DUNEDIN NOTES.

Press, Volume L, Issue 8591, 19 September 1893, Page 5

DUNEDIN NOTES.

Sept. ia Coramentiug on Mr Seddon'e onslaught on the Railway Commissioners the Star says —"Before any member of the Opposition rose to speak, the hon. gentleman stood convicted of wilful misrepresentation aud perversion of the truth. It would seem as if he were much put out at nob having been allowed to drop the Bill, and vented his ill.temper upon the Commissioners. Possibly, also, he realised that by giving it to those much abused officials 'hot and strong' he would make political capital of great value at the general election. If he really desired the Bill to become law, we are disposed to thick that he would have proceeded differently, and adopted an altogether more conciliatory tone."

It is understood that Mr Corliss will be retained in charge of the -tamp department at Dunedin.

The takings at Saturday's football amounted to £130.

Mr Justice Williams' decision re the Caversham by-law affects that of the city.

At half-past eight o'clock last night a sofa in a bedroom of the house occupied by Frederick Tofield, watchmaker (Caversham), was discovered to be on fire by a neighbour, who broke open the door and extinguished the flames with a few buckets of water. On examination a quantity of candle grease and burning rags were found under the sofa in a small box. Detectives Henderson and McGrath, who have been investigating the the case, arrested Tofield this afternoon on suspicion of having wilfully attempted to set fire to the house, which is the property of Mr Hugh Caider, of Caversham, who is at present away from Dunedin. The goods owned by the accused were uninsured, but the Standard office had a policy of £50 on the house. Tofield, who is au elderly man, carried on business for many years in Princes street, opposite the Criterion Hotel. He appears at the City Court to-morrow.

The railway meeting on Saturday night was mostly attended by the Hillside hands; Mr P. Nicolson, Secretary of the local branch of the Railway Union, presiding. The notice of the meeting issued to members invited any non-Society men, and although the meeting was not generally known amongst the latter, a considerable number attended, as it had leaked oub that one of the objects, ii not the main object, was to secure a vote against the Insurance BilL Mr Edwards, ia a well thought oub speech of nearly two hours' duration, recapitulated tho Society's version of the action of the Executive during the late strike. Referring to the Insurance Bill, he stated, iv effect, that the real objection to it was that it would tend to bind the meu to the service and interfere with their individual liberty. The proceedings became lively during the discussion. One speaker, in the mosb pungeat Done, quoting from the published figures of the Society, and, as proving the necessity for the Bill, mentioned that the Society had failed to raise two £40 death benefit payments in one month to the widows of deceased members, which indicated that ; there could nob be 1000 fully financial members, as the levies were only two of one shilling each. Several of the delegates explained away misstatements as to their being nonrepresentative of thosein favour of the Bill, and forcibly pointed out its many advantages to the service. Mr Edwards himself proposed the resolution condemnatory of the railway hands who took part in the Wellington Conference. It was some time before a seconder could be found, but eventually it was duly put from the chair. One influential member of the Union urged that the resolution should be withdrawn. The sense of the meeting may be said to have been adverse because very few hands were held up for the motion, while the Chairman did not think it necessary to call for a show of hands againsb.