THE Otago Daily Times. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1873.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 3640, 4 October 1873, Page 2

THE Otago Daily Times. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1873.

Tf the prorogation of the Assembly has occurred sooner than could at one time have been expected, no one can venture to say that it is a whit too early as things have turned out. Ministers have displayed tact and judgment in this matter which are worthy of being employed in a more exalted cause, and it is fortunate that they found the majority of the House of Representatives in a mood for following a good lead. There was sufficient sensation of V humble pie " about the situation to render revolt on the part of the popular branch of the Legislature a natural and likely course. The result is a creditable proof of the assiduity displayed by Mr Vogel in the discharge of the first duty of a Prime Minister— managing the House. Circum stances, too, were itx his favour. , About this time of the yeat a majority of the members of both Houses txirn anxious eyes homewards. Had the conflict with the TTpper House occurred at an earlier period of the session, it would—although it could hardly have resulted in disaster—have been a source of great perplexity. As matters stand, all is 3afely over for the present—the defeat itself has not been altogether unwelcome, and its. significance has not been very deep—there is time provided now in which all parties may cool down before any real fighting has to be attempted—-each may count the cost in advance, and calculate how much of the game is worth the candle. Parliament has done very little for the country during the session, but that is not an unmixed evil. We shall get on very well for another year without most of the work it has left undone—a great deal better than we should have done if some of it had been done as it at one time seemed probable that it would be. If half a loaf is better than no bread, so also a little temporary starvation is better than unwholesome food. If very little good has been done, so also very little mischief has been perpetrated.

His Excellency's Speech on proroguing Parliament presents few salient points, and nowhere rises above .commonplace either in matter or manner. It avoids almost all awkward matters, and has about it throughout the tone of one who has earnestly set himself to " make the best of things as they are." Two points strike us, however, as worthy of note. The first of these is contained in the lines in which the Governor tells our Representatives that the arrangement made for purchaging a further

landed estate for North Island Provinces at the cost of the Colony "evinces your sincere desire to preserve the unity of the Colony." This sentence, unless it be intended as a blind, of which there is no indication whatever, may be taken as a proof that Ministers themselves are desirous of preserving that divine white elephant of unity which so many of our politicians worship with as much ardour as if they had been reared at Bangkok. That it is a true statement where it stands, we do not believe. Those members of the Lower House who are most favourable to Separation, were parties to the proposal that this purchase of land for North Island Provinces, should take the place of Mr Vogbl's original propositions as to security for new works. It has never entered into the heads of Southern Separationists to deal harshly with the North Island. Still less of course could such a disposition be chargeable against the Auckland men who favour disunion. Those wLo believe in Separation from honest conviction await the time when the North Island shall be strong and prosperous, as precisely that at which the possibility for triumph for their cause will arrive. If heads could be counted, we have no doubt that of those who believe in Separation, hardly one man in the House opposed this purchase of land for the North. But if untrue in itself, this statement put into the mouth of the Governor is none the less significant. Mr Vogel is undoubtedly, by conviction, as much a separationist now as he was ten years ago. Increased experience of New Zealand politics can only have strengthened the early impressions which led him to take so active a part in the early movements here in favour of Separation. He has more than once held it out as a threat to coerce the representatives of the Province of Wellington, that if pushed too far by their fractiousness he will openly espouse the old cause. As for Mr Reynolds, we need not do more than refer to his repeated deliverances on the subject of Separation. For the first time for years the subject has not sprung up this session, the irrepressible member for Dunedin being at last caged within the golden bars of office. This sentence in the Governor's speech is the first prominent reference to the perennial question. Had something of the sort appeared iv the opening speech we could have understood the object of it—so many enquiries having been made as to where Mr Reynolds was about to stable iiis separation hobby now. But why it appears just where it is, and just now, we have to confess our inability to divine. At the same time we have not a doubt that it is there for a purpose.

