Tuapeka Times. AND GOLDFIELDS REPORTER AND ADVERTISER. WEDNEDAY, APRIL 15, 1874. "MEASURES, NOT MEN."

Tuapeka Times, Volume VII, Issue 347, 15 April 1874, Page 2

Tuapeka Times. AND GOLDFIELDS REPORTER AND ADVERTISER. WEDNEDAY, APRIL 15, 1874. "MEASURES, NOT MEN."

We have been compelled to hold over till our next issue our reports of the Resident Magistrate's and Warden's Courts ; letters from Mr. W. D. Moirison, "Piactlcal Farmer," and ''-Anti-Sham ;" alaa, our leading article and some local matter. The Tuapeka Atnenceum' Committee, at their last meeting, decided upon opening the Reading Room to the publiq free, every Friday afternoon and evening. The works on, the Beauutont and Tuapeka Water Race have been suspended by the manager, pending some change affecting the constitution of the company. The holders of paid-up shares, we are informed, have agreed to take up conjointly between fOO and 800 new shares, which will thus nearly double the present calling power of the company. In our pi esent issue we give a verbatim report of Mr. Holloway'a address to the people of Dunedin, and whatever the " Daily Times " or '• Otago Guardian " may think to the contrary, the address Carries sufficient evidence with it to show the good effect the action taken by the Roxburgh people is likely to produce. Jifv. Holloway says he would not be justified in bringing his friends to New Zealand till he receives a guarantee from the Guvernment that the Land Laws will be more liberally administered. Jons F.saro.n, wLo w»i found guilty of larceny, was brought up on Saturday and sentenced to IS calendar months, with hard labor.

A meeting of the Tuapeka Athenaium Committee Has held in the Library, on Monday , evening. There were present— The Pi esident, Mr. J. O. Brown, and Me.iKjs M'Kinlay, Adams. Squires, Fisher, and Dr. Halley. The minutes of the previous meeting weie read and confirmed. A letter from the Secretary of the Good Templars Lodge- was received, enquiring at what price the hall could be obtained for the purpose of holding weekly meetings. The Committee considered that £17 lQs. per annum would be a fair charge, and accoidingly agieed upon that sum. A request from Mr, Wootton, to be allowed to erect a small wooden building on the Atheiuwum ground, adjoining his property, was declined. The following accounts were passed for payment :— J, Harrop, £2 life ; F. Meyers & Co., £2 12s. A statement of the position of the Athemeum, in regard to the B luction Board, was received from that body; and Mr- Fisher and the President appointed to investigate the account, and report on the same at next meeting. The Secretary was instructed to obtain the following works from the I Education Board, viz., Tynclnll's "Fragments of Science," and '"Tom Brown at Oxford." It was agreed to obtain the following periodicals from the London ngents, viz., " Iron " and the ; " Art Journal." On the motion of Mr, Fisher, i seconded by Mr. M'Kinlay, it was decided to open the Reading Room on Fiiday afternoons and evenings to the public, free. On the motion of Mr. Squires, seconded by Mr. Adams, it was considered that the business of the institution might be conveniently transacted by quarterly, instead of mouthly, meetings, as at present. The meeting then adjourned. Two of the earliest settlers in the Tuapeka district have departed, within the last few days, from this scene of existence to fhe bourn from which no traveller returns. Mr. William Bonlt who has for some years past been engaged as butcher and slaughterman atEavelock, and who in former years carried on the same business at Weath^rstones, died in the Tuapeka Hospital on Thursday last. His remains were conveyed to the Havelock cemetery on Sunday, and were followed as far on the road as Nichols hill by several members of the Tuapeka Oddfellows Lodge, and to the cemetery by h lar^e number of friends. Mr. Boult was 44 years of age and a native of England. He had been troubled with a pulmonary complaint for tlie-past twelve months during which time he has not been able to constantly follow his usual occupation. He leaves a wilow and twelve ohildren to mourn his loss. The other death we have to chronicle is that of Mf. George Liston who has been located in Tuapeka about twelve years. When he ft-st arrived in this district he was a young man of great spirit and daring, and few aould equal him in keeping his seat on an unbroken colt. Nine years ago he, however, got thrown from a horse and fell on his head receiving injuries which it is supposed resulted in paralyses of the right side which shoi tly afterwards eusued. He recovered so far from this attaok of paialysis as to be able to. conduct his business of coal dealer and general carter, and, in conjunction with Mrs. Liston that of restaurant keeper. For the past few weeks Mr. Liston has shown sirens of a general breaking up of the system, and he broathod his last about C o'clock on Monday evening. His funeral will take place this af Lei noon, at 4 o'clock. An inquest was held before E, H. Carew, E^q.., District Coroner, at fchft Golden A.ge Hotel, Waitahura,onthchoilyof Hans Jacob Lorenzpn, who met with a fatal accident in a claim at. Waitahuna by a fall of earth, on Thursday last. Mr. T. Evans acted as foreman of the jury. A verdict of dtat-h f rom suffocation was returned. It appears that deceased was working in Thomsou and party's ■claim, J3.il la rat G-ully, when the accident hefel him. He whs completely buried j by the fall of earth, death being instantaneous j Deceased was a native of Schleswig-Holstein, and as fur as cm be nscTfained, his a?e n - a<;4s yiMrsThese facts were obtained by re^crrin? to the [ last census paper. He leaves a wife and fa«m!y I fo mourn his loss. Deceased was well -known and respected a.nensrst a large circlr of friend* at Waitahuna, where he has ic?sided for about ' nine years. , THB work at the Clarks Hill tunnel has, sinGe ; our last report, been carried on by diy work. The Manager considering all the tenders too high adopted this course, and the result has been that the tunnel, for the last 100 feet, has cost veiy little over 10s. per foot, instead- of los. to 18s., as tendered for. One-sixth share in the Nelson Company. Blue Spur, was purchased last week by the Gabriels Gully Co,, Registeted. We understand the Nelson Co. contemplate the imme- [ diato erection of a -powerful batteiy of stamps.

