The Otago Daily Times. THURSDAY. AUGUST 13, 1881.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 6091, 18 August 1881, Page 2

The Otago Daily Times. THURSDAY. AUGUST 13, 1881.

Smallpox in London and Sydney rousci but a languid sense of excitement ii New Zealand cum pared to that cause* by the arrival of the Charles Wnr.sk-; at Port Chalmers with the report of on death from the disease on the voyage and several seamen on board who hiu taken the disease but recover***!. Bu no contagion was spread by the s-dicrers so people havo mostly made up thei minds there is not a bit of good in beinj ! re-vaccinated just yet. The public mini !in these matters usually oscillates be tween carelessness and absurd panic But this is not the kind of atti tude that a civilised communit; ou"hfc io adopt, and a hvi words o timely warning may not be misplaced Medical men know well that unti about tho timo of Waterloo stmdlpo: was the destroyer par excellence. Spe chilly greedy of the lives of children it slew about 500,000 people every yea: in Europe. It spared no age, rank, o: country. Every woman whoso faei was not pitted was regarded as s beauty. When the disease was intro duced into countries for the firs time it spread like a firo oon sinning the dry grass of the held, ant persons actually killed their familie: and themselves rather than face tbi dreaded foe. The records of Icelanc and Ceylon are too terrible to recapitu late. Yet medical science, much revilec as it has been by tlie shallow peoph who cry out, Übi Ires medici duo athei and by the weary scholar who accuse! the doctor of inability to do aught bui "givo the ill he cannot cure a name," ha: shown a remedy which is as nearly in fallible asauythingin this nm table world To go at once to the fountain head, and quote the one man who speaks witl: most authority, we will take Mi Simon's fam.-us memorandum, " Al unvaccinateil persons should very promptly be vaccinated, and re-vac cination should also be offered both to persons above puberty who have not been vaccinated since childhood, and to younger p-rsons whose marks of vaccination are unsatisfactory." Will tliis, the", protect ? Not absolutely. Nothing is ni.*solule aud final. A loaded gun will not always go oil* and the bite of a cobra will not always kill. But wo have Dr Ballard's authority for saying that in Franco numbers of * vaccinated children were kept in close companionship with children suffering from smallpox, put into the same bed, covered with their clothes, made to eat out of the same plate, and all without in any instance becoming affected with the disease. Suppose, however, that a vaccinated person is attacked, will he gain any; liing by having taken thought ? As a typical instance we may say tli afc there was a great epidemic of smallpox in England in 1870-72, and out of more than 3000 cases of .-ill ages treated in the Metropolitan Smallpox Hospitals, no child under 15, with two or more good vaccination murks, died of it! It may be worth while to say in this connection that the popular notion about vaccination b*'ing desirable every seven years; is'quite baseless. "Vaccination properly performed after childhood protects during life. It may also be right to say that tliere certainly exists some danger from; careless vaccination. Without going! Into tedious details that would perhaps betray our own want of clinical > knowledge, as well as weary ourreaders, we say that there is danger' in all modern inventions. Death lurks j in the teapot and the cider-tap, much! more in the pipe and the whisky-bottle, j These, like fire, are good servants1 but bud masters, and tho few cases;, of mischief arising from unskilful j, or unlucky vaccination must be;: reckoned as nothing when compared * with the enormous number of lives ' saved annually. Vaccination has indisputably changed the physique of' Europe; and tho average face of to-day, . compared with tho pock-marked visages ' of our ancestors, is as distinct and f favourable a contrast as can well be , imagini'd. The danger from smallpox 1 is much underrated by many people. : Quarantine is till very well, but the poison of smallpox is "possessed of, r great vitality, and if protected from B air may remain active for a number of c years." Those are the words of Sir c Thomas Watson, who says also; " There is no contagion so strong and i( sure as that of smallpox—none that „

