North Otago Times. THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 1880.

North Otago Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2468, 15 April 1880, Page 2

North Otago Times. THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 1880.

The Oamaru portion of tho San Francisco mail arrived by special trail at 1 o'clock this morning. We are informed that if tho balances of tho land tax due to 31st December last aro not paid to-day, summonses w'll be issued without furthor notice. Tho sale of the Tiverton estate, advoi tiscd by Messrs R. Davies and Co. to take place on the lGlh inst., has been unavoidably postponed for about a fortuighi. Tho date will be notified in a future issue. The sale of Messra Fleming and Hedloy's stock will be continued to-day. The Shorthorn and Ayrshire oittlo w»'l bo offo.-ed. and the horse stock unsold yesterday will bo submitted on Fwday. Both the Shorthorn , and Ayrshire ciUle being of a superior strain should command the Attention of broeders and dairymen. Apropos of the feat la! Ely accomplished by Mr J. Richmond's threshing mill at the estate of Messra Millington, a correspondent writing from Kakaoui North on tho 13th instaat, says that on the 6th ourront one of Mr R. Wi'son'a machines threshed at the farm of Messrs M'Pherson, Maheno, no less than 392 bugs of oats— fully IGOO bushels ; time, 10 hours and 65 minutes. la order to show that tho hi^h praise whioh has beon beotowed in these columns on the draught stock of Messrs Fleming and Hedloy Jb not tho result of local prejudice, we may stato that a gentleman who haa been atteading the sale, who is not long out from Britain, and who is well qualified to speak with authority on such subjects, says, that ho haa never in the Three Kingdoms seen such a collection of finely formed well-bred animals as Messra Fleming and Hedley'a horses. YesLerdayafternoonMrShrimski,M.H.R., received a telegram from the Hon. Mr Oliver, in regard to tho Windsor-Living-stone railway. For the last week or so some telegraphic correspondence has taken place between tho mem bora for Waitaki and the Minister for Works as to the continuation of the lino to Livingstone, in ordor to find work for a number of men who aro said to bo at present in need of employment in this I district. Yeiterday Mr Oliver enquired whothor tho members deemed it really necessary and desirablo to proceed with the extension, and wo understand that Mr Shrimski, on his own responsibility, replied in tho affirmative, his colleague Mr Hislop being out of town, Some timo back tho I Battoi/, Oamaru Artillery, cent an order to Hobson and Sors, the Military Outfitters, London; for thirty busbies and a like numbor of belts. Tins was rendered necessary through tbo number of new members who had joined tho Battery, and for whom no uniforms were in stock. The articles ordered will be to hand in a few days, and tho Battery w.'U then bo able to tui.i out in its full strength. Every numbor who had a fuM diess uniform was present at the late Christchurch Review — a fact creditable to the Batteiy. Mr B. Hallonstein, of the Now Zealand Clothing Factory, has dono a particularly ( , praiseworthy thing. He leaves for Dunedin to-day on a visit to Europa. On Tuesday evening the employe's of the firm in Dunedin mot and presented Mr Hallonstein with an address, and :: n formed him that they and their fellow employe's throughout the colony had subscribed LI SO to be invested in a presentation silver servico to him, Mr Hallonstoin accepted tho address, but he beggc.l that the money mJ^ht be diverted from its original purpose to form the ncucleus of a fund to be applied to the relief of employe's in the establishment when auoh relief became necessary. This suggoaiion was

