The Lyttelton Times. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5, 1861.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XVI, Issue 929, 5 October 1861, Page 4

The Lyttelton Times. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5, 1861.

The chief difficulty which ordinarily meets the chronicler of Canterbury, especially when his record is confined to so short a term as three months, is a dearth of events. The past quarter, however, stands forth a marked exception to this rule affording1 a variety of subjects of sufficient importance to interest the friends of Canterbury at a distance. Besides a change in the Governorship of the colony and its Ministry, in both of which the province is more or less interested, the past quarter has witnessed the election of a Superintendent and a fresh batch of members for the Provincial Council; a meeting of the late Council for special business; the settlement of the long deferred question of the "boundary between this province and Otago ; a threatened disruption of the province by the separation of Timaru; and the turning of the first sod of the Lyttelton. and Christchurch Eailway. Added to this has been the reflected interest felt through the country in the great fact of the gold discoveries of Otago, which has made itself felt in various ways, but in none more directly than in the abstraction of some seven hundred of our able-bodied population.

First in importance, as in general interest, have been the elections of the Superintendent and the members of the Council. Some six months before the time of the election of the former it was thought probable that another candidate for the chief magistracy of the province might be forthcoming, but as the time drew near it was evident from the general popularity of Mr. Moorhouse that no one would stand a chance against him, and as soon as it was positively known that he intended to stand again it was clear that he would be re-elected. The general feeling of the public was sufficiently favorable to Mr. Moorhouse from the beginning, but this feelingwas considerably enhanced by the violent and continuous personal attacks levied at him, week by week, in the columns of the l Press' newspaper. Whatever might have been the real object of its promoters, the public, who are generally pretty fair judges in these matters, looked upon the efforts of the 'Press' as intended to bring Mr. FitzGerald before

their notice as a fitter man for the office of Superintendent; and having' taken this view, the natural result followed : the more violent the attacks on Mr. Moorhouse, the more popular he became. After all had been said against the past political conduct of the Superintendent, the public were satisfied with him, and felt quite willing1 to trust the welfare of Canterbury in his hands for another term; even those who had their doubts about his want of prudence in financial matters, felt; that with a new council, which was likely to contain a sufficiently antagonistic element, it would be perfectly safe to leave the affairs of the province in his hands for a further term of four years, and that it was nothing more than fair that the man who had worked with so much energy, and overcome so many obstacles in order to start the railway into existence, should have the opportunity of overlooking it and possibly guarding it against future unforeseen difficulties. Shortly before the election, the Superintendent addressed a considerable body of the electors, in the three chief towns of the province, for the purpose of explaining certain allegations made against him by his opponents. The main point was connected with the purchase of some land in the Heathcote Valley, for the purpose of constructing a branch line from the river to a junction with the main line of the Ly ttelton and Christchurch Railway at the head of the valley. The scheme was intended to bring the main line into earlier use, while the tunnel was being constructed, and effect a saving in the charges for freight as well as give increased accommodation to the public. The method of purchase pursued in this instance, the land having been bought through private hands by order of the Superintendent and then delivered to the Government by whom it was paid for, was very strongly and reasonably objected to, as affording a bad precedent on future similar occasions. Of the merits of the scheme it is I unnecessary to say anything as they will come before the Council shortly to be fully discussed. The explanations given by the Superintendent on this matter were not considered altogether satisfactory at the Lyttelton meeting. At Christchurch and Kaiapoi they were more satisfactorily received, and on the day of nomination, no other candidate appearing, he was declared duly elected. The elections for the Provincial Council have taken place during the quarter and are all now concluded. Ly ttelton,which was first according to date, returned only one of her old members. Mr. Alport retired and Messrs. Cookson and "Ward lost their seats, their absence at Auckland not enabling them to answer, personally, various questions of political interest which had arisen in the mean time. Mr. Ward's failure may also be attributed to the fact of of his having taken office in Auckland and to the impression entertained by the public that he could not attend properly to his duties as their representative. Mr. Cookson was afterwards nominated for Christchurch and elected by a large majority, standing second on the list when the poll was declared. The City of Christchurch returned three new members out of four. Kaiapoi changed her two representatives, and new men were returned for various other districts. Taken altogether, the Council has not suffered by the late elections, which shew no evidence at present of our falling into the depths of ultra-democracy. It is summoned for the despatch of business on

