THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. MONDAY, JANUARY 8, 1894.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 9402, 8 January 1894, Page 4

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. MONDAY, JANUARY 8, 1894.

-"—■■•♦ Of late little has been heard about the State farms which the Government propose to establish, and the humanitarian scheme propounded by the late Mr. Ballance, by which the aged poor in the old people's homes and the weakly members of the industrial classes crushed under foot by their stalwart competitors in the race of life, should have a chance of at least receiving the necessaries of life—shelter, food, and clothing. Recently the Otago Times has devoted attention in some articles to the question of our charitable aid system. It points out some of the causes which are leading to continual demands for charitable aid, and expresses a belief that the system is calculated to intensify and perpetuate pauperism by the encouragement it offers to indigent persons to throw themselves entirely on the State for support. Among the causes for the present unsatisfactory state of things is mentioned the fact that the Charitable Aid Boards are only nominally representative, owing to the apathy of the contributing bodies in allowing the administration to fall into the hands of circles of men, who are found year after year in the same position. One body acts as a taxing, machine, and enforces its requisitions, while it has little or no active sympathy with those who find the money, or with the contributing local bodies, whose ; indifference as to the expenditure of the money is proverbial. Another cause of the abnormal increase- in the list of applicants is stated to be the ease with whioh relief is obtained under the out-door lelief system, which, owing to the floating character of a section of the , popui lation, opens a wide door for imposition.

