WEEKLY EPITOME.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume I, Issue 28, 8 November 1873, Page 7

WEEKLY EPITOME.

Bishop Mohan- Abrowtown.— His Lordship started on Tueaday via Lawrence for Arrow-town, for the purpose ot laying the foundat ion stone cf a new Church in that rising township. The ceremony will take place on Sunday next, 9th inst., at 3 p.m! He will preach on the occasion, and m understand them will be a collection immediately after in aid of the building fund. It is expected that a lar ? e number of people wi.l be present to take part in the ceremony We also understand that His Lordship intends to visit Invercargill on the following Sunday 16th, and hold a confirmation in the Church there, liis lordship may be expected back in Dune-Un about 18th or 20th init. IHE Good Templars, it would seem, besides the advocacy of teetota1 ism have also as a body politics to attend to. Fifty-two persons, calHag themselves delegates of the Lodges of the body known as Good Ternplara, met at Auckland lately to decide for whom they and the whole body of Good Templars should vote at the Superintendency e'ectior. Vve are told that the " Convention " decided for Mr Hugh Hart Lusk, but that it was good enough to decide that the members of the body shouki not bo bound us to their individual votes ! Thb Government notification in our advertising columns, giving particulars of free nominated immigration, should be read carefully. The fullest facilities arc offered to colonists to enable them to get their friends out for nothing. Tenders are called for the Middle Island steam service. It is intended to place the most unfreqnented ports within regular steam communication. Tlio tollowing places are mentioned as ports of call: :%"' limaru, Milfcrd Sound, Martin's Bay, Preservation Inlet, Port William, and Half-Moon Hay in Stewart's Island. IHB • Lyttelton Times,' says :— Taking for it granted that the Agent General s fibres are reliable— tliouirh we arc not convinced of their raUabxliry— they do not indicate a sufficient amount of immigration to meet the requirements of the colony. ™ci j M .f. unt Ida Chronicle ' owns to a little curiosity as to whether Mr isuand will secure his coveted posses»ion iv the Traquair Hundred. It should be noted that he has not withdrawn his claim in the least. is appears that the appointment of the medical men on board emigrant s nps sailing from London rests with the Agent-General, and not, with Shaw, SaviUe and Co. This is said to be quite sufficient to account lor the class of men generally selected. ,-wt i, < ? WAnDS tllD end of the session just closed, on the motion of Mr „ \ ' * wa " O'dered, that, in the opinion of this House, it is desirub c that the Government should, not less than three months before the commencement of next session, cause a Gold Mining Bill to be prepared and circulated throughout the Colony. The € Tuapeka Times ' writing on the initation of the system of free nominated immigration, remarks that in view of the competition, of Canada, the United States, Brazil, and last, not least, in view of the good wages now paid in the United Kingdom, this radical change for the oett<r for the reomiting of our population does not ome out one hour to soon. Ihe only won ler U, that it novcr entered the concept tiou ot the Ministry many months ago. The 'Dunstan Times' argues that the best immigration agent is ' to make a country sufficiently nttractivo to immigrants, whereon tliey will teek to come of their own accord rather than be shipped a3 paupers. Jew Zealand h»s held no inducements to men of that class who would pay their passages out and become the best settlers, in the way of settling on the land, equal to Victoria. With a liberal land law, after the fashion of Victoria, New Zealand rai«ht be the most prosperous of the Australian Colonies There is plently of land to be thrown open for agricultural, or part agricultural and part pastoral purpose., according to the taste of the settlor. With inducements such us these the 'Times' thinks we need not go to Europe for colonists, or be required to contribute anything in the way of passage money. . .=.**• = TUB Napier 'Telegraph' commenting on the appointment of Mr West on to a .District Judge-hip in iluwLe's Bay, expresses* itself thus:-—-The Government are rapidly providing comfortable places for their friends and supporters. Mr Weshm is not a -err prominent-member ol Uie Now Zeulaud but his brother, in connection with Air Vogel'n oIJ paper the 'Southern Cross,' is known to many. To put onr's (rust in princes may not be a profitable investment, but good retu-iis cay bis realised by phciny luitli in i\fr Voi»cl. SoIIK attention lias been called to the largeness of the investments of the Australian Mutual Prorident bociety in J\ T e\v Zetland at the piesenf. moment, and whfch form ;i total of £285 230. Tliis i 3 a very large sum indeed, fur in excess of the moneys the company have received in this Colony ; -in. l shows the confidence of the Association in New Zealand securities. Aw Auckland journal s-uys ol a Volunteer climch parale which, took pluce lately iv thut city :— We failed to see anything imposing, or to discern vnythi.ig edifying or that which in the least was calculated to inspiie devotional or religious feelings. The best that can be said of sucli things is thut they encourage a false pride and a foolish conceit. TfiG project of the establishment of telegraphic communication between New Zealand and Ai/slralia is leceivjng "favorable consideration nt homo at the hands of the Eastern Telegraphic Extension Co. The eoiupai.y are prepared to submit terms for laviuj of a submarine cable between Sydney and the West Coast of tbU'island. Tub ' Southern Cross' status that the story that Mr Vogel is about to go home, is rot authentic, and that a like inaccuracy exists regarding the further telegraphic story of disagreements iv the Cabinet. The number of applications received under the nomi»B.ted system of imirigratiou at the Immigration Oflico, Dunedin, aud trana-

