Untitled

Marlborough Express, Volume XIV, Issue 1182, 29 October 1879, Page 5

The firing for the Blenheim Eifle Volunteers Company’s medal will commence on Monday next, the 3rd November, at 7 a.m. Mr T. O’Sullivan will hold a sale of merchandise, &c., on Saturday next. The sale will commence at 12 o’clock. The reward Mr Reader Wood is to get for his political treachery is currently stated in the lobbies to he his elevation to the Upper House and the Agent-Generalship. The New Zealand Gazette contains the notification of the temporary reservation from sale of sections 62, 88, 84, and 85, Eaikoura Suburban for the protection of the Kohi river. Mr. T. O’Sullivan sold by auction on Saturday last, a section containing thirty acres of unimproved bush land on the Picton road, near the Para Eailway Station. The property realised £IBO, or £3 13s 4d per acre. The purchaser was Mr Charles O’SuUiYaa*

Tub second reading of the Hawkes Bay and Marlborough Rivers Act J8(!8 Amendment Act was moved by Mr Fulton in the House bn Thursday last, and carried. The Bill is ordered to be committed on Thursday next. The Fencing Bill was read a first time in the House on the 20fch hist. It regulates the erection and maintenance of dividing fences, and is a measure for which need has long been felt. The second reading was ordered for yesterday (Tuesday). Thanks to the kindness of one of our political friends, to whom it was entrusted for delivery, our Political Letter, which is of more than usual interest, did not reach us till this afternoon, too late altogether for insertion to-day. We would call attention to the advertisement in another column of the Blenheim Building Society, from which it w ill be seen that the operations of the Society have so far been most profitable, and that it is contemplated to issue a new scries of shares in January next.

The next Criminal sittings of the District Court will he held at Blenheim on November 6th, for which the jury summonses were served over a week ago. There is only one ease for trial, that of Philip Yates. The civil sittings of the District Court will be held on Monday next. The Public Petitions Committee have recommended that the petition against Colonel Fraser, late R.M. at the Thames, for alleged cheating at cards, should be referred to the Government in order that the matter may be enquired into and dealt with. From various quarters of late we have heard of trout having been seen in the various streams of the district. On Monday last Sergeant Cullen, who comes from a part of the world celebrated for its piscatorial attractions, saw a young trout about seven or eight inches long in the Omaka. The Hudson Surprise Party, which, it Avas feared at time, would not he able to visit Blenheim owing to Ewart’s Hall having been taken for the night they had desired, has so arranged as to visit here about the 11th November. The troupe is a higher class of minstrels than has hitherto come to this province. Most of the stations in the country districts here commenced shearing. At Flaxbonrne 50,000 sheep have already been shorn. By the London wool sales report, we perceive that Mr Dillon, of Leefield, was fortunate enough to have the wool which fetched the highest price, Is 7d per lb. Some of the Vernon wool fetched from Is o.)d to Is 4Jd. y We understand that it has been arranged to hand over the building at present used as the Wesleyan church, to the contractor on December sth at the latest. The usual services in connection with that church will, for some months afterwards, be held in Ewart’s Hall until such time as the new church is erected on the section acquired by the Wes'cyans, and lately occupied by Mr 0. Spencer in High-street. We are fuitber informed that it is intended to accept the Government offer of L 750 for the present church and laud, f With reference to the approaching rifle competition at Nelson iu February next, we learn that all companies subscribing oat of their funds five guineas, are entitled to send free of entrance fee seven of their members, which entitles them to have the Association Bronze Medal for private competition, the winner being entitled to certain entrances free. The Association is also offering a prize for a Rifle Challenge Match, to he competed for by a selection of five members from each Company. We note that the amount to he offered in prizes this year is increased to LI,OOO, a good sign of the success of the Association.

