ; and we trust that in future,- greater attention will be paid to, those measures tendirig-to the, profitable occupation of the country, than to stupendous undertakings which > might profitably be postponed for a fey years longer. But, whilst we agree generally with the Superintendent of Otago, We do not at ,all coincide' in- his estimate of the value of direct steam communication with Europe. He says, in this ' con T. T '. ■ nection :— * , . ■ ' 'Gentlemen,— Perhaps 'the .most .effective means which' could be adopted ",Qf attracting .population to our shores^ would be the estab--Hshmeni of direqt steam cQmmunicatiQn with , , Europe. ; " ( /'-,„ j ,, u , , , . From inquiry upon this subject, I have reason to "think that -if, Sunder the powers conferred by , the Immigration Act, - 1868, we were to set apart, '£25,<jOO^a year foi\im-. migration.;for three years,; Arrangements may, be smade whereby, "a ,dir^ct , £jie,am^ bne can be, .secured, anil our immigrants 'brought out in r ; 50 ' days afthe same rates as'are^np^^eiixg paid ''to' sailing vessels. \ f "With *his object^in , view/ 'proposals' will Wsubmit.fced", lo v,o'u f or 3 approval. /'';,<,' -J , ( f ',„., ms.H .;. <U /_ <s As a ' general' principle,' 'We^oTyjecVto* iprqviiici^ll'evenu'ei^ 3 su bsidlsing * steamers. iThepe.' "may,., J?e -, exceptional' cases,' however,- fin<rwhich-J outlying* settlements J of - a province-might i ' jls yktly' Ben'efitted b^'a^sm'all' expe^flii; 1 itjire'fn. the^sli^pe.of a, ,i%am.< ■ Such", a: case [might* beL found, m in,, our. ? owb.;> province,, -iut^he^irade/ between* ! ,ri?Q^ G^^¥fcb; ; ts? ;th> pe^y^med; I settkm.fnt s pt-Martin'3u sBayji 5 Bayji in Atago,; whitohftit,fisf proposed <4o 5 i connedt'^with J>uneaiii'"'bysni^ansW : & H o%#K- ;w%^6iiai:t/|p^; 'alatge/^umlaniraally^n^team-isubsidy^ between* EuropeAapd «riyvpoi* l ifft!hi& Jplohtf^tW lgl^evjn«f flr anf |or; ife^Ji!,- in the foUb^tflfei^ss^f m |tb»*

I speech, idßix&> we commend to the careful perusal- of Auckland merchants' „ - ' The advantage which' would resiilt to ' the province and to' tn,e colony from such' a Ijne must be 'so obvious 'that it" is needless, to enlarge upon it. I "may observe that'but^ior the Graving Dock at Port Chalmers, now, rapidly approaching completion^ we never could baye" looked forward to a line of steamers such as is 'now in view at anything like the , money. ' ' "We are again tempted! to quote from Mr. Macandrew's speech. He says : — 4i While upon this subject of immigration, I it may be well to call your attention to the fact that,,in all probability, an effort will be made to 'take the' matter into the hands of the General Government. J feel pez-suaded that any action in this direction practically means the settlement of the Northern I Island at the expense of the land revenue of Canterbury and Otago, each of which provinces is far more competent to conduct its own immigration than the General Government can' possibly be. It ,ia to be hoped that your action this session will be such' as that, in as far as this province is concerned, there will be no pretext J for the General Government interfering^ the matter of immigration. We shall not discuss the broad question of policy raised in the foregoing paragraph. We are of opinion that the provincial governments can supervise the settlement of their respective territoiies much better than the General Government could do, but certainly, after the confession of shortcoming and neglect by the Superintendent of Otago, quoted above, and a nearly similar confession made by- the Superintendent of Canterbury on a recent occasion, we are forced to confess that however competent these , provinces may be to " con- " duct their own immigration," somehow or other they have failed to do the work to anyone's satisfaction. North Island members will, howevex , observe the tendency of the Southern mind on this question from these extracts. We have not space to go through the remaining paragraphs of Mr. Macandrew's speech. Suffice it, that he intimates that a contract has been taken for the Dunedin and Port Chalmers railway, and submits to the Council whether the Government should not be empowered to borrow money to construct the proposed Southern Trunk Rail.vay. With