mittec» by the mail for this month, was 212 souls, equa 1 to 172* statute adults. - /* 1 . ,4? "cliange soys,:— The recent order in Council empowering residents, -within New Zealand to nominate' person's in Europe for free passages it 6 this country is, although a step in the right direction, good evidence of the'erude manner in which the Public Works and Immigration Policy was commenced. It has taken two years for the Government to discover, though the success of the whole policy hinged upon the efficient manner in which immigration was conducted, that the system as at first established, was but ill adapted to* bring about the desired results. ' ' ' The election excitement in re the Auckland Superintendency waxes warm, and the advertisirg phase has developed itself. One -advertisement, which cannot possibly emanate from a supporter, is to the following effect :— "Five pence reward ! Who is Dargaville ?" A contemporary says that the nuisance and hindrance caused by flax dressing machines getting towed up can be effectually vemedied by placing a fan in any convenient position behind the drum, underneath ; and driven at a moderate speed, so as to give a good current of air on the under part of the drum. The Natives attribute Tawhiao's illness to his having been bewitched during his late visit to Alexandra. Sheaeebs in the Oamaru and Waitaki districts are standing out for their tei-ms of 20a per 100, with rations. Some of the sheds are now giving the rate demanded. -s In Auckland, Inspector Reilly has lately been engaged in making testa of (he various kinds of kerosene, and the result has been very unsatisfactory. It is stated that there is only one brand that has stood the test, Ihe whole of the others having been condemned as dangerous. Me McLeod, it appears, is to be the respectable represeutative of Utago in .Canada. We read that he,ia now making a tour through Southland, and will soon proceed to as Emigration Agent' in the interest of Otago. • The total number of shares in the Mosgiel Woollen Factoi v ComSEJ? ap Js, Jied for is 12 - 26 7> While the number to be allotted is only BUUO. ihe applications thus exceed the shares available for allotment by upwards of 53 per cent.— a fact which shows the confidence reposed in the undertaking by the New Zealand public. c ! J? 8 Golden Fleece Company, Reefton, have declared a dividend ot Is 6i per share. The dividend amounted to £1800. *. • 1 A^ I ? COVERY "as been made at Orepuki, of a deposit of coal, 15ft thick, with 4ft of shale. It has been used as fuel, and tried in retort. Uil proceeded from it which burned as freely as gas. TaE suggestion has been made for the formation of a new Insurance Company, to "be started by the retail merchants on account of tt>e would-be leading merchants," the promoters of the National Insurance Company having allotted themselves 500 shares a-piece. We notice that some of the Otago newspapers are initiating the &ad practice of publishing the names of persons brought up or comnutted tor lunacy. Lunacy, we think, should be regarded as a mistprtune and not as a crime, and the name of any unfortunate person emoted with it should not be published, as is sometimes done among a list ot police court offenders, as though lie were a criminal. Of course there are certain cases in which the fullest publicity is highly desirable, but in ordinary cases newspapers might turn for news in some direction other than the publication of the names of lunatics. Additional whan" accommodation is much required at Wei.lmgfou. v An important addition has lately been made to the Auckland Supreme Court .Library, in the shape of a consignment of books of the value of £700. a '"L HEBE is not to be a tnil ' d P a P er in Wellington, as the New Zea!w iK IGS ■ Newspai>er Com P an y have succeeded in purchasing the Wellington Independent.' Mr M'Kenzie, the late proprietor, receives an appointment on the new paper ; he is the second largest shareholder, the Hon. J. Vogel is said to be the largest. It is stated that a steam five engine has been ordered from England for the extinction of fire at tlie Chrisichurch railway Station. ° Cantekbubx- gro<vn wheat has been sold in England in July Ust at 665. per quarter, when Australian wheat was quoted in the English market at 635. = Oats are now selling at nine shillings per buskelin Cromwell, and are still reported on the rise. There are said to be between 500 and (500 Chinese scattered up and" down the Nevie district. 1 The recent few dav 8 of fine weather at Oamaru have enabled operations at the harbor works to bo pushed on with greater rapi litv than for some past. The lion Air Stafford, has arrived ot, Wellington, where he intends to make a short stay. The • Evening Post ' is informed that the Government is systematically setting the provisions of that very useful measure the Employment of Females Act, at defiance in the very office in which the Act itself was printed. WiitK addressing his constituents at Nelson the other day, Mr Curtis stated it as his belief tkat the smuggling of jewellery into tne Colony is earned on to a large extent, and he added that under 'lie new tariff, he believed " silks, satins, and such like articles " would also be smuggled. „, • Tn ? '^ucklatid Star' says that the infant mortality in that city is " iritfhtful," and that iv is cau-ed in a m-eat measure by bad wutor." Ax Auckland girl, Selina Bell, has been choked by swallowing a part of her mother's night-drefS Waipoki is awaking from its Eip Van Winkle slumber. Whereas a few months ago it showed no signs of animation and had but one committee to look after its interests, it has now five or six committees, exclusive of a Board of Wardens. Messrs Bkoq-den's two contracts for the extension of the N.ipier railways have been accepted. Tho contract amounts are £26,871 for tho Paki Paki line, and £9169 for the Waipawa line. The reclamation of Mussel Bay is being fast proceeded with.

