NEW ZEALAND.

Press, Volume XXXV, Issue 4906, 9 May 1881, Page 2

NEW ZEALAND.

; [pee pbess association.] 1 AUCKLAND, May 7. 1 The charges against Abbott, for holding ■ sweeps on races, again failed to-day, the 1 informations being ruled bad on an objection taken by defendant's conceal, i A private meeting has been held among i regular frequenters of tho Auckland Publio i Library, with the object of petitioning the 5 City Council to open the institution daring i reasonable hours on Sunday. •• i' Mr George Bennett's house, at Waiuku, ■ with the out-buildings, stacks, agricultural implements, &c, has been ; burned. The t estimated loss is £200, uninsured. ) The wreck at Little Barrier proree to be a > myth. A careful search was made by tho . steamer Blanch. At a special sitting of the Resident Magisi trate's Court the case of Fenton y Biccardi; ■ claim Sβ 6a, for goods, was' beard. The caee i was brought by plaintiff on the understanding s that Signor Biccardi, the defendant, was i about to leave the colony without paying his 1 creditors. Defendant stated that he coni fessed judgment yesterday, and to-day received a summons to appear at this Court. He had filed his petition in bankruptcy in 1 consequence of being pressed by several ' oreditore. fie had ho intention of leaving the 1 colony for ten weeks. It was impossible for > him to leave, as he had entered into an er> ■ gagement for that term to perform in the 1 principal towns. He intended to carry the ' proceedings through the Court of Bank- ' ruptoy. He could not band over his operatic wardrobe, ac he would be deprived of his means of livelihood- Mr Whitaker, for ' defendant, asked that the Court would grant time to his client for making arrangements. 1 His Worship said if defendant was leaving in pursuit of his professional engagements it was & very different matter to leaving with the intention of defrauding his creditors, fie must adjourn the further hearing of the cose until the 26th.

HAWEEA,May7. It has been reported that a man wae shot on the Waimate Plains to-day. On making enquiries, it was ascertained that the affair took place on the Mountain road. Two men, who were seated on a bullock dray, got down and gave chase to a pig. In the excitement, one shot the other through the thigh. Dr. Richards attended nnri dressed the wound. The caie ie eeriow. The gan was loaded with slugs. It is feared the limb will have to be amputated. NAPIEE, May 7. A collision occurred yesterday in the inter harbor. The steamer Sir Donald was coming into port with a cargo from the Bingarooma, when the Union Company's launoh Boogum left the cattle wharf with outward-bound passengers. Owing to the position of the wharf, those on board the Boogum could not see the Sir Donald coming down the channel, and when the steamers could see each other it was too late to avoid & collision. The Boogum struck the Bir Donald amidships, cutting a hole six feet long by a foot wide. The master of the Sir Donald at once ran his i veeeel on the boulder back, where it sank.

Mr M. B. Miller's annual stock end station report gives the following figures :—Number of sbeop in the provincial district, 2,096,375; increase, 213,886 for the year, after providing for exports 84,467, and boiling down 154,833 Horned cattle, 36,000; horses, 9500; acreage under occupation, inoluding leaseholds, slightly under two million acres, of which one million is fenoed and eurface sown; English grasses, 700,000 acres } in orop, 30,000 aoree; wool exported, 11,176 8791b5, giving an average per sheep of 61bs 2oz, lambs 31bs; value of exported wool, £608,335; inoreaee, £182,000 ; tallow, £46,294 ; iucrease, £17,300; sheepskins, &0., £6567; total, £661,796. The population of the district, including 3200 Natives, is 19,000, and the exports therefore are equal to £32 per head of population against £12 average for tne colony. There is some speculation in Southern Cross Petroleum Company's shares, owing to a discovery on the company's claim of a thick vein of a peculiar substance, which local chemisti state contains 50 per cent, of pore pa- ! rfrffiu. As taken from the shaft, the etuft is saia to be wortn £40 per too. It is in enormous quantity. WELLINGTON, May 7. Parliament is further prorogued until two o'clock in the afternoon of Jane 9th. OAMABU, May 7. A child earned Perreton, twelve months of age, lost its life yesterday by falling into a bath. Ita mother had left it for a few minutes, when the perambulator in which it was sitting fell over and precipitated it into the water. DUNIDIN, May 7. At Portobello two childreD, aged four and and two, died under peculiar cucßmsfcancee.

r. Brown, who attended them, said theia >aths were the result of blood poisoning faZ widen communicated by a horse, but » iiriee, instituted by the police, failed to dil >ver any hones so diseased in tho locality. The TO T L m ' s " corr ' s P ond ent telegraphs om Wyndham on Saturday ._<■ Thirteen tore bodies have been recovered and fo ur entified, namely : -John Sioone, Alexendfir ac, Wra. White, Bobert Shaw BasJll [arch. One ie the body of a man 6 b<m Ety years of age, five feet high, .tout build ghfc beard mixed with grey, heavy boots' ith heel and toe plates, dark coat, light )lored trousers. Ho had a miner'i chamois ig. Ten bodies have beon interred in Fort. jseCetnetery. Numbers of bodies are co* jming aehoro. It has been determined to ury them within an enclosure of an acre of md near the scene of the disaster. Mr G-eo. McLean, M.H.R., addressed his onstituents at Wniiouaiti on Saturday, and eceived a vote of confidence. INVERCARGIXL, May 7. Mr McCanghan, member for Biverton, has lecided to not resign, and addreaeca hie contituente before next session. Mr Hirst nembor for Orepuki, also addrcjsea hi xjnetituents. The coneus returns for InvercargiU—Mata 2375 ; females, 2222 ; total, 4597, an inownse if 836. Suburbs (approximate), 3214 - Riverton, 1191, of vhom 113 are Chinamen. ' [FBOSt OUR OWS COBEBBPOSDENT I WELLINGION, May 7. Owing to tho sensational stories circulated about the alarming increase of Chineeo immi. gration to New Zealand, the Government have had a telurn prepared showing tho arrivals and departures of Chinese in and from thie colony during tho last, two years. Prom this it appears that in 1879 329 Chinese arrived in New Zealand, and 396 departed, a decrease of 67. In 18S0 296 arrived and 38S loft, baing a further decreaeo of 90. The present jeir however, ie believed to be likely to reverse this order of things, the tide of Chinese imiai. gration apparently having again eat in toward New Zealand, On this heed, however, ns reliable information is forthcoming a« yet. The following ciroulnr is to be issued to all the EduoatioD Boards throughout tho eoloa* , . " I am instructed by tho Minister of Eduoi' tion to inform you tha" circukt No. 17, 0 [ date sth November, 1878, ie hereby eanoellaj and that after thu 30th of June, 1881, capita* tion grants will not be paid to Boards on aocount of the attendance at publics eohools of ohildrett under five (5) years of uge. I no therefore to request that the attendasee of all children under five (5) yeure of age be eieluded from your attendance eumraary for tbe current quarter, on which, ac you are awita, next quarter's payments aro calculated, and to suggest the advisability of the Board forthwith issuing instructions to school committee and teachers to exclude tho attendances of all each children from their eohocl-attendanw returns for the present quarter.—John Hislop." ____________