North Otago Times. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1879.

North Otago Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2107, 3 February 1879, Page 2

North Otago Times. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1879.

Notwithstanding the remonstrances which h.ive been made, «nd the measures which Government have already taken, some of the most valuable forest lands in New Zealand, are being destroyed ; not only on freehold properties, but in districts where special licenses for clearing have been granted. Not only is this a loss in many cases aesthetically and commercially to the Colony, but (as has been ascertained from experience on the Continent and in America) this destruction of woodlands is calculated to have a most damaging effect upon the pasturage and climate of the country. It is a noted subject of remark amongst "settlers in the district, that the dryness of this climate is the only natural feature prejudicial to the growth of healthy crops, and yet at Dunedin, a place within a few hours' ride, the superior rainfall is a natural characteristic. The cause is to be found greatly in the fact that the latter town is in thfe centre of a bush district, that the trees not only nourish springs by their shade, but producing a greater amount of evaporation, there is a more copious supply of rain. The absence of trees. is attended by a higher mean temperature, and the introduction of greater exti ernes of heat and cold. The observations of a French scientist have led him to the conclusion that on an average in a district whence a forest was removed, the average temperature in summer was increased by 12 deg M and in winter lessened by 7 deg. The importance of this matter caused Monsieur Becquerel, some years ago, to lay before the French Academy of Science his Memoire sur lesForets etleur Influence Climaterique, and in this he testified nob only to the disastrous consequences qf the destvuc-

tion of Woodlands, but to the necessity of planting by tho side of streams, and itf diiifcffcta suffering from aridity. For *^Uf"*iaBoa the Government have already made provision to forward thp planting of trees, and have offered to .those whq, do so* anjQimte oLiiiud-UW; portionate to (he areas thus planted ) and many have hitherto availed them* •Mtaw ofLthii adwuitaga— But Govern*. ment Ordinance* on ■ this matter c.innot huve rigorous' effect in .the case of freehold properties, and before necessary improvement in this respect cm be made, the settlers themselves must see its utility. Healthy as is tho climate of the Oatnnru district^ it is rendered disagreeable by the extreme changes of temperature which take place, in the course, even, of one day ; and here we have a means manifested, which will tend to moderate the climate and lesson the aridity of the soil by one measure, which will the more readily be apprehended and approved of, as more encouragement is given by experience and example. B«i to leave this special case, there are olher reasons of utility and pleasure why planting should be extended, and the reckless destruction of forest woods should be lessened in the Colony. In the rude beginnings ot a country forests are an encumheranoe, and the settler is only pleased to have the wood removed. When tillage increases atd those lands are encroached Ton, and young trees destroyed by cattle and other means, the very decrease will not only heighten their commercial value but, as further progress is made, money will leave the country for an article, when if the resources had been carefully used there would have been a sufficient supply at home. Again, there are valuable woods, such as the kauri, which are not only confined in growth to a small area (this tree is only found north of the .W'^kato) but take a long time to be reproduced. Should license be too readily granted for the destruction of these trees the result would be the clearance of a species eminently fitted for the uses of shipbuilding, and the want would be felt at the very time when progress would call lor their use. ! here are few countries so favored as this by the disposition over the surface of useful woods — of black, red, and white pine, of totara, manuka, of kauri — suitable for building, for post?, for panels, for every branch of carpentry, and yet, notwithstanding their great commercial and climatic uses, these treea are felled merely for the benefit of clearing where so much open ground may be found. The disastrous consequence of such steps have been shown not only in Russia but in America, and the subject is now drawing the serious attention of those scientists who from experience or report know the vital importance of tho matter. Leaving the utilitarian point ot view, how many of our purest and simplest pleasures are associated with the woodlands of our country. In the youth of colonies tho practical neces.?avi!y excludes in a great measure the aesthetic, but in exceptions hovr beautiful seem the residences of those whose plantations bring to our mind the woodlands of the old country. In fine, every effort, public and private, should be used to oppose any lavish destruction of forest trees, a system so injurious to the interests of our nearer posterity.