Making every allowance lor legitimate distress, it is held that there are huge sums expended in this way which could be, and ought to be, reduced. Our Public Works i Policy was the starting point of this demoralising system, 4 arid, as the Times remarks, we have now got to the third generation of paupers created by it. As showing the necessity for official charity being the last resort, it is a well-known fact, as a general rule, once"a" pauper always a pauper." There is heredity even in pauperism, the past records showing a grandmother, daughter, and granddaughter on the.list—-all« equally ready to eat the bread of charity, and from whose hearts the instinct of self-reliance had been completely blotted out. From the Bluff to the North Cape there is intense dissatisfaction with the present system, - At • Christohurcb,' the other day, the Charitable Aid Board, in a resolution passed at its,. meeting, actually declared its impotence to check the growing abuses, and, in the absence of an effective labour test, could only surrender « at % sight to ? ; the .. blatant beggars who came along. a In Wellington the charitable aid contribution 18 nearly double that of Auckland, despite its growing commerce, its becoming a great distributing centre, its building operations and public works, and having the benefit of a large governmental and civil service expenditure. Theie are two kinds of poverty as a rule. First, that caused by improvidence, intemperance, and idleness: and, second, the deserving poor, of provident disposition, bub who, through age or other physical disabilities, are crowded out b'y younger and stronger competitors, It must be the interest of every well-governed State to encourage its members to be industrious, and those who are the drones in the human hive should merit the fate of the drone—-"He that will not work, neither shall he eat." In England lately, in some of the workhouses, a system of industrial occupations has been introduced. This led to an exodus of some of the inmates, who migrated to other towns, their explanatory reason being that " they , had not come there to work !" Even with regard to the outdoor relief administered by the Poor Law Guardians, it has been found necessary in issuing the loaves to the members of "Darkest England" to stamp the word "Parish" on the top of the loaf to prevent its being, sold, or exchanged for drink.' All these " seamy " tj&ter 01' " English pauperism, bjypfeftaen already grafted on th% charitable aid system of this comparatively young colony. As to the social drone, lie deserves no consideration, Herbert Mills states, in his work, "Poverty and the State," "I would take care that all healthy men had the opportunity of earning a livelihood; but when this was done, I would excuse no man's indolence ; I would give to no beggar; I would have the State provide starving idleness with a coffin, but nothing more; and would teach people to say good riddance to it. There are but two unpardonable sins. Selfish pride is one, idleness is the other." Mr. Mills, in his exhaustive work on the problems of poverty, gives an interesting account of how the Dutch deal with the question of poor relief, and whom he declares are very much in advance of the English in the art of charity. In the Netherlands they have established what are known as " Beggar Colonies," some on a private basis, like that at Frederiksoord, consisting of an agricultural colony extending no less than sixteen miles from extremity to extremity; others are State institutions, like those of Veenhuizen and Omraerschaus—enormous colonies, both of agriculture and manufactures. At Frederiksoord the poor are received voluntarily, and it is a privilege to live there, while to Veenhuizen and Omraerschans the poor are sent by magistrates compulsorily. It is intended to be educational in its influence. Originally these colonies were private charitable institutions like Frederiksoord, but were taken over by the Government, who thereupon instructed the police to arrest all beggars. After arrest, the mendicant is brought before a magistrate, who can send him to prison for a term ranging from a fortnight to three months, when he must go to Veenhuizen or Ommerschans on probation for two years. Men of every rank of society are to be found at these "beggar colonies" enduring the. restraints of compulsory labour for being idle beggars. At Frederiksoord there are three classes of men—the free farmers, who are self-supporting and independent ; the labourers, who are partly dependent on the society and the incapables, who are wholly maintained at a low cost. None are compelled to leave the estate except for drunkenness (third offence) or immorality. Out of 1800 persons, in ten years none had got to a third conviction for the former offence, and only four had been convicted for the latter. Farming, dairying, gardening, fruit-preserv-ing, weaving, and manufacture of cloth, | baskets, tables, mats, straw hats, etc., i are carried on. The clothes and stores, as well as other requisites,, are manufactured by the inhabitants. At Veenhuizen and Ommerschans, the Government establishments, similar industries are carried on to those at Frederiksoord, but the principal occupation is the manufacture of mats, and the weaving and finishing of coffee sacks for the Government, who purchase them for use on the national coffee estates in the Dutch East Indies. The residents in these colonies aie humanely treated, but the officers have power to imprison and give solitary confinement to those who' are very refractory, or who refuse to do their work. They all receive the bare necessaries of life ; and in addition, but not in any sense as remuneration for work done, an allowance of from 7d to Is 6d per week, according to skill and personal industry. Two-thirds they can.spend on personal comforts not otherwise obtainable on the estate, such as tobacco, butter, herrings, bacon, etc., but one-third they must save, so that on discbarge they will not be without money, which generally averages £10. As showing how difficult it is to restore a spirit of self-reliance when once obliterated, some of the inmates on' discharge deliberately commit an act of begging in a week or two, in order to be re-convicted and sent back to the "Beggar Colony." Mr. Hutchinson, of this city, a retired noncommissioned - officer of the British Army, who has travelled in Holland, speaks highly of these " Beggar Colonies," and of the absence of the idle, loafing olass in the towns—and thinks that some of the more adaptable features of the system, such as clearing the loafers and tramps out of the city—might be judiciously grafted upon our colonial charitable aid system. " State aid in such matters," says a social reformer, " can only be given on three conditions : first, on the ground of primary social importance next, its practicability ; and thirdly, that the State interference must not destroy or diminish self-reliance among the industrial workers generally." In entering upon another year, with its Book of Fate unsealed, it may be fitting to ponder over the social condition of things at our own doors and in the Old Land. Here the comfortably well-dressed crowds of workers—such as may be seen nowhere, else under "the flag"— their holidays and fetes under sunny skies; and there, away in the Mother Country, at the very metropolis of the world—London, with its fabulous wealth and luxury — all that the cable has to tell us of "peace on earth, goodwill towards men," and I "the glad New. Year," is . "Three hundred police prevented a demonstration

of unemployed at St: I'Wert wfltmtoy night J", - la erstwhile '? #*«%****; land »the tramp i« now of the millionaire, arid Wherever' Dives ■ rovels m : his luxury i*3arwr «itt tarfl by at the gate. ~ „.,, '~, ~ ,-, or : / ' ; 1 • 'ggggg gg!" SB'