kdopted, und the firm have supplemented iho amount with a donation of fifty lovcroigns. Tho fund will bo managed by trustees, and the firm will allow interest on tho gross sum. Such honorable transactions »ro not only worthy of record— they aro worthy of universal imitation. Thcro was a oloar sheet at the Rcsidont Magistrate's Court yesterday, Tho trial of Butler, for murdor and arson, comes on to-day in Dunedin, before Mr Justice Williams. A correspondent sends us an interesting description of a North Island grazing farm. I'cn miles from Hawora a man named South ha» a farm of 400 acres, 30 of which are bush, tho remaining 370 being in gross paddocks. On this area ho depastures 1600 shcop, 100 cattle, and 20 horses. This farmer raises no othor artificial food for his stoe'e save grass, and ho disposes of a fair numbor every 6eason to tho butoher. It exhibits in rather a startling mannor tho march of intellect to see one of the priucip.'il hotels of a town marching bodily across the section in which it stands. To see odo's hostolrio, running with all its contents, in. eluding its landlord, towards you in the warmest kind of way, to give you welcome, is almost eoou&h to upset tho most moderate man more than an indefinite number oi glasses could do, But it is a faot witnsssed by soveial substantial citizens that that noblo piece of the most modoi.t architecture, the Queon's Hotel, as ie has risen from tho ashes of tho lato fi-o, was scon gravely advancing towards Thames street yo3terday morning, between 11 and 12 o'clock. Lookers on at first turnod palo, and aikod one another whether this was one of tho effects of the earthquake, or whether Saul was among the spirits, or what le beau petli diable was the mittor with tho place, bub they turned red «nd puiplo and yellow again, according to tho color nature had gifted thorn with on beholding four brawney, hearty, mou working with, and tugging at some lovers, and shoving the palatial abode of Mr Mark ham's good spiiits along; some rollers. It was nothing \. onderful after all. The Dunodin Star of last night publishes tho following suggestive if not quite startling paragraph : The Royal Commission on the Civil Service have come and gone, leaving, it ia understood, considerable consternation behind thorn in certain quarters, owing to the oharactor of the examination to which certain departments wore subjected. Tho railway workshops and tho work in progress theroin were critically lookc 1 into, with the result, it is whiflperod, of special representations being about to be made to the Government in respoct to certain nice little arrangomenta of the past and present. When the report of this Commission is made public, it is probablo that tho general surprise at the railways not paying interest on tho constiuction will bo changed into wonder that the rccoipts have balanced tho expenditure A case of costs '9 reported which might servo as a text for a much-uoedoel laysermon. A debtor was sued for 3s 6d, and the costs amounted to 7s. Tho T?f»Heni Magistrate refused to grant costs, saying il was a bad principle to encourage aolions foi such t'-ifFing sums. If persons would give credit for 33 Gd, thoy must not oxpoct n court of law to assist them in recovering the debt at an expense equal to tho debt twice over. A Mormon older named Sorensen has beer enlightening the people of Auckland as to the constituents and characteristics of an anqei. He ingeniously says : " A great majority aro mistaken about tho form of an angol, and are much in error on tho subject. An anq;ol is a resurrooteel spirit without blood, but with flesh and bones, and he ha« no veins, the air not being sufficiently buoy, ant to allow a figuro of flesh and blood to fly through it." At the mooting of tho Waste Lands Board in Dunodin yesterday, Mr A. H. Chapman applied that sections 5 and C, block 3, Kurow, bo reduced to 203 per aero, and offered at auction. Applicant pointed out that the land hid beon previously offered at 40s in vain. It wm in tho bed of the Waitaki, and was subject to floods. Th» Boarel agreed to offer tho land at 2)s per aar*. owing to i'a proximity to a projected lino of railway. The Hobarfc Town Mercury in noticing that tho census roturns for New Zealand, taken on M'xrch 3, 1878, hart not beon published till February 9, 1880, says: "They take things very quiotly in No>v Zealand, and though it is tha fashion to speak of Tasmania ai a sleepy hol'ow, official business proceeds ia Now Zealand with a slow and measured tread that would not be tolerated in Tasmania ; in f tot no official in Tasmania would dare procrastinate in a manner that in Now Zealand is met by tho most superficial excuse" Tho Morcury also thinks that the Registrar-General must bless the Government Printer for tho perfection tho latter would appc.r to have acquired in the art of " how not to elo it." Aa an example of tho possibi'ity of shipping Australian potatoes to England in good condition, the Warrnambool Standard states that Captain Powell, of the Lusitania, took a quantity with him on his last voyage. Some were used oveiy day on board, and the remainder reached England in such a sound state that Captain Powell presented baga to the directors of the Orient Company, who said they never tastsd better potatoes in their lives. Tho potatoes were shipped in bags, care boing taken to give thorn plenty of room and air. Much, of courso, must dopenel on the time of year on which thoy aro placed on board. An important firm's handing ovor on their retirement from business to their Btaff of assistants tho business which they havo spent a lifetime in building up is an act of quite astonishing geno.osity. Yet this has actually beon performed by the old established firm of Mosara William Lawronce and Sons, buildors, of London. In ro tiring from business they handed over to their managow and chief clerks, nino in number, a loan of L 30,000, with which the new firm will purchase the stock and continue the trade. Nor did the bonoficonce of tho principals stop here, for a considerable sum of money was divided by Mr Alderman W. Lawrouce, M.F., amongst the jarjje staff of workmon, the gratuities being proportioned to the length of icrvico of the mpn f some of the older servants having sufficient to yotjro from labor. Such an example of unparalled no* bility may have its effect upon groat labor employers, who may be led to think of the claims of those whose lives are spent in their service. Tho Aahburton Guardian says that Mr John Cochrano known among his neighbors on tho Wakanui Creek to bo a farmer who troats his land with a view to making it a homo for himself, and to crop it in such a way that the stamina will not be exhausted in a couplo of seasons— has met with his due reward. His record from the threshing machine shows that by working < his land properly, and keeping it in good heart, ho excels any othor return yet re-

