THE

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXVIII, Issue 4787, 30 December 1872, Page 2

THE

LUCEO, NOK URO. If I have been extinguished, \ et there rise A thousand beacomi from the apwlc I bore.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 30, 1872.

A shohi 1 time ago a meeting of the International Congress was arranged to come off at the Hague, to which it appears considerable political importance was attached in certain quarters in conjunction with the recent meeting of the Emperors at Berlin. Large numbers of delegates, repiesenting various nationalities, attended the sittings of the Congress on the occasion, and a good deal of excitement in consequence reigned for a time in some of the Continental cities. But the results proved altogether disappointing to tbe general public. The meeting was a total failure, so far ai the uninitiated were concerned, and certainly could not have been regarded as a success by its promoters, for its only effect was to widen the breach yet more hopelessly than before between the various sections And subsections into which the Association is split. Some of the scenes that took place are described as having been of the wildest and most disorderly character. At one time a serious dispute arose between the " Spanish delegation" and the leading members of the General Council. The crowd in the body of the hall appeared to threaten an attack upon the members of the Congress, who sprang to their feet, and gesticulated wildly, prepared to withstand the assault. The French delegates interfered, and finally order was' again restored. Similar scenes "were of frequent .occurrence. The authorities " at the Hague, it appears, would not allow the Congress to hold its 1 meetings there except on condition that they should be open to the public, and preparations were mad© by meanB of reserves of polipe.and mounted cavalry.: |for maintaining the peace aadigood order of „ the" oityl 3^.ii^a % vr^har6i said, the jM$0fiid;n«»~ "turned- to Jbje wholly without interest .torthe fp~vk,blio."o ; Nothing that could be galled business ira^ 5 trans acted th'tbughouiFTlie time of the Congress^iWasrooonpiedj^hieflTiih 5 fa _ raijjl !?iP^P^^HiP*J^^*^lip^»oeBl; and "feW?" tlie 9f £iat«ry;oir^cfcoMiof "&p^ tiier inoft

part were expended on subjects of no practical value to the professed objects of the Association. "The truth is," says the correspondent of the Daily News, " these public sittings of " the International Congress have been " an elaborate farce from beginning to " end. The transaction of business " thereat has been the last thing thought " of by the men who pull the wires of " the Association. .. But thej>uJbliejneeX~ " ings have other uses tcTcommenci them " They have pleased a section of the " public by affording them an opportu" " nity of seeing the members of the In- " ternational ' making beliere ' to legis " late, and they gratify the of a " few of the leaders by giving them a " a chance of making a speech without " point or argument, and Beeing their "names in the newspapers." At these sittings long reports were read in which reference was made to the "ramifica- " tions " in Australia, Buenos Ayres, and other places, probably not particularly jrell known at the Hague ; but nothing ?1fka said of the split in Europe and America which has rent the Association to its foundation, and, as was well said^ " deprived it of all cohesion without " further unity of aim or method." u Magniloquent but meaningless resolu- " tions," we read, *' were carried, convey- " ing the compliments of the Inter- " national to all people who at that par- " ticular moment chanced to be in " trouble on account of their efforts as " champions of ' freedom of labour.' " As fir the English section of this boasted movement, which has now well nigh played out its part in Europe, it was treated somewhat cavalierly by the foreign heads of the Association. " The English delegates," writes the correspondent, " hare also had their " scene. On Thursday night they held a " meeting," and, finding that four days of " the Congress had already elapsed, and " that.owing to the exceptional vivacity of " their Continental associates, they had not " been able to get a single word in the " debates, they drew up a document pro- " testing against thepositionin which they " were placed. This was quietly handed " in to the President on Friday morning. " It had the effect of somewhat sobering " the meeting.for the English contingent, " as representing something really prac- " tioal, is a tower of strength to the In- " ternational Association. But the protest " cam a too late to have any practical " bearing on the debate, for the English " section were already weary of the whole " proceedings, and in the meantime left " for London, refusing to take farther part " in the business." Thus it is clear that no common object of practical utility is ever likely to be accomplished by means of this Association. As for the political significance assigned to it by some, it is purely a chimera of the imagination. Such an organisation is incapable of working out any political or social reformation whatever. Even