Mails for the Australian colonies, via Bluff, close at Oamaru on Wednesday next, at 6 a.m. The usnal monthly meeting of the N. 0.8, Society takes place at the Secretary's office, at 7 o'clock this evening. The monthly meeting of the Hospital Committee cornea off in Mr Church's office to-morrow evening. The monthly meeting of the North Otago Horticultural Society will take place in Earle's rooms at 8 o'clock this evening. The first meeting of the Waitaki High School Board of Governors will take place at the County Council Chambers on Thursday, the 20th inst., at 11 a.m. The dancing class conducted by Mrs W. E. Brunton and Miss Rose will re-open on Wednesday, the sth inst., m the Oddfellows' Hall. The Oamaru schools re-open to-day after the summer vacation. The attention of parents and others is directed to an advertisement in reference to the matter which appears in our advertising columns. On Friday we anticipated that the effects of the gale would be severely felt in this district. We have since learned that in some instances whole fields have been threshed out by the force of the wind. On one farm, we have heard it stated that the owner does not intend to attempt to reap, as the crop is worthless for anything but straw. On several farm? the results of the gale are almost identical with the above. Uncle Tom's Cabin Company open at the Volunteer Hall this evening, for a shoit season of two nights, The entertainment it rather, a novel one, being, in fact, a dramatic representation of the interesting scenes contained in Mrs Beecher Stowe's ever-popular book, "Unble Tom's Cabin. In Dunedin the entertainment i 9 very well spoken of, and, in so far as the acting is concerned, there can be no donl>t about the mitter, when we see on the bills the names of such old favorites as Miss and Mr Stoneham nnd Mr J. Musgrave. Provided the weather holds up, we anticipate for the company a very successful season. A meeting of the newly elected School Committee was held at the Secretary's Office on Friday evening last, at which there were present Messrs Montagu, W. J. Smith, Herdman, D. Hay, and the Secretary. Mr N. Fleming was elected Chairman for the ♦year, Mr Herdman was elected Treasurer, and Messrs W. J. Smith and Montagu were appointed auditors. The Education Board having declined to pay the salaries of music master and drill instructor, it was resolved — That the teachers of those brauches of instruction receive a month's notice that their services be dispensed with, and the secretary was instructed to notify to the Rector of the High and the masters of the North and South Schools the wish of the committee that they make such arrangements as they may deem desirable to carry on the drill and. singing classes. On the suggestion of the Bector it was agreed that the infant classes should, in future, assemble at 10, instead of 9 a.m., as hitherto. From the Lyttelton Times we learn that by the Rotorua, from Melbourne, Mr J. A. Bird received fromMrMoncktonSynnot some specimen* of the, first woollen cloth ever manufactured in China, from yard forwarded there by the Utter gentleman. The material is all wool, and, considering the simple appliances with which it was made, has a strong- and even appearance. Mr Synnot intends to have a piece of the cloth dressed at one of the factories in Melbourne, and returned to the maker, in order to show him how the stuff can be improved, also as an encouragement for the continuance of further experiments. The importance of these trials can seareely be over-estimated ; and should MrSynuot .succeed in his persevering efforts . to establish a market in China for the great