oporatea at so great a distance"; a stat ' ment strikingly verified by the em nently sporadic canes tbat have jm i terrified Sydney. Keeping this i ' view, and bearing in mind the ge-nen ■ inefficacy of all quarantine regulation . may wo not rightly urge that every ii teiligcnfc person should at onco st-jcuv imtmuiity by re-vaocination 1 Were it i ' the power of local bodies to compel r< vaccination, it would not be uooessar , foi* us to make this urgent appeal; bu unfortunately, re-vaccination is oni offered, not made compulsory. W believe that ou the average about G per cent, of the children bora in (Nu' , Zealaud are successfully vaccinated i i infancy ; but no materials exist frot which any idea cau bo forme as to the condition of the remainin •35 per cent. Perhaps 10 per cont. di . very young,j another 10 per cent, ma be unvaccinabl". This no ono know accurately. But we feel certain tha . nearly half our adults would prove t be either entirely un vaccinated, or els to have omitted the precaution of re vaccination. To these we addres ourselves especially. Who woul* | forgive himself if, on accoun ijof his own remissness, he la; ((sick, perhaps dying, within hui iof a dozen others who had taken th ' disease from him, and owed their fate at any rate in part, to his neglect 1 A bitterer end could hardly be conceived . It is to be hoped that tho Governmen * will furnish all Local Boards of Ileakl with instructions and assistance, i the necessity for immediate actioi \ arises; and in the meantime we repea i:that every adult within reasonable dis stance of a public vaccinator should, i Jl'not vaccinated since childhood, underg* i'the operation at once. And if ou ((argument is good for re-vaccination, i 'iis equally so for careful vaccination ii <(infancy. Nono but a few fanatics. ■(opponents of vaccination will care t< ;:deny the protective effects, if it i; carefully done with healthy lymph lit may be that we shall succeed ii [keeping the disease away from v: 'altogether; but if, as is most probable a case or two does occur in New Zea -'land, there need be no wild alarm . I Careful isolation of the sufferers wil !j probably prevent an epidemic, but w< rican each and all protect ourselves ii ;tho easy way we have indicated, anc (tlie sooner we set about it by anticipa 9! tion the bettor. ■ i ; | Among the bills introduced by private members this Beasion ia one of consider (able importance as affecting this Provin* |cial District. We refer to the Education lilioservos Act, 1877, Amendmuut Bill. iunreduced by Mr Bastings, the ob* iject of which is to give a power ol (sale over certain education reserves ol 1 iconsiderablo extent. Tho bill was read c '(second time, aftor somo debate, on 2!)tl; jJime, and was thou reforred to tht ! Waste Lands Comtnittoo, and is now before U3 in tho shape iv which jit camo from that Committee. Verj jeonaidt-rablj modilicatioii3 havo beer i made iv the bill. As originally introduced, -lit applied to all the education districts oi I tho Colony ; it is now mado to apply tc itho Otago district only. Mr Bastings I'proposed that all thu land might be i'opened for salo; a3 the bill now stands liit is restricted to not more than one-half. .jTho bill originally proponed to give powet ito the School. Commissioners to apply the ? proceeds to tho erection of schools and * schoolmasters' residences ; this is struck 1 out ; and the schedule is altered so as tc other lands besides those in the I Waikaia district, iv which Mr Bastings JI was mure particularly interested. The ; total area dealt with is ovor 350,000 acres ]*in extent, chiefly inthe Waikaia, Waiau, '. Wairaki, and 'f akitimo districts ; and the "(depasturing licenses expire at various . (dates between September, ISB2, and -February, 1884*. Mr Bastings, in intro--'dudng the bill, pointed out that for yeara f';it had been the desire of the inhabitants ■of his district that tho education reserves .'(should be opened for sale ; that by tho 'jterms of "The Otago Reserves Act, i;] 874," under which the reserves were -bnado, it was expressly provided that ,Uuy Buch land " sh.li be open i-(for sale or lease" ; and he further ..insisted that leasing had proved an J utter failure, and that the country ■?was being destroyed by rabbits. Mr :l(Rolleston agreed with the necessity ".for opening up tho country, and did not t (object to tho second reading of the bill, ,-ibut thought these reserves should be \ (partly leased aud partly sold, so that some land Bhould remain as a future endowment for educational purposes, and of increased value as settlement ci progresses. This seems to have been the ■-(principle accepted by the Waste Lands i ICommittee, aud so we have the "half--0 and-half " provision as now contained in * tho bill. It cortainly cannot be said "' that there is anything very dangerous iv tho proposal as it now stands, The sale ' must take place by the Governor's cons sent and under tho direction of the AVast9 :-iLaud Board, and must proceed on the I. recommendation of the School Commis--1 isioners, so that due consideration must | t be given before any sale can take place. , The proceeds are to be handed ovor to '.' tho School Commissioners, after deduct- ' ing costs of survey and other costs incif dental to the sale, and to be invested iv insecurities approvod by the Governor, and 3 (the incomo is to be appropriated to the t, (purposes for which the reserves were vested (in them. We have no doubt that if (this bill passes both Houses it will have :"j beneficial effects on tho settlement of 1 .portions of this Provincial Diatrict, and '.(tit the same timo tho sale will produce :11 far more income for educati -n purposes :j ;han could be obtained by leasing. It was clearly never intended that largo areas of country should be locked up in- ' definitely, and as good land is now getting scarce it was absolutely necessary to ' make theso extensive reserves at least ! partly available for agricultural purposes. , We consider if ouo-fourth of the whole _ had beon exempted from sale instead of l one-half it would havo beon better ; but " half a loaf is better than no bread, and it ' will doubtless be much more easy to lease 1 the remaining half when a number of ! adjoining sections are opened for sale, ? either for cash or on deferred payments. * We hope the bill will become law. Ueporis of meetings of the Land Board and Acclimatisation Society, yesterday's sittings of I the K-M-'s an*! Police Courts, r.nd ssvera! tatters ']*.*.* 'he editor will ba found en our fourth pp.ge. j Iv tho Lflgislatiro Council, yesterday, the "Government promised consideration of Mr j R* ynolds' question relative to the formation of j Employment Boards; and ft long discussion j-nnued upon S;'r George Grey's Legal Practi. ■tSonera Bill, which Mr Whitaker led the way !in opposing. Eventually the bill was thrown ut by 20 to G. Tho Counoil apparently wera in the humour for work, ar.d during tho evening it'ing they passed Dr Merzica' Biblt-in-Schools ! Bill through Committee. One amendment was (made—namely, tbat no teacher Deed compulsorily be present whilst Bible-reading was i taking plaoe. Ia tho Lower House a petition was presented 'from a Mr Keuner, a telegraphist, who com- ! plains of being kept out of work through tbe I Government forwarding his name to Australia, (and prays for compensation in consequence. A (host of questions were answered, but they wera iuf Em-,11 import, and then the Houae rej discussed the representation question upon an (amendment proposed by Mr Reader Wood, affirming that representation should bs based upon population alone, and tbat Maoris as will an European:*! should be reckoned. Eventnally tlio ameudm^nt wm lost by a considerable majority, and the bill committed.

