THE New Zealand Mail. PUBLISHED WEEKLY. THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 1897.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1321, 24 June 1897, Page 20

THE New Zealand Mail. PUBLISHED WEEKLY. THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 1897.

In his sermon at St. Mark's Church Sunday night' the Rev B. Coffey stated that he had been reading up the life of the Queen all last week, but that all his labour might have been spared, as the New Zealand Times on Saturday publiskod a summary of the chief events of h&r reign, which Was to his mind tho best thing of the kind ho had seen. He recommended everyone who had not already done so to procure a copy and keep it by him.

The Canterbury Cricket Association has decided to send a Canterbury team on tour next season.

It has been decided that in future the press will be admitted to any departmental enquiry into the cause of any accident which may happen on tho Government railways.

As the result of a concert held in Martinborough last week in aid of the Public Library, about -£ls will be added to tho funds.

Church of England services held in the Oddfellows' Hall are becoming so popular that it is proposed to erect a separate building in which to conduct the services, to be called the Emmanuel Church. The Volunteer church parade on Sunday was the largest ever seen in Wellington. It was calculated that, counting officers, Volunteers, cadets and a dozen warships' men, there were over 540 men on parade.

The Pahiatua Herald now appears in enlarged form, and compares more than favourably with the majority of the country journals of the colony. We congratulate its energetic proprietor and editor on his enterprise.

At a meeting in Christchurch on Friday night Ben Tillett delivered an address advocating the abolition of party government, the nationalisation of the land and the organisation of labour. A resolution was carried on the lines of the speaker's views.

It is understood that two of the four Maxim guns recently ordered by the Government have arrived in Wellington. It is intended to locate one gun at each of the four centres in charge of an infantry corps. Tho Wellington City Rifles will probably have charge of the Wellington gun.

An employee of Messrs Stewart and Co., Courtenay place, named John George, was injured by a qaantity of timber falling on him last Thursday. He was removed to the Hospital, where it was found that his left leg was broken at the ankle, and that he had sustained other severe injuries. During the progress of a case in the Stipendiary Magistrate's Court, the large book, in which judgments are entered by Worship, fell from the bench to the floor. Mr' Wilford quickly picked it up, remarking to His Worship that this was tho first occasion on which any of His Worship's judgments had been upset. Wo are informed by the secretary of the Post and Telegraph Department that the departmental lirfC in aid of the Hawke's Bay Relief Fund now amounts to over *£435, the greator part of which has been collected from officers and empl >yees of tho department, to whom the central committee has warmly expressed its thanks. On Saturday a slight railway casualty occurred at the Wellington station, the engine of the morning Wairarapa train mounting the points at the Bunny street crossing as it was running up to tho Wellington platform from Te Aro. The train was slowing down at the time, consequently no uamago resulted ; and the delay, too, owing to tho smartness of the Traffic Manager and his staff, was only a very trifling one—about 25 minutes.

*iwAn inmate of the Mount View Asylum iTamed Charles Jones died on Saturday from asthma and . congestion of the lungs. An inquest was held before Mr James Ashcroft, Coroner, on Saturday afternoon at the Wellington Hospital. Mr Charles Lamb was chosen foreman of the jury, which, on tho evidence of Dr G. Hassell, medical superintendent of tho Asylum, returned a verdict that the deceased had died from asthma. Tho deceased, who was 34 .years of age, was formerly a resident of Wanganui. A concert was given on Saturday night at the rooms of the New Zealand .Natives'Association on behalf of Mrs Lawson, whose husband is now seriously ill in Nelson. Miss Randell's songs v ' should He Upbraid" and "Caller Herrin' " were encored, and the singer contributed also " Ye Banks and Braes " and " Flight of Ages." Songs were also given by Mrs "Cross, Mrs Webster, Misses_ Fletcher and Messrs Henderson and Ellison. A capably-played zither solo by Herr Geiger was encored. Mr Shaw presided. The adjourned annual meeting of the League of the Cross, St. Joseph's branch, was held on Sunday afternoon in St. Patrick's Hall. The following are the officers elected for the next twelve months : —Ladies —Secretary, Miss K. O'Sullivan; treasurer, Mrs Crornbie ; vice-president, Miss E. Crombie. Gentlemen —Secretary, Edwin R. B. Daniels ; treasurer, Walter Crombie ; vice-president, J. P. Hyland. A hearty vote of thanks was i passed to the president, Father o'Shea s and tfce retiring ofScerß.

( Mr W. A. Flavell, of Denniston, has beeii ' appointed agent for the Westport Ctial Compaoy at Wanganui. J The building trade is in a flourisriing 8pil« ditioh at Otaki, where the. iiarpenters. afS ; kept fully employed just now; ' Thbre were 23 saloon and 19 steerage pisi sengers from Sydney by the Talune on Mon- ■ day night, and of these 18 saloon and 18 j steerage were for Wellington. j The Department of Agriculture has received | a cable from Brisbane stating that the New j Zealand collection of apples has taken first i award at the Intercolonial Fruit Exhibition j now in progress there. The other lines have i not been judged yet.

Mr H. Price, late of the Trooadero, returned from Sydney by the Talune on Monday night. Mr Price has purchased a firstclass hotel m Sydney, and after concluding some business arrangements Wellington ho will return to New Soutk Wales.

