The Daily Telegraph. THURSDAY, JUNE 28, 1883.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3729, 28 June 1883, Page 2

The Daily Telegraph. THURSDAY, JUNE 28, 1883.

The practice that we havo carried out for many years during the sitting of the General Assembly has been in this column to give a short summary of the public Bills introduced in Parliament. Our readers are by this "means kept acquainted with the legislative work of the session, and our reports of parliamentary proceedings become the more interesting. Tho Minister of Justice has introduced a Bill to amend the Prisons Act of 1882. It confers upon the Visting Justices, in addition to tho power already vested in them authority to hear complaints by and against prisoners, to take evidence on oath and to report to the Minister of Justice. They may punish j minor offences with confinement in a light or dark cell with or without irons, but not for longer that 24 hours, or three days bread and water, or forfeiture of marks and reduction of classification, a record to be kept of all punishments. The Visiting Justices' are empowered for "aggravated prison offences " to sentence to 30. days in irons, or 14 days in a dark cell, or 14 days bread and water, or 12 months penal serviforfeiture of marks and position, or in case of felons, and hard labor and penal servitude prisoners to 25 lanhes. Clause 8 is the most important one, and is specially proyjded to guard against such abuses as havo been revealed in connection with the Dunedin gaol. It runs thus:—"No punishment under this Act shall extend to the imprisonment of persons beyond tho terms for 'which they were originally sentenced." All punishments to be reported by tho gaoler to the Minister of Justice. A Justice of the Peace may bo appointed by tho Governor as prison visitor t© hear, investigate, and report on any but not to give orders as in the case of Visiting justices. The Inspector is to have the powers of a Visiting Justice. The following arc to be "minor " prison offences :-—Disobodienne of tho regulations of sfcjio prison ; common assault by one prisoner on another; profane cursing and swearing ;_ indecent be- , haviour at divine service; insulting or threatening s language; to any officer or person ; absence from divino service; idleness or negligence at work; wilful mismanagement of work; obstructing any, officer of tho prison in the execution of his duty; disobedienofl of the lawful orders of the prison ; givjng provisions to or exchanging them with any; other prfsqnpr; communicating with any othor prisoner wfthout leave, or making signs of disrespect le> any Visiting Justice, Inspector or officer of tho prison ; committing nuisances, marking, defacing or damaging prison whistling, or making unnecessary noises; secreting- or purloining anything ; any other •—r..j^yiiiflnft. j.'Q-o£jJj.O—neu f!C, —QUIPJ'j, good government of tho prison. The following tin) to bo " aggravated" prison oirences::— Mutiny or open incitement to mutiny in the prison; personal violence to any officer of the prison j cspuping or attempting to escape ; aggravated; oi , repeated assault on a fellow prisoner ■; repMJr tion of insulting or threatening language to any officer or prisoner ; ; tvilfully and maUcir ously breaking prison windows, or otherwise destroying prison property; making or attempting to cause any wound or sore; pretending illness.; preferring false ■or frivolous complaints against tho officers of the prisons when under punishment.; wilfull.r making a disturbance; tending to disturb the order and discipline of the prison; any other act of, gross misconduct or insubordination. , i

The Financial Statement, as usual, shows that tho colony is living bejond its moans, ancj.,tlie Government can see no other way to make both ends meet than by putting-another farthing on the property tax. Unless the

colony is prepared to stand still it cannot bo expected that taxation can be reduced. Railways, telegraphs, postal cervices, roads and bridges, having once been begun, must, in tho natural order of events, be extended side by side with the settlement of tho country and the development of its re- <■ sources. The deficiency this year between I the estimated revenue and estimated expenditure is in round figures £52,000. Tho added farthing to the property tax is estimated to produco £85,000. It is nothing but just that property should be made to meet the deficiency. The country is settled in the interests of property ; that is to say, every one in the colony hopes to acquire property; tho government of the country is carried on for the protection of property and for the assistance of those who would accumulate property. All money expended in public works assists the cause of' property, be that property tho possession of wealth or the possession,of health and strength to work for wages, and the common sense to save what has been earned. Everyone in the colony desires to see the country go-ahead, and therefore everyone should be prepared to pay for the prevention of stagnation;

