Daily Circulation, 1500. The Oamaru Mail THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1888.

Oamaru Mail, Volume X, Issue 4206, 6 September 1888, Page 2

Daily Circulation, 1500. The Oamaru Mail THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1888.

A correspondent expresses approval at our criticisms o£ the Land Board's conduct in referenee to the Bugged Ridges transaction. Be says " Your censure of Mr Commissioner Maitland is fully endorsed by many ap this way" (that is in the district in which the station In question is situated), "The old rent of the rnn was 1.810 per annum, and the same man (Mr Rutherford) now gets it at L 250, thanks to the Commissioner." The more we know of the transaction, the more thoroughly are we convinced that there has been collusion somewhere whioh has resulted in injustice and financial loss to the colony. The whole affair was exposed by our correspondent "Argus "in our issue of the 4th instant. Mr Kutherford, it appears, purchased the ltase in 1883, and agreed to pay LBIO per annnm for it. Bnt, during the agitation that occurred amongst the runhclders to seonre a reduction of their rents, or the relinquishment of their leases, Mr Bntherford caught j the Infection. He "wanted to be relieved from the bargain he had made, and he set to work to accomplish this object. The Government—the Stout-Vogel Government was then in office—were willirg to accept a surrender, because they saw that there was an opportunity of selling the land on the grazing ran system. Then Mr Rutherford, who hid previously complained that the ran was not worth the money he was paying for it, and eoaght on that accoant to be relieved from his obligations, turned ronnd and demanded a premium as the price of his abandonment of it. The Government refuted to be a party to such a scandalous transaction. Bnt Mr Bntherford bided his time. There was a chance that the Government that had refused to accede to bis barefaced proposal would be supplanted by a Government with Sir Harry Atkinson at its bead, and this change jaat afterwards took place. Then was Mr Rutherford's opportunity, and he took the fullest possible advantage of it. He applied to the Government for a release from his bargain, which was granted. This of itself might not have satisfied Mr Bntherfordbut he succeeded also in inducing the Land Board, with the concurrence, we may assume, of the Govern* ment, to sabmit the run at the former upßet price—lilso and to so work tho oracle, through the restriction ot notification, that competition would be avoided. The result we who are interested in the settlement of lands in this distriot know only too well—Mr Bntherford, through an agent, re-leased at ~ 1250 the run for which he had previously paid 1810, and which he had refused to abandon dnring the Stout-Vogel regime unless paid a.snbßtantial premium. This one transaction alone would provide a sufficient ground on which to impeach those who are responsible for It; By being parties to it the Government and the Land Board have everlastingly disgraced themselves, Bnt it is only one act of many of a similar kind. Here is another : Two thousand two hundred aores, consisting of one of the best portions of the Enrow rnn, was reserved for settlement in Bmall lots, and six of the many Battlers who are anxious to establish homes on this area a week or so ago applied to the Land Board to be permitted to take np six sections, The applications appear not to have been submitted to the Board at all, as no record of them has been published in the report of the Board's proceedings. The Commissioner, or the salesman, seems to have taken thewhole of the responsibility of the matter into his own hands. We have before us replies that have been sent by Mr Chalmers, the salesman, in response to the applications, which state that "the land is noS likely to be I opened for application for four months yet, i as it has first to be surveyed, and then advertised for six weeks, before applications can be reoeived." Now, this is a subterfuge. Whose faalt is it that the land has not been surveyed and announced as opea for selection ? Had the Government and the Board done their duty, these things would have been done, so that the land might have been taken up In time to utilise it this year.; What necessity is there to delay for another four months that which could have been easily done long since to the advantage of all ooDcerned? The Government boast of the excellence of our land laws. The laws thenuelves may be admirable enough, but' experience proves that they are administered by a ring of political intrigoers. It Is an open secret that the New Zealand and Australian Land Company are nsing the land in) question free of cost. May we not reasonably conclude that that is the reason for thei delay to take the steps necessary to secureitß occupation b> legitimate settlers 1 What need have we to wonder that people are leaving the colony In disgust ? There Is no other part of the world in wh'ch suoh downright robbery would be permitted,

