Provincial News in Brief.

Otago Witness, Issue 1500, 14 August 1880, Page 21

Provincial News in Brief.

(Condensed from our Contemporaries.)

Mr Bewes' estimate of the cost of a road between Arrowtown and Macetown is i>ww. The. early olOßing movement has extended to Pahnerßton. M«b Brunton haa been appointed sewing mistress of the Merton School. At the end of last week the Southland Hospital contained 17 male and 7 female patients. The Norwegian barque Ooncordmis loading at Oamaro with oats and stone for Adelaide. The Clutha County Council have resolved to levy a eixpenny rate for the current year, f The Clutha County Counoil pay their dog tax collector a shilling a head. , . .. , Itr T. Latta has been appointed jetty-keeper at Catlin'B River at a salary of £20 per annum. The Clutha County Council pay sheet for the past month was £68 15a 6d. A progress payment of £572 to the bridge contractor has been paased. Messrs Popplewell and Fleet have discovered a quartz reef at Canada, and have sent a quantity of stone, to Dunedin to be tested. Messrs Siedeberg and Krull have purchased the plant of the old Bruce Quartz-Mining Company at Canada with the intention of moving it to Hindon. Mr Ferguson, late postmaster at Milton, was presented with a puise of 50 sovereigns and an address on the occasion of his leaving that town. The Inch Clutha River and Road Board have resolved to borrow £1200 for publio works purposes. The Balclutha Borough Council have resolved to supply trees gratis to all parties applying for the same for the purpose of planting close to the line of boundary with the streets. The Clutha Counoil have increased the salary of their clerk by £15, on the understanding that he issue the poatai cards for the collection of rates, After taking in 300 tons of whes>tas ballast at Port Chalmers, the ship Albion is to prooeed to the Bluff to load oats for London. Vincent County has declared in favour of delegating the powers of Waste Land Boards in County Councils. The Palmerston Road Board have reduoed their surfacemen's wages from 7s to 6s per day. The Olutha is keeping at a pretty low level, and consequently all the claims are in full awing. ' Messrs floworth and Edwards expect to finish the survey of the second trial line of the GoroKelso railway in about a month. Mr Simson's new mining machinery will be christened shortly by a young lady residing at. Gore. The Oamaru Presbytery have granted the Rev. Mr Clark three months' leave of absence on account of his impaired health. During the frosty mornings in the beginning of the week a large number of frost fish were found along the Oamaru beach. A Mutual Improvement Society has been formed at Rothesay under the title of the "West Harbour Institute." The Rev. Mr Jennei is president. The L 20.000 loan for waterworks at Invercargill, was carried, 645 ratepayers voting for it, and 31 against. A contract has been signed for the completion of another section of the Hakateramea railway, which will probably be shortly commenced. At Oamaru a man named W. Lee haa been committed for trial at the District Court, for obtaining board and lodging by false pretenceß. The police at Riverfcon have received information of the sudden death of R. M'Dermott, a rabbitter employed on Johnston's run, at Wrey Bush. The Hospital returns for the past week are : — Remaining from, the previous week, 128 ; received, 15 ; discharged, 13 j deaths, 2 ; remaining, 128. At a meeting of the Oamaru Harbour Board on the 6tb, it was resolved to postpone the date of receiving tenders for the north wall of the breakwater till the 10th of September. The Wallace County Counoil have resolved ■ to strictly enforce the dog license on the grounds that dogs are as great a nuisance as rabbits. It is stated that the contract for the formation of the Dantroon-Hakateremea line has been signed, and that the work will be put in hand shortly. The work of bridging the Waitaki opposite the Hakateremea Valley is at present almost at a standstill, only six or seven mea being engaged on it. The North Otago Times advocates the holding of another sheep-dog trial at Duntroon this year, urging that the annual tri? Is are worthy of every encouragement, inducing, as they do, shepherds to pay greater attention to the training of their dogs. The following debtors filed notices of insolvency during last week at Dunedin :— John Taverner, Caversham, contractor.— Particulars not filed. Myer Morris, Dunedin, tailor.— Debts, L254 10d ; assets, L4O. At a show of meat at Mr S. G. Smith's City Butchery last week, the carcase of a heifer weighing 13001bs, one of a lot purchased by Mr Smith from the proprietors of the Seadown Estate, was on exnibition. 9 On Wednesday, the 4th, the temporary bridge pnt.over the Molyneux at Balclutha, by Mr J. M. Watson, contractor, was travelled upon by a foot passenger for the first time. The Maniototo County Council are calling for tenders for the re-erection on the suspension principle of the bridge over the Kyeburn washed away by the recent floods. The collector, valuer, and road inspector of the Maniototo County Council has been voted a bonus of £8 to be paid to him as Inspector of miners' rights for extra travelling expenses. A co operative store is about to be established at Bannookburn. The capital ieto be represented in 1000 one pound shares, 600 of which have already been applied for. The Rev. Mr Sotham, of St John's Church, Waikouaiti, one day last weak had a dozen children, averaging from six weeks to 13 years old, brought to him to christen. The health of the Rev. J. Dewe, of Gladstone, is so seriously affected that the BishopQof Dunedin has decided to grant a special supply to the Gladstone parish. The Tauanui Courier understands that Messrs Patterson and Macgregor are making up a large consignment of oatmeal for shipment to London. ATapanui Athenreum comruitteeman resigned on the ground that owing to tho outlandisbness of the site of the institution, he did not think it would prosper. It is proposed to unite Roxburgh with Tapanui under the same Episcopal cure. Roxburgh has for some time been without the services of any but an occasional clergyman, the services being usually performed by lay-readere,

