The Evening Star. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 1888.

Evening Star, Issue 7476, 21 March 1888, Page 2

The Evening Star. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 1888.

Detective O'Brien is to be transferred to Dunedin from Oamaru at the end of this month.

It is generally believed in Wellington that the ship Pleione, wrecked at Waikanae Beach, was uninsured.

It is not generally known that Sir Mcre'l Mackenzie, the famous throat specialist, is a son of the English actor Compton. The Hooper Inlet School Committee have selected, out of ten applications, Mr G. A. Simmers, M.A., for the position of headmaster of their School.

The Mayor of Westport and the county chairman have left for Wellington with the member for the district (Mr Reeves) to deputationise ministers re the Buller road.

The Board of Governors of the Waitaki High School are anxious to retain Mr Harkness as head-master, and have offered to renew his engagement for three years. It is anticipated that there will be fourd to be a shrinkage of rates from Auckland city property equal to about L 3.000, and the City C >unoil will probably have to cut down expenditure during the year. Active steps are being taken to relieve the distress through the Ormondville fires. The Charitable Aid Board is officially inquiring into every case, and affording temporary relief out of funds raised by subscription. The Governor has received a memo, from the seoretary of the Imperial Institute, in which the latter states that the total amount promised and collected to date is L 400.000, of which L 2.853 4s 4d came from New Zealand. The borough of Newton has floated a loan of L 2,500 for waterworks. The mains arc to be connected with those of the city. The loan has been placed locally, having been negotiated by the Auckland Savings Bank at 6 per cent. When the Hon. Mr Mitchelson left We 1 - lington last week the report on the Seacliff Asylum building had not reached him from the Commissioners; therefore the published reports of the Commissioners' findings are, as we surmised, the merest guesswork.

The two men M'Grath and Anderson, alias Riohmond, who were arrested on Saturday on a charge of violently assaulting and robbing a young man named Slattery, were brought up at the City Police this morning, and were both committed for trial.

Messrs W. Elder and J. Mill, J.P.s, presided at the Port Chalmers Police Court this forenoon. Two boys named Con Basan and John Hardy pleaded guilty to stealing a flute and ornament from the Southern Cross. They were discharged with a severe reprimand. A wanton piece of mischief was committed at the Kaik Church, Taiaroa Head, a few nights ago by some persons who broke into the church and smashed a number of seats and other articles. The police are making inquiries, and it is to be hoped that the guilty parties will be brought to light.

The School Commissioners are going to have trouble with the governing body of the Waitaki High School. The school has been in existence for five years, but the Commissioners apparently have only become aware of the faot, as they now allocate it L 65 for the first time out of the rentals from the reserves for secondary education. The Commissioners reply that they are aating in the spirit of the Act of 1877, but the Board of Governors, of whom the Hon. Mr Hislop is one, do not see it, and demand an explanation. It is not at all improbable that parliamentary interference will be invoked. Mr Aldridge lectured on " The Metallic Image of Daniel" to a fair audience at the Choral Hall last evening. In a prelude to the lecture Mr Aldridge referred to the actions of certain ministers who from their pulpits and in their private conversations were making most cruel and false libels against him and the doctrines he advocated. Mr Aldridge stated that he represented a congregation of 1,000 persons in Auckland, and he represented every believer in conditional immortality in New Zealand. He would be prepared to deny either that the Bible teaches man to be an immortal being, that man is conscious from the time of death till the resurrection, or that God will punish sin with eternal torment, in a debate with any representative man, minister or otherwise. He did not wish to waste time in debating either subject with anyone who did not represent a fair proportion of the oitizens of Dunedin. Mr Aldridge said that the four divisions of the image represented—first, the kingdom of Babylonia; second, the Medo-Persian kingdom; third, the Grecian kingdom; fourth, the kingdom of anti-Christ, and not the Roman Empire as popularly supposed. He said the antiChristian kingdom was not yet in existence. The stone cut from the mountain typified the kingdom of God, which would replace all the other kingdoms and fill the whole earth. Mr Aldridge beid the attention of his hearers throughout, and at the conclusion of his oration recited in magnificent style an appropriate poem.

