GENERAL INTELLIGENCE.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 771, 20 August 1873, Page 2 (Supplement)

GENERAL INTELLIGENCE.

We understand that the outcome of the proceedings at Wednesday's meeting of the Waste Land Board, to which reference was ma<le in our leading columns yesterday, is that Mr hliott has been served, at the instance of Mr John Douglas, with a writ for libel. Very heavy damages are claimed.— Star.

The usually peaceful neighborhood of the Masonic Hall was on theßth the scene of unwonted excitement, that effect being produced by the efforts of the rival parties interested in keeping possession of the building. There is some difficulty in getting at the real facts connected with the storming of the ball; but in order that our readers may be able to strike the "happy medium," we give the account of each party. The Masons say that their bailiff, feeling thirsty, betook himself to the Criterion Hotel to "liquor up," having previously locked up the building ; that Mr Hudson's men, who were on the watch, availed themselves of the opportunity afforded by the abseqpe of the enemy to pick the lock and enter the building, in possession of which they left one of their number ; that the Masons bearing of this coup de main mustered in force, gained an entrance by smashing in a window, through which they ejected the representative of the so-called purchaser, and retained possession themselves. The other account is that two of Mr Hudson's employes went to the H ail early yesterday morning, and findin" the door opon entered. They immediately sent for Mr Hudson, who, after placing new bars on the door, left in possession two of his men, who remained there till betweeu four and five in the afternoon, when a body of Masons, numbering nearly thirty, arm°d with crowbars, and headed by a Justice of the Peace, marched up to the door and attempted to burst it open. Being unable to do so, they broke in one of the windows, and thus managed to get into the building. The mm insula, however, determined not to be put out, and offered resistance ; but the Masons soon got the bent of it, for after a struggle of close on half-an-hour 'hey succeeded in ejecting Mr Hudson's men ; and after barring the wiudowa, and protecting the place by placing men right r. und the building, they seut for the police. We believe that a case of a«sault. arising out of the row, will shortly be held at one of the local courts. - Star.

A correspondent from Wellington writes : "There will be a fierce attack on ' r. FeatheMon this session. Minister* will throw the blame of the failure of immigration on the Agent-General. This is the role: Featherston failed here and everywhere—his personal influence is his only merit "

The following is the purport of an extract from a telegram received by the Government from the Agent-General. The telegram is dated London, July 24. and states that the prospects of emigration are promising; that twelve hundred souls had been sent out during the mouth of July, and that live ships were laid on for the month of August A further shipment of Scandinavians had been despatched Irom Christiana for Napier. Iu accordance with, the recommendations forwarded to the Government by the Superintendent of a full complement of colliers and tailors would be forthcoming. The Agent G-neral promise to advise the Government as to the position of the contract entered into with a Hamburg firm some time ago for a supply <>f emigrants from Germany. He states that Messrs Brojden and Sons have refused to carry out their emigration contract, and that he had refused to make any concessions, l'he telegram contains the acceptable information that iron is falling, and that all the orders for railway material are in band.