In consequence of the appreciation shown by the public last night of the electric and limelight display in front of the New Zeala-nb Times office, it has Been .decided fo re"pei£t the exhibition on two niglits of this week, probably on Friday and Saturday.

On Tuesday afternoon tha Takapuna brought down from Auckland nine boxes of bullion, valued at .£27,2:47, and 12 pigs of silver, of the value of £7290, for the Bank of New Zealand ; and a box of gold, valued at .£2527, consigned to the Bank of New South Wales. The offer of the Government to erect a railway and traffic bridge at Kakariki has been accepted by the Rangitikei County Council and Manchester Road Board. Those two local bodies propose to raise a jpint loan to construct the roads and approaches to the bridge.

It was foiind impossible to presents medals to all the children attending the Basin Reserve on Tuesday owing to the limited supply. We have been requested to state, however, that thoso children who have not received these mementoes will get them at their schools later oh.

The hon treasurer of the Levin Memorial Home received from Messrs Johnston and Co. the sum of 10 guineas, which was expended in providing a treat for the children on Record Reign Day. It is needless to state that the outing was very much enjoyed by the children.

The regular meeting of Lodge St. Andrew, No. 32, N.Z.C., was held in the Masonic Hall on Tuesday, and was largely attended by visiting brethren. After the usual business had been done an adjournment was uiade to tae refectory, where the toast of " Heir Majesty the Queen " was loyally hdnoured. After the proceeding's in the Basin Reserve on Tuesday, the men of the warships were entertained by the Permanent Artillery in the messroom at Mount Cook Barracks. Lieut.Commander Eirkj after the parade, took the men of the Petorie Naval Artillery to the Post Office Hotel, where they were entertained at lunch.

Mr Carl Hertz was giving a farewell performance in Timaru the other evening when a man in the stalls created a diversion by calling the performer a "fraud." It appeared that the man had undertaken to '* assist " in a card trick, and then repented of it. He became excited and troublesome, and had to be put out, and at the Court he was fined 20s for disorderly behaviour whilst intoxicated.

The ball given by the Petone Naval Corpß on Monday night at the Drillhall, Petone, was a great success, about 300 dancers being present, including Lieutenant-Commander Kirk ani Mrs Kirk, Lieutenant and Mrs Fanning, and Oommander Davy, of the Wellington Naval Brigade. Several fancy dres&es were worn. The hall was neatly decorated, and presented a most attractive appearance. Mr Piatt's band contributed the music.

The directors of the United Farmers' Cooperative Association have for some time been giving consideration to tho question of placing shippers of wool oh more favourable torms as regards financial accommodation and general charges on consignments. It has now been decided to reduce the interest on advances to shareholders to five per cent, per annum, commission beincr free as usual. A circular has been sent to all shareholders to that effect.

The Mines Department has granted the folio for road works in mining districts on the West Coast:—Promised Land road, ,£150; Seddonvillo road, .£300; Jones' Creek road, £100; Fenian Creole road, Karamea, £250; Four-mile road, £IOO. A subsidy of £1 for £1 up to £4OO has been offered for the road to the Britannia mine, and the Inungahua County Council has decided that if the companies affected contribute £IOO the work shall be gone on with.

The barque William Manson has been sold to the Union Company to be used as a coal hulk, and it is understood that the price paid was £4OO. The vessel, it will be remembered, while in charge of the pilot, went aground at Nelson on February last, but after her cargo of coal had been taken out, sho was temporarily repaired and then refloatod, and towed over to Wellington by the Duco in April. Since then flio has been lying alongside tho Railway Wharf. Captain Fry held the largest share in tho William Manson, tho - 5 other ownerd being in Sydney.

Mr W. B. Paton, general manager and managing engineer in Now Zealand for Babcock and Wilcox, limited, expects to receive this month from tho firm's works in Glasgow, a 250 horse-power boiler ordered for the new Bruce Woollen Mills. This, and two boilera of 230 horse-power, now in process of construction for the Burnside Freezing Works, will be the largest imported into the colony. Mr Paton has just returned to . Wellington from Dunedin, where a large boiler has been put into place for the New Zealand Drug Company. An order has also been received from tho Wellington Harbour Board for a boiler to be used with the Temperley transporter gear. Tho half-yearly summoned meeting of Court Sir George Bowen was held on Monday night. The district officers paid the Court an official visit. The election of officers for the ensuing term resulted as follows : —Chief Ranger, Bro. W. A. Worth ; S.C.R., Bro. Ferguson; S.W., Bro. Rose; J.W., Bro. Dutton; b\W.,Bro. Bylesj J.W., Bro. Johnston ; Treasurer, Bro. Birch ; A.S,, Bro. Griffiths. Three new members were : initiated, and seven proposed for membership. Nominations for district officers were received as follows : —D.C.R., Bro. Baldwin ; D.S.C.R., Bro. Upton ; D.S.W., Bro. Newell; D.J.W., Bro. Kershaw; D. 5.8., Bro. Frederic; D.J.8., Bro. Chote ; D. Treasurer, Bro. j Birch; D. Secretary, Bro. Whiteford; Auditor, Bro. Kershaw.