Antaectic whaling has been written about a great deal lately, but with the exception of the ; Dundee expedition little or nothing has been done in the direction of establishing the industry. And yet there is every 1 reason for believing that it Would prove a very rentable trade. The » result of the lundee experiment was eminently satisfactory front & pecuniary point of view, and if it pays to send out vessels from a Scotch port to the Antarctic seas it would surely pay to send them from a New Zealand port. A proposal has now been submitted to. the Victorian Government which may possibly lead to steps being taken to establish the industry upon semethinglikeaprnetical footing. A thoroughly equipped steamer its now on the way out from Norway for the purpose of engaging in Antarctic whaling, and the promoter* of the new enterprise ask the Government of Victoria for a bonus, 'offering at the same time to make Melbourne the head* quarters of the trade. The Minister of Customs seems disposed to encourage the scheme, but he has • the good sense to point out that Dunedin, or Ho barb are much better suited for the head* quarters of the industry than the Victorian capital. In our opinion New, Zealand, by reason of her geographical position, is the colony that will most largely benefit by the establishment of whale fisheries in Antarctic waters, and on that account any attempt:to pro* mote the industry is to be heartily welcomed. "

The English climate has always been more or leas ratio, but it appears to have completely eclipsed itself of late. The summer was one of phenomenal mildness. For months London was canopied by blue skies, and basked in floods of sunshine. Stioh glorious weather had never been known before. It now seems as if the winter was to be as memorable as the summer., The cold we learn is intense. In the no&ik.' of England it is greater thaijk anything experienced during s& •present century. Socrto "excessively cold snaps have been felt in England in that period. In 1860,, for instance, the thermometer at Torquay, Devon, fell to 20 degrees below zero. It is said that the coldest day ever known in London was 25th December, 1796, when the thermometer was sixteen degrees below zero. The cold wave has spread Over parts of the continent. In Vienna forty-five degrees of frost were registered, while at Trieste fifty persons are reported to have been frozen to death. Although the science of meteorology has made great strides since the century began the causes of the violent climatic changes which we hear of in various parte of the world remain very obscure. -

An extraordinary and lamentable incident has occurred in connection with the AngloFrench operations against the natives in Western Africa. A tribo known as the Sofas had been giving some trouble, and a French force was seno out to subdue them. A British force Was also, it appears, detailed to act against them. The two European farces seem to have met, and the French, mistaking the English for the . natives, attacked the camp of the latter. A fierce,engagement ensued. The French being forced to retreat. On both, sides serious loss of life took place, and among those killed were a number of British officers. The affair appears to have been due to a regrettable misapprehension, which is the more to be deplored in that both forces were acting against a common enemy. ' : There does not appear to- be any reason for believing that the French were aware that the camp which they attacked was occupied by British troops, but it remains to be explained why the French officers were so ill-informed of the movements of the British expedition as to attack a friendly force which, had their scoots been sufficiently well organised, would have at once acquainted them with the true position of affairs. The incident is much to be deplored, especially in the present highly sensitive condition of international relations, and unless a full and satisfactory explanation of the serious affray is forthcoming from the French Government it will be the duty of England to adopt the necessary measures for securing redress, fro further news has been received of Captain Wilson's detachment in Matabeleiand. Lobengula is said to be in the Zambesi/country with two thousand warriors. Sir H. Loch and Mr. Cecil Rhodes are now arranging terms for settling the occupation of Matabeleland. It is reported that the British Government intend to largely increase the navy by the construction of a number of powerful battleships and gunboats and torpedodestroyers. The Board of Trade returns show that British imports and exports are largely decreasing. The riots in Sicily are assuming the dimensions of a revolution. The state of affairs is exceedingly critical. The rebels are armed with French rifles, the inference being that French influence has had something to do with the revolt. An intensely cold wave has passed over England and part of the Continent. In Austria " fifty persons are reported to have been frozen to death. The Tasmanlan Loan has been covered fourfold, but the London Times warns the colonies that the reaction of the money-market in their favour, although justified, has been carried far enough. A singular occurrence is reported from Melbourne, in connection with the case of the condemned woman Knorr. The assistant hangman having declined to "officiate" at her execution, the regular hangman committed suicide rather, it is supposed, than hang a woman. It is nrobable that this occurrence will save the wretched woman from a death on the scaffold. The Hon. A. J. Cadman arrived in Auckland yesterday morning, from Whangarei, where ho had been spending bis holidays with his friends. -*' Mr. Cadman will be at Government Buildings to-day, on depart* mental business. ■ « ■

