The Daily southern Cross.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXVIII, Issue 4609, 1 June 1872, Page 2

The Daily southern Cross.

I/UCEO, NON X7BO. If I huts been extinguished, y«t then rlio A tlioiu&nd beaooni from the spark I bor«.

SATURDAY, JUNE I, 1872

It ia not ono of the least of the benefits flowing from postal coninmnicatiou between these colonies and California that the spirit of enterprise which distinguishes our trans-Pacific friends is brought more immediately under our notice, and may be made a means of stimulating our naturally phlegmatic disposition. That we have need of this must be evident to everyone. It ia refreshing to be able to turn away occasionally frourHhe dirge-like strains of pretentious grievance-mongers, of which New Zealand has always its fair share, to catch the spirit of manly self-reliance and enterprise which leads our more hopeful neighbours to nerve themselves resolutely for the battle of life. Our attention has been drawn of late to an elaborate emigration circular from leading men in California, addressed to the middle classes in England and elsewhere, setting forth " the wonderful " natural resources and beautiful " scenery and climate of California, with " all the other numerous advantages of " that country as afieldfor immigration." What must strike some of our "pa- " triotic " journalists and writers, in coanection with this address, is the total absence from it oi any intimation that the country is on the verge of rain, Nothing is said about an expected col. lapse a few years hence, when all publio improvements shall come to a standstill, when money shall be obtainable only at 12^ per cent., and when railways, and all such fast doings, will be set aside to make way for "canals," and similar sober-minded means of locomotion, more in keeping with moderate expectations. Oa the contrary, the leading men whose names are attached to this circular insist upon it, in a cheerful and courageous tone, that California is, and is likely to continue to be, a highly desirable and prosperous country. Instead of blushing for their railways, or being afraid to own to these " extravagant " but very convenient means of communication, they rather boast of possessing them, and ostentatiously hold them tip to the notice of intending emigrants as being among the most valuable accessories to the progress and per* manent prosperity of the country. Here our American cousins differ widely from some, of . our wise men. They not only boast of their " scenery, "their soil, and ihejr climate," butihey " declare " California has one perfected " system of, railroads connecting the | " Pacific with the Atlantic It has \ " also two other railroads across the j ** continent projected, and now in " course of .construction. ," It has more-, "over an extensive system of local " railroads connecting all the principal

i( vflieya aai plains of the State with " San Francisco, the commercial capi- " tal of California." Iv this strain it is that these enterprising people address themselves to the " middle " classes of England," and hold up the prospect of emigration to California as | " the best opening in life for tha sons j " and daughters of country gentlemen, j " clergymen, farmers, and others " from the old country. All this is no doubt in the estimation of some people a very reckless proceeding. It is going altogether too fast. Why don't they take advice from some of our Opposition oracles, and proclaim it abroad that , theirs is about the last country in the world for anyone to emigrate to ? " When our proper time " is come" — when every other place is filled up, then may New Zealand or California, as the case may be, hope to lift up its head, and " receive the over- " flow of that stream of immigration " which, in the meantime, we may not presume to invite to our shores. Well, we suppose the spirit of littleness and i political malevolence could go no furI ther. When people are willing to " foul theirownnest" as a dennier ressort in order to damage a politfoal opponent, we may conclude that their argumenta tive resources are at a low ebb, and desperation, we know, will drive men to strange extremes in political theorising as in other matters. These are exceptional cases, however, and certainly are not to be taken as a fair sample of the view in which the people of New Zealand usually regard their prospects. Like our brother colonists of California, we are justly proud of the land of our adoption. We have the highest opinion of its resources and capabilities as a home for crowds of immigrants yet to arrive on our shores. We believe that what is neodedis population and capital to develop its extensive pastoral, agricultural, and mineral wealth, and we know of no more legitimate way for . obtaining these requisites than by attracting them, as others are doing, from older and more populous countries. We have not here the same extent of land to boast of as California and Australia ; but we have enough to accommodate five hundred times the population we are likely to see in New Zealand for the next fifty yeais. We have a climate superior to either of those countries] and our resources, making allowance for the extent of our territory, in wealth and variety, are equal to those of any country in the world. To say that we must stand by, and " wait our turn till the proper time " comes," before we have any right to engage in the business of active colonisation, is to utter the language of folly or something worse, and the men who counsel such a course, though they may plead innocent of any deliberate intention to play the traitor to the country which gives them bread, oan hardly escape the imputation of having gratuitously and unwisely undervalued the claims, and misstated the prospeots of this colony.

