THE COLONIST PUBLISHED TUESDAYS, THURSDAY'S, AND SATURDAYS. NELSON, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26,1875. LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

An Undesigned Coincidence.—We observe that almost contemporaneously with onr own observations on the dangers to life and property arising from property belonging to absentees and. others being left unimproved in the midst of populous districts, a similar complaint ia being made at Dunedin. Here the danger arises mainly from fire—there water, foul, stagnant, fetid water is the cause. Io the swamp on which North Diiriedin is built are several sections, valuable and improvable enough, left bj the nonresidents to become vast cesspools, emitting evil smells, whose only good quality is that being evil nmelli they warn you to keep away from them. Everyone however cannot do so, and typhoid is the consequence. On the whole we prefer fire, but neither is necessary, and both are objectiouable. "What working man with a few pounds in the Saving? bank would not gladly rent those acres that were blazing so threateningly last Thursday F : Let but the local authorities .have the right to put them up for lease by auction, and. the whole community would be benefitted. The firemen would not have to waste their time in extinguishing unnecessary conflagrations. The neighbors would not have to spend their time in exterminating unnecessary gorse and briar. The matter may seem trifling, but an accident, a pipe-light and a stiff breeze of wind might make it important. We believe that an inspector of nuisances, Btrongly backed by the .local authorities, might do a good deal. At all events he might set the example of the Corporation keeping its own property, clear of conbustables like' goVse, riot much lees dangerous than kerosene, gunpowder, .or petrole-n. We know a. bank, several banks, whereon th. wild gorse grows, beautiful arid gdldenj with the fragrance as of fruit, but dangerous, and end wed with a preternatural aptitude for spreading. Said bank is nominally; a street, and presumably in charge of the lsuyor and Corporation. "We do not complain, for inour opinion the Corporation has done wonders of lateconsidering the means at their disposal';-yet we should^ be glad if, some day or other, attention could be;given to it. Hore then is a'matter on which poor little despised Nelson could ilnite with her big, supercilious, younger :sjater of the south. Let us hope our ; ppliticians will unite with those of Qtagq to get a short Bill framed, to enable the looal authorities to deal with these nJuisanceß caused by the absentee proprietors, who oj-e, content to sit I with folded arms -while" the real colonists are making property valuable, i

\ NelsoN; and;.; Fox fHiiiL, Rail wax.—One more step towards completion.—lt will be seen that our advertising columns contain ai notification that tenders are required .for the construction oi railway carriages. ,' ~', .'-,-■ -'•..■.. •■'.,■■ ~■;'.-- --| MOTOEKA.—Mrs M'Donald lias collected : in. this village the handsome sum of £11 5s 6d for'the Hamilton relief fund. ~, ' l; '■ ■ j Me Mabin reports sale'1 bv5 auction of '8 tona of potatoes. ex.lno, at.the Albion; Wharf at £2 sa.

Babeqw's, Circus Tboupe.—This tmupe.gave their first performance • last ni|hfc in » fergb;; weUTHt, and comfortable iriarquee, whioh had been erected at the corner of Hardy and Collingwood streets, before a full house." iWeT assure our readers that they might do worse than pass an evening at the circus. The educated: dogs, and performing; monkeys showed "ii wonderful amount of knowledge;which amounted , almost to wisdom.. The bareback riding, acrobatio and other performances were all .'■■ good.» We might perhaps, specially mention the tumbling of two boys, one being apparently nob more, than about four or Are years of age. ■;..., ... Nelson Schools. —It will be seen that the Town Committee are advertising for two junior .assistant teaohers for their schools. Applications must be sent in not later the 3rd prox., as the Committee meet in the afternoon of the same day. The Entertainment held at the Masonic Hall last evening, in connection with All Saint's Cburch, passed off. in an eminently successful manner. There was a full house. The choice of music was admirable, and the execution equally so. The concert opened with a well played piano duett by two ladies, and the songs, duetts, and instrumental pieces which followed were all excellently rendered and well deserving of the applause they evoked, but the gem of the evening, to our mind, was an instrumental piece T (piano) performed by Mrs Thorpe. Mr Fell acted as conductor. During the evening two readings were given, tho one by the "V en Archdeacon Thorpe and the other by the Key Mr Eutherford, and both were exceedingly good. We aire convinced -that all who were present at the concert last night went home feeling grateful to those ladies and gentlemen T. who had interested themselves in preparing so pleasant an evening's amusement, and hoping that their i efforts would: continue to prove equally successful with thafc of last night. We heartily join in the wish.':' "V.T Resident Magistrate's. Court.