Nelson Evening Mail. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1894.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XXVIII, Issue 34, 10 February 1894, Page 2

Nelson Evening Mail. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1894.

A good doal of discussion has boen going ou lately iv the Otaga 'Dally Times on the attempt of the Government to lease for pastoral purposos a largo tract of mountain country in Fiord County. The country lios to tho 'Westward of tho Waiau River and Lakos Mauapouvi aud To Auau, and tho amouut offered for the leases was about 900,000 acres, at a total upset rontal of £89 a year, The lowuess of the rent asked for shows tho worthlessnoss of the country for running stock. At this time of day in Now Zealand land for which jio one will giro a yearly rent of £1 for 10,000 acres is bettor left unstooked. The experiment was tried many years ago of ruuuiug ehoop on some of tho more easily ac coßsible parts of the mountain country in Fiord County. Ono sheep owner *ac quired a lease of what is known as the Mount Luxmore oouutry. Ho wont to considerable expense iv putting a wire rope aorosa tho Waiau to run a puut across, and in cutting a track for many miles through the bush. Over tho most of that region thero is hardly any opon countrj at a lower elevation than about -&SGO feet, the rest being oovored with timber. Tho sheopowuor alluded to first put on about fivo or six thousand wethers and left them to Bhift for themselves during the, winter, aud when mustering time camo succeeded iv finding abont half of them aliva. Ho was not even then content to give up his experiment, but the uoxt autumn put on about an equal number of young strong merino wefchera. Ho was nob so Inoky fcha second time, as ho only could find about a quarter of his number, aud thou ho gavo up trying. The opon country to the eastward of the river and lakes has beon iv occupation as sheop run for about Ryo and thirty years, and the runholdura thero would have certainly taken up all tho mountains ou tho other side if they had not been well aware that they wore quite useless* A tracts of mountain ob tho west side oi Lake To Anau was taken up about fifteen or sixteen years ago by an outsider, but he never put auy stock ou, and after trying hard to sell his rightß ho abandoned them. During tho greator pwt of tho wintor tho opou mountain topß aro covered with buow, and all that eheop would huvo to food on V7ould be what they could pick up in the bush, which is chiefly birch, and the expenso aud trouble of boating them over tho luko3 or river are too groa'j for any benefit to bo dorived by tho holders of tho low count vy from summer grazing on tho mountain tops. If, however, the greater part of Fiord County is usolesß for graziug it has great valuo as a ground for tourists. Tho scenery js &b tineas any iv Now Zealand, and oilers attractions even to the most adventurous, who have there opportunities foe aoquiring fame as explorers aud of incurring aa much danger to lite and limb and of starvation as they aro likely to find pleasant. Already To Anau and Manapouri Lakes attract many tourists ovory year, and the number is sure to iuoreaso. Homo of the writers iv the Ofcago Dally 'limca, dread that, if the Government wore to j.uduco iguoraut peoplo to lease the country, what with cutting bush tracks and consequent fires much of its boauuy would bo ruined, and that is vory likely. All vieicors to Luke Boto-iti must, mourn over the wreck caused by firo on ono of the adjoiuiug hilU, If there wero a likelihood offiudiug food for a considerable amount of Btook natural beauty would have to bo eaoriiioed, but iv the wild southern region theio is no such hope. Putting the matter.on a thoroughly com. meroial basis the oonutry as nature made it is likely to bo a great doal more proli tablo to man khan if ho were to übep in with his axo and matchbox. The Erst heat iv connection with the Sclanders Challenge Cup fourn of the Nelson Rowing Club came olVlast evening, the competing crews being Woodward (stroke), Giblin (3). W. Milncr (2;, and Nalder (bow) ; Catley (stroke;, ¥. W. Hamilton (3), Tomlinsou (ii), Nettle (bow;. On reaching the Kail way wharf Woodward's crow had a slight advantage, which it maintained. In spite of a good spurt by Uatley'd wen Woodward's crew passed the wiuning post about three lengths ahead. The second