We were informed the other clay by a gentleman whose calling keeps him constantly moving all over the Colony, that since the Dissolution of the late Parliament Sir George Grey has become most popular in all the large centres of population excepting Dunedin. The Hon. J. Hall, our informant stated, was generally popular in all the thinly populated districts, and more especially in sheep farming ones. The Dunedin people object to Mr Macandrew because they consider that he has not been true to them, inasmuch as he has not securded Mr Conyers and the Railway Works. Our Local Kailway.—Last week we announced the testing of the bridge over the Opawa, and now we have the pleasure of stating that the ballast engine and trucks are continually at work bringing material from the north side of the river to the Blenheim side, and filling up the approach. The open part of the line near Dr Horne’s, in Grove Road, is also being rapidly gone on with, and we understand that the Wesleyan congregation have received notice to quit their church, as the builders will require to have possession of the site very shortly for the purpose of proceeding with the station buildiugs, etc. It is cheering at last to see a near prospect of the terminus being actually in Blenheim. During the quarter ending September 31st, 1879. The revenue returns of Blenheim Post Office were L 450 10s 3d. The money orders issued amounted t0L2,978, and the money orders paid L 1,039. In the Savings Bank of the same office L 3,170 were deposited and L 4,983 withdrawn. The total deposits in the Post Office Savings Bank were—deposits L 120,938, and withdrawals L 173,753. Thus the excess of withdrawals over deposits for the quarter euding 30th September last amounted to L 26.274; while in the corresponding quarter in 1878 the deposits exceeded withdrawals by L 17,184. During the quarter just past the excess of deposits over withdrawals occurred in only four postal districts, and, singularly enough, all in the particular districts where, according to common report, the greatest amount of commercial depression prevails. The districts and excess of deposits over withdrawals are thus given—Greymouth, L 1,542; Hokitika, LBB6 ; Nelson, L 957 ; Westport, L 647. The greatest excess of withdrawals over deposits has been in the Southern Postal Districts, Christchurch standing at L 9,135, Dunedin at L 5,555, Invercargill at L 1,324, Timaru at L 1,822, Wellington stands in the same category at L 3,909, and Auckland at L 734.

On reference to our report of the sitting at the j» M. Court ou Monday last, it will be seen that Eli Carvell was charged with setting tire to gorse clippings within the borough. As the bye-law is not generally known, we have thought it of interest to publish it. It runs as follows : “Every person who wilfully sets fire to any inflammable matter whatsoever in the open air, without having given notice in writing to occupiers of the laud adjoining to the land upon which such matter shall be, and also to the Town Clerk of his intention to do so, or within 24 hours after giving the last given of such notices, or between the hours of four in the afternoon of any day and eight in the morning of the following day, shall forfeit a sum not exceeding five pounds.”

Racing Club. —At the adjourned meeting held at the Masonic Hotel last evening it was decided to paint the building and make several improvements to the stand. The long flight of steps leading to the top of the Grand Stand will be cut, and a landing put in about half way up. A new building to be used as a refreshment booth will be put up at the north end, and this very desirable arrangement will allow tbe whole of the main floor to be used for dining and ladies’ rooms, and the floor is to be coucreted. Messrs 'Thomas Redwood and Rush, the President and Treasurer, were appointed to act as a finance committee, and their duties were declared to be to engage and pay workmen, to accept tenders, and generally deal with the monetary affairs of the Club. It was reported to the committee that the building, saddling yard, &c., had been used by the lessee of the ground for herding and shearing sheep, and that a quantity of wool was now stowed in the jockey and ladies’ rooms. The windows had been broken, and the building otherwise injured. Mr Horton and the President were appointed to wait upon the lessee and instructed to have everything cleared away, the building cleaned and made good, and to take steps to prevent any such use of the property in the future. In reply to a question from the chair Mr O’Sullivan said that if a fire occurred while the building was so used he would instruct his office not to pay the insurance. A committee consisting of Messrs Horton, Redwood, and Cook, was appointed to take the necessary steps to have the reserve permanently secured for racing purposes.

We have not inserted a report of the case of Carter v. Carroll, inasmuch as the evidence adduced was simply a repetition of what has already been published several times in these columns. Owing to the substitution of the word “Chairman” in lieu of “Trustee" in the minutes of the examination of the bankrupt, all the evidence which had been taken during the long enquiry held by the trustee, Mr G-. C. Carter, was not admitted before the Court. In this way the very evidence which it was supposed would criminate the bankrupt and secure his committal, was shut out, with the result that the case was dismissed on the grounds of insufficient evidence to warrant the committal of the accused. The R.M. in dismissing the case, complimented Mr Carter upon the energetic manner in which he bad gone into the enquiry and conducted it, and said that if all bankrupt cases were examined into with equal ability, there would be a very considerable decrease indeed in the number of what have now become serious pests of almost daily occurrence to the business men of this province and Colony generally. Mr Carter certainly has earned the hearty thanks of all right thinking people here, as his action will go far to demonstrate to any who may at a future date contemplate filing their schedules by way of a financial speculation, that trustees, if they only have the will, have power to do more than merely attend to an equitable division of the estate amongst its creditors. The circumstances of Carroll’s bankruptcy have, to say the least, been very suspicious, and he certainly has been very fortunate to have come off so easily in the matter as he has done, and he has good cause to congratulate himself upon the many discrepancies which go to make our existing bankruptcy law's one of the greatest of our many Colonial scandals. There are rumors from Christchurch that some of the electors there have raised, or are determined to raise a question of impeachment against the Hon. J. Hall, and other Canterbury members. If true, this will mark another episode in the political history of tha Colony.

