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New Zealand Herald, Volume XVI, Issue 5397, 5 March 1879, Page 2

We are much pleased to loarn that the captain aud engineer of the s.s. City of Sydney, which arrived in harbour yesterday en route for San Francisco with the English mail, report very highly of the trial of Bay of Inlands coal, mado ou tho voyage to Syducy last month. The enginoer states that he would as soon use it as any other coal. That it possesses splendid steaming qualities, and that the consumption would bono morethau of Newcastle coal. This is indeed a very favourable report, and is excellent testimony to the worth of Bay coal. As a practical outcome of this report, the next boat] tnes.s. City of New York, due next Tuesday, is instructed to take in what Bay coal she requires. Mr. Bryce, M. H.R., left for the -N"orth by steamer yesterday, in order to commence the investigation into the transactions connected with the Bay of Islands roll. The committee appointed at tho Thames County Council meeting on Saturday to decide who should receive tho contract for supplying 2500 feet of 20-inch cast iron I pipes, met on Monday morning, and decided to accept Mr. G. McCaul's tender, at 12a 9,' d per lineal foot. Messrs. T. and S. Morrin's tender was at tho rate of 15s per foot; Messrs. Fraser and Tiune's, £2000 (lump lam); and Messrs. Judd and Co., 20s 3d per foot. The latter firm intended, had their tender been accepted, to have manufactured the pipes at the foundry near the Karaka Creek, which is tho reason of their prico being so much above the others, who procure their pipes from home. The inquest on the body of the young lady, poisoned in Parnell, apparently by taking an over-dose of laudanum, to allay acute pain, ended in an opon verdict. The details of the evidence are extremely sad. The use of narcotics to assuage acute suffering is a most dangerous remedy. There is scarcely a line iu the report, which wo publish in another column, which does not speak loudly as a warning to those who resort to narcotic poison as a " pain-killor." We used to hear a great deal at one time of the use and abuse of proxies. The ratepayers of Newmarket passed a resolution last night recommending the Board of Trustees to carry into operation the "Regulation of Local Elections Act, 1576," by which they hope to destroy the proxy system altogether. It remains for the Board of Trustees to adopt the resolution of the ratepayers by not less than two-thirds of the number of the "local body" before tho Act can have effect. Notwithstanding the fact that there wore combined yesterday a wet day and a contested election, there was very little drunkenness observable, or if there was any, it was beyond tho ken of the policc, for up to a late hour last night the only arrest made was one drunkard, and he was "run in" early in the forenoon. A lady writes, proposing that a gift auction should bo started for tho assistance of the sufferers by the late colliery accident. Wo are requested to Btato that tho recent ' meeting of plasterers had no relation what- ! ever to the action taken by employers in bringing over new hands from Australia, but j had reference principally to tho employment af non-tradesmen iu lathing and. other indoor work, which they thought should be given • to tradesmen, and thus prevent them from 1 making so much broken time during wet J weather. ' A correspondent sends tho following i [ notice from your issue of to-day that the e :tev. A. W. Webb eulogises tho custom of idorning tuo interior of the home with ornanental texts and devout mottoes. Occa- J ions arise, however, when the practico be- i lomes rather awkward, and involves some- \ rhat unpleasant inferences in the minds of £ ome of those speoially concerned. Such a 6 cene appears to have caught the artist's f, ye (if one may judge from a peep into a lueen-street shop-window) and his pencil 81 as given it a local name and habitation. >n the cottage wall the motto " God Bless jur Home !" stares out upon the visitor ia Si II the bravery of illuminated colour* and v erman text, while in a corner of tho chain- Y er Materfamilias, in a towering passion, v »s hauled her repentant but guilty o fitting across ber knee, and, history repeat- V< g itself, is striking home on the old, old y ' 'ot, as the Romans did two thousand years vi >°' v<

Mr. McMillan, of the firm of Messrs. Wm, I McArthur and Co., o£ this city, was a pas- ! senger to England yesterday by the mail steamer. Mr. G. Black, engineer, returned from Gisborne yesterday, whither he had been to devise a scheme for supplying the town with water. The work, we believe, if carried out, will "bo a difficult and costly one. The native meeting resumed its proceedings' at Orakei yesterday, when several speakers addressed the meeting, declaring their loyalty. They also referred to various phases of the land question. -By the ellington, at Onehunga, there arrived yesterday 23 immigrants, transferred from the ship Warwick, from London, which arrived a few days ago at Nelson. We are infotmed that it is not the case that all the tenders for the inland Kaipara line are above those of the coast line. In one case, at least, the coast line is the cheapest. A piqeon match, between Messrs. Bishop, of Auckland, and Henderson, of Waikato, is to be fired to-day at Epsom, in Mr. Potter's racecourse, opposite G Wynne's Albert Hotel. A great deal of interest has been