regard to the first project, we may remark that the mistake has been committed of completing the contract before power to obtain the land has been obtained ; and of the second, that the 3um supposed to be sufficient for the work is £400,000. Another proposal is, that power should be granted to raise £200,000 towards providing a water supply for the goldfield. The Supeiintendent estimates, that bj' means of a sufficient water supply, the Otago goldfield would maintain a pop illation of 50,000, instead of 5,000, as at pre.sent. If this be the case, the money in question would be well spent. Bills are to be introduced for "consolidating the " existing road districts, and conferring " upon district road boards larger " powers than they at present possess." Works are to be undertaken to prevent damage from the overflow of various rivers in the province ; also to improve the navigation of the Clutha, the bed of which, and of the Taieri, is " rising " consequent on mining operations." Increased provision is also invited to be made for the Otago University and the common schools of the province ; and the Council is recommended to consider whether a supply of salmon ova could not be procured from British Columbia, now that the San mail line has been opened; We conclude with another extraot from the speech :—: — Although the progress of agricultural settlement has not been So marked during the past year as it was during the Iwo previous years, at the same time it has by on means been standing still. Two hundred and forty new agricultural buildir-gs, or homesteads, have been occupied during the year. GoM escort returns show an increase of nearly lO,ooooz. as compared with the previous year ; while the Customs revenue shows- an excess of about £6,000. The number of public schools has been increased from 74' to 85. The money expended by local Road Boards amounted during the past year to the large sum of, over £30,000.

Our Thames correspondent, whose letter appears in another place, speaks hopefully of , the condition of the Thames, showing that the depression caused by over-specula-tion and scrip-gambling is only of a temporary character. The large quantity of amalgam obtained from the Shotover crushing has caused great excitement, and the scrip is again in' demand at' enhanced prices. This is another example of the fallaciousness of the common supposition, that the riches of the famous 'Shotover Olaim had been exhausted. » 1 We give in another .column Home particu-' lars (omitting -names) of a really sanguihary duel at, Hamilton, between a resident of the place and.a Raglan notability. „ i ! The Wellington' Post-' of the 10th instant misrepresents a paragraph which' it states was published in* the Post' of the 9th, aa a quotation from the Cross. Our contemporary says that we announced that "the Sydney' Morning Herald informs its readers that Mr.. Webb, acting for himself, had' sent ,one' of 'his steamers, to'meet, at Honolulu, the v^sseLto arrive there under Mr. Hall's contract: with the 1 New Zealand Government;" [What we did. -publish froiri the Herald was, ,t";By advices per * Sparkling Dew,' it would .appear that every preparation has been made 1 for th.e -due-transhipment-of passengers at Honolulu', *as ' steamers will be waiting' to convey '.them* to' the American Continent.", What' the ' PosV< attributes to the Sydney ' , pamper was *"by us as' a statement which Lthere was treason to believe," consequent upon a'coouhtsfgiveh in 1 Sydney ,by! <the captain of '> the; \ Sparkling 'Dew.' iTtie Bosh explains that} one* of M& Webbs Tat^amers could riot have'beeh'seiifrfrbm San r • JjV^aciscd tb*-Honolulu,''.and adds" statistics; ,to Ishow.jthat it would not have'paid to send 1 'one. i Perhaps the Post will' apologise for its ,%bi\se'-oV the Herald." J'"\' -• ■vi There 1 ' dfrglif r to be a"; full attendance s of members "of the Chamljer J pf Commerce at stheicne'etfcgs't^be held on' Thursday after1 Tlie idjburned. f general jneeting Hi io il bh' ■'held'at'tii^Mechanics; Jjostitutej at , i 3 ofci6ck' ; 'oii ! tiiat afternoon, '-^'to receivejtKe "Stib-66fflinitt^es; -repbrfa.,on iPostal Service; Jan 4 Do'ckf^c'ommodation,; Storage of '(^unV ■spowdey "antit Kerb^mejlßitty'dn^Auatralian MikW, u U'dL "Bilk of 0u& h ,' -AtftHe clOsfe'pf ' ;.tbis liuiin^ss k^spiMaV general ! 