MISCELLANEOUS.

Inangahua Times, Volume II, Issue II, 16 December 1881, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS.

» A bill is to be brought before the Victoria Assembly, having for its object" tbo prevention of gambling. The first clause will provide tbat it shall be unlawfull for any person to print, write publish, or circulate any advertisement or statement referring to any racing sweep, consultation seance, or other similar transaction, however described, and any person violating tbe law in this regard is to be declared guilty of a mi-demeanour liable at the discretion of a judge on being convicted by a jury to fine or imprisoment, or both. The second clause will provide tbat it shall be unlawful to negotiate or transfer any bill of exchange, promissory note, cheque, or other valuable security given in consideration of a bet or gambling debt, and any person, I violating this clause is declared guilty of a misdemanour. liable to fine or imprisonment, or both, at the discretion of a judge on conviction by n jury. In 1830 not a single locomotive engine had been built in America. The first two were brought from England tbat year. The number of locomotive engines ''n use on January Ist 1876 was 16 445, valued at 164 450. 000 dollars ; tbe number of cars including palace and frieght cars, was about 300.000, which at alow estimates

__ . ■ — - would cost 60 000,000 do; lars. About oue tenth of those now running must have been rebuilt prob.ibiy five times since 1830, at the cost of 382.225 000 dollars making a total of 1,146 675,000 dallars, or about twice as much as England lias invested in ships. Besides this, we haye built locomotive engines for export to all parts of tbe world. ;Of all those used in the English colonies, from 65 per cent to 99 precent were built in the Uoited StatesSince 1870 we have have exported 25, 000,000 dollars in locomotive engines, and double tbat amount in cars, "MrLeveslam does not think much of the Corrupt Practices B 11. He contends tbat the penal clau.es do not pre*.s equally, for a man ready to spend £2000 on aD election can snap his fingers at a fine of £100, whilst to another it would be ruin. What they wanted, he said was to serve all alike, and if anyone was found guilty of corrupt pratices send bim to prison. The correspondent of the Otago Daily Times writes:— The gold discoveries in Tasmania are likely to be eclipsed l*y tbe rapid development of the tin-bearing 'districts, partiouFarly _-fit-garoo__l, in i!_P County Dorset, about 80 miles from Launceston, and Mount Biscboff, in the County Russell. The estimated value of gold from alluvial (£30,000) and quartz (£98,500) for tbe six months ending the 30 h June last amounted to £R. 0.000. while the value of tin exported for the same period was £153,927. Ttn specula- | tion has taken a firm hold of tbe "Victorian mind, and more thai a dozen companies have been floa.ed over there to Work T asmanian fin on an average capital of £60.000. Of course this development bas led to a large amount of shoddy speculation. Adventurous individuals took up from 80 to 240 acres under mineral leases for 21 years at 5s per acre per annum ; and if tbey had even but a meagre presence of the metal, their sections go into tbe hands of some Melbourne broker, and hey, presto! in a week or so lb<*y have blossomed into a full grown company witb a capital of £60.000 in £1 shares, of which about half are usually reserved for the benefit of the lessees and— -the brokers. For all tbat, it is now manifest that the lode and j stream tin deposits will supply this and another genera' ion with a large amount of wealth, and when proper machinery is provided to work the various leases taken up— now anmbering about 500— Tasmania will take her place as one of the largest mineral exporters io tbe Austra-. lasian Colonies.