THE Otago Daily Times. DUNEDIN, MONDAY, AUGUST 31.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 2050, 31 August 1868, Page 2

THE Otago Daily Times. DUNEDIN, MONDAY, AUGUST 31.

It must,be a matter,- of ; ;regret to all citizens of Dunedin that any-circum? stances should exist likely to lead to the disbanding of the Volunteer Fire Brigade; Those who have had the misfortune to be personally interested in any -of the numerous fires "which" have""occurred Here : since the Brigade was formed, have had reason to acknowledge very gratefully the! promptitude and skill, 'and especially the capacity for steady and" patient . work, .which its members have displayed. What the value of property, saved by its exertions may be, it "would, be impossible; to estimate, although on almost eyery occa-

sion, except the last, -when its services have been, called for, "its efforts have been crippled by the short supply of water. Of what it can accomplish, when water is at hand and in plenty,,we had ample evidence during the recent fire. We may venture to .say" that no one in Bunedin, until "he -saw 'it done, believed in the possibility of saving any of; the wooden portion of.: the Rattray street block,- when once a fire in it had attained such dimensions as this did. Too much value cannot be attached to - the presence 'of 'plenty of water at a good pressure on such an occasion. Without the assistance of the Water Works Company's mains, the victory of the,> 17th of July could never have been achieved. . But amidst our self gratulations at this new source of safety, we are. perhaps a little j likely to forget that the water could have done nothing of, itself, and that an undisciplined .and unpractised crowd, however willing,-could have made but very ineffectual use of it. ; It 'is by laborious'1' and l®ng continued drill that our iFire Brigade Volunteers have, acquired their ability,, to cope with the dangerous enemy against' which they undertake to do battle for us How of ten the red flag.'waves at the Bell? Tower to indicate a 'Brigade practice^ night,, every, citizen must know;. The' drill of a fireman, too, is no child's play. Nor, however interesting it may be to watch it for once, can it be anything but a very dull routine to those who submit to it so often in order to. maintain their efficiency. When we talk, about our Volunteer Riflemen and Artillerymen, we are all ready to acknowledge that an honorable istatus in the community is due to those who voluntai'ily devote their time, and submit to tedious drills for the service of the State. If we make a distinction between these" companies" and a Volunteer Fire Brigade, it can only he, becauge lthey are organised .under the authority of the Crown —the so-called 'fountain of honor.' The difference is merely conventional. The individual sacrifice for.the general good ought to be the r sole criterion of merit, and the sole road to social distinction!.

"We have felt it our duty to recall to the minds of oiir fellow-citizens what they owe to the ' Yoluhteer Fire Brigade, because we "believe that its dissolution would be aimpiy a disaster. Those who have the opportunity of doing so ought to

