NEW ZEALAND TELEGRAMS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVIII, Issue 6097, 2 June 1881, Page 5

NEW ZEALAND TELEGRAMS.

[FROM OCR OWX CORRESPONDENT.] THAMES, Wednesday. Mr. Jons Elliot, a settler at Hikutaia, has I written a long letter to the County Council, ; urging the Council to take steps to have a sura of £20,000 placed on the estimates for the construction of a main trunk road across the lower Piako flats, to connect the Taurauga and Ohiucmuri road with Bombay, and thus open communication with Auckland. He expresses the opinion that were such a road opened up, it would very soon become the highway between Auckland and the East Coast. By the last mail Sir Julius Vogel sent a valuable present of books to our Free Public; Library. The present includes Dickens' works, Thackeray's works, the History of the United States, Marryat*s novels, several volumes of Waverley novels, and a large number of other books. Messrs. Smith and James Skene were elected borough auditors yesterday. [UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION.] WELLINGTON, Wednesday. The captain of the steamer Wakatu, -.vhieh arrived from Wanganui this afternoon, reports that a saloon passenger, named Miss Amy Cochrane, was lost overboard last night. She left the bridge at 11.30 last night, as Captain Evans thought, to go to the ladies' cabin. When the steward went to call her thi3 morning she was missing. A telegram was received from the Inspector of Police, Wanganui, which states that the body was found floating in the river there ai noon to-day. The Customs revenue for the rtxrtjiv. amounted to £13,020. At the election for the Borough Auditors to-day Messrs. Widdop and Bishop were elected. The other candidates were Messrs. Elliott, Stevenson,|LeCrew, and Kersey, who polled in the order named. Complaints are made of the delay in tendering for the San Fraucisco mail steamer at New Plymouth, she having been detained there eleven and a-half hours. The Union Company to-day purchased ti:e steam-launch Waiwera for £600. At the Hutt Magistrate's Court to-day Joseph Skerrefct, alias Black, appeared on remand on a charge of stabbing a butcher named Dewar, and was committed for triai. Bail was refused until the doctor is in a position to state that the prosecutor is o.:t of danger. Considerable surprise and much unfavourable comment has been excited by disclosure of the fact that the Wellington College Governors, being unable to obtain money elsewhere, have actually borrowed £500 ar S per cent, from the newly-appointed principal for repairs, improvements, &c, to the college. The institution has long been noted for chronic mendicancy in relation to th» Governors, but raising loans from a master is a new development. The Board hav? pledged to give him a mortage over the property if possible. Arguments in the cases before the Appeal Court have been finished, and the Courß adjourned until Friday, when judgments will be given. The delegates of County Councils met this morning. Mr. Hutchinson, Mayor of Wellington, was elected Chairman, and Mr. Page, City Treasurer, appointed Secretary. The Conference then adjourned -iintil Friday. At Gear's boiling-down establishment, Petone, yesterday, the top of one of the vats, re-filled with meat, blew off, destroying the roof of the building. The occurrence is attributed to the sudden contact of steam with cold iron. No person was injured. CHRISTCHURCH, Wednesday. At Kirwan, yesterday, a woman named Fuller gave birth to triplets still born. There are six competitors for the agricultural scholarships :—Three from Christchurch, two from Nelson, and one from Dunedin. TIMARU, Wednesday. The Waimate Steeplechase took place on Mr. Studbolmes's estate, and passed off very successfully. There was a fair attendance, and the racing was good. The following are the results : — Waimate Steeplechase Handicap, a sweepstakes of 3sovs, with 100 added. 3 miles.—P. Butler's Agent 12st 121b5., 2 ; H. Schulter's Little John, list., "2; J. Culling's Noumea, 10st., 3. WinSeld, Chandler, and Ivanhoe also started.

Maiden Plate, of SOsovs.—T. Foster's Sailor Boy, walked over for the stake 3. County Steeplechase Ccrr, of 7050v3. 2h miles.—Sailor Boy, 12st. 71b., 1 ; Winfield, list., 2; Clarence, 12st. 61bs,, 3. Agent also ran, but fell half a mile from home. Consolation, of 40sovs. 2 miles.—Chandler, 1 ; Little John, 2. Clarence and Ivanhoe also started. DUNEDIN, Wednesday. Mr. Proudfoot now offers to sell his tramways to the City Council for the modest sum ef £130,000. The offer was not entertained. The judgment in the Tararua case will positively be given on Friday, and will be very exhaustive. A meeting of the committee of the Ccamof Commerce was held to-day. A long report was read from Mr. Alexander Burt, oi Messrs. A. and T. Burt, as to the result of his recent visit to Sydney and Melbourne to enquire into the mode of meat freezing. He concluded by saving Shat he was quite satisfied that the export of frozen meat and other products was a commercial success, and recommended the Bell-Coleman machine. The Chairman of the Chamber (Mr. Larnach) made a speech warmly favouring the scheme, and urging that vegetable produce shonld hold a position in tlvi prospectus, as it wan so easily shipped. The proposal was to form a company with £15,000 capital, bat the meeting agreed to the larger sum of £20,000. A prospectus will be issued at once.

Ross, the prisoner who escaped, was sentenced to six months for the offence of running away. A cabman named Brennan was found drowned in Peliehet Bay to-day. It is believed to be a case oE suicide, owing to

domestic disagreement. A man named Peter McGinn is supposed to have been drowned on Saturday night whilst crossing Molyneux at Moa Plat.

A man has been committed for trial for cheating at poker at Lawrence. His counsel's contention was that no such offence was known to law. He was overruled.

Messrs. Irvine and Hooper, at the meeting of the Chamber of Commerce, stated that the New Zealand Land Company contracted with the Albion Shipping Company to send Home SO,OOO sheep by the new process.

INVERCARGILL, Wednesday. At a meeting of the committee of the proposed Frozen Meat Export Company, Mr. J. C. Ellis gave details of his observations and inquiries on the subject of meat-fjeg/t----ing in Victoria and New South Waiies. 52is remarks were favourable to the prosecution of the scheme, and it was resolved that a prospectus should be drawn up. Members seemed to be of opinion that the should be in luvercargill or its vicinity. It was suggested that the Chairman (Mr. Cowan) should lecture in the different centres, with a view to bringing the advantage of the trade before those interested. Offers to take up shares to a considerable extent have been received, and also promise of stock and dairy produce for export. There is every prospect of the company being floated.