CABLES & TELEGRAMS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XXXVI, 4 November 1902, Page 4

CABLES & TELEGRAMS

[united press association.] : LONDON, Yesterday. Contracts for tbe construction oi r ; four steamers are weleomed'on Teeside, where LOCO shipbuilders are idle. , A number of the Morgan Combine , cargo steamers an- being transferred into passenger boats at Belfast. ROME, Yesterday. , Owing to Arabs looting pearls at ' Dahlak, and Turkey's inadequate guarantee for the repression ol piracy, Italy has again bombarded Midi Island. ST. PETERSBURG, Y'sterday. There is an increase in the nurnbei " of estates of Russian nobles which are foreclosed and sold to recover Govenment bonus for the improve--1 ment of the estate*. The buyers are largely composed of rising middle class people. The latest sales represent 2,30C square miles. SYDNEY, Yesterday. At the wool sales foreign competition was animated for wools; greasy sold np to lS^d, while the top price c for 6coured was lGiod. At tho sheep sales 300 New Zealand sold from 14s 7d to 24s 9d ; 21 btil- - locks averaged .£lB 14s 3d. A privato bill has been introduced by a Labor member making education free, and it Ims passed the Committee stage. The Government at the outset opposed, promising that when finances warranted an alteration they would be prepared to consider the proposal. A deputation from the Labor party waited on the ' Premier, with the result that he accepted the reforms, and promised to make education free from January, 1904. BLENHEIM, Yesterday. The 4 ird anniversary of the Mariberctigh Province was o lehrated to-d.iy in fine weather. A general holiday was observed, and the various attractions largely attended. The newly formed Awatere Racing Out, held i s th si meeting a* Sed(?on, trains rui n ng thither abng the newly o)-enen railw-iy. The Sfddon Cup wi.s won by Thi l'e.rler, Miitdi '2. Asblejf b. Ashleut' won ihe Welter, with The Pearler second. HOKII'IKA. Yesterday. F'our long sentence prisoners, recently drafted from other gaols to the local gaol, while engaged on road work within half a mile of the gaol, suddenly attacked Warders Lodge and Morgan this afternoon with shovels and other tools. The prisoners succeeded in overpowering the warders and in making their escape. They secured rifles, but no ammunition. The prisoners must have separated, as one of them was seen two hours later on the terrace overlooking the racecourse. Up to 11 p.m., the Police have not succeeded in making a capture, but it is almost impossible, from the nature of the country, for the prisoners to make good their escape. WELLINGTON, Yesterday. Argument was heard in tbe Court of Appeal this afternoon uj on the question reserved for the opinion of the Court in Mrs Drake's case. The accused, it will be remembered, was tried at Wellington in August last on a chargo of manslaughter of her daughter Dorothy Gwendoline Drake. The evidence adduced by the Crown tended to show that the child Dorothy Drake died shortly after, and in consequence of, blows inflicted upon her by the accused, and by tho elder daughter of accused, in her presence, and Ly her sanction. The defence was that what was done was a correction for disobedience, and did not exceed what was justifiable for t hat purpose. The Crown then tendered evidence as to the treatment of tbo child by the accused during a period of five years preceding the occasion in question, with a view to showing that she had always entertained a strong feeling of disliko and illwill towards tho child. The evidence was objected to hy counsel for the accused, but Judge Edwards overruled the objection, and admitted the evidence, reserving tbe question, however, for tho subsequent decision of the Court of Appeal. The jury convicted the accused of manslanghter, and sentence was deferred pending the decision of the Court of Appeal on the question reserved for the Court. This afternoon, after hearing Mr Skerrett and Mr Wilford for the accused, the Court held, without calling on Mr Stringer and Mr Gray for the Crown, that the evidence had been properly admitted as tending to show what had taken place was not done in the bona fide exercise of parental authority. Tho Court therefore confirmed the conviction of the accused, and she will come up for sentence at the next criminal sessions. The Court subsequently heard an appeal in the case of the King v. Barnett. The defendant was convicted by the Stipendiary Magistrate at Christchurch of betting at totalisator odds. He moved the Supreme Court at Christchurch to prohibit further proceedings on the ground that there was no evidence before tbe Magistrate to support the conviction. The principal question raised was whether there was any evidence that an entry in the books of defendant showed that a bet appearing therefrom to have been made with one "Groper" had been mado with any real person, and whether there was any evidence of identity of "Groper" with one William Wales. Judge Denniscon dismissed the motion, holdicg that there was sufficient evidence on these points to support a conviction. The Court of Appeal, after hearing Mr Skerrett for the appellant, unanimously upheld this decision, and dismissed the appeal, without calling upon Mr Stringer for the Crown.