An unpleasant rumor comes wafted across the Strait from quiet Nelson. There has been a ruction in what hitherto has been deemed the model educational establishment of New Zealand. Schoolboy propensities for mischief have exceeded the bounds of forbearance, there is a tale of expulsions, of running away to avoid disgrace, aud of punishments which the offenders, if the tale is true, and it is an ugly one, richly merit. In Dunedin they seem to exact respectably in the members of the legal profession as we have noticed that the other day. In banco on the application of the President of the Law Society, a rule nisi was granted by Judge Williamson a motion to strike off the rolls a late member of one of the leading legal firms in that city, who had been guilty of the misappropiation of certain monies.

The programme of the second prize meeting of the New Zealand Rifle Association has been issued. The meeting will be held at Brightwater near Nelson, on a date yet to be fixed. There are 20 matches to be fired, for which prizes to the extent of £IOOO will be given the sum total being £2OO in excess of what was given last year ; so that it may be fairly assumed that the association is found to be a success. Matches 2,3, 4,5, 7,8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, and 17 are open to volunteers only ; matches 1, 6. 15, 18, 16, and 20 are open to any competitors ; while Nos 6 and 10 are confined to members who are not volunteers. The best aggregate made in matches 2,4, 7, and 11 will decide the possession of the Volunteer Rifle Champion Belt, but the winner must be able to produce a certificate of efficiency for the volunteer year ended 31st March, 1879 ; Nos 3,5, 8, and 12 will decide the Carbine Championship, under the same conditions. “It is proposed to add a “ Press Trophy” to the list of prizes, and the various newspapers are now being canvassed for subscriptions towards it.

Dispatches have been received in England reporting that the Commander of the Chilian .wooden gun-boat Esmeralda in the recent battle .with the Peruvian ironclad, finding his ship disabled, fired the magazine, and destroyed her rather than surrender. The news comes to us from Australia that a certain Mr. Botterell of Victoria has patent «d a plan for raising sunken vessels. He proposes to form a company to construct appliances to raise a vessel containing two millions. The exact locality where it is sunk on the New Zealand coast is known. A certain Mrs Jane Mahoney was recently tried at Christchurch for forging her husband’s name to a cheque, the prisoner stated that she thought she was doing no harm as what was her husband’s property was hers. Judge Johnson remarked that if any of the ladies of Christchurch had got hold of this notion the sooner (they were disabused of it the better, as it would not hold good for one instant in law. The Sydney Press unreservedly condemns the action of the Hall Government, and says it is bringing the New Zealand Government into contempt among the colonies. A circumstance which certain of our contemporaries who were demonstrative in their publication of a statement that the London Times had expressed gratification at the overthrown of the Grey Ministry, have conveniently chosen to ignore. The opinion of the Sydney Press is surely as valuable on colonial topics as even that of the London Times,

