LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

Marlborough Press, Volume VIII, Issue 34, 21 August 1867, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

Inspctor of ’Weights and Measures.—Mr. Richard Nos worthy having resigned the above office, Sergeant Emerson, of Dlenheim, has been appointed in Ins stead. The State of Canteisisuey. —Wc notice in the Canterbury papers, in the report of one day’s proceedings in the Bankrupt).y Court of that province, no fewer than thirty-three separate cases of bankruptcy. Teeegrai’hic. —Communication with the South has been interrupted. The late had weather has played sad havoc with the posts and wires, over twenty-miles of which on the Hokitika line have been carried away. We learn that large numbers of men are employed in repairing i damages as speedily as possible. Arrest—A young man named James Cainpj bell, who absconded from this province last week, . has been arrested in Nelson, in consequence of a telegram having be received there, staling that lie had commited a forgery in this province. The prisoner is expected to arrive here by the Lyttelton, and the case will then be investigated before the Resident Magistrate.—News. The Hauer\n«a Goi.d-Fi i.t.d. — Yesterday morning a party of seven experienced miners, one or two of whom are carpenters also, left Freeman’s Day in a ten-ton cutter of their own, for the Kanernnga gold-field. They took with them stores, timber and tools, and intend giving the field a thorough trial. Fpon their report will depend very much the action of several in that quarter of (lie town, who are anxious to follow. Prospecting parties of bona Jidc diggers such as these, are now leaving for the Thames daily, ami there is, therefore, a certainty that the gold-field will have a thorough proving.—Herald, tin! August. Departure. —To-night, by the steamer, an old resident in the Province, and one who has gained the goodwill of all brought into business contact with him, takes his departure from among us. Mr Burgess, the gentleman in question, has received an appointment at Wanganui in the Customs Department, in a better position than he held here Were it not for the fact that the removal will tend to advance his prospects, we should regret his leaving. As it is we hope he will meet with prosperity in the new home he is going to, and that the change may prove a stepping stone to better fortune. Distress in Wiu.i.inuton.— Wc regret to read the following remarks in the Evening Post . —“The amount of distress in Wellington is now very considerable, and rapidly on the increase as the following statement will show. During the current month the number of applicants for relief at the Resident Magistrates office is much greater than that of last month. Already 1,144 rations have been issued at a cost of 628 12s 3d, chargeable to the Provincial Government. This fact shows a different state of things to what existed some time ago, for it is stated that in 1861 only thirty rations were applied for to the Government.

Extraordinary and Sudden Death.— About half-past four pun. yesterday Mr Neil son, of the Masonic Hotel, River Bank, called on Sergeant Kinselia, and reported that a man had choked himself at his hi< !. The Sergeant demanded an explanation, and was told that whilst at dinner the man had tried to swallow a piece of meat, which stuck in his gullet and eventually choked him. On Sergeant Kinselia proceeding to the hotel, he found the holy of a man named Farley, a tailor by trade, lying dead, and a sheet thrown over it. Dr Marie accompanied Sergeant Kinselia and it was decided to hold a postmortem examination this day.—-Wanganui Times, Aug. 7.

Lecture. —The lecture announced in our last to he given by Mr J. Heard, on “ The Life and Works of Goldsmith,” was postponed, in consequence of the inclemency of the weather, until Monday evening, when it was delivered in the Girls’ School-room, p A select audience were in attendance, and Mr Marks, who occupied the chair, in an able speech introduced the lecturer' At the conclusion, a vote of thanks was given to the lecturer for his interesting discourse. An error appeared in our notice of the lecture la.st week. It was not, as stated, for the benefit of the Scotch. Church ; but solely for the purpose of affording the means whereby a dull evening might be passed pleasantly away.

Patea. —The Wanganui Times, of the Bth of August says—“ Wliare Matangi, the Pakakahoi chief is on his way back to his “own district, with abfcut sixty men of the Ngatiawa, and a few Waikatos. Tliey are now at the Ngutuoto Maim Titokowaru, and will arrive in a few days. An influential chief named Ihara is said to be with them, and their object is said to be to surrender to Colonel MTDonncll and quietly occupy their land. Should this be the case a bright future is in store for the Patea district.

