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Auckland Star, Volume IX, Issue 2605, 23 August 1878, Page 2

On the Cemetery question Mr Strange writes : Sir,— Having had to do with graveyards for 60 years, few persons have had more opportunity of obtaining experience of their capability of absoring anything that is detrimental to the living. I state fearlessly, that to one injured by the dead, 500 are more or less injured by the living. And had the commonest of common sense been used in the managment of the Cenietries, they would and could have been used for many years yet, and even naw may be made useful. Sir, the selfishness exhibited under the public good mask, is so apparent as not to require further notice. It must strike you, that it xsj a great grievancej .to a working-man, disliking a pauper fuueral, to be compelled to pay extra, while others have leave to bury in the present cemeteries. A well-known miser named Lehman was yesterday discovered in an emaciated and filthy 3tate at his house at Kaiapoi. There is we understand a possibility of a new Masonic Hotel being erected. A wellknown hotel-keeper has offered to erect a first^ciaßs batd i» JPrinces-street, on the Masonic Hall site, at a cost of frbmT£lO,ooO to £12,000, and a hall entirely separate from the hotel at a cost of £3000, on condition that he gets a lease for a long term, upon the expiration of which the whole property will revert to the trustees of the fraternity.

The usual monthly inspection parades of Navals and the No. 3 Company of volunteers were held at the Drill-shed last evening, Major Withers commanding. After the companies went through the evolutions Major Withers complimented the officers on their high state of proficiency. Mr T. Buddie, Hon. Secretary of tha Young Men's Christian Association, writes as follows with reference to the effort now being made to liquidate the debt on the institution : " The amount promised at the meeting held in the Choral Hall, and presided over by Dr. Somerville. and other amounts since promised and received, reached about £740 at the end of last week. Since then over £30 have been promised. The actual indebtedness of the association was nearly £1,000, and this is the amount aimed at. From these figures it will be seen that £200 at least is yet required to enable the committee to carry out the proposal made at the Choral Hall, and to claim the amounts then promised conditionally. In response to the appeal made by Dr. Somerville at Tuesday's meeting, a number of hands were held up, each of which was to represent 20s or more. (The Dr. himself paid his £1 before leaving.) I would respectfully ask those who responded to the appeal, and all others who can spare 20s or more for this object, to send their contributions to Mr Ewington, Mr Shalders, or Mr McMaster, in Queenstreet, or to any member of the committee. I have sufficient faith in the liberaiity of the public of Auckland to feel satisfied that a very few weeks will put the committee in a position to claim the sum promised, and to clear off the remnant of a longstanding and obstructive debt."

The Big Bonanza Goldmining Company, to work 27 men's ground on the line of the Corby Reef, Coromandel, of 12,000 shares at 10s each, nothing paid up, capital £6,000, has been successfully floated. A large number of Auckland and Coromandel gentlemen are in the swim.

The quarterly meeting of Court Zealandia, No. 4741, A.0.F., was held on Wednesday evening last, at the Court-room, Y.M.G.A., and at the conclusion of the preliminary business the following officers were elected, for the ensuing term :—C.R., Bro. James Phillips ; S.C.K., Bro. R. Miles ; Treasurer, Bro. Jas. Andrews; Secretary, Bro. W. J. Wright (vice Bro. F. Christmas, resigned); S.W., Bro. Geo. McCartney; J.W., Bro. W. Porter; 5.8., Bro. Geo. Christmas; J. 8., Bro. Alfred Hewson ; Surgeon, Bro! Dr. J. H. Hooper (re-elected). The officers were installed in their respective places, assisted by P.D.C.R. Bro. T. McEwin. The retiring C.R., Bro. J. S. Webley, was afterwards presented with a P.C.R." neck ribbon and certificate for the very efficient manner in which he had fulfilled the duties during his term of office.

