FIVE MONTHS' REVENUE.

Evening Post, Volume XXVI, Issue 75, 26 September 1883, Page 2

FIVE MONTHS' REVENUE.

Eeoontly wo roviowed tho results of five months' cxporionoe as regarded tho revenue from tho two principal sources, Customs and Eailways, and showed that while tho latter was beiDg sacrificed to the agitation of a Canterbury Trade King, tho formor exhibited remarkable elasticity, and bid fair very closely to approach, if not fully to reach, tho Treasurer's estimate for tho whole year. Since those romarks wero published) somo^ further information has transpired relative to tho revenue generally. We believe wo aro correct in statin? that, notwithstanding the very large falling-off in Customs during tho winter months — whioh was at the rate of iJ200,000 per annum for the Juno quarter— and tho unsatisfactory state of tho railway business, the total rovenuo for tho first fivo months of the current financial year (April-August, inclusive) havo come within about j>lo,ooo of the proportionate estimate for that period. In other words, the receipts for five-twelfths of tho year have boen only .£IO.OOO or so less than five-twelfths of the estimate for the whole year. Now, seeing that we have all tho best months to come, it is not unreasonable to anticipate that not only will tho estlmato bo fully reached by the 31st March next, but that thero will bo a substantial balance on the right side. Thi3 is exceedingly satisfactory.

For tho same reason that it was found necessary by tho Grey Government to appoint Mr. J. N. 'Wilson, M.L.0., a member of the Cabinot to assist Sir George Whitmore in conducting the Ministerial business in tho Conncil, and by the Whitaker Ministry to appoint Mr. Oliver, so it will bo needful for tho Atkinson Government to obtain further aasistanco in tho Legislative Counoil to aid Mr. Oliver, who is at present the solo representative of tho Cabinet in tho Uppor Chamber. Wo understand that it is the intention of the Governtnont to adopt this course boforo next session, and to appoint an extra Minister from the Legislative Counoil without portfolio. A lawyer will no doubt bo obtained if possible. Mr. H. J. Williams addresses the Thorndon ratepayers this evening, at the Karori Hotel. Two persons woro punished at tho Eosident Magistrate's Court to-day for the offence of drunkenness. The steamer Hawea, which arrived from tho South at 12.20 this afternoon, brought up the English and Australian mails, ex Bingarooma. As will bo seen from a roport in another column, some rather animated proceedings took placo at Mr. Maginnity's meeting of Thorndon electors hist night, and Mr. Maginnity appears to have mado up his mind not to presont himself at the regular meeting of the City Conncil on Thursday night, notwithstanding his belief that he is perfectly entitled to do so. "William Henry Parnell was brought up on remand at tho Kosident Magistrate's Court this morning, charged with having unlawfully wounded his wife on tho 16th instant. Sergeant Anderson explained that tho woman was still unable to attend, owing to the serious naturo of the injuries alleged to have boon inflicted by the acoused. The Clork of tho Court informed the Bench that within tho past fow days it had been found necessary to remove Mrs. Parnoll to the Lunatic Asylum Sergeant Anderson expressed his willingnoss to allow the accused to go out on bail on his own recognizances, and the Eench agrcod to this course A fire occurred in Cambridge-road, off Cambridge-terrace, about half-past S o'clock last ovomng, breaking out in premises occupied by Mrs. Scott, a dressmaker, who had loft the houso about 7 o'clock for tho purpose of attending a Salvation Army mooting. Tho firemen wero promptly on the spot, and the fire was soon got undor, but not before some damage had been sustained by tho front portion of tho building, iche front rooms being gutted and_ the furniture either destroyed by firo or injured by water. Mrs. Scott is unable to account for the outbreak, having left neither fire nor candle burning iv the house when she absented horself. The property is owned by tho South British Insurance Company, and the damage is estimated at about .£-10. Under Captain Shannon, the Salvage Corps were in attendance, and rcndored valuable service. Edward Mullen was brought up at the Eosidcnt Magistrate's Court this morning on a warrant charging him with having sot fire to a dwelling-house at Tawa Plat, with intent to defraud the Hanse&tic Insurance Company. The prisoner, a young man, was defended by Mr. FitzGerald. Chief-Doteo-tive Browne, who appeared for the prosecution, asked for a remand in order to enable the police to secure the attendance of witnesses, many of whom were residing in the country. Mr. FitzGorald offered no objeotion to a remand, provided his client was admitted to bail. Chief-Detective Browno expressed his intention not to oppose tho prisoner's admission to bail, and tho Bench decided to allow him his liberty until Friday weok, on condition that recognizances for his re-appearance were entered into. Bail was fixed at J2BOO— accused in JMOO, and two sureties of £2.00 each. The Bench was occupied by Messrs. Kebboll, Krull, Nathan, and Leckie.