use their eannesjb .endeavors to prevent it. Wei offer- no -judgment on the unfortunate differences with the City Corporation whicho have tied the members of the Brigadetoiajk of We would offerjas our most earnest counsel to both partiesdto;ith:s' dispute that they reflect seriously upon the probable consequences of allowing matters to go to such a pass. OuF^CityGouncillors. may indeed,, reflect, with, some compunction, on the disastrous results of their, economising, as displayed .at the i ■ late > fire. :■.-' How. > many. thousand" pounds worth.of property were there sacri-" ficed for want of a watchman on the tower? There is the recblleption, too, that the* solemnly pledged word of the Council has been systematicalljj broken,, the., undertaking to furnish a certain periodical contribution- to defray the absolutely, nencessary expenses of the Brigade having" almostfromthefirstbeen disregarded.^ We do not think it ; ,becomes, the Corpq^ioif at all to take the .high hand .and to phut"* the door to all further negotiation with a slam, as- ;was' dcjiie at.;, its ;last> meeting. However much in. the ..right, they, may be,;; our Councillors owe it to their constituencies to .do their public work^Taot. only with.i decorumj but A with• a, prudent? patience..,, ;It was not of. its* own motion that the Corporation had a^bthe firsC'ahy' dealings with the Fire Brigade. • Up to 1865 the expenses. ;6f; the ißrigade: were; bqrrie by the public through voluntary subscriptions. ; When the City-was incorporated, .a call *v7a?' made. on the. Cprpora- • tipnto make definiteprovisionforthese expensesi notbythe.Brigade but by thepubUc, * arid on this ground further subscriptions were declined. . A subscription is -at .best but a clumsy way of raising ."Money foir? what is essentially a pablic service., .The' churl escapes, and .the .ready-handed bear, the! brunt of.. the-^ax,^ whilst...either,the expense of collection is wasted', or the trouble of;it falls as/a ; heavy taskupon/ some few individuals. " Levya rate of; or Id. in the pound for- it,"- was the unanimous - cry of that day, quite willing to contribute,, but let-every-one bear his share.'.', .We,can : assure v .the, members o£ the City. Council,that- this fe' still the public feeling, and.that ■•'their'1 constituents are very .'anxious to ssee their, defence against fire, rendered more,, cient thaiiltis. We. urgeVit upon th.em,. aa iheir,,bounden .dvity that they; with-; draw from the sulky and defiant position ; they i have ; taken , up, and/ make. an honest endeavor. either tou bring the officers ni the Brigade to their oWn waypf thinking,itp meetfthem halfway, * or to refer their differences tp some disinterested arbitrator. To che Committee" of, Management /of jthe.JJrjigade w'e'r proffer the like advice. Is this rtii© most serious difficulty they Have been called upon to overcome. 1 Hdw much patient^ endeavor and incessant watchfubiess has it not cost them at times ito keep;.up the standard of-efficiency in the Brigade, to huaband its small resources, and to make the,-best of its -limited plant 1 T^ie isame energy. vand the, same- patient* good temper will carry them over /the present difficulty. We counsel them to try it. If^ as we* Tiridorstand is tUe case, they axe suspicious that the'! Council desires to;----throw theiti overbb'ard as soon as they! hdve -been'persuaded;into accepting the new.agreement, let them '■ boldlyaay so and' 'ask for' some explanation.^ T;The^ C6uncil can have no such desire; unleiss it" objects to something in the. present management of the Brigade.J If tliis;is; th!e case, the sooner aa explanation is comeri^) the better—^certainly beforje' any^ agreements are signed between the -parties. 11 It is, however, a fact that no Councillorl has even opened 'tiia' ■mouth to diisparage the Brigade or ita management. ." Not'Ji; word that will justify any'such sus-

picion as we. hav.e alluded to has been, said ? ' and it is difficult ■ to' see Howit can! nave arisen. . Astlong as it" exists,, it 'will prevent the .ofiicers of the Fire Brigade from approachirigj the subject of their dispute with the Corporation with calmness arid temper.; and we urge it as their first duty that ■ they take the'proper steps to have It dispelled'; or,"' if "there. is any foundation for it, to have tie circumstance's made public. '" '-.'■":

In conclusion, we would repeat our injunction to both parties to keep their temper. Petulance spoils a good cause, and never helps a,bad one.- v In this case, each party is probably somewhat in the right, and somewhat in the wrong. Let; them forget themselves, and think only of the public, to whom they each owe the duty of'preventing the disbandment of so^ useful and" efficient.-' a body as the Fire Brigade., v . v. .., ;l

Information is Brought by the Banshee that H.M.S. Brisk* and' Challenger were at 4,he Fijia during her sojourn^ and that thes British Consul gave the Cominodor&informa-. tidn that natives in a village on the: Rewa River were troublesome. The jChaJlenger'sj boats, with the commander, were despatched up the river with sailors and marines,' and, after firing a few shells, landed aiTthe vilv; lage,- and burnt several; houses—a sirigW native only-being occasionally Been. : .. : Thinkr^ ing the destruction was a sufficient warning not to be troublesome for the futurei the boats returned down the river; in* doing so, they were" fired upon from: the scrub by a large'number of natives, L . and. a marine was. sholi through the lungs. A settler, named. Creelman, who was also in the boats, received a gunshot wound, and died'front its effects. The boats returned fire, and proceeded to their ship. ." As an indication; of the number of natives killed, 42 sticks were sefat to the king, which are said to correspond with the number killed in warfare. When the village was being boml arded and fired, the natives went back to some European settje^ "ments, and burned six houses, leaving some r6f the settlers entirely destitute: The abqve are only a few meagre particulars got by our reporter last evening. Theßritkhad sailed for Sydney previous to the! attack. The Charybdis, man-of-war, was shortly expected at the Fijis. ... ; ........ .

