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Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 374, 5 May 1876, Page 3

, The notorious criminal, Sullivan, has been ' 'discharged' from custody in Victoria, ■ Mu. E. Hail announces that- a dance will take place in the Town Hall, on V', ednesday •if evening nett, 10th inst.

~n ■■'fj]jj Enidish mail via San Francisco may . v be expected at the district offices on Si'turday ' indrning, and tho mail via Suez and Brindisi : on Tuesday.

TitE programme for.tho Presbyterian soiree, for Tuesday evening next, is in another column.,, Messrs. Baxter and aro to supply the tea tables.

• i There in not the slightest sign of Govern...u'ment action as yet visible in regard to the -:;uoonstitiitioii of-a Board of Management for :.:• the Mount Ida Public Works.- "■ ' Mu. W. In Will, we are requested to stat e has no connection with the contract for the ' u 'dum ,nt Coal Creek, as reported last week; -4i. i fjijjg conf.ruetoi'fl ure Messrs.. Lawer and Grose. ~ ■. The aunnal meeting of .the Mount Ida ~ .Pastoral Investment Company was. held on .Monday evening last at the Company's ie- , gistered office, Nasoby. We regret that we .are obliged to hold over our report, through ,'jiressure, of advertisements, until next week. , ii The ' Daily Times ' reports that Sir Julius VAs.yofjol on Saturday luf-r, paid a formal visi- ;..'. .to Mr. Jfitzlierberfc, to nek him to allow him-

-si.-, self :-. to be nominated ns Speaker. Mr. Fitz- ,'.■ ihei\bert» promised a definite reply on Tuesday, v.,.,pane wished to consult his political friends. . ,Thh Nasi'by School ■ Committee held a -' mttctlng on Monday night. The business was ' • ! There is great irregularity in ", '• »j}liu held ]by this body, which is but • ' pboi l justice to touchers, and uU.crly obscures '*" the 'public view of what tho school in doiniz. ■)•;« V /;■■>• . h .. ~ .Ljnp .' Guardian' understands thst an acv' tign,,.for ,darn/iges will shortly be instituted v., ag]ainstt .the ' JS'uw Zealand times,' by Mr. ~; .."yin/jent Pyke for alleged false and malicious ~t .stat&jneiLts made in a recent issue of that ( journal.' . Damages aro laid at £I,OOO.

•. Tkk 'Daily Times' reports that .-—"The ■■ Mining .Department Commission has reported'., Mr. K. Brough Smythe is adjudged ... guilty of excessive severity, of using iimvar- ,.. rantable language, of being imperious and ■, irritable, and of lacking self-control. The Commission consider his co-operation with ,tho officers of the department impracticable. '> ■>.-. ,\ 'Ma.'VtWoext PYKe'S idea of a land league *•'> ftrt*'ol!n£o"is k good'ontf. I-. i.-t to be hoped it will embody itself. The ' Evening Star ' offers to receive the.nafnes of members willing to join. A strdhg effort made now might save a modicum of tho public estate from the never-satiated maw of tho wolf in sheop's •'•'•'otothmc. ' TtMES without numher we aro indebted to , y ,our Dunudin eonten pprariea for the law re- '' porCßj3ublished v For once they have failed us:' Tlie most important case to the Goldholds of Now' Zealand pending at the present '-'"tiijfo'is, Glassford v. Ueid and others. This , icaso,. has btitta ignored, as of no interest.' If i ~mu''cotxteimporanos would ascertain how ( v.iihat cuLv'no'v iftanda they would do vuod vrMjrvicft, :• .. . •.. ,'. ■' ' ;

A petition Mouut Ida District was entrusted to Mr. W. liider for presentation this week to his Honor the Superintendent. The petitioners complain of tho high rent charged, and respectfully urge that mining lessees should at least be placed on an equal footing with the holders of extended claims in the Mount Ida district, and their rents be reduced to the sum of £1 per acre per annum, or such other sum as to his Honor may seem just and equitable.

The ' Daily Times ' of Tuesday last says : "In the view of a prospective shortness of funds we believe that it is the intention of the Provincial (Government to intimate to contractors that it will not enforce the prescribed penalties for the contracts ' not being completed within contract time ; and further to withdraw all contracts ; already let, where such can be done without loss to the funds of the Province."