—Oiij Saturday, before L. Broad, Esq., K.M., Edward Arnold, charged with.inducing the lad Lewis Horn to desert the ship Chile, was fined 20s and costs, or in default be imprisoned'.forjtbu'ee days. He went to prison. Yesterday Lewis Horn was brought up, on remand, charged with deserting the ship Chile, and was ordered to be"sent on board.:—-Edward Thomson, a youth aged about 13 was charged with assaulting Charles Edward, Cotfcerell. It appeared that the defendant persisted in smacking a whip in the middle of the road at Spring Grove, until a horse which the ; prosecutor was holding became very restive, and kicked Mr Cotterell in the'back,'Thurtiug him so severely that he ;was confined1 to his room for a few days. His Worship remandedr the.;case to Spring Grove in-order that the father of the defendent might , enter into a recognisance that his son keep the peace, and be of good behaviour for three months. Latest from Collingwood.—Our correspondent writes from Collingwood on October 23rd : —We have had gome beautiful weather lately, but last ; evening came in with heavy bursts of storm an d rain which continued for some hours.—The new timber has arrivod for repairing.the wharf, and not too soon as the old one is much shaken.—Many men are off work at the coalmine, caused, it is said, by putting up some extra work or timber.—There is no news from-the diggings-—Several applications have been made for land up the Valley. This is a healthy sign and means good for the district. • A Good Word cor New Zealand. —In a receot number of the .English Laborer appears a letter from Mr C. Holloway, in whioh he'strongly advocates the claims of New Zealand as a field for the surplus labor of Great Britain. He shows that tlie stories which have been circulated lately iii Britain that there was no more land to be had in New Zealand, that it was all taken up was without foundation, and that there were many million aores of land yet available to those who should decide to make New Zealand their future home. He points out that the New Zealand laborer has his 6s or 7s per day, and asks whether the wife of the colonist with that wage, or the wife of the British laborer, with 12s per week, was the more likely to beep a comfortable house for the husband and.children. He says:—"l conscien- ; tiously affirm before the entire British public, that I after having travelled over nearly 7000 miles,: visiting every Province (save Napier), and mixed up freely with every class of so.cietv, I am of opinion that the privileges of the sober and persevering colonist are infinitely superior to those of the working man at home." "The World Must be Peopled."—Although her Majesty now formally wields, the sceptre of the Fiji Islands, the ex-king exercises his authority in a quite unofficial fashion. He was down at Bau lately, and by way of compensating for the loss of population through measles, he issued an edict that all the marriageable young men and girls should be married forthwith. Within a few days there were a hundred and thirty marriages. Cakobau reasons like Benedict —"The world must be peopled."— Australasian. Pro&ress. —The Wellington Post was printed by steam for the first time on Oct. 22nd Dre&er. —On August 7th, Messrs Murdock, shipbuilders, Port Glasgow, launched an iron screw dredger, named the Eriskine, the property of the Provincial Government of Canterbury, New Zealand, of the following dimensions:— Length between perpendiculars, 137 f t; breadth of beam, 22ft; depth of hold, 9ft; 318 tons. Atonhead Flour Mill, at Kioarfcon, Canterbury, has been destroyed by fire. There were a quantity of wheat and grain' in the mill at the time,, which it is to be regretted Jwas'not insured. The mill and machinery were insured by the'owner of the property (Mr Walter Blake) in the National, for £750. DEiS, Dumb/And Blind.—ln the Legislative Council, on October 19th, the H°n. Colonel Brett asked the Hon. Dfr Pollen Whetherany steps had been taken by the Government towards carrying out a resolution passed by the Council.op the 12fch August, 1874, relative to the establishment of an asylum for the deaf, dumb; and blind. : The Hon. Dr Pollen replied that the need lor such an institution was not sufficiently pressing. Cliques at the Fui.-r-How soon civilisation brings its petty jealousies may: be learnt-from the following—There are two sets or grades in Levukau soeietv, and on the occasion of a ball lately arranged, each of the female cliquesdetermtned to withhold its sanccion and presence. On the grand occasion, with all tha naval officers in' attendance, -the result was that theie was nofca petticoat:present^ nor 'an/owner thereof, with whom to either dance or flirt.