An interesting petition was presented to the House the other day by Mr. Stevens on behalf of a Canterbury settler, praying for compensation on the ground that advertisements in the Home papers had led him to expect he would obtain a free grant of land on his arrival in the Colony, whereas he got nothing of the kind. W Chronicle, have reason to believe that he is not the only man in the Home Country who has been deluded by the rash promises and exaggeration of the emigration agents. The exuberant fancy of these gentlemen occasionally requires a checking. The other day we published a telegram stating that the London Times, in a leader congratulates the Colony upon the downfall of Sir George Grey as his policy had brought the Colony into contempt. We scarcely think that the “Thunderer” took sufficient interest in the internal affairs of New .Zealand to justify it in so hastily passing an opinion on the subject. However, be that as it may, what will the Times have to say when it learns that the New Ministry—have without a shadow of doubt, adopted the very policy which the Times alleges has brought the Government of New Zealand into contempt. At the Supreme Court, Dunedin, on Saturday application was made by Mr E. Cook, on behalf of Charles Woodlock, to make a rule nisi absolute, calling on William Woodlock, alias William Waters, and Mary Jane Woodlock, alias Mary Jane Waters, to show cause why a writ of habeas corpus should not be issued, requiring them to produce a child named William Isaac Woodlock, son of Charles Woodlock. On the application of Mr Denniston, who appeared for Mrs Waters, the matter was adjourned until today. Man Roasted. —An accident of a most distressing character has occured at Rusheen, Kildysart, It appears that on Thursday, July 3rd, a young man named Michael Bennett, employed as herdsman ,on Rusheen farm, was sitting at his fireside, when suddenly he dropped from the chair and fell into the fire and, as no person was in the house at the time of the occurrence, and suffering as the unfortunate man was, it is supposed from an epileptic fit, he .[remained in the fire for such a length of time that his face and lips were actually roasted, and not the slightest hope of his recovery is entertained. Bennett was a man thirty-five years of age, was married, and has a family. On Trial. —They had dreamed the old dream of love together ; they had floated on its downy pinions into the tropics of bloom and bliss. They had also munched numerous pints of peanuts, and eaton considerable ice cream at fifteen cents per saucer. The fact remained that they had been lovers. But then they went and married—or rather thought they did ; for after two weeks of this suppositious wedded life, it was discovered that, through a technical mistake the nuptial knot had really never been tied, and the marriage was therefore void. Of course this created consternation and horror in the household. The young man wanted to hurry out without an instant’s delay and have the ceremony legally performed, but the maiden, upon consideration, concluded that the denouement was not so unfortunate after all. Two weeks of married life had cured her, and, thanks, she believed she would go back to her mother. And she went.

At the examination of witnesses before the Committee appointed by the House of Commons to inquire into the law of libel, Mr Francis L. Soames, solicitor for the Times, expressed an opinion that some provision should be made for guaranteeidg the substantial character of plaintiffs in actions for libel brought against newspapers. He said that in connection with the Times newspaper, there had been 21 cases of this character brought from the beginning of 1872 to the present time. Of these, 14 had been abandoned before trial. In four of those that went for trial, the plaintiff did not recover damages. The Times had lost £3,000 in law costs in the eighteen actions in which the plaintiffs had got nothing, and they had only recovered £l3O. In two of the actions in which the plaintiffs had recovered damages, neither of them could have paid a shilling if they had been unsuccessful, though it had cost the Times £5,000 to defend these actions. Mr Charles Ford, of the Law Times, gave the details of the case “ The Queen r, Holbrook,” and sxpressed a strong opinion that Lord Campbell’s Act should be amended, so rar as the 7th clause was concerned, on the ground that no man ought to be held criminally liable for libel unless malice could be shown, ’i? The Committee have not been abiejtojconcludejtheir labors this year.

A Russian paper, in describing the execution of Nihilists at Kieff, adds that a young girl, who concealed her name despite the use of the lash declared at the foot of the gallows that she was Nathalie Gortschakoff, neice of the Russian Chancellor. Among the petitions the other day presented to the House was one by Mr. Seddon signed by 2000 people, praying for the construction of a railway between Hokitika and Greymouth. The petition was so long that, when unrolled, it stretched from the Speaker’s chair to the door at the other end of the Chamber, and as it was formed partly of blue and partly of white paper it may be inferred that the supply of the latter material was exhausted in the district whence the signatures were obtained. Good news for the Flax industry is contained in the followingitem by the Suez mail—A Lyons paper announces a discovery, which if true, will have very important influence on the silk trade and on all textile industries. It is stated that the appearance and durability of silk can be communicated to fibres of flax by a certain chemical process. The flax is steeped in a bath of dissolved silk waste, and immerges therefrom in a condition which renders it indistinguishable, save by analysis, from silk itself. The inventor, who resides at Paris, offered his discovery to the association of manufacturers for £120,000, and it is alleged they agree to purchase it, De. Talmage the well known American preacher, is in England “starring it,” as the theatricals say. He obtains £IOO a-night, so says his “agent,” in reply to a request from a small town anxious to hear the Brooklyn sensationalist. He writes “I have upwards of one thousand letters, all wanting Dr. Talmage to lecture to them. Some contain fabulous offers. Now there is but one way of getting the doctor. If your society can afford to pay what larger places offer I may be able to drop out a larger place and give you a date in July, The lowest terms I care to take are £IOO. I know it is a big price, but Dr. Talmage is a big man,”