The second point that attracts attention is the special reference to the rejection of the Civil Service Bill. Not a word about the conflict of opinion between the two Houses on other matters. Not a word about the numerous other matters in regard to which the session has been a failure. We don't venture on an opinion as to whether such " regrets" are customarily put in the mouths of Colonial Governors on such occasions. All we have to say is that whether customary or not they are not very seemly. A slight excuse, however, might have appeared had the " regret " been extended more generally to all the disappointments of the session. Our readers no doubt remember the following passage of the speech with which' His Excellency opened the session now past:

—" Measures will be laid before you to initiate a reconstruction of the constitution of the Legislative Council, to amend the laws relating to the goldfields, to provide for education, to consolidate the laws relating to prisons, to amend and consolidate the electoral laws, to establish a silver and copper mint, to amend the Insolvency laws, and abolish imprisonment for debt," «fca, <fee. Was there never a " regret" to spare for the non-accomplishment of all these fair projects 1 Why is the Civil Service Bill so highly distinguished 1 We understand this as little as the reference to the " Unity of the Colony." Is it possible that the Premier had the gout, and let a Bathgate or a Rey-

nolds lay a." 'prentice hand" on a Vice-Regal Speech % or is there some, sinister meaning beneath these eccentricities ?

We must do the present Corporation of Dunedin the'-justice-to saj- that, whether their acts as a rule showsigns of sound judgment or not, no set of predecessors have been more attentive to their work, or have brought to bear better business capacity for managing the affairs of the city. The attention which city matters are now receiving is not, we are inclined to think, merely an exhibition, of that spasmodic vigour which is displayed more or less after the municipal elections. We believe that this fortunate state of things is due rather to the fact that the citjzens are now represented by business men, who arenot above investigating details, and who in their wisdom see no doubt that if the municipal authorities continue to take up their time in grasping after big things, fur the sake of the power a-id patronage the control of these would give, the many little things will be neglected. Within the last two months many important matters have been attended to by the City Council. At its last meeting it was decided that a system of drainage for the city should be carried out, and authority was given to issue debentures to the extent of £10,000 in order that the proposed works might be proceeded with. At the-same meeting it was resolved unanimously, upon the motion of Mr Keith Ramsay, that the institution known as "the City Police Court" should be abolished. As soon as the necessary arrangements are made, we presume that the police will bring all persons charged with criminal or quasi-criminal offences before the Resident Magistrate, as was formerly done. Those of the "great unpaid," however, who have a desire to administer justice will still have it in their power to sit on the Bench ; although, in all probability, the ReaidentMagistrate, whoever he may be, would rather not be interfered with when dealing with the cases brought before his Court. It is worthy of notice that there waa not a voice raised in the City Council against Mr Ramsay's

motion. The only wonder is that such an unnecessary piece of machinery should have been kept in motion for so long a time.

