The Daily Southern Cross.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXVI, Issue 4060, 26 August 1870, Page 2

The Daily Southern Cross.

LUCKO, NON URO. If I lu\e been extinguished, yet thoro rise A thousand beacons from tho spark I bore.

FBI DA V, A UGUST 26, 1870.

A^roNGST the papers laid on the table of the House of Representatives, consequent on motions of members, the following comparative return of the quantity and value of wool exported from the several provinces of New Zealand, during the financial years 1868-9 and 18G9-70, will be found interesting : —

Tt will be seen that the wool export from Auckland is steadily increasing. When we consider that our wool produce is the result of sheep-farming, and not of occupying open ruus, as in most of the Southern provinces, this fact must be gratifying to our country settlers. It also represents a large expenditure in labour and permanent improvements, without which it would be impossible to rear good breeds of sheep in those parts of the Auckland province at present settled upon. But there is another aspect of this return which ought not to be lost sight of. We mean the relative value of the wool produced in the several provinces. Although Auckland exports much less wool than Hawke's Bay and Wellington, the staple of this province must be of a much finer quality, to judge from the column of values. This fact io still more noticeable, if the export value of the Marlborough wool is contrasted with the export value ot Auck land wool. The quantity of wool exported by each of these provinces in ISG9-7O was, as nearly as possible, equal. The difference in value, however, was 25 per cent, in favour of the Auckland wool. Canterbury fleece likewise appears to be inferior to that of Auckland and Otago, which latter province may be said to equal, in point of commercial value, the wool produced in the North. Looking at the total result of the exports for the two years included in the return, one cannot but be surprised at the magnitude of the pastoral interest of the colony. Thus, during the year ended June 30, 1870, no less than 34,337,453 pounds of wool were exported from New Zealand to the English market, representing a money value of over a million and a half sterling. This was an increase of more than ten per cent, ou the exports of the preceding year. When we come to consider this great interest, we can hardly wonder, therefore, that those specially interested in it should endeavour to protect it by every legitimate means in their power ; and we cannot butthinkthat itwouldbea pity to adopt any policy, with regard to the waste lands,which would impose any unnecessary burdens on the pastoral tenants of the Crown, or tend to lessen the production of the wool staple of the colony. At the same time there must be a limit set to the depasturing system. It must not be permitted to stand in the way of agricultural settlement, on which alone the permanent wealth and prosperity of the colony depend. So long as the runholders can manage to pay their rents, which inmany instances are trifles, and raise a large quantity of wool for export, without curtailing settlement, they should be permitted to do so ; and if at any time any portion of their runs should be required for agricultural purposes, it is only fair that they should be adequately compensated. Although the Auckland settlers have had to spend large sums of money in clearing and fencing their land, before laying ife down in grass, we think we only give expression to their sentiments in regard to the Southern runholders in the preceding remarks. The people of this province have not enjoyed any special advantages from the waste lands of the colony ; but that is simply because they chose to settle m a province in which there were no lands fit for pastoral occupation. At the same time they have a direct interest in the settlement of the waste lands. . Settlement or occupation means increase of population, and a proportionate reduction of the public burdens. It also means colonial progress and development. No doubt the country is now in a transition state, and . many questions bearing on its settlement

will crop up, which time, and a spirit of conciliation, will satisfactorily solve. We therefore desire to refrain from expressing any opinion which might be calculated to set class against class in this country. Our main object today has been to indicate the vast importance of the pastoral intereats of the country, and to incite our fellowsettlers in* Auckland to still further efforts in the direction of improving their breeds of sheep, and increasing their wool production. They have begun at the right end. The Auckland settlers have laid the foundation of great pastoral wealth, by adopting systematic sheep farming as a permanent branch of their agricultural pursuits ; and they will find themselves, in the not remote future, in a position to distance competition in the colony. With peace assured, and the energies of our people solely devoted to the cultivation of the soil, we are convinced thai the wool export of Auckland would be quadrupled in three years. At the present time, there is not perfect security, neither is there sufficient scope for any great extension of our agricultural settlements ; but there arc not wanting indications that peace will soou be pei-manently established, and large tracts of fertile country thrown open for profitable occupation.