Our Tapuaeharuru, Taupo, correspondent writes : — "Mr. BuckJand's oattle are passing through hero en route to Cambridge ; there aro 117 head in the mob, which were all purchased in Hawke'a Bay. Talking of Mr. Bucklaud's cattle, and the route they are taking, reminds me how very different will bo the journey this my letter will take before it finally reaches its destination. First to Napier, and then round by sea to Auckland, or altogether say 500 inileaj and what with waiting for steamers, &c., perhaps a fortnight will elapse before you receive it. If the road were but open to Cambridge, all this delay would be obviated. if wo are of sufficient importance to have a road joining us to Napier, surely the same holds good with regard to Auckland, in fact more so, for wo belong to you and not to Napier. My last letter's chance of ever reaching you even is problematical, for I know there were not sufficient stamps on, but there were no more to be got, and so it had to take its chance. I fancy the postmaster here, raised suddenly to great wealth by the princely stipend he receives for the performance of his duties, has turned miser, for he objects to lay his money out at interest in the purchase of stamps for the service of that department which pays him so nobly and so well. At any rate, with regard to stamps, we must make, as in courts-martial formulas, the answer, • There are none. ' " There was a long causelist at the Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday morning; but owing to the long eases being adjourned, others being settled out of Court, and parties to suits not appearing, the business was over bjr one o'clock. A special meeting of the .members of the Mechanics' Institute was held last evening, and was largely attended. The meeting was very stormy throughout. Kesolutions were passed calling upon the present committee to resign and appointing a new one, Mr. George, one of the committee elected at the annual meeting protested that the proceedings were illegal. It is not certain whether the old committee will obey the resolution, but the spirit infused into the institution undoubtedly argues well for its future. Last night's meeting presented a strong contrast to the old regime, when ten or twelve members met together and re-appointed the committee chosen for them by ten or twelve members the year before. The feeling manifested last night was overwhelmingly unfavourable to the committee holding office, and we anticipate that they '$111 be content to allow the gentlemen appointed as their successors an' opportunity for. putting their profession* into practice. The committee whioh was last night out-voted hare, we believe, done their best, '^according to their lights," for the good of the institution ; but, should they determine to hold office contrary to the expressed wish, of the members, they will ioon alienate from themselves the sympathy which, they have hitherto carried with them. In an institution of that oharaoter no mere quibble or- question of rule ■h.ould be permitted to weigh against the expressed opinion of a large majority of the subscribers and supporters of the institution. Elsewhere in our columns will be found a condensed report of last night's proceedings. A considerable amount of bitter* new was given expression to, but we have preferred to omit it from -our report,' as we hope and beliere it would be forgotten before the members left the hall , , . We are informed that some of the small shareholders in the Siege of Paris Company are dissatisfied with the tejrms.of amalgamation approved by the directors on Thursday. , •They' think that the Siege was fairly entitled ' to 1,000 shares at leant, as no one doubts that the Bismarck's reef .runs through the ' Siege of JParis ground. ' iA correspondent, writing to us on the subject, says the advantages to be gained by the shareholders in the ! Bismarck by the proposed amalgamation are far greater than appear by our report of the meeting of directors. He thinks that if the proposed terms are carried, by a meeting of shareholders 'it will only be a triumph, of might over right * -^ Mr. Samuel M. Baker is gazetted an interprefer under fto Native L*ndfl Aots.