its power for evil can only be shortlived. Without any certain object capable of intelligent definition — without any declared principle of action that might be advocated fearlessly on the broad grounds of right and justice — this association in " defence of " labour," as it is pompously termed, is now showing itself to be a rope of sand, devoid of unity, strength, or influence in the least degree adapted to accomplish anything good or great. Such is the view now generally held of the International and its professions by very many who 18 months ago were most sanguine of its high destiny aa the grand regenerator of the age, which should effect unprecedented social and political amelioration for the working classes ey<|yywhero. As for the special " defence of " labour " by means of such an organisation, whatever may be the state of the case in other countries, it is certain nothing of the kind is needed in England or America, and still less in these colonies. The working man now-a-days, as a rule, has matters his own way far more frequently than has his employer, and therefore any attempt to fill his mind with still further exaggerated notions of his own importance, and the value of his services, already largely overpaid in many instances, can only end, if persevered in, in bringing about a reaction detrimental to the true interests of the masses, by restraining enterprise, limiting production, and ultimately raising the cost of living to a scale that will prove highly inconvenient to all concerned. At the present moment these colonies are threatened with such a result -the effect of high wages— and this without the assistance of an " International or Intercolonial Asso- " ciation"" interfering with the question of labour. The rate of wages is now so high in some agricultural districts in this colony, and in Australia, that the farmers declare it will make little difference with them whether their crops are eaten up by the caterpillar, burnt off by fire, or handreaped at the high rate of wages now demanded, with the small amount of work that will be done for the money paid. This state of things cannot continue, and therefore it is impossible that it should be really advantageous to the cause of labour. Fair wages and constant employment are desirable for all, for the employer as well as the employed ; but this condition of affairs is beyond the controlof such an organisation as we hare referred to to-day. Every attempt to dictate in such matters by would-be champions of the people can only end in disappointment, as the reign of the International bids fair to do, after railing false hopes in some quarters, and creating unprofitable and pernicious excitement in the public mind.

With this issue we distribute amongst our patrons our sheet almanac for 1873. It contains a considerable amount of information that is frequently required in the office and counting-house. Amongst the items supplied ■mil be found a correot directory of the General and Provincial Governments, the City Council, the names of the members of the newly-elected local boards — such as the Education Board, Harbour Board, Domain Board, and the Auckland Improvement Commissioners, &e ; the times when mails arrive and close for the different districts throughout the province; stamp dutieB, &c. " A large amount of information which the almanac, would otherwise have contained has been crowded out by the numerous favours of our advertising friends. For these we desire to return our thanks. From these, causes our annual sheet has been extended until it is quite as' large as can be conveniently handled ; and in its four corners will be found comprised something that must prove of interest to all' who desire to keep pace with the age. The|Domain, ponds are beginning to get .rather low, in consequence of the long continuance of dry weather. Yeatew3«y 16 was seen that the upper-pond was dry alto-geiher,Jherfl-w*rslittle-waterin the second, ."aTHrgome what more in" the third. The warning -received last summer by the long-continued drought has hot been lost cither upon the Provincial Government or the City Council. Whenrain» came towards .the, close of -last summfeVs , drought, the .City Council wisely <interpdsed,-when'it wis|proposed to take up the pipes laid dovrn.tD; temporarily oupply water, from' Messrs. Seccombe's well, and the pipeshayenow^become the property of the city, ? It is fortunate that this was bo, foi that circumstance -will be* the means of furriling/ the oitttonl of Mokl»n4 w»1jU, f

