Local and General.

Clutha Leader, Volume XX, Issue 1039, 22 June 1894, Page 6

Local and General.

The trial at Sydney of Lees and On mm ing for the murder of Mr M'Kay, batik manager at Barraba, has begun. Both men pleaded not guilty.

The Premier has announced to the Dunedin Social Reform Association rhat during the approaching session legislation will be introduced raising the age of consent.

The, Victorian Cabinet has considered Sir G-. R. Dibbs's scheme. The general opinion was that a conference of three members from each of the New South Wales and Victorian Governments, would arrive at an agreement which would form a basis of- a definite federal proposal. The Ministry decided not to dccept any scheme which will abolish tho local Parliament.

' Take? my cue,' said Premier Dibbs the other day to a parliamentary aspirant, ' if you want your private business to gee, stick to it, and leave politics alone. I'll never advise a friend of mine to go in for the game. Whoosh ! away goes your business, and then you are doomed to loaf about Parliament the rest of your life, praying for something to turn up. Leave politics to the knaves and fools now at it.'

The Treasurer of Victoria, Mr Carter, has proposed a scheme for the convorsion of the Victorian debt, amounting to L 48,000,000, into 3 por cent, inturraesliate (1 interminable) console. He roughly estimates that six millions have already been given to the deben-ture-holders to induce them to accept the 3 per cents. The net saving on the debt to be converted will be L 286,000 pnr annum. Nothing can be done until the 3|- per cents reach par, which the Treasurer expects they will soon do.

On Tuesday morning Mr M'Dbweil, Collector of Customs at the Grey, Inspector M'Govern, and Constables Bennett and Phillpotts, returned after a midnight raid on an illicit still. They found a most complete plant, seven miles down the Inangahua River, near Bell's farm, and destroyed 600 gallons of spirits. There was no stock of material on the premises, which comprised a calico erection in a gully well screened by bush. No arrests have yet been made. The appliances have been removed to Greymoutb.

The Australian police are vigorously investigating the anteoedants of Mrs Neidle who is in custody on a charge of poisoning the two brothers Junker. The bodies of her husband and three children will probably be exhumed. The police ai'e in possession of informashowing that her children displayed similar symptoms to the Junkers. One child died in 1885, another in 1890, and a third in 1891. The husband died in 1880 ; all four were insured forLlOO a-piece, which Mrs Neidle drew. Among the 'letters discovered is one from the accused to the surviving brother, with wliom she was enamoured. It complains of hei'. treatment at the hands of Mrs Junker, sen., when the latter came to take back the dead body of her son Xiouis to Adelaide and contains this sentence : — • Remember this day you cast me off for your mother. You will be; motherless, for I shall kill her,

A man named James Scott was killed on Friday at Waipori by a fall of earth in the Deep L^ad claim.

On Tuesday, Saunders, a publican ar, Johnsonville, was fined L 5 for refusing to supply meals to travellers.

The Premier has informed the Auckland Women's League that he has no intention of making ' calls ' to the Council at present.

At a meeting in Hamilton (Scotland), at which 10,000 miners were represented, it was resolved that the men should go out on strike next week.

A nugget, weighing 570z was found in the unworked part of a claim near Foster, Victoria, while a load of stuff from the same place gave 9ioz.

Two men (Creed and Lemon) have been sentenced to two years' imprisonment at Sydney for forging 4800 tram tickets.

The late Mr James Wiltshire gave LI, OOO to the Palmerston North Hospital on the sole condition that a ward or wing shall bo named after him. The geologist sent to make a further examination of the field telegraphs to the Tasmanian Government that the Mount Huxley tunnel is • salted ' from end to end, and he has proved beyond doubt there is very little gold in the virgin country.

A movement is on foot at Clyde to perpetuate the memory of the late Hon. Vincent Pyke. The Central Committee, who have been appointed, are inviting the cooperation of leading residents in the neigh boring district.

Four brothers — John, Hugh, Allau, and Charles Cameron — were, charged at the Magistrate's Court, Wellington, on Saturday morning with keeping an illicit still in Gollan Valley, and remanded till the. 29th inst.

In Berlin no animal may be killed, under a heavy penalty, except at the municipal slaughter-house. Every animal is not only subjected to a close scientific investigation, but specimen? of its blood and tssues are examined under powerful microscopes, forty-five lady microscopists, with eyes trained to the work, being constantly employed.

George Henry Smith, who was arrested at Ashburton on Saturday afternoon on a charge of horsestealing, was found dead in the police cell on Monday morning. He had hanged himself from a bolt ring in the cell door, useing his handkerchief and a bit of calico a foot long. Ifc was a most determined suicide, as he could have saved himself at any time by simply putting his feet to the floor. To accomplish his object he had to keep his knees firmly bent.

The shelter shed, meals, etc., to the Wellington unemployed have been costing L2B 13s 4d a week, and men are coming in daily still. The ' Rev. H. Van Stavern said on Tuesday afternoon that men were continually being sent down now from Wairarapa. There were fresh instances at the B"nevolent Society's meeting that day. Out of 75 people in the home there were half from Wairarapa or Manawatu. It was decided to have a return prepared showing where the men in the home came from. The benevolent trustees have decided that all men in receipt of relief on their books who arc capable of work shall be offered work on the Queen's drive, and if they do not accept it they shall be struck off the relief list.

At the Magistrate's Court, Wellington, on Tuesday a man named. Joseph Burke was convicted of keeping a gaming house. In passing sentence Mr Martin, S.M., said this was a most serious offence This gambling was a curse that was undermining the whole community. Small boys came before him who had put their half-crowns together to bet on the races, and the curse seemed to run through the whole community here. At the present time while the place was groaning under the cry of tho unemployed and the difficulty of getting work, they had a number of working men who stayed for hours in this gambling shop from 11 o'clock on Saturday night till 1 o'clock on Sunday morning. The bench were going to make it very uncomfortable for the keepers o£ these places, m order that they might be cleared out of Wellington. Accused would be sentenced to three months' imprisonment with hard labor. Leave, to appeal was granted. The cases against the other 13 men, of being on the premises, were adjourned for a week,