The Evening Star. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1888.

Evening Star, Issue 7773, 19 November 1888, Page 2

The Evening Star. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1888.

Mr J. T. Matson has declined to contest the Lincoln seac. To-day's report from the the hospital concerning the lad Black ia that he passed a very good night and is apparently making favorable progress. We hear that an attempt was made the other night to break into Mr Ellisdon's central pharmacy premises in Princes street by the back entrance. The proprietor, who sleeps on the premises, hearing unusual sounds, proceeded to the part whence the noises came with his revolver, and he supposes that the sound made by cocking his pistol frightened the would-be burglar. The Baptist Union has elected the following olliee-bearers for the ensuing year : President, Rev. K. Dallaston ; vice-presi-dent, Mr F. Battiey: secretary, Rev. R. VVoolley (re-elected) ; treasurer, Mr John Simon ; Executive Committee Rev. A. North, Mr J. Carson, Rev. T. Spurgeon, Rev. H. H. Driver, and Hon. T. Dick ; conference preacher for next year, Rev. L Shackleford ; Students' Committee—Revs. A. North, H. H. Driver, L. Shackleford, Mr H. Kirk, Hon. T. Dick. The Mayor of Auckland, while passing through the American section of the Melbourne Exhibition, looked at some of the American educational books exhibited, and wa3 surprised to find how patriotism was steadily inculcated in American children. They were told in their very lessons that it was their duty to use the articles produced in their country, rather than those imported from abroad ; and a further article in their creed was to be a belief that the American manufactures were much better than those of any other country. The Mayor says that the young Americans are thus from their earliest days imbued with a spirit of patriotism, which is lacking in the colonies. As a matter of fact, if colonists taught their children anything, it was, so far as practical example went, that any imported rubbish was better than the local industries of their country. Mr Devore considers that a similar method of teaching the young their duty in respect to the industries of the country, as is adopted in America, should be introduced into our public school system, and he intends to bring the matter up at a convenient opportunity. For seven weeks the London 'Daily Telegraph' published several columns of letters daily on the question " Is marriage a failure ?" It received 27,000 letters on the subject. It ended the discussion and editorially sums up as follows : —" The consensus of letters is overwhelmingly strong against early marriages. Our law ought, we think, to forbid marriages of young men under twenty-one and young women under nineteen, Among the working classes especially this would produce, we believe, an excellent effect. Then, also, it is clear to our mind that the km- of divorce must be enlarged to permit dissolutions of marriage for desertion, lunacy, confirmed inebriety, conviction for disgraceful crimes, as likewise for established incompatibility of temper and temperament, such as a just and prudent Judge would admit to be adequate. That the mar riage service, as it stands, calls also for alteration has been abundantly demonstrated by these letters. The two most important points, however, have not been touched upon—at least in the letters published. The first is that there are 800,000 more women than men in England, and the second that the devastating flood of children deters more people here from marrying than any other consideration." The preliminary stage of the case W. A. Young (Cobb and Co.) v. Greenfield and Grace (Tramway Company) was commenced in the Supreme Court at Wellington yesterday. Plaintiff claims L 7,500 damages for alleged infringement of his patent for certain improvements in road or train vehicles, adopted by defendants in their "palace cars." Mr Jellicoe, on behalf of plaintiff, had given notice of motion for an interim injunction to prevent defendants from using the vehicle in question. As, however, defendants have since filed a defence challenging the validity of the patent on the ground that before any patent rights accrued plaintiff had four cars, made by Rouse and Hurrell, on the principle described in his specification, and used them publicly, Mr Jellicoe limited his motjon to jnc for an account of the earnings of cars up to the time of the trial. M r Travers appeared [ov defendants, and strongly resisted the implication, contending that it could not be granted unless the validity of the patent •vere established. The Chief Justice made m order directing defendants to keep an iccount of the earnings of the improved cars in question, and ordered the motion injunction to stand over until the trial.

The Governor returned to Wellington yesterday. The Hon. Mr Mitchelson returns this week by way of Sydney. A meeting of the Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners was held at the Waverley Hotel on Saturday, when the death of the late secretary was discussed) there being a general expression of orJiiiion that Mr P. Chandler, of Hammersmith, would be the nekt secretary. The polling for iWsbii'ry, vacant by the resignation of Sir John (better known as Serjeant) Simon owing to ill-health, is what might hive been expected, seeing that it is orie of the strongholds of Gl'idst6neism. The late member held one of the safest seats in the kingdom from 1868 down to the day of his resignation, and on late occasions, when he was put to a, contest, his majorities ranged from 340 <wUon he was ha.rd pressed by a Liberal in 1880) to 2,460 in 18S5. Colonel Duncan, who has resigned his seat for the new Finsbury division of Holborn, soon got tired of Parliamentary life. He contested four constituencies before he was returned in ISSS, when he defeated the Liberal candidate by 1,574 votes, and at ihe 1886 general election he defeated an Indian gentleman of great protttifte by 1,701 votes. Colonel Duncan, though a failure as a parliamentarian, is an able soldier, was made a colonel and C.B. for his services in Egypt, and is at the head of the movement for the establishment of ambulance classes throughout Great Britain. As Finsbury is ultra-Tory the representation will remain unaltered.