supply of water this summer sooner perhaps than they would otherwise have received it. A f«w days ago we intimated j^hat the Provincial authorities were moving in the matter of obtaining once more a supply from Messrs. Seccombe, and we understand that on Saturday last an agreement was made between tbe Superintendent and Mr. Seccombe, sen., to Bupply water to the city for the next three months. The supply from, the Northern Brewery l-begius to-day, and will be thrown into the reservoirs fin the Domain. 'Ihe arrangement carried out last year, of measuring the water pumped by Messrs. Seccombe's engine, will bo dispensed with this season, as it will be remembared that the water-meter used was much smaller than the 3in. pipes laid down to convey the water from the meter to the Domain ponds. The (consequence waB that a much less quantity of water per day was received than what the publio had been led to expect, and general dissatisfaction with the arrangement was the result. The agreement with Mr. Seccombe this year is that he shall pump continuously for 12 hours each day during the three months, and I allow the capaoity of the three-inch pipes to be fully utilised. For this he will receive a certain specified sum— not so much per 1,000 gallons of water delivered. This is an arrangement which will be likely to give much more satisfaction than last year's one, and if the Provincial Government or City Council would at once lay down an additional line of three- or four-inch pipes from the reservoir to the six-inch service pipe in Wakefield-streefc, a good flnptffr of pure water would at once be available to a large portion of our citizens. At the City Council to-day we hope it will be resolved that this additional line of pipes will be laid down forthwith. The Domain waterworks in all probability will soon fall into the possession of the city, and it matters little whether the city or the Provincial Government be the first to lay down this additional piping. When the city becomes possessed of the works it will have to pay for the piping if the Provincial Government now do the work, and there is no advantage to be derived from having plenty of water in the reservoir from Mr. Seccombe's well, unles» there be the necessary appliances for conveying that water into the city. It will be seen by reference to our telegrams that Warren, the alleged defaulting bank manager from Sydney, has been arrested in Dunedin. We understand that the capture was effected in consequence of information received from the Auckland police. Warren arrived here on the 11th inst. by the ' Wonga , Wonga,' and immediately proceeded Southward. By the • Hero' a description of the alleged defaulter arrived from Sydney, and has been made good use of. A child of Mr. Chadwick, of Shortlandstreet, had a narrow escape from being killed by falling down a well on Saturday last. The child had gone to the well for the purpose of procuring some water, and, the door of the well having been left open, the child fell down. The acoident was observed, and the bucket was »t once lowered, to which the child clung and was drawn up, fortunately none the worse for tbe fall. There was only about 2ft. of water in the well at the time of the accident. The inquest into the origin of the fire by which the Whau Hotel was consumed on the morning of the 18th instant was held on Saturday last. The examination was a long one, but the evidence supported the view of the fire being accidental. There were no further particulars elicited at the inquest than what we related at the time of the accident. The insurance on ,the property was to the extent of £500, Mr. Poppleton's share being £200, and Mr. Palmer's £300. We believe these gentlemen are considerable losers, being but partially insured. We are informed that his Honor the Superintendent and his Executive have been very busy duriDg the past few days in executive matters, in order that the various projects settled through the passing of the Estimates and Appropriation Act, and affecting the welfare of the province, may be immediately undertaken after the first of the coming month. We understand that- it is the intention of his Honor to leave town in a few days for several weeks' absence. Those persons having any public business which they wiw him to attend to should therefore not lose any time in seeing him before he leaves. We understand that Hugh H. Lusk, Esq., Provincial Secretary aid Goldfields Secretary, will resign the latter appointment in the course of a day or two, in order that John Sheehan, Esq., M.H.R., may commence the duties immediately the goldfields holidays are over. Our correspondent writes: — "Business was partially resumed at the Thames on Saturday, but it was only a languid attempt after all to shake off holiday thraldom. The banks opened for a eouple of hours, and the wares of the principal shops and stores were again displayed to the public, with however only meagre results. Trade will be stagnant enough until the second or third week of the new year. Of mining there is nothing to report : nearly all the crushing mills are at & stand-still, whilst work has not yet been fairly recommenced in the mines. Sharebroking is remembered but by name : the ' corner' is deserted, excepting by one or two of the habitue's who did not go away to spend Christmas, and who are now ' quite quite chap-fallen,' dwelling upon the memories of the past. In fact the general appearance of Grahamstown to-day was woebegone in the extreme, the bulk of the people having betaken themselves to Tararu, to witness the closing events of t_i© three days' ' Bports which had been provided. The one institution here that has not kept holiday is the Grahamstown and Tarara Railway Company. Truly, it has been liberally patronised. It is computed