At the meeting of the Waste Lands Board yesterday afternoon, a communication was read from the Minister of Lands announcing the reservation of 1,500 acres for Auckland city, and 1,000 acres for the boroughs of Parnell and Onehunga in tbe Punaketere block, near Hokianga. It was stated that the Board had not power to grant lands for religious purposes. An application from Huntly for land for a Cemetery, was deferred for inquiry as to whether the land was required for other purposes. Mr Matthews applied for a renewal of the lease of his run or 5,000 acres, and it was decided to offer it by auction for 14 years at an upset price of £10. An application from Mr $. Pascoe, asking leave to re-occupy his land at Katikati, which he had formerly been compelled to relinquish, could not be dealt with by the Board. Leave to divert a road "was granted to the Pokeno Board, the expense to be borne by them. The Board decided it had no power regarding the application of Mrs Harrison, a widow, to exercise a lapsed land order. Another application from Mrs Walton was similarly treated. It was agreed to offer surveyed land at the loading ground, Russell, for sale, and -the meeting' terminated. '. -■ w. .■•..-, ». ■

Brigandage still exists in Sicily. Recently a private gentleman was carried off to the mountains, and held to ransom. An a.uned force pursued the band, killed several men, bnt failed to rescue the captive.

On ihe evening of the 21at inst, tTGT anniversary =oiiee and dance °"ke Thjjggk Rifle Rangers was held by this p°™W*p for the purpose of procurfeg funds iojpULe formation of a>nd.f Alftough the fight was wet and-"stornry, the Volunteer Wall was crowded'to excjesa by both sexes, in-? eluding a large proportion, of the military; element of ' the Thames, whose canons coloured uniforms of blue, scarlet, grey, &c. gave a pretty and lively effect to toe appearance of the assemblage. The tables were -well furnished with everything suited to the occasion, and were presided over by the wives and sweethearts of the members. The tea having been disposed of, the tables were cleared away, and the chair taken by Captain FarreU, who opened the proceedings with a few appropriate remarks. Speeches were made by Major Murray, Capt. Small, and Lieut. Hunter, and songs sung; by Miss Mason, Mies Hunter, Miss Knevens, Mr Gribble, and Mr Meagher. After votes of thanks were passed to the ladies who presided at the tables, and also to the choir, the meeting was brought to a close by the singing of the National Anthem. Dancing was then gone into with a will, and kept up to an early hour in the mSlnquest on the body of George De Thierry, one of the persons drowned by the capsizing of the Colombo whilst crossing the Hauraki Gulf on the morning of the 7th instant, was held in the Duke of Edinburgh Hotel, Shortland, on Saturday, before J. E. Macdonald, Esq., coroner. Geo. De Thierry, son of the deceased, recognised the body as his father's, and James Thompson deposed to seeing the party start off in the Colombokra the eveniag of the 6th. They were all sober. Peter Peterson, a fisherman deposed to finding the Colombo aground underwater, on the morning of the 7thinst. Her mainsail and jib were set. There was no sign of liquor in the boat. This concluded the evidence, and the jury, without leaving the room, returned a verdict "That the deceased, George De Thierry, came by his death by accidental drowning on the morning of the 7th inst. The funeral took place yesterday, and was largely attended by Europeans and Maoris. Mr°Richard De Thierry desires to return thanks| to the people of the Thames and especially to Mr Mackay |asd Mr John C4uilding, ffor their kindly sympathy and help during the late Borrowful time. ; To the Editor: Sir,—Do the proper authorities know that there is, somewhere in Inkernian-street, an unfortunate cripple, whos& miserable and pitiful condition needs looking after—" Ragged roof and chipky wall" is no name for the place he inhabits ? —Yours truly, "Cause that Laces Assistance."

TotheEditor: Sir,—The old saying of "God helps them that help themselves," wants to be reversed Now, I have been after examining the minute book of the Waitakerei East Highway Board, and find that in the year of 1861, 23 per acre of a rate was levied, and willingly paid for opening it up, and Is per acre for years in succession, and 6d and 3d since, until it has recently come under the new Valuation Act. Now compare this with the coa«t iline, running through chiefly Mr Chamberlin's land, that was never rated at all or paid one penny for road-making, and with one settler that has the tide coming up to his door, old Jack Lawson, and he don't want.—Yours, &c, J.S. --':'