As evidencing the want of knowledge of New Zealand prevalent amongst a large number of people at home, a correspondent informs us that he had forwarded to him the address of a person in Auckland, so that he might spend a Saturday afternoon with him. Possibly the person sending this address may have imagined that it was as easy to go from Otago to Auckland aa from Edinburgh to London. And perhaps he may have read about the grand scheme, and have imagined that the era of railways and loans would have secured for us speedy locomotion. But the ignorance of our affairs, and of the geography of our Colony, is not confined to mere chance correspondents. The New Zealand Examiner and Australian Mail —a paper that has reached its fourteenth volume and 171 st number, has in its issue of July some amusing blunders. Under the head of " Hawke's Bay," it gravely informs its readers that: —"During the first two months of 1873, 19,035 ounces of gold were exported from Hokitika." The placing of a town on the west coast of the Middle Island in a province on the east side of the North Island, is surely a bad enough blunder, but it is outrivalled by an item of intelligence under the heading "Otago." We learn that "the Morveil (sic) Hill Station, at. Dunedin, has been offered by auction. There was a large attendance. £130,000 was bid by Mr M'Lean, but the property was bought in at £140,000." j What a peculiar notion of Dunedin the writer of this paragraph, must have when he imagines that there is a sheep station of such a size "at Dunedm." To get news one has to go from home, and hence we are not surprised at the following information :—"The Native prisoners have settled on the reserves near Dunedm." PoEsibly this may be the reason why the reclamation at Mussel Bay is being proceeded with. It will be needed for the settlement of the "Native prisoners." An extract from a letter from Mr A. G. Allau becomes, when it gets to London, an extract from a lecture by Mr 6. C. Allan, of Green Island, on immigration. The blunders are not confined to the news from Hawke's Bay and Otago. Under the heading of Wellington a notice of a meeting in Auckland appears; and under "Auckland " we learn what the exports from PorfcAhuriri were for the quarter ending 3lat March. Were we to criticise the news given we should have to state that the least interesting items had been selected. If we find in a newspaper mainly devoted to New Zealand affairs such gross ignorance of the Colony, how can it be expected that the thousands of people who have no interest in even making enquiries about New Zealand should have any ■■ knowledge of the Colony % The great need I of making the people in the mother country more thoroughly conversant with the Colonies is more apparent everyday. If New Zealand were known we feel certain that the other Colonies that are receiving such large numbers of immigrants would not be thought so much of in comparison with this Colony. It is this work of enlightening the people who may emigrate about the Colony that the Immigration Agents are supposed to accomplish. A good Immigration Agent Bhould be able to give full and careful information, and ! in a manner likely to create an interest in the Colony. No one can wonder at the great difficulty experienced by Dr Fea- , therston and his subordinates in obtain- : ing suitable immigrants whea the Colony !is so little known. Great care ought 'therefore to be exercised by the Provin- ! ciai Government that auy person sent i home from Otago knows not only something , about the Province, but is also generally | acquainted with the Colony.

It is a very great pity that some one of the very naaay immigration " authorities " for whose services the Colony pays so liberally at the present time, could not hit upon some plan whereby the supply of immigrants might be a little better regulated in accordance with' the demand, as regards the various ports for which they are shipped. It frequently happens under the' present system, or rather want of system, that in one part of the Colony employers of labour are running after the labour that in other parts is running after the employers. In the letter of our Auckland correspondent, which are published on Tuesday, the following significant passages occur. We reproduce them in the hope that they may catch the eye of some person or persons at-home, who may turn them to good account. Our correspondent says :— '* It says little for our prosperity, but is an unhappy fact, that of the immigrants by the Berar, 26 married and 17 single persons are still unemployed. The domestic servants were eagerly sought out, but married people (labourers and mechanics among them) were less fortunate " Now when it is remembered that the Berar's passengers had long been expected ; that they were actually landed on the 4th ult. ; and that our correspondent wrote on the 22nd or 23d, it is very clear there could not have existed a very extensive demand in Auckland at the time the immigrants were shipped to that special port. Our correspondent proceeds : —"Lists are in prominent shop windows with the names and callings of these immigrants, the tirst occasion on which it has been found necessary to resort to advertising outside the regular registry offices, to secure employment to new arrivals of this class." And this state of things must have been rendered still worse by the landing of the St. Leonard's immigrants, which we learn by telegraph took place on the 27th November. Again, the Wairarapa Standard, we observe, states : —"lt is but recently that an Auckland builder advertised for three carpenters, and we are told within an hjur after the advertisement appeared he received no less than sixty applicants fur employment." In contrast to this very unsatisfactory state of things we may place what oscurs among ourselves, and some other of the Southern Provinces ; where even when as upon occasion shipload after shipload follows upon the heels of one another, a few days only sees them all cleared out, and profitably located. Then commences again the filling up of the registry book of applications for the next expected "new arrivals." Ifc is really strange that a Government and its employes cannot act upon the principles of prudence and common sense that direct the movements of ordinary business firms, and so regulate the supply according to the demand. In matters of ordinary merchandise perhaps it does not matter so much after all; but when human beings are "shovelled" ashore by hundreds where their services are not required, and dribbled out by tens only where hundreds are ready to employ them, it becomes a very serious matter indeed, for which somebody should be held responsible.