The s.s. Kiwi, which is dne this evening, is expected to bring down nine long-sentenced prisoners from Napier to be stationed here. During the last week 14 male patients have been admitted to tho Wellington Hospital, and 9 malei and 4 females have been discharged. There are now 49 males and ll females remaining in the institution. The Wellington Sharebrokera' Association report the following Keefton cruahings for the week ending 22nd inst. :— Keep-it-Dark, 3740zs amalgam, 198 tons ; Welcome, crushing, but no returns to hand. The trout fisiling season will commence on tho lit October for the Wainni-o-mata, and on the 15th October for the Hutt River. No bait may bo used except artificial flies. An advertisement on the subject appeara in another column. At a meeting of t&e creditors in the estate of William Davidson this morning, the trustee's roport showed that the whole of the goods, book debts, &c, had been realised, leaving a balance in hand sufficient to pay a dividend of Is 6d in the £. The annual meeting of the Wellington branch of the Pharmaceutical Society of New Zealand was held at the offioe, Brandonstreet, yesterday evening, and the usual business transacted. Mr. C. D. Barrand was elected vice-president, Mr. H. E. Eton re-elected hon. secretary, and Messrs. Anthony and Gordon auditors. A vote of thanks to Mr. H. Brittain, the retiring president, and to the officers, closed tho proceedings. The work of placing the frozen meat on board tho steamer Doric was commencod at 6 o'clock last evening, and was continued without intermission until midnight, 790 carcases of mutton being transferred from the works on Thorndon Quay to the vessel. The men employed in the_ work resumed duty- at 7 o'clock this morning, and it is expected that an early hour tcr-morrow the whole of the carcases— about 5300 in number — will have been placed on board. The meat apI pears to be in excellent condition, and will doubtless command a good price in the Home market. The chairman of a public meeting, held at Thorndon last night, ruled that the word "gammon" was unparliamentary. Mr. Maginnity, a candidate for tho representation of the ward in the City Council, was taking credit to himself for having been tho moans of saving the city .£7OOO in connection with the Wainui-o-mata waterworks scheme under circumstances previously explained, or, in other words, over .£IOOO for each year during which he had represented the ward, when Mr. Bnrrott ejaculated "Gammon!" Mr. Maginnity thereupon complained of Mr. Burrett's interruption, and said it was unfair that the supporters of an opposing candidate Bhould come to the mooting for the purpose of " putting him out." Mr. Burrett rose to raako a "personal explanation," bnt was temporarily "snuffed out" by Mr. Maginnity, who pointed out that thiß was his meeting, and if Mr. Burrett did not liko to be present he could "clear out." The chairman supported tho candidate, whereupon Mr. Burrott pleaded that he was entitled to say " gammon !" just as anyone else was entitled to say "Hear, hear!" The chairman, however, said he must rule Mr. Bnrrott out of order with his " gammon," after which that gentleman subsided and Mr. Maginnity pursued the uneven tenor of his way. The directors of tho Gear Meat Preserving Company have succeeded, after some little difficulty, in purchasing a hulk suitable for refrigerating purposes, the vessel selected being the barque Jubileo at present lying in Sydney Harbour. The hulk is built of oak, and was constructed in England, where she is classed Al at Lloyd's for four years. She is about 750 tons burthen, and capablo of accommodating several thousand carcases of mutton. Tho machinory with which she is to be fitted has been placed on board the lonic, which loft Plymou l^ on the 22nd instant, and may be eipeowa to reach Wellington in about six weeks' time. On arrival here no timo will bo lost in platting it on board, so that the work of freezing may commenoe as soon as possible. As rriany of our readers are doubtless aware, the intention is to kill the stock at tho company's abattoirs at Petone, and run the meat to bo frozen down to tho hulk, which will bo moored alongside of a wharf to bo