We beg to inform our readers at Hastings that on and after Monday next the Daily Telegraph will be delivered at their residences or plaoes of business. Subscribers, by leaving their names and addresses either with Mr W. A. Beecroftor Mr T. A. Hayes, will ensure the regular delivery of their papers. Any complaints respecting nondelivery should be made promptly. There was a clean charge sheet presented in tho Eesident Magistrate's Court this morning. Tho Hot. Thomas Dick, Mr John' Studholme, and Mr William Paul Studholme, of New Zealand, have been elected Fellows of the Royal Colonial Institute. The report of the Government Insurance Department for the last half year of 1882 will be found very satisfactory. , More new business was'done in the six months than in any previous twelve months in tho history of the Department. The Napier Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association hold their usual weekly meeting to night. The programme comprises the reading of tho ■ Monthly Magazine, after which extempore will bo given. ; ~ 'W Tho half-yearly meeting of the Loyal • Napier Lodge of Oddfellows, M.U., was held in the lodge-room, Tennyson-street, last evening, Bro. N. G. Grinlinton in > the chair. There was.a large attendance of members. Tho principal business of tho evening wae tho election of officers for tho ensuing six months, which resulted as follows:—N.G., Bro. P. McCormack; V.G., Bro. H. Mogridgo; E.S:, Bro. A. T. Cavell. MrT. J. Ryan will sell; to-morrow , , at noon, the freehold' and leasehold property hold by Mr, R. D. Maney at the .Wairoa. This valuable estate is comprised in three blocks, consisting of 2000 acres freehold, 300 acres freehold, and GOO.acres leasehold, with fifteen years to run. The property has been,,for some years, under .tho direct management of Mr Maney^,who nas spared no expense in its improvement, and it now presents itself as one pf, tho most desirable investments offering in the'market. 7 A highly interesting lecture on "The MJrowth of English Liberty ,, was delivered at the Working Men's Club hall last evening by Mr A. B.Thomson-. The lecturer reviewed in a graphic manner the leading points in English history from,the Conquest down to the period of the Act qf Settlement, and briefly touched upon the • condition of tho inhabitants and the laws by which they were governed .during- that period. At the conclusion a. hearty vote of thanks , waa passed to Mr Thomson for the able manner in which he had treated his subject, and a very general wish ; was expressed, that he would favor the members of the olub with a continuation of it at an early date. At a meeting of the committeo of the Athenfcum, held last evening,* His Worship the Mayor presiding, a report was ■ received fron the sub-committee appointed to select a sapply of books to complete the severa ds>artmcnts of the library. < The slowed that for extent and > variety of I'terary works tho Athenbeuni bids fair to possess a most complete assortment. Large additions to the books been recently made from local sources, and upwards of a thousand volumes were lately ordered from England. Steps were, taken by tho committee to add to the funds of the institute by mnans of entertainments, aud the hon. secretary was instructed to draw up the annual report and balance-sheet, to bo sub- . mitted tothe noxt general meeting of members to take place on Monday, July 30. Gar own correspondent at Wuiroa directs attention to the large quantity of fruit whioli is allowed to go to waste every year in the Hawke's Bay province, especially in Wairoa. "Itis no exaggeration," he remarks, '' to state that the fruit from thousands of trees here annually'falls to the ground' to be devoured "by the pigs, while the colonies aro importing -bottled and dried fruits to the extent of: many thousands of pounds sterling per annum.. There is an unlimited demand in Europe and' America for dried fruits, England filone consuming , an enormous quantity every year. As New Zealand possesses a ■■climate ! admirably suited to the production of all kinds of fruit, why not go in at once for drying and exporting a commodity • that will find a ready -sale, ancl yield a- iLandsom© ' profit. Tho American Manufacturing Compaay, New York, advertise a very effective plant, and Wairoa fruit growers could not do better than go in : for • co-oporation, and get- a drying plant;. ■ The- fruit, after being dried, should be packed in boxes (made of some other than New Zealand A woods) containing about 15 lbs each. Peaches, apples, pears, plums,'apricots, figs, and nectarines can bo so treated. If the people of Wairoa, who possess facilities for growing fruit second to none in the colony, would only start this industry it would pay them." . • Whether the Government Affirmation Bill will ever becoms law may be doubtful. But those who are opposed to the measure will (says the Law Times) find, in the case of Wood v. Stony and Bell (P; Wms Reports, vol. L, case 228) an interesting example of the breadth and liberality of view whioh our courts held 160 years ago. In that case the defendant Stony was a Quaker, and he declinod either to swear or affirm. He was committed to prison for not swearing the bill filed against him ; and on his petition to be allowed to answer without oath or affirmation, Lord : Macolesficld said: "Nothing can more prevent justice than to make a court of justice and the process thereof a means of oppression ; and whenever that appoars to be tho case, I will relievo tho party oppressed. Let tho defondant be discharged out. of custody, and his answer taken without oath ov afoma? i •■■■.!.'.." TheLyttelton Times has the following:— '' From tho statement of the business of the Government Savings Banks bf the Colony " during the past year it is seen thai tho total amount standing to the credit of all open accounts at the end of 1882 was £1,47(060. The number of accounts then remaining open was 57,p17, thus giving an average of £25 11 ssd to each account. Tho following wera the amounts standing to the credit of doposif tors in the four largest"""centreß~of populae tion :—Christohurch, £230,075; Dunedin £268,245; Auckland, £211,289; Welling ton, £188,923. The average value of each account at the l same four places was £25.. 17s, £2345,£27 12a, and£234s respectively. . iA-iipkland thus heads the list in this caso.'- , <■"-" The following 'petition In support o giving religious instruction ih'state school? is at present' being ciroulatod for sign aturij ux...Canterbury:—''Tho petition of the un r inhabitants of the Provfucial District of Canterbury humbly sheweth— (1) That vdiir petitioners are convinced that any fullj satisfactory measure for education by the" riv-ite should contain a provision for grants iv , *ijd being made to schools sqt ou foot \>y anj-vgligipujs denominafjon, ■ piiflvided that the and ift. /such ;Sc'h^ B come' up .to the reguir,ed an d satisfy tho Government inspector. ' Yourpotitionors av§*further of opinion that the Education. Act shouJA bo so amended that provision maybe made for the com» munication ;,of religious instruction in the public schools by ministers, of religion, ov by personsduly authorised by them, to the children'belongiug to their respective comnwnjions, Avithin school hours. Your pcfci.-% tibiicrs 'therefore pray that effect may bo W given to the foregoing f English railroads havo paid, sjnee 1876, ovor £1,000,000 in damages for personal injuries to passsengors. In 1876 £287,000 were paid in this way. v