We understand that Messrs. White & Co., at the Blue Spur, intend to sink and piospect the bottom of their claim.

Tap landslip which occurred recently qn the railwiry catting, before approaching (jjlafks Flat from Lawrence; ig being' rapitfly removed. It will be remembered thatosoine six or'setferi hundred tons of earth gavte way i^t the time^ referred to. lathe course of a week or two, all the remaining dehAs will be cleared off the liuie. • • ' ON Sunday evening last, as Mr. Hogg, accompanied by his wife, was returning from Waitahuna after dusk in a spring cart, an accident befel him before arriving in Lawrence. He informs us that as he was coming aloug the road at a brfsk trot, and just approaching Harrington Place, which street has recently received a fresh coating of gravel, the hoise stumbled over the gravel, causing the breakage of one of the shafts. Beyond this damage fortunately, nothing serious happened, Contractors, when thly commence or complete the gravelling of a portion of road, should tuke the necessary precaution of spreading the gravel, and not allow it to remain, a3 ju this instance, a foot above the roadjevel. Samples of excellent-looking coal were handed to us by Mr.- A. M'Kinlay, of Lawrence, and Mr. S. Wilson, of Waitahuna, on Saturday last, which had been obtained in the railway cutting, near the fluuiing crossing the Waitahuna road, Claries Flat. Having some business to transact in that locality, we visited the spot to examine the extent of the deposit. The cutting referred to is composed of a very hard clay interspersed with gravel, below which is a bluish stratification of clay of a slaty apppaiance, embedded in which, we were shown small layers of coal. The deposits, we weie informed by Mr. Parsons, the foreman of this portion of the railway works, are not extensive, although very numerous. They generally are about 2ft. in length, lft. in width, and varying from lin, to 3in. in thickness. The appearance of the co.il ie3eiribles that imported into this country from Newcastle, and is supeiior to Kaitangata. It burns remarkably well, throwing out a good heat and 11a me. We expeiimeuted on several pieces received by us, and we have no hesitation in pronouncing it excellent. When the cutting n Avarices further into the hill, the deposit may develop in sufficient quantities to remunerate any parties who may have pluck and enterprise to prospect this looality for the valuable mineral. The present depth of the cutting is from 15ft. to 20ft. We may state that lignite has been found in aVundnuce in the neighborhood, within a few hundred yards of the railway work. It has not, however, been worked systematically, otherwise it would piovo a lucrative venture. Last Thursday afternoon the ceremony of laying the foundation stone of the new telegraph and post-ofilce at Roxburgh was performed. A number of people weie presen6, and as it happened to be fine weather, every thing went off favorably. The proceedings were commenced l>y Mr. Robert Drown reading the following statement :— " On this d.ty, in the reign of her most gracious Majesty Queen Victoria, Sir Jami's Fergnsson. Bark., X.C.8., &c, being Governor of New Zetland, and James Macandiew, Esq , Superintendent of the province of Otuijo. the foundation stono of this post and telegraph office was laid l>y Mrs. Coop (posfcniiister'a wife). The contractor for tlv whole building is Mr. Robert Marshall Smith, and the stone work is erected under the supervision of Mr. Henry l\ees. Enolui.ttl v, ith this is a copy of the Tdaffka Timfs, I'esning date Bth April. 1874." The above was then placed in the bottle containing the TijapiiKA 'finis, and placed underneath the foundation stone. The mortar being put in its pUoe, the trowel was then handed to Mrs. Coop, and the st%ne was lowered into its place. Mis. Coop having squared and levelled the same, gave it thiee blows with a hammer, and declared the stone well and tiuly laid. AViue was then passed round to thase who were not, Good Templais, and various toasts, weie diuuk, among others one to the health and prosperity of the postmaster and his wife and family, as he, by his obliging disposition and courtesy, had given reason to hope that he may be long spared to live in the abode now being erected-for him. When wo say that the masonry is to be executed by Mr. H. Eees, those who have seen the Church of England here will know at once that that is a guarantee the stone work will be well and properly performed ; while we have every hope that Mr. It. M. Smith will carry out his part