A meeting of the Otago Acclimatisation [. Society was hold on Tuesday last, at which s, number of matters of buniness were doalt with, and tho remainder of the bi.sinesa was post--oned to a spacia'l meeting to be held on Friday next, for which a full attendance of members is deidred. Those who r.ro entitled to hsvo their names ' placed upon tha electoral rolls should send iv application to tho registrar of the district immediately, as rolls are to be prepared for the new districts preparatory to the approaching election. A petition to the Minister of Public Works is being circulated at Clayksyille praying " that steps may be Immediately taken to provide

another loop-line tor the traffic on the Lawrence branch, bo that the present may bo retained it ;h*) traffic of Olarksvill?; and also for the appointment of a person to take charge of the at.v.ion -who would look after the points, assist la llie ehuutlng, arrange for trucks, and take charge of goods."

Air William Bell Bridgsr being tho only candidate nominated yeaterday to fill the vacancy for Middle Werd, Caversham, in the B.rough Council, was declared duly elected by the returning-officer.

A very cominondable movement has boeo Initiated towards augmenting the present number of our charitable Institutions. We learn from Mr It. B. Martin, president of the Benevolout Institution, that a sum of L3OC has been plttoed in his hands by the active head of a large business establishment in the city to form tho nnclmis of a fnnd for establishing »n orphan asylum in connection with the Dunedin Benevolent Institution. The money is to be employed apecifioally and exclusively for the maintenance of orphan children throughout the country, without reference to religious creed or nationality. The first step having been thus taken, innuy othera will doubtless coma forward to aaai-t in the promotion of so desirable an objeot. Tne gentle-spirited desperadoes at present infesting the Queen's Theatre have frequently avowed tl eir sympathy with orphans: might not they bo enlisted in the oause?

