LATEST TELEGRAPHIC INTELLIGENCE.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 660, 5 July 1871, Page 2

LATEST TELEGRAPHIC INTELLIGENCE.

(greville and company, reuter's agents.) Dunedin, this day, 3.10 p.m. The Escort bronght to town 11,000 ounce". M'Glashan's flour mill, Water of Leith, was totally destroyed by fire this morning. The origin of the fire is a mystery. The building was unoccupied, and insured in the Rjval. The amended estimates provide for a reduction of £7OOO annually, for future years. The Superintendent's salary is reduced to £9OO. The Council refused to vote salaries in increase of the Executive They have reduced the Police pay one shilling per day. The resolution was carried, but it is thought the pay will be raised again. Blethen entertained the Council at lunch, to-day. Close holiday to-day, on the occasion of the opening of the University. 4.55 p.m. The University was opened with great eclat. Major Richardson delivered the inaugural address, which occupied two hours in delivery. There was a large and fashionable attendance. Thirty students have already entered.

The " Jane Williams " nee the " Moa," was launched on Saturday last. This fine boat was christened in the orthodox fashion by breaking a bottle of champagne over her bows. Tlie young lady who performed this service did it very cleverly, and was a niece of Mr Williams, —Miss Elizabeth Pryor. All wish the firm of Williams and Archer success, for in the words of the well-known song " They are jolly good fellows, &o." The weather is broken on the flats, but the ground is still full of frost. In the upland parts of the district frost prevails. Miniug operations are at a stand still. The 4th July was kept up with great spirit in both the Arrow and Queenstown. We give a report of the Concert in aid of the Church of England Building Fund, in another column, A dance at Mr Madam's, Prince of Wales Hotel, and another at Mr Cash's, Victoria Hotel, also attracted attention, and were highly successful. Talk of bad times, and the complaint of the want of money seems to be a proverbial topic of conversation with the man in the street. Hut cast a glance over numerous meetings and social gatherings, and see how social and well to do the community is. None of them turn out failures. The re-union at Mr M'Bride's " Harp of Erin," was, on Friday, a crowded and succesful affair. Nothing was left undone by host or hostess to ensure the comfort of their numerous guests. Thus a really very pleasant evening was spent. A special meeting of the Hoard of Wardens was held at the Shotover Ferry Hotel, on Tuesday. Present —H. M'Dougall, Esq, chairman, and all the Wardens. A few depasturing applications were granted, after which the Board proceeded with the business for which it had been called together—the making of final arrangements for ensuing annual election. Polling booths were appointed at Messrs Lawton and Gardiner's branch store, Upper Moonlight; and at Mr Hazeel's store, Shotover Branches. Mr W. Warren was appointed c'lief returning officer for the whole district. After a few other preliminary arrangements had been made, the meeting bruke up with a vote of thanks to the Chair. Mr Postmaster Falck has furnished us with the following list of letters received at tht Queenstown Post-office during March, and remaining unclaimed at end of last month~A Aiken, Jane Barnett, Mrs Brown, Mr Cartwright, Donald Cameron, Geo. Duckmanton M. Grifl'en, Messrs Holland and Williams, Alex. Hatley, Mr Holland, R. B. Jones, Walter or H. Ward Kilby, Sarah Lindsay, Messrs Marshall and Campbell, Steuart M'Allister, J. M'Laren, Jackif Chinaman, Peter Nuttiugley. A. M. Koss, Mr Wheatley, G. Wheatlcy.