A sitting of the Supreme Court in Bankruptcy was held yesterday before Chief Justice Sir George A. Arney. A list of about fifty bankrupts was the work before the Court, and about forty were disposed of or advanced a stage. A report will be found in another column. J. Naughton, Esq., and G. Wynyard, Esq., were the presiding Justices at the Police Court yesterday. A veiy noticeable feature in the business was, that no drunkards were brought up for punishment. A shipping case was the first on the list. Then followed an action between Mr. Dalton and Mr. Hardington's drivei", Frank Somers. The evidence was very contradictory, and the case waa dismissed, eacli party to pay his own costs. "Aliquis" writes as follows: — "Sir, — Be kind enough to publish the following remark | made by Mr. Forster to a Bradford deputation that waited on him with reference to the Education Bill, of which he has charge : ' Remember this, said he, \that although you may dislike religious teaching there are many persons who very much like it, and if we were to say by Act of Parliament that they should not be allowed to do this they would feel that there was a very great injustice forced] upon them.' Is not this injustice forced upon the people of this province ?" During the business at the Police Court yesterday, Mr. Hesketh made an application in the case of Catherine Connors, who was committed on the coroner's warrant, in consequence of the verdict of manslaughter returned by a jury at Whanganui. The facts were published two days since. The coroner's commitment made no provisions for bail ; besides which, owing to unavoidable ciroumstd,nces, the trial will not be held till the December sessions. Hence the present application. The Chairman (Mr. Naughton) reminded Mr. Hesketh that the Bench could not aot in this matter ; the only course would be to return the document (coroner's commitment), and have it backed by the coroner as required by law, slating what bail, if any, would be allowed. A Coromanclel correspondent writes to us stating that the detention of the mail mentioned in his letter on Monday last was not the fault of the master of the * Lalla Rookh,' by whom he has always experienced the utmost oourtesy, but of the boatman em» ployed on the occasion. Our correspondent wishes us to make this explanation in justice to the master of the ' Lalla Rookb.' We have received a copy of a pamphlet, entitled, "The Auckland Sunday-school Union : its Objects, Operations, and Claims." It contains a copy of the rules, and a list of the office-bearer 3 of the Union. The pamphlet explains the duties and qualifications of Sunday-school teachers, and contains information as to the advantages offered by the Union. We recommend the pamphlet, not only to the perusal of those engaged in the work of teaching, but to parents and guardians. We have been requested to stato that, as the • Go-ahead' did not arrive from the Bay of lalande yesterday, she will not leave for Whangarei until this morning, at eleven o'clock. Calling the attention of the Speaker to the fact that there are " strangers in the House" is only resorted to in the British Parliament on very rare occasions, and then in most instances by persons of little discretion or of an arbitrary turn of mind. It was done in the recent session of the House of Commons when the discussion on the Contagious Diseases Bill came on ; but in a subsequent sitting Mr. Henley drew attention to the exclusion of the reporters. The public, he said, had a right to know the opinions of their representatives on a matter of such great social importance as that which was then under discussion, and the attempt to debate in secret would do ten times more harm than publicity. — Mr. Gladstone agreed that the subject was one on which apublic discussion would be by far the lesser of two evils. He would not object to the appointment of a committee similar to that which considered the poiut in 1849, and reported against any interference. — Mr. Crauford (the member who had called the attention of the Speaker to the strangers in the House) said he wished to enter a protest against flooding the break-fast-tables of the country with reports of details unfit for publication. — Mr. W. Fowler maintained that this was a monstrous power to put in the hands of one member. The House ought to come to a deliberate vote before the power was recognised j and Mr. Dalglish suggested that the Reporters' Gallery should be excepted from the rule; as the House could trust to the reporters to handle these topics with discretion. The proceeds of the benefit given in the Panmure Hall, on Tuesday, the 16th, in aid of the 'Tauranga Relief Fund, amounted to £21. The expenses were £9 11s., leaving a balance of £12. Considerable credit is due to those concerned in making this weloome addition to the fund. We have received the following from "Carat:"— "Sir,— A statement, originating with the Thames Advertiser, appeared in your morning contemporary yesterday whioh seems to me so incorrect that I venture to express, through your columns, my reasons for differing from it. Referring to the handsome return of the Kuranui Goldmining Company for the last six months, the writer says :— ' The gold-duty on the yield of this company alone, at 2s. 6d. per oz., for 10,811oz. is £1,351 6s. 10s.' As a matter of calculation on the above data I would not venture to cast a word of doubt on its correctness, but the writer forgets that these 10,8110z., whose fineness would not exceed say 15 or 1C carats after being submitted to the refining process— the monopoly of which is at present enjoyed by our national institution (long may it live) — dwindles down to about 7,3700z. of fine goldj and, whilst the silver composing the difference leaves the colony duty-free, the revenue benefits to the extent of £920 only (being the duty on 7,3700z. at 2s. 6d.), instead of the £1,350 which, the Tiwmes Advertiser congratulates the colony on receiving. Who gets the profit of £430 ? Certainly, not the producer. The above calculations are all in 'round numbers only. I commend this to Mr, Dargaville and the Chamber, as an additional argument in favour of an ad valorem duty.— Cabat," Messrs. James Baber and A. Beetham should be the presiding magistrates at the Police Court this morning,

