The Otago Daily Times.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 4629, 16 December 1876, Page 2

The Otago Daily Times.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1876.

Mr Reid's meeting at Outram was thoroughly satisfactory. As often happens in such cases, a little explanation is all that is necessary to clear up the ignorance that must often exist, when the only information to be got on a difficult and obscure course of action is to be gained from reports by telegram —necessarily of an imperfect character, As soon as the explanations were given, the Taieri people showed themselves fully alive to the reflected honour that the possession of Mr Reid as representative gives them, and passed him a unanimous vote of confidence. So far so good. We should have been heartily sorry had anything occurred to break the relationship that has now existed for so many years between the member for Taieri and his constituency. As regards the land question, while Mr Reid threw a good deal of light on the leasing of the Canterbury runs, we are not even now persuaded that the Assembly was acting wisely in resolving to hand them over to the present tenants, after the fashion proposed, when the leases expire. Although the clause quoted by Mr Reid is a very strong one, we do not think it can well be doubted that it was only intended to be applicable during the then leases, and not after their expiry. The runliolders might have justly complained if their tenure had been interfered with before 1880. Bufc to say that they have a perpetual tenure—for that is in effect what Mr Reid said— until their runs were wanted for certain specified purposes, is to suppose that which would be so entirely and obviously against the public good, that we cannot suppose that a Court of Law would give a decision in their favour. We should like to see the question tried, at any rate. A Court of Law is obviously the place where a question of this kind should be decided, and not a deliberative body. The Assembly is not a good place to try matters of this kind, involving both a question of public policy and the expenditure of a large sum of money. It is clear that the charges of jobbery and corruption which are sure to be thrown about when points of this delicate kind, involving the whole prosperity and welfare of an influential class, are discussed in the House, must have a very demoralising effect on it. "We should like to see the question between the Banks and the Canterbury runholders settled in the Supreme Court, and not in the House of Assembly at Wellington. As to that other question of his change of party during last session, we cannot but think that every one not blinded by party passion ought to be thoroughly satisfied with it. The difficulty of the position was solely caused by the unfortunate fashion in which Sir George Grey led the Opposition. As Mr Reid very well put it, they were banded together for one purpose, and one alone. It was absurd to blame him for leaving his party when that object had been fairly fought over and decided against him. Had he refused to vote for the Separation resolutions there might have been some occasion for blame, but there can be none with any dispassionate man because Mr Reid would not bind himself to follow Sir George through all those devious and, as we think, often utterly mistaken paths through which he passed after the Separation question was disposed of. The remark which Mr Donald Reid quoted as having been made by himself at the Opposition caucus after the Separation defeat will find an echo in the mind of every sensible man—" As regards talking against time, I said it would only br'ng ignominy and disgrace upon any party which would take such action as a party unless for a well-denned and feasible object."

Never was there a truer prophecy. > The Opposition injured themselves' * more in the opinion of the Colony' by a their talk against time than if they had * done the most corrupt and dishonour- i able of deeds. Had they committed a t crime, it would have been readily for- b gotten ; but to commit; a blunder, and ' such a blunder, was a deplorable I thing for their characters. We still * share the wonder of Mr Reid ( at what it was that was supposed j to be gained last session by a policy of \ delay. In the previous year there wa's ,i a meaning in it, and though it was a 1 dangerous, it was a justifiable method j to employ on the eve of a General i Election; this year it was only worthy . of a young men's debating society. t Mr Reid's whole position seems to i us unassailable. He has contended i with such ability and skill as he pos- , sessed, and we believe, though others ] have done more in the way of talking, j few have worked harder to save Provincialism. When that became impossible then he determined to make the , best of what was possible, and, however j unwillingly, to make the most of the j County Bill, and lick it into shape. It was the fact of his being able to per- . ceive the proper time to do this that . showed he possessed the mind of a statesmaa, and not a merely party politician. It is very possible, as he pointed ; out, that this course may, after all, result in a return to a quasi Provincialism— such a form of local self-government as we have always advocated. It may be possible that, with experience of the County system, and by means of amalgamating the Counties and giving them power to pass bye-laws, to form a Provincial system such as would be eminently useful, and contain none of those features which have rendered the old system the abhorrence of the North. Mr Reid is one of the many who have attempted to put in a clear form the gains and losses of the Province through Abolition. We do not think he has been at all more successful than his predecessors. The truth is, we do not believe that it is possible to put this plainly, and, at any rate, there is no one in the political world with a genius for figures who has been even moderately happy in his attempt.