The little instances of “servantgalism,” to use a word coined by “ Punch ” several years ago, which come under the notice of ladies advertising for domestic help, are sometimes very amusing. A few days ago, the mistress of a household in Wellington in response to an advertisment, received several visits from young ladies anxious to take the situation. One of them, a great raw-boned girl of eighteen who seemed stupid as well as ungainly, was told that she would not suit. She promptly rejoined : “Thank yer, mum; then I’d ask yer for sixpence to take me home as it’ll be a long way to walk.” The girl was evidently smarter than she looked Another damsel who was employed as a nursegirl at the house of a gentleman we know, point-blank declined to make the children’s beds, and declared and that wasn’t engaged to do housemaid’s work As may be imagined she|did not stop long. An official report to the members of the Picton and Havelock Gold Mining Company states that the contractors, after excavating a tunnel to the distance of 165 feet, had succeeded in cutting a quartz lode with gold visible in the stone. Although this run of stone presents a variety of features greatly resembling the reef prospected 250 feet higher up the hill, the director! have good reasons for thinking it is not the same but a “companion lode.” Several distinct bands of auriferous quartz (the report adds) are known to traverse the whole of the company’s property. The directors have thought it beneficial to cease driving along the course of the tunnel for the present, and to devote a portion of the funds to prove the value of this new discovery. A contract has, in accordance, been let to drive 30 feet along the course of this lode ; and the quartz there obtained is to be brought to grass, and paddocked for future operations. On the completion of this contract the directors will then be in a position to advise the desirability of erecting crushing machinery, or further developing the mine by carrying the original tunnel to such distance that the main lode may be cut.

The London Times publishes an account of na extraordinary tragedy which occurred in Prague, it reads as follows;—The people of Prague were thrown into a state of feverish excitement a few days ago by a report that an outrage of more than ordinary violence and atrocity had been committed in open day in one of the thoroughfares of the city. A little after mid-day, two young men, brothers, named Wondra, entered the jewellery establishment of Joseph Keport, shut the entrance door, barred it, drew out six-barrelled revolvers, and proceeded to fire shot after shot. The report of the firing and the shrieks of the inmates quickly brought together a crowd, who forced open the door. A terrible scene met their eyes. A girl, the sister of the murderers, lay on the floor in her death agony. The wife of the proprietor, dripping with blood, held an infant in her arms, which she was trying to save from the murderous blows of one of the brothers. Keport himself was covered with blood, and striving to protect his wife and child. In a corner of the shop another brother lay in a pool of of blood. The police, after a struggle succeeded in arresting and binding the murderers ; but they had great difficulty in saving them from the fury of the mob, who wanted to lynch them on the spot. The motive of the crime is believed to be mere revenge. Keport had reported to the police that the sister, who with one of her brothers, was in his employment, had been ill-treated by the other two brothers. For this they had three days’ imprisonment. They had just been discharged.and went straight to the shop to be revenged on their sister. Theresultoftheoutrageis, two persons murdered, and seven others more or less severely wounded

Pbactical. —Kenata Kawepo, a wellknown Hawke’s Bay chief, is an eminently practical man. He declines to bring the Native Licensing Act into force at Omahu, because the fines imposed under it can only be spent in administering the Act. He has however, passed a strict law of his own, by which any of his people getting drunk are fined £2. The fines are rigidly enforced, and Renata has now over £4OO in the bank, as the result of the fondness of his people for liquor. He follows out the subsidy idea, and hasaunounced his intention of giving from hisown

pocket £1 for every £1 received for fines. The money is to be devoted to metalling the road from Taradale t to Omahu. This is a genuine novelty in temperance legislation, especially the subsidy part of the business. The Wairarapa Standard says :—“lt is the fashion for certain interested people to bespatter Sir George Grey with all kinds of muddy missiles. About twelve years ago, on leaving New Zealand, the Executive Council of the Colony presented him with a farewell address of which the following is an extract:—‘Again and again during the last 26 years, where there has been danger and difficulty in the administration of colonial affairs Your Excellency’s aid has been invoked by the most eminent statesmen of the day. Sacrifices you have disregarded, and trials have served as opportunities of your evincing devotion to public duty.’ To this high eulogium on our late Premier, the following well-known names were appended :—Sir E. W. Stafford, Hon, J. C. Richmond, Hon. T. M. Haultain, Sir J. Richardson, Sir W. Fitzherbert, Hon. J. H. Harris, and the Hon. John Hall.