SOUTH AUSTRALIA.

Otago Witness, Issue 536, 8 March 1862, Page 5

SOUTH AUSTRALIA.

Sunstroke. — A lew days ago a bullock-driver in the neighbourhood of Mount Remarkable, whose name we have not heard, was deprived of his reason by a stroke of the sun. The poor fellow occasioned some alarm among his neighbours by what, had he been in possession of his senses, would have been an unwarrantable attempt of outrage on a married woman, in the presence of her husband and several other persons. It being clear that his reason was affected, he was taken charge of by the police and conveyed to Kooringa, where, under proper medical care, wa hear that he is progressing towards recovery. — South Australian Register.

Improvement op the Torrens. — The Corporation at its last meeting, as we have already stated, referred to the City surveyor a suggestion made by the Public Works Committee for the improvement of the Torrens, "by damming up the stream and planting the banks. A correspondent advises the erection of a dam near the Railway Bridge, the construction of an embankment on the north side of the river, and the formation of a gradual slope on the south side. In. this way he considers that a lake might he formal nearly equal in size to the Serpentine Itiver in Hyde Park, the banks on either side being available as promenades. We direct especial attention to the.~a suggestions, in order that the entire scheme may be discussed by the public while it is yet under consideration. It is too commonly the custom in Adelaide to suffer legislative bodies to commence or even to complete public measures or public works without objection or comment, and to bring forward suggestions for their amendment or even denunciations of the entire undertakings at a time when advice or censure is too late. Probably few will deny the desirableness of . improving the Torrens and ite banks within the. limits of the city ; but there will most likely be a great variety of opinions as to ■what ought to be done, and how it should be effected. The present is the prceise time for discussing the subject.

The Harvest.— -Accounts from most parts of the colony confirm the impression that tho harvest, which is now nearly gathered in, will fall considerably short - of the usual average yield per acre.

Verbatim Reporting.— Complaints are occasionally made by members of Parliament that their speeches are not reported verbatim. The plan of giving verbatim reports was once tried by Dr. Stodctard, and the result, as may be expected, was unfavorable in the extreme. The members mads downright fools of themselves, and 3et the people laughing from one end of the country to the other. Lord Castle- < reagh exhibited himself as " standing^ : prostrate at tho foot of her Majesty," and "as walking forward with, his back turned upon himself." Sir Frederick Flood, one of the Irish members aDd a great stickler for verbatim reports, appeared one morning as having onthe ; previous evening enlightened the house with the following profound philosophy and brilliant eloquence ; — " Mr. Spaker, as I was coming to this house toperform the duty of the country and ould Ireland, ia which I was born and dacently reared, I was brutally ; attacked, Sir, by a mob, Mr. Spaker, ragamuffins, Sir, j if, sir, any honorable gintleman ia to be assaulted, by such a parcel of spalpeens, sir, as were after attacking me, Mr. Spaker, then I say that if you do not, Mr. Snaker, be afther protecting gintleman Kke myself, sir, we cannot come to the House of Parliament at all at all, Mr. Spaker. And in such a case, Mr. Spaker, may I be axing you, sir, what - would become ot the business of the country, Mr. Spaker, Mr. Spaker V This proved a complete extinguisher to Sir Fred. Flood's penchant for verbatim, * reporting. The day on which this oration appeared he went to the editors of all the morning papers, and - aid that in future he would leave his speeches to theirs discration of tho reporthers."— JßrtoZwApapor. . ,

10th. Each candidate shall he entitled to appoint in writing one scrutineer to be present in the polling room, and such scrutineers and the returning officer, and any electors not exceeding six in uumber shall alone be permitted at any one time to enter or remain in the polling room without the consent of the returning orh'cer, and the returning officer shall have power to cause any person to he removed who shall obstruct the approaches to the polli.ig room, or shall conduct himself in a disorderly manner. And all constables and peace officers shall aid and assist the returning ofiicer in the performance of his duty.