Tub Pkovincial Question. —Mr Travers has given notice that he will move on Wednesday, the 14th instant:—“That in the opinion of this House it is desirable that for the future the entire legislative and executive control over the following departments of Government in the colony, namely, police, gaols, hospitals, lunatic asylums, and harbors, should be vested in the General Government, but with authority to delegate the administration of those departments to the Superintendents find Executive Councils of the various provinces; but that the entire legislative and executive control over the ordinary colonizing functions of Government, including the departments of provincial public works, should remain with the Provincial Governments.”—lndependent.

Tins Division on tub Local Government Bill. —-All the members of the House of Representatives, with the exception of two, took part in the division on Friday, the IHh instant. The House consists, when all the seats are filled up, of seventy members; but the seats for the Pensioner Settlements and the Ashley District are vacant ; and the Speaker must also be deducted from the number of members capable of voting on a division. Twenty-seven members voted for, and thirty-six against, the second reading of the Bill, and Dr Featherstou and Mr Fitzhcrberl paired off : making altogether sixtyfive. The two absent members were Mr Tailored and Mr Mervyn, the former of whom had not arrived from Canterbury, but the latter occupied his seat during the debate.—lndependent.

Colonial Moslem and Laiiokatojsv Rel'oiiTS.—Dr Hector tins published the Cloloni.il Museum and Laboratory reports, the former of which states that, on the 15th June last, the total number of specimens in the Museum was 15,239, of which, since the last report, upwards of 3,000 had been fully labelled and arranged. The number of visitors from the Ist January, 180(1, to the end of August, 1800, was 1,000 ; and from the Ist September ISGO, to the end of June, 1807, 3,000. These returns are we believe, taken from the visitor’s book, and the actual number of visitors was probably much in excess of these figures. The laboratory report states that Mr 15key had been principally occupied during the past three months in examining the intimate composition of the rocks passed through in the Lyttelton tunnel as collected by I)r. Ilaast. A number of samples of coal have been examined, many with very satisfactory results. A sample forwarded from Waiapu by Dr Brown, though very inferior on account of the large percentage of ash it eontains,! yet proved to be a true bituminous or caking eoai, and is a sure indication of the occurrence in the district; in which it was found, of eoaj strata of superior quality to the ordinary brown coal, it was intended th.it Mr Skey should commence a series of ulinnate analyses of (New Zealand coal as soon as possible. Analyses of the Taranaki and L’oveity Bay petroleum are given, which show the oil found at the latter place to be far superior to that found at the former.

Nauuow Kscai’k. —An accident which we feel bound lo Ini' at the door of our Provincial Goveriiineut, occurred on Saturday last. Henry Pritchard, carter, white returning’ from Picton with an canity dray, suddenly discovered in the centre of the road, about lifty yards from the Separation Hotel, a large hole about six feet wide and nearly three feet de ■]). The uncertain light did not enable him to discover the danger soon enough to avoid it, and his efforts to escape by turning oil abruptly, probably caused the catastrophe. The cart capsized, its owner wa s thrown out, and the wheel passed over his chest. Though severely injured and unlikely to be able to work for weeks, no bones were broken. We feel bound to remark upon the gross carelessness of a Government, who though their attention is continually called to these things, permit days and weeks to pass without taking notice of them. We say gross carelessne.'g, for it is absurd to suppose that, because His Honor happens to be in Wellington, that such trillcs as expending a pound or two, where real danger might be removed, need cause delay. Last week we were informed of a similar case on Ken wick Town road, and there exists two holes near the Bush of a like nature Had the unfortunate carter in question lost his life, as he possibly might have done, if the dray had been loaded, what would have been the feelings of those whoso principal duty' it is to regard the safety of the people.—News Taranaki Ikon Sand.— The following is from the New Zealand Examiner, of .May 10 : “Mr Jordan, late Agent-General for Queensland, has been appointed Managing Director of the company recently formed for the utilization of the iron sand at Taranaki, and intends almost immediately to proceed to New Zealand in that capacity'. ” The London Correspondent of the Wellington Independent, of the 2nd June, has the following:—“1 think I have good news (if not already known) for Taranaki settlers ; but they must not be too sanguine. They have been so often disappointed willi iron sand speculations that they ought almost to despair of a successful issue to the many attempts to make it a mercantile and a marketable commodity. However, I think I am now in a position to say the Iron Sand I and Steel Company is once more in active opera tion. The holders of 17,000 shares have decided to ‘goon.’ £15,000 is the amount estimated lo purchase the plant and cover the working expenses of the company' at New Plymouth for twelve months. More than this, Henry Jordan. Ksq., I (late Agent-General for Queensland), is to leave here via Panama next mail, for Taranaki, to commence active operations. The sand is to he smelted with charcoal, and will sell here at a good profit at £lO per ton, supposing 20s is the freight to Nelson, Wellington and Canterbury, and that wool ships bring home the iron as ballast, say at 10s per ton. 1,000 shares are reserved for the colony, which may yet be enriched by a metal more useful than gold, and not a tithe so exhaustible.”