'meetirig';will', .b& kil'd'lo^ooisidVr, o > ertairi J prbp6s > ed altera-^ ntions* in'^fie :!Rale^u: !RaIe^ u onr of T them* involving tthefqufe9lt6h uCI 6f } ap^6iktmg;.Vc6niM^ hli'M mfeetmg i 'o£ ; lbhe subscribers to % the lipaey, testimonial Fund^rasJiold .pn*Eriday- night,* ■4n? ihe . Muns{er"Hq^el, Shortland. Mr. •^Ilfion'e^^Jßefpre p'e Jme^ng^the list /? pf ', '^Soly^ltm r Woka.fWldc^}m(i Rpwlfty c%lll)n tl^gl i ,%efftilemin'>who < ha^ 'pptoiusep^ •sub^cripiaß^^^M;-mfel%^a<ygui^|: waffiafflWr'na^ %n same' tj%,andr tttyaee, '? p % ''- .' ' " ■,' ' *

A correspondent at Aotea haa kindly ; supplied \is, with 1 authentic particulars,' qf -tHe difficulty which has arisen between the Haiihaus and Messrs. Ilbnry, relative to the landing of goods from the schooner 'Industry/ 1 These'goods are required for the establishment r of a" store at that place," in connectio)i ■With the manufacture of flax on a large seal^ and it would appear that the Hauhau Kmgites' oppose the i landing of the goods for alleged reasons, 1 which' are so utterly absurd as to be almost incredible. Their excuse is an allegation, that, at Alexandra, a storekeeper turnislied a revolver ' and a knife to >a native to assassinate the Maori King. This, we feel convinced, is only another of the many ridiculous canards which obtain credence amongst the ignorant and fanatical Hauhaus, and which are exaggerated by those who are interested in stimulating hostility .to Europeans. Our correspondent thinks itbs . Maori King himself is opposed to violent • measures, being disinclined to precipitate another quarrel with' the Government, or the loyal natives, who are likely to be incensed at the stupid .obstinacy with which the Hauhau party oppose every step towards the peaceful settlement of the country, « and the amelioration of the native race. Good judges are disposed, however, to regard the opposition of the Hauhaus as mere bounce, which willjbe overcome by a little firmness and moderation on the part of the Europeans. There is, however, necessity for great caution, and we trust that any action which might tend to mar the good effect which has been produced by the judicious native policy of ,the present Government, may not be taken. . !- , Some time ago we published a description of a first-class grand turret clock, which Mr. Bartlett, watchmaker and jeweller, Queenstreet, had ordered from England. Hie clock has arrived by the ' Kate Waters,' and is now on view at Mr. Bartletts shop. It is a piece < f splendid workmanship, and has a bell, which, if well situated in a high tower, should make itself heard over tlie greater portion of the city. It will now remain for our citizens to find some suitable situation for the clock, and we think the design of the intended turret at the Postoffice in Shortland-street should be completed without delay, and the clock erected thereon. The completion of the turret would cost but a small sum compared with the benefit the public would derive from having a large turret clock erected in a conspicuous place, where, with illuminated dials, it would be serviceable by night or day. ' By Orders in Council, published in the Gazette of the 4th instant, it is directed that the claims of Kapanga Te Arakuri to Parangu No. 9, at Coromanclel, of Kerei Te Tuhi and others to Tangonoa, at Hauraki, and of Wiremu Keepa Hoete and others to Motutere, Coromandel, shall be re-heard in the Native Lands Court before the 31st December next. On the 9th instant, a number of gentlemen connected with the mercantile interest at Wellington entertained T. M. Stewart, Esq., of the Bank of New Zealand, at dinner at the Club, prior to his taking his departure ' for Auckland. About forty sat down, and no house or firm of note was unrepresented. Mr. Brandon occupied the chair. The arrangements -were highly satisfactory, and ' everything passed off in a very pleasant manner. The Wellington correspondent of the Of ago Daily ' Time* recently v»rote to that paper, " The new Gfovernment House, however, shows no signs of approaching completion, i and his Excellency will once more have to content himself with the house which was formerly Sir Charles