The drama of "My PoU and my Partner Joe" was produced at the Princess Theatreon Saturday evening last: It was successful inasmuch as at was received wifchf applause by a portion-of the audience, but we think that its-production was a mistake. The acting was good, the business was brisk, therewere plenty of comic situations well worked out; but through the whole of the piece there/

runs a vein of coarseness and vulgarity which was not pleasing. Mr Roberts, as the good, and good looJking hero ; Miss 3}oljy Green as the conventionally heroic heroine ;^Mr Keogh' as their trusty friend; Mr Joyce as tlie old and virtuous peasant {, Mr Russell as the melodramatic villainj and Miss Jenny Nye as the! smart soubrette, were alk determined to do' their best, and all succeeded, -.alMr'Roberts and Miss Do?\y Green were cklLed'be'fore the curtain at the end of the first act.'.* The" ever-favorite '.' Toodlea" followed the draaia, and it'gave "Mr Wilmot an opportunity of pTovokingTiearty roars of laughter by His funny action and bye-playj 'He was well aided by Miss Polly Leake as Mrs Toodles, andtHe" rest of the characters;were well cast. 'The farce of V A.S.& ?y"concluded' the performances,— To : idght the drama, of. the. " Child Stealer" will be played for the first .time, and it will be followed by the comedy of; the,. ".Toodle.s." ( . The. drama was very; successful whW first produced in London, and it should hayea good run here. - --• - - ■;- Every member of-the . North ■/ Dunedin .Volunteer Rifle Company in, by advertisement, requested .to' attend Battalion Drill' this_ evening,athaH-past seven o'clock. ;'} of the Dunedin-Volunteer Artillery Regiment are fequesfed^ by pent, to meet at the Gun'SHed this eveinirig,' atihalf-past seven o'clock. "" r ; A correspondeat^of a 'Canterbury paper remarks that in Australia^ papers he finds .weekly returns of -> the impo^ and /experts /of; grpin,. £ppa'reji|;ly; i£y 'Govern-?, m^nt, and'wants^ to, know why similar. re-r Aurns are noti piiblishei 'in, New Zealand. ;'•■'. ~:■ ihe.^^m(?'"dfjatto^'^c^..Ts7Jticli affected; the coast of New Zealand,. the r ls|ands, and. New Scuih.Wales, on the morning of the 15th, were also observed at Hobart Town on the same day. The Tasymaniah Times of the. 17th has the follow-: 'ing :-r-"4,TiDAii W^v^'^L'ast Saturday, a-,-most remarkable phenomenon was witnessed' :at New Town, near the residence of Captain Baileyi Early in the morning, a tidal ttave" ? was.;B6en; approaching the: shore; of ; .Vast; /body,' and spread over a-large area of hitherto: dry janeL ::: !ThisVphenqmeudn,was. repeated ,at Hteryals^thrbughoutth6 7ehtire'day,and • waiJnatiirally a matterof much curiosity! to the residents'of tneneigliborhobd;" "'' ; '.' ~ J s The screw steamer Ee.era has been hauled up aliiyble.tb ( tHes6dth'rf t^f Pelichet Bay; je^fyj■;just where the Lady of the Lake:was?> ;^origiially put 'together, and the' Pe^nf^uja, waß"."iut> sequently built. The Keera hasjseeii, put. upon a jpair of jery fine ways j and fworkmennof Messrs Kmcaid, M'Queen, and Co.;^^th^bon^actprs^fof lengthe^g'Tier, have "cut or Removed th,e" rivets so" as to allow, of theboatbemg severed a little 'forward of the centre., The: work of hauling the fotapaib 30ft. lip the ways^'ill be uudCTtikento-day.. ; The new frames are: all on the groundvbeside the vessel, and most of .them are ready, for. being put into position-*.* • f,.f ? / Auckland City iß;w^^mg-fafc A carresf p6ndent writes as follows to a contemporaiy: -^-rThe efftct of the gold discoveries is becoming beneficially felt in .Auckland.' A few months since, there was almost universal insolvency, clamorous meetings of the unemployed were constantly held, and any amount ofilabbrto.be obtained at three or four shilling^, -a day. r...N0w,, the tradesmen are.in, good epirits,: many who had contracted their operations with the intention of winding up have again launched,-oiit^to. large, transactions, wages have risen, and, carpenters and iOther.; skilled mechanics are demanding the jptme wages as ai the tiicte; of the large w^r !v expenditjarfrrr:viz,,.tsnshillings a day^ ;: ; ■~.