Mr Asbury has recommended that the Dunedin Athenseum Committee should use colonial coal in connection with his heating apparatus, which is reported to be working admirably. The funds at the disposal of the Southland Hospital Committee are at low-water ebb. The Committee are appealing to the oountry residents, Invercargill having hitherto contributed more than its share. The induotion of the Rev. Mr Blackie to his new charge at Cromwell is to take place on Thursday, 19fch inst: ; Rev. J. M. Allan to preaoh and preside, Rev. Mr Borrie to address the minibter, and Rev. Mr Telford the people. The Port Chalmers Borough Council have fixed the officers' salaries as follow.— Mayor, £25; auditors, £4 4s; town clerk, £175; inspector of works, £10 ; collector of rates, to be fixed at the rate of U per £100. At the last meeting of the Lakes County Council it was stated that the estimate of Mr Blackett, Government engineer, was that it would coat £17,000 to construct a tramway up the Arrow Valley to Macetown. As an evidence of the mildness of the season in the Dunstan distriot the local paper mentions that the almond trees are bursting into flower, and peaches and all other trees and shrubs are very forward. A deputation recently waited upon the Mayor of Balclutha with the object of asking his Worship to use his influence to have the whole > of the streets converted into avenues, by having treeß planted where practicable, at suitable distances alongside and within the fences. In a letter to the Daily Times in reference to the railway commissioners' report, Mr John Reid, of Elderslie, states that the commissioners \ " acted without any bias, without the smallest j degree of partiality, and without any attempt on his part to influence them." Mr Stronach has informed the Cromwell Argus that since April Ist last 8000 rabbits have been skinned on Earnscleugh Station, and he reckons the animals not found are four to one; while on Matakanui Station fully 39,000 have been destroyed during the past | three months. Ata special meetiug of the Balclutha Borough Council held on the sth it was resolved to call upon all owners of property adjoining streets bo fence the same. 'It was also resolved to tupply trees to all applicants for planting on street boundaries. It is probable tb at. the business of the borough of South Dunedin will be suspended until the next annual elections, the majority of the councillors having decided not to attend any more meetings. Through the reduction of the Volunteer i capitation, some officers and other members of Southland corps have been let in for considerable amounts, the debts having been contracted in the belief of a continuance of the capitation. A stable on Mr George Merson's farm, situate on Castle Rock station, near Dipton, was entirely destroyed with all its contents by fire on Sunday last, including some 230 bags of oats, five sets of harness, and a miscellaneous lot of odds and ends. The Clutha County Council have resolved that postal cards in the form prescribed by the Rating Act be used in the collection of rates. The Council have been guided in the matter by the success of the system in Waitaki and Southland Counties. At Catlin's River during the past month nine vessels equal to 348 tons register arrived, and 12 sailed, equal to 492 tons register. Seven were Bent to Dunedin, one to Oamaru, and four to Lyttleton ; six loaded at the Company's Mill, and six at the Owake Mill, The Maniototo Council' have resolved to Bupport the movement for the abolition of Land Boards. The members present nearly all seemed to be of opinion that the County Councils should be appointed boards of advice to a responsible Minister. The Palmerstoia and Waikouaiti Times is doing a growl at all the looal road boards for their want of punctuality, and their proneness to emulate the members of the House of Representatives in airing their eloquence on useless discussion. Another scene is reported in the Palmerston Resident Magistrate's Court— a solicitor (Mr Alston) accusing the R.M. (Mr Watt) of what amounted to gross partiality and the exeroise of a. strong bias against him — charges tantamount to a wilful miscarriage of justice. At a ploughing bee in Mr John Boyle's pad< dock at Tokomairiro 25 teams turnedjout. There were 11 double and 14 single ploughs on the ground, and the day's exertion resulted in the turning up of all the land. An old ploughman, aged 70 years, did his share with the best of them ; olose by him was a youth of 13 years. At the last meeting of the Lawrence Borough Council Cr Storry said that Cr Miller had stated, at a previous meeting, that the cost of forming the channel would only be £2 10s per chain, but he felt certain it would be over £5. By the temporary time-table of Jtbe Waimea railway the Wakatip is, according to the Mail, practically no nearer Dunedin, but the cost of a distance of 54 miles is saved ; the Company, which runs a daily train, also suffers the disadvantage of a triweekly service at the Lumsden end of the line. There were 40 applicants Jfor the post of captain of the Wakatip steamer the Mountaineer. A few of the applicants offered their services for less than the salary fixed (£l4 a month) and, others were willing to take shares in the Company—one as much as £200 worth. Captain Densom received the appointment. At the last meeting of the Bruce County Council it was resolved " That, in the opinion of this Council, a punt is necessary at the mouth of the Taieri River, and that the Clerk be instructed to write to the Taieri Council asking their co-operation in erecting the same." The estimated cost was stated at £200. A trout weighing 4£lb was recently picked up on the banks of Lake Wanaka. General surprise was expressed that fish of the size- and weight shown existed in Lake Wanaka, and the knowledge will serve to considerably enhance the attractiveness of that magnificent region, which at present is almost closed to tourists and travellers. In reference to the Windsor-Livingstpne line, Mr John Reid, in his letter to the Daily Times, says : — " Its entire lengsh passes through limestone soil, wheat laud of the richest description. There is scarcely an acre on either side which is not capable of growing 40 bushels of wheat, and some thousands of acres of that cereal are now sown along both sides to give it traffic as soon as completed." The Daily Times says :— lf we cannot regard Oamaru as the natural outlet of a country from which it is separated by a range of mountains whose lowest pass ia 3000 feet high, we unquestionably do regard it as the natural outlet for the Waitaki Valley and the Hakateraruea Valley, which runs into it, and we should be in favour of the continuation of the Duntroon line up the level plain beyond that township, across the bridge now in course of construction, and up to the head of the Hakaterainea Valley, <

