Invercargill.

Bruce Herald, Volume VI, Issue 476, 1 April 1873, Page 6

Invercargill.

(From our own correspondent) Thej resignation by Mr t W. H : Calder of his jseat iu.thV House of Representar tiyes -as member for InvercargiU ha* brought out requisitionists in full force, and itj is probable the vacant seat will be somewhat hotly contested. .Mr J. R. .■Cuthbjertson, a late member of the Provincial Council, and erstwhile DeputySuperintendent of the Province of Southland, shows well on the card,' havrng over a hundred' names to his requisition, comprising the bulk of the influence of the; town. All things considered, it- would probably be for^the interest of the community if the trouble and expense, to say nothing of the hot blood often stirred by a contest, were avoided by returning. Mr Cuthbertson, unopposed, as it.is, I believe, generally agreed that he is thoroughly eligible on the grounds of, ability and. noncommittal to. parly. It is not, however, to be thus, as the friends of Mr Wood, formerly in the House, are moving to induce that gentleman to i present himself. Mr Wood has v many friends, and the honesty and admitted singleness of purpose, which have characterised his representative character; entitlehiiri to respect. Mr Wood's legislative career may, however, be more definitely to on the negative than on the positive side, and raises the question whether by his substitution for Mr Calder the ' prestige 'of the seat would not be impaired. Even at this early stage I haye- ;little?hesil&tion in foretelling that Cuthbertson will be the man. --.','.. A case has been decided in the Resident Magistrate's Court to-day which is of importance as to the question of the liability of persons able to pay for treatment in hospitals . A painter of the town, by name Peters, some time since broke his leg, and was carried to the hospital, where he remained under treatment for several weeks, ultimately leaving of his own accord. As he had been known for years past to be capable of, and actually to be earning large sums of money, the Hospital Committee directed an account to be rendered to him at the minimum rate of charge of XI per week. Peters, demurring, a summons was taken out, and the Magistrate affirmed the liability. This is all the committee looked for, as it has been, unfortunately, found that many persons of good capabilities for earning have preferred to squander their means in dissipation, as was the case in this instance, and in time of sickness or accident, to hold themselves entitled to maintenance and care at the expense of the community. This decision given will do much to dissipate such a delusion, although I am sure the committee having obtained it and settled the principle, will be content in this instance to waive its immediate execution. A man named M'Lennan was brought up on the 24th by the police, charged with violently assaulting James Stott on the previous day, in his own house at One Tree Point, and robbing him of two pounds. Complainant and accused were neighbors, and the accused called on Sunday at the house of complainant, demandiag one pound, which he said complainant owed him, and, not receiving it, struck him a violent blow on the head with a whip-handle, knocking him down and stunning him. Complainant bore the mark of very severe treatment, and the assault must have been of a most murderous character. While on the ground stunned, accused took away the money. Both parties were perfectly sober, and the only assignable cause for the outrage is the disagreement about the one pound said to have been due. As it is, lam barely spared the record of another murder. The accused was remanded. Passing from the grave to the gay, I had evidence in the R.M.s Court yesterday of the tactics of some folks to do business. An advertising agent in Dunedin, getterup of an almanac or directory, sued two parties here for small sums. In each case the amount in dispute was LI Is, being the charge for the almanac or directory, which the defence in each case asserted had been agreed to be given as a part of the contract for advertising. Considering that precisely the same tactics were used by the canvasser to obtain business in each case, and that the defence in each was the same, it seems as though either business is not over brisk in Dunedin, or some persons are not over scrupulous as to the mode of obtaining it. Accidents have been rife during the last eight days. On the 19th instant a man named Young was struck by a branch of a tree, while falling another tree in the neighborhood of Messrs Lockhart's saw mills at Clifton. The falling branch struck him on the forehead, and fractured his skull in several places. Being taken to the hospital he lingered for nearly five hours, and died in the afternoon of the same day. An inquest was held on the body, at which a verdict of accidental death was returned. This morning a message was brought into town by special train that a man, while engaged splitting at Otapiri station, had broken both legs, besides sustaining other injuries, but the particulars of this accident have not yet reached.