About forty men are employed on the work. Some heavy blasts take place at the worlu. • • - • .' > ■, r The Waihenga. Bridge (Wellington) has been opened witli a ereat demonstration.'' ' f - ' > ' ■ ' > " '-.< , 1: -'.>,.. •.-,"' , „ • , '-' The annual 1 meeting. of the Otogo Meat Preserving Company was held in the Secretary's office, Dunedin, -on the 31st nit. The report and balance-sheet of last year were read and approved. Shareholders present had the opportunity of testing samples of beef cured br the - Company's patented process, and" expressed themselves highly satisfied with it. regarding it as an improvement on meat cured by tbe ordinary process." ' < - <'./,, „-,--, . * The Faiey, the little steamer, built by Messrs Kineaid M 'Queen and Co., for use at Napier and in tho HawkeVßay coasting trade, made her trial trip on Saturday last, in Otago harbor. The result was considered very satisfactory. ' • The G-ovcrnment intend opening a block of land on the deferred payments system, near to Coal Creek. Another block will be opened on Captain Henderson's run, and one on Cargill and Anderson's run opposite Roxburgh, under the agricultural lease system. There is a Bsarcity of surveyors in the and thia cause will delay : the opening of the blocks in question ; and the Tuapeka surveys cannot be done sooner than four months. Not more than one block can be legally opened under the deferred payment system, and this impediment has, we ('Tuapeka Times') believe, led the Government to revert to the agricultural leasing" system.' At the late fire in George- street, Mr Schmidt was very seriously • burned— his logs in particular. Mrs Schmidt, however, was more fortunate, as she rolled herself in a blanket. It was in rescuing his wife that he was so much burned. Db Hectoe, who, is engaged in making a flying geological survey of the East Coast districts, has instructions to visit the districts where the petroleum springs are to be fouud" with .ihe view of reporting specially on the nature of the oil, as well as on the quantities in which it is likely to Ye obtainable. Opehations have been suspended on the Shotover Gold Mining Company's claim, perding the appointment of a new mining manager and the adoption of a different system of working operations. " Rich news cames from Cromwell. We learn from good authority that the antimony reef at the Carrick Ranges, Cromwell, promises to be a very rich mine of wealth. Mr William Buchan, one of the few shareholders in the reef — we believe there are only three — has informed a friend that he sold in Dunedin lately for cash 1000 shares for £1000. He reserves 1000 shares for himself. Professor Black has analysed the antincony specimens of the ieef,' and he pronounces the ore to be of superior quality. , In London it fetched £9&-per ton. Mere the appliances are comparatively rude, and only £40 per ton can be calculated on. A company will shortly be floated, with little or no difficulty. At Napier, the house of Mr Alexander Mackay, native commissioner, has been burnt down, and the children narrowly escaped, the night-dress of one being on fire when rescued. The last Northern Escort which arrived in Dunedin, brought down the following quantities of (gold : — Queenstown, 14560z 2dwt ; Arrow, 7970z lldwt ; Cardrona, 1590z Bdwt ; Cromwell, 15570z lldwt ; Clyde, 170oz0dwt; Alexandra, 6070z 14dwt ; Teviot, 4580z 13dwt ; Blacks, 1017oz 3dwt ; St Bathans, 2b"ooz 3dwt ; Mount Ida, 14040z 9dwt; Macraes, 114oz 13dwt; Palmerston, 350z 19dwt: Total 8030oz 3dwt.