NEW ZEALAND.

Press, Volume XLVI, Issue 7258, 18 January 1889, Page 5

NEW ZEALAND.

(PBSBS ASSOCIATION TELSSRAHS.I

AUCKLAND, January 17.

The quarterly general meeting of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce was convened for to-day, when important business, including Mr Vaile's motions re the Sailway Board, was to be considered. Only seven members attended, however, and the meeting adjourned till Tuesday night. E. B. Mason and G. H. Mason, charged' with, obtaining £& by means of valueless cheques, were committed for trial to-day. The auxiliary water supply from Western Spring was turned on to-day. It will furnish 650,000ga1s daily, or one-fourth the previous supply. This will be sufficient for tie city and suburbs even in the event of a very dry summer. A train commenced running yesterday on the Kaihu Valley Bail way for the full length of seventeen miles up to the Bashes held as an endowment by the Company. WANGANTJI, January 17. The ftrmpfri valuations of the borough of Wanganui are .£37,364, being an increase of i>76B on last year. There is a huge number of "Natives in town to-day for the opening of the Land Court to-morrow. The final deposit in the Dunn-Robertson wrestling match was made on Saturday night. Both men are in good fettle, and the match is likely to be long and severe. NELSON, January 17. A Waimea farmer, who will have from 1000 to 1200 bushels of barley to sell this coming season, has been offered 4s per bushel for it. WELLINGTON, January 17. A deputation of the Chamber of Commerce waited on the Minister of Justice, urging several amendments in the Bankruptcy Act. They laid special stress on the amendment that the term "proper books" •and accounts, should be denned as cash, day and ledger books. Mr Fergus promised to consider the matter, and mentioned he was having some useful returns prepared on the bankruptcy question. Hugh. McQueen, convicted of the larceny of some valuable flutes, which he pawned, was admitted to probation for six months. DUNEDIN, J-nuary 17. ' At the Police Court Archibald Blue was sentenced to three months* hard labor for assaulting Detective McQ-rath. The detective had gone to arrest a son of the accused on a charge of larceny when Blue, sen., who appeared to be under' the iniiuenee of drink and very excited, closed with the detective, and having a toma hawk in his hand, struck the latter a tap on the forehead.. The detective with, two blows of the handcuffs did Blue considerable injury, and assistance coming he was arrested. The police have no clue to the mother of the child whose body was found in the harbor. At the inquest the medical evidence was to the effect that the body was too decomposed to allow of judgment being formed as to whether the child lived. The Coroner said when an infant was found dead the law presumed it was born dead, unless there was proof of it having lived. An open verdict was returned. . Mr Justice Williams delivered judgment in the Fernhill Coal Company v Dunedin City Council in favor of defendants, on the ground that the damage was due to the faulty construction of the mine. He was of opinion that the opening of the joints complained of was primarily caused by the weakening of the strata through the plaintiffs' operations since the race was constructed. Gerald E. Hodgeqn wrs arrested on the Mararoa on a warrant issued in Wellington for the theft of money. BLUFF, January 17. The new Masonic Lodge, Fortitude, was successfully constituted here yesterday.