that between {3,000 and 4,000 people ran to and fro in the cars on Boxing-day, and nearly as many yesterday. The company's new engine arrived in the nick of time, and has received a liberal hanselling. It is a fine piece of mechanism, and powerful enough to make light work of four carriages and four open trucks crammed with, passengers." Weekly statementof the Provincial Lunatic Asylum, for the week ending December 21, 1872 :— Remained at last statement, 126 ; admitted since, 2; discharged since, 1; died since, 0 : remaining at present, 127 (87 males, 40 females). A meeting was held at the Church of England schoolroom, Remuera, last Monday night, to consider the desirability of providing a fit place for tHe organ, to which large additions are coming out from England. The Bishop of the diocese kindly attended the meeting to explain the proper place for the purpose. Of late years tljfe number of organs in churches in England has so multiplied that much more attention than formerly has betn paid to the best pla$e for putting them. English Churchmen who have been long resident in New Zealand consequently are but partially informed on the subject. The Bishop's comparatively recent arrival from England therefore adds weight to his opinion on the matter. He unhesitatingly pronounced the proper place to be between the chancel wad the south transept. Besides this being the proper place, it has the further advantage of supplying, a large number of additional sittings, and of furnishing a base for the bell tower. Resolutions were passed, and a committee appointed to consider the matter. After wLich, a resolution was proposed, by Mr. Ring, ancjl seconded by Sir George A rnoy, "That the warmest thanks of theparish be offered to 1 Mr. Edwin Hesketh, for his munificent liberality with regard to the organ." After a vote of thanks had been passed to the Chairman (the Yea. Archdeacon Pritt), the meeting waa brought to » close. We notice that a placard has been placed on the Wynyavd Pier warning frequenters that that thoroughfare has been, closed, owing to' the dangerous stjite of the pier. The date of sailing of the mail steamship ' Nevada' has been altered from Friday to Saturday next at noon.',' <■ . . ■ ■■ New Zealand green ew>»helt)i have been Billing |n koadon %% 4 Moiling per dozen,

The judges appointed to award the | Waiuku Agricultural Society's prizes for the best growing cropa of -wheat rode over the farms of the seven gentlemen competing for the above prizes on Monday, and gave the following award : — 1st prize, Mr. 0. Barriball ; 2nd, Mr. Caleb Hosking ; 3rd, Mr. J. ! Dickey. The crops of Messrs. Hedge, j Bregmann, and Walters were highly commended. A large area of ground has been ■ sown with wheat this season in the district in anticipation of a flour mill being erected, and it is much to be regretted that the plant which haa been obtained at much expense and trouble for that purpose by Mr. Constable is now advertised for sale. It is to be hoped that some of the settlers here will have the spirit and enterprise to purchase the machinery, and supply a means of locally manufacturing the products of their farm's. The gentlemen who undertook the duties of judges were— Messrs. J. Keleher Waipipi; Wheeler, Mauku ; T. Reed, Waiuku Bast ; R. Craig, Waipipi ; and F. poster, Tahurangiruru. The oropa in general throughout the district are looking well ; there have been a few patches attacked by the caterpillar, but as yet no serious injury has resulted. — The firing for the ladies' prizes by the Cavalry Troop, which was notified for the 30th instant, has been postponed until the 6th January. — The survey party who are pegging oub the route of the telegraph between Drury and the Maaukau Heads are making rapid progress ; the line is now completed as far as the PoHokJSettiemsnfc OnJ Saturday evening several addresses in connection with the Auckland Total Abstinence Society were delivered by Messrs. C. Robinson, E. Carr, Le Roy, and Brame, in the open space beside the old Supreme Court-house. Some little annoyance was caused by two or three men who had been drinking, and, as one of the speakers re» marked, " had evidently been sent to interrupt the meeting." The police also interfered by asking tha chairman if he had a license. One gentleman remarked " that a drink-maker and vendor had been allowed to occupy the same place for his own profit, and it did appear strange that persons who dame to advocate a good cause should be put down," which remark was loudly applauded by those present. After demanding the names of a few of those assembled, the police left, and the meeting was continued without further interruption. Mr. Brame's speech wsa listened to with marked attention, and many of his arguments were warmly applauded. It is to be hoped that those interested in the liquor traffic will not be able through the police to prevent^ the free dis cussion of a question of such importance to every one in this community. — [Communicated.] The banks will close on Wednesday and Thursday, the 1st and 2nd January. The Masonic procession and ceremony at the Thames on Friday last must (says our correspondent) have