A number of young men at Lawrence have i. fferod their services to form a fire brigade if the Borough Council will take the initiative in tho matter.

Of 253 Chinese miners iv the Waikaia district only 47 have miners' rights.

The New Zealand Railways for the first 12 weeks of tho year yielded L 221.232 IS) 31, as agdust L 213.195 2s 81 for the corresponding period of last year, thus showing an increase of L 8037 15 j SJ. On the other hand the expenditure has only been L 119.387 10j 4:1, as against L] 33,530 13j 8d for the same period of last year.

A meeting of presidents and secretaries of trade societies was held at Carroll's Hotel last evening for the purpose of considering the advisability of establishing a trades and labour council. Representatives were present from the Amalgamated Carpenters nnd Joiners, the Amalgamated Eugineera, Tailors, Bootmakers, and Printers' Societies. Mr Bradley, of thej engineer.-), WA3 voted to tho chair, and explained the objects of the meeting, those present ex*' pressing themselves strongly in favour of the I mDvement. After the appointment of an interim secretary, ond some further business, the meeting adjourned until Wednesday even log n**xt.

A n.ncluding lecture on the " Difficulties of Ev.lutiou" was delivarod hut evening by Mr J. A. Council, in ths ball of the Young Men's Obihtiau Association, Dr Saiiaotid occupied the chuir, and thore was a fairly good attend ance. Too lecturer touched in detail npon many drawback* to tho theory which lie hail not before dealt with, and ia conclusion spoke forcibly as to the difficulty of accepting Professor Darwiu'a propobitiouE- It was noticeablo that th« latter did not advarcs any of theso theories in a positive, but rather iv on inle.-rogntiva *.r speculative form. Ia tie opinion of the lecturer the timo was not fsr distant wbsu men of science would once more return iv the course of their investigations to the platform originally occupied, and join with tlieir brethren in accepting tha theories of their old religious teaching. Tho Evolution theory appeared to be advanced every year with less i-jaistttuco and dogmatism. At the close of the l.cture the Chairman made a few remarks it* support of the vies*s thoy had heard advocated, anil a vote of thanks to Mr Connell concluded the proceedings.

The schoolhouie at Warepa wa3 cro .vtLd on Tuesday evening, the occasion of the gathering being the making of a presentation to Mr Waddell, tho school-teacher, who is leaving the district to tako charge of the Port Molyneui School. Mr W. A. Mosley, in a highly com plltnentary Bpeech, presented Mr Waddell with tha following addres*), signed by a inr.j -rity of tho School Committee : —"We, the undersigned members of Wnrepi School Committee, beg leave to express our deep regret at your de parture from amongst us, and that you have not been able to alter your resolution to leave us. During the time you have been master of our school you have given the greatest satisfaction, nnd ycu leave us amid the all bat universal regret of the nottlers of the district." Mr Mosley r-l^o read the fulliwing address :—" To William Waddell, E:q„ ST. A.— Wo, the undersigned residents of Warepa nnd surrounding districts, respactfoly request your acceptance of the accompanying present, as a, token of onr appreciation of your ener gatio and successful services to the cause of education in this locality while holding the mastership of Warepa District School, and of yo:r readiness on all occasions in asiißtiDg at nil gatherings for benevolent and philan thr,-pie purposes- We wish you every succesin your career." This address had over 40 signatures, omprising those of the clergyman and most of the settlers in tbe district. Mr Mcley theu handed to Mr Waddell a valuable g,*ld lever hunting watch. Mr Waddell, ol i-tepping forward, was vociferously cheered, aud made a suitable reply. The watoh, whicb waa supplied by Messrs G. and T. Yonug, bears the following inscription :-—" Presented to William Waddell, M.A., by hia friends, as a token of their esteem while holding the maiter ship of the District School, Warepa, August 16;h, 1881." At a meeting of the Ayrshire Association held last evening, the Bubject cf ereoting & 3talue to Kobeit Burns in this city waa agaiD mooted. Some discussion took place upon the most advisable mode of procedure, many members appeariEg to think that tbe proposal was one which wonld need the consideration and Bupport of Scotchmen throughout the entire province. It was finally decided that tho Town Committee of the Society should take fteps for the convening of a public meeting at an early date, to test the general outside feeling upon the matter. Tho estimated coat of a statue such as the Society hava in view would be from LBCO to LIOOO-