The Bth current (Saturday) will be the latest day for issuing summons in the District Court for the evening sitting. Perhaps the following prediction may prove true for Queenstown. The Lawrence correspondent of the Bruce Herald writes : —" In consequence of the sitting of the Insolvent Court being held here, our little township often looks cheery, as many of those who have the misfortune to attend are by no means niggard in respect to what we call shouting/' A general meeting of the Wakatip Agricultural and Pastoral Association was held in the Lower Shotover School on Tuesday, for the purpose of electing office-bearers and members of Committee for the current year. A. H. Douglas Esq. (president), in the chair. The attendance was good. Minutes of previous meeting were read and confirmed. The following are the names of office-bearers and members of Committee elected:—President - A. H. Douglas, Esq.; Vice-President —F. M'Bride, Esq.; hon. Treasurer-J. 0. M'Aidell,Esq.; hon. f e retary, A. (J. Thomson, Esq.; Members of Committee—Messrs Arndt, W. Elliot, Humphrey, Hallenstein, Betts, R. Matheson, R. Gilmour, Cope, Butel, Kirkpatrick, M'Morran, and M'Kinnon, . A vote of thanks was passed to the retiring Committee. On the molion of Messrs Humphrey and Cope, the Committee were instructed to endeavor to procure a suitable place to hold meetings of the Association, wherein business members might have an opportunity of discussing together on various subjects affecting their interests. A vote of thanks being passed to the Chair, the meeting adjourned until the Ist Tuesday in August next. We are glad to see that a member of the Provincial Council has obtained leave to bring in a bill to amend the Dog Nuisance Ordinance. It is quite time that means should be taken to get some improvement made in it. A correspondent in our " Open Column" calls attention to the way the Ordinance is enforced in Queenstown. Our police reports have shown that others beside our correspondent have been tinei. The law is too severe in certain cases on the owners of unregistered dogs, and we think, instead of making it imperative on a Justice to inflict a fine of £2, some discretion should be allowed. We have heard of cases in which the infliction has been a positive injustice, but yet the magistrate had no alternative but to enforce the fine. We have known of a dog supposed for weeks to be lost, finding its way back to its owner, and the unfortunate man being summoned and fined for not having registered the animal. The Dog Ordinance, more than any other with which we are acquainted, puts it in the power of anyone to take the law into his own hands, and this, we think, is a very dangerous power to give to the generality of people. So long as the dog is found without a collar, although he may but just have slipped it, he can be seized and killed, and the has no redress. Yet the Ordianee says a collar shall be given with the license, but it never is, so that the owner has each year to buy a new collar, and get the registered number inscribed upon it. We have not the proposed amending Bill before us. Since two legal gentlemen have been practising in our Courts, the most simple case often assumes large proportions, as far as arguments go. To report these would occupy a larger space in our journal than we are prepared to give. Indeed, what the public demand are short pithy summaries of cases heard. We cannot undertake to give lengthened reports of legal objections, unless they have an important bearing. At the sitting of the Warden's Court on Friday the Chinese litigants set an excellent example. A day or two before they withdrew all the cases between themselves, and deposited for each of the several companies the sum of £50 —£200. The Company that first goes to law is to forfeit £SO, and so on. They have also adopted an arbitration tribunal, to whom all matters of dispute between themselves are to be referred. Of course the Europeans would not use these means, but "John" is thoroughly disgusted with the European Courts of justice. He says that he always goes " to the wall," and cannot understand it at all. Hence this new movement, which is likely to bo adopted throughout the district. At Timaru, a carter has been fined 50s, with costs, for not keeping on the propar side of the road when passing vehicles. We believe a similar warning to some of our own teamsters would have a beneficial effect. Almost any day in the week, on the road between Frankton and here, some shying horse with its rider may be seen bolting up the range on the one side, or plunging down the precipitous sideling on the other, simply because the carter passing is too lazy or careless to allow room by taking the proper side.

Ma Cassiug recently made the following modest offer to the Hokitika Corporation, viz., to lend £IOOO for twelve months, at the rate of 12 per cent per annum, with 5 per cent, added, for negotiating the transaction, provided it was used exclusively for the extension of the wharf from Wharf-street beyond Kevell-street The offer was referred to a Committee. The first instalment of the census returns for the colony of Victoria has been published. So far as can be ascertained, it would seem that the population is 400,700 males, and 329,108 females, making a total of 729,808 souls. A timber contract has been accepted by the Hokitika Corporation at the rate of 6s lid per 100 ft. A very able despatch from Governor Weld to the Secretary of State for the Colonies has been published, showing in what manner he proposed the Council of West Australia should be remodelled, and suggesting that power should be given to him to introduce from time to time into the Executive Council members of the Legislative Council whose views accorded with those of the Government, and thus as vacancies occurred fill them by men who could retain them so long as they remained in the Legislative Council, and bv such means gradually bring into bearing the principles of •esponsible Government. His views have been adopted in full by the authorities in Downingstreet.