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Southland Times, Issue 1950, 20 July 1874, Page 2

Acknowledgment. — The Treasurer to the' Hospital reports his receipt of £2 2s, donation from Mr Henry Lyon, of Riverton, and £1 5s 3d from the personal effects of Frank Anderson, a late patient. The STT3SEX.— The Sussex arrived in Port Chalmers on the 16th inst., with olose on 500 souls on board. With those who arrived by the three Home ships on Monday (says the Evening Star), over 1500 will have landed in Dunedin this week — the largest number yet poured into any one port of the Colony in a Bimilar time. The Gazette. — It is notified in last week's Provincial Government Gazette that Duncan Mackellar, Esq., has been appointed Acting Provincial Secretary and Acting Secretary for Land and Works, during the absence of Donald Reid, Esq. By proclamation the Superintendent sets aside 34,554! acres in the existing Hundreds in Southland for occupation on deferred payments, and 102,858 acres on the licensed runs are reserved from sale until the next cession of the Provincial Council. These are the reserves recommended by Messrs Pearson and Baker, whose report was published in the Southland Time 3of the 20th May last. Roxbttbgh. — The up-country town of Roxburgh has been proclaimed a Municipality, and is divided into three wards, North, Ceutre, and South. Nominated iMjaanANXS.— ln one of his despatches to the Minister for Immigration, the Agent-General says : — " With reference to the inquiries to be made a.s to the character and qualifications of nominated persons, 1 have to state that it is the practice to require, in each case, certificates of good character and sound koaith, pjocisely similar to those which are furnished by emigrants whose applications originate in this country." The Railway to Dxtkedin. — The Minister for Public Works has announced in the House of Representatives that the first section of the railway line from Balclufcha to the Mataura, namely, from Q-ore to Clinton (Popotunoa), will probably be submitted to tender, in about a fortnight. Provincial BobbovTino-. — " Straws indicate which way the wind blows." In the Legislative Council, a motion proposed by the Hon. Mr Waterhouae, to the effect that the public debt should not be increased beyond what is required to finish the works now authorised, was shelved by the Hon. Dr Pollen, Colonial Secretary, proposing " the previous question." Imhigkration. — Writing to the Hon. J. Yogel on the 17th April last, the Agent-General says : — " During the quarter ended the 3 1st Maroh, some 10,500 souls have been sent out, and during the present quarter that number will be exceeded if I succeed in securing vessels.. It is infinitely easier to procure 40,000 emigrants, now that the agricultural Unions have taken up emigration, than it was to obtain 5000 when they were opposed to it. All the Unions are working heartily with me, being convinced that they can only hope to succeed in their present struggle by shipping off the surplus labor. The number sent away has already had a very appreciable effect on the labor market in certain districts in the county of Kent, and the employers are so alarmed that they constantly refuse to sign certificate! of character for intending emigrants. The stream thus set flowing will not easily be stemmed, especially if the reports sent home by emigrants to their friends continue as favorable and encouraging as hitherto." Inqttest. — An inquest touching the death of James Sowden, who was found dead on Wednesday night, loth inst., in a deserted hut near the railway line in th 9 Makarevva Bush, was held before Mr H. M'Oulloch, District Coroner, at the Hospital at 2 p.m. on Friday, 17th inst. Mr John Stewart acted as foreman of the jury. John Maples, brickmaker, Invercargill, identified the deceased as a man whom he had known in Dunedin in the year 1862. The deceased was a single man, a brickmaker by trade, named James Sowden, a native of England, and about 54 Tears of age. Maples had some conversation with the deceased last week, and was informed by him that he (the deceased) had lately come from the Dunedin side of the province. Mr G. Smith, of the Gladstone Hotel, stated that the deceased had called at his place on Sunday morning, 12th inst., asking leave to lie down in the stable, as he felt unwell. His request was granted. Towards evening, however, Mr Smith went to the stable and advised the man to rise, come into the house, and have something to eat ; but he declined, observing that he thought he would be all right next day. Deceased left for Winton next morning. Dr Yorath stated that he had made &post mortem examination on the body of the deceased, whose brain be had found in a healthy condition. The stomach, however, contained nothing but fluid, and the right lung was in a very advanced state of atrophy. The death of the deceased had been the result of consumption, accelerated by exposure to cold and damp. The jury returned a verdict in accordance with the medical evidenc e. The Intebcabgull Hospitai. — The Hospital Committee held its ordinary business meeting on Friday evening, 17th insfc., the President. Treasurer, and Secretary, with four members of Committee, being present. Some discussion arose on the subject of the house returns for the quarter ended 30th June last, when it was found that over one-eighth of the indoor patients during the quarter had been new arrivals. The Secretary was instructed to communicate with the Government thereupon, with a riew to obtaining the special subsidy provided in the case of immigrants becoming chargeable within one month after arrival. The question of enlargement, particularly with reference to the advisability of repairing the old Lunatic Asylum, was entered upon, and decided in the negative, on the ground of the decayed character of the building, and it was held that representations should be made to the Provincial Government urging the necessity of the case, and the Secretary was instructed accordingly. The Hon. Treasurer, Mr R. Gilmour, being about to leave the Colony, placed his resignation in the hands of the Secretary, by whom it was read, and a unanimous vote of hearty thanks to that gentleman for past services, and of good wishes for his future welfare, woo rooordud, and directed to be forwarded by the Secretary, Mr Gilmour having retired upon handing in his resignation. Mr (jilmour's seat in the Committee was filled by the appointment of Mr D. L. Matheson, and the Treasurership was placed in the hands of Mr Perkins. The indoor list shows 14 males and 3 females at present in the Hospital, while the number of out-door patients is larger than at any time previously. The girl Mary Hall is going on favorably, but is very weak. WAgTE Lands Boabd.— A meeting of the Waste Lands Board was held on Thursday, 16th inst., when there were present the Chief Commissioner and Messrs Baker, M'Artlmr and Mitchell. The application of Mr G. M. Bell, for 830 acre in the township of Gore, was taken into consideration, when it was decided, on the following grounds, to refuse it :— lst. That the said township was reserved by proclamation of Hia Honor the Superintendent on the 3Oth November, 1865, under the Waste Lands Regulations of 1856 ; 2nd, that the township has been surveyed into town allotments, a portion of which have been sold as such ; 3rd, that the Provincial Council lias by resolution fixed the upset price of the said township ; and 4th, that in the opinion of the Waste Lands Board, irrespective of the above reasons, the application be refused, as the sale of the land will " render less available for sale or other disposal, and injuriously affect in value, other portions of the waste lands in the Province" — in terms of section 29, Southland Waste Lands Act Amendment Act 1867. The TeleoßAPH.— Telf graphio communication with the North was restored on Saturday last and as a consequence we have received quite a flood of telegrams for this issue. We would commend to the attention of our readers the abstract of the provisions of the State Forests Bill which will be found in our report of the proceedings of the General Assembly,