erected in tho vicinity. When a cargo of meat is roquired to bo sent Home tho vessel will bo towed over to the ship about to sail for London, and the carcases transhipped with as little handling as possible. The directors have entrusted Messrs. Robertson and Co., of the Phoenix Foundry, with an order for tho construction of a 40-horse power boiler. Tho first shipment of meat will bo made in January by ono of Shaw-Savill's steamers. The ordinary weekly meeting of tho committee of the Benevolent" Institute was hold yesterday afternoon, afid was attended by Messrs. J. G. Holdsworth (Chairman), Councillor Danks, Revs. H. Van Staveren and R. Bavin, and Messrs. G. Allen, C. P. Powles (Treasurer), and A. G. Johnson (Secretary and Relieving Officor). No new " cases "of interest wero dealt with. In answer to Mr. Van Staveren the Chairman said there were no able-bodied men "on the books" at present. The Treasurer reported tho receipt of a oheque for .£IOO from the executors of tho late Miss Lewis, who had loft this sum as a legacy to the institution. Tho Chairman—That will entitle us to another i>loo. Councillor.Danks — Aro there any conditions on whioh the legacy is bequeathed? The Chairman— No. Councillor Danks— Could we devote it to the sohemo for providing an Old Men's Home? Chairman— Certainly not Councillor Danks— l mei'ely thought it Would bo a very good thing if we could. Mr. Powlea also reported tho receipt of a letter from the trustees in the estate of Mr. E. H. Hunt, informing him that there was no insurance on the property in Waring Taylorstreet, referred to at a previous meeting. On the motion of Mr. Allen, seconded by Mr. Van Staveren, it was resolved that the property bo insured without delay, and Mr. Powles was authorised to ascertain, in writing, the intentions of tho trustees respecting the property, Tho members of tho Churoh of Christ aro now^ congratulating ihemsolves on the possession of one of the neatest and most comfortable places of worship in the city. During tho time the church has been established in Wellington, the services conducted by the Key. A. B. Maaton have been held at various places, the committee being unable to Bccnre a suitable building for any length of timo, and at last it was decided that an I effort should bo made to erect a church for | thoir own use. A suitablo allotment was accordingly purchased in Taranaki Place, ! opposite the Te Aro Fire Brigade Station, ! and a contract for tho oreotion of a building about tho size of the Vivian-street Baptist Church was let to Mr. H. J. White, who has just completed the work in a highly satisfactory manner. The church is 50 feot in length and 35 feet in width, and is capable of accommodating 350 persons. It is very lofty, even for a sacred edifice, the height of the ceiling, which is of a dome-shape, being 25 feet. Theweatherboarding is of rusticated totara, and the floor, whioh has an incline of 18 inches towards the platform, in order to enable the preadhor the better to overlook the whole of his congregation, is composed of tnatai. The dado is of red pine, and has a good effoefc. At the rear of the main building there are a couple of class-rooms, and underneath the floor there is a quantity of space for storing forms, &o. The contract price was, w,o understand, about .£750. Tho church has been erected from plans and specifications prepared by Mr. A. H. Riggs. The plumbing work was executed by Mr. G. Remington. The inaugural services in the new church will take placo on Sunday week. Tho annual meeting of tho Wellington Cricketers' Association was hold last night, at the Pier Hotel. Mr. P. M'lntyre presided, and there was a good attendance of members. The annual roport was read by the bon. secretary, and adopted, on the motion of Mr. Godden, seconded by Mr. Bate. The committee congratulated tho clubs belonging to the association on having a better season and more cricket than had been the case during any provious soason in Wellington. Nine clubs, comprising over 300 mombers, now belonged to the association. The coinmitteo regretted that cricketers, with some fow exceptions, had not given them that financial support which they had a right to expect. There was a balance on tho wrong side, but the Wellington Amateur Dramatic Club had kindly consented to givo a performance in aid of the funds of the association, the proceeds of which, along with the 5b subscriptions that are still to come in, would doubtless be sufficient to make up the arrears. Tho association was deeply indebted to Messrs. Allen and Benbow for their good services in canvassing the city for annual subscribers. In conclusion, the committee expressed their entire satisfaction at the manner in whioh the ground man, Mr. Twist, performed' his duties. The balancesheet showed that the expenditure amounted to .