A rumor has been freely circulated in England in explanation of the Lady Florence Dixie mystery. It is said the assault was a joke, perpetrated by two very close relatives, and that they intended to inform her of the matter next morning, but found to their horror that her Ladyship had lost no time in getting the occurrence reported in the London papers. Housekeepers will be interested to learn that there is one country in the world whero tho common houso-fly is almost unknown. That is the Phillipine Islands, and tho phenomenon is explained by a writer in Science, who says the fly could not by itself traverse tho 600 miles of windy ocean lying between the islands and the mainland, while tho few flies that arrive at Manilla in vessels fall victims to voracious insect enemies. MrE. W. Otway, C.E., of Auckland, has patented a new railway-sleeper, by whioh he churns that tho mode of railway construction will bo greatly changed for the better. Instead of causing the rails to be supported by cross sleepers soveral feet apart, as at present, he proposes to use longitudinal iron sleepers as rests for the rails. By this menus lie expects to get rid of much of the vibration which is now felt. This Avill make travelling by rail farsmoother than it is at present, and the '' lifo '' oi rails will be prolonged. The following paragraph appeared in an American paper in 1879. It is no doubf the foundation of the more recently elabarated article on the briiio subject which has been going the rounds of New Zealand papers : —Among the sensations of tho day is the successful ascent of Mount Ararat by an Englishman, Mr Bryoe, of Lincoln's Inn, London. The mountain is 17,212 feet high, and in making the last 4000 feet Mr Bryce had to go alone. The Armcninns of the region about Ararat consider the mountain inaccessible, and believe that Noah's Ark is still to be found on the summit. An important meeting of representative underwriters from all parts of tho country was held recently at Lloyd's, London, Under the presidency of Mr Goschen, ft. P. About 300 gentlemen attended, including delegates from Liverpool, Glasgow , , Newcastle, Bristol, and other ports. The principal object was to consider a series of clauses with a view to their being adopted as Lloyd's clauses in policies of insurance. One important alteration suggested ia that stranding in canals, rivers, and tidal harbours should not ba deemed a stranding properly so called. It was agreed to refer Ihe entire scheme to a select committee The Americans, not content with completely eclipsing us in the matter of steamyachts, have now entered into competition amongst themselves. The latest addition to their fleet is the Atalanta, building for Mr Jay Gould, of New York. This craft, though of tho same dimensions as Mr Gordon Bennett's Namouna, is said to be the "finest yacht yet," in American phraseology. *She 230 feet long and 26 feet beam, and will carry a crew, all told, of 52 hands. She is to be fitted up with electriclight, and will have a " social hall," sevenfoot bedsteads, &c. She will carry coal for

