Untitled

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVI, Issue 5495, 27 June 1879, Page 4

In our yesterday's issue, we published a. letter that had been received from the Secre. tary of the Sydney Exhibition Commissioners, with regard to the display o£ machinery at the forthcoming show, for a method of extracting gold from n:»\vorketl tailings, and also those that have been created by the ordinary process of berdans ■wheelers, pans, &c., now in vogue on the various goldfields of this colony. The machinery in question, it is believed, will effect a saving of 50 or GO per cent, of the gold left in tailings that have already been, treated by the common processes above referred to. As the matter 19 of great importance to this district, it is desirable that various samples of tailings that have already passed through the berdans, and also a parcel of stuff which has only been operated upon by the stampers, should be Bent for trial, and with this in view the Moanataiari Company have instructed their manager to forward samples to the Commissioners in this city. Other companies will probably follow the example of the Moanataiari Company, and especially thoso companies whose tailings are heavily charged with minerals, and are most difficult to treat. The samples required must be put in bans of lcwt. each, and forwarded to the Commissioners iu Auckland, who will send them to Sydney. The question of the classification of waste lands of the Crown came before the Board yesterday, in respect of the important block of Te Puke, just brought under tho administration of tho Board. The district surveyor had reported on the land, and amongst that classed as inferior land, he placed broken bush land. This classification waa objected to by Mr. J. C. Firth and Mr. B. Tonks, who placed such a high value on timber, that they insisted that all land growing timber should be sold as fi r stclass land. The question is a nieo one. Iu some instances timber land may ba valuable, ii others it might be quite ur.fit for ordinarj culture. Who, for instance, would like tc expend capital on the steep hill-sides of : worked-out kauri forest ? The timber lefl is useless for trade purposes, and the land ii worth less for agricultural purposes. Ir other instances the useless quality of th< timber growing on the so-called bush lane may be such that the efforts of the intendinj settlers will be entirely directed to its eradication. Cast-iron rules of the kind propoaec yesterday will not meet the requirements 0 the farming population. Yesterday afternoon an inquest was helt at the Freeman's Hotel, Freeman's Bay before Dr. Philson and a jury, upon the lati John Ashby. The deceased waa a farmer and resided at the Sandspit. For some tim past he has been suffering from hear disease, and early in the week he expirei suddenly, when none of his family were wit! him. The body was brought on to Auck land, and an inquest held, as stated, when 1 verdict was giveu in accordance with th medical evidence, that the deceased diei from the sudden bursting of the great arter leading from the heart. At the Waste Lands Board meeting, yes terday, the Chairman announced th» addi tion of two blocks of land in the Thame district to the lands brought under the ad ministration of the Board. The principa block was in Waikawan, midway betweei L the Tapu district and Coromaudel. Th ' Chairman of the Thames County Counci made application to have roads mad thronqh the land, but the Hoard decided nc to deal with a separate application of th J kind, but to apply to the Government for 7 vote of £10,000 for making main roads an I drains through the waste lands which the t have to offer for sale during the nest twelv t months. This was the course adopted lai s year, and the vote was granted. A col 1 siderable portion of it has not been spen , and it is intended to apply to have th i sum made available in addition to the voi B asked for. The wisest course would hai been for the Board to have expended tl money while it was available, and not have trusted to providcnce to have the vo ® restored. There was an ample and profi 1 able field for its expenditure. \ Yesterday afternoon a meeting of tl V Board of Grammar School Governors w; held, —Dr. Campbell presiding. The mi( winter holidays were fixed, and the applic 8 tions for additional salary, by Messrs. Ande ~ son and Sloman, teachers in the Grammi " School, were sustained, and £50 a ye; e added to their pay. This raises the J salaries to £400 each. The permanency 8 the evening-classes w»9 recognised, but ] 1 permanent arrangements were made for pr viding teachers. Captain Heale's resol j tions, passed some time ago, against the cm t tinuanco of primary instruction in the Gran mar School, were rescinded, and the low j forms are to be retained. t The Chairman of the Newmarket Hig f way District announces that the anns I meeting of the ratepayers in that district to be held in the Newmarket Hall on