Mr Vaile lifts not been so clear in his attacks on the goods rates on our railways as in his Contention for reduced passenger rates. He hit on a good argument in the following:—" I simply tAke ouu case as an illustration. A farm, 300 acres, about 130 miles from a shipping port (say Auckland). On that farm there should be 17") tons of produce of all sorts for the market. Its transport at the preseut railway charges would be L3OB odd, by the proposed tariff LOS odd; the difference, L 240 or thereabouts, means either prosperity or ruin, both to the owners of the land and to the working of the railway. The present charges prohibit farming in the outlying districts altogether, Unless being Worked at a loss, so that sooner or later it must collapse. The railways to those districts must be also rlmnihg at a loss, as there are no freights for them, and unfortunately at ths expense of the taxpayer." A meeting of the committees of the Dunedin Engineers' and Kaikorai Bands was held in the Royal George Hotel on Saturday evening regarding tho possibility of arranging a friendly con Lest between the bands for a Btake. Tiie Kaikorai Band, it will be remembered, were unable (through the unavoidable absence of their conductor) to compete in the Queenstown band contest, which was eventually won by the Engineers' Band. From the tenor of the discussion at the meeting on Saturday evening it appears to us that no direct challenge was issuedon either side, the newspaper controversy being simply the outcome of a little banter indulged in by the members of both bands when at Queenstown—and a misunderstanding as to, and misquoting of, certain words used there. After some discussion it was decided that a contest be held under the following conditions : That the stake be LSO a-side, in three deposits viz., LlO to be deposited with the stake - holder (Mr Cohen) on Wednesday next, L2O on the following Wednesday, and a third and final deposit of L2O to bemade before 5 p.m. of the night of competition ; that the band withdrawing from the contest forfeit the amount deposited with the stakeholder at the time of withdrawal; that the net proceeds be divided between the competing hands ; that the conditions and rules under which the competition is to be carried out be similar to the rules and conditions relating to the Queenstown contest; that the gentlamen who officiated as judges at Queenstown be requested to act in a similar capacity for the contest, and that they choose a third member as a judging party (subject to the approval of both bauds). The contest pieces are, we understand, as follows : Dunediu Engineers' Band, ' Maritana' and 'Lombardi;' Kaikorai Band, 1 Ernani' and ' Lombardi. 1

Hand and Heart Lodge, M.U.1.0.0.F., meet this week on Wednesday evening.

Mr Hugh Gourley will address the ratepayers in the Lyceum Hall on Wednesday evening. Particulars of the arrangements made by the railway authorities for the Dunedin show and races appear in this issue.

Ladies and gentlemen Assisting in tho procession «.f the Dominican Convent H'gli School baziar moot in St. Joseph's School, Dowhng street, this evening, at 7.M o'clock. The Taieri agricultural show takes place at Mosgiol to-morrow. The W.O.T.U. will have a luncheon tent on the ground, and the borough authorities have declared a half holiday.

Sixteen patients were admitted into tho Dunedin Hospital and twelve were discharged la-it week. There are at present in the institution ninety-eight patient?, or four more than at the beginning of last week. The Union Company have arranged to give school teachers and pupils an opportunity of visiting the Melbourne Exhibition during the holidays by granting them special return tickets at exceptionally low rates.

Among the other special prizes, the Otago Agricultural and Pastoral Association have received a donation of two guineas for the best Berkahiro boar under nine months) old at the show on the 28th and 29th inst. ' The New Zealand Schoolmaster' continues to give special attention to the question of manual training. Miss Ford's articles are now drawing to a close, and very instructive and suggestive they have b;en. Our spiiited contemporary has made <juite a new departure and gone in for fiction. The novelette is to be completed in six numbers, and each chapter U written by a different author. The two prizas offered ought to bring suitable grist to the editorial mill. The Crawford - Hunter party of Scottish vocalists and character sketchers will open their Eunedin season at the Princess's Theatre next Monday. Miss Hunter (Mrs Crawford) and Miss Macgregor aro both said to be good singers, while of Mr Crawford the ' Glasgow Mail' says that "at his best he haß no rival as a humorous vocalist and Scotch comedian. His aptitude for the conception of humorous situation, and the pourtrayal of Scottish character of the broad and ' toozie' type, amounts to real genius, and classes him at once above the run of music hall comedians as an artiste of great natural ability and experience."