The concert on Friday evening last given by the Naseby. Brass Band for a charitable purpose was a thorough success. The object in view was fully attained, the nett proceeds amounting to £ll Bs. to be placed in the hands of Mr. H. W. Robinson. The performances were above the ordinary, the most noticeable being—Messrs. ; Hartman and Collett, (piano and flute), Mr. B.' Hore and Miss E. Jacob, in the " Gipsy Countess, " and Mr. S. Eoseveare in his solos. The latter gentleman's singing was much appreciated. He is probably the best amateur that has yet performed ,in the Town Hall. The inevitable dance succeeded the entertainments, and was kept up with evident enjoyment till 12.30 p.m.

During the hearing of the cases in the Warden's Court, between Guffie and Inder v. Grayson and Petersen, a good deal of evidence was igiven, shewing the value of the Clarke's claims. Mr. Guffie on one occasion said that with thirty hours' water he had got 38 ounces of gold—the quantity of water being understood to be one Government head. Mr. Andrew White, on another occasion, testified that the value of the water at the command of his party was £IOO for every day they were working. The average length of the' available working season at Clarke's is said to be eight or nine weeks in the year. This year it has been, we believe, above the average. The Wellington ' Evening Argus ' report 8 that:—"The now Surveyor-General, MrThompson, is losing no time in organising hi 9 new department. Already we hear of seve ral appointments, amongst others that o Mr. C. W. Adams to a responsible position in the new department. Mr. Adams will be remembered as having some years ago been in the employment of the Government of this province as a surveyor. Hethen went to Otago, and., has for some years resided at Lawrence as District Surveyor. He is well know in the profession as an able and reliable man." It is understood that Mr. Adams' appointment will be as Geodesical Surveyor. Mr. MTierrow is spoken of as a probable Assistant-Surveyor, in which case Mr. Baker, of Southland, will succeed Mr. M'Kerrow at Dunedin as District Surveyor. The title of Chief Surveyor will of course be abolished.

The installation of officers of the Ark of Safety Lodge, 1.0. G.T., took place on Monday evening last. Bro. Raven, L.D., acted as installation officer, and, assisted by Bro. Jus. Johnstone, as D.G.M., installed the officers for the current quarter as follows.— W.0.T., Bro. Bradley ; W.V.T., Sis. Green ; W.S., Bro. M'Nicol; W.F.S., Bro. E. T. George jr.; W.T., Bro. Nicholas; W.C., Bro. Wade; W.M., Bro. Hendricksen ; WLG., Bro. Jas. Baxter; W.0.G., Bro. Boyce; R.H.S., Bro. Dixon; L.H.S., Bro. H. : Donnelly ; W.A.S., Bro. J. Spedding ; W.D.M., Sis. Meinert. Bro..Ash fills the place of P. W.C.T. The installation of officers of the Juvenile Lodge took place on the same evening. The following are the names of the officers : —E Nicholas, A Currie, E A Nicholas, E Jacob, E King, W Donnelly, D Woodhill, J Nicholas, A Jacob, T Francis, J M'Grogor, C Gason, H Marshall, S G Inder. The Wellington ' Evening Argus' says : " Mr. Reynolds' undoubtedly has claims on the Ministry of which he was until lately a member, and in which he really did very hard work. He is also well fitted for the position, a3 having been for several years Speaker of the Otago Provincial Council. Mr. Reynolds, however, is the least selfish, although one of the most obstinate of mortals, and when, very much against the wish of his colleagues, and entirely on account of private business arrangements, he retired from the Ministry, he made it perfectly understood that he in no way pressed his claim to the Speakership, and was quite willing to bo passed over if his colleagues thought it would be advantageous to the party or the country, to nominate some other person. We have no doubt of Mr. Reynolds' perfect sincerity in this, and we say so now. for we cannot realise Mr. Reynolds in any other position than that of an Opposition member if he ba neither on the Ministerial Benches nor in the Speaker's Chair. If, therefore, Mr. Reynolds stakes his seat as a private member, we shall not be at all surprised to speedily find him in opposition, although quite sure that this question of the Speakership will not in any way affect his action."