The Southland Times. FRIDAY, MAY 20, 1870.

Southland Times, Issue 1253, 20 May 1870, Page 2

The Southland Times. FRIDAY, MAY 20, 1870.

"We stated several days ago that a requisition was in course of signature, calling upon the member for Invercargill in the House of Hepresentatives — War. Wood, Esq.— to resign his seat. The grounds on which the requisitionists urge their demand, are clearly enough stated at the head of the document containing the signatures, as follows : — " Sir — We, the undersigned, electors of the district of Invercargill, considering that the vitally important question of the union of this Province with Ofago will be determined by the G-eneral Assembly at its next session, and aware that your avowed opinions are in favor of the union of the two provinces, and considering the fact — clearly established at the recent Provincial Council elections — that the majority of the electors of this town are against that union, we beg, therefore, to request that yon will, in accordance with your pledges given at your election, tender your resignation as the representative of Invercargill in the G-eneral Assembly." This Tery just and reasonable request, with the names of seventy-six electors attached, was, we understand, presented to Mr Wood yesterday, who informed the. deputation presenting it that he would take time to consider hiß reply. Of course Mr Wood shows only common prudence, and a due regard to the dignity of his position, in avoiding anything like precipitancy or unseemly haste. By all means let him take time j to ponder it, but it is to be hoped that in the process of consideration he will not i allow his own sense of what is just and honorable to be warped and twisted by the persuasions of unseen, irresponsible, and therefore less scrupulous advisers. If he acts solely on his own judgment in the matter, the answer must be an unequivocal and ready compliance with the wishes of the constituency. There are just one or two things to which we might call the hon. member's attention, as the basis on which he should form his j decision. He was elected in March, 1866, by 75 votes — two over his opponent, Mr Heaie j consequently a larger number than that which raised him to the niche of an M.H.R., now request him to descend from that elevated position. Moreover, it must also be borne in mind that the district has not been canvassed for signatures ; that many people object to put their names to a written document, who would nevertheless give their voice in support of its principles in the event of its going to the vote; that any candidate for the representation of the town having 76 names to his requisition,: would be sure of his election, and, by inference, that any member requested to resign by a similar number, would certainly lose his seat on putting it to the test, and that consequently any member clinging to his seat after such a demonstration cannot honestly regard himself, or be regarded by others, as the representative of the opinions and wishes of his constituency. It ought to be interesting to unionists-— who are so, sanguine in their expectations as to the fruits to accrue to this province when made an outlying district of Otago — to learn how some outlying districts of that Province are enjoying the sweets of Dunedin " rule." Mr MACAinraEw was always an adept _at political cajoling. He and his present government know the value of making large promises, adroitly leaving on the shoulders of others the responsibility of their realisation or failure. Otago folks are immensely flattered by the proposal to borrow some half million of money for the prosecution of various public worksno funds being available from any other source, although Mr Macajsdeew and his government know very well that there is not a shadow of a hope that the General Assembly will allow any province to borrow on its own account. Oatnaru has been for years humored with the prospect of spacious docks, where Mr Mac and .ew knows docks never will be ; the diggers,with extensive water works, of equally dubious realisation; Waikouaiti, in a Bmall;way, has also had the treacherous promise — whispered in its ear — of jetty works essential to the development of j trade in that district.- Its local journal of May 11th criticises and laments the deceptive promises of the Dunedin "powers that be" in the following terms : — " We had hoped that we had taken up the pen for the last time to complain of the neglect with which the Provincial Government treats the question of the long-promised Harbor Improvements for WaikouaitL At the worst we supposed that further delay was all we should have to grumble at. It is therefore withthe utmost chagrin that we once more find everything undone, and all promises treated as if an absolution from them had been obtained somehow or other. Delay might have been forgiven if some reasonable excuse for it had been forthcoming. But the position now taken up by the Provincial Government is altogether too provoking. Their officials report in direct opposition to the Commissioners who were brought to the