In our report of the chaage of larceny against Mary Ewart we stated that the Crown Proseontor addressed the jury at the close: of the oase. It should haveread, " Mr Newton," eto. John Lethaby, aged 12 yean, and late of Dunedln, was this morning brought before the Resident Magistrate charged with being found wandering at large and having no home; He was remanded to Ashburton, where hia parents are. The final race on skates for the championship and gold medal will be run off to-night at the Union Risk. The race iB the lODgest \ ever mo on skates in Oamaru, being 10 miles. We haTe eeen tho gold medal to be awarded to the successful.competitor, and consider it a very beautiful sample of the goldsmith's art. A few evenings ago the settlers residing in the Ngapara district met together and presented Mr Parker, the stationmaster, who has recently Teceived instructions to proceed to Maheno to take .chaige of the station there, wiih a purse of sovereigns, as a token rf the bigh esteem in which he is held in the distriot,. Mr A. Murdoch made the presentation, iand, In banding to Mr Parker the purse, he accompanied it with remttrks bearing upon the efficient and courteous manner in which that gentleman had fulfilled his duties whilat residing amongst them, and, in conclusion, wished him success in his new sphere. The fo'lowing players have been chosen to represent Hampden in a football m&toh to be played against Palmerston on Saturday 8;h inst: Full-baok—N. Culling j three-quarter-backs— Poden, Lefevre, Macdonald; half-backs Pollock, Gunn ; forwards Howie, A. Cameron, Lefevre, Andrews, i Culling, Dunbar, laurenson, Munro, andW, Cameron ; emergencies—Davis, M 'Cormick, Mr W. Randal will umpire for Hampde i, The distriotß round Ngapara are looking very well, and with a few flays warm weather feed will be abundant. Lambing is pretty general. Tho treasurer of the Benevolent Society desires us to acknowledge, oa behalf of the Society, the receipt by him of JL3 3s, as a joint donation to the Sooiety's funds from the Columbia Rink proprietors and the Garrison Band, this amount being the result of the carnival recently given at the rink for the benefit of the Society. Last night's organ recital at St. Luke's Church was a pleasant experience to the large audience that assembled to hear it. The programme, which his already been published by ua, comprised judicious Relictions from works that one is never privileged, to hear B»ve oa such occasions, The opening I service was conducted by the rev. the incumbent Mr 'Gifford; and then succeeded the programme in the following order i Solo, First Palm Sunday Hymn, Mlbb Nellie Hardy; offertoire, March in A ; duet, " They shall hunger no more," Misses E. Lemon and S. Gifford; solo, " Sound an Alarm," Mr J. Walls; solo " He shall bring them in," Miss H. Gifford; chorus, " Benedictus," choir; offertoire, Fantasia in F; and oonoluding voluntary, " Jubilee March;" The natural beauty of the vocal items waß enhanced by the artistic treatment they received' " Sound an Alarm," by Mr Walls, despite itß difficulties, was a. worthy performance of a carefnl musical student; Mlsa Gilford's lovely voice and unassuming style well fitted her for her task ; Mies Nellie Hardy once more afforded one of those treats which are now but seldom accorded by her, and, in the duet with Mi a Gifford, Miss E. Lemon gave fresh evidence of that accuraoy of intonation which made her efforts ever welcome in the musioal days gone by. As for Mr Finch, the Church's abfe organist, he surpassed himself in his organ pieoes, as well as in the accompaniments to the vocal items, and the choir displayed its wonted efficienoy. The proceeds of the collection made on the occasion will be handed to the Benevolent Society. The promoters of the occasion are deserving of thankß for the good which they have in every way effected. The nomination of cand dates for the vacancies in the Municipal Council did not oreate much excitement to-d»y- The hungering and thi sting after oivio honors seems to have died out, as there was considerable difficulty in find'ng candid tes for nomination. and those who agreed to stand only d d l so after considerable persuasion. Mr Georoe Jones, senr., was elected for Jetty Ward, t UHopposed, being proposed .'-.by "Mr .