SATURDAY, JANUARY 29, 1881.

North Otago Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2689, 29 January 1881, Page 2

SATURDAY, JANUARY 29, 1881.

The Board of Education has re-elected Mr George Suinpter as ita member of the Board of Governors of the Waitaki High School. Mr F. J. will lecture on "The end of the present age, as foretold by Christ in Matthew xxiv. ," in the Volunteer Hall, on Sunday evening, at half-past seven o'clock. To-morrow afternoon at 3.30 the Rev. Oscar Michelson, from the New Hibrides, v? ill address St. Paul's Presbyterian Sabbathschool. In the evening he will conduct a missionary aervice in St. Paul's. The prizes at the rifle competition were won as follows : The first prize (a handsome liqueur stand, presented by Maior Sumpter) was won by Volunteer Smith. Capt. Headland gave two prizes to be competed for — the first being Ll and the second 10a. Bandsman K ; ug won the first, and Lance-Corporal Kay the second. The annual meeting of householders for the purpose of electing a school committee was held at Cave Valley on Monday evening. The attendance was good. The retiring committee gave a report of the previous year's proceedings, which was unanimously adopted. The following gentlemen were elected— Mesirs Bain, Williams, Meek, Jackson, Isdale, M'Gregor, and Adamson. The Oamaru Artillery Company has been strengthened by the augmentation of a number of new members, and as uniforms were required, it was determined to test local capacity, and an order was given to Mr Gemmell. The result has been highly satisfactory, the uniforms being, it is said, superior in quality snd fit to those obtained ready made from Home. It was resolved, at a meeting of the direotors of the Caledonian Society, held la*t evening, to establiahja bursary open to boys and girls whose parents or guardians reside in the district. The sum for the hrst year was fired at L2O. As the Caledonian Society are thinking of purchasing a ground freehold for their gatherings, the cost of which will probably have to be raised on debentures, the establishment of a bursary at such a time is the more magnanimous. A new industry is about to be inaugurated in the colony, a Christchurch firm being about to commence the manufacture of twine of all descriptions, This will give an impetus to the growth of hemp, but even without a local market we have been informed that hemp has been grown in the O&mMTU district and realised a good paying price in the London markets. The firm above alluded to is open to buy colonially grown hemp, so that if the foreign market fails, there is the local one to fall back on. A cricket match will be played on the old cricket ground this afternoon between the first eleven and next eighteen of the Excelsior Cricket Club. Play will commence at 2.15 pm. and a full attendance is requested. The following are the respective sides : Ist cleven — Messrs Creagh, Cooke, Fenwick, Finch, Forbes, A. Hartley, A. O. Hardy, T. Hewat, Marshall, D. Moore, Snow; emergency, W. M 'Donald. The eighteen will be chosen from the following — Messrs Bannerman, Bickuell, Blakely, CJayton, Crawford, Church, Davis, Gifford, Ham, E. Hewat, R. Hewat, Henderson, Legge, Maw, A. M'Leod M 'Donald, Paterson, Ross, Spence, A. B. Todd, J. H. Todd, and Wise. This year in the Waitaki district the supply of butter has been considerably in excess of the demand, and it must gratify farmers to find that the Home market is open to them for this product. Some few years ago a certain description of grass seed usod to be imported largely into the colony. Lately, to the astonishment of Home growers, a seed of a better quality has been exported from New Zealand and brought into competition with their own. The Panama Canal (which is in progress) when completed w'll afford a shorter route to Home markets, and although it is early to talk of the results of the completion of this work on the comme cc of New Zealand, there can be no doubt that it will have a most desirable effect on the progress of this and neighboring colonies. Then everything we can grow and cannot consume amongst ourselves will find an outlet in foreig l markets. The following report of the Secretary to the Loyal Oamaru Lodge, M.U.1.0.0.F., was read at a meeting of the Lodge held on Thursday evening : To the N.G., officers, and brethren of the Lodge, — I have the honor to report that the Lodge continues to prosper both financially and numerically ; the balance to the credit of the sick fund being L 1243 11s Gd, and the balance to the credit of the management fund being L 707 6s sd, making the total value of the Lodge the handsome sum of L 1950 17s lid. During the year 17 members have joined the Lodge —14 by initiation, 2 by clearance, and 1 by reinstatement — and during the same period seven members have left the Lodge ; the number of members now on the books being 81. During the year only seven members experienced sickness, in the aggregate amounting to 21 weeks and 5 days, for which the sum of L2l 17s was paid. The ages of the members are as fol'ow : From 20 to 25 years, nine members ; from 25 to 30, twenty-one members ; from 30 to 35, nine members ; from 35 to 40, nineteen members ; from 40 to 45, seventeen members ; from 45 to 50, three members ; from 50 to 55, three members ; total, eighty-one members. The yearly returns to District and the Registrar of Friendly Societies have been completed and audited by Pasb Grand J. T. Evans and Andrew Thompson, and are now submitted for your approval, — I am, frater» nally and obediently yours, George Brownlee, Secretary. The United States Government have awakened to the possibility that New Zealand and New South Wales may not desire to continue a costly mail service \ia San Francisco, the more especially when the benefits derived by these colonies are not commensurate with the outlay necessaiy to keep the thing going ; and they have offered to pay half the cost of the overland transport. The mails could be carried as expeditiously, and, we believe, much more cheaply via Suez. Hitherto the benefits that have been derived from the existence of the San Francisco line have been of a decidedly negative character. Barley, as ballast, has been brought from California at as cheap a rate as 7s 6d per ton, and the New Zealand farmer is expected to smile and contribute his share towards the expense of maintaining a line of steamers which has the effect of reducing the market value of his goods. If the steamers were running without subsidy it might alter the aspect of the question, but the return for the expenditure is so infinitesimal that even the liberal offer of the United States Government may not have the effect of continuing the system. If there was no subsidy freights could not be taken at 7s 6d per ton, and farmers W the Waitaki district, we are certain, have no desire to see the contract renewed. It has been resolved by the Board of Education — " That in view of the very unsatisfactory working of the present mode of election of school committees, it is, in the opinion of this Board, absolutely essential that an alteration m this matter oe made in the Act, so that committees may in a greater degree represent the opinions of the public of the various school districts, and that a committee be appointed to draw up a list of suggestions indicating the direction in which j these alterations should be made." The Wanganui Herald of the 20th instant says that Colonel Whitmore, having disposed of his estate in Hawke's Bay, is about to take his departure from the colony, with the intention of residing permanently in England. Our contemporary eulogises Col, Whitmore as a politician and for the servioes he rendered as commander of the colonial forces against Te Kooti and Tito Kowaru in