The Thames district alone seems to be shut out from participation in the apparent prosperity in which the rest of the Colony ia now basking. Poverty is said to be very largely existent there, and disease and death are of course following in its train. A late excbauge states that the mortality amongst the infanLile population is becoming very whoopiug-cough and other diseases carrying off numbers of children. Deaths of young children are of almost daily occurrence. Three died in Shortland in one day, and our contemporary saysWe believe that great distress exists amongst the families of the poorer classes. By poorer classes, we mean families of laboring men, whose incomes are little more than sufficient to maintain themselves and families under ordinary circumstances, aud who feel the presence of sickness amongst the little ones as peculiarly trying. We were forcibly reminded of this last week. A workiug man had lost his infant child, and he informed us that he had seven children down with the whooping-cough. He confessed that he was a poor man. and Borely pushed by this grievous visitation; but he said he knew of others who were worse off thau himse.f." The following extract from a letter just received from a Canterbury gentleman, and now on a visit to England, has been sent to the local papers for publication " The second day after arrival I took the 1 underground ' to the city, carrying with me the presentation for Air Iborne from the Fiax Association, which I duly presented, and with which he was much pleased. He is a wonderfully energetic man, and deserves the best thanks of New Zealand for what he has done and is for the Hax industry. He showed me a variety of fabrics manufactured from the fibre, some of it alon», some cross woven with it, and some other material. There were woolpacks, *acking, towelling, stair cloths, napkins, and fabrics of a fine texture, fit for dresses. He has himself a pair of trousers and waistcoat, made of the fii re. which he wears in summer. He goes by the name of ' Phormium Thorne and by his enthusiasm and perseverance has broken down the prejudice which manufacturers entertained against the fibre, and they now believe in it. A stall is to be htted up at the International Exhibition with exhibits of the fibre and iabrics manufactured from it, and Mr Thorne intends to display bis piece of plate there. 1 ' Mr Mallock has purchased the well-known mare Gossip, by Traducer out of Backbiter's dam, from Air Webb, and has put her into training with the latter for the Christchurch Metropolitan meeting. As instances of the remarkable longevity d splayed by old colonists, the Independent mentions that in Wellington, within the last few days, a trio of ancient worthies died, the united ages of whom equal 236 years—Dr Knox, 82 ; Mr Telford, 81; Mr Smith, 73.

The practice of alienating lands from the state, Mr Phillips, one of the members of the Victorian Assembly, considers is a wrong one, and apposed to the principles of good government, and ultimately will be productive of great eviL He has given notice of motion that the sale of the public lands be discontinued until it has been ascertained if the lands still unsold cannot be so managed

as to yield a permanent and increasing revenue for State expenditure, this being the only btnctly just mode of railing a general revenue for national putpoeea. Mr Vogel's Life Assurance Companies 80l has been circulated. It is similar in its most

important features to the one which passed the House last year, but which, we believe fell through in the Lords. It makes it obligatory on all assurance companies cartying on business in the Colony, within six months from date, to deposit securities to-the Tain# of L 5.000 with the Public Trustee, each

securities to cunritt either of deeds of inert-

gage on real estate—the money advanced thereon being less than half the valme of such estate- -or of debentures of one or ether of

the Australian Colonies. The Bill alsoproposes to afford to insurers in private companies the protection at present enjoyed, in cases of bankruptcy, Ac., to those insuring

in the Government office The Estimates for General Government services for 1873-4 have been printed The Post says that they are this year more difficult than usual to understand and analyse, because several of the departments have been re-arranged, and transferred to different beads. The total estimated expenditure is set down at L 1,278.117 10s 7d. aa against L 1,311,250 4s 5d last year. The mam reduction appears to be under the head ef public domains and buildings, in which the expenditure is set down at L 2.783, aa against L 16.290. The difference is nearly accounted f>r by the fact that last year 1.14,740 was spent un public buildings, such as Court Houses, Post Offices, and the new Houses of Assembly, while this year public buildings are to be erected ont of loan. The printing department will cost L 2.235 more than last year, bindiug andpboto-litbograpbic branches being added to the establishment. The Minister of Justice, like bis colleagues, has a secretary, now, at LSOO per annnm. There is some decrease in Militia and Volunteer expenditure, and a very larc* increase under the head of Confiscated Lands. In the Colonial Secretary's Department the Under Secretary gets an increase of LIOO a year, and all the clerks get an advance. In other departments only particular officers are thus favored.

A return laid on the table of the House of Koresentatives shows the total import of j during the past tnree years to be: IS7I, 93,048 tons ; 1872, 93,815 tons ; 1873, 108,523 tons, the ye*r ending on June 30, in each case.

Mr Oliver, M.P.C., has act an example which might be well followed by many of his fellow-councillors. He has forwarded Lls, half of the amount of his honorarium, to the hospital of tbe district which he represents. end intimates that the other Lls was sent to the Benevolent Institution.