. Gum Digging. —We (N. Z. Herald), are very glad to hear that the guin diggers both at Riverhead and the Papakura Fiats, and elsewhere; are making average wages. About six tons of gum per week is regularly sent down the river, aud the average earnings will amount to something like >. five shillings per day. Yesterday the Gemini brought down a number of the Riverhead gum-diggers, who are going down to the Thames to try their luck at the gold-field. This shows, if wq had no other proof, that the gumdiggers have been all along making good wages, or they would not have been able to save the means to take them to the gold-field, and establish them there. That they are doing well with gum, indifferently scraped at £22 per ton, can readily be understood. Indeed, we know of instances where these parties have brought down their gum, raised £lO or £l2 by its sale, and then returned to raise another spree. With such means of obtaining remunerative work near Auckland, there ought to be no destitute able bodied men amongst us.

Harrow Escape. —On Friday, last, a man named John Ella, in the employ of Mr Greensill of Arapawa Island, left the station for the purpose of coming to Pieton. When about the middle of the channel, as he was shifting the ballast in bis boat, she was struck by a sudden squall and capsized, the man managed to get clear of the rigging and to gain a hold on the bottom of the boat as she floated bottom up. In this perilous situation he remained upwards of four hours, until he was drifted into a bay a short distance from Mr Dryden’s place. After a considerable amount of exertion lie reached Mr Dryden's, where he obtained some comfort for the inner man and a change of clothing, and shortly after he had entirely recovered from the effects of his involuntary submission. At one time, when lie was drifting on the boat, it was an even chance if the current did not carry him out to sea ; but the tide changing averted this peril, and he escaped as we have narrated. Tiie Wellington Press. —We beg of our contemporaries of the Independent and Advertiser to ceased their squabbling and follow the example so long and laudably set them by the Wanganui Times and Chronicle. How can we reconcile the following extract from the Independent of Saturday last, with that brotherly love which should exist between brother editors ? First, the Independent soundly rates the Advertiser ; then the Advertiser returns a Rowland for an Oliver, and the Independent strikes back in this style ; —“ The Advertiser says, that we are not fit company' for honest men.” If this means that we are not lit company for people who, like Mr Edward Bull, think it honest to get reports surreptitiously at the expense of other people, the Advertiser is perfectly right.” We advise our pugnacious brothers to smoke the calumet of peace together, then rub noses, cry over their past differences, and thenceforward enable the public to say—“ see how these editors love one another.”—Wanganui Times, August S. Railway fcr Southland. —The Southland Times, of the instant, says : —“ The subjoined petition to the Governor, has been, we are informed, numerously signed both in town and country, and as two days have to elapse before it must be sent off, an opportunity is still offered to those who may wish to attach their names. We understand it must be closed on Saturday (totuo.row) —‘ To llis Excellency Sir Gerge Grey', &c., &c. The petition of the undersigned humbly sheweth—That the people of Southland are favourably impressed with the scheme proposed for the construction of railways. That the system of allocating blocks of land towards the construction of public works, enhancing as it necessarily will do the value of the remainder of the public estate, is wise in principle and meets the entire approbation of your petitioners. That your petitioners respectfully approach your Excellency' in the firm belief that the construction of a line of railway to the Mataura, and completion of the Oreti line would be for the best interest of the province and the colony. The Mataura line forming part of what eventually would be the main colonial trunk line. That in the country districts, through which these railways would pass, a large agricultural population exists, but in consequence of the want of cheap transit their produce cannot find market. That your petitioners respectfully suggests, that all railway works which may be undertaken in this province should have the direct supervision of an officer appointed by the General Government. That your petitioners most respectfully request your Excellency to cause the necessary land to be set apart for the immediate construction of the proposed lines of railway. And your petitioners.’ ” &c.