province at so much expense, and without a moment's consideration as to which of the two may be most competent to give an opinion, the work is thrown up. For that is what it amounts to — the opinion of the Provincial Council is to be asked for the fifth or sixth time whether the Jetty is to be undertaken, and the mind of the Council is carefully prepared for an unfavorable reply." It may be further interesting to unionists and others who look on the Wakatipu trade as more peculiarly belonging to the Southland district, and likely to be more available when^jptnion with Otago takes place, to know- that we have a competitor for this trade, who puts forward the following somewhat extravagant pretensions. The- journal already quoted from, in the same article,, says : — ' : "That the Jetty must be gone on with, even if it costs aa much as Me Babb supposes it will cost, is- a point on which there ought not to be two opinions. It is not the townships of Waikouaiti alone that are interested in this matter., This is the natural port for a very wide area of the Province, an area containing a very large proportion of the producing population of Otago. The pastoral and mining districts from Wakatipu to the coast find here their proper shipping port, and for want of reasonable facilities are obliged to send, their produce to, and import their supplies from Dunedin, which itself is not, properly speaking, a port town. The interests of this' vast area are not to be trifled with. .£IO,OOO spent in Harbor works at Waikouaiti will be one of the most reproductive expenditures that the Council has at the present time the opportunity p of authorising. It will be something more than absurd if it is denied, and we call upon the people of this district to make known with a loud voice their determination that it shall be put off no longer." A meeting of the Cham6er"*of Commerce was held on Wednesday, the 18th, to consider the proposal emanating from Australia — particulars of which have already appeared in our columns — to introduce the " Cental " as the standard of quantity in the sale and purchase of flour, grain, &c. There wet© "pre'senfc- ! - r MeBS) 1 8 M'Pherson (chairman), Watson, Calder, Gibbs, Macdonald, Hare, Crouch, and Gilmour. Mr Jno. Blacklock, who was also present, was balloted for admission and passed unanimously. After a very Bhort conversational consideration of the subject, a motion recommending the adoption of the system was proposed by Mr ( Watson, seconded by Mr Macdonald, and carried unanimously. The following circular has been issued by the Southland Acclimatisation Society-:=-Sib,— l am instructed by the Committee of this Society to inform you that they desire to obtain about 20 couples of hares from Melbourne at as early a date as possible. The cost of such a shipment* is estimated at_ from £60 to £70 ; 'and as the Society has not the means at its disposal to enter into such an undertaking, it is proposed to raise a special fund for this purpose, by soliciting subscriptions from those interested in their introduction into the Province. The money so raised will therefore be placed to a separate account, the. names of- the subscribers. published in the newspapers, and any surplus after payment of expenses returned. Should you be disposed to assist in the acclimatisation of this valuable animal, you will kindly send nTe a remittance. 3>y cheque or order as early as convenient. — I remain, Sir, your most obedient servant, Edw. D. Btttts, :■;".' '--, ". j : Hon; Sec. "and Treasurer. Since it was "decided 'to' adopt this plan, a proposal has been received from the Otago Society, and agreed to, 'to join' with them inthe same object, which will materially lessen the expense. Any who may not have received a printed circular, and who are" favorable to the "~ scheme, are requested to communicate with the hon. Bee , Tenders for repairs to the Riverton Jetty were opened at the Government offices •on Thursday last as follows : — ; ' - A. J. Devering „ ... £54 W. Meffett... ... ... 50 E. Powell (accepted) ... ... ... 42 It will be seen from our advertising columns, that the amateur musicians of Invercargill hare provided a choice biU-of-fare for the Queen's birth-night, in the form of the programme for- a grand sacred and secular concert, to be given at the Theatre Royal on that occasion. For several weeks back, about thirty ladies and gentlemen have been assiduously practising for the event, and although many of the pieces are new to an Invercargill choir, it is but fair to say that they have been well mastered, and will no doubt be rendered with that taste and correctness whioh has invariably characterised former efforts. As there has been an absolute ' dearth of public amusement during the present season, this entertainment will be a positive relief, and, of course, will be fully patronised. The object to which the funds are to be devoted is also One which commends itself to all lovers of pure enjoyment. The following is the list of prizes awarded to the competitors at the late' district volunteer shooting match— Vol. Jaa. Menzies, 47' points, £10 5s ; Vol. F.Henderson, 46 "points, £7 ss \ Lieut. Jas..3urman^_43.pointß,. £sJ>s.j _Vjol.. J, Reid, 40 points ; Corp. Robt. Acheson, 38 points, Sergt. J. Aldred, 35 points, Sergt. J. L. Thomson, 41 points, and Vol.- W; Johnston, 36 points, 5s each. ' The division of the money is made in apcordance with ' the' regulations of the General Government, and it will be Been all the prizes, gave 10s, goto the Riverton- corps. ' "Werhave' been "requested to call attention to the act that the sale /of the furniture of J. T. Goodsir, Esq., has been postponed till Thursday, the 26th inst. In its last monthly summary, the Taranalci Herald says: — In 1859 the population was 2,726 souls, and in 1869 it was about 4,500 ; our Customs .revenue-in .1859 was £4,465, and in 1869 was £6,547 ; the total revenue (ordinary juid territorial), in 1859 was £5,878, and in_lß69 £8,970. Our exports in 1859 were valued kt £8,764, and bizr estimate.fpr 1869 of the produce shipped was about the same amount. This year 3 however, the flax will add considerably to the Amount, and our trade may be put down at not less than £20,000. When, we cast our eyes over the statistical tables of past years, and compare them with the present time, .we do not. think we have any reason to complain, for if we have been presented ;by circumstances from: progressing with the speed of larger Provinces, we at all events have not retrograded during the. period. -