the 22nd instant, and during the following session will probably give full proof of its

powers. The following is a list of members of the new Council for the several districts : Lyttelton: Messrs. J. T. Peacock, R. Davis, E. A. Hargreaves, and A. T. W. Bradwell. Christchurch: Messrs. J. Brittan, I. T. Cookson, P. Thompson, and R. Westenra. Heathcote :

Messrs. J. Ollivier, W. B. Tossvvill, J. Murray, and Harston. Avon: Messrs. W. Thomson, T. S. Duncan, C. Bowen, and E. M. Templer! Port Victoria: Messrs. J. G. Fyfe, and R. H. Rhodes. Akaroa: Messrs. G. Armstrong, J. E. FitzGerald, and R. J. S. Harman. Kaiapoi: Messrs. J. Wylde, and R. Rickman. Ashley: Mr. T. W. Maude. Timaru: Mr. R. Wilkin. Rakaia: Mr. J. Studholme.

Perhaps a more important matter even than the elections was the meeting held at Timaru to consider the question of separation from the province of Canterbury.' Though it had not hitherto spoken out on the subject of its grievances, a feeling had long been entertained by Timaru that ie had been overlooked in various ways. The special grievance appears to have been that no decent road had been hitherto formed, and that the money spent upon the attempt to make one had been

utterly thrown away : travellers preferring to use the old bullock track rather than trust

their drays and teams among the snares and pitfalls of the Government highway. Various other matters were subjects of com-

plaint: the place was inadequately represented in the Council; it had not the privileges of a port of entry j its roadstead was left to take care of itself ; and, in a word it was generally neglected. These smothered feelings at length found vent on the 10th of August in a loud cry for separation. A

meeting, attended by all the piincipal people of the district, was unanimous in the opinion that it had been generally neglected by the existing Government, and that, though, from not having a sufficient number of names on the roll to sign the petition, nothing could then be done to obtain separation, it was necessary to hold the power as a rod over the backs of the Executive, in order to obtain their just rights. For this end a petition was numerously signed, addressed to the General Government, against the repeal of the New Provinces Act. The Superintendent attended the meeting, and promised that the just complaints of the Timjyu people should meet redress. As the Government seems likely to carry out this promise by the establishment of a branch land and survey office, with a clerk of the works, and by an increase of the representation of the district, we shall probably hear no more, for the present, of the separation of Timaru: more especially as some additional difficulties have been placed in the way of getting up the necessary petition, by an act of the General Assembly, passed since the meeting was held.

A matter of great importance to the province has been at last settled. The disputed boundary question between Canterbury and Otago has been set at rest by an Act which hands over about 200,000 acres of fine country and a revenue of £600 a year hitherto enjoyed by this province, to Otago. A subsequent amendment re-adjusts the proportion of the debt, adding a few thousands on the amount due from Otago which had hitherto been borne by us, and preventing* any claim against this province for back rent. Whether Otago really bad any right to this territory, or whether it was a piece of bungling on the part of the Canterbury members, who allowed themselves to be outwitted, is a questionable affair and open to doubt. There can be no two opinions, however, on the fact that the matter was worth settling finally, even at the cost of the whole disputed territory. Considerable alarm was created some two months since by the knowledge that several head of cattle had been killed in Otago by

order of the Inspector, on suspicion of being-

infected with pleuro-pneumonia. The cattle holders of this province were desirous that

the Government should take stringent steps

to stop importation altogether; for this purpose the Council was hurriedly called