Clifford's. Carpenters, plasterers, and other tradesmen are now busy in the Government Buildings, trying to get the 'House' itself ready, aiicl it will be as much as they will be able to do before the 14th June. Large offices intended for the Defence Department are being built over Bellamy's ; two of the old Committee Rooms have been turned into a large reading- and writing-room, a convenience which members have often desired, and six very nice new commifctee-rooms have been built over the old ones. Altogether, members will find the arrangements of the House this session much I more convenient than heretofore." The Wanganui Chronicle, in a leading ' article criticising Mr. Rolleston's recent speech, says: — "Mr. Itollestoii is not only a calumniator of his Northern fellowcolonists — he is also, on this subject, a narrow-minded man, utterly incapable of realising the conditions on which the war and the native question rest." In our shipping columns will be found an account of the wreck of the schooner Challenge at Manukau Heads. The Parliament' of New South Wales was to be prorogued on May 7. The following is the rota of attendance at the Police Court for this week : —Monday. May 16, L. D. Nathan and J. Newman ; 17th, <*.M. O'Rorke andJas. O'Neill; 18th, 0. H. Ottway and G. B. Owen j 19th, G. P. Pierce and 8,. F. Porter ; 20fch, A. K. Taylor and Thomas Ritchie ; 21st, D. B. Thornton and H. H. Turton. Another portion of the property stolen from Mr. Wormoll's shop at the Thames has been recovered. The Otago Daily Times says :—": — " We believe that it is the intention of the General Government "that the winner of the Champion Rifle Belt shall hold it as his own should he win it twice in succession ; also, that the present champion will compete for it next year, without firing in the test competition for the election of representatives j and that the contest will take place in one of the provinces of the North Island — most probably Auckland. " • This morning, at half-past 6 o'clock, the A.R.V. battalion will muster for parade in the Albert Barracks. A correspondent of the Otago Daily Times, writing from Wellington, says :—": — " Among the topics likely to be brought forward before the Assembly, the unfair position of the North Island provinces with reference to the land revenue of the colony is spoken of as having a better chance than heretofore of getting a fair hearing. The present position is considered unjust, and is attributed chiefly 'to , Southern members. They are charged with having retained their own land fund intact, while annihilating that 'of the North by taking away the Government pre-emption and, thus handing it over to the Maoris. < • The General Government have .written to Mr. Bachelor, of Wellington, promising to bring correspondence on the subject of sericulture before the Assembly. ' The schooner 'Argo,' which left Grahamstown for the, < Bay of.. Islands on 'Friday t00k,, 23 passengers for the flaxmills at that place,, sent by Mr. Mcllhone. The' 'vessels; &c.,' of the , 'New Zealand Steam Navigation 'Company (Limited) are -advertised to be 'sold by auction at Wellington, on June 16; unless they are otherwise previously disposed of. ' l ,",' The" monthly meeting of Lodge Waitemata,' 689, E.'C, is to be held this evening,' at half -past 7,* at the Masonic Hotel. v'l , { . f • > ' V " 1 ' Mr, < Mackay, proprietor of the" '<"JBruce fferald, has been horsewhipped in his office, by a, contractor named Hilgendorff, who 1 appears to have taken ,offence at, a "local" in thaji, paper >with reference to -Sabbath* i' desecration, , in- which.' her was" animadverted upon.for conveying^ stone across the t Waihola Lake,oii a /Sunday,,:,* The assailant was fined >£sfqr%e, assault,,;,, J ,- V for Hawked Bay,' /proyince'/'publi'slild'in'/utHe .Mew Zealand Gfazettfoi ttie4tb:ipsta£t,,,sho^'the follow rj 'ing 1 results':— Tofay.riumber n bf, u holdings r , ,gs9^lanOrpk'eVur,bus jiot under crop, 4,204 a. fu'nder -crbp, &;9j£a. /jlThe t last .total is' 'divided/ ap.'d .tKe estimated produce ,is statea : - f th t u4v:V^heV 'MM,, , 2c 1086 bushels-^ o ! atl, for' green food or "hay* 1991 a. ,. iftr igrain 8293 a.," 21,440 bushels ; barley, j *$&&?* '£6707, bushels; "hay,.j--^6721ai,.