been incomprehensible to' the Maori mind, »s may be inferred from the following conversation that passed between a Maori man and woman whilst they were journeying in a 'bus from Shortland to Grahamstown. Said the woman, " Where were you yesterday ?" Replied he, " At Tararu. Ka pai fun there ! Lots of people ! Waipirau plenty." " And where were you ?" continued he. Rejoined she, with earnest volubility, " At Grabamstown. Oh, such a Bight ! Hundreds of pakehas dressed in black — like rangatiras, and marching as if they were going to a funeral : only when they arrived at the place, instead of bringing a body, they buried a atone. '' At this her hearer expressed much wonderment in Maori exclamations and interjections. The trial trip of the new ferry steamer c Takapuna ' was to hare taken place on Saturday last. Mr. Stewart, the Government Inspector of Steamers, inspected the steamer, and stated that a manhole would have to be cut in the boiler to admit of his examining the inside. The trial trip was therefore postponed until Thursday or Friday next, to admit of the hole being cut. A meeting of the members of the Thames Total Abstinence Society is to be held in Sjfefieorge's Hall this evening at half-past seven o'clock. The following are the boundaries of the Horotiu sheep district, and several clauses of the Sheep Act, to which it would be well if sheep- farmers gave attention : — "On the north by the Mangawaro river and by, a right line running in a south-easterly direction from the pource of the Mangawaro aforesaid to the Pipokopoko stream of the Waiho ; on the east by the Waiho river aforesa ; d to the mouth of the Rapurapu stream, and by a direct line from the mouth of the Rapurapu stream aforesaid to Arowhena ; on the south by the old road from Arowhena to Orakau, and by the Puniu river ; and on the west by Waipa and Waikato rivers to the mouth of Mangawaro, the the point of commencement. ' ' * '(Clanse 23. ) The inspector of sheep for every district shall, at all reasonable times, on being thereunto requested by any owner of sheep being or depasturing therein, register the imprint of the sheep brand of such o <vner ; provided that the said imprint does not, in the opinion of the said inspecter, too closely resemble any other one previously registered in such district, and in use therein for the branding of sheep. (24.) If the owner of sheep within any such district, who has not registered, in manner aforesaid, the imprint of his sheep brand, shall neglect to do bo he shall forfeit and pay for every such offence any sum not exceeding £5. (25.) All sheep above the age of fonr months, within the said province, shall be branded on the wool thereof with the registered sheep brands (and none other) of the owners thereof respectively, such brands not being, respectively, less than 4in. in length, and of a proportionate breadth, and to be at all times legible ; and if such sheep shall not be so branded, the owner thereof shall forfeit I and pay, for and in respect of every sheep not being so branded, any sum not exceeding Is." The p. s. Golden Crown brought up from the' Thames on Saturday last a very large number of passengers, the greater portion of whom intend to spend the New Year holidays in Auckland. ' We are requested by the treasurer of tha Home for Neglected Children to acknowledge a donation of £10 from hi3 Worship the Mayor, being a donation tendered by the City Council in lieu of rent received from Mr. Snyder, agent for Chiarini's Circus. The organ in St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church is now erected in the church at the corner of Syinonds-street, and is_ to be formally opened this evening by a soirge and concert of sacred music. The instrument is very effective and powerful, having a splendid bourdon. The organ ha8 10 stops, amongst which we may mention the horn — a splendid solo stop, and remarkable for its sweetness ; also the gamba and harmonic diapason. The whole of the stops contained in this instrument run through, which gives a very powerful, full, and round tone. Thd organ is enclosed in an 8ft. swell, and was built by Messrs. Bryceaon and Co., London. Mr. W. (Julpan, jun., has been appointed organist. The half-yearly general meeting of tha Loyal Fountain of Friendship Lodge, No. 3,920, was held on Friday evening at the Oddfellows' Hall, Cook-street, for the purpose of initiating new members, election of officers, presentation of P.G. certificates, &c. Several new members were initiated, and the following officers elected for the ensuing term:— N.G. Hulbert, G.M.; V.G. Syms, N.G. j Brother Smith, V.G-. j S. H. Matthews, Elective Secretary. P.G. certificates were presented by N.G. Syms to* a large number of past officers. The Missionary schooner 'Southern Cross' will leave on a cruise amongst the South Sea Islands on the arrival of two or three ministers] expected to arrive from England early in April. The schooner will only be absent on that occasion for about two months.' 'Her annual cruise will not be made till the latter end of Juno. The prospectus of the new National Bank of NewZealaud is published in ouradrertiling column*. ' .