heat will bo rowed this afternoon between crews stroked by 21. Low and E. Hale reupcctively Tlio third heat between crews stroked by E. Low and Woodward will come oil" at six o'clock this evening. Tub blaok outarpillar has made it : appearauoo in tho Wuhneis, tnuoh tj the dismry of fartntra, A oousitry correspondent informs us tliat the ca"f rpilltira arc destroying nil the green birloy, and the gra« is a'eo suffering severely. The members of the Nelson Ft.-hiug Club are notified that the 8.?. Lndy Darkly lea vis for Toug.\ at eleven o'olock thia evenibg. Miss Evans advertises in a'loMier colum that *ho will begin a course of lessons f«.r tho uttohing of Pitmm's system of shortband in tho Bishop's School, on Tuesdays and Fridays from aeveu until eight o'clock. Thk Mayor has ioceived tho following ndditonal amounts in aid of the aur vivo s ,of tho Gazelle— Mr B. uisp aenr. 5«, Mr 1 Tdrrrmfc 10s. MjisStallajid ontcrtaincd the members of tho Nelson Volunteer Fire Brigade and a few other citizens at tho Panama Hotel last evening. The members of the Brigade and others present spent a very pleasant evening, the excellent supper provided being done full justice to. Thk uirmbors of tho Nelson Philosophical fciooioty are notified thai a meeting of tie society will bo held in thoMuaoum on Moudny cveniug at eight o'clock. Tub quarterly meiting of tho Noleoq Industrial Cooperative Sooiety will bo held on Tuesday tvening at eight o'olook, Thk Marian Willis Draroatio Company played tho comedy "Satanolla" at the The-.tco Royal last evening, when tho performmoepttßaed off very successfully. IV night tho Americau comedy "Ermn fha Mad-Cap " will ba played, Miss Marian Willis iv tin title role. i Tub Marlborough Times of Tuesday says : | Mr J. Mowatb'fl woolshedatSpringlanda was completely destroyed by lire at 12 iJO this | morning. The origin and othor putioulars wo wuro unable to gather. Constable Breo uoticed tho glaro from town, and proceed .-d to the spat, but was unable, owing tj the absence of rmais of reduoiog tho fhmes, to save auy of the oonteots of the building. Mr. Lewis PitTß, piaio tuner and repairer, nctifles to the publio by advertisement which appears m another column that he hRB taken premises in Trafalgar-street, opposite tho Poet-office, and trusts that bciug in that very central position, ho nwy be enabled to extend his connection, Mr PHti reooived tuition and experienco in a firHt-olaas London piano manufactory, and Las in his possession a large number of testimonials reoeived by him during the la«t thirty years. For further particulars we would refer our readers to thß advurtisomenti The outbreak of pleuro -pneumonia among cattle in various pavta of South Australia appears to bo serious. Since the middle of November 13 cases have been reported from tho north, and in each case the quarantine grounds have been proclaimed . Last month a serious outbreak of the com. pluint was reported north of Port Aususta, and about 12^ per cent of the cattle were sacrificed to pleuro before the inspector was made aware of the existence of the disease. Since then quarantine grounds have boeu proclaimed, and some GOO or 700 head of cattle have been isolated. Up to the present about 400 head of cattle have been inooulatid, and by this means many have been paved from death. Moro recent outbreaks are repotted from Crystal Brook, Tuberculosis hns also made its nppui'aioo in the south-east. No fewer than twentynino oases hav>» been reported to the in* spcotor during the last three months. Of thcee four died, 15 were destroyed, a .d the romnincd isolated. In the same period 21 insianors of aotinorayoosis were treated by officer*, who killed nine auiunls. Not long ago tick showed itsolf in a largo number of sheep in the south-east, but, thanks to the speedy resort to dipping, the complaint bin now practically disappeared. Tuberculosis is a more dangerous dieeiss than pleuro, Thk Wellington Evening Post says :— lt is