BY TELEGRAPH. Patea, 30th December

Evening Post, Volume LVI, Issue 156, 30 December 1898, Page 6

BY TELEGRAPH. Patea, 30th December

Sailed, noon — Maim and Aorere, for Wellington GrREYMOUTii, 30fch December Sailed, 12.30 pin— Hesketb, for Wellington

The Minister for Education will return from the South on Thursday next. Since the 28th of last month there have been no less than four large fires in the city which must have resulted in a destruction of property aggregating in value something between £60,000 and £80,000. The fires in question were at St. Mary's Cathedral, the Royal Oak Hotel, the fire originating at Mr. Flockton's factory, and last night the conflagration at the Tramway Hotel. The insurances on the property destroyed and damaged by these fires alone total over £42,000. Although it was not necessary to pay the full amount of the insurance in all cases — notably in the case of the risk on the Royal Oak building and on the building and stock of Mr. C. Smith's drapery department — still the destruction of property was very great, and must have exceeded considerably the amount of insurances. There was also one small outbreak during the month, the prompt action of the Brigade preventing any serious loss on that occasion. The "invincible" Miss Nunneley, as she is now becoming known, having won the ladies' tennis championship four years in succession, is an English playex*, and an exmember of the Thorudon Tennis Club. In England she won honours a,t several tournaments, and though she never played at the All-England Championship Meeting, she easily beat the runner-up for the championship event in 1895, and, receiving a slight handicap, afterwards defeated the lady champion. On arriving in Wellington she joined the Thorndon Club, won the champion honours in her first season, and has since had an unbeaten record. The record of the rainfall in Wellington during December shows that rain fell on 14 days, the total measurement being 2'7lin, as against o"72in in December of 1897. The average fall for the month of December is 3"Bom. The maximum fall this month was o'94in, on the 18th. The rainfall during the year, as recorded at the Government Observatory, has been below the average, as the following figures will show : — January, O9siu; February, l'Bsiu ; March, 2*47 in; April, 5"62 in ; May, s'9sin ; June, 3"27 in ; July, 479iu ; August, s*76in ; September, 3-03iu; October, 2'Bsin ; November, 268 i n; December, 271 m; total, 4193 in. Total for 1897, 48-49 in. The average yearly fall for the previous 33 years was 51'33in. The news of the success of the Wellington Garrison Band at the Brass Bands contest in Dunediu has been received in this city with feelings of the greatest pleasure, and Conductor Herd has received a number of telegrams congratulating him on the band winning the championship. The instruments used were selected by him during his trip to England, and are pronounced to be equal to any yet brought to the Southern Hemisphere. It is understood that the Band will not compete at any other contest under the auspices of the N.Z. Association, but will, from motives of economy, play only at the contests of the North Island Brass Bands Association in future. A sitting of the Magistrate's Court was held this afternoon, Messrs. E. Arnold, H. Davis, and John Danks on^the Bench. A young man named Waller Macintosh, charged with deserting from H.M.S. Tauranga, was remanded to Auckland. Evidence was taken in the adjourned charge against Grace Eslall of having stolen underclothing the property of Lena Doreen. After the evidence of the prosecutrix, Sergt.-Major Mason said it wan impossible to ask for a conviction, and the case was accordingly dismissed. Accused left the dock muttering threats of " making it warm for someone." In a recent S3 r dney divorce case, Mr. Justice Simpson condemned the action of the Rev. George Preston in having married the petitioner at 17 years of age, in short dresses, without the consent of her parents, seven years ago. Subsequently the rev. gentleman attended in Court, and said he had never married anybody in short dresses. There had been such wicked maligning of clergymen's characters in this Court that he wished to challenge it. He could not have married the youug lady without having asked her a dozen questions. Mr. Justice Simpson — She swears you did. Mr. Preston — It is absurd. I have her answers here written down. The book was produced, and entries therein stated that the bride was 22 years old, and the bridegroom 28. Both parties made a sworn declaration, and signed it. The Judge thought still that the clergyman ought not to have been deceived. The rev. gentleman replied that it was easy for a girl to make herself look five years older by the arrangement of her hair, and telling a lady's age was all guesswork. His Honour said that the marriage laws of the colony were ver3 T lax. At the time be (his Honour) was married, couples had to be married before noon, but nowadays they were married at all hours of the day and night. The matrimonial agencies ought certainly to be suppressed. It was not for the public good that people who contracted hasty marriages should be allowed to dissolve them lightly, because others might be encouraged to do likewise. In this case the husband had deserted the petitioner, and he granted a rule nisi with costs against respondent. The Palmerston Standard understands that the Occidental Hotel there has changed hands, Mr. F. W. Sinclair, of Wellington, and formerly of^ Palmerston, being the incoming landlord*

Large English and Australian mails for Wellington w r ill leave Sydney to-morrow per Aorangi, and should reach Welling-ton on Wednesday next about midday. Tiu* London dates are 25th November, Tnia 1 . is the first mail from London under tJie new arrangement mentioned a few daya; ago. The Government Biologist) <Mr.. Tl. W'.. Kirk) inspected the 2700 cases bruugjli; from Sydney by tho Talune yeaHeniiy,, and! condemned 80 cases of oranges and lemons. The American locomotives which a.r<s now drawing the express trains between Napier and Cross's Creek were until recently in use on the Christchurch-Dunedin railways, and are much more powerful than the colonial-made engines previously in use. The latest locomotives obtained from America are too heavy for the bridges on the Wellington-HaAvkes Bay line, and are now taking the place of the engines which have just been brought to Wellington from the South. A communication has been received by the Auckland Harbour Board from the Secretary (Mr. J. M. Brigham), now in England as the Board's representative, in connection with the proposed establishment of a naval station in Auckland for Her Majesty's warships in New Zealand waters, to the effect that he has so far succeeded in his mission that the official heads of the Admiralty have approved the plans and estimates submitted by the .board, providing for the expenditure of some £60,000, and tacitly agreed that payment of interest should be made on that amount. The matter is now in the hands of the Lords of the Admiralty, and at the time of writing Mr. Brigham was given to understand that it would in all probability be a month before he would receive any reply. As that time has now expired, the Chairman of the Board (Mr. Malcolm Niccol), is, says the N.Z. Herald, daily expecting a cable message from the Secretary. Jupp's Band plays on the Basin Reserve on Sunday afternoon. Messrs. A. G. Tame & Co. will sell at their Horse Bazaar, Harris-street, to-morrow, at 2 o'clock, harness horses, hacks, harness, vehicles, saddles, &c. At Manukau. on Wednesday next, they will sell sheep, dairy and store cattle, &c. Mr. C. Smith having settled with the insurance companies for the drapery portion of the goods damaged by the disastrous fire of Thursday intends holding- a great salvage sale, which will commence on Saturday morning at 10 o'clock. As the damage to this portion of the stock is entirely by water, the opportunity for the public is exceptional. The goods must be sold. The oilcloths, linoleums, and macintoshes will be included in the sale. — Advt.