Ooloniai ttdple, «r* ihay fqrly wtfbne that tbo trMt in woijl vill afcJt»tneft|M jtoipcfa^i ,^»th fc^pftoagpriing IMF* 1 "!}' The" Charleston JMngMM* lately&cn r*Wing up astrou()|wipjl| HryTjig to work-it in with wind :— ''TliipredidliOn of Dr Knatop," it says, " that we are approaching ono of the '.most -peittleiftial and catamttotm perlodi-df* the earth* history, owing tcr tk« approach* ins perihelia of the fqur great planets qf the louu;jj»tem-rJupiter, Uraaui* £atunv 4 j»cl. Neptune— would appear to be verified, judging by thetofribft and 'tetnpestuout ttate of the atmosphere on Tuesday morning early, when the element* *e*roea to be' in direct antagonism, as fences, roofs, flumings, etc., wore summarily demolished, and the inhabitants of Charleston sorely frightened by the terrific fora* of the wind. The extraordinarily wel and • rough weather experienced on the West Coast during the past twelve months is no doubt something marvellous." Two pewons of respectable appearance lately uttered a public-bouse, not many miles from tha village of Redhill, and requested to have dinner served them. Mine 'host complied with their request by placing a. leg of pork before them, and having done ample justice to it they called forborne ale After enjoying themselves for some timo, one ,of the " gentlemen " proposed to the other to run a race for 150 yards, the loser to pay for the dinner, Ac. Aocordingl&tne wqrthy landlord measured the ground and started the gentlemen. Observing that they ran beydnd the distance measured, and supposing that they were doing so in ignorance, he called out lustily ; but they continued to run until they were out of sigh);, and did not return. The landlord, therefore, had the mortification of rinding that he bad been duped, for they ran off without paying for their dinner. RaTlway servants were recently taught a lesson incivility. The Pross states, that at the Rangiora Magistrate's Court a case, of considerable importance was heard, in which the Bench held that, although in all ordinary cases claims against the Railway Department must be made against the Minister for Public Works in terms of the Public Works Act, yet where an employ* exceeded his powers in causing unnecessary delay in the delivery of packages, he was liable for damages. A verdict was consequently obtained by the plaintiff. The gist of the defence for the non- delivery of certain goods on the part of th* station-master at the Cnst to a local storekeeper, was that the latter was alleged to be in a "towering passion." The Court did not think so, ana gave a judgment which everyone present^ except the defendant, appeared to consider » jnst one. In an article on " Fiji and the Fijians," the Pall Mall Gazette says :— " A good deal of hasty and ill-digested criticism has been passed upon the conduct of affairs in out most recent acquisition in the Antipodes. It is satisfactory, therefore, to hear the present Governor upon the question of Fiji and its aboriginal inhabitants . Although the white settlers at times ride rusty, and complain th it Sir Authur Gordon's sympathies are too evidently with the Fijians, there is much reason to think that he has been perfectly right to legislate primarily for them. The native population outnumbers the settlers in the ratio of a hundred to one, and if the ends of Government are to compass the greatest good for the greatest number, then cleirly the Fijians can claim every consideration at the hands of their rulers. How rapidly the present policy is tending to the amelioration of the inlands is best snown by their strides towards prosperity. , Tho revenue has just quadrupled itself since the annexation four years ago. The natives are contented and industrious. They, are displaying great natural capabilities fof agriculture and commerce. Thoy are fcvrtiemerging from their ignorance, large numbers can read and write, cannibalism is a thing o( the past, and Christianity, under the enlightened and able organisation of the Wesleyans,*i* rapidly spreading. It is pleasant to hear so favorable a report from one in every way entitled to speak, and that Sir Arthur's language is not far-fetched is proved by the success which Fijian products have already attained. Fijian cotton was the best exhibited at Philadelphia and Paris, and ere long similar success will attend its coffee and its sugar, the islands being extremely favorable to the growth of both." The earnestness with which Sir Julius Vogel, in his recent address to the Colonial Institute, pointed out the advantages of all our Australian colonies (says the Glasgow Herald) and of New Zealand in particular, lor the safe investment of capital, will not have bean forgotten by those who give attention to such matters. He very forcibly showed how much more satisfactorily that capital could have been, and can -be, employed there than in propping up rottqn States, and in assisting foreign nations to maintain large armimeuts. If the money which we lent to Egypt and to Turkey, he asserts, had been invested in developing our colonies, the Eastern Question would never nave reached its present critical stage. Without discussing this point we can admit his general conclusions that more of the national attention should be, and muat be, given to the development of dnr colonies. The development has been wonderful enough hitherto, but it is nothing to what the future may do. It is marvelous to thiuk of ,the advances of New Zealand, fop instance, since the Dutch skipper Tasman first sighted its shores in 1642. What cause we have to thank his memory for not planting his j national flag upon its clfffs, and so depriving ua of ono of our most valuable safety-valves ! Our übiquitous Cook, 130 years later, was more practical ; he planted both th« potato ami the British flag, and both have taken root and flourished ever since. Captain Cook proposed colonisation there, even in his day, but not until 1839 was any real attempt made. In that year the first cargo of immigrants was sent ; within 12 months thereafter the number of colonists was 1200 ; in 1877 it was over 400,000 ! To people ft now country in less than 40 years with 400,000 souls importing and exporting to the extent of 12 millions sterling, possessing in f round figures 100,000 horses, 5)0,000 cattle, and 12,000,000 Mjeep, and employing over 800 miles of railway, U an accomplishment the like of whijh the world ha,s not seen before. It has been thought, ' indood, thit New Zealand has been /advancing too rapidly — that to be sound, her progress ought to be more gradual We confess to having to somo 'ext,Qnfc shared tlria Reeling, but the particulars of the Colonial Treasurer s Budget for the current year, recently t&\egraphed, are very reassuring.