tog-ether, and an Ordinance passed putting* a veto upon the introduction of cattle by sea or

land except under special circumstances and by permission of the Executive. The Ordinance was subsequently disallowed by the Governor, another.having- been passed in the

interim by the General Government. It is very questionable, however, whether, if the present influx of immigration into this island should continue for any time at the same rate, it would be either politic or possible to prevent the importation ot cattle without raising the price .of meat to famine prices. The certainty felt by those best acquainted with the geological formation of the province, that the main range of mountains intersecting it contain gold, has created a feeling of disappointment in the minds of some that a payable and workable gold field has not yet been discovered. Since the first discoveries in Otago several efforts have been made to induce the Government to promise a reward to the finder of the first gold field in the province. At the late session of the Provincial Council a motion

to that effect was brought forward and lost. Shortly after a public meeting- was htld in Christchurch to petition the Government. This had the desired effect, and the reward of £1000 was forthwith offered. No gold field has yet turned up and the reward is yet to be gained by some fortunate finder. Several prospecting parties are out trying the most

likely spots, and it is probable that before the close of the year a payable gold field may yet be found.

Though we have not yet found the glittering

talisman supposed to work most of the wonders of the wortd, Mr. Haast, the government geologist^ lias hit upon something else not a whit the'less valuable. In the neighborhood of the Malverri Hills, a bed of an-

thracitic coal of large extent has been discovered which, at a trial since made, has been proved well fitted for steam and manufacturing.purposes. The value of this discovery to the Province cannot well be over-estimated, as it. is the first coal, really fitted for steam

(urposes, hitherto discovered in this part of

the world. With a tramway to Christchurch and the Heathcote river the coal field might be opened and a very considerable trade carried on at once, and when the tunnel is completed, should the subsequent working's of the coal field carry out the opinion formed, of its value at the experimental trial recently made, a large foreign trade may speedily be expected. Even for purposes of fuel it would be well worth the cost to construct a tramway to Christchurch. The present price of coal in that town is £0 per ton, and firewood letches an equivalent rate. Such a tax on one of the first necessaries of life is a very serious matter and well deserves the prompt attention of the

legislature. As population increases and competition cuts down the profits of trade great suffering will ensue to the poorer classes if an alteration does not take place in the price of fuel.

The last event of importance we recollect as worthy of notice, is the turning of the first sod of the Ly ttelton and Christchurch Railway. This long expected event came off on July 17 with all the demonstrations of popular sympathy common to these occasions. The day was not propitious, but the people mustered in strongforce. There was the Superintendent, of course, with the contractor and the provincial engineer; there were the volunteers with their bands, and the fire brigade in their new uniforms ; and the big tent, filled with champagne and other good things; and the scrambling to get them, and the cheering of speeches which nobody heard; and the hungry mob outside, who at last broke in and carried off the remnants and smashed the glasses, and after sacking the tent tore it to ribands. For the rest, is it not written in the columns of the 'Lyttelton Times ? ' Since that exciting daj' ; the works have been quietly progressing; some visible signs there are of course, but not much can be expected to be seen in three months of a work which is to take, perhaps, twice as many years to complete. What experience the contractors can have gained in these three months, has we believe, satisfied them with the terms of their contract. The black rock which frightened the late contractors by its hardness into asking an increase on the original contract price, has not shewn its ugly face again in any quantity, and where it has been found is balanced by some that is easier than ordinary to work. The chief difficulty hitherto met with by the contractors has been a scarcity of hands, and a disinclination on the part of those en°-a°-ed from time to time to settle down to their '■, work. This is one of the results of the gold fields, from which the contractors can no more hope to escape than any of the other employers of labour in the province. That it will be temporary there can be little doubt; and that the gold fields will produce results highly favorable to the railway and most other interests of this province only requires time fully to prove. For the rest we must wait and be contented to watch the tide of events which is bringing, among many other thing, an amount of population to the shores of this island of which we Have had no former experience.