Strange Conduct.— One day last week the constable stationed at Havelock went to a place of business occupied by a firm in Havelock, accompanied by r a man who claimed to be a creditor of the firm. The constable called one of the partners on one side, and told him he was to consider himself under' an arrest for debt. The partner naturally asked upon what authority proceedings were being taken, when he was informed that the man had been to the constable, and said the firm was indebted to him for a certain amount, and had given the said partner in charge. As no proceedings had been taken, the partner objected against such a summary mode of procedure, and refused to accompany the constable to be locked up. Finding no good could be done, the preserver of the peace departed. On the same day'he returned with some other men, and tried to prevent some goods being shipped, which the firm were sending away, claiming that they should be detained until the debt was satisfied—all this being done, we are informed, without any legal authority. After words had passed between the contending parties, the shipping of the goods was continued, and the constable had the mortification of seeing all his efforts prove abortive. We have given only a brief outline of the case, as proceedings are about to be taken to prove if the constable was not greatly exceeding his duty in arresting a man for debt on the mere ipse dixit of a person who claimed to be a creditor ; and further, if the constable was justified in taking possession of goods belonging to the firm, and trying to take them away, or lending his sanction to tne proceeding, before any action had been taken in relation to the debt.

Federation of the Australian Colonies. A recent writer in the Adelaide Observer advocates the Federation of the Australian colonies on the following basis :—“ 1. Union of the Australian Colonies under a central act of government; and, as a necessary consequence, international ’.free trade. 2. Ordinary expenditure in each colony to be regulated by the value of its exports, and to be provided by direct taxation principally or, if practicable, wholly. 3Extraordinary expenditure—such as borrowing money for railways, waterworks, and other reproductive public works —to be also regulated by the relative value of exports in each colony, and to be provided by bonds guaranteed by the united colonies, or, in other words, Australian Consols.” The chief reason for this advocacy is economical considerations, the writer believing that the present system of Government is too cumbrous, too expensive for the good management of the Australian Colonies. Another reason is, the benefits the whole group would derive from a uniform tariff, and a free interchange of commodities.

Vice-Admiralty Court. —Some correspondence between the New Zealandjand Home Governments upon the subject of the appointment of a Judge of the Vice-Admiralty Court in this colony has just been published. Upon the departure of Sir G. A. Arney, who was appointed by letters patent to that office, it was discovered that the business of the Court could not be carried on unless another Judge was appointed to act during his absence. The matter was brought before the notice of the Home Govern, ment both by the Colonial Ministers and Mr Morrison, and was referred for consideration to the Registrar of the High Court of Admiralty t who gave it as his opinion that it was unnecessary to issue fresh letters patent, as the fourth section of the Vice-Admiralty Courts Act, 1863, provides that on a vacancy occuring, the Chief Justice of the Colony for the time being, shall be ex officio Judge of the Vice-Admiralty Court unless the Lords of the Admiralty shall think it fit to appoint some other person to that office Sir Frederick Rogers, the Under Secretary o £ State for the Colonies, however, pointed out some months afterwards that, from the tenor of a letter of Mr Morrison’s it appeared to be considered that as Sir G. A. Arney had a regular appointment as Vice-Admiralty Judge, lii s absence did not render that office vacant, and therefore the fourth section of the Act did not apply. The Registrar of the Admiralty, in reply, showed that the letters patent issued from the Court were addressed, not to Sir George Arney alone, as Chief Justice of the Colony, but also to « the Chief Justice of the Colony for the time being, and to the person executing the duties of that office but pointed out, at the fame time that if the view of the case taken by the colonial authorities were correct, no person could have been appointed to act as Chief Justice during t he absence of Sir George Arney ;as otherwise, the Acting Chief Justice would have also been Judge of the Vice-Admiralty Court. A similar difficulty recently occurred in the Mauritius, but was got overby the colonial authorities appointing one of the Judges to act as s Chief Justice. The Home Government have, however, promised to introduce a Bill to amend the Vice-Admiralty Court Act, and will insert in it a clause to pro. vide for cases when a Judge is temporarily abseit from his duties.—lndependent.