A meeting was held in the Lower Hall of the Athenaeum last evening, to take preliminary steps for the formation of a Boating

Club. About forty gentlemen were in attendance—Eev. Mr Stanford in the chair. After a few remarks by the Chairman, it was moved by Mr Johnson, and seconded by Mr Atkyns—" That it is desirable to form a rowing club, to be called the Dunedin Rowing Club."—Carried. Mr Johnson proposed, seconded by Mr Atkyns—" That Mr Fuller be appointed Secretary."—-Carried. Mr Fuller proposed, and Mr Stanley seconded — " That the working members' subficriptions be one guinea entrance, and half - guinea annual subscription. Also, that honorary members pay one guinea annually."—Carried. A Working Committee was appointed as follows : — Messrs Stanford, Maitland, Black, Sale (junr.), and Atkyns ; President, His Honour the Superintendent; Vice-Pre-sident, Eev. Mr Stanley; Treasurer, Mr Callender, junr. Moved by Mr Nicholson, seconded by Mr Stanford- —" That this meeting be adjourned until this day week, during that time the Committee to obtain all information as to cost of boats, suitable rules. &c , and report to next general meeting."— Carried. We have to apologise for misleading our readers by reporting the arrival at the Heads on Thursday of the home ships Dover Castle and Rokeby Hall. Neither of those vessels has yet put in an appearance j but we had every reason to believe that the information furnished in our last ibsue was correct, inasmuch as it was supplied to us by our shipping reporter. The Town Clerk notifies that the regulation made by the City Council prohibiting the keeping of swine within an extended area of the city came into operation on the first of the preseat month. We observe that another Building Society, under favourable auspices, is about to be es. tabltshed. We have been requested to call attention to an advertisement in another column announcing the sale of the thoroughbred horse Merry King, now located at the Criterion stables. At a meeting of the Provisional Directors of the National Building Society, held at the office of Mr C. It. Chapman, yesterday, a prospectus was approved of, the rate of interest to be chaiged on loans was fixed, and a sub-committee appointed to revise the rules. The masonry workof Holy Trinity Churchy Port Chalmers, is rapidly approaching completion, though the time specified by the contract is stated to be the Ist of December The stone used in the construction is ob. tamed at the Port, but it requires a considerable amount of dressing. The structure is to accommodate about 220 persons, and will cost between £1100 and £1200. Two sailors on board one of the large vessels at the Port indulged yesterday afternoon in a free fig tit. They had evidently been paying their devotion too earnestly at the shrine of Bacchus, as both combatants could scarcely stand. They managed, however, to knock each other about most unmercifully, and at last one of them sat down completely exhausted, and rolled over the deck, where he managed to fall asleep. The number of inmates at the Benevolent Institution on the 30th September, was 77, comprising 18 men, 3 women, 33 boys, and 23 girls. The number of cases of out-door relief, during the month of September, was 283, comprising 17 men, 69 women, and 197 children. This was done at a weekly cost of £16 2s. The Evangelist for the current month contains an average amount of general intelligence and articles on various subjects. The Rev. W. Bannerman, of Clutha, contributes a paper upon "Apostolic Succession ;*' and an interesting account of the early customs and condition of the Maoris living on Stewart's Island and Ruapuke is given by the Rev. J. F. H. Wohlers. It is now nearly 30 years since the Rev. Mr Wohlers landed on the little island of Ruapuke, a short distance to the south of Bluff Harbour, where he established a German Mission Station. He has ever since lived and laboured among the Maoris, doing much good in a quiet way. An account is also given by the Maori Missionary, Mr A. Honore, of a recent tour among the Maoris in the North Island. He says:—"l saw all the Maoris who had been prisoners in Dunedin, before whom I had preached the Gospel in the gaol, settled ag*in in their old homes, and was heartily welcomed by them. . . . Taurua, the chief, is at Patea. He himself put me across the river in his canoe. Ho called his people together, and said, ' Come here now, our friend iB come.' They came together in his whare, and I read the word of God and preached to them. Government has given them a plough and dray, and they use them. . . . Taurua has got a very favourable impression of the Dunedin people. He had been one Lord's day in one of the great churches, and wondered at the great crowds that were there. . . . Those among them who had not been at Dunedin, but scattered among other tribes, are very hard to deal with just now." The Port Chalmers Rowing Club is making rapid strides to place itself in the 'foremost rank iii the Colon j\ The gig, which was received lately by the s.s. Albion, from Melbourne, is a beauty. It is 32 feet in length. Several of the members have had a spin in her, and she has turned out fully equal to their expectations, carrying her crew well, and rowing fast. The Club, which includes a number of honorary members, intend to send home shortly for two boats from Salter, of London, of building celebrity.