centred in the match. The corape'.itors met on a former occasion at Pokeno, when the Auckland man proved conqueror, but the backers of Mr. Henderson were not satisfied, and hence the second match was arranged. Tha stakes (£SO a side) represent a very small proportion of thu money that will change hands on the match. Breaks and 'buse3 will convey persons from Auckland who desire to see the match, the conditions of which are 25 birds each, 25 yards rise, aud SO yards boundary. Several other matches, in which some crack shots will compete, are to follow, and at the close there will be an all-comers' sweep. Should the day prove favourable, there will, no doubt, be a very large attendance, and it will ba of interest to visitors to learn that Mr. Gwynne has made arrangements to provide a first-class lunch. The annual meeting of the householders of the Waiwera School District for the election of a committee wa3 held at Mr. vi urray's residence, on Monday, 27fch January,—Mr. McCathie in the chair. The following gentlemen were elected as the committee for the current year :—Messrs. John Murray, William Howell, Alfred Hall, Mark Jones, John Ankle, James Colgan, and William McCathie. At a meeting of the committee held afterward, Mr. McCathie was elected chairman. The illusion, " Fatima," was not exhibited last night, as certain alterations were being made to add to the effect aud the attractions of the display. It will, however, be on view to-night, and with its increased claims to patronage, it will no doubt be largely attended. We may remind our readers that while they enjoy the pleasures of an agreeable entertainment they will contribute to a deserving cause, for the half of this week's takings at this show will be given to the Kaitangata > Colliery Explosion Relief Fund. It has been said of Corporations that "they have neither a body to be kicked nor a soul to be saved," and "that there is no such thing as a Corporate conscience." Whatever may be said of the truthfulness of the former adage, the latter is undoubtedly accurate, if we may judge from the conditiou of some of the thoroughfares in City West. The Corporation is always " mending its ways,"—more particularly in the rainy season. Two gentlemen, resident in the western suburb, were endeavouring yesterday morning to wend their way to town. They had struggled through the earih-cuttiug ot Drake-street the previous night, with the intention of reaching Ponsonby, and yesterday morning, on returning to tosvn, they elected to give Wellington-street a trial, only to find themselves, on mounting the crest of the hill, at tho Catholic Institute, confronted with a fresh sea of mud, through which women and helpless children were painfully toiling their way. Plunging through, the gentlemen passed along Hob-son-street until reaching Victoria-street, when a similar spectacle presented itself. Hard by the corner of Victoria and Chapslstreets two worthy ratepayers (Messrs. Blood aud Eyre) might be seen, shovel in hand, hard at work in the blinding rain, doing their best to repair the laches of the Corporation, by spreading road metal from the centre of the street to the sidiug, for the benefit of the above women and children. The Corporation has much to answer for, both sins of omission and commission, but not tho least of its offences will be yesterday morning's incident in Victoria-street, in rousing the mortal ire of a respectable draper, aud provoking to deeds of Blood an equally respectable wood-turner. Ihe lowest tenderers for tho Ohinemuri bridge have been notitud of the acceptance of their tender, and preparations are being made to commence work. Lately at Akaroa several lads were "had np " for bathing in the harbour near the wharves. Defendants stated that they wore bathing-drawers, and the Bench considered it very doubtful whether the action complained of was such as to "oll'end against public decency " in the words of the ordinance, aud dismissed the cases. The following is the result of the cricket match played between an eleven from I'apakuraand an eleven from the Herald C.C. :— Papakura : First innings, 32 ; second innings, 45 : grand total, 77. Herald team: First innings, 43 ; second inniugs, 29 : grand total, 72. 'L'hus leaving the I'apakura team the winners by 5 runs. We have received a small box from Mr. T. B. Hill containing a quantity of coal taken from a new place. When passin> recently between Whatawhata and Raglan by the newly-constructed road, he dig covered on the top of the ranges a seam of coal cropping out. He obtained the services of a Maori to dig out a quantity, aud the portion sent for our inspection is part of this outcrop. The coal is of the class known as brown coal similar to that noiv obtained from the Waikato mines. It is probably a oontinuatiou of the same series of beds now worked on the Waikato river, and when better opened up will doubtless be found to be as useful. Mr. Hill states that on Government land alongide the coal is a large deposit of "a most peculiar kind of rich limestone, that I think will be of immense value to agriculturists, situated as it is alongside the coal and easy to get away." Mr. Hill does not say whether the seam from which the samplo is taken crops out on Government land, but aa Government land is in the immediate vicinity of it, in all probability the coal wil\ be found, at least in part, on public laud. The new road now opened will probably