Mr Reynolds’s Latest. —Mr Reynolds, whose eccentricities furnish a constant source of amusement to the House, and which have the more serious effect of causing his remarks, that are often very sensible, to be generally gave the following notice of motion on the Otli instant :—“ That it is expedient, during the remainder of the session, that the Government should be regarded as a Sub-Committee of the whole House, and that there should be no ministerial questions.” Of course the absurdity of the thing caused a general laugh, but the feeline: speedily gave way to one of indignation that the proceedings of the House should be made the subject of a jest, and the Speaker put it to the House whether the notice should be received or not. Mr C. Wilson and Mr Travers took occasion, under the guise of speaking to the point of order, to administer severe reproofs to the luckless member for the City of Dunedin, and were duly rebuked in their turn by Mr Vogel, for having taken upon themselves to discharge a duty belonging to the Speaker. Mr Carleton and Mr O’Neill chimed in, and then Mr Reynolds explained that the notice was only intended as a jest, and had arisen from a circumstance which took place out of doors. The Colonial Secretary could not, however, abstain from making use of an opportunity for a fling at an opponent, and with very bad taste, remarked that the hon. gentleman’s conduct could not be wondered at after the vitiating effect which his position of Speaker of the Otago Provincial Council must have had upon his power of distinguishing what was or was not in accordance with the dignity of the House. Mr Dillon Bell met this with an admirable repartee, by saying that a proof of the justice of the .Colonial Secretary’s remark could be found on the ministerial benches, one of whose occupants formerly occupied the position now held by Mr Reynolds. Mr Hall said something in reply, and Mr A. S. Atkinson remarked it would be establishing a dangerous precedent if it were allowed that a majority of the House might decide what notices could be put upon the Order Paper. The Speaker then put the question to the House as to whether he should receive the notice, and the House vindicated its dignity by returning a negative.—lndependent.

Rope Manufacture. —We (Canterbury Times) have been favoured by Messrs Jenkins Jones, and Co., with an inspection of a quantity of rope manufactured by them, from the New Zealand flax. This hitherto intractable material, after undergoing processes innumerable, has at length yielded practical results in the hands of the above firm. This mill and rope works are situated at Ifaiapoi, where a large quantity of the raw material is easily available. As to the supply, it would seem that it is practically inexhaustable, for some time to come at least, as the fiax plant springs up again after being cut, and grows as luxuriantly as ever. But there can be no doubt that the present supply will diminish as successive croppings weaken the plant, and therefore artifical cultivation from seed or otherwise, must be resorted to. The flax is subjected to the

action of beaters, by which the fibre is released from the green skin surrounding it, the latter falling in minute particles like sawdust. Ihe fibre is then subjected to the hackling process, which separates the short fibres from the long, aud renders the latter in a fit condition for spinning into rope. The refuse, or tow, from the hackling, meets with a ready sale to the upholsterers, who use it for various purposes. The process is entirely mechanical, no chemical solution being used. We saw a large quantity of rope of various sizes from half-an-inch in diameter to three inches. The rope certainly appears to be a good marketable article, and is turned out in excellent condition. There seems to be no reasonable doubt but that this rope will, in time, supersede that imported, as it not only surpasses in strength and durability that prepared from Manilla and European hemp, but can be sold at a less price. The rope is manufactured from pure fibre, not a particle of the green cuticle remaining upon it, which favours the statement of the manufacturer as to durability. The young growth of the flax plant produces a very fine and white fibre, from which we were shewn a sample of whip-cord manufactured in England. Rope can now be produced in sufficient quantity to supply the whole colony, and it only remains to be tested, for the many purposes for which it is required, to drive the imported article out of the market. As a local industry it deserves a fair trial to stimulate the efforts of the manufacturers in utilising a product which has so long defied every effort to bring it into practical use.