AUSTRALIA

Star (Christchurch), Issue 549, 22 February 1870, Page 3

AUSTRALIA

{From the Argus, Feb. 8 to Feb. 12, inclusive.) The bands of those desirous of adopting the cental system here will be strengthened by the progress this idea is making at borne. At a meeting of the Central Chamber of Agriculture, not long before the departure of the last mail, "to consider the whole subject of corn averages, and the variations of weights and measures," it was determined — Ist, that all agricultural produce should be Bold by weight only, and 2nd, that the cental of 1001 b should be the standard. It was supposed that old customs and prejudices would have caused the farmers as a class to resist the change as long as they could, but, with such an avowal on behalf of the body most nearly interested, business men will no longer have much difficulty in introducing the decimal system- thus far at least. The ;new mode of preserving fresh meat with bi-sulphite of lime appears to be gaining great favour in Gipps Land, writes the Mercury. " Several gentlemen have tried it lately with varying success ; like many other things, it must be used with judgment. A friend who has-been particularly successful in its application, describes his modus operandi as follows : — He had a wooden box about 3ft long, 2ft wide, and Ift deep, made to serve as a dip (no metal must come in contact with the hi.), then three parts filled it with one part bi-sulphite to four of water ; he then submerged freßh meat, game, poultry, and even eggs and butter for a few minutes ; and hung them up in an airy place. He says that meat may be kept fresh for two months during even this hot weather, if the process is occasionally repeated." The South Australian Advertiser of the 29th ult., calls attention to the fact that " sturdy labourers, small farmers, and even persons with sections of land, and with money in their pockets, are leaving South Australia, either because they cannot earn a living at all, or because they are unable to realise that reasonable return for their labour and enterprise which they have a right to expect, and which, if they cannot find here, they will look for elsewhere. This is not confined to Adelaide ; indeed, it is more conspicuous in the country districts than in town. From all parts of the colony an exodus to Victoria is setting in. One great moving cause of this desire to leave the colony is to be found in the more liberal land system of our neighbours. In Viotoria land is cheaper than it is here ; . land is more fertile tban it is here ; and prices are better than they are here. With this three-fold disadvantage we cannot, hope to compete.' We shall infallibly be beaten. Of course many will hold on and hold out; but multitudes will succumb to their misfortunes, and our agriculturists will become a dwindling class. They will grow poorer and poorer, fewer and fewer, except in the case of some favoured exceptions." A number of gentlemen met, by invitation, yesterday, at the stores of Messrs Virgoe, Son, and Co., Little Collins street, for the pur-pose of testing some wines, the produce of the Glen Para Vineyard, South Australia. The wines exhibited were three in number — a white Reisling, three years old next vintage, and two red wines — No. 1, a mixture of Sbiraz and Carbonet five years old, and No. 3, a mixture of Shiraz, Carbonet, and Mataro grapes, two years old. The white wine was much admired by some of those present, but the five-year-old red wine was considered by far the best of the three. The proprietor of the vineyard— Mr David Randall, well known for his exertions in the cause of promoting intercolonial free trade— is making a tour through the^various ports of Sydney, Queensland, and Viotoria, with the view of opening up 'the trade in colonial wine. Mr Randall has received medals for his wines from the Exhibition in London, 1862; Paris, 1867; and

Melbourne, 1866." They have been tested and found to contain 21 per cent, of proof spirits, being about 12 to 15 per cent, below the average strength of sherry and port wines. Although Mr Randall's and the South Australian vineyards generally have the advantage over Victorian vineyards in point of age, we are of opinion that some of our winegrowers could exhibit a wine that- would bear favourable comparison with those tasted yesterday, besides having the advantage of being lighter in body and of less alcoholic strength, and thus more suitable to our climate as a summer beverage. Considerable interest was manifested in the proceedings of the half-yearly meeting of the proprietors of the Commercial Bank, which was held yesterday. The chair was occupi- d by Mr L. J. Sherrard. There were about 200 shareholders present. The report briefly referred to Mr Draper's defalcations, and the steps which the board proposed taking in respect thereto. The bad and doubtful debts were estimated at £11,000, and Draper's frauds at £16,400. It was proposed to write off 10s per share, reducing each from £5 to £4 10s. The chairman, in moving the adoption of the report, narrated at some length the circumstances under wbich Draper had been employed by the bank. He had been manager of a bank in New Zealand at tho time he applied for the appointment of accountant at their bank, and it was given to him on the | strength of his testimonials, from his wellknown ability, and the fact that, with the exception of only one person, he alone was considered competent amongst the applicants to fill the situation. The chairman of the day had waited on Mr Frank Smith of the Bank of Australasia, which Draper had been connected with, but from which he had been dismissed owing to the loss of £500 that had been placed under his control. From the interview with Mr Smith tbe chairman was led to believe that no blame could be attached to Mr Draper in the transaction, and be, therefore, received the appointment. Mr Sherrard, however, spoke hopefully of the business of the bank, and believed that it only required the support and confidence of the shareholders and the public to make it a success. The announcement of a trial of grubbers and scarifiers at the model farm, on Thursday, drew together a rather large assemblage of farmers and persons otherwise interested in agricultural implements. Amongst those who contended for the premiums offered by the Board of Agriculture were Messrs G. Grant, James Grant, and Co. ; Hugh Lennon, Edwards, Braid, Robinson and Co.; and Wood, of Geelong: Tynon, of Ballarat, was present with a double mouldboard plough, scarifier, &c, but - he arrived on the ground too late to compete. The work done varied in quality, but appeared much the same on the surface, except wbere the lengthy implements jumped over the hollows without driving their teeth in the required depth. The judges on the occasion were Messrs Morley, Dalgleish, Kinnan, and Buchanan, and they bad to examine very closely with a spade the patches of work done by each machine before they could decide which were best. Finally, it was determined to give first prize for both scarifying and grubbing to T. Robinson and Co. for one of Coleman's imported implements, the second prize for both kinds of work to James Grant and Co., and the third to A. Braid. Thus it will be seen that Coleman's old and well-established implement held its own against all those of colonial make, although these have been specially designed for the work required here. Some double mould - board ploughs, including one by Fowler and Co., of Leeds, according to Price's patent, were also tried, but did not seem to find much favour with practical men. The exodus of farmers and men of the labouring class is exciting no little alarm amongst the good people. of Adelaide. A largely attended meeting was held last week '*? to consider the present depressed condition j of the wfiole colony, and to devise means to remedy existing evils." The first resolution was — " That in the opinion of this meeting it is absolutely necessary for the prosperity of thia colony immediately to obtain cheaper land and increased facilities for agricultural settlement ; " the second declared the need for a wise revision of the tariff, and additional encouragement to enterprise in local manufactures ; and the third, *• That this meeting has no confidence in the ability or desire of the present Legislature to supply these evident remedies for the existing depression." The last resolution was in favour of a memorial tv the Governor, setting forth the condition of the country, and praying him to dissolve the Parliament, with the view of getting a new set of members and advisers able and willing to remedy existing evils. Such ideas have been smouldering for a long time, and have now found vent in consequence of the attractions of our new land law being too great for a large proportion of the agricultural class to resist. By land they are coming over the border, and the steamers are full every trip. The adoption of a liberal land system first made South Australia the agricultural colony of the group, but a succession of bad harvests, partly from the exhaustion I of the land, and partly from the unfavourable ! character of the seasons, have brought matters to a crisis, and giving away the land now would scarcely enable her to retain her former supremacy in this respect.