£438 4s 6d, and tho receipts, including a loan of £26, to £4AI ss. Fonr new clubs— the Midland, Leo, Surrey, and Ashley— wero admitted to the association. A cordial vote of thanks was passed to tho Dramatic Club for their handsome offer roferred to in the report. The following officers were elected for the ensuing year : — Patron, Mr. E. Pearce; President, Mr. W. H. Levin, M.H.R. ; Vice-Presidents, hia Worship the Mayor and Mr. C. Benbow ; Hon. Secretary, Mr. Morris Fox; Hon. Treasurer, Mr. S. Alpo ; Committee, Messrs. Knapp, Dnncan, E. Dixon, W. Allen, and D. Cameron ; Auditors, Messrs. Cornish and P. IT lntyre. A hearty vote of thanks was accorded to the retiring officers on the motion of Mr. Bate. A hope was expressed that the association would inaugurate enp matches for senior and junior elevens, and it was understood that tho matter would be considered by tho committee. A vote of thanks to the chairman closed tho proceedings.

The tender of Mr. P. C. Hicks haa beon accepted by the directors of the Queen of Beauty mine, fllakara, for breaking out a trial piece of ten tons of quartz from the blue reef. The Btuff is to be sent to the Thames to be crushed, and is expected to yield satisfactorily. News was bronght into town thia morning by Mr. Charles Franco that a promisinglooking lode, about two feet thick, was intersected in the Caledonian claim, Terawhiti, yesterday. The reef is of kindly appearance, and has been traced for a considerable distance along the surface. The death is announced of Mr. Job Freoth, of Masterton, in his 83rd year. He arrived in Wellington in February, 1857, and proceeded to Wanganui, where he had charge of a school for some timo. Subsequently he pursued the same calling in Rangitikei, and then changed his vocation for that of farming. 1 our years ago he removed to Masterton. He was born in Birmingham, England, and was in early life a mechanical engineer. His natural ingenuity (remarks the AVairarapa Star) would have given him a name among the great inventors of tho day, but he was unselfish to a fault, at all times communicative, and he lived to see some of his best ideas coolly appropriated by unscrupulous friends. The perforating machine now applied to postage stamps and commercial documents so generally was one of his inventions. So also was Brittain's patent tabular roasting jack, an improved sweeping machine, and several other patents. Tho experiment made by the Gear Meat Preserving Company in bringing live stock overland to Wellington from the West Coast settlements has so far proved eminently satisfactory, and the directors have ovcry hope that they will be able to draw large supplies of sheep and bullocks from those sources. A special train laden with cattle left Manutahi at 6 a.m. on tho 21st instant, and arrived in Foxton at 2 o'clock the following morning, the animals being in excellent condition. The beasts are now being driven overland to Wellington, and are expected to reach horo in a day or two. Tho company have secured grazing paddocks at intervals along the Wellington-Foxton road, and every arrangement that could be made for successfully carrying on the trade has been entered into. The experiment has proved that live stock can be brought down to Wellington in the pink of condition, and will have the effect of inducing the directors of the company to mako arrangements for purchasing the greater portion of the shocp and cattle raised in tho West Coast district. Messrs. Francis Sidey & Co. will sell tomorrow, furniture, &c. Messrs. J. H. Wallace & Co. will sell tomorrow, ale.