-.Otterson and seconded by &3r H. Macintosh. For Thames Ward Mr James Kma'ie, the only candidate, was proposed by Mr J. W. Morton and seconded by Mr John Orr. Messrs H, Davidson and Thos. Hilliker were nominated for Severn Ward. No nomination was received for High Ward. It will be learned with regre!; that the Rev. A. B. Todd has found it necessary through ill health, to leave Oamaru for a while. The rev. gentleman, in company with Mrs Todd, left here yesterdav for t'ort Chalmers, from whioh p'ace he will proaead to Napier. The congregation of St Paul's has granted him leave of absence till the end of October, It is to be hoped thai the change will prove as beneficial .as could be wished. The ladies of Wesley Church congregation intend holding a bazaar in *t George's Hall on the 18th and 19 :h October. Further details will appear in a short time. .. Mr Yonng. Government Rabbit Agent, when on duty on the 27th of last month, on the Land Company's run at Monnt Dasher, had a very- nnpleaßant experience, whioh might have ended in disaster. Whilst walking over, the run on a tour of inspection, he was attacked by a huge boar. He had nothing but a small stick with which to defend himself from the brate, whioh was unusually savage, even for its aperies, nor waß there apparently any friendly tree or shelter at hand. It was a snort that made Mr Young aware of the proximity of the brute, for this symptom of hostility caused him to look round and he discovered that he was not quite alone. Thongh he anticipated no nnpleaßant interference from his uncouth companion, the sequel showed that he had reckoned without his host, for, nothing daunted by the noise that Mr Young made to terrify him, the ungainly Captain Cooker approached, and seemed Inclined to try conelusions with his superior associate Mr Young, realising that in a rao* for life, he would oome off second best, stood his ground or, rather monnted a heap of stones, and plied the > tickvig Tously to the brute's head. After having suffered this treatment for about half an honr during whioh he showed hia teeth most delightfully, Mr Young's unwelcome and unhandsome antagonist turned tail and walked away as coolly as he he hid oome up to the attack, Mr Young believes that the heap of stones, though apparently insignifio»nt, saved him from a violent and decidedly unpleasant and untimely end. It is the intention of a party of sportsmen to interview his poroine majesty at an early date. In response to a request, Professor Brookes has obtained permssion from the Colonial Secretary to raffle the mns'cal model and marble cross poonah painting now on view in Morton's Boot Palace. The mu-ical model is an ingenious piece of work, and has attracted considerable attention since its exhibition in the window; The poonah painting was on view also at Mr' Kemshed's shop for some time, and its beauty has been much admired. The price of the tickets is ss, and as it iB expected the list will soon be filled it has been decided that the drawing will take place early next week. A meeting of the Athenteum Committee was held last evening, when there were present—Messrs Wilson (President). Spence, Brown, Sumpter, Best, Barkness, Forrester, and the secretary. The report of the librarian was read, showing that during the month six new inembeirs had joined and two had left, Three works were presented by Mrs Neiwton for the library, and a vote of thinks was passed to the donor. It was decided that Dr de Lautour be a member of the Committee ex officio, this gentleman, as curator of the museum, waiced on the Committee, I asking for the use of the chessroom fir the i deposit of perishable articles, especially the natural history specimens. The museum, he siid, was totally unfit for the purpose, being very damp, and besides visitors found it difficult' to get aooess to the building. He 1 pointed out that many persons would willingly place specimens of_ natural history at the disposal of the Committee were a suitable place provided for 1 them. ' 'a the j motion of Mr Sumpter, seconded by Mr i Harkness, the use of the chessroom was j granted for the deposit of the natural history j speoimens, and a sum of 15 was'voted for' providing cases. On the suggestion of Mr I fumpter, it was decided to dispose , of all j dnplioate books In the library. Mr Otterson submitted- a report' showing the financial I result of the bazaar, the net proceeds of 1