soon bo put to a service little thought of when the line of road was first selected. The specimens may be seen at tho Hbrald office. Coal cropping out on the banks of the Waikato, on tho ranges between Raglan and the Waikato basin, at Raglan, and farthor south at Mokau, would give the best proofs that the coalfield in the ! southern part of this province is of a very ' extensive character, and in the near future : must provide scores of busy centres, whose < population will make large demands .upon the agricultural resources in this vicinity. A woollen manufacturer in Australia ] writes : —"I have ropeatedly had my atten- 1 tion called to the great desirability of estab- < lishing a Woollen Mill Company on the i Limited or no Liability Act in the vicinity i of Auckland ; and, from information I have ' received, I believo that there is not another > place in the colonies more suitable or better f adapted for the successful working and carry- 1 [ng on of such manufacture, more especially ' in the following goods Superfine broad \ md narrow cloths, tweeds, blankets, flannels, c to., &c. Should there be any respectable party or parties who may be desirous of loatiog such said industry, the writer is ( aoth fully prepared and willing to further j inch object by supplying at least one-fifth i )f the entire machinery required, especially t f not less than three sets, with looms and 1 inishing to follow are put up, and take shares 1 :o that amount." Our correspondent has tuthorised us to give his name to anyone J vho desires to correspond with him on the f übject. £ No. I Company Pukekoho Rifla Volun- i eers' firing for district prizes took placo on iaturday, March 1, under the supervision of f] lajor Harris, officer commanding Waiuku r , istriefc. Tho day being so exceedingly j right, rather poor scores were made. The A inges were 200, 500, and 600 yds. for the ai rst set; and 200, 400, and 500 yds. for tho C >cond sot. r< Is r Set. 200 yds. SOOjdj. 600 yds. T1 a trgt. Dalton .. .. 27 21 10 07 F 01. A. McDonald .. 25 21 19 C 5 * e irgt. J. Graham .. 24 19 15 fiS al 01. J. McDonald ..23 13 19 65 la »L J. Adams.. 22 19 13 54 aI >rpor&l Fronton .. 22 19 8 49 -rr 01. W. Preston .. 23 13 12 4S 2nd Set. 200 yds. 400 yds. fiMydSi Tl. w jl. W. Adams .. 17 23 23 73 ' >1. Joseph Adams ..20 25 19 78 S 1 >1. John Reynolds .. 21 28 23 69 1. This. Adams .. 24 21 22 C 7 Ol >1. Alex. Mills .. 19 21 23 CS Qi

The Tasmanian Mail, in a notice of Mr. C. W. Hall, formerly of Auckland and Coromandel, says :—He was a son of the late Mr. | John Hall, who died in IS7G, at the mature age of 34, and who was formerly proprietor oi the Hobart Town Advertiser, in conjunc- i tion with Mr. Benjamin O'Neile Wilson, the present Usher of the Black Rod. Mr. C.W. Hall commenced business in 1537 as a compositor on The True Colonist, and Murray's Jteview. He was at the life and death of the Advertiser newspaper, having gone to the Advertiser on its establishment, as employee ; on the retirement of his father from the partnership, deceased became joint proprietor of ! the Advertiser with Mr. Wilson, and subsequently, on Mr. Wilson retiriug, a new partnership was formed, consisting of Messrs. C. W. Hall and J. C. Hall. During the time , the Advertiser was at its zenith, Air. C. W. k Hall took a considerable interest in politics, L and in public matters generally. This , wa3 especially the case in the time- of the late Sir William Denison twentyfive or thirty years ago, when the co'ony was "kept in a constant state of 1 excitement by the agitation respecting 1 the transportation question, the Governor being in favour of its continuance, but a 1 great number of the colonists being sup- ' porters of the anti-transportation movement. 'Ihe Colonial Times being the energetic supporter of the abolition movement, the Advertiser was the equally strenuous supporter and advocate o£ the Governor's views. When some year 3 later, the Advertiser ceased to exert much influence iu the community, the L new constitution in the meantime having been introduced and established, the paper fell into other hands, and some ten years ago Mr. C. W. Hall proceeded to New Zealand, with the Press of which colony he became actively identified. At the time of his death 1 he was connected with the Press at Carlyle, near Wanganui, and he died after a short illness, at the age of SG, leaving six children, most of whom are grown up, and hold respectable positions. His eldest son is Air. Charles Joseph Hall, a member of the legal profession, who served his articles with Mr. Laughton, solicitor, Hobart Town, but is now in good practice at Torquay, North West Coast, having been enrolled itx January, 1574. The 2?ew Zealand Times says that the Commission on Higher Education examined a great many witnesses in Auckland, whose evidence has shewn pretty conclusively that secondary education in Auckland is in a very backward condition. The Senate of the New Zealand University meets in Dunedin shortly, and as several members of the commission are also members of that body, and will feel bound to attend, to the exclusion, of all other duties, it will be difficult to keep a quorum at the Education Commission. However, if a quorum is obtainable, evidence will be taken as to the condition of the institutions in Wellington, Wanganui, and Nelson coming within the scope of the commission. After that the Sjuthern provincial districts will be visited.