tl 15th July, at half-past 7 o'clock, " to recei' c the report from out-going trustees." A cording to the advertisement, the receptic * of the report from the out-going trustees " the only business which is intended to 1 3 transacted. Do the ratepayers in the NVi ■ market Highway District intend to elect new board of trustees, auditors, fen viewers, &c., or is it their intention 1 drop the Highways A.ct and. adopt the Con 1 tieß Act 1 According to the 17th clause a the Highways Act 1574, only the busine , stated in the notice calling the meeting c: be transacted, and this; in the case of Ne' market, being limited to the reception of t; e out going trustees' report, is the only bn 3 ness that can be done, unless the notice the meantime is altered. To make t' matter clear to other Boards, as well as tl Newmarket one, we invite their attention = the 17th clause, which, after stating wh ' can be done at an annual meeting of the rat ' payers, makes the following important pi visio :—"Provided that intimation of tl intention to transact such business shs have been given in the notice calling su( meeting." When public business is done, ? is well that it should be done in a prop manner, and thus save after dispute. 1 It is the custom in England, when ai worthy matron increases the population 1 2 having three children at a birth, for tl Queen to send a gift of money, which i - indeed, usually very acceptable to tl t receiver. We are not aware whether tl s same duty has been imposed on tl 1 Governors of colonies, as Her Majestj 1 representatives; but if Sir Hercules Kobinsi , sees it to be his constitutional duty to folio - the royal custom, an opportunity now ofife; t at Matakana, information as to which nja ' be obtained in our list of "domestic items. 2 We may remark, by the way, that tl t American papers record that the Marchionei 1 of Lorne has had to "comedown handsome 3 on no fewer than three occasions already. [ The arrests made by the police durii yesterday and last uight were not numeroa 1 nor were tho charges of 3 serious natur Two were incarcerated for being drunk, as 1 the third on a charge of indecency. ■An entertainment will be given to-nigl in St. Luke's Presbyterian Church, Remuen in aid of the Sabbath-school fund. Mi Crooke will givo his varied and interests exhibition of lime-iight views. Several song and recitations will be given by the scholai attending the Sabbath-school. The Rev Mr. Monro will preside on the occasion.

A "Stranger" ia Auckland sends us the following notes on a run through Mr. Mason's Parnell gardens:—"No stranger should leave Parnell without seeing these gardens, or lie will b&ve missed one of tile ♦lions'of the place. Parnell people should indeed be proud of them, seeing that they have free access to all their beauties. No one can pass through them without coming to the conclusion that Auckland citizens are not altogether given up to the getting of wealth, at the expense of the fair and beautiful in nature. For here is growing vast quantities of both the ornamental and Useful which will, no donbt, make some ' desert blossom as the rose. . Go into what department you like there is stirring activity. In the packing store, crates are being filled, and despatched to all parts of the Island, and men are at work at all points of the nursery " balling up' for the packing process. Passing up the entrance walk, we came to the early vinery, where vine culture was being carried on by an expert in that department ; then we came to the great extent of glass known as the late vineries. These are to be brought into fruiting condition in succession ; while the. new adds much both to the beauty and utility of the gardens. Having arrived thus far, the inclement weather made us beat a retreat, yet we had the satisfaction of knowing that we had seen what we conld not see at home ; and so a ' Stranger' takes away with him a favourable impression of the Parnell nursery gardens." The attention of contractors in drawn to a notice in our advertisement columns, calling for tenders for fencing and erecting yards and a sheep-dip on the reserve off the Great Sonth Road, which is set apart as the quarantiue station for the ports of Auckland and Onehunga. The erection of a Government sheep-dip, under the Sheep Act, IS7S, will considerably lessen the charges on all sheep imported by sea into Auckland. The Rev. J. S. Hill will deliver his lecture in the hall of the Young Men's Christian Association, this evening, on "The Tabernacle." The subject, with numerous iilu3tr.