In a recent number of the Field a correspondent states that he will feel greatly obliged if any reader of that journal " can recommend him a recent work on New Zealand which treats of the present prospects of persons with moderate fixed income and small capital, proceeding there with a view to general and saeep farming. 'New Zealand, the Britain of the South,' by Hursthouse, he remarks, 'is a good book on the subject ; but, having been published in IS6I } the information it contains is probably on many points out cf date." We have seen two later numbers of the Field than the one in which the above information is sought for, but no one has vouchsafed a reply. A question regarding fishing in Norway or shooting in Algeria, put through the columns of the same journal, would have cli- j cited a budget of answers. The simple reason why no answer has been given, we suppose, is that no such book as the querist asks for is to be had. Let us hope that the Government pamphlet will contain such information as will satisfy not only the inquiries of the labouring man, but also of those who, like the Field's correspondent, are de- , sirous o£ investing a little capital in the Colony. The weather favoured Miss Anstead last evening, and theatre-goers did her- justice, j It was the occasion of her benefit at the Queen's, and as those unwelcome visitors

wind and rain, disappeared, and left a bright moonlight night, the numerous admirers of the beneficiaire were able to visit the Theatre without the discomfort which attended pedestrians and others on several previous evenings. The entertainment consisted of the plays entitled "Sarah, the Creole, or a Snake in the Grass," and " The Dunedin Railroad Station." Being able to witness one act only of the piece first mentioned, we cannot speak of its merits. The efforts, however, of the Misses Colville and Anstead, and Mr Hoskins, secured them recalls that were unanimous and hearty. The play, "The Dunedin Railroad Station," is an ami'sing trifle. A Mrs Charles Smith (Miss Anstead) is a passenger from the Port to Dunedin, and with the view of ridding herself of the uninvited attentions of Jack Robins (Mr Booth), she solicits the intercession of Mr Sampson Jones (Mr Hydes), who, in order to permanently banish Mrs Smith's persecutor, declares that he is Mr Smith, her 1 husband. The upshot is, that to prevent I the discovery of one lie he has to tell many, and in that way the unfortunate Jonea be ■ -jomes entangled in a net work of difficult ties, from which neither ingenuity nor unparallelled impudence can extricate him. The character and the actor are well suited, and those who fcave seen Mr Hydes represent any part that depends mainly iipon facial expression and a humorous delivery, will not not be surprised to hear that he once more made himself illustrious by exciting the uncontrollable laughter of the audience. So far in fact as the acting was concerned, there was nothing to complain of, and had there been appropriate scenery to help the effect realistically, the success achieved would have been unqualified. Tonight the "Female Poisoner" will be produced for tbe first time, concluding with the farce, "The Dunedin Railroad Station."