-.: VV -A speculator has recently made purchas.es> in- the Sydney and. Melbourne,.markets for /the Thames goldfields to the extent of LIO,OOO. So says the Argus, but a Hobart T6wn paper .'magnifies,-the- figure ten timea' by a printer's error. ~ r ~ .._ ;Meat preaerying experimeats continue to /multiply. A new adventurer in this field has made his appearance—Mr' Jameff Manning; of New South: Wales. His process'is iiot described, and tlie results, appear, unsatisfactory. A late Argus supplies the following facts with reference to it, as disclosed at a iormal inquiry into the value' of several 'specimens of preserved 'meat, held in Geelong, at,a National GS-rain Show :—" There were—four -samples of' preserved--beef:« ex— •hibitedr-pne-by'Mr -Jamea ; -Manning f --.;of "New- -Soutli - Wales,- and three" by -. Mrrl^.. Ritchie, of th? Melboufhe Meat-preserving Company. The latter also submitted two /safnptes of preserved" mutton^ - The' samples ■ were opened by ;the r judges'^Th^ Eon.: '!G. Sladei^' M.L.O:, and Dr. Carßtairs-^on 'the sth instant, and were partaken .of at \ancheori by 1 the members' of the Committee of the Agricultural Society who had < met for; business on that day. The samples were generally approved of, and the residue, of the meat, retained:in the open tins, was then pliced in the secretary's ofiice, simply covered fover-witHbfbwnpUp"^ 'where'"the" Samples" have since remained partialiyt'exposed to the atmosphere*. * "The judges",' 'aftef^'subjecting " the exhibits to this test,, haye at length determined in favor=of-thefnieatspreserved in Melbourne^ the principal reason being; that, although thus exposed-for ten days, the meat cbntinuesd perfectly sweet and. good, while' the New South Wales exhibit became ■ "bad'the day; aftsrlt had had been ppehed."; '. ; The prospects of ,the, ney/ Cap,e : . route,. are,. .promising. "A great deal pi discussion is going? 'on! in Melbourne with-respect to it. "Anold colonist' writes to tne Argils tor the purpose ■ of expressing his objections to the proposal »to bring out emigrants by that route, tas they may start off thd next day to Queensland or New Zealand.' And he adds : 'I do humbly submit that any such scheme of immigration should be carried 'on. at the joint expense of tke various colonies of the Australasian group.' It certainly should be : if.it is. /Calculated to benefit One colony, it is juat as likely to, benefit another. . .:- -, \ 1 . " ••:■;■■ , : 'A corxesDondent asks.for information as to tH^ relative amount of imports and-exports iniLiverpool and' Glasgow.. :There : can be no comparison between the two^ inasmuch! as Liverpool stands, at thehiead of all tlie commercial ports in : the United Kingdom. Its export trade is'tieirly"' equal to the., entire trade of the othei* ports ; in 1860, its exports were twelve times greater than:ithose of Glasgow. '-■-:'."■.■.. ■y";..: ; ;;':.:,, V 'Chicory is being cultivated in Timaru. • Thelocal journal states that a sample, grown r and manufactured iii the "neighborhood, has been pronounsed equal to the imported 3Sng--liat article... The land near. T.maru is said; to. be very well suited for the growth of chicory,- and a ready sale aitLi per.tpnioay/' "be expected for it.. .. v .■ , ; farmers in these colonies will be interested iv the following intelligence with respect to the state of i the English, markets. . Itis furnished by a London, correspondent of the Sydney Herald, and appears, in a late issue, -"of that journal;-—The. state of affairs ia any-