\tions vrill prove to be one of the most deeply interesting ef the series. Selections of music will be given at intervals. As a crow led attend inca is expected, those having seaeon tickets will have seats reserved till 7.20. Last night, a crowd of boys were gathered under the verandah of Mr. Farrow, fruiterer, Queen street, evidently attracted there by the bazaar. A young lady was passing down the street, and when opposite the boys she was strr ck in the face with the core of an apple. This rude conduct on the part of the yonug scamps who loiter upon the streets after dark requires to be put a stop to. A few weeks ago one of these larrikins was caught by the police, and deservedly punished. Similar case's require to be brought forward every few diyi , , in order to put a stop to the youthful rnffUmsm which is becoming intolerable after dark in many Streets in the city and suburbs. The Newmarket Highway Board has taken notice of the paragraph which appeared in our issue a few davs ago regarding the state of the road near the Kailvray Bridge at Newmarket. For the past two days a man has been employed in removing the mud from the holes and tilling them with good road metal. When once thoroughly repaired, the Board will not be troubled with that portion of the road agaia for some time. Our Waikato contemporary states that on Monday evening last Mr. Samuel BroornSeld was entertained at a dinner by a number of friends. Mr. Broomneld is about to leave for Australia, where, if good wishes avail anything, he should certainly make his fortune. A very enjoyable evening was spent, many excellent songs- being sung. Mr. Broomfi-ld has long been known in the district, and hie departure will bs regretted by a large circle of acquaintance. A correspondent, under the signature of "A Sufferer," writing from Alexandra, states that the coaches leave there every alternate day, greatly to the inconvenience of the travelling public, who very often have to wait at Ohaupo for the next day's coach. There is a daily mail to Alexandra, but on every other day it is carried by the Constabulary. It would be a great boon to tho travelling public and settlers generally, if it could bs so arranged that the coach would leave daily from Alexandra for Ohaupo to meet the train on its arrival there, which, I hear, the Post office authorities could easily arrange with the present coach proprietor, by granting him a small subsidy. If this were done, it would cause parcels from this and other outlying districts to be forwarded by railway instead of by water, as at present. Water-carriage invariably causes trouble and annoyance by long delays. The carrying of parcels would also increase the traffic and returns of the Waikato branch of ■the New Zealand railways. A genuine Murillo, the property of Mr. Linabu.-y, will be placed on view at Messrs. Philippe and Sons premises, Queen-3treet, for a fe«r days prior to being shipped to the Sydney Exhibition. The price set upon thi3 oil-painting by the great Spanish master, is £500, and its supposed valae double that amount. Lovera of art will, doubtless, avail themselves of the opportunity thus afforded them. The Whatawhata corresponded of the TVaikaio Times writes on the 20th instant as follows:—The first auction sale of nursery stock ever held in the took place yesterday. Mr. K. Hill handled the hammer. There was a large assortment of wellgrown fruit and forest trees, and the prices realised mest have been highly satisfactory to the vendor, Mr. George Mason. The fruit trees ranged from Is to 2a each. However, it is money well invested, the soil of Whatawhata being admirably adapted for fruit-growing—instance the Lirge quantities of peaches, &c, annually grown in the district, from trees formerly planted by natives. The Taranaki Herald publishes a list of the Taranaki Volunteer Corps in that district, which shewe that in Taranaki and Patea there are 1353 men enrolled. The Uormanby Volunteers have completed their redoubt, which is stated to be a fine piece of work. The Argus London correspondent reports ■that Mr. H. C. E. Childers has astumed the office of Agent-Gener»l for Victoria. It is understood that, for the present, Mr. Childers will hold the office without salary, bat there is a very strong impression that he will eventually surrender the poet to Sir Gavan Daffy, whenever a dissolution of the local Assembly brings hie Speakerehip to a close. The Bay of Plenty Times says : —On Saturday we were shown a monster egg, which had been laid that morning by a hen belonging to Mrs. Snodgrasn, of thi3 town. It measured SJ inches in circumference the long way, and 6i the shorter, and was 3Jozs in weight. The hen was a cross breed between a dorking and black Spanish. The Rev. Charles Clark disappeared very unexpectedly from the Cape.—The Cape Standard of May 8 publishes the following : —" The lecture and concert which was announced for last night by the Rev. Charles Clark and Jlisa Christian did not come off, the talented artists and their clever manager, Mr. Sinythe, having made a hasty departure for England the previous afternoon. Some surprise was expressed yesterday at what seemed to be a very sadden change in a promising programme, and we have not heard any aatisfactory explanation of the movement." According to announced arrangement, they were to leave on May 13, but ■they left on 'May 6.