TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 5398, 3 June 1879, Page 2

TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.

[By Special WntE.l

The Royal Insurance Company has adopted a fire tariff of its owuin Wellington.

The Attorney-General and Minister of Public Works went South yesterday. Constable Mack, of Adelaide, left Wellington by the Arawata yesterday with Cowan, the bigamist, in custody. A party of threo miners in a claim on the Kumara goldfield havo washed for three weeks' work 180 oz. of gold. Their expenses amounted to about £50 to £60 for the same period, the balance being net profit. One of the party wanted to go Home, and had an offer of £450 for his share, but he refused iU

His Excellency the Governor rode out yesterday with a party of gentlemen in the direction of "the meeting of the waters," near New Plymouth, and went on to Mr Caverhill's farm, where he will enjoy a day's shooting. His Excellency on his way had an opportunity of witnessing how Maoris defy the law, for they were hard at work ploughing up Mr Courtney's grass paddock.

The committee to which tho Presbyterian Synod entrusted the suitable celeberation of the establishment of the Presbytery of Otago are niakiug satisfactory progress with the necessary arrangements.

The Evangelist, the organ of the Otago Presbytery, has ceased to be after an existence of ten years. It was commenced in 1869 by the Eev. Dr Copeland. Since 1874 it has been edited by Dr Stuart. It now gives place to the New Zealand Presbyterian, which is under the care of Professor Salmond.

At the annual meeting of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce yesterday, Mr J. M. Dargaville moved a series of resolutions urging the Government to reimpose the duty on timber or to grant compensation, as was done in the case of the Distilleries Act, when it was repealed. Ho stated that at present five hundred men were out of employment in consequence of the abolition of tho duty, and that a large number of ships were now laid up which had hitherto found profitable trade in carrying timber. Mr Holdship seconded the motion and stated that within three months from the present time about a thousand more hands would be discharged, and the number would continue to be inreased from time to time until the timber trade had almost disappeared. He regarded the removal of the timber duty as the severest blow the Government could have dealt to the prosperity of that part of the colony. The resolutions were carried.

At Featherston yesterday a man named Win. Peinberthy Ford was sentenced to six months' imprisonment for robbing his master, Mr Huxley, a tailor.

The Customs dues collected last month, at Lyttolton were— Spirits, £5850 18s 7d ; tobacco, £1197; ad valorem, £3140 0s 3d.

The brick sewers north of the Avon, at Christchurch, have now been completed, the cost being £8000. The sewers, which form part of Mr Clarke's scheme, have been finished for £1500 leas than that gentleman's estimate.

The cases of infectious diseases reported in. the Christchurch district, between April 28 and May 16, have been classified as follows : — Typhoid fever, 9 ; scarlet fever, 1 ; diphtheria, 2.

A boy named Fox, living on Kaiapoi Island, while^ playing with an old flintlock gun ■ on Saturday afternOdn, met ,withaßerldubabcident. He ldadedVth'e weapon and allowed the muzzle ib get filled with the clay, and when the'bdy. fired the gun burst and the breach was driven clean through his thigh, carrying away a piece of the bone; Amputcttion Will probably "Be necessary; The Minister df £üblid VfoAi has givdn orders for aamall section of railway work on the Waipara entension, Canterbury line, to be laid off, on which the unemployed can be placed on piece-work, at a rate of wages not to exceed 6s per day. The Selwyn County Counoil and Lyttelton Harbor Board and Drainage Board are about to commence works which will employ a good number of the unemployed, and the City. Gpuncil have put on about 50 men at stone-breaking. The gunboat Albatross^ arrived , at Audkland, brings news fr Idm1 dm Sairio'a that Mateatoa has been crowned King of all Samoa. He was leader, of the so-called rebel party. The white ; residents are wondering whether there will be another ! war, or whether the so-called Government will quietly bo snuffed out without remonstrance.

_ The unemployed at Oainaru are getting up a petition to Mr Macandrew, bringing their condition under his notice with the view of obtaining employment on , public Worics. They have called a meeting for this meeting.