Among the passengers who arrived by the .Northern S.S. Company's steamer air loch from the South on Saturday was Mr. Fraser, M.L.C., of Queensland. He is accompanied by Mrs. and Miss Fraser. They leave for the Hob Lakes district this morning. . .... -

The result of the inter provincial cricket match between Auckland and Canterbury has been the subject of very much comment in town in athletic circles. When the news came on Friday afternoon that Auckland had made 157 runs in their first innings, such was looked upon as about a fair average; bub when private telegrams arrived in the evening stating that Can bury had onsy lost one wicket for 306 runs, all with one accord seemed to agree that the affair was a hoax. Many a local cricket authority Wisely expressed the opinion that the thing could not be, as the (Canterbury men could nob have had sufficient time to knock up a score so phenomenally large before stumps were" drawn for the day. The disbelief of the first news of the defeat of the New Zealand footballers in New South Wales last session had its counterpart in the refusal to give credence to the result of the first day of the Canterbury match. lb seems almost - impossible to bring home to Auoklanders the recognition of • the fact that they are not absolutely infallible as exponents of nearly all branches of athletic sports. It was not until the detailed . report of the match appeared in the Herald on Saturday morning that it became generally recognised that the discredited information of the firot day's play was but too sadly true. On Saturday, as the report of our special correspondent which appears in another column shows, the match was concluded, and Auckland was beaten by a innings and 156 runs—the most overwhelming defeat ever suffered in an interprovineial match in New Zealand. The next and final contest of the tour will be played against ! Wellington 'on Wednesday and Thursday? next;" and' the result! is sure to be awaited with considerable anxiety in Auckland.' ■> "'

' BgOT wUo fcffit'*jrth« Bydflsy od Sfcturd* *™*ZS2SE^ Jan., Who to *# »4 f iD frf|J*fs , the sal» fF|i*td r T £ \ o'Bri-j4f«eF#elUdWn spaf**** The ! racehorse Loyalty nd several others were _ j shipped by the Ta ne. I Mr. W. 'if, Bej I hifo given* '^ 9 move the foitowlht resOhrMOh ** the next move meeting of the B:bour|Boitf^«^Thab the JTilaeee aftf noted toetoshle aha report onfth»desirability of incredng the port) charges on vessels to 6d per fc; the amount charged , at the other chief >f Zealand ports j and also upon the de-abflityTOf »'**Pj?to£ tolls OttVahieles gcfi* an/.tba Queen- Stfetfb wharf whereby.tn Board's revenue maybe increased «y4e'Un» Of, £2500, formerly abandoned by the ward. . . r , * Of course the Stkeme Court holidays art now in force, bujhia Honor Mr. Justice Conolly oceasiflfiay rooks Injlor the purpose oLd^n it He *nas already feMMg f#'SSi° i. I newly-dlectedl jfltf of A* o^! *** Justice of the S6e,* but Mrs. Yates. th» newly-eiected ffik ; of o »! hu °«*fjJ* yet presented hpf for *)»• <W«™» J°» neeassaW to eflfife.bar to takeflflr Wat as a magistrate. : \'k ' "v " r ":..\:y r ~,.', ~ /j * Yesterday Mr; fidwJn flesketh, the Wellknown solicitor,? delated for the last tame as organist and hoirtnastwr at* St. M«k :» auroh?«emaarT He retires after 30 years of loving.. fai*hhl,and ; honorary .service, owing » his airing Infirmity of deafness. During that llgthy period the item for " organist" MM never appeared m the church accounts and he has been able to fulfil thedutlei ffioifently, notwithstanding the cares of .i Irofessional business, and the numerousJolaima apoa his time. The Rev. Lj | Richards, incumbent, In alluding on Sun ay week to Mr. fiesketha service? and j lis M enforced retirement, through bodilyjinfirmity, said •-.*•# we turn to anothsr,jart of our work the worship it is not often eta at home, that a church has the prlvileMof having the same voluntary organist foi 30 years. Yet this is the case here. Iri tee work which Edwin Hesketh has thai undertaken for the church h« has spared bthsetf in no way, so that the music of the fcurCh might be made a suitable offering » the Worship of Almighty God. And SOW to hie forced retirement, owing to bodilyT infirmity, ,on Sunday nsxt, he has to* sympathy, of ail, and I trust thi all, that he may be long join With us, If tuA-VNtf&brWm same way; as heretofore, yet in other Ways, in promoting the glory of God and tk good of His Church. Sir. Hesketh has Arranged to; take his formal leave of fchelohoir, with whom hta relations have been ttost happy and cordial, at his residence, Reuuera, on Wednesday next. His work anong ~ them baa < been truly a labour of loveto him. V v ' On Saturday night Week a dastardly outrage was perpetrated in Queen-street upon a young lady—her. ,\ dress being ruined through some miscreant having smeared it with some red- substance while she was walking in that throaged thoroughfare. A similar outrage wss committed last Saturday night, about htff'paat ten o'clock, upon a young lady fron the Thames, who was at the time walking up UpperPtttstreet in company with her brother. When on the pavement, opposite Moore, the hatter's, she felt something cold and trickling on her wrist and hand, and on going a few yard* farther to the light of the gas lamp of the Naval Motel, saw it was a red liquid running down into her glove. Her dress was also found to be bespattered in the same way, with what appeared', to be red ink, and seems to have been projected from a squirt. The dress, valued at £3, is com* pletely destroyed for street wear. The young lady's brother also had some of th« liquid thrown on his coat. Information was given to Sergeant Bernard of Newton, and every endeavour will be made to detect the perpetrators of these outrages. ■ ' Big gum specimens are rare nowadays, and that now oh exhibition from Mangapai, at the Chamber of Commerce, attracts some attention. The' gross weight of the block when originally unearthed was 1301b, and When scraped clean and fit for exhibition Its Weight Was reduced to 1031b. The exhibit, originally in one block, is now divided, for owing to its irregular structure it wag broken in scraping and shipping, but all its main features are preserved. <;•■ ;..!",