an open secret that immediately Sir Robert Stout huird of the action of the Cabinet in rogard t> the railway Commissioner?, he telegraphed to Messrs. Maxwell and Hannay expressing his deep regrot that officers who had served the colony so faithfully and bo well should have been soshnmofully treated, and driven from the Publio Service in suoh a manner. On broad coiißtitutioual grounds Sir Robert Stout disapproves of the railways being placed uuder tho management of CftnmiHsionerp, holding that they shonld be administered on Ministerial responsibility under direct parliament iry control, but he recognises to the fullest extent the ability anl good service of the Into Oommissionera, aid dissenfci altogether from the oourao of conduct adoptad by Miuiatera towards them in the appointment of the new Boird, as being unjust, calculated to Bhtvke oonfi. denoe in the iutegrity of tho Publio Service, and embarrasing to the now Patliarnout in its consideration of the whole question of railway management in the future. The circumstances surrounding the choice of the new Commissioners arc, in Sir Robert Stout'a opinion, anything but creditable to Ministers, and when the House meets it will probably bo found that this feeling will be very freely and pointed expressed by many other candid frieuda of the Government as well as Sir Robert Stout, So.mb old timber taken from Casey's Hotel, Sydney (an old-time building), was sold recently. Tho purchaser of some of it in sawing up a beam cut through some paper, which turned out to bo eight banknotes of £20 each. The notes had been let into the beam by au auger hole. The finder has since received cash for tho notes, A well-known, firm of bankers in London have just made a profitable investment. According to the London Daily Telegraph, some t'me ago a mm who had defrauded thorn of a large sum of money was ttken intj custody, convict'd, and sentenced to a long term of ponal servitude. Prison fare did not agree with one who had lived on the fat of the land. The change affect* him in many way 9, but ho complained more p\rtiouhrly of the injury the food caused to his teeth. They wero neither numerous nor in good condition when he was sentenced, and as they rapidly became wotae he applied to the governor of tho prison for a. new aett Beiujr told that the Government did not supply prisoners with artificial teeth, at the first opportunity ho wrote to the banking firm in question, offering 1 if they would send him a new sob, to tell thorn something to their advan tage. Thereupon the bankers, thinking the offer might be a genuine one, sent the governor of the pmou a cheque for £5 and asked him to provide the convict with a seb of artificial teeth. In due course the convict jhis promise, and sent the bankers certain information by means of which they wave enabled to recover uo less than £1500 of which they had been defrauded . They naturally regarded this as the best investment! they had ever made, but it has proved even better than anticipated, for they have just received from the prison authorities a remittance for £1, the teeth having only coat £i. TO-MORROW'S SERVICES,' The services nb the Presbyterian Ghuroh will be conduoted morning and evening as uaunl. The Key G. Bond will preach nfc tho Wesl^yan Church both morning and evening. ; Tho U<sv B. (J. Isaaos will conduct both J services at tho Congregational Churoh. The Ivjv T. Bray will proach in the Richmond Baptist Churoh in tho morning, I The Rev J, Crump will preach at the Baptist Churoh in. the morning and the i Rev T. Bray in tho evening. Tin Roy J. Thiel will preaoh at the Uorman Lutheran Church, Hhelbournestreet, at 3 o'olook in the afternoon, Mr 11. Batt will preach at the Christians ' Meeting House, Waimca street, in the even-

Nov 17, 1892 He had had the account rei d?red £5 6s in his possession fur twelve months and uever said anything against its correctness. Mr Co-)k8«y denied tint the bankrupt hnd paid him £10. Ho only paid him £5 on aco mnt. # Mr Snodgrass moved th*t tho Assignee be instructed to revise the ea'nto in full, a-id fcbatthe bankrupt submit to publio ex'inination at tlw earliest possible date. ■ Carried.