p A meeting wan held last evening at the j Edinburgh Castle Hotel, Caversham, for the F purpose of forming a lodge in connection with [ tho Manchester Unity Order of Odd-Fellows, i Provincial Grand Master Coverlid occupied the chair, and gave the requisite information ; as to the step under consideration. There wa» i an excellent attendance, and it was resolved to apply to the Albion Lodgo, Dunedin, for per. mission to establish a lodge in that locality, which should be styled the Loyal Caversham Lodge. An adjiurned meeting was held on Tue«dsy evening at the Edinburgh Castle Hotel, Caversham, for the opening of a lodgo in connection wii.li tbo United Ancient Order of Druids ; P.A. Bro- Mosb in the chair. Tho Chairman having explained the principles of the Order, ' 35 of those present enrolled themselves a** members, and agreed to send per Te Anau to the Board of Directors, Melbourne, for a dispensation, the lodge to open on 12th September, and ' to be called Royal Oak. The meeting adjourned till Tuesday, August 23rd, for the purpos3 ol electing medical attendant aud chemist. Tbe annuisl meeting of the Taieri R-arl j B* ard was held at Mosgiel yesterday. Tbe i members present were:—Messrs M Carmichael, K. Mair, J. Wylie, J. Sutherland, J. Millar,' and S. Turnbull. Mr Carmichael, tho chair* i man, said this was the annual meeting, and < called npon the clerk to read the balance-sheet. < This showed a balance to tho credit of E*LSt i Taieri oubdivisioii of L 124 8s 11J, of the;' Breadalbane of L 142 ISs Bi, and of the Osvhiro' of Ll9 7a Gd. The accounts having been duly ' audited, were passed and signed by the chairman. The meeting then proceeded to elect a chairman, treasurer, and clerk, when tho following gentlemen were returned viz. :—Mr M. Carmichael, chairman; Mr James Wylie, treasurer; and Mr A. Loos a** clerk. (_ At the levee hold by the Prince of Wal s on June 22iid, Mr Joshua Strange Williams, a r judge of the Supreme Court of Now Zealand, j was presented to his Royal Highness by hi» o father, Mr Joshua Williams, Q.C. The Silverstream water-race does not appsar to receive the best attention at the hands of th» . Btirfacomcn (says the Taieri Advocate). On Monday there was a quantity of dead animal ( matter consisting of putrifiod rabbits lying in , ' that portion of the race opposite the Silver stream Estate. Little wonder the Duuedin ~ oitizjns complain of the quality of their wator rp supply, when it is filtered through matter of such an offensive character; Mr Moss Moss, Past Arch of the Otago Lodge r < of Druids, has been appointed by the Board of j a Dirsctore, Melbourne, president for the Otago 0 j district- Thi-i is the first appointment of the kind here. 0< - A correspondent of the Wanganui Chronicle fe telegraph*! from Hawera, under date Augusi di 10th :—"Last night we had a fearful storm here, with lightning such a3 is seldom Been This morning the first thing which met my at guze-.was the ruins of Mr Goldfinch's cottage The lightning seems to hare poised through

tho building diagonally, taking the two corners, ond auch ft wreck can scarcely bo imagined. There is not a whclj pkci of crockery left, ami the chimney is nearly down- The lightning ieem>i to have first struck tha wire fence in front of the houae, and fused part of it ant! tfcsn tackled the building. Mr and Mrs Gold Such had a narrow rscape. Th*.-ir bjdroow was '.hat night unoccupied, on account of tha win dows having been broken by the terrific hail storm on tho previous afternoon. They had made up a bod on the fl jor of the front room, and the lining-boards, which were forced iv by tha chimney when it was struck, fell on the sofa, and so kept tho bricks from falling on tho bed. It was altogether a most fearful night."

