Untitled

Auckland Star, Volume VI, Issue 1529, 6 January 1875, Page 2

A shobt time ago we announced that it was understood in Sydney that A.S.N. Company would continue the present San Francisco mail service for six months longer. We are glad to learn that definite advices have been received by Mr H. M. Jervis, the local agent, that the service will be carried on as iat t present by the company for the period mentioned. No other company in the Australian colonies could have carried out such an undertaking on the brief notice afforded, and it is creditable to colonial enterprise and resources that a service of such magnitude should have been taken up immediately after a breakdown by a large English firm and carried on as efficiently as before. We hope, as we believe will be'the case, that better time than has hitherto been, .maintained by1" this mail route will be secured by the service.now established. The fact that the fine steamers employed on the Hall-Forbes service will be retained on the new line as at present, with the City of Adelaide and City, of' Melbourne as extra boats, is a guarantee that the passenger accoinmlodation will be first class, and confidence in the..,route as the best.one for passengers to 'GreaA- 'Britain will-no- doubt soon be restored. , . T '":;':

It affords us veKjr great-pleasure to ;see the announcement of a '&ivid'etfd;;j>y;the^National Bank in another column. For an itistitutibh in its mere infancy to find itself in a.position to announce such a dividend is testimony to the footing ,'it has already secured,.and an indication ofithe proud .position it will attain as time rolls over its hea,d, ,and the commerce of New Zealand grows with our growth. ''

la our telegrams to-day we read that the JS[ew Zealand Tunes ridicules theidpa that politics had anything whatever 'to do with the appointment of Judge Gillies. It is sur" prisicg what bunkum can "be spoken without making a face. We can picture to ourselves the merry twinkle in Greighton's eye'when he wrote that article. _

The New Zealand Times, we see by telegram, sees nothing,, dreadful to Mr, Vpgel : in the, coming of; Sir George" Grey _to Parliament. This is the editor's opinion, and we trust that, it will be generally entertained. "~u,-• i/^'?, ■■

Ho one;will charge us with being blind to the faults of the People's Champi6nV ' But wheh we; sac >what r appear« persecution of: any i man", we feel irresistibly impelled to range ourselves on the side of the oppressed. We ibelieve the prosecution■ of ; George" Staines for obstructing the footpath is persecution ; and even at the risk . of. being regarded as reflecting unwarrantably on a case i while pending, we desire to ; m.ilcUy expostulate respecting the charge which has been now brought' against him. No one requires'to be told about the position of^affair's in that part of Up^er Queen-street. The roadway is bounded on either side by a precipice. Mr Staines' house is far back frOM the roadway, and he constructed jvplatform across the 'chasm,*; rO£ course, this platform may be called the"pathway. "■' Anythingmay be' called anything. But no one would affirm that it is or. could be used as such. This gangway ia bounded on one side by a handrail to prevent persons who are going into his place from falling into the abyss, aod being to all intents and purposes part of Mr Staines' own establishment, he has always been accustomed to expose his goods there. His neighbours similarly circumstanced have done the same ; but either they have got the wink at the proper time, or they choose to let the People's Champion fight hia own and their battle at the same time, for they have WLthin the past few days withdrawn their goods, and George must bear the brant. Now, we ask in all honesty, what injury are Mr. Staines' goods doing ? If his platform were not there there would be a chasm, and his platform has been long—before other similar erections were there—a sort of city .of refuge to which pedestrians resorted for protection from passing vehicles and

horsemen.. if there is a " palliway " there why is it, not formed, and if formed the goods iv tlie owner's doorway or window would be as near to the thoroughfare as now —nothing nrore. - r-&nd'<if the letter of the law is to be observed any person down in Queen-street hanging a pair of trousers or a crinoline outside his door post, flapping in the wind—and there are plenty that do it—is equally transgressing the by-law, andis giving far'ttiore causeto frighten animals than is done by tlie inanimate tubs and bedsteads. The fact is, George is singled out, not for this but for his other offences ; and we. do not care what may be the result of the trial, the prosecution is an unfair one; Caii he never be forgiven for having been obstreperous in Council! , Can he not be allowed to quietly carry out his piivate business without that business being visited with his public offences. Let him be nailed, if needs be., when he appears on the public platform. Let him be shot at, if needs, be when he heads a crowd. But really this is carrying the war into private life in a way that is not maply. There are plenty of graver transgressions against the by-laws than this - and they are winked at. We do not mean to write severely on the subject, but really such a way of getting at a man is very paltry ; and though George Staines has plenty of enemies in Auckland, we think there are very few who will sympathise with this atterppt to punish him in his private affairs. We trust the case will be withdrawn. This attack was attempted once before, and failed ; and there will be no credit attaching to it if it succeeds, for it is only another illustration of what is too common—making use of our criminal courts for the the gratification of private vengeance.

We give insertion to the following growl from the Old Men's Refuge : —Mr Editor,— By inserting the following, you will oblige us: The thanks of this Institute is given in the kindest manner to the Engineers for not forgetting that the like of them was in existence. It has been notified in the newspapers that some heavy donations has been received by some person in authority for their benefit, but it has not come this length yet. Anything of that sort ought to be handed to the man in charge, and to be distributed to the satisfaction of all.—l am, &c, An Inmate of the Institution.

