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Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 6378, 13 February 1892, Page 2

The Czar has scut decorations to the workmen at St. Etienne, in France, who denounced two Englishmen who were convicted of trying secretly to obtain the design of a now Russian rifle. The story is this : —Tho two Englishmen alluded to, Walter Bedwell and John Samuel Cooper, were s.rrested at St. Etienne on a chargo of espionage, and condemned by the local Court respectively to two mouths' imprisonment with 1000 francs fine aud 15 months' imprisonment with 3000 francs fine. Cooper arrived last November at St. Etienne, and put up at au hotel. On the following day, walking out near tho arsenal at the hour -when the employes left the building, ho accosted one of them, and invited him to a game of billiards at a cafe. During the game Cooper asked his companion to procure for him a specimen of the new rifle now being manufactured at St. Etienne, and offered him 10,000 francs. The workman pretended to accept the proposition, but went ou tho following morning to the director of tho manufactory and informed him of what had occurred. General Pierron and tho Commissary of Police woro also informed. It was agreed that the workman should pretend iv every way to acquiesce in Cooper's designs. Bedwell _•_;_ j been at St. Etienne since October iv and, having fallen in with Cooper at a cafe, had becomo apparently ]___, friend. Tho workm u_ocor£_ lloo w ifh the conceived plan of feigned complicity, finally brought Cooper .ad Bedweil a rifle of no importance, aud thoy all wont together to a cafe. It was arranged to arrest them on their comiug out, but Cooper managed to evade the police and went to Birmingham. Some days uftorwards he returned and rejoined Bcdweil, and the two hunted up their friend of the manufactory. The latter agreed to a new rendezvous, and arrangements were ni-idt for a supper party with some ladies. At the appointed hour, instead of he ladies camo the policn and arrested tho two Englishmen. At the trial Cooper has said little. Bed sell asserts that his meeting with Cooper was quite by chance; that he went to St. Elit-uuu solely to study designs and to familiarise himself with French. The charge against Cooper is that he first asked his workman frisnd to procure fo- him a cavalry rifle aud then the Kus-iau rifle, as woli as cartridges for the Lobel gun, with details aa to all the new processes now in vogue at St. Etienne. Evidence was given by the director of the works that the questions addressed by Cooper to the employe, showed au intimate knowledge of the various systems of guumaking. The Procureur, in summing up, dwelt on the evident endeavor of Cooper to gain his information at Tulle and at Ohattellerault before^ he did not wish to exaggerate the fljjgM^^B

attention to the lees frequented roadtry districts of the counties of Re's Bay, Wairoa, Waipawa, and Patangata. These roads are in some places growing what in a short time will bo plentiful crops of gorse, sweet briar, &o. Home of the settlers who have an eye to the future, and a wholesome dread of tho consequences of neglect, employ men to grub up gorsc, &c, found on roads adjoining their estates, but there are not many so public spirited Now, under the Publio Works Acts Amendment Act of 18S9, local authorities are em-

powered to ordsr the occupier, or, in case

there is no occupier, then the owner, of any land abutting upon any road or streot to

emove any part of a tree, or lower or trim

any part of a hedge, overhanging a road or street so as to injure such road or street, or obstruct the traffic thereon, or obstructing any ditch or drain appurtainiug thereto; and to cut down or grub up, aa the local authority may direct, and remove all ob-

.-truotions to traffic or drainage, arising from the growth of plants upon such road or street up to the miadle line of such roud or street along the whole frontage of the

land occupied or owned by him. In tho event of any such occupier or owner failing to comply with such order within one momh from the service thereof, ho shall be liable to a penalty not exceeding ono pound for every day during which such order is not obeyed, and a further sum equal to the cost incurred by the local authority in removingsuch tree, or lowering or trimming such hedge, or cutting down, or grubbing up, and removing any such plants then growing on such road or street; and the said cost sh.ill be a charge on the land, and may be recovered by the local authority as rates aro recoverable by such local authority under

'■ The Rating Act, 18S_," or "Tho Rating Act, 1870," as the case may be, provided that thu I'.'cal authority has reasonablo

ground for believing thai such plants have spread from such land or the fence thereof. " Cut down "in this section nieaus cutting down and keeping cut down the stem and roots of any plants so as to prevent their throwing out any leaf, offshoot, or llowcr. "Plants' means and includes gorso, oweetbriar, bramble, blackberry, iicacia, broom, and fennel. When, under the piovisious of the last preceding section, an order is made by a local author-

ity, such order shall be in writing, signed by auy person appointed, either generally or t-pecially, by the local authority for the purpose of gi ing such notices, and si.all be delivered to tho person liable, either personally or by leaving tho same at or posting the same in a registered letter addressed to his

last known place of abode or business in _ew Zealand, aud it shall not bo necessary to prove the actual receipt of such order by the person to w_om it is addressed.