The Inangahua Times, PUBLISHED TRI-WEEKLY. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1883.

Inangahua Times, Volume VIII, Issue 1292, 3 September 1883, Page 2

The Inangahua Times, PUBLISHED TRI- WEEKLY. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1883.

For the second time have the " Lords " of the Council undone the legislation of the House of Representatives in relation to the abolition of the Gold Duty, our Parliamentary telgnuns this morning announcing that the Upper House have thrown out Mr Seddon's Bill Nobody will be much surprised at this. The abolition of the duty on gold as viewed by the members of the Council would mean the necessity for providing for some £30,000 or £40,000 of additional taxation annually as a substitute, and the fear that this would be added to the Property Tax, was quite sufficient in itself to impel them to reject the Bill. The first constitutional dead-lock in Victoria was occasioned by the Upper House twice rejecting a measure passed by the Assembly, on which occasion recourse waa had to the expedient of tacking the rejected measure to the Appropriation Bill. Is Mr Seddon equal to the emergency ? Taking advantage of the fine weather a large party of visitors, accompanied by the directors, rode out to the Globe Company's works on Saturday last, for the purpose of witnessing the starting of the. machinery. The machine site is only about two and a-half miles from Reefton, aud is easily reached on horseback. The trial was completely successful, the whole of the machinery working as smoothly as though it had been running for a year. All fears jrdel^r on this head are, .therefore, at ariWd, and only a few day's work remains to be done to the aerial tramway, when crushing will be commenced. The Opposition are to have a parting shot at the Government, Mr Pyke having just given notice of motion in the House that it is essential to the good government and well-being of the Colony that local government should be established in the South Island. The Question is a large one, and at an earlier stage of the sitting might have been debated with advantage, if not with some possibility of success. Nearly half the members have, however, returned to their homes in anticipation of the close of the session, and if the motion is really seriously meant there will probably be some desperate work to get them back. The motion will, in the ordinary course, come on for discussion at to-day's sitting. ■ . ■ The acceptance of tenders for timber and coal by the Just-in-Time and Imperial Companies respectively has been postponed until Thursday evening. The total area of land reserved for the Maoris, under the provisions of the " Native Reserves Act," is 53,762 acres. Besides this, however, there is also a large area of Maori land not affected by the above Act, consisting of reserves for which grants have been issued to the Native owners. Of the former 14,327 acres are situated in. the North, and 39,435 acres in the South Island. The annual rental derived from the North Island reserves is £1,575, and £5,514 in the South Island, or a total yearly rental of £7,090. . The race for the Sydney Derby took place on Saturday last, and the result of the running was wired through at a late hour last night, and will be found in our telegraphic intelligence. Nobody ever suspected for a moment that lioyal Commissions in New Zealand were "run" on the Pickwickian principle of each member pay his own expenses. No man in the Colony could express such a feelief with the least possible safety of being allowed to remain outside a lunatic asylum for an hour after. In the language of Mrs Partington the very idea would be simply "umbrageous." But few people probably were prepared for the revelations made in the House in regard to the late East and West Coast Bail way Commission. It appears that before setting out on their journey the Commissioners went into a drapery shop in Christchurch and " stuck up " a suit of slop clothes each to the Government. Mr Turnbull, the member for Timaru, very properly wanted to know in the House what had become of these clothes. Were they to be regarded by | the Commissioners as legitimate " perks, " or were they to be returned to the Government, and put by for the use of future Royal C-Jiniiiiaskma ? This elicited

the answer from the Government that the clothes, subject to reasonable wear and tear, had been returned by the.Commiadioners to the Publib, Works Department in 1 Christchurch. dtothes could only be got to Reeftotf'a ne#.use #6uld be quickly found for thjjn in j^jun^tiiin with some Btraw^ke|sen^^i^^'ganpowder. :;'-•' %'* / ."**'/•' T* Part one of the Counties Act Amendment Bill, now before the House, provides that if th% GofeEnoTrsiiorSatißfiea as to signatures to a petition praying for separating .or the constitution of a new county, that he shall be empowered to refuse the payer of the' petition")" also that' where counties unite that the original council are thereupon dissolved ; also that existing counties wherein the whole Act, as now in force, to be deemed to be counties where Act suspend,; also county from which part or entire riding is severed, to remain the same county. How county electors are entitled to vote ; if capital value of rateable property or valuation roll is not more than £100, one vote ; if value £1000 and not more than £2000^ two votes ; if value £2000 not more than £3000, three votes ; if value from £3000 to £7,500, four votes; if value £7,500 and upward five votes. The miners right franchise is not alluded to. The alteration as to votes on account of rateable property is owing to capital value being sub- , stituted for the net annual value on the valuation rolls. When any new county is formed, new rolls are to be compiled when the Counties Act is not in force every person who is entitled to vote at a Board, on Town Board elections, is entitled to vote in outlying districts ; those persona whose name appear on the electoral roll are entitled to vote, and the holder of a miners' right, taken out three months previous to the election, is entitled to vote. Part 2 provides that any: resolutions of a County Councißmay^be revoked, provided that notice of such intention so to do shall be given seven days before the meeting takes place ; also that one-half the voters in a county shall determine the raising of a special loan or otherwise ; also that county councils may agree with town boards for the execution of works. The Counties Act is also amended wherever the Rating Act, 1876, is mentioned, 1882 is substituted ; also after the words '^road board," the words "town board" is added.- Borrowing power is also given to' county councils to borrow money, either in or out of the colony, for power for county councils to construct water-races for irrigation purposes. Special power is also given"- to raise loans for this purpose, and like rates for payment principal and interebt. County councils may unite to construct water-races ; existing races, may, by proclamation, be brought under the amended Act. + A Wellington correspondent of the Taranaki News having ■written to his paper, " that members have to be sought for in houses of ill-fame for the purpose of recording their votes when a division is called for," has been expelled from the Press Gallery. It must have been gratifying to the House to read Mr Gillon's letter to the Sergeant-at-Aruis, in which the manager of the Press Association con- : demned the Taranaki man's attack as slanderous and untruthful, which everybody knows it must be. — Which nobody can deny. The Mataura Ensign complains of larrikinism at Wyndham . It gives the following as an instance, which occurred last Sunday night :— " There is in course of erection, and, indeed, near completion, a neat little Roman Catholic church. The altar and sacristy were almost finished, and a few days would have seen the woodwork of the interior entirely completed. Some person or persons, animated either by the spirit of destruction above referred to, or by private spite against the contractor, entered the building on Sunday, and with a saw deliberately set to work to show their courage and their skill. The top of the altar was defaced, the I doors of the sacristy were sawn almost through, and one of them smashed. The ornamental work at the base of the com-munion-rail was taken outside and smashed, and other giant-like feats were performed. The contractor, for some uuexplained reason, has not placed the matter in the hands of the police." The greatest appetizer,' stomach, blood: nnd liver regulator * on— Hop Bitters, j.ook fur and read.