A dividend was paid in the Kuranui Goldmining Company yesterday. The total amount divided amongst the shareholders on this occasion was £3, 175. Wo have received a report of a meeting of the Newton East Hand of Hope, held in St. David's School. Messrs. Wilkes, Graham, Leßoy, and Buchanan took part in the proceedings, and the affair wa.* a decided success. Several appropriate selections were creditably recited by children. The Thames Advertiser says :—": — " We learn thai a writ will bo issued in a few days for the election of anothor representative for the the ■ haraes district, to supply a vacancy caused by the resignation of James Mackay, jun., Esq." The Otago Daily Times has an article on j the representation question. The Timis says : — "Wo have only to place the scheme of distribution originally proposed by the Government beside that which would result from the adoption of the amendment upon it proposed by Mr. T. B. Gillies, in order to satisfy any unprejudiced mind that the Assembly is, for personal reasons, overriding the interests of all those provinces which contain any considerable mining population. . . .On a population basis, if Wellington is to have nine representatives, these provinces [Auckland and Otago] are entitled to at least 21 each. .Retaining the present numbers of the House of Representatives, Wellington would have to be content with only seven representatives, whilst Auckland and Otago would have 18 each. To some extent it is apparent that the jealousy of province against province was influential in causing the rejection of Mr. Gillies's amendment. The desire to keep Auckland in check appears to be rife in the Assembly just now, and we fancy that some such feeling must have influenced the votes of more than one of our Otago members whose antecedents would have led us to expect they would have supported the amendment. But there is something far stronger than mere local jealousy at the bottom of this unjust vote. It is the hostility of class against class, it is the old and inveterate prejudice against the miner.'' We are requested to state that the anniversary of the opening of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre will be celebrated by tlic administration of the Holy Communion to-morrow morning, at 8 o'clock. Th? fuller services will be held on Sunday. A meeting in the Pride of Parnell Goldminiug Company is advertised to be held. Ratepayers in the Wainui Highway District are reminded by advertisement that rates unpaid after the 12th September will be sued for. Tenders are invited for the removal of the engine in the p.s. 'Enterpvise No. I,' and putting in a 14-horse power engine in its Sfcead. A call of Is. per share has been made in the Plying Cloud Goldmining Company, and one of £1 per share in the Caledonian Goldmining Company. Creditors in the Imperial Crown and Atlas Goldmining Companies are requested to prove their claims on or before the 12th September.

IS Ib. Auckland .. 1,341,663 Wellington 3,780,284 Uawke's Bay 2.029,214 Miirlborough 1,377,760 Nelson .. 327,290 Wcstland . . 27,077 Canterbury 11,1G9,060 IHago . .. 11,741,715 southland . . 2,532 878 870. 186 Value. lb. £73,658 1,012,555 187,600 3,467,150 102,452 832,444 53,089 1.473,301 12,488 270,957 1,390 17,930 449 772 10,570,838 673,372 8,859.576 151,609 1,899 008 69. Value, £65,894 178 94S 48,541 50.53E J0.13C 58S 414,275 529,39fl 115,950 Total . . 34,335,453 1,690,290 28,410.419 1.414,161