Auckland papers state that the veteran colonist, the fier. Dr Lang, is shortly expected there on k visit from Syduey, and that daring his stay in Auckland he intends delivering a lecture under the title of "A Chapter From My Political Experience, or the Karly Colonisation of Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand."

To show that the scarcity of house accommodation is now much felt in Inveicargill, the Southland Times mentions that, when it became known that the tenant of a small house was about to vacate, the proprietor bad eight different applications from parties anxious to secure the premises. The ereotion of house* should, under such cxreum* stances, be a profitable speculation.

The Auckland Eocmrnj Star, writing on the f relations of the Ageut-G«neral with the Go* ■ vernment, professes to be at a loss which most to admire—his infinite impudence, or the extreme coolness with which the Govern* ment tolerate his nontwnanoe in office and his astounding effrontery. The same question must suggest itself to the minds of all who i ead the immigration correspondence. '1 he Hokitika Lunatic Asylnm must be a pleasant place: there us thirty-six patients, and three persons to <ook after them. The local papers the other day record, as a matter of course, that "yesterday another of the assistants was severely bitten by one of the patients, and was obliged to obtain medical assistance to dress the wound." Tbe same journal complacently iadulge* in the comment that doubtless when one of the assistants is severely injured or killed, the county authorities will recognise the necessity for increasing the staff. At the last meeting of the Southland Waste Land Board, the application of Mr David Proudfoot, by letter, for 2,880 acres at Longwood, in eighty-acre sections, on behalf of himself jointly with a company, forming, or to be formed, for the purpose of mining for coal, was granted, subject to the following conditions, namely, subject to all rights under the Goldfields Acts and Regulations, each of the company to apply separately, and to deposit each LlO in cash, as proof of the bona fidt nature of the application, and LS 15s in each case, cost of survey. No timber to be cut upon the land except such as might be actnidly required for the purposes of mining. The latest form of the law reform mania which appeara to hate set in, i« developed in Auckland, where some people are petitioning " to reduce the number of jurors in civil cases from twelve to six; to make it competent for three-fourths of the jury to give a verdict; to increase the remuneration of jurors; in criminal cases to allow the verdict* of say three-fourths of the jury to be taken after an hour's deliberation; if practicable, to allow the jury ia any case where there is a conflict between law and equity, to give their ve: diet, if they so desire, on equitable considerations, the Judge having power to reserve such verdict for tbe approval of the full Court." On the 4tb ult. Mr Adamson, the A merican Consul in Melbourne, in proposing "theday we celebrate," at a re-union of Americans, held at his residence, East Melbourne, said, that "the centennial aniversary would be celebrated at Philadelphia, where tbe declaration of independence was proclaimed, in three years, in the summer of that jubilee year a world's exhibition would be held at Philadelphia, on a scale larger than anything of the kind that had yet been attempted. He, in common with ail Americans, hoped that the whole world wo aid join them in contributing to that exhibition, in order that the citizens of the states might learn by tbe superioritv of others wherein America was deficient "

There were twenty candidates for the Colonial Scholarships this year, bat only three of the value of L 45 each,(were awarded, to Henry Cotterill and W. H. Atacks, of Christ's College, Christchnrch, and to F. A. Severne, of Nelson College. None of the candidates obtained the minimum number of marks required for the L7O scholarship. Bishop Moran should read the Parliament* ary papers on immigration, as they contain a complete refutation of his oft-repeated charge that the Government did not en* courage emigration from Ireland. Prom July 28, 1871, to November 17, 1872, thirtyrtve vessels, carrying 6,516 soak, were de»patched to the Colony. The nationalities of the immigrants are thus stated:— 3.' 98 ; Scotch. 570 ; Irish, 842 ; Welsh, 64; Germans, 367 ; Danes, 403; Swedes and Norwegians, 546 ; other countries, 26.

Mr J. S. Macfarlane did not gain his end by giving Mr M'Leod L2OO to resign, for he was at the bottom of the poll at tne Bay of Islands election. The suooessfal candidate is Mr Williams, who polled 119 votes, and Mr Lundon 85, while Mr Macfarlane only secured 30.