The agricultural statistics of the province of Hawke's Bay are published in the New Zealand Gazette of the 2nd inst. From these statistics, it appears that the total area of land under crop in the province is 51,946 acres, which is made up as follows :— Wheat, 1079 a yes; oats, 1029J acres ; barley, 373J acres ; sown grasses, including land in hay, 48,923! acres ; potatoes, 413 acres; other crop 3, 127 acres. There are also 4204J acres broken up, but not under crop. The total number of holdings is 339. A Wanganui paper says : — " There is some talk in Rangitikei, which we hope will soon get beyond that initial stage, of establishing a New Zealand Flax Spinning and Wearing Company in that district. The idea every one will acknowledge is a capital one ; how to give it a practical shape is the point ; already we hear of a good many shares being promised to be taken up." ■ Westport continues to snffer from encroachment of the sea, and the groin recently erected for the purpose of checking its advance, has been washed away. The sea has advanced to within three chains of the gaol, which will have to be removed, or like the Bchool-house, it will probably soon be taken to sea. A sort of " Irish stew," in the shape of a flimsy and unreadable " extraordinary," was issued by our contemporary on the evening of Saturday last, and we were appealed to by several of our friends to give an explanation of the " jumble," but the " hash" was so complete that we were compelled to decline the task. The manner in which the Mordaunt case especially was " mixed up " shows how our contemporary gloats orer such sensational literature: Bishop Patteson has been compelled to return from the Islands to Auckland for medical advice, his health being in a very precarious state. The Bishop arrived in Auckland on the 25th April, in the Mission schooner Southern Cross. The Wellington Advertiser, in speaking of Mr Sewell, Bays—'' He seems altogether to decline stating his opinions., ,He is something like Dillon Bell, shifting about between the two winds, and not knowing whether to fly a big kite or a little one. ' He doeß not seem quite to know whether Fox or Stafford will be at the tip of the tree. If either of their numbers is likely to turn out tramps Mr Sewell will probably pocket the odd trick." • A contemporary says that a gentleman resident in the borough of Blenheim (Marlborough) has this year realised the handsome sum of £127 63 lid from fruit alone, grown on leas than an acre of land. Four pear trees in this orchard, we are told, bore 8501bs weight of fruit. The working expenses attending the above, our informant sets down at the outside figure of £27— leaving a clear profit of £100. The Wellington Independent of the 10th inst. says : — On Friday evening last a meeting took place* at the school-house, Karori, to consider the views of the Latter Day Saints, in reference especially to the action recently taken by them in Wellington and Karori. There were also present several Mormons, and what was probably intended originally aB a consultation on the subject, developed itself into a debate. There was a very good attendance, and on either side arguments were . _adianced_with some force and ingenuity. The meeting was opened with prayer and singing, after which a gentleman gave a kind of lecture on the doctrines of the Latter Day Saints. This, although somewhat dry and lengthy, contained some good points. In opposition to this, extracts were read by "• another gentleman from a ■ work on Protestantism in India, from which he showed that the Hindoos who had been converted to Christianity were not debarred from their Christian privileges on account of being married to more than one wife. He also said that the Tenth Commandment, as given to Moses on Mount Sinai» referred to " one" wife, "one" 0x,." one" servant, &c; but he contended that " one " wife was no more meant than " one " 'ox or servant. A gentleman present then asked the last speaker whether he was prepared to accept Judaism. He replied, yes. On which the other said he ought also, to be consistent, accept all the doctrines of Judaism. Some of the female advocates of anti-Mormonism denounced most energetically the views of the Latter Day Saints, and it was evident they would be very difficult subjects for . conversion. After some further opinions had- been given, the meeting broke up at a late hour. For a specimen of pure and unadulterated " Billingsgate," commend , us to the attack upon ourselves in the last issue of the News. The editor of that mendacious print has had the temerity to challenge proof of our statement "that the story of the ' trap' was a deliberate falsehood." He shall have it! Our reporter not having been able to attend the meeting in question — the soiree of the Ladies' Benevolent Society — did, next morning, what is commonly done by representatives of the press, under similar circumstances — made enquiries as to what had taken place of a gentleman who had been present. Our "local" was then written out, and submitted to the same person, to avoid the possibility of mistake, who verified its correctness in all points, except the figures, which he had not taken down, and would not vouch for from memory. The report itself not being available, our reporter, in accordance with a common practice between gentlemen of that profession, applied to the reporter (at all events, the gentleman who reported this particular meeting) of the : Southland News on the point in doubt, putting the simple and single question, " Are the figures correct?" and receiving for answer, "Teß."Again, when the " mistake" was Btated by the News to. have been a " trap" purposely set to " catch" us, our