Among the Bills to be introduced next session will be one dealing with fraudulent trade marks.

The local paper says that information of a gravely suspicious nature having _ reached the Lawrence police as to the origin of the fire which destroyed the homestead of Mr Thomas Scott at German Flat, a search was instituted, leading to the discovery of household property that had been returned as destroyed. An inquiry is to be held by Coroner Revell to-morrow, and interesting developments are expected.

A fire broke out about 11.30 p.m. yesterday in a five-roomed house situated in Constitution street, Port Chalmers, occupied by Mr C. Basan. The brigade were quickly in attendance, and there being a good supply of water the fire was confined to the front room and kitchen, which were completely gutted. The fire is supposed to have originated in the back part of the house. The house and furniture are insured, but in what office or for what amount we have not been able to ascertain.

A man named Gray, employed as a woolwasher at Teviot station, is supposed to have drowned himself in the Molyneux River on Thursday morning. On being missed that morning a search was made, and footsteps were traced to the river, and his hat and coat were found on the punt. He had no boots on at the tittle, as they were found at the hut. The 'Mount Benger Mail' states that his family reside at Green Island, but two sons, however, worked with him at the station. No reason can be assigned for the act. For the 343 billets of various grades on the Victorian railways, open on March 1, there were more than 4,000 applicants, or about twelve applicants for every vacancy. Yet certain ultra-Protectionists in our midst are never tired of declaring that men have only to go to Melbourne to obtain work. Of these 4,000 applicants 1,010 rushed for 130 places of permanent-way repairers ; 1,594 men applied for ninety-five vacancies as porters; where there were twenty laborers wanted 250 candidates appeared for the posts; a call for four bricklayers brought forty-one applications; while 216 carpenters competedforappointmentswhere only twelve were required; twenty-nine Btonemasons presented themselves for two vacancies; sixty-one locomotive youths for twenty vacancies; thirty-one students for ten vacancies ; and 382 clerks for fifty places.

Local option poll of the Maori Hill North licensing district will be taken on Wednesday, April 4.

A meeting of the New Zea'and Bowling Association will be held to-night at the Grand Hotel.

The quarterly meeting of the Loith Lodge, 1.0.0. F., was well attended lasteveninj, considering the threatening aspect of tho weather. One candidate was initiated. Bro, W. Reid waa elected a 8 a delegate to represent tho lodge at the annual meeting of the Friendly SooietW Dispensary. A visit was received from some members of the Pioneer Lodge, and it was arranged to return the visit, when degrees will bo conferred on the candidates who attend.

Tha following new patents have been applied for'.—W. J. Blake, Wanganui, for an improved filter; A. J. Park, Christchurch, for joining pipes together so as to give a movement upward and downward and to the right or left, and for an improved means of obviating the choking of the suction pipe of hydraulic dredgers and regulatin? the supply of water thereto; W. Barraclougb, Sydney, for improvements in machines for sheep-shearing and clipping horses; W. H. Edwards, Welliigton, for a guide pulley-frame for Venetian bl'nd cords; M. T. Clayton, Auckland, for belts with paddles attached for propelling all classes of thip3, lighters, pnnts, and boats, to be called "The Dream Belt," and for canvas lifeboat, to bec»lled "Clayton's Lifeboat"; James Baird, of Auckland, for an improved piston-valve for steam or water motors, or l'ft and force-pumps; H. Copeman and James Clegg ; Auckland, for improvements in perambulators; Robei iThompson, Christchurch, for improvements in apparatus for holding and tuning the strings of pianoi and other instruments of the like 1 ind ; William Reeves, ofßangiora, for an improved form of spring for vehicles.