We learn that already 800 shares in the Freight Company have been applied for, although nob two-thirds of those liktly to take interests were waited upon. The Provisional Committee are desirous that all applications for shares should be lodged with Mr. Batger, the secretary, before three o'clock on Monday next, "ylt is hoped that by that time 1,000 shares will he allotted. A man, named Samson Long, was arrested last night; by Constable JefFery, on a charge of stealing from the person of Matthew Quinton, on the 30th May, 1872, a silver watch, worth £3 103. The watch has been recovered, aud the accused will be brought before the magistrates at the Police Court this morning. Fuel is a serious item of domestic expenditure in Auckland, As a rule it is scarce and de\r. A working man earning 355. a week has to spend one.seventh of his income on this necessary alone, be his wife ever bo economical in its use. It is therefore important that what he bargains to get and pay for, that quantity he should reoeive. This is seldom or never the case. He is iuvariably cheated in the measurement. Generally speaking a tradesman or a mechanic buys his cut wood by the halfton. This should contain 20 cubic feet. It seldom contains even so much as 14ft. A hall-ton of wood should be a staok sft. long, i 2ft. high, and 2ft. broad. Firewood comes into the wood-dealers' yards in 4ft. lengths when it is sometimes cut into 2Et. lengths : that is, the log is divided by a saw severing it at the middle ; but it is generally cut into three lengths, leaving each billet of wood lft. 4in. long. In this case a half-ton of wood should measure just one-third more. Now the fraud perpetrated on the buyers is by the wood-dealer giving billets of wood lft. 4in long instead of 2ft. ; and again when wood is ordered in shorter lengths, the original low instead of being cut into three pieces is cub into four — that is, the billet;, instead of being lft. 4in., is only cut lft. The way to put an end to this nefarious practice on the part of the wood merchant is to order wood either by the cord or half-cord, and, finding it short measure, to refuse to pay for it, leaving the dealer his remedy in the Resident Magistrate's Court, where he would get small consideration. The wood merchants, in excuse for themselves, say they give as much wood as they cau afford at the price they retail it out at ; and that if they were to give full measurement they would ruin themselves. This may be true, but as such an argument would not be listened to in the case of a butcher or a baker, neither should the plea be received ftom the wood merchant. Let him mako what charge he thinks proper, but the buyer should certaiuly have a fixed measurement. We are told by purchasing their fuel from the wood stacks at the wharf, and having it carted to their premises, and sawn in leuuths by one of the many labouiing wood-cuttera inthecity.consuraerswillsavefully one-fourth more than by dealing with wood merchants who give short measurement. A meeting of working men was held last night in the Presbyterian Schoolroom, Parnell. It was held for the purpose of having the rules of the Auckland Working Meu'a Friendly Aid Society read over and explained. The meeting was not largely attended. Mr. Le Hoy occupied the chair. Mr. George Hayter read over the printed copy of tne rules, and made a series ol running comments upon them, and explained how the society came to be formed. The 10th of June haa been fixed for receiving the enrolment of members, and the meeting of last night was occupied in reading and explaining the rules. They have been subjected as yet to no legal revision, and we would suggest the advisability of having them revised by Mr. Brookfield, who is the Revising Officer under the Friendly Aid Societies Act. The objects of the society are set out to be the assisting of members in times of sickness, and assisting to defray the funeral expenses when members die. A monthly subscription of 23. is to be charged, and during sickness a sum of 15s. per week will be allowed to a member for the first six months of his illness should his sickness continue so long, and 7s. 6d. for the next I three months should he during that time ! remain unable to follow his occupation. On the death of a member a sum of £8 will be paid to defray the funeral expenses. 