reporter waited upon the reporter of the News for an explanation of conduct so inconsistent with either truth, honor, or professional etiquette. The explanation then given was, that "it was no trap at all," that he (the reporter) had made the " mistake" in the first instance, through trusting to his memory to carry the figures correctly from the hall where the meeting was h;ld to the office where he wrote the '" local ;" and, further, that the subsequent assertion that it was " a trap," was inserted in the News in spite of his protest. These are the simple facts of the case, to the truth of which we have no doubt the reporter of the News, will certify. .With his conduct in the matter we have no fault to find, except, perhaps, that he allowed his objection to & false and dishonorable statement to be too easily overcome. For the editor who, after the explanation given, and the protest made by his coadjutor, could coolly trample upon a subordinate official's veracity, violate truth, heap lie upon He for the purpose of doing a contemporary a petty injury, and then with brazen effrontery challenge us to the proof, trusting for concealment to our consideration for the feelings of others, we cannot express too much contempt, and must decline to hold further parley with a person who is evidently constitutionally incapable of discriminating between truth and falsehood. We live in an age of novelties, (says a contemporary) in which scientific discoveries from day to day seem to be so perverting our conventional notions of the correct order of things, that it is extremely doubtful whether, in the course of another century or so, mankind may not find out that the correct mode of peregrination through this earthly wilderness is on their hands and not their feet. The latest light with which science has illuminated our doubtful path, has reference to the inflammability of wood. We leara on good authority, that a German chemist, commissioned by a fire insurance company, recently discovered that rock salt renders timber not only impervious to the ravages of insects and dry rot, but likewise completely fire-proof. It was decidedly an error in judgment on the part of the insurance company to divulge this secret, for henceforth, we should imagine, that the public will salt their furniture and drop their policies. . .

The Bendigo correspondent of the Cromwell Argus, writing on the 9fch instant, sends the following : — " The Aurora Company have appropriated one set of stampers for crushing for the public, and the second set of stamp heads, used for crushing for themselves, will therefore meet with no interruption while the trial crushings for the surrounding claims are being proceeded with. The stone from Broadfoot and Kelly's claim is now going through the mill, but I wilL not be able to let you know the result in time for this issue. The company (who have lately put on a day and a night shift in their claim) are sanguine, from the prospects already obtained, as to the result of the washing-up. Twenty tons of excellent stone from the prospectors' claim on Stewart Richmond's line of reef hare been carted to the battery for a trial crushing. The dray road from Sam. Williams' s claim is almost com--1 pleted, and twelve tons of quartz are to be carted for a trial crushing as soon as possible. From the Victoria Lease claim a large quantity of quartz has been grassed, and additional hands hare been employed opening up the reef, and raising stone, so as to be ready for a trial crushing when opportunity offers. The twenty-fir3t annual meeting of the Australian Mutual Provident Society was held on the 26th ult., at Sydney, when the report, of which we have been favored with a copy, was unanimously adopted. The society, so far as the figures in the report enable a judgment to be formed, is in a sound and flourishing position. The total gross annual income is £201,017 17s Bd. During the year, claims amounting to £27,702 12s lid hare been paid, while the total new premiums have given £32,236 Bs. The balance of receipts over disbursements amount to £92,550 11s 4d, thereby increasing the accumulated fund to £679,784 lla 7d. In the statement of the funds and the effects of the society on the 28th February last, we find the following items by which it is fair to guage the soundness of the society. Leaving out odd figures they ara as follow : — Loans on mortgage, £261,000 ; loans to members on security of their policies, £54,000 } Sew South Wales Treasury bills, £25,000 ; New South Wales debentures, £78,000 j New Zealand debentures, £63,000; Queensland debentures, £39,000 i Queensland Treasury bills, £23,000 ; Sydney Corporation debentures, £4000; cash on deposit with banks, £78,000 ; cash at bankers' (current account), £10,000 ; value of freehold estate, £9000 ; value of principal offices, £12,000 ; office furniture, £1000 ; premiums due, the days of grace for which have not expired, £1.6,000 ; interest on investments accrued sinc3 last payments, £8000 ; due by agents and others, £6000 ; making a total (inclusive of the odd amounts we have omitted) of £693,492. We notice that *• Southland's Natural Songster," Willie Steel, inteads giving his usual concert this year in the school-house, Long Bush. This will be the eighth occasion on which Willie has honored the anniversary of her Majesty's birt 11---day by giving a public entertainment in aid of some deserving charity. More than oncd the funds of the Provincial Hospital have been sensibly augmented by his efforts, and on this occasion hie intends benefiting the same institution: His country friends will no doubt rally ■round him on Tuesday night, and enable him to gratify a very laudable desire to have something handsome to hand over. His programme is both lengthy and varied.