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Southland Times, Issue 2116, 14 May 1875, Page 2

duty^ _^ Accidents. —A youn# man named Michael Fahcy met with a rather serious accident at Messrs Millar and Murray's works on the Matuura railway, on Wednesday morning, and was immediately conveyed iato town by the ballasting engine. He was at once admitted to the Hospital, and attended to by Dr Grigor. The accident happened in a cutting where Fahey was engaged in loading one of the ballast waggons "While so employed, about eight feet of the embankment came down upon him, and jivmmed him against the -waggon, breaking his left leg. A man named Tweeddale, who lives in Invercargill, while going home the other night, slipped into one of tho numerous open drains within the town, and thereby injured one of his knees severely. These open drains are souroea of danger und inconvenience which ho right-minded municipal body would long allow to exist. A Penai Settlement. —The New Zealand Times, alter enumerating the evils of our present gaol system, announces that Resolution Island, at the mouth of Dusky Bay, has been reserved, by proclamation, as the site of a great penal prison for the colony. The island has a good harbor, and escape from it is impossible. It abounds in the finest granite, which the men might be employed i i dressing, and with which they could build their own prison. It is proposed to connect Kesolulion by telegraph with Edverton, the nearest existing station. The Weathee. —A dense fog covered land and water yerterday, up till one o'clock, in the neighborhood of the Bluff. Spencer Island was invisible when the train came abreast of it. The Comerang, coming into the harbor, was opposite the black Uioy before those on board could make out the -wharf. The fog is, no doubt, due to the extraordinary heat that has prevailed sine Monday. The Maori left Dunedin on Wednesday afternoon, at i o'clock, and has not yet put in an appearauce. Probably the fog is the cause of detention. Ikvehcaegiil Disteict Eoad Boaed.—The above Board met on Wednesday evening. Present —Mr Warren (in the chair), and Messrs Cross, Warncck, Brewnlie, and Findlay. The clerk read a copy of a letter addressed by him to the Superintendent, asking the Croremaient's assistance to make pathways along tho East Road, and suggesting thut a clause should be inserted in the Ordinance rendering it compulsory on Road Boards jointly to defray the expense ol making boundary roads. A letter was received from Mr Wood, M.P.C, to whom a copy of the abovementioned correspondence had been sent, and he promised to exert himself with a view to realise the wish of the Board. The Oteramika Koad Board intimated, through its clerk, its. wil ingness to pay half the cost incurred in putting the Mili Koad in proper repair. It wa.< resolved to invite tenders for work on Holylee road. A letter was receded from the Engineer, and another from Mr Middleton, regarding the unsatisfactory state of a road leading to Mr Middleton's property. The matter was humorously dipposed ,of by Mr Warnock moving thai ■he Engineer's letter ba consigned to the waste paper basket, an'i Mr Miudletou be requested to put hifl head in a bag. Some routine business was duly attended to, but owing to the annual meeting of the Building Society being held that night, and only a lew members being present ai ihe Board, the passing of accounts was held ovei till next Wednesday evening, to which time tht meeting was adjourned. SOUTHLAND WASTE LANDS 130AED. —The pubio will learn with pleasuro that Sir John Kichardeon hue bi.cn appointed a member of the Waste Lands Board, and took his seat for the first time at yesterday's meeting. ,

