The Evening Star. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1892.

Evening Star, Issue 8938, 23 September 1892, Page 2

The Evening Star. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1892.

Tho only patition of insolvency filed at tho Uuncdin offioe during the past week vt&h that of John Wheeler, of Warn driver.

Daring the pj«t v?eok the only section of Crown lands taken up at tho Dunodin office waa section !i3, block 14, Lower Wanaka, 7a 3r lp, 20s per aore, by John Fitzgerald, on perpetual lease, The ratepayers of Balclutha just managed to secure a bare majority in favor of a lean oi L6CO for the purchase of Kennedy Wylie's property to augment the borough reoreatio'n restrve.

Tha ' Bruce Herald' hears that tffo beach workers at Measly Bsaoh, fonr miles south of the mouth of the Tokcmairiro River, have averaged Lo a week each for more than five week?,

A shoal" of oats grown on M'Arthur'a fatm at Strath Clyde, near Clyde, has been forwarded to the Otago Central League. " For strength of straw and head," says tho sender, "I den't think it can be beaten even in tha fsared Taieri." The sample can be seen in the window of Mr Bull, Princes istree*.

Tha settlers on the iuigftted lands at Mildnra (Victoria) have had a startling experience. They have fallen out with Chaffey Brothers, who have stopped the engines which pump the water on whloh the existence of the settlement depends. The settlers appealed to the Government, but it has been found that such a contingency was not anticipated, and that therefore the agreement contains nothing to compel the firm to supply water. A tire broke out in the houso of Mr Wnrn Faulkobr, laborer, of King ctseet) ac eevea o'clock last evening. "Mr hotelkeepsr, who noticed smoke issuing from one of the bedrooms, rushed into the houß9, and with the aid of a bucket of water extinguished the flames. Miss Faulkner had been putting two oi the children to bed, and had left tho room for a few minutes, when one of them shifted a lighted candle underneath the ciUv&ina, causing tha latter to take fire. The damage done was very slight. Mr Libouohere recently stated that the bill far coats owing to him from men whom he had exposed for the pabiio benefit amounted to nearly LIP.OOO. The la?t notion he was called on to defend was one for alleged libel brought against him by Mr Horatio Bottomley, late of the Hansard Union, It was withdrawn ou the day of trial. Mr Labouchere caita the blame for this state of things—that i?, for what amounts practically to the blackmailing of newspapers that dare t3 Speak the truth—on the public,

Regarding the deadlock between the two Honses over the Electorul Bill, tho ' Clutha Leader' puta the matter very eqinrely: " The whole dispute is a aiily, piltry, contemptible affair. The women tfouid be quite prepared to vote ascordiag to the present eystem or aooording to that by the Council. They don't care a straw which is adopted. What thsy ask is that tho right of voting bo extended to them, and if the details should prove inconvenient they could be amended afterwards. Both the Government and the Council freely admit the principle, but they would deprive half the adult population of the country of the right to vote because of a dispute as to whether they shall deposit theii voticg papers in the slot of a post office or that of a ballot box. The \vho!e dispute is a dngraCi to the intelligence of both parties." At the quarterly meeting of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce yesterday Mr Gale spoke strongly against the Sab Francisco service under the present conditions. He said is was a dietiuct disadvantage to fourfifths of the oolony to havo Auckland a3 th 9 p.-.rfc for it. The money wouli bo better , spent on other lines. He drew attention to the alicged ovtfr - valuation of exports for IS9I. Wool figured at L 4,129,686, whereas, so far as could be ascertained, only L 3,500,000 was actually received. It wa i ) absurd to go on calculating our exports at nearly L 10,000,000 in the fauo of such mistakes. Resolutions woro pissed calling on tho Governmcat to ohooso twine more c?atrnl port than Auckland if the San Francisco c-ervice was to be continued, and drawing their attention to the necessity of a better audii of the accounts of public companio3. Air T. K. ilaclonuld, hitmelf an auditor, spoke otrongly ia favor of the lattsr, and ea!d auditors ought to have power to call attention to advances which they thought wore made on insufficient security. Discussing the Statutes' Revision Committee's proposal to make the U3e of the electoral right optional with women, the ' Oamaru Mail' saya :—"lf the method of voting under the Female Franchise were optional, women voters would no loDger be abla to take advantage of the secrecy of the ballot, on the ground that they had no other alternative, and iauiily disagreements might result. Thosß women who votod by ballot when they had the option of voting by electoral right would lay themselves open to a charge thai they had Gomething to oonoeal from thoir families ; whereas, if there was no other way of voting but by ballot, their voting would not engender such suspicious. It is sheer bombast for Councillors to threaten that if their dangerous innovation in the supposed interest of timid women be not adopted they will not pass the Women's Franchise, aod is unworthy of a moment's consideration. If the women cf the colony cannot now secure a franchise which places them all oil the same footing, they will wait till the obstruction to their obtainment of that right has been cleared away." So we say. At yesterday's meeting of the Waitaki County Council Mr Borrlo moved—" That this Council, representing ratepayers the rateable value of whose property is nearly two and a-half million pound*, respectfully but firmly protest against the railways of the colony btiog again brought in any v/ay under political influence, and the members representing the district bo asked to use their votes and influence against the Act now before tho House of Representatives." The Commissioners had certainly cot given th«m all they had asked for, but they had managed the railways economically and well, and it would be an unwise thing to let the railways go back under political control. Mrladalehad no objection to the Minister sitting as a commissioner, but he was against his having a power of veto. Mr Borrie said that would give the Minister entire control of the railways. Mr Shaw said Mr Seddon wanted to be king of the railways and of everything else ia New Zealand, The Chairman said if the Bill passed the House the Minister would have control of the railways. The motion was oarried unanimously,