One of the healthiest signs of the times is the effort being made by the various city and suburban churches to get rid of the debts which from various causes have accrued. During the past week the Tabernacle has completed the task. which pastor and people had set before them, namely, to raise £500 in liquidation of the church debt, and the amount has been banked. This sum has been obtained without bazaars as entertainments or other adventitious aids but simply by systematic giving. . When Detective Chryetal some three and a-half years ago warned our local authorities that the treasures in the Art Gallery donated by Sir George Grey and others, were the reverse of safe { many of the wiseacres poohpoohed the likelihood of such a thing; even some of the City officials scouted the idea as preposterous. The directors of the New South Wales National Art Gallery, if they were of the same way of thinking as our people, probably think differently now, their gallery having been entered in the most daring manner on the night of the 20th iilt., when a case of casts of rare and valuable ancient coins lent to the institution by Mr. J. R. Fairfax, wasabstracted, together with two sovereigns and two halfsovereigns, the first issue of the last authorised coinage, which were. recently turned out of the mint by Lady Duff, the more bulky and less valuable exhibits not being molested. The miscreants appear to have got in in the precise way indicated as. possible by the Auckland detective— is, by getting in and dropping "down' from the skylight, or glass roof of the gallery. > : On Saturday afternoon an inmate of the Avondale Asylum, named Duncan Graham Chalmers, aged 57, died somewhat unexpectedly. He had been ailing for some time. His estate is in the hands of the Public Trustee. The usual inquest will be held by Dr. Phileon, coroner. r'i ■ <.'../ After the general election, there was considerable dispute in regard to financial matters between certain of the candidates —not the successful ones. Matters, however, now appear to have been in part, at any rate, arranged, " pay day 7, took place at the end of last week for the cabmen who had been employed. An act of great ' generosity! took place recently in, Auckland. 1 A stranger accosting a little girl, asked to be directed to a certain boardinghouee. .The lassie took the trouble not only to point out the way, but to conduct the querist to the place. As a recompense; she was rewarded with a five cent French stamp, which had been used. , On the same afternoon as Mr. Coe's residence, Shelly Beach Road, was robbed (the 2nd Inst.), it has transpired that a residence in Hargreaves- street, off College Road, was similarly entered, and some jewellery, etc., value £4, stolen. The clock face had been opened to see if any money had t been "planted" in the clock, and the clock had stopped at" two p.m.' Two suspicion characters were seen in the locality tnatd»y, and ib is conjectured the thieves are identical with those engaged in the Coe robbery, and also in;the affair at Eden Terrace. '■■ , \ : \-r-k~' -7-j\; ;.>■■•'_'-?'•;".'., Some members of the working classes are evidently making a poor beginning with the new year.- There were no less than seven persons in the lock-up last night on charges of drunkenness. At six o'clock last evening there was a couple of men having a bout together, with a crowd round them, at the intersection of Victoria-street with Hobson-street. When \ the affair was over, the police appeared oh the scene. .The, little boy Arthur de Jongh, who resided with . his parents at Cox's Creek, and was admitted to the District Hospital on Thursday, suffering from lockjaw, died on Saturday. He had had his foot crushed accidentally. .The death of Mr. Charles I O'Connor, the brother of Mr. T. O'Connor, the well-known and popular amateur athlete, which took place in the Hospital yesterday, will be deeply regretted ;by-s a very wide circle >. of mend*. His death was quit*unexpected, He wan only laid up for a few days, suffering from congestion of the lajtei/.the result of a severe cold. The deceased was a man °f finei physique, and was only 46 years of age. The funeral will leave his brother's raVidence, Hargreaves-sfcreet; Ponaonby, : ad half-past three this afternoon. ' '■■■-■■"

