OTAGO.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 430, 30 September 1869, Page 3

OTAGO.

(From the Daily Times, Sept. 24 to Sept. 28 \ inclusive ) '■ Mr A. R. B. Thomson is gazetted Sheep Inspector for the province, in the room of ( Mr Arthur Kennedy, deceased. j A spotted seal, 8 feet 9 inches in length, j was killed by Mr G. Newey, of Oamaru, on j the beach at Kakanui on Thursday last. The skin is reported to be altogether uninjured, and well adapted for. the museum. Work bas once more been actively resumed at Clark's diggings, in the Mount Ida district, which were abandoned during the winter. The present population at this diggings is estimated at 190, of which the greater portion are Chinese. The farmers ,in the Tuapeka district have taken advantage of the late fine weather to get their spring work forward, most of the crops being down. It is said that considerable improvements have been effected on the farms in thiß district. In the Waipori district, also, more ground than usual has been put under crop this year. From Mount Ida, the accounts received are equally satisfactory. The boundaries of the Marewhenua goldfield have been farther extended so as to include an area of about 70,000 acres, " bounded

by a line proceeding from Kurow Mountain to and along the Little Awakino Stream to the Waitaki River ; thence southerly to the confluence of the Otekaike stream ; thence westerly along the said Otekaike stream and the southern boundary of run 28 to the boundary of the present goldfleld ; thence northerly along the said boundary to Kurow Mountain, from the starting point." At a meeting of the Acclimatization Society of Southland, held on Sept. 16, a letter was read from the Colonial Secretary, stating that the General Government bad at present no funds available for the introduction of salmon from British Columbia. The matter was accordingly allowed to stand over, and it was agreed to communicate with the Government of Otago to ascertain if they would be willing to co-operate with the Soeiety in obtaining another shipment of ova from Great Britain. The Waikouaiti Herald draws attention to the mineral wealth of that district. The Pleasant River district alone, it says, contains valuable deposits of coal, alum, and copper, specimens of which have at different periods been discovered. Mr Neilson \us for some time back been testing a seam of coil on his property, the results of which ha-e been very encouraging. The existence of copper ore near Mount Koyal has also been proved beyond doubt, and some very promising soft stone, impregnated with copper, has been obtained, containing a fair per-centage. I It is more than probable, says the Oamaru Times, that ere long a meat-preserving or boiling-down establishment— or both — will shortly be located in this district, tbe representative of a well-known Glasgow firm j having been in the neighbourhood for the last few days, looking for a suitable site for the projected woiks. Rumour says that the Kakanui is likely to be selected for this pur-j poße. The firm referred to have, we understand, also decided to erect two other boil-ing-down establishments, one near Timaru, and one in Southland. Whether the meatpreserving will be carried on here or in Southland is, we believe, yet a moot point. Probably too, other operations, besides the preservation of meat, will also be ultimately carried on, such as jam making, preser_/ing fruits and vegetables, &c. / Among the passengers by the steamer Gothenburg, on her last trip from Melbourne to Dunedin, were three young Chinese women — the first of their sex, according to the Tuapeka Press, that have come to Otago from the Flowery Land. They were disguised in male attire, but a close observer could detect, in their voicts and general demeanour, as well as in their petite appearance, unmistakeable evidences of their real sex. They arrived in Lawrence by the coach on Tuesday last, leaving their fellow passengers of the sterner sex to come on by waggon from Dunedin. On the way up it became necessary, at a bad portion of the road, for the occupauts of the coach to alight and proceed for some distance on foot ; but the fair Celestials) when left to their own resources, could ouly manage to locomote slowly and with great difficulty, owing to the fact that, in common with all Chinese females, they possess feet more remarkable for deformity than for utility. We understand that all three of the ladies are married, and have come hither to join their husbands. Mr Macandrew, in addressing his constituents, a few days ago, is reported to have used the following words. Ue was speaking of tbe Bill for the re-union of Otago and Southland : — I have not seen the Bill for the re-union of the two provinces. It was not printed when I left Wellington. The Bill is a permissive Bill, as I understand, not an j imperative Bill, but one to save time, and to enable the two provinces, through their respective Provincial Councils, if they could arrange, to unite. If I had been in Wellington at the time I should have supported the Bill, because in every respect, I think it is desirable that the two provinces should be united. I believe the province of Southland has yet an estate which under judicious management is quite capable of meeting its obligations. The political and economical advantage of uniting them is obvious. It would be the first step towards one province in the Middle Island, and would no doubt lead to the annexation of a part of Canterbury in the first instance, and ultimately of Canterbury, Nelson, and Westland. With regard to this debt, which is a colonial obligation — assuming it will be a loss to the colony, which I do not believe—this province is responsible for a great portion of it, for really Otago is to a great extent, the colony. — (Applause and Laughter.) I wish it to be distinctly understood that this Bill was merely a permissive Bill, and no action could take place without the concurrence of the people of both provinces, and there was a clause I believe that left the provisions of the land regulations intact. However, I have not consulted the Bill sufficiently, and cannot therefore speak with certainty about it. A new description of wool washing machine has been invented by Mr Coventry of this city. The mode of operation is as follows: — The wool is placed in a V shaped trough, having a pitch of 1 inch in the foot; from this trough it enters the machine, which is 14 feet in length and IS inches in breadth, lined throughout in a semicircular form with stout galvanised irom, 14 gauge. D._ wn the whole length of the machine is a row of wooden spikes at an angle of 60 degrees both ways in the form of the letter V. These are all fastened to a piece of wood one foot in breadth. The motive power is given by a wheel four feet in diameter, and au ordinary crank, which give the spikes a vibrating motion. As soon as tbe wool enters the machine, it is seized by the spikes and a vibrating motion ensues, which thoroughly cleans tbe wool. It is kept in this position throughout the whole length of the machine. It then enters a box 4 ft. square, with a perforated slide. The wool is now cleared of the water it has been wathed in, and a smart shower of water is thrdwn upon it from a perforated plate at the top of the box, which thoroughly cleans it. With this machine,

two boys can wash as -much wool &a ten men could do in a day by the ordinary process. It can be worked by any power, either steam, water, or manual. Its advantates are that it does not knot the wool or break tbe fibre, the common fault of other machines hitherto in use. The necessary amount of water required for this machine is a head of about four cubic inches, and the estimated cost is about £35 each machine complete.