corded. His wheat has turned out 52 and (50 bushels per aoro respootivoly for two paddocks. Hii barloy, which by tho way showed tho largost roturn in tin* n^iioultural statistics last year, is on this occasion 70 bushels per acre, and hii oat 3 on tho avorago about 70. Wo hopi t'iab our roadors who wish to work their farms in a practical mmnor will take a few loss ms from Mr John Cochrano, and next yoar wo may havo to record a largo number of instances in which the work dono will " sorvo thorn right." Tho Nelson Mail rofers in tho following "mixed" language to tho recant review at Christchuroh. Tho praiao bostowod upon tho Nolson Voluntoora, tho snoor at tho telegraph agont at Christohuroh, and tho polito loforonco to the Dunedin men, are, taken altogether, charming in tho nxtrome : "On tho following day (Saturday) fur both offioers and men tho work was exceedingly heavy, and it is highly gratifying to find that tho Nolson oJßcors had created so good an impression that they wore forced into the more important positions, and nocotsarily had tho brunt of the work as well as so largo a share of tho honor. Captain Wobb was app 'inted brigade major, and tho manner in which he performed tho difficult duties won for him tho esteom and admiration of all observers. Major Pitt acted a» senior major, and was greatly complimontod by Oolonel P.ioke on his efficient services. Captain Drake, of the Naval s, was also on tho goneral staff, and his good tempor, combined with sufficient firmness, made him rospeotod ovon by the ruffianly Dunedin men. Tlio Nelson men, as a whole, wore placed at a vory groat disadvantage, doprivod as they were of their officers, but it appears from what wo can learn that, though our tolograms wero silent on tho mutter, tho Nelson volunteers achieved as much distinction proportionately as their officers j for though come unpractised telograph agent failed to discern tho difference botwoon our men, well drilled as they arc generally admitted to bo, and such corps as tho South produces, it ii pleasing to find that old soldiers like Colonel Brott admitted that tho Nelson men wero unbeaten." The Northern papers siy that a short time ago Mr , a clerk in tho Audit Office, proceeded to Tauranga for the purpose o( investigating some defalcation! alleged to havo been committed by a public officer in that district. While thcro Ms attention was attractod by an exceptionally fine block of land, which is eaid to havo long boen an objnot of desiro to Europeans visiting tho neighborhood, but which was tenaciously held by tho Maoris in spito of tho tompting offers mado for it. Mr happened to meet one of the tribe in pos*o«ion of the land, and asked to whom it belonged, >To his nurpviso the reply was, " We are keep' ing it for old ." Btruck with tho identity of tho name montionod with hia own, Mr made further inquiries, which satisfied him that tho land was being kept by the natives for his father, ' l return for .omo great service he had rondorod them og one occasion when living in tho distiiot. Mr , it may bo imagined, lost no timo in letting tho natives know who he was, at tiie same time informing them that his fathor had been dead for several yo^rs. Upon this tho Maoils at once profosscd their roadiness to complete the t'tlo and hand over the pioperty to the lio'rs of the fiicnd of their tribo, to whose momoiy they had been bo faithful. Stops were at onco taken with that viow, and only ono man of the tribe, it is stated, refused to sign the deed, while it is nob anticipated that vory groat diiliculty will bj experienced on account of his refusal. Tho chief of tho tribe thon informed Mr that thoro was ono circumstance that weighed heavily on his mind. Finding that tho lighlful owner did not turn up, and as there appeared to bo no piospeot of his doing so, ho h.vl boon on one occasion induced to sell 1000 acres of the land. Ho could not, of ourao, get that block back again, but he oflerod to give a thousand acres of his own adjoining in exchange. Tho whole properly, m wo have said is a very valuable ono, and is stated to be worth L 12,000 at present prices. It is said that for 100 acres of tho pick of tho block* Mr was offered L2O an aero immediately after tho nows of what had lnpponod had bocomo known.