—Australasian. Thb Dunedin correspondent of the Bruce Herald writes":—Judge Williams has delivered judgment re the injunction iapplied for to :prevent the awards being paid by the Council in the Princes-street widening business. His Honor granted.the, injunction to the intense -disgust of the tenants, two of whom —-Messrs Fish ■ and Moss—were present in Court, and had the satisfaction! of hearing his Honor state that the money could not be paid. It is'stated that one tenant thought that he: had stic'ti a good thing on that he actually gave a man he had leased his shop to in, an unguarded moment, £300 to be off the bargain. This will give some idea of the gigantic style in ; which this Corporation .plqndering was worked. It waß nothing more nor less thana regular " rimr,", and the ratepayers were selected as tbe victims. Th© whole affair was a grand piece of jobbery from first, to last.; and had it not been for the determined stand made by a few men in this town, the whole would have been paid over, and the tenants would have laughed in their 'sleeves at the extreme gullibility of the Dunedin public, Weabers oe 37QCTEER 'Ha*s.^-" ißgie's,- '■ in 'the Australasian .writes : —Have you seen the wreokers on the Cornish beach the morning after a stranding ? Or the qiieerhats' among' the" assemblage who reply to an avertisement foria *man- to take the tickets at the door on the occasion of somo special entertainment? Or ; the straqge yarieties of 'insects 'and, yermin life disturbed under the! stable-litteri when1 turned over for the hot-bed ?. ; Only; theeeican.typify' the motley, creatures which;coma;into light'ofi: day At • periods of what is grandiloquently; called:: political-! excitement. And it,iß-enco,uraging>,if sDotladifying,'3 to discover that not; a fe.w; of ]the fierce inciters ot: public opinion—the truculent .denoqncerß oftyranr uous oligarchies, &c—are, bjut.-mild, 'creatures xlinii 1 private life, and pot, too .proud to aoeept 10s a day for their services (and'^

The banquet toMr Macandrewj the Superintendent of Otago, is fixed to take place to-morrowj at Dunedin. Sir George Grey, Mr- Fitzherbert, Mr Sheehan, and Mr Bunny have left Wellington to be present. Killed.—At Wellington, on October 21st, George William Styles, aged' 3J years, was ran over by a butcher's cart. The wheel passed over hia head, and he was picked up quite dead. Political— On dit, that Mr Whitaker will contest the seat for Eden, Auckland, with Mr Oreighton, the sitting member.— Tribune. A Strong Opinion from the Bench.—The Auckland Herald of October 22nd states:—The Resident Magistrate, F. D. Fenton, Esq., takes what many would regardl as an extreme view of the question of drunkenness. J After five prisoners ; had ; been charged with drunkenness, and the usual punishment in such cases had been ordered, His Worship said: — "People can scarcely go ten yards here without meeting with the temptation to drink,' and yet you call upon the Bench to punish them for drunkenness. Here they are brought morning after morning to be punished for falling into a temptation which: is placed for them. This is a frightful sight for a civilised city." "Mr Brohain: "This opens a very large question, sir. I fear the revenue would suffer very ! largely if the 95 public-houses in this city were closed." j—His Worship :" Is the purchase money of all thk guilt the revenue ? Then we are. Hying upon this traffic, and here are the people who" suffer by it. The licensing of the opium trade> or oF any other immoral traffic, might be! defended; upon the same principle." A newfkswnill isitoibe built at M-tketu : (Auok- : land) for the natives. '..-•:,.:: Ma Joseph Cochrane, an old settler, died -at Auckland on October 16th. His funeral' was very largely attended. ' Gold.—During the week ending October 16th, 1774 ounces of gold were lodged in the Banks at the Thames, of which 676 ounces came i from the City of London claim. Mr Thomson, M.H.R., is to be entertained at a, banquet by his constituents of Clutha, Otago. T Enterprise.—The ; Waikato Times states •:— We learn that Mr Gibbons, of the OtauaSaw Mills, has , imported, direct from California, a tonguing. grooving, and planing machine combined, which contains all the latest and most important improvements effected in this class of contrivance. The; machine is capable of planing twenty?four inch boards. It has, arrived in Auokland, and wilLprpbably be inoperation about |the end of October. i The Northern'Railways.—The traffic returns of the-Auckland and'Meroer railway for the four weeks ending 25th September show a revenue from passengers and parcels of £860 15ai Id, and: from goods of £705 8s sd, makings total of £1566 3s- 6d. The 'returns of the Napier and Waipukurau line fqr ths same'period show passengers and parcels £403 17s 3d, andgoods £267 Is sd, or a total of £670 18a Bd. ; The New Plymouth Budget states :—The (3-erieral Government have promised. £LSOO towards the erection of a new Government building, whioh, will include the Crown Lands and Registration Office, but not the Customs. A-Row in the Street.—Mr Shrimski (the late Mayor) met the editor of tho North Otago Times in Tthe street at Oamaru (Otago) on Ootober 20th, and 'demanded an: apology for. a letter that: had appeared in that paper during, the election for Mayor two months ago. The editor refused to make any apology. Shrimski then drew a horsewhip, and made a cut at the editor, who seized him by the collar, A struggle ensued, during which there was some rough handling until the.combatants were separated. ■ Mosgiel, Otago.