of the work efficiently. The building is to be 37 feet by 29 feet, having two public rooms and a verandah in front, and four private rooms for the postmaster and his fttruily at the back. The public at Roxburgh will be very glad when the building is finished v owin^ to the smallness and inconvenience of the present one. OUR Ro>;bun'h correspondent informs us that a most unfortunate occurrence took place at Moa Flat on Saturday night. Mr. R. Lancaster was at Mr. E. Tnbman's threshing wheat with his powerful stenn; machine. After the day's woik, the fire was put out, the pipe taken down and cleaned out, ready for a fresh start on Monday, when nbout two honrs after the men had knocked off, a fire broke out —how, no one seems to know — which greatly destroyed the machine and a quantity of wheat. I learn that Mr. Tuhinan, hy diagginga quantity of straw from between the machine and the wheat, managed to save a great deal, although he himself was pretty severely burnt, both in his aims and face. The wind being very high at the time, there was no- chance of saving the machine, although there was eveiy exertion made by a number of people who were present. This will be a severe loss to Mr. Lancaster, as I fear he will not be able to get the machine repaired in time to do sir.y more work this season. The loss to Mr. Tubman will not, I understand, be so great as was at first anticipated. OUR Tapanui correspondent informs us that the new Presbyterian Church was opened last Sunday, when two sermons were preached by the Rev. Mr. Allan, of Inch Clutha. The congregation in the morning was very large, and the collection boie a corresponding proportion to the number. On the Tuesday evening following, a soiree was held. Notwithstanding the unfavorable weather, a numerous company assembled, who did full justice to the good things so liberally provided by those ladies v/ho had. given tables. The arrangements of many of the tables, and the excpllence of the eatables, would have done credit to a Melbourne or Dnnedin conversazione. Silver gleamed, but ladies' eyei shone brighter ; flowers graced the ! scene, but "fairer human flowers" were more j lovely still ; music lent irq charms, but silvery lau^hf-Pi and voices, " sweet and low." were yet more charming. The provi.iressea (a new word I c>:n°d for the noiu^ion) were Mesd.inira Bett. j Power, C'-iwfoid, .South. E>!»d;ile. and Potts A MieJMps were ileHveird by ihe Revs. Messrs. TSefct (oas tor), Allh>), and C mferon, and Messrs. ! .Tdiiii'nii Riul "'hire. Air. White shmver! that | the financial matters were very eneourardng- a j comparatively stn,.U debt remaining on the new j building. Some hi mils and antboms gave variety to the meeting. After votes of thanks to th« Chairman, ladies, Mr. Crawford, and the choir, the meeting separated. Credit must be given to the contractors -Messrs. Crawford Bros. The whole work appears to be well, and efficiently executed ; the interior of the building especially, has the genuine ecclesiastical appearance. When varnished and painted the church will be a credit to our township ; sud, what is of far greater importance, a place where great spiritual good will doubtless be dispensed, ,

One-seventh bhabe in the Otago Gold Mining Co., changed hands this week, Mr. Robert Grieve, of the Blue Spur, being the purohaser.- , lit his speech at the laying of the foufida;_ tion stone of the Town Hall at Naeeby, on; Thursday last, Mr. Bastings said : — "2l mffy say that I have been getting into disgrade at Teviofc because I had said that one of the Committee had stated an untruth in saying' the Government had sold a 1,000-acre block of land to the runholder (Mr. Miller) for £1 an acre, and had given the people 1,000 acres of bad land. The fact was this : They wanted a block of land-. - We made an- offer to the runholder to sell him 1,000 acres of land that the Chief Surveyor (Mr. M'Kerrow) assures me is most indifferent, if he would give up 2,000 acres of good for settlement without compensation. We had no right to take more land at tho Teviot this year. Under the 33rd clause of tho Goldfields Act we are allowed to open up land by payment of compensation, on arbitration ; but, if the blocks opened are not taken up, no more can be taken. Consequently, we had to make what terms we could with the runholder. I may say that it is impossible for men hi public positions to refute all that is stated, on insufficient knowledge, against them. On occasions like the present, by means of the Press, we can try to clear up false im-

ires&ious."