THE Marlborough Times. PUBLISHED DAILY. SATURDAY, JUNE 10, 1882.

Marlborough Daily Times, Volume IV, Issue 551, 10 June 1882, Page 2

THE Marlborough Times. PUBLISHED DAILY. SATURDAY, JUNE 10, 1882.

Mr Turnbull, the Registrar of the Supreme Court, has received a telegram from the Judge, asking him to postpone the sitting of the Supreme Court until Tuesday next. The necessary notice to juries and ■witnesses appears in our advertising columns. Wc learn that the Rev. Mr Robb, of the Hawke’s Bay Presbytery will shortly take charge of St. Audrews Church, Blenheim. We have heard he is an earnest and fluent preacher. Messrs Litchfield and Son intimate through our business columns they have now in their windows what is believed to be the largest show of ladies and children’s hosiery’ever exhibited in the colony, and from a personal observation we may say it is worthy of inspection on the part of the public. In the course of a very clever speech last week, Mr Tawhai compared Mr Bryce’s visit to Parihaka to that of the Roman Emperor Trajan to Antioch, when he met Athanisus and asked him why he did not worship the statutes (gods) of Rome. Athauisus replied he was a Christian, aud worshipped the ouly true God. Trajan then ordered Athanisus to be taken and thrown to the dogs. The only difference was that asyetTeWhiti had not been thrown to the dogs. In all other respects he considered the comparison justified. The Employment of Females and Others Act, 1882, Amendment Act, 18S2 (Mr M. W. Green).—lt is proposed that the original Act shall extend in its definition of the term “ employ ” to the delivery of goods, parcels, messages, and no female, young person, or child shall be employed for more than eight hours in any one. day, with the following exception : —Nothing in this Act shall be deemed or taken to prevent—The employment ef females in retail places of business where goods are exposed for sale on Saturdays only or on the day immediately preceding any public holiday, up to eight o’clock in the evening. Provided that females so exceptionally employed for more than eight hours in any one day. I'or the purpose of carrying out the provisions of the Acts, and person duly authorised may enter and inspect any factory at any time if he shall have good reason to believe that the provisions of this Act or of the said Act are being infringed.

There will be choir practice in the Church of the Nativity at the usual hour this eveniug. The Colonial Treasurer, like nine-tenths of the public just now, is suffering from the effects of the bad weather which has recently set in, and was confined to the house yesterday with a severe cold. In order to avoid his having to go out, his colleagues assembled at his residence last eveniug and held a lengthy Cabinet meeting, when various matters connected with session work were duly considered. It was decided that it was necessary to get the Native Bills out of the way before the Budget should be brought down. As the statements made by various speakers during Jthe debate on the secoud reading of the West Coast Peace Preservation Bill indicated the probability of that measure being delayed for some time in committee, it was likely it would be inconveuient for any uncertainty to exist regarding the delivery of the Financial Statement, it was better to settle at once that it should be postponed, especially as Major Atkinson’s cold rendered him unable to speak much above a wisper. Accordingly the statement will not be delivered before Friday, as Wednesday and Thursday are private members days, and should the Native Bills be unduly delayed in Committe the Budget may not be brought down until Tuesday next.—Post. The Bill introduced by Mr Dick to amend the Licensing Act, 18SI, provides that the Governor may alter or abolish licensing districts. When any district is altered or the boundaries re-cefined it is not to be necessary to make new appointments therein, but the licensing committee and all officers duly acting in the district before the alteration or re-definition are to continue to act in and for the district as altered or re-defined. Local bodies are to appoint returning officers, who are to appoint the time and place for the first meeting of licensing committees, such time to be within 14 days and as much earlier as may be. The election of chairman to take place at such first meeting. The cost of electing licensing committees to be paid by the local bodies having jurisdiction in the districts. The local bodies (and not their chairman as at present) are to appoint presiding officer at polls of ratepayers for and against new licenses. The expenses of such poll to be paid by the local bodies. Applications for renewal of licenses need not be advertised. Some person may be appointed by the Governor to issue licenses in new miniug districts. A temporary transfer of licenses to be registered, and the license not to be retained by the clerk of the committee as at present, but to be returned by its owner. Local bodies are in all cases to pay the cost of licensing meetings, advertisements, &c., not merely out of the license fees received as at present provided. As the wattle-tree grows with great success in this district, the following paragraph from the Melbourne Age may be of interest to parties who purpose planting this season. The wattle is not only a handsome tree, but of considerable commercial value, and it should be extensively cultivated : —About five years ago the firm of Messrs Michaelis, Ilallenstein. and Co., tanners and earners applied to the Government for a grant of land in the Stawell district for the purpose of growing wattle. The Government could not, however, under the land regulations, grant the quantity required, and the matter dropped for the time. Messrs Michaelis, Hallenstein, and Co., have, however, not lost sight of the object of their application. About three months ago they purchased 17,000 acres of laud about seven miles from Killmo>’e and the same from Bradford. They are now engaged in making experiments in growing the wattle-tree ; and their manager who has over 400 acres in hand, has lately planted a quantity of wattle seeds. The seed which lias a very hard covering, has been submitted to an artificial germinating process of soaking in warm water, and sweating in bags for a week. The seed which is by that time much swollen with moisture, is planted about ten feet apart. Another experiment is intended, that of raising plants in a nursery and afterwards plauting out. There are a large number of wattle-trees already growing on the ground, and Michaelis and Hallenstein are determined to extend this new industry if the experiment described promises to be successful. The result will be watched with interest.

There lias beeu a spell of thorough winter weather during the past week (says the Picton Press). On Sunday it was very inclement, and since then a bitterly cold south-west wind has beeu blowing, alternating or accompanied with rain, making the time of year very unpleasant if seasonable. On Tuesday half a gale was blowing, and this increased during the night until all frail erections trembled at its force. Trees were blown down, and it did a large amount of damage to the building now in course of erection for the new school. A great part of the framework of this building was in its place, and one wing had the rafters on. Upon this the wind played sal havoc, blowing down the wing and one of the front walls, and doing other damage that will need a large expenditure in labor and moneyjto repair. Some idea of the force of the wind may be gathered from witnessing the destruction caused : timber six inches square have been snapped short off, and much of that not destroyed in this way will be useless for the work intended. The loss will be a serious one to the contractors, and will cause a delay in completing the school. In the House last Tuesday, Mr Petrie, without notice, asked the Government whether they did not think the ends of justice would be satisfied by commuting the sentence of death passed upon Hiroki. The hon. member said if this question took the Government by surprise he would ask it at the evening, so as to enable Ministers to consult in the meantime. The Hon. T. Dick said the question was of a very unusual character, inasmuch as it contained a request that the Government should interfere with the operation of the law. Ministers would not ask for time till that evening, but if the hon, member wished to ask the question let him give notice in the ordinary way. At that moment the Government did not see their way to say anything on the subject at all. A curious incident occurred in a City of Loudon law court recently, during the hearing of a case in which a Parsee gentleman was called on as a witness. He objected to be sworn either on the Old or New Testaments, and not being a he could not be sworn on the Kovau. He mentioned, however, that he had a sacred relic about his person as a charm, and he thought b*r making a declaration, and holding the re ic iu his hand, and not concealing it, toe act would be holding upon his conscience. Mr Commissioner Kerr said under the peculiar circumstances he would be justified iu takiug the witness’s declara „iou, if at the same time he held the charm unconcealed in Ais hand, and. declared that he would cousider the act suHcentiy binding uuoti hi-ii to bear true t-.ue testimony i,i the .natter at issue. He always understood, however, that a Parsee was usually sworn holding the tail of a cow, which was a sacred animal in India.