—As an evidence of the rapidjy increasing prosperity of the township of Mosgiel, it may be mentioned that branches of the Bank of New .Zealand and the Colonial Bank are about to be established there. The Woollen Factory Company have greeted a gasometer, and are now manufacturing their own gas. The premises have otherwise been lately improved. A large number of new houses are b«.ing erected in the district. — Clutha Leader. Fatal Accident. —We learn from Wanganui that a waggon accident, attended with loss of life, occurred at Kai Iwi on Oct. 19. A man in the employ of A. Johnstone, settler, was driving along with a load of timber, when it upset down a hill, and a man was killed. Another with him was severely bruised, The man's name is unknown. Death oe a Maori Chief.—The Taranaki papers of Oct. 20 report the death of Poharama. The old chief (says the Herald) was known aa a staunch and faithful friend of the European during the; troubled tiniest Latterly he had become quite an infatuated believer in Te Whiti. Queensland. —The population of the Colony of Queensland was increased by sixteen thousand eight hundred and twenty-seven souls last year, four-fifths of these being by immigration. £6000 a Year.—During the-last financial year, Sir Julius Vogel drew the insignificant sum of six thousand pound* as salary and travelling allowances. Now we have no doubt that travelling on the continent among the fashionable watering places is expensive, but Ooromandel Tom who is working his eight hours shift up to his middle in water or Waikato Joe duing hard navvie work on a railway will not be able to see why they, should, be taxed maintaining an extravagant and gouty statesman in luxurious existence. Even rich Sir George Grey cannot see it, and other members of the House are equally obdurate, but Mr Vogel has the influence of Ministers to back him in all he has done, may do, or leave undone;— Ooromandel Mail. Otago Gold Escorts.—The Otago gold,escorts arrived at Dunedin on October 19th, with 97770z5, of which 17330z3 came from Cromwell, 15350zs from Lawrence, audi 12660za from Queenstown. The funeral of the late Mr Archibald Clark (ex M.H.R.) took place at. Auckland on Oct. 20, and was largely attended. The prinoipal places of business in the city, and of the suburbs through which the funeral procession passed, wero partially and some altogether closed. The Recent Murder at the Thames;— The Auckland YEcho of Oct.■;2o states:—The shocking murder of her two children by Mrs Walls has been the subject of a great amount of idle gossip and speculation, but.no cause worthy of consideration has been assigned for the terrible deed other than that of insanity. There was- no horror expressed at the crime, no regret for the. deed, and very little care for consequences. She has shown a,disinclination to. converse, although on Sunday she employed,,herself reading from the New Testament to the prisoners in Shortlaod gaol. ' The funeral of the.poor children, took place on Monday afternoon, and was largely attendedi by a number of miners and others, whb! sympathised with .the fathsr's offiiction. . Just as Walls was returning from the funeral, his wretched wife wai being removed to the Shortland gaol in a cab. In spite of the advice of his friends he insisted on seeing her, but the meeting was an extremely painful one. The : wife seemed to recognise her husband, and attempted to get out of the nab, but was of course prevented, and he was carried away by his friends in a fainting condition. A. Work oe Art is now being exhibited at Dunedin. ; It is a card table, of 250 pieces, of New Zealand woods, inlaid with mutton-fish shell; and of Masonio design, manufactured by Mr De Maus, ol Port Chalmers, ■ 'f The ; Legislative ■■ Asssembly of ;Tasmianift, has," states the Mercury, " appropriated £5,000 for the purpose of providing and- furnishing a residence for his Excellency the Governor at. Launoeston." A Perfect Soßfew.-^Swing-gate tells me (JEgles, in Australasian) that Borne of his neighbors are not much more liberal than Baqkblpck's friends. t One of them, who is a person of considerable 'religious1 profession, observed one of his wool washers the other day giving b small piece;of cakeitoja hungry black* fellow, jrho was actually working at the washw.J'his station .owner ;hasi thirty-five thousancTjsheep,, and lives about irne hundred T miles from 'Wilcannia. Whenhe paid his men, he deduoted'from that weakminded wool washer sixpence sterling for the piece of T 'cake! , ■:■:;;:' K7i. ';' i: '.-'■ General Garibaldi;.was, on Auguslii 30, at his home in Caprera, where he is confined by illness, resulting from over work on his scheme, for the improvement pf the Tiber.-•' ; - ' \ At a Government sale in Brisbane (Queensland)' 1 lately, city allotments realised, high prices-j in some CMe»,equal t^^BSiOOO per'Mrei J ' ' ' ''" '