, ' ' Campbell .Reis miner,' Thames, and Morris' Harris, ! 'dealer, 1 Auckland, 'and Alfred George Howard, farmer, Tamaki, have been' 'adjudged* bankrupts, ; and the first" meeting of creditors' in eacheaseiSto be Held ait'the" office of the Provisional Trustee,, at noon on t Saturday next. A deed of composition and arrangement has been filed by 'Henry, Solomon Meyers,' merchant," Auckland. 'On Thursday next,' the Court will be applied to for a declaration of the complete execution of a deed of arrangement filed by Henry Lewis, clothier, Shortland. On the 26th instant, Harry Mann and James Liddell, licensed victuallers, Grahamstown, will apply to be discharged. '^H^ ] Mining companies' meetings are announced as follow :-*- Victorian Consols, extraordi-, nary, at Shortland, on the 3lBt instant, to alter rules, \ &c.' ; United Kingdom, 'extraordinary, June 2nd, to elect directors, &c. ; Hazelbank, ' 'extraordinary general, at Beveridge and Ritchies office, Wyndhamstreet, to-morrow, at 2 o'clock. — Calls have been made — in' the Star of Fermanagh, 16d. per share ; Castle and Galatea, Bs. ; Bachelors, 13d. On Saturday an inquest ,was held. at the Royal Hotel on the remains of the late William Rennie, before T. M. Philson, M.D., Coroner, and a respectable jury, when ci verdict of accidental drowning was re- | turned, On Saturday' afternoon the Auckland Naval Volunteers assembled for parade in the drill-shed in Fort Britomart, when various movements were gone through. I Owing to the rain a large muster did not ! assemble. On Wednesday night first the j monthly inspection parade of this corps ! takes place, at seven o'clock, in the same place. The Grahamstown Mail of Saturday evening says that, during the hearing of the case Smith v. the Moanataiari Company on Saturday, the Court, in referring to the Mining Companies Act, stated that there wa3 an amount of obscurity always observable in that Act that presented a great difficulty in finding its real meaning, and that the difficulty of interpretation was> a constant source of litigation. The Mail remarks, "The Act is certainly very loosely worded, and some of its clauses appear to bear interpretations directly contrary to the apparent spirit of theAct,and, as in the 9th and 27th sections, are so directly opposite that it certainly needs ' re-modelling. O'Connell is stated to have said that he could drive a coach-and-four through any Act of Parliament ever framed, but it would scarcely require much subtlety to override with a common wagon any Act of the New Zealand Assembly in general, •■ and any clause of the Mining Companies' Limited Liability Act in particular. " Mr. John Burgess has been appointed deputy of the Registrar of Marriages, and of Births, Deaths, and Marriages, for the district of shortland. Dr. jSeth Sam, Honorary Assistant Surgeon, has been appointed Surgeon of the | Militia and Volunteers in the Thames Militia district. j According to the country papers, who are abandoned to virtue, morality in the country districts of Victoria is at a low ebb. Ihe residents in that paradise where the zephyrs are so tormented with mosquitoes that they turn into hot winds, "up the country," appear to have never heard that a man may not marry his grandmother. The Tamworth Evaminer says* that some gentleman in its district has married his aunt, and other journals lelate instances of matrimonial speculations quite as hazardous. Despite the argument of the American youth, who did marry his grandmother, and who when his father returned from Fsea met his angry question, " What do you mean, you rascal, by marrying my mother ?" with "Well, my good sir, didn't you marry mine ?" — I do not think such unions are to be encouraged. Families would get so mixed. — The Peripatetic Philosopher. Otago is about to extend the Road Boards system, which has for several years worked satisfactorily in that province. There are in Otago seven or eight Municipal Councils^ in addition to that of Dunedin ; and the Corporations, aided, like the Road Boards, by subsidies in proportion to rates levied, have also worked admirably as to results, although often wranglingly enough. The Evening Star says :— " What is now sought is to create road districts with larger powers than District Road Boards at present possess, and to confer upon them Municipal powers. To this end a bill has been introduced into the Provincial Council, to be called the ' Road Boards Ordinance, 