The anniversary of the High-street Congregational Sunday-school was celebrated yesterday at the chapel, High . street, when appropriate sermons were preached — in the morning by the Rev. Gt. H. Turner, and in the evening by the Rev. Thomas Davies, of Remuera. In the afternoon the children of the school and a large number of | parents assembled to listen to addresses in i which some good advice was given to the former in regard to their religious training, and the latter were exhorted to encourage their children to attend to the teachings of their spiritual masters. At the close a collection was made in aid of the scbool funds. | A fatal acoident occurred at West Taieri, on the 20th ultimo, to a Maori called "Skipper." In attempting to make his horse leap the Tees stream, both fell, and the horse rolled over his rider, who sustained ( such injuries that he died very Bhortly after , the occurrence, and before medical aid could be procured. On the following day an inquest was held, and a verdict of "Accidentally drowned" returned. The sports at Hamilton, Waikato, on Friday, were a great sucoesB. Mr. Jamea Chadwick met with an acoident at the races on Thursday at Ngaruawahia. that might have terminated much more seriously than fortunately w?s the case. One of the ponies in the race threw his rider and bolted off the course. Mr. Chadwick rede after it at a gallop. The hcree suddenly propped at the edge of one of the deep holes thatrabound~oir1ihe flat, »n«l threw his rider over his head, and of course to the bottom of the hole. Mr. Chadwick is very sore about the ribs, but we understand that none of them are fractured. — Waikato Times. A number of gentlemen appointed as a committee to arrange for holding a Oale« donian ball on the 1st January, met on Saturday night, but came to the conclusion that it would be impossible to complete the necessary arrangements in time, and therefore the ball has bee"n postponed indefinitely. Another meeting will shortly be held, when it is hoped that arrangements will be made for an early holding of the ball. The only persons who will interview the presiding magistrate at the Police Court this I morning, besides two inebriates, are Joseph Williams alias Kangaroo Joe, who is charged j with having misappropriated two shirts; and j Richard Doherty, who is Buspected of having taken wrongful possession of a quantity of bacon. Mr. Wall, Town Clerk and Treasurer of Ballarat, has been suspended, his accounts showing grave irregularities. A day or two afterwards Mr. Wall paid into the Bank the sum of £127, which covers all that had not been previously accounted for. On Boxing-day the members of the Northern Wairoa Club played a match at Mangawhare — Married v. Single — and which resulted in favour of the BenedickS! The match was won in one innings, with 21 runs to spare. State of her Majesty's Gaol, Auckland, for week ending December28,1872:— On remand, 1 male; awaiting trial, 12 males; penal servitude, 42 males ; hard labour, 65 males, 17 females ; imprisonment, 2 males ; default of bail, 4 males, 1 female ; debtors, 6 males. Received during the week, 19 males, 6 females; discharged, 15 males, 6 females. Total iu gaol, 132 males, 18 females.

Mr. Buckland'a next wool and flax sale will be held at the Haymarket on Friday, January 10. A call of 5s. per share, payable on or before January 28, is made in the Thames Gas Company.