The Evening Star THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 1888.

Evening Star, Issue 7471, 15 March 1888, Page 2

The Evening Star THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 1888.

There has been a week’s almost continuous rain at Greymouth. The Christchurch volunteers will hold an encampment six miles from Christchurch at Easter.

Our Queenstown correspondent wires : “ The District Court opens to-morrow before Judge Broad. There are six civil cases, as well as bankruptcy and an appeal from the warden. The Judge leaves on Monday for Invercargill, where there are both criminal and civil cases, besides three appeals from the Warden’s Court to dispose of.” We believe that the contemplated police changes include the transference of Inspector Moore to Inveroargil. vice Buckley retired, and that Inspector Broham goes to Auckland vice Shearman retired. It is proposed to amalgamate the Oamaru and Timaru districts under Inspector Thompson, who will have headquarters at Oamaru ; but his supervision will extend from the Rangitata to the north, and to Palmerston and Macraes in the South.

Mr and Mrs Henry Wilson celebrated thnir golden wedding at Oamaru on Monday, a feature of the proceedings (says the • Korth Otago Times being the recital of a brief adaptation of the marriage service by the Rev. J. Boothroyd, to which the old couple responded heartily, Mr Wilson afterwards made a few remarks, stating that he and his good wife left England in July, 1851, in the Sir George Pollock, with one son and one daughter. Since their arrival in New Zealand there had been born unto them four sons, twenty-eight grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.

At the Oamaru criminal session Arthur John Denton was convicted of indecent assault, the jury recommending him to mercy. His Honor said that prisoner’s weakness of intellect, if it existed, was no excuse for crime, and was only a reason why he should be placed under restraint for a lengthened period. The prisoner was ordered to be flogged and imprisoned for a period of five years. John Cooney alias Connell alias Connor and James Scott, for housebreaking at Oamaru, were each sentenced to three years’ hard labor. James Finn and John Cowley, for an unmentionable offence, were each sentenced to three years’ hard labor. A sacred concert, in aid of the organ fund, was given in the North-east Valley Presbyterian Church last evening, and was attended by about 150 persons. The choruses were given by a choir of about forty voices, under the leadership of Mr A. Graham, and were, almost without exception, well rendered; the ‘ Hallelujah Chorus ’ (Beethoven) being particularly worthy of mention lor the full and even way in which it was given throughout. The soloists were Mesdames Prictor, J, M'Donald, David, Miss Bowden, and Messrs Cray, J. Bowden, and W. Bowden. Miss Darbyshirc presided at the piano, Mr A. White at the organ, while Mr Powell assisted in several of the choruses with the cornet. In moving a vote of thanks to the performers at the close, the Rev. Mr Borrie mentioned that there were only eight dissentients to the introduction of instrumental music in the church service, and he believed that their opposition was not of a serious kind.

Pope Leo XIII., says the London correspondent of the ‘ Argus,’ recently handed over the sole control of the Roman Catholic Maori missionary operations in New Zealand to an English organisation founded by Dr Herbert Vaughan, Bishop of Salford, and known as the St. Joseph’s Foreign Missionary Society. This body has now several priests actively engaged among the Maoris, and one of them, Father Becker, after an extensive tour through the Eastern portion of the North Island, has forwarded a progress report to the rector of the society’s college, Mill Hill, London, N VV. He states that there are now 20,434 Maoris under the care of himself and his brother priests, and he asks for two additional priests to cope with the increased labor of ministering to the spiritual needs of so many Natives spread over a vast extent of territory. India, Borneo, and the Southern States of America are the other mission fields occupied by the St. Joseph’s Society.

The Oamaru School Committee at their last meeting considered the circular of the Kaikorai Committee, and on a question being raised as to whether the committee as such could give a subscription to the fund, the chairman (Mr Fleming) held that they were quite as much justified in using their funds for the purpose mentioned in the circular as the Board were in taking the money granted by Government and using it to defend their action ; as he presumed the members of the Board had not paid the costs out of their own pockets. Most of the members considered the Kaikorai Committee had conferred a great benefit in taking the action they had to maintain the status of their school. On the motion of Mr Sumpter it was resolved—“ That the circular of the Kaikorai School Committee be recommended to the favorable consideration of the annual meeting, and that in the meantime the opinion of the solicitov be taken as to the legality of the committee spending a portion of their fuuda in that direction.”

The fire at Reid and Gray’s Oamaru premises commenced in the wheelwrights’ shed, which is forty feet away from the main shed.

Seats may no\V be reserved for ILrr Scberek’s farewell concert.

The annual general meeting of the Colonial Mutual Life Assurance Society (Limited) will be held at the offices, Melbourne, on the 26th inst,

Tbe ‘Trade Protection Odette,’ issued at Wellington, makes a creditable appearance, and, if it fulfils a tithe of its promises, will prove of value to the commercial and trading community. Several mistakes occurred in connection with the statement by us yesterday of the insurances on MMCcnzie and Co.’s premises burnt at Balolutha on Monday night. _ The North German Company’s risk is only L2oo, and is a reinsurance from the Equitable. and the Australian Alliance, which is in the same position, is only L 375, The Norwich Union Company were only interested to the extent of L 250. Dunedin has had for the past few weeks an abundance of musical entertainment; but, notwithstanding, we believe that those who attend the St. Patrick’s Eve concert in the Garrison liall to-morrow evening will enjoy a varied programme of music provided by many of our best vocalists. A glance at the names of those taking part, which appear in another column, will convince our readers of the excellence of the programme. We remind our readers that the Garrison Band will commence Beethoven’s ‘ Dead March,’ out of respect to the late German Emperor, at 7.45 p.ra. The fortnightly meeting of the Court Enterprise, A.0.F., was hold last evening. A large number of members wore present. One candidate was initiated and one proposed for membership. The officers and members of Court St. Andrew paid an official visit to the court in full strength, and were well received. It was resolved —“ That this court desires to place on record its appreciation of the bravery displayed by Bro. James Cannon on the occasion of his saving life at the Ocean Beach on the 2'Jth February.”