'Jhe society's account is to be kept in the Union Bank of Austialia. At the end of each year the whole of the monthly contributions are to be divided amongst the members in proportion to the number of months they have been in the society with the exception of two months' subscription. A number of the copies of the rules were sold during the evening, and Mr. Wayte has been instructed t:> furnish copies to those applying for them. Another meeting ia to be held some day during next week, of which due notice will be given. Referring to the Auckland prisoners removed to Dunedin the Otago Daily Times says:— "The seven Europeans have a yard to themselves in the gaol here, and are confined at ni^ht in separate cells. The Maori is an acquaintance o£ Te Tauroa Tutauonui, the chief serving a term here. The prisoners ou arrival bathed, were shaved, and exchanged the ' canary '-coloured Auckland suit for the grey uniform of the Dunedin gaol. They will, if the weather is dry, be at work on Bell Hill to-day." The following letter from the Hon. Julius Vogel appears in the Nelson Colonist or" May 24 :— " Sir,— -You will, I hope, do me the favour of allowing me to contradict a misstatement coneeTning me, which was made by Mr. Saunders in Nelson, and which I find in the Colonist. Mr. Saunders is reported to have said, 'In coming through America, he heard a great deal of the manner in which Mr. Vogel had travelled — occupying carriages which would hold 28 all to himself, and detaining steamers at the cost of thousands.' I do not know whether « the coat of thousands ' is means to apply to the occupation of carriage?, or to the detention of steamers, or to both ; in any case the statement is equally untrue. I did not incur any expenditure for the detention of the eteamers; and, in justice to the hospitality shown to me, I must add that, with the exception of a short portion of the distance, a palace car was allotted to me from ocean to ocean each way, as also free j passage for that car along the lines. From I Omaha eastward three companies offered me the use of their lines free of expense. — I am, &c, Julius Vogel." On Tuesday, the 28th May, a meeting of ; the Mount 41berfc Church Committee took place at Morningside. It was resolved that ' the erection of a church should at once be I proceeded with. The tender of Messrs. Grey and Malcolm was accepted, and a Building Committee appointed. It is to be hoped that those interested in the Mount Albert district will make a final effort to enable the ohurch to be opened free of debt. The contractors will begin on Monday next, and the building is to be finished in tyro months. The seats are to be free throughout. Persons affected by the making of sections 1, 2, and 3 of the Opotiki, Ohitra, and Waimana Road, pianstof which may be seen at the Public Works Office, Tauranga, should lodge any well-grounded objection they have againßt the construction of the road at the aforesaid office within 40 days from the 22nd of May. We informed oar readers a few day* ago that the negotiations with Mr, Brogden were »o far advanced that it was expected contracts would be arranged in a day or two. We have now nuthority for stating that arrangements have been made for the construction of the Picton and Blenheim "railway j that in a day or two the Inveroargill and Mataura railway will be also contracted for ; and that tyro -or three of the other moat important lines will be tendered for and their construction decided on as soon as Mr. Brogden has completed his calculations. We are quite aware that there will be some short delay before contracts can be actually signed, bat the matters under discussion are of a formal nature, and do not in the least degree interfere with the commencement of the work with regard to which the Government and Mr. Brogden have come to a mutual arrange* menh,— 'Wellington Independent.