thing but reassuring. We are threatened with one of those severe droughts witk which, the people of New South Wales are, unfortunately for themselves, but tooThis^yeiy weekj in anticipatioa ; o ; f a defective hay crop, the price of linseed .has begun to rise. The peas, too, are dying I off for want of 'rain, while the Wheat lands present a suspicious appearance. Yet, m }}^Y^J^ ? f .these indications of danger^ ■our journalists are exclamations over what appears, in tHeit !?g^ t?J !O b? the complete certainty of a plentiful harvest. l It was; the iame^ last feas^ Our leading journal: congratulated us, ict ; magnificent language, on our splendid bar-" vest prospects,, even at the very moment : when Experienced persons perceived Kow tne; last chan'c^ of safety had passed away, iiot" ■ how our garners would, at the best, become. but MF filled. A deficient 'harvest .this.- : -« year - will prove extremely : serious... The' '■'' defective harvests "of 1866 md' 1867 have ' rail- but .emptied the gteatigjp^naJdeSj. -both. : here and on ;*tecpnt2^^B&aij^s I^esd % ' canbe refilled this y^a^^Me^p^o^^gforv|mme4iate ; consump^nj-t^pnce'of ~ wheat ' ' must'ihevitablyrisetofai'^|^farMghertham v' any attainedsiricethe^6fea^th| Corn Laws. The subjoined officiai'statement of corn soldint— 15f) towns in England and Wale¥ inthe week -ending 30th May, .1868;'^ tie corr^onding;_ week' 'in' the' years' 1864 to 1867, marks 'flfiT 'ft "* steady increase which has taken place' fit 7" Erices,?-1864> 39s 5d per quarter j '65, -4ls^ ' lld <pet quarter ; '66, 47s 5d per quarter; ;^ | '67,^65s Sd ; per ; quarter ; r '6B : 72s 5d peij^' quarter;^;These 'figures speak jfpt then£'- ; seives, ; and show how critical willbecome^the' •" position of our food supply shpuld the EWd-'" ' pean wheat-yield' prove, deficient, as—considering the accounts from France, Italyani """" Germany-^there is too much • reason1: for d^lieving will be the case, "Nor. must t we look. . tolthe'trnitedStktesforsupplie'g. ' Telegr&nsj < -received this morning persistjia-maintainingf that all United States wheat'wili be required for Am§ricanu*se. Perhaps- thesefacts may 17 lead fofresh attempts ate^ortmggranifront.' 7! the antipodes." '-: ■ :,, J'": >; ; ... ■ ...;-