Haedoi Boabd. — Ihe New Rirer Harboi Board met on Thursday night, when the chairman, Mr T. Pratt, and Messrs Hall, G-oodwillio. Cleave, Rose, Saunders, and Garth waite, mre present. The business was confined to tht passing of the following resolution, moved by Mr Hall, and seconded by Mr G-oodwil'ie :~ That Mr Lumsden, membor for tho town •• nd Mr Wood, member for Wuihopai,in the Provincial Council, be requested to -uae their influfiicd to have the sum of £1000 placed on tho estimates for tho improvement of the New River — the same to be placed in the hands of the Board for disbursement. Railway Teafpic Retubns.— During the month of April, the gools traffic on the Southland railways yielded £H4<L 2s 9d, nnd the passenger traffic, £727 17s 3d. A Mild Season.— As an example of the. extraordinary mildness of the season, wo may mention that a gentleman, who resides in the eastern part of the town, informs us that yester day he collected the last of a second crop of raspberries from the bushes in his garden. The Luna. — The Luna, U-jvernnient steamer, with Capt. Fairchilci in command, arrived in the New River on Wednesday afternoon, from Pre- i servation Inlet. She had on board Mr Wilson of | the Marine Department, who, in the absence of Mr Seed, had visited Preservation in reference to a lighthouse which it is designed to era?t in that neighborhood. The Luna came here with the object of obtaining men to work in connection with the lighthouse building, and these having been procured, to the numborof six, she left for the Bluff, whence she will proceed northwards. The men wiil be taken on by the Maori, now overdue at the Bluff. The Easterly Wbatheb. — The easterly weather which prevailed recently has been seTerely felt along the coast, At Oamaru the schooner Elderslie became a total wreck, and at Timaru the brigs Princess Alice and Cyreno were driven ashore on the rocks, and are likely to become total wrecks. Maoei Civilization. — An Auckland paper relates the following incident as illustrative of how completely onr dusky brethren have succumbed to the " civilization" of the nineteenth century. Meeting his Maori debtor in Quoen street the other day, an angry creditor bailed him up for the settling of a £4 10s account. Failing to get anything out of h:m, the creditor suggested that he would take an order on " Mackay." To this the Maori assented with wondrous celerity, and obtained release from his persecutor. After considerable trouble and Boma expense the precious document was duly presented to '' Mackay" (it was written in Maori), who interpreted it, to the chagrined tradesman, as follows: — "This fellow wants £4 10s. Don't you give it to him." Me Gillies and the Sr-EAKEBSHir. — The New Zealand Times thus criticizes the action of Mr G-illieß and the Otago Provincial Council : — Another surprise comes from Otago ; but it is only a Blight surprise. Mr John L. Gillies resigned the Speakership of the Provincial Council, in deference to public opinion ; he consented to be nominated forthwith, and was reelected, the Council bavins.', doubtless, been carefully canvassed beforehand. This is a trick of MrGiliies'?. It haa been successful twice ; we advise him not to attempt it a third time, lest peradventuro he fail. But the principle under. lying Mr Gillies's election is an important ono, amMts violation by himself and the Otago Provincial Council is a strong reason why these provincial legislatures should be abolishod. The Speaker of tho Otago Provincial Council occupies so anomalous a position towards the Harbor Board, tho Council, and the public, that we are surprised he should not have perceived the imprudence- of the step he has taken. The Dunedin press has been true to its duty, and condemned the transaction. At this critical juncture, it ia convenient to close Mr Gillies's mouth in the Provincial Council. Friendly Societies. — The Hawke's Bay Herald informs us that out of a population of 200.000 in Victoria, 50,000 may be regarded as belonging to the friendly societies in that colony. The Maori Eixa. — Tawhiao (saya the Kuiti correspondent of the Auckland Stir) has three legal wives — one belonging to tho great Ngatimaninpoto tribe, another to his own tribe, and the third to a tribe whose name at this moment I forget, besides which he has a goodly number of concubines. If you remonstrate with the Huuhaus lor ono man having so many women, they will tell you that Solomon was tho wisest man that ever lived upon earth, that they read in the Bible that King Solomon had about three thou eand concubines, and their king has not more than a thirtieth part, of what Solomon haJ. It is arranged for Tawhiao to live a week at a time with each of hi 3 legal wives, which they do in regular succession, the wifu whose week it is to be with the king, being during that time also his cook and washes any clothes he may require, so by this amicable arrangement no quarrels can ever arise between the wives.