At the monthly meeting of the Templar Benefit Society last night about sixty members were present, Mr J. Warren occupied the chair. Printed copies of the rules were distributed among the members, and it was resolved to forward copies to the various country lodges with an invitation for them to form branches. It was stared that tlie membership roll was steadily increasing. The rules of the Society provide for sick allowance, funeral money, &c. The Society is one that holds out immense advantages to working men who are Good Templars, and we hope it will be generally supported. The weekly payment of sixpence a week is within the means of all.

The spirit with which the rehearsal held la&t evening by the Choral Society, in connection with Miss Christian's complimentary concert, was gone through, and the determination evinced by the members to do everything in their powerr to promote the interests of the beneficiare, promise a most successful concert. To give additional effect to the selections from the " Elijah" Mrs Smythe and Mr Skinner, who had intended to return to Melbourne by the Here, have agreed to delay their departure from Auckland in order that they may give their gratuitous assistance to Miss Christian.

Baker's Hibernicon at the Lome street Hall, was fairly attended last night. The songs given were well chosen, and received loud applause. " Mother He's gone Away;"" a plaintive ballad sung by Mrs Baker was encored ; as was " 'Oft in the Stilly Night," an ever pleasing air, rendered with great taste by Mr H. Baker. To-night, Mr John Moran's benefit is announced, and as is it also the last appearance of the company in Auckland, there should be a crowded house.

The Rev Charles Clark, the Dickens lecturer and illu&trator, will arrive ia Auckland in the course of next week, and he will probably have as compagrjon do voyage Mr Hugh George, manager of the Melbourne Argus.

To the Editor : Sir, —It appears almost incrediable, but it is nevertheless the fact, that although we spend such large sums in our postal service, the mail was being landed yesterday from the s.s. Macgregor in a waterman's boat, the carts waiting on the wharf while the waterman went to and fro. —Yours, Eye Witness. [We are informed that the Auckland portion of the mail was landed at- once, but it was the southern mail for .transhipment to the s.s. Wellington that was being brought ashore at tne time mentioned and ip the way described by our. correspondent.—Ed. J&.&]

We omitted in our notice of the New Year school treats, that of the scholars of Sheridanstreet Sunday-school. About one hundred children were present, beside twelve male and; female teacherSjlind a numbers of friends. After a feast of tea, buns, and other niceties, under a tent, the children engaged in various sports on the chapel green until six o'clock, when the party returned to their respective homes. Among those present were the Rev. Wm. Harris, the new minister, Mr Warburton, the active superintendent ; Mr Hughes, secretary ; and Mr Smith.

We notice that Mrs Shayle George will re-open the High School^ Symonds-street, lately occupied by Mf Fraaer, as a school for girls on the 25th instant. :.

The quarterly meetir^Jof the Licensed Victuallers' Association will be held to-mor-row morning, at the British Bjotel, at the hour of eleven.

The sultriness of the weather yesterday had. a slumberous effect upon the listeners iii the Supreme Court, and several persons fell asleep during the trials. Soon after the com^" mencement of the hearing of the case of the girl Cecilia Allen, one venerable gentleman on a seat! behind the "prisoner's bar wfes., lapped so'deeply in " slumber sweet" that 1 his sonorous snore disturbed the Court and caused a titter to run through the assemblage. He opened his eyes in astonishment and sighed "I've been dreaming."

We understand that the members of the popular Hobson Band contemplate celebrating their anniversary by a select ball in the hall of the Auckland Catholic Institute, Wellington-street, on the evenimg of the 28th of January (the night previous to the anniversary Regatta.) Further particulars will appear in a future announcement.

The Acclimatization Society has been unfortunate in its shpment of birds by the Gleniora. Of 12 nightingales shipped all have died : Of 22 whitethroats all have died ; while of 80 hedge sparrows, only 18 were landed this morning. The value of the last named birds as destroyers of insects is w«U •known, and it is therefore a matter of congratulation that even so small a number has Burvived.

A service in connection with the new Church movement in England, called tha Evangelical Alliance, will be held this evening at St. Mary's; Parnell, where an address will be delivered by the Rev. C. M. Nelson on " The Outpouring of the Spirit."

•The Auckland Haras onic Society have for some time past been preparing for the performance of Handel's magnificent oratorio, " Judas Maccabaeus," which will be rendered to-morrow night in. the Choral Hall. This evening a rehearsal takes place at the Young Men's Rooms. The performance has been looked forward to with a very large amount of interest, and we believe we are justified in stating that the result will be a gratifying surprise to those who have not been afforded the opportunity of being present at any of the society's practices. The oratorio will be rendered with full orchestral accompaniment.

• The feirl 'Cecilia Allen was found Not Guilty " on the charge of setting fire to tbe house of Mr Howard at Takapuna, but was not discharged, as another case of arson will be.brbvjgSET'against her next week*.