, There were in the locjrt last evening fire persons ou charges c drunkenness,* BSdall McCarthy and V\ lam Hopkins forbeiflg drunk and disor J Martha McManus for ■ larceny o 168 Id, the DTOfMrt? Of Julia Carr; a i Morris NorgaTaod John Wilson . charges of breaking and entering ft . .are of John Ryan, Brigham's Creek, anc teal ng therefrom clothing and furnitu lb appears that Ryan fastened up his• are end went to work ab the Henderson otel, and that subsequently his wkare was oken into ana some goods taken therefrom. Be acquainted the police authorities, and f on information received Sergeant Mafckaj of the water police, and a boat's crew ; oceeded up to the Hobsonville district, a I arrested the accused on the above charg * Advantage was taken of 1 e fine weather prevailing on Saturday by large number of yachtsmen to take a shoij cruise in ana around the harbour. ShHly after one o'clock in the afternoon, t» harbour was fairly alive with yachts of I descriptions making ready, and they pi lented a very pretty sight working their ray down the harbour. Messrs. Blomflel s new yacht, the Viking, was out for a ;rial spin, and came in for a good deal of ttention, the yacht appears to go fairly w 1, bub is more fitted for heavy weather han for light winds. The coming strugg! between the Viking and the Volunteer in yacht race on regatta day will bo ea erly watched, and a good deal of interest i already being taken in the event. Last ei ning most of the yachts returned to theii moorings, the crews having all had a mat enjoyable cruise. Next Saturday afternoon at the rifle range, Mount Kden, Capt.n Whitney's prize of 500 rounds of amm altion will be fired for, by the teams tha competed at the Auckland Rifle Assockti n mooting on Boxing Day. Drills will b resumed by most of the companies durii the coming week. A meeting will shor y be held for the purpose of arranging fo the selection of a team to send to Chris ihurch to the New Zealand Championship leefcing to be held next month. The New Zealand Heba4> companionship have received a numbei of Christmas cards from various journals, ec., which they riVsiretoacknowledge. FirsbtjeNewZealand Times companionship send r the season's greetings to their confrere! of the New Zealand Hkrald." The Government printer and officers of thd printing and stationery department, Welington, tender " the compliments of the sason, and hearty foot! wishes." Next com* the Lyttelton 'imes and Star companioißhips with " the compliments of the eeabn." The card from the Melbourne Affua companionship is ' somewhat unijue, and is in the nature of " A Uhristnjas Carol." From South Australia come mo season's greetings of the South Austrian Register "to their fellow-craftsmen oajthe New Zealand Herald," and of the companionship of the Government Printing Onces. These cards are somewhat of a novel*; in get up. The companionship of the London Morning Post "present their compliments to the Herald chapel, wishing their a happy and prosperous New Year." On the top lefthand corner is a photographic reproduction of the first copy of the' Post, dated London, November 6, 1772„ : and of the Post of to-day, illustrating (he progress made bv the journal in that period. The good wishes thus forwarded by their confreres in New Zealand, Victoria, South Australia, and the mother country, the Herald companionship desire to reciprocate most heartily. The annual general meeting of the Jubilee Institute for the Blind will be held on Thursday afternoon next, at the office of Mr. F. A. White, at throe o'clock, the business being to receive and consider reports of the trustees, treasurer, and principal, and to elect three trustees in place of three who retire.