On dit that Cr Fish will be * Candidate for the City mayoralty this year. At a recent meeting of the Wellington Philosophical Society Mr E. M. Smith, M.H.R.,was armed frith his specimen*—a largo number cf articles made from Tar** nakl JronSand, consisting of bucket!, honto* shofcs, trays, pir; of carriage step, eto. Speaking on the realities of the ironsand, Mr Smith said ho was convinced that artiolei saefc as were exhibited could be made 25 per Cent, oheaper and 25 per oent.vbetter, tnatt the imported articled. Mr H. P, Eigginaon asked if the iron bad beeu tested for strength. Mr Bmith replied that tho iron had been tested, and had gone two and a half tone over the best 8.8. H. iron. Sir James Hcotor Baid that acting on his advioe Mr Smith had sent specimens of the iron to the Addington Workshops, Cnriatohnroh, where they had tho propor applianoes for testing Iron, and the result would be looked for with great interest.

A oharge of attempt to murder, brought against a man named Mllward t*t the Staffordshire assises, ended ra & strange way. Th« object ef tn"& prisoner's attaok wm a woman n&med Hood; bat when the Grand <Jnry were called on to return a bill She foreman informed the judge that they found themselves in a difficulty—the woman having since the alleged attaok upon her married her assailant. Mr Stokes, a legal juryman, thereupon pointed out that as this was a case of personal injury, the woman could giro evidence against her husband, Mid Mr Justice' Collina observed that the Grand Jnry "could certainly have tho woman before them." The Grand. Jury* therefore, retired to adopt the jadgefi advice; but when they returned into court matters wore pretty mueh whorb. they were bsfore. They had had rt the woman before them," in accordance with the judge's suggestion ; but she had sturdily refused to say anything against her penitent husband. The bill was acoo;dingly tbrorn out for want if evidence.

\)*&£a City Guards' fioolal in St. Paul's •Jcaoolroom next Friday evening. Entiles for th§ antual horse parade at Tahuna Park olwo at novn to-morro*.

Don't forgot that Saturday (tomorrow) is positively the hat dsy of the greft' boot Bale at the Continental Eeot Depot, opposite Post Office, Speoial inducements are offered for the final day of sale. — \ Advt j The Blomlngton Weajeyan choir held their rvinual social laat evening, the attendance being about one hundred. The conductor (Mr T. Holeat©) wis presented with a diver teapot and Mrs with a pair of fclly spoons as a token of the reipcot in which they were held. The Rev. Mr Pinfold mtde the presentation. At the annual meeting the officers were reelected, the Oommi tee of Management eonsiitiag if —Mr T, Eolijato, conductor; Mr W. H. ?o at, secretary; Mr U. Sandford, librarian; Miss licuiley, organist; and Miss Lowdea