SOUTH AUSTRALIA.

West Coast Times, Issue 158, 21 March 1866, Page 3

SOUTH AUSTRALIA.

Thu following is the extremely meagre report of the Committee of the Legislative Council on the subject of amending the Constitution:—" Your committee have the honour to report that they have conferred with the select committee of the House of Assembly appointed to consider the same subject. Your committee are of opinion that it is desirable that a measure should be prepared for tne purpose of amending the presetit constitution of the province ; jut in the opinion of the committee it is not likely that there will be sufficient time during tho present session of Parliament for the preparation and consideration of such a measure. The Government and the NoHTirbbn Territory Expedition. — A meeting of the members of the Northern Territory expedition who returned by Ellen Lewis was held at, the Criterion Hotel, on Monday evening, March 5, to consider the adverse answer which had been received from tho Government to a petition sent in by them, asking to bo reimbursed their passage money. There was also a number present of those who returned by the Bengal and the Forlorn Hope. Mr Alfred Smith took the chair, and read the letter from the Under Secretaiy, declining to entertain the claims of the members of the Northern Territory Expedition who signed the memorial for passage money and wages ; after which Mr F. Deacon read a petition to the House of Assembly, which had been drawn up by the Bengal party, setting forth that the members of the first expedition had been promised to be paid the cost of their passage money ; that no ship had been provided to convey the petitioners from Adam Bay, thereby causing great expense to some and hazard to others ; that there were due to those members of the second expedition wages up to the time of their departure from Escape Cliffs ; and praying that provision might be made for paying the petitioners said wages, and for the loss of time and expense attending their return to Adelaide in consequence of their not having been paid, as before stated. Mr Deacon said Mr Coglin had promised to present the petition, and several members of Parliament had undertaken to support it. It was suggested that the Ellen Lewis party should agree to and sign this petition ; but a proposition that they should draw up one to Parliament for themselves was, after some discussion, carried. Messrs Varley, Lloyd, Warland, Lloyd, and G. R. M'Minn, were appointed a committee for that purpose, and the meeting adjourned till next evening, when the petition w i\x\d bo considered and signed.—" Register."

Bjtttf UNDEtt Si 1 BAM. — Tl\C following account of a " new chum" getting into the world under difficulties is from tho " Wallnr o Times :" — An unlooked for incident occurred on board tho Royal Shephei'd during her trip from Port Adelaide. Mrs Patchell, wife of Rev. Mr Patchell, was delivered of a daughter. Tho interesting event took place on Thursday morning Fortunately Mrs Ilennie. the 'lady physioienue' was on board, and kindly officiated as ' accoucheuse.' " Credit at Stores. — The following scandalous re relations are made by ♦he " Wallaroo Times :" — " Most of our readers are awaro that many of the storekeepers in tho district no longer supply goods on credit. The adoption of this course is, wo thin 1 !:, highly commendable. Tho credit system had prevailed here to a most extraordinary extent. It commenced with tho storekeepers who first established themselves at the mines, and has prevailed — although not quite to the same oxtent as formerly— almost up to the present time. Working mon who had been resident a few months in the district obtained credit to almost any extont. It was no uncommon, thing for a man earning his 6s. or 7s. a day to be trusted to tho amount of £20 or £30 alone. We have heard of minors, whose pay was somewhat in excess of tho wages just named, being allowed to run up drapery scores to the value of £50 and upwards. Only last week a person who had been working as a laborer bolted from this township, owing his butcher nearly £27. Now, tho giving of such extensive credit to men dependent for their living upon wages which will not more- than suffice to procure them tho necessaries of life exhibits gross imprudence. Serious losses in business must be the inevitable result. Tho system is almost demoralizing to tho customer, for it induces in him extravagant habits, dishonest principles, and involves him in debt that his means can never permit him to pay."