In speaking of the Deceased Wifes Sister Bill, the Daily Times says that Dr Wallia unintentionally characterised the opponents of the measure, when he spoke of the 46 of a majority who voted for the Act, as representing "a majority of the male population, but tho remaining 14 who voted on the other side represented the female population." In other words, the opponents of the bill were a parcel of old women. In reference to the Tuapoka railway the local Times says that it has been repeatedly asserted that one strong engine would be quite capable of overtaking all the traffic. Then .why not (continues our contemporary) place such an engine on the line instead of retaining the two tin- pot thiags e now used, which are capable only of hauling two or three trucks at a time up the steep grades, and thus doubling the coat of wages, fuel, and wear and tear ? The Maniotofco County Council passed the following resolution at its last meeting : - " That consideration of proposals for the annual contracts on main and main branch roads be deferred until some definite conclusion as to the probable revenue of the County for the year can be arrived at, and that as soon as the Government proposals have been given effect to by legislation, and such estimate can be made, the Chairman be requested to call a Bpeciil meeting of the Council." The fight between the Tapanui School Committee and the local paper rages fast and furious. The Courier appears week after weak with very smart but extremely vulgar and personal articles on several members of the Committee ; while at the last meeting one of the members of Committee so far lost his temper as to call the paper a damned rag and to jequest the reporter to retire from a sub oommittee meeting, as he had no right there, and that they did not want ihe proceedings reported. Major-general Davidson recommended iv hi 3 report that the Government should encourage the formation of rifle clubs, and the In1 vercargiH Club consequently applitd for the remission of the duty on rifles and ammunition it is importing. Replies have, however, been received from Mr Seed that he haa no legal ■ authority, and from the Hon. Mr Bryce declining to allow the duty to be remitted. The following was the state of H.M. Gaol, I Dunedin, for the week ended 7th August :— Awaiting trial, 95 males, 1 female ; Penal servitude, 31 males, 2 females ; Hard labour, 57 males, 20 females ; Imprison oaent, 1 male ; Imprisonment (default of bail), 47 males j Imprisonment (remaed), 2 males ; Imprisonment (debt.), 2 males; total 234 males, 24 females. Received during the week, 11 males, 6 females ; Discharged, 11 males, 7 females.