1870. ' The preamble sets forth ' that it is expedient to provide for the establishment of road districts, and for giving extended powers to Road Boards, and generally to provide for the construction and maintenance of roads and other public works in the district without the limits of municipalities and boroughs in the province of Otago.' It will be truly inferred from this that it is proposed to place not only roads but bridges and ferries uader local control, so that henceforth the inhabitants of the various districts may be enabled to effect such improvements as will add to the value of the property witnjn the district. " The Lyttelton Times mentions a sample of flax prepared by boiling and scutching, which is certainly equal, if not superior, to the general run of machine-dressed flax. The Times says : — "A Mr. Pegg, of Oxford, first tried the experiment, and Mr. D^umergne has since followed it up. The great merit of . this system is its cheapness, as flax of very fair quality can be produced for something like £8 per ton." ' The following petition on the Highways! Act is to be presented at the next session of the General Assembly on behalf of the settlers of the Northern Division :—' " To the Honourable the Speaker and members of the House of Representatives of the colony of New Zealand. — The humble petition of the undersigned settlers in the province of Auckland humbly showeth : That in the Bth, 28th, 36th, and 38th sections of the Highways Act, 1867, certain penalties or fines may be recovered by the ratepayers or trustees of any district from such person or persons as may be guilty of breaches of certain enactments in the said Highways Act. That the expense of enforcing sueh 1 fines and penalties must be borne by the trustees or ratepayers of the district in which the infringement of the Act has occurred, but that the fines when recovered would accrue to the Colonial Treasury. That in consequence of this the trustees and ratepayers of the several districts decline to enforce penalties* the benefits arising from' which' accrue to others, whilst the expense of recovery devolves upon them. Hence -serious breaches "of the Highways Act are left unpunished. That if the trustees were allowed to retain such fines as might be recovered under the provisions of the Act, 1 to be by them expended in 'the formation of roads orbuilding of bridges, it would tend , materially to ensure the better working of the Act, and would cause the money recovered as fines to be beneficially spent in the district. Your, petitioners therefore humbly pray that , your honourable" House will' take the above representation into' your favourable corisideration, and take such steps' as will enable the trustees 1 to retain any fines recovered in con.nebtion with the said Act, or any other High- ■ ways Act that may be ix- operation in* this .provinbe," on condition -that they shall be expended in the' aforementioned-manner.. And yourpefcitioners, tl asin dutybbund^ill evei pray,",, , •„"«,', [ ;\ -"'-.. - 1 A'SduthUnd'flifx-dfessertog seated: to an InvercargilT - *? 9 , 'conviction, founded upon experiment, .that, the aj)pliea r tioh of Steam to"the*nbr<3 'immediately" aftei it's '.passing the Tollers -wiH^rproduceiihat softness and lustre which are so highly desired, and render it c xn every respect equal to the finest Manila'hemp. " ' \ ' ':' _' '\ ' : '!"lt is notified that 3 a^deed^of composition, •made . bXtweettsfl Charles „ Davidson,, Jiotelkeeper,, ofcJ&rithamstown^andhHr creditors, "ha^'bee'nfiie^a^thelSuJJreme^Coutt.., cs-* ' ' ;il#6amaru, M^&A&^- mutton fa» f 'a» fedse'd' " ofY^hj^cult^^t^jm^encj

I At the Ppljce', Court, . on, Saturday laajfc, Thomas Beckh&nSr Esq.; --R..M., and Hugh' Morrow, Esq., J.P., were the presiding Magistrates. The! case of arrears of city .rates against Mr., Haywood, of the Auckland HQtel, was dismissed upon its merits.- James Thompson was sent to gaol for four months, ' ton a charge larqeuy ; i and the charges of offering for sale dead hen.jpheasantvipVe-' ferred against Albert Dornwell and Samuel Partridge, were further adjourned for a week, i to see if some arrangement could be come to with the Acclimatisation Society in the interval. ]' We are requested to call the attention of country residents and others io the sale of stock, furniture, &c, by Messrs. S. Cochrane and Son, at the residence of J. Kerr, Esq., M.Gr. A., Panmure, this day, at l\ o'clock. — [Advt,] ' ,