17 days' steaming, and will cost £50,000. In Sydney recently a man named Miohacl Bowe was found about midnight on the pavement in front of a public-house. He wan allowed to lie until some passer-by raised him and placed him on a doorstop. This failing - to revive him, the police wero set in motion, and he was taken to the Central Police-station and locked up as a drunkard. Ho was seen by the police an hour of two afterwards, and they wont away satisfied that, as he was snoring loudly, he must be sleeping soundly. At 6 o'clock it wan noticed that something was wrong with him, and that sleep was deejJ-

ening into death. An hour and a-half later the police surgeon attended, and a few minutes after his arrival Howe died. Ho died, according to the doctor's evidence, , from compression of the brain, caused by a fracture of the skull.

On Tuesday and Wednesday (12th and 13th), according to tho Mataura Ensign, a

party of about a dozen navvies almost took

possossion of Gore, and behaved in a very violent manner. On Tuesday evening so violent did their behaviour become that the

hotels had to bo closed before 10 o'clock, and it was unsafe for respectable people— even men—to go along the streets. The

local constable was absent on country duty, and the ruffians were awnro of this, and considered themselves masters of the situation.

On Wednesday they all got drunk and fought amongst each other. The constable, having returned, got police assistance from neighboring townphips, and ■with much difficulty threo of the ringleaders wero locked up. Of these Gerald Fitzgerald was fined £3, or a month's im-

prisonment; and James Carroll and Wil-

liams Mick ea!6it"£2,..,0r.14 clays. "' jt Judge Cope, of Victoria, is of opinion that we have no Esquires in Australia, or

if there are any, we do not know where

they are,

Tho question was discussed at

the conclusion of an action brought by the Australian Freehold and Banking Company against George Aikman for the recovery of £11 5s due for rent. The verdict was for

plaintiff, as his Honor would not allow a Bet-off for erecting a wall, for which the defendant paid. Mr Clarke, manager of the company, was a witness, and Mr Hood asked ths judgo to allow Mr Clarke's expenses for attending as a bank manager. The judgo refused to this as the company Was not a " bank." Mr Hood then urged that Mr Clarke was a J. P., and therefore an esquire. His Honor, however, scouted the idoa of a J. P. being an esquire. "We have no esquires here ; if there are wo don't know who they are," said his Honor, and only allowed ordinary expenses. Old Sores ! —Many persona arc greatly troubled with old sores that they cannot Bucceod in healing; they try all sorts of applications, lotions, plasters, poultices, liniments, &c, &c, but all in vain—the open wound remains sullen and obstinato. For the only mode of healing all such sores consnlfc Professor Moore, Medical Hull, Waipawa, and receive advice gratis.— [Advt. ] Terribly damaging to the system are those fiery compounds of oheap unrectified spirits, surcharged with fusel oil, which their

nefarious vendors and importei-s either <n-

sinuato or openly declare to bo equal "Wolfe's Schnapps.—[Advt.]