With regard to the recent housebreaking occurrence at the residence of Mr. James Cos, in Shelly Beach Road, it appears that the culprits carried off three watches instead of one as previously stated—a valuable diamond pin, and a few shillings in monoy. The men evidently thought that some money was concealed somewhere in the house, for they made a most minute search of the premises. The bedolothes were disarranged, the curtains pulled aside, and the carpets were moved. Even the linoleum was rolled up, and almost every conceivable place bore signs of having been examined in the search for money or other valuables. Two suspicious-looking characters were seen in the neighbourhood during the day. One is said to have looked into the house occupied by Mrs. Hodgson in the same street, and seeing that a servant was in charge he walked off and joined a mate outside. The two then proceeded down the street. The police have not yet succeeded in unearthing tho offenders.

At the Dargaville Police Courbon December 29, before Messrs. J. M. Dargaville and A. E. Harding, J.P.'e, John Kavanagh was charged with having inflicted grievous bodily harm on John Phillips, by cutting him on the back with some sharp instrument. Sergeant Black represented the police, and Air. N. A. McLeod appeared tor the prosecution. The hearing of the case lasted some seven hours. The trouble arose out of the joint ownership of some Eoultry, Kavanagh accusing Phillips of aving claimed more chickens than his share. The evidence went to show that both men had been drinking on the day in question, and began to abuse each other. Phillips deposed that Kavanagh eventually muck him'on the back with a tomahawk, and then punched him. The accused denied this. He stated to the police that Phillips bad attacked him first, and that he had only struck him with the flat side of the weapon. After hearing a considerable amount of evidence, and the address of the accused's counsel, Kavanagh was committed for triaL Bail was allowed—accused in £50, and two sureties in £25 each. •

Three prisoners have arrived from country districts en route for Mount Eden Gaol:— Maori, named Ngamata, was brought up in the Clansman from Mangonui, for larceny at Mangonui; Charles Hudson, brought up from Whangarei, for larceny at Kamo; and Robert Dawson, brought up by Constable Riat from Kuaotunu, having been committed for trial at next session of the Supreme Court.

The Payne family of musicians and bellringera gave a sacred concert yesterday afternoon at the City Hall. There was a crowded attendance, the spacious building being full in every part. Theprogrammewas an excellent one, and each item received a capital rendering. Miss Lizzie Payne sang "The Fisherman and His Child," and Miss Elfie Morella rendered " Ave Maria," with Violin obligato. The bellringers gave several favourite selections, the best ofwhich perhaps was "Old Hundredth," which was beautifully rendered. The company appear to-night at Newton, and to-morrow evening at Parnell.

Captain Fred Thomas, the famous aiffieur venlriloque, is at presentin Auckland, and is making arrangements for an early public appearance in conjunction with a high-class concert party. His abilities as a humourist and entertainer, apait from hie unique and wonderful gift as a whistling ventriloquist, are very highly spoken of in bhe press.

The ferry steamer Eagle ran an excursion round the islands of the Gulf yesterday afternoon, having on board a large number of passengers. Steamers ran to and from the French warship Scorff and the German warship Bussard in the afternoon, and , the visitors were most cordially received , and courteously shown over the vessels by the officers and crews.

Arrangements for the Foresters Sports Carnival, which takes place at St. Heliers Bay, on Saturday, 20th inefe,, are well in hand, and from all appearances the efforts pf the energetic committee will be successful. One of the principal trophies to be sffered for competition is a handsome Cup ralued at £7, which is on view in the window »f Mr. G. Coldicutb, ftewton. Tea will be provided free, and the fare including \ admission to the sports has been fixed at the reasonable amount of one shilling. '