"A Liberal" writes warmly endorsing our remarks on the Beaconsneld congratulations. He compares some of the telegrams sent to the famous proclamation of the three Tooley-street tailors, and remarks upon imitative disposition inj some public bodies He continues : "It is not to Beaconsfield we are wholly indebted for peace, but to the voice of the English nation, helped, materially, by the noble exertions of the iHustridua ~ex~-I*reimer r Mr Gladstone. It was the dogmatic and injudicious policy of Beaconsneld and his Cabinet that precipitated the war; for if England, after the Constantinople Conference, had firmly and straightforwardly remonstrated with the Turkish Government, and given it clearly to understand that it would not be supported by British arms, in any sanguinary contest with Russia, Turkey would have been compelled to concede to its Christian subjects what had been demanded in their behalf, and there would, therefore have been no bloodshed.

In our report of the R.M. Court yesterday King v. Buckworth was misprinted Butterworth.

The attention of the Resident Magistrate's Court, was chiefly occupied yesterday by the case of McMurdo v. Mayor and Council of Parnell, in which the plantiff claimed £50 damage for injuries received through his horse stumbling and falling over a heap of scoria, in the St. Stephen's Road, Parnell, in consequence of which the plantiff was severely injured. The particulars of the accident appeared in last evening's STAB. The defence was that there was no negligence oil the part of the defendants. Several witnesses were heard in defence, viz., Mr J. B. Strange (late town clerk) and two other persons. Council was heard and judgment given for plantiff for £50, costs," £11 sa.

Bro. Dines, of the Pioneer Lodge of Good Templars, sends us the following statement of the result of the entertainment given on the Sthinst., for the benefit of a widow, in the Albert-street Temperance Hall: Donations, £2 14s 6d; cash at door, £2 16s 6d ; tickets sold, £10 6s -.total, £15 17s. Expenses, £2. Balance, £13 17s.

News has been received from the Cape Colony up to June 11th. The Gaekas have been severely defeated, and their chief. Sandili, killed. The Zulus maintain a menacing attitude, and General Thesiger, with the 90th Regiment, was about to proceed from Williamatown to Natal.

The wife of a tinker gave birth to four children, three boys and a girl, in a cave off the road leading along the shore, about two miles from Oban.—" Edinburgh Daily Review."

The Devonport Lodge of Oddfellows will celebrate their third anniversary this evening in the Devonport Hall.

Mr Josiah Martin's lectnre on " Heat," is unavoidably postponed until the evening of Saturday, the 31st inst.

Mails for Australian .Colonies, per Alhambra, close at the -Bluff at "10 a.m. on Soturday, 24th. Young Manning was committed for trial at Christchurch yesterday, but admitted to bail, himself in £300, and two sureties of £150 each. Mr Coster, manager of the Bank there, stated that after becoming aware of the theft he allowed the prisoner to go to Auckland in order to see what steps the Bank Inspector would take. We observed an exhibition in Mr Wren's shop to-day, the finest show of oranges and; lemons in growing condition perhaps ever exhibited in Auckland. These consisted of branches cut from trees grown by Mr Wren at his grounds at Renraera, and are weighted with fruit to such an extent that the pruning knife was required to preserve the trees. It must be worth a journey to see such trees in full bearing. So much for our climate arid the gardener's skill. ""

To the Editor: Sir,—Observing in last night's Stae that Sergeant Jackson, of Parnell, has taken his departure for a new sphere of duty at the Thames, I think it is something marvellous that there shou Id be so many new sergeants required for the Thames within such a short time as there is. Why, during the past eight or twelve months one single station at the Thames has had as police 'sergeants four men, viz., Mulville,. O'Connor, Fleming, aud Jackson, being a fresh one tor every" three months. Is not this sprnethiug extraordinary? Is there a sergeant at all required for the place when such continuous changes can be tolerated, which must completely destroy the efficiency of the men by depriving them M the.meansofgaining any-local knowledge' of the place 'or its inhabitants ? Surely these unprecedented changes with public servants, save with the Turkish pachas under the Sultan, must be owing- to-some petty tyranny in the department which should be either eradicated or exterminated. —Yours, <xc, A Taxpayer.