A New Zealand Gazette published on May 22nd proclaims as a public road that portion of the Tauranga and Katikati Road from Te Puna Greek to Aongatete Eirer, described in the Gazette. A public meeting has been called by the Mayoi, at the request of a number of inhabitants, for the purpose of affording relief to the afflicted and starviug of Persia. To the Editor : Sir, — Country settlors are proverbially apathetic and indifferont to public matters, which has been verified in the case of the Highway Board E iipoweriug Act. la epite of their indifference I anticipated that this Act, the masterpiece of class-legis-lation, would have aroused them to action. Tn one or two instances it has. North. Albertlaud Association, Mahurangi, Bombay Settlement, have spoken, and condemned the Act ; all honour to them. The Act will deprive the oountry districts most iv need of the grant from the General Government. Who will give their time, as trustees, ro carry out Buch a farce ? I hope that all highway distriots, ab their annual meeting in July next, will refuse to levy a rate or appoint trustees until they have the power to levy the rato either by acreage or value to sell, as in their judgment seems best. Let the Superintendent carry out the Act.— l am, &c, Public Hall, Waikato. The charge against the Rev. Mr. Abraham, of Melbourne, and his wife, for ill-treatiug a servant girl from the Orphan Home, was dismissed. A writer in tha Leader says : — "The congregation attending Mr. Abraham's church shuv ed their marked displeasure at his conduct, by staying away in a body. The writer wonders whether he read the words 'dearly-beloved brethren,' when there was none but the pew-opener present." The order in which the different squads will fire in fiho several matches to be held under the auspices of the Rifle Association is published in our advertising columns. The following remarks made by Mr. Duffy at the Maryborough banquet, given to the Victorian Ministry, are worth reading : — •• We intend iv the next place to submit to Parliament proposals fur making Melbourne, at no inordinate oost,the terminus of the mail communication with America, India, and Europe. (Applause.) In the first instance this will benefit Melbourne. Bat it is a benefit which may be shared by all classes who grow, or produce, or manufacture articles tit for commerce. We will send our wool to America, our flour to Indis, our gold to Europe, our wine and fabrics te New Zealand, our beer, and indeed what ever we make or import, to Fiji aud the islands of the Pacific. As a supplement to this system, we intend to propose afurther series oi railways, opening up the oountry to Soutb Australia on one hand, and to Gipps Land on the other, and completing the series initiated last year. (Cheers.) When we have completed and amalgamated our railway, post-office, and telegraph systems, the balance of profit and loss will be very different from the present. (Cheers.) I have refrained always from speaking of the finaucial part of this scheme, because that subject properly belongs to Parliament, but you oannot have mail routes and railway routes without paying for them. (Cheera.) Nations which wish to grow great must run some risks. They cannot regulate their affairs exclusively by the rule of three j faint hearl never won fair dominion, and it is sometimes better that a national policy should be aocording to Chatham than simply according to Cooker." (Laughter and cheers.) In his late tour to the North of the Murray, Mr. Hussey and his little oompany oi performers appear to have at times been placed in novel circumstances. One night's eu« tertainment is thus related : — "At one place, while Mrs. Hussey was singing ' Put me in my little bed ' to a crowded hoase, a large centipede was discovered wriggling on a lady's dress. Tn 10 seconds the whole audience was • demoralised' in doing execution upon the reptile. Order was hardly restored when there was a cry of ' Snake,' and every one jumped on the benches. Sure enough there was a large black snake under the pianist's ohair. This intruder was also despatched, and again trauquillity reigned. Then there was a irore than usually boisterous dog- fight. Thi3, of course, was only an ordinary occurrence, but as, out of it, grew a fight between the owners of the dogs, necessitating the calling in of the police, and the putting out of the two-legged combatants, we had rather a lively timo of it. Everybody, however, said the entertainment was a great success, but whether on account of the centipede, the snake, the dogs, the pugilists, the police, or our own efforts to please, I could not quite learn. " To the Editor : Sir, — The correspondent "Abstainer," who wrote in the Southern Cross some days ago, seems to have made a wonderful discovery by which he thinks ho has detected great inconsistency iv a letter on Brewers, &c , signed "Old Practical," and another by J. Crispe on Poisonous Drinks. Now, supposing for argument sake that the two writers are the same, there is not the least inconsistency. I say now that there is much drink sold, of a most poisonous nature, and therefore I recommend publicans to form themselves into a society to inflict heavy fines upon any of their body convicted of soiling adulterated drink ; and I say now deliberately that I believe we are all better without the use of intoxicating drink. I think the use of them is lawful, but not expedient. I think many men also eat a vast deal too much, and eat what they had better not eat. My object was to state that wo are apt to condemn indiscriminately a body of men from the bad conduct of some of them, which I think is unfair. If "Abstainer" cannot understand this, it is no fault of mine. — I am, &c, Old Practical.

The monthly meeting of the New Zealand Agricultural Society ia convened for Tuesday next. A call of one shilling per share in the Robert Etnmett Goldmining Company haa been made.