The efforts—and we may add successful ones—made lately to improve the status of the Port Chalmers Naval Volunteers are, we regret to hear, likely to prove of no avail. Grave dissatisfaction has. been excited amongst the members of the Brigade—from the captain downwards—by the apathy displayed by the Government in the matter of the reiterated application made for a rifle range. It is true there is a range at Sawyer's Bay, but its utility is only nominal, inasmuch that a part of it being on private property, the owner of the property ha 3 placed Ms veto upon firing across it, and in consequence the range is absolutely of no use to the Brigade. Latterly, attempts have been made to provide a temporary range, firstly at the end of the Peninsula, and secondly at Mussel Bay, where the old target of the original range of the Port is yet standing. But in both cases, the residents of the localities strenuously opposed the attempt on the score of danger to life and limb. We quite agree with their view of the question, for neither site is at all suitable. But at the same time we do think that the Government might step in to assist the Brigade. There must be an available site somewhere in the vicinity of the Port. Perhaps it would be advisable for the officers of the Brigade to institute enquiries, and if a suitable range be found, we have no doubt that the Government would help the Brigade to obtain it. Then again, the Brigade complains of lack of facility for practising with the big guns which were sent down to the Port last year, and have been lying idle in the Graving Dock yard ever since. A site for a battery is wanting, and, as in the case of the rifle range, is, we imagine, to be found somewhere or another not far away. But the members of the Brigade must take the initiative in this case also, and if they help themselves to begin with, we doubt not that their cry to Jupiter for assistance will meet with response. At the same time, we entirely sympathise with the complainants in their trouble, and considering the progress the Brigade has made lately, we can endorae as reasonable their appeal to the Government for aid. The Brigade roll contains ninety names, and the drill musters are invariably good, whilst the men display considerable esprit de corps, arsd have given substantial proof of their ■ intention to become something more than Volunteers merely in name. It would be a thousand pities if so promising a company disbanded for the want of a little reasonable encouragement to hold together, and it must be admitted that a suitable rifle range and a proper battery site for the lig guns would prove a substantial bond of union, A Volunteer Company without a rifle range may be likened to a racing stud without a training ground.

It cannot bo said that the Court of Enquiry held to investigate the causes which led to the leas of the steamer Otago succeeded in placing the affair clearly before the public. In fact since then public opinion has been singularly unanimous on the subject, for we have heard scarcely a dissentient voice to the expressed belief that no one—not even the Assessors themselves —are thoroughly clear upon the subject. Faulty steering and bad seamanship are in a general way accepted as explanations—but only in a general way, for f.he more the subject is investigated the more evident does it become that a grave mistake was made in the navigation, to wit : Either the steamer's distance from the shore was under-es-timated or a wrong course was steered. We incline to the former, and for the following reasons : — The last bearing taken was Long Point, N. b. E., estimated distance about six miles. This was taken by the captain some fifty minutes before the steamer struck, and just before he went to his cabin. According to the second mate's evidence a W.S.W. course nearly was steered after that, and plumped the steamer ashore on Chasland's Mistake. Now, to test the correctness of the master's estimate of his distance from the shore, it is but necessary to run the wake of the steamer backwards by laying off an E.N.E. course from where she struck, and with it intersect the line of bearing taken off Long Point. The point of intersection must be the steamer's position when the bearing was taken. If this is done, it will be found that the point of intersection is only 3£ miles barely from Long Point, instead of six miles. To test the probable correctness of theproblcm, measure thedistance between the point of intersection and the place of wreck, and it will be found to be about 7£ miles, which is about what the steamer Otago might be expected to run in fifty minutes during night-time on the coast. Now, if the Otago had been six miles off shore, as was stated, a W.S.W. course would have certainly carried her clear of all danger, but not too clear either, for it would have been closer shaving than is either desirable or necessary. Still, she would have cleared, and hence we can only infer that the distance was incorrectly estimated, since she went ashore on a course that the master averred would have taken her clear, albeit, the course he said he gave was half a point more southerly. There

ill anomer pnaae 01 wus wrecs queauou w be dealt with that may perhaps help to an idea of what transpired during the eventful 50 minutes. Jis the OtagO; is now lying on the rocks she is heading W. S. W., the course steered. As she went on full speed, it is'most unlikely that Btie Bwerved port or starboard after striking, but bo far as' her longitudinal position was concerned, became almost a fixture. Now, if she was steering W.S.W. when she went ashore, her. course must have been altered after she passed the island, for it is in evidence that■ she was steering W.S.W. when the island was sighted close on the starboard Bow, that the helm was at once clapped a starboard to clear her of the island, and as she did clear it she must have altered her course two or three points; but if she altered her course so much—say two points, which would make her course S.'W;—how is it that she is heading W.S.W. on the rocks ? We surmise that after she cleared the island the helm was steadied—probably steadily ported—the original course was recovered, and the steamer lost.