1868 ami 1869. •• Justice," says the Herald, "could only be done by a narrative of the events aa they transpired, and we believe we are justified Jin saying that Colonel Whitmoro intends publishing a history of the \v\ra of '68 and '69, the greater part of which is already in manuscript." Amongst the appointments sanctioned at the Education Board on Thursday was that of Jane Sim, schoolmistress, Pukeiviti, a new ! appointment. Mr Vesey Stewart, of Tauranga, intends making a systematic effort to establish the vine-growing industry in the Poverty Bay 'listrzct. A Now South Wales paper says that Mr James Tyson, the squatter, has an income of L 500.000 per annum. Tn a recent speech, Lord Derby said that the average price of good agricultural land in England is L6O per acre. The net area of land alienated in New South Wales is about 30,000,000 acres ; the total aTe% of the colony ia estimated at 199,000,000 acres. Dr Hastings, of Bo3ton, in speaking of religious joy, and of singing as being the natural expression of that joy, remarked that some congregations had so little of it they had to hire people to do their singing. 11 Why" said he, " I would as soon think of hiring a man to eat my breakfast." Encouraged by the success of the system of irrigation by artesian wells, as adopted by the French in Algeria, a party in the United Congress are advocating a grant of 50,000 dollars for the purpose of trying a similar experiment on some of the v«at dry plains of the West. It is said that there are 50,000,000 acres of land which only require irrigation to render them capable of being profitably cultivated, but not more than 3 per cent, of them can be irrigated by means of existing streams. The Bluff Harbor Board has been going in for a course of economy and dispensing with the services of some of its officers. Captain Thomson, who has for many years been harbormaster at the Bluff, is one of these officers, and the Harbor Board, supported by the opinion of its solicitor, that it is within the powers of the Board to compensate officials removed for no fault of their own, has resolved that a retiring allowance, in accordance with the terms of the Civil Service Act, 1861, be made to the harbormaster, and that such sum shall be L 167 10s per annum — to take effect from Ist prox.