ft- Mr Hu^dfcston, r of Nelsd^ lias'7 " , WtedJMelbouriie on behalf of the Nelsba Acclimatisation Society,and returned^© :N. ~ Z.j with some valuable eq^uivalehtb" for'tlie presented"/to--Jthr Meibo6rh» • 'He^avedthe'f6lld*mgj^l(fee Brace of hares, one brace'ioj, Egyptian.geese • two pair'of1 doves, and ifen pair' of "sp'arrowsu He also takes with himtas:folldV7s-f~One pen Spanish fowls, one pen- Brahmapootra?, ■ bne.pehs Hanftrargs, one-peri Houdatfs, onkrl ' .petoAylesbury duels, fotir &^bvcß, J ■five Angora goats, Murray lobsters- "English, and^terich^ mdtrbuV ova. These were all shipped onboardl the* s.'s.v Rang*totO. , .-. :. .' "\: -'J lj/\.,.f ~..„.,-,., . A. fiew industry i^as sprung upmiT/as--' - mania, and appears to be a promising oie. . ' FioM.the.Tq^naruan Times we learn thafe= "afew daya ago,- Mrosyer, boat-builder, 6sv ' De Witt "street, .Battery Point, exhibited i» us the model of a machine designed by; hiaa for the manufacture of "qar3'.: The' machine . although simple, is ingenious, and" Mr Dyer 0P??^? be: a^e by its means to produce - oars without any further aid from^manual labor than what is necessary to procure the -Wtigh material and feed- the machine. W& k are not,, of course, at liberty to describe: ih& j principle on which' thiamachme is constructed; but we may state that Mr Dyer has had a great deal of trouble in inasteixng '-'. the details,'and b,elieves that by its aid he can trim put oars. aVhalf the '^pTesenircbs^-- - _snd of fir3t:"fai;e quality. \ targe Quantities i .* , } ? of • oiars? are r annually imported int6' these ; colonies, and :Mr I)yer expects to compete ; supcessfully with the imported article;(; Tas-. , manian timber-haa. been found suitable ioxt ;, thk -purpose,■.'especially that known aas mountain asK f 7- Sculls, ;that Imported from Sydney are now'manufactured - by Mr« Dyer, and the foreign article is shut " I !- dut-" v r- u;" J -•■■ ■'■-'■■•■ ' -['-';':"iZ'-% v ''- Preserved Australian mutton haa, already ;-- . beeii imported1 into New Zealand," with a k . view to the establishment of a regular trade \ m s preserved meat,-. Mr Anderson,: of Lake Boga, in: Victoria} has sent a shipment of mutton, hams, smoked and spiced, to Hoki- ' t tika, whfere; he has opened a regular estaßl. ■ Jishment for tlie sale. =r- r-r'-r.^ cr •';- l ' We observe frpm'bur advertising columns . .jthata new Building Society, "The Qtagot - ■ Freehold Land, Building, and Investment- " , Society^""has been projected jmdei?,a"prb^-" ' directory of good standing. These ' institutions. have been exceedmgly useful ia 'f* enabling members -to acquire -by -smalt-' ' inontMy^payments valuable property^ "often. =: -at less cost-thanthey would have had to pay ! 'for rent as yearly occupants. We hope the their faces against an- error-; •<■;: of some of the.BuildiQg Societies^ that is,, making advances oa leasehold properigfi : Many;oirtHe'lbases.in JDunedin,' by* witifc- 1^ L . !encburagement to the lessees to erecfc ', substantial-tenements, are positively a draw- - • -back to the improvement of the City. Til© system of leasehold urban premises, with, in numerous instances, inequitable- covenants, w-~~ - one requiring'thfe^terference of the' Legislature. The complications which have ariseit in ooiany of: the Dunedin titles.in consequences " ■ have already afforded, and will continue, txt affprd, abundant grist to. the legal twtjT.

The foilbwing appears in the Age of lltfe '■■: .•Instant,'' addressed to the. Editor,of. thafe .journal:—Sir, In the Age of some days since I observed in. the report of theYictoriairSh^owners' Association meeting that a reporfe brought up by that body on maritime affairs generally^ stated that the idea of a whalings company, which would no doubt be a succesa ; if entered upon,, and be highly advantageous to;the port, had been abandoned from the. want of a practical vnxrt ta- manage such, ant . expedition'^ andthat such want formed aanx-r. superable objection to such formation^ I was ; not aware'that; the V.'S.O. Association had. seenfit..ta'issue anything like an iuvitationta anyone acquainted vsith the fishery to offerany suggestion. Should they do so, I for oner should be prepared to submit a ■ scheme: foi?'.. their approval or rejection.—-Haepook.. iYigorous efforts are being made by that Tasmanians to extricate themselves from tha slough. Among the iate&tr, is tha formatdes. of an J&ssociation for the accomplishment of the following purposes :r-l. TheconstructioaL ofl public railways in - Tasmania, and to expedite ,the iformation of a main line between.; Hobart Town .and Launoeston. To en,^ jcourage^allpublic* measures having for theiEi object the improvement of agriculture in Tasmania. 3. To .stimulate and foster the essitablishment; of Tasmanian manufactures. .4. To support all projects tending to develop* the material resources of the Colony. '■ i Mxa Salomon, jeweller a/ad silversmith^. Erinces street, has on view the elegant and. handsome testimonial TvbJcb. is to be pre« sented to-day to the "Rev- JDr Burns. Ihe testimonial is the gift of a number q£ oli,

olonists. It consists of two solid silver Balvers, a cake basket, an inkstand, cruet frame, and a tea urn. v Each of the articles bears the inscription "Presented to the Rev Thomas Burns, D.D., First Minister in Otago, N.Z., by a number of old colonists and Mends. 31st August, 1868." The articles are tastefully designed and the chasing is very artistic. Mr Salomon has evidently bestowed great care upon ' their production, and they reflect the greatest credit upon his workmanship.