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Clutha Leader, Volume XXI, Issue 1041, 6 July 1894, Page 5

Mr Paulin predicts winds, heavy rain showers, ami cold weather. Only a small number took advantage of the cheap trip to town yesterday. We publish elsewhere the decision of His Honor Mr Justice Williams in the Clutha licensing case. It will be seen that His Honor has quashed tliA three wholesale licenses granted by Mr Hawkins S. M. in his capacity as chairman of Licensing Committee. The Clntha Presbyti-ry met in the church at Lawrence on Tuesday evening, the congregation having been invited to attend to moderate in a call to fill Ihe rsicancy in the pastorate of the congregation. There was a large attendance. The. form of call having been read, it was unanimously agreed to insert the name of the Rev. J. A. Will, and th« call to that gentleman was sustaim-d by the presbytery. In the House of Keprosentativi's on Wednesday evening a motion was carried that for the future no alcoholic liqnors will be dispensed at Bellamys. Major Harris, the mover of the motion said Bellamys was responsible for many a long ■weary and anprofituWe debate. The motion was opposed by the Premier, The Daily Times reporter says the peculiar feature of the debate Wiisthe way in which each opponent of the motion assured the House that personally they did not care two straws if intoxicants were no loDger provided in Bellamy's. They were to sdl appearances only standing up for the rights of others. At the Balclutha Literary Society on Wednesday evening Dr Fleming gave a second ambulance lecture. He first of nil revised what had been done at the previous lecture in cases of bleeding and drowning, aad then proceeded to take up the subjects of fractures, poisoning, burns and soaMs, fits, suffocation, etc. The next meeting will be held this day week (Friday, instead of "Wednesday), when Professor Black from Dunedin will give a lecture on "Agricultural Chemistry." with experiments, when we hope to see a large attendance, especially of farmers. We have no doubt this will prove a highly interesting and instructive lecture. The costs of the Clutha Licensing election are still unpaid. It had been agreed fo refer the whole qu«stion to the judge of the Supreme Court for decision as to whether the county council could recover from the other local bodies, the whole costs so incurred to be paid in equal shares by the county and local bodies. Now, however, it seems that the Tapanui Borough do not fall in with the ilea to share the whole of these costs, but want the contributing bodies to pay their our share, and the county pay theirs. The difference is very small, and the Balclutha Borough having come to an understanding with the county, the latter will probably settle the whole question by instructing their solicitor to proceed against the Tapanui Borough for its quota of the costs of the election. Meanwhile we would suggest to the courty that the accounts might now be paid, they have been held over for a considerable time. The new Divorce Bill introduced in the Council by the Hon. Mr Macgregor empowers the court to substitute a divorce for judieal separation after the separation has been in force for at least three years. At present a husband can obtain divorce from his wife for adultry ; but hi order to a wife obtaining a like redress she must prove cruelty io addition to adultry. One of the most important changes proposed by the hill is the placing of both spouses on an equal footing as regards the right to divorce on the ground of adultry. The bill also proposes to make the following grouivls for dissolution of marriage :— ( I) Desertion for three years ; (2) habitual drunkeness continued for three years and accompanied with cruelty and neglect ; (3) imprisonment under a commuted sentence for a capital crime, or penal servitude for seven years, j or imprisonment for three years for several crimes ; (3) conviction for having attempted to murder, or for violent assault with intent to inflict [grevious bodily harm, or repeated cruel assaults. ___^_.^^_^__ i _^