which amounted to 1102 18s. A unanimous vote of thanks was paesed to those who had worked acd assisted In making the bazaar so successful. It was decided to expend L2O in the purchase of new books. A vote of thanks was accorded to Mr Churoh for his lecture in aid of the funds. It was resolved that a small handbell be prooured to be rung by the librarian five minutes before the time for closing the library. For the information of those subscribers who are unaware of the fact we may mention that a suggestion book is kept at the jithenaum in order that those desirous might suggest any work they wish to see placed in the library. Among the list of workß fuggested and read by the Seoretary at the Committee meeting last evening was one bearing the ttle " A New Loo'*, btock, *nd Barrel Committee of .Management," edited by Batepayer. By request of the President wo publish the names of those who subscribed towards the cost of erecting the fence in front of the m isumMess's J. Bulleld, 10s; R. B. Wilson, 10j ; Thos. Morris, 10s; A. S. Otterson, Ss; D. Dann, ss; R. David'Ou, 5s ; Jas. Macdonald, 10s; H. Harkness, 5s ; E. Piper, ss; J, A. Hutton, ss; J. J Spence, 5s ; and R. Oabites, ss. The turnery for the posts was given by Meiers M'Callum and Co , and Mr Wansbroogh has generously agreed to paint the fsnoe. The monthly inspection of the garrison corps will take place at the drill hall tomorrow evening, at 7.45. The oaptaiu of the Oamaru Hifles desires that every member will put in an appearance, as some most important business has to be considered. A Waikato settler says that wh-n in Sydney recently he saw in a provision dealer's shop a blackboard on whioh was written, "No New Zealand bntter sold here." He was indignant, and adds that the Waikato butter was vastly superior to any he tasted in Sydney or Victoria. In the oourse of his sermon laßt Sunday night (says the Press) the Bev, J, J, Lewis i said that at an inquiry meeting held at the Oddfellows' Hall two years ago a ycung man of line physique oame to him, asked him to be his friend, and lead him to a better life. The yonng man, though of respectable parent*, had just been liberated from g:<al, after having served a term of imprisonment. The rev. gentleman assisted to get him employed in the way he desired, but the crimnal bent was so strong in him that he soon fell into his old ways. If anyone knew of his whereabouts the police wonld be glad of the information, as he was "wanted," His name was Jonathan Bobrts. The loveroarglll correspondent of the rhristohuroh Press says:—"-hipments to Melbourne are keeping np, not only in extent but In variety, and for the past week there has been sent there 40 0 saoks of oats, 600 casks of oysters, 55 oases of oheese, 27 esses of fish, 48 cases of ergs 160 doors, 37 oaees tinned ranbit lard, 15 horses, 34 head of cattle, and 2 ponies. The Boto"iahana should have left on Friday night, but was kept a day longer, in consequence of the stormy weather, the oaptain not oaring to try the Straits on Buoh a fearful night." A Mr David Carman, of Mastertou, who has recently visited the Old Country, brings some very encouraging reports of the frozen meat trade. He Bays that the London agents were doing their level best to push the trade, and they were affording the retailer every facility for purchaMng and distributing the New Zealand artiole. In every village and hamlet that he visited Mr Carman heard the New Zealand mutton very highly spoken of, and bis impression is that very shortly, instead of New Zealand mutton being sold as British, the tables will be turned, and British mutton will be told as the New Zealand artiole. There is one erroneous impression that he wishes to remove. He was told, when selecting sheep for freezing, that fat oarcases were not approved of. When he visited ftondon he was astonished to find that the more prime the carcass tho greater the demand and the better the prioe, and that several very large and very fat carcases of New Zealand mutton were the theme of general admiration. Th 9 railway management of Victoria are calling tenders for the supply of 5 jO trucks, the first of three batohes of a similar number making 1500 in all. They have recently j acoepted the tender of a local man for the manufacture of 25 firat-oU'is double bo/ie carriages at a cost of L 30,175. The whole of the above work is to be done in the colony. Whatever the opinions of outsiders might be as to the stability of the prosperity of the colony, evidently Victorians have not lost faith in themselves or their oouutry, and so long as this feeling remains strong in the national mind it is almost a guarantee of a prosperous future It 1* this element that we bo much need iu New Zealand to replace that whiniDg faithlessness that haß made members of thlß oolony notorious in Australia. If the people here are ever to regain their lost faith in their beautiful colony, now is the time. Qur products are almost one and all selling at good values, and with a prospect of steady markets, we have very much to encourage us to hold up our heads and take heart for the future.