The first of the two now locomotives, of the single-boiler I'airlie type, recently added to tin-rolling-stock of the Weilington-Mastorton rail way, was tried under steam yesterday at Petoni (says the Post), and worked satisfactorily. It is of a much more powerful class than the engines of the same type now working on the railway, having 13-inch cylinders inatead oi 12-inch, giving—with the same length of stroke and diameter of driving-wheels—a tractive force of 751b instaad of 641b for each pound of tff.c tive pressure- The engine also weighs considerably more than the others, and has large tanks, which increase the adhesive weight. There are many improvements in the fittings of the engine, and one novelty consists in the dome-cover at,d safety-valve column being of nickel plate instead of brass. The new engine is to work on the Wairarapa side of the llimutaka. It was built by the Avonaide Company, Bristol

Lettera received in Adelaide by the last mail from Mr J. G. Pitcher report that his scheme for a transcontinental railway has beea very well received by Australians iv London. He believes that he will be able to aubmit conditions of which the South Australian Government will approve, and he farther states that he has placed the matter in first rate hands.

The Dunedin Shakespeare Club are preparing an attractive programme for their enter Uinment which is to be given in the Odd Fellows' Hail, Rattray streat, on the 2Gsh inst. Aa usual, the literary selections (which are from " Oihello," " Henry VIII," aud " Juliu, fte -ar") will be interspersed with music.

The Waimate Times Bays:—" Highly satisfactory news waa brought into town yeaterday by t«vo meu who have been prospecting for some time in this district. They claim to have discovered, aay within 20 inibs of Waimate (it lis inexpedient at present to give any clue to tho exact locality), a large area of very rich alluvial ground, aad alao extensive deposits of auriferous cement of a very payable oharaoter. They have lodged a claim for the reward, and lare takiug steps to protect themselves by ths [obtaining of a prospector's lease. When thie | has been done all particulars will be mad*, known to the public."

Aa entertainment is to tsike place at Bal clutha, on Friday evening, iv aid of the Athei.tajm funds, which promises to be par ticularly successful. An excellent concert programme has been arranged, and a fares is to conclude, in which tha characters will be assumsd by membersof the local juniorFuotball Club. Amongst the singers' natnea we notict those of Miss Horce, Mra Webb, Mr Eeuaert, and Mr Donovan.

Another crowded and enthusiastic audience witnessed the performance of " The Pirates of febzmce," by Mr Cury's opera company, last evening. It is necessary to t-.ttend early in order to secure seats unless they hava been reserved, and the opera is sure to havo a long aud successful run at the Q*ieeu's Theatre.

The directors of the Dunedin Finance, Loan, and Agency Company (Limited) havo determined to close the share-list on the 31st instant. A« will bo seen by the prospectus, the Company starts with good investments to tho amount of £55,000, secured by mortgage. We observe that one of the objects of the Company is to act as " trustee and executor under wills," and we are informed that if necessary statutory authority will be obtained to enablo the Company to act in those capacities.

Mr h. J. Weidner, who was for 20 years connected with the Police Departments of New South Wales, Victoria, and Otago, and who was formerly cleric to the Duntditi Police Cotnt, announces that, in connecti in with his commission agency business, ho has established a private Inijuiry office for missing friends, i&c. Mr Weidner's services in this connection should [be of value to those requiring his assistance.

I We have to thank the N.M. and A. Co., and the N.Z.L. and M.A. Co., for their priced catalogues of New Zealand wools offered at public sales in London.

I Tho "Tropical Agriculturist" is a new iuonthl :jo*iriml published at Ceylon. It has 72 patres < closely-printed matter, aud abounds with infonnatio of value to planters and growe 8 generally upon point connected with the culture of codec, tea, sugai palms, tobacco, &c.

Nominations for tho Otago Hunt Club steeplechases close on .Saturday, at 8 p.m.

The partnership hitherto existing beta'cen Messrs J. Mackay, T. Bracken, and A. Bathgate has been dissolved, and Mr John Mackay will carry on the business.

Vatunlay, 3rd September, is appointed for the election of a member of tho Chalgrove subdivision ol Hampden Road District.

! Jlr M. Pym will sell potatoes to-day at Kattray [street Wharf.

PUBLIC NOTICE.—This is no novel advertisement, but simply inserted for the purpose of directing the attention of the working men and the unemployed to tho fact that I am noiv selling prime roasting beef from 2Jd per lb, boiling beef from ljd, mutton from ■2d per lb. for cash.—S. Q. Smitu, City Company, High street.—[Advt.)