11th. The returning officer shall provide a locked box with a cleft or opening therein capable of receiving the ballot papers, and such box shall stand on a table opposite the returning officer, who shall keep the key of such box.

12th. Every elector before voting shall produce his miner's right or lease to the returning officer who shall stamp or otherwise mark the same and shall deliver to such elector a ballot paper with such stamp or mark, and every such elector shall without leaving the room strike out the names of every candidate for whom he shall not desire to vote, and in case any elector shall be unable to read or write, the returning officer shall in view of such one of the scrutineers as such elector may desire, strike out the names of such candidates as such elector may designate, and after such names shall have been so struck out, the voting paper shall be deposited in the said box.

13th. It shall be lawful for the returning officer, or for any one candidate or scrutineer, to put to any person tendering his vote the questions following, — 1. Xre you of the age of twenty-one years ? 2. Are you residing in this- district? 3. Are jou a natural born or naturalized subject of the Queen ? 4. Are you the person named in this miner's right or lease ? 5. Have you already voted at this election ?

And no other question shall be put to any person tendering his vote, and no person who shall refuse to -answer any such questions, or who shall not answer the same to the satisfaction of the returning officer, or whose miner's

right or lease shall have thereon, when first produced as aforesaid, such stamp or mark as aforesaid shall be permitted to vote.

14th. Immediately upon the close of the poll the returning officer shall proceed in the presence of the scrutineers of the candidates to ascertain the number of votes for each candidate, and such returning officer shall as soon as conveniently can be sifter the day of the poll give public notice of the number of votes given to each candidate, and shall declare the candidates who have received the greatest number of votes not exceeding the number to be elected, to be duly elected. And if two or

more candidates shall have received an equal number of votes, the returning officer shall have the casting vote.

loth. When the proceedings at any such elections shall be interrupted or obstructed

by any riot or open violence, the returning officer shall not finally clo«e the poll, but

shall adjourn the taking oi" the poll to the day following, and, if necessary, the returning officer shall further adjourn such poll until such interruption or obstruction shall have ceased, when the returning officer shall again proceed with the taking of the poll.

IGth. The said Mining Board shall hold its first meeting on the second Tuesday after every general election, and shall ha\ c power to adjourn from time to time, but it shall be lawful at all times for the Chairman to convene a special meeting of such Board on giving fourteen days' notice thereof by advertisement in one or more newspapapers, published or circulating in the said district. 17th. At the first meeting of the said Mining Board, after any general election, and whenever the office of chairman of any such board shall become vacant, the members of the said board shall proceed to the election of a chairman, and the member who shall receive the greatest number of votes shall be the Chairman, hut no member shrill be entitled to vote for hinutlf ; and in ca^e any two or more members shall receive an equal number of votes, the Chairman shall be selected from such members by lot.

18th. Any five members of the Hoard shall form a quorum, and all question') before the Board shall be determined by the majority of votes, provided that the Chairman shall have no vote, unless in case of an equality of voles, when he shall have a casting vote; and provided also that in ca«e a quorum shall not assemble within one half hour after the time appointed for any meeting, or having so assembled shall disperse, the Board shall stand adjourned till the next day at the same hour.

19th. In case of the absence of the Chairman it shall be lawful for the members present, being a quorum, to appoint an Acting-Chair-man, who, during such absence, may exercise the powers of the Chairman. The schedule above referred to :—: — Mining District of Candidates names. A. B. C. D. &c, &c, The voter is to strike out the name or names of the candidates for whom he does not intend to vote by drawing a line through the same with a pen or pencil. He must be careful not to leave uncancelled the names of more than candidates, otherwise his ballot paper will be invalid. The ballot-paper so marked by or for the voter is to be dropped by him into the ballotbox. The voter is not to be permitted to take his ballot-paper out of the polling-room. Given under my hand and issued under the public seal of the Province of Otago, at Dunedin, this fifth day of March, ift the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-two. J. L. C. Richardson, Superintendent.