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New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4159, 20 July 1874, Page 2

Some statistics ■which are interesting, either as regards .the prevalence of crime or the activity of tho police in the Province of Otago,, are published by one of our Dunedin contom-

poraries. The figures represent the arrests by the police, not the convictions in Court, which would have been more complete information as to the actual prevalence of crime, but as it is they are sufficiently indicative of the character of the prevailing offences. The total numbet of arrests made during the month of June past, in all parts of the Province, were as many as 231—this number representing 198 males and 33 females. The offences ■with which they were charged were of 33 varieties, but no particular offence nearly approached, in point of prevalence, the offence of public drunkenness ; for as many as 118 men and 19 women were arrested on that charge within this single month. In addition to these there were two women and one man charged as habitual drunkards. Of the eleven cases of lunacy and of the ten cases of disorderly conduct it is not improbable that some were associated with drinking habits, and so it may have been with some of the three common assaults on the police, and four breaches of the peace ; but that is a mere presumption. The high forms of crime are represented by one arrest for attempted murder, and one for arson. The larceny cases were sixteen in number—larceny either from the person, tills, dwellings, shops, or lighters —and four arrests were made for the kindred offence of being illegally on premises. Embezzlement or fraudulently obtaining goods do not seem to have been so common as they usually are, there having been only two charges of that description. Two vagrants and five neglected or criminal children were included in the street pickings of the police, and one amiable individual was brought up for “ urging dogs to attack persons.* 1

The Province of Westland is going through the various phases of Provincial Government with very various effect, upon the popular mind. The popular feeling seemed to be decidedly in favor of the formation of an Executive, but a change came when the occupants of the new offices declined to cease their legislative duties or to become regular residents of Hokitika. The second series of members did not find themselves more in favor, but the Council was apparently fatigued with forming Cabinets, and the gentlemen selected have succeeded in retaining their seats. Originally, also, the Superintendent was adverse to advisers, but now he concedes so far as to say that their existence will be a “ personal relief to him in many ways.” In his address to the Council at the close of the session, he said : “ The decision arrived at by the Council in the early part of the session in favor of having an Executive has now been given full effect to, and I trust I may be pardoned for expressing the hope that in future sessions, the necessity may not arise for the serious delays to the public business, which necessarily occur through frequent political changes. Although differing from the Council .as to the necessity which existed for the creation of an Executive, it will certainly be a personal relief to me in many ways, and I shall have pleasure in availing myself of the advice of such gentlemen as may possess your confidence.” While saying so, however, His Honor has made an appointment which will probably be a further “ personal relief ” to himself, but may fail to provoke an expression of confidence either on the part of the Council or the majority of the population of the Province. After His Honor had taken his departure for Wellington by the Claud Hamilton, a gazette was issued appointing, as his Deputy-Superintendent, Mr. Tabart, and tbe immediate effect, we are informed, bas been a general expression of surprise. Superintendents are, of course, at liberty to exercise their own choice in these matters; but the suggestion is that the appointment ■will not give greater satisfaction than did the character of the Executive now in office, if even so much. It is only to be hoped, for the sake of this infant Province, that the popular impression will prove a delusion, and that the first Deputy-Superintendent of Westland will exhibit as careful an appreciation of public affairs, as he has hitherto done with regard to matters personal.

The system of retrenchment which the Provincial Council of Nelson are permitting the Executive of that Province to carry out according to their own free will and discretion, seems already to have been characterised as much by anomaly as by economy. Whether correctly or not, it is stated that the richest and most extensive mining district of the Province is to be deprived of its resident Warden, while as a reward of meritorious service he is to be sent to the seclusion of Golden Bay. Then it is alleged that, contrary to experience and expediency, an evil system of appointing one and the same person to the offices of Gaoler and Inspector of Police, which had been initiated in Westport, is to be repeated in the City of Nelson, the offices being also probably combined, ■with the effect of achieving another anomaly, with the situation of Believing Officer to the Poor. But the most aggravated instance of the multiplication of offices seems to have been made at Brighton. There, according to a local correspondent, the constable in charge of the district has also charge of the flagstaff and signals, while he is likewise acting Clerk to the Eesident Magistrate and Warden’s Court, Beceiver of Eevenue, et cetera. The conversion of constables into clerks, and vice versa, has produced very strange results in some places ; but the official at Brighton will certainly require to be a paragon of virtuous intention and attention, should he be able to give satisfaction in so many different departments of the service.

Among the few passengers by the Luna from Wanganui, on Saturday, was Mr. Parris, the Native Commissioner. With him came Mawaku, the chief of the tribes who inhabit the country about the head-waters of the river Wanganui. This chief, we learn, has not visited Wellington for a considerable number of years, and comes now to see the Native Minister, who is expected to return from Melbourne by the Otago, due here about the middle of the week. A number of survey parties have been out lately in the country about the Upper Wanganui, aud their operations seem to have somewhat alarmed the Natives. Some of the Waikatos, it also appears, have been threatening to come over into the valley of the Wanganui, to stop these parties. Mawaku • is said to possess influence over a great many tribes, and a hope is expressed that his visit to Wellington will be attended with good results.

In an article on the. subject of the secrecy of telegrams, aud the Government measure on the subject, the Lyttelton Times of the 11th of July writes as follows ; —“ We are pleased to see by our telegrams that Mr. Vogel is losing no time in talcing steps to secure the secrecy of the Telegraph Department. In moving the second reading of the Electric Telegraphic Bill he explained what its chief objects w'ere. In addition to making effective provision against injury to the lines, the protecting of the officers of the department against actions for libel for sending libellous telegrams, its most important part was regarding calling for telegrams for the purpose of inspection. We have not the Bill before us ; and it is perhaps unfair to criticise it on the imperfect information to hand. Wo fail, however, to see that any discretionary power whatever should be left with the Commissioner of Telegraphs to produce telegrams ; and in legislating on the matter Parliament should place the absolute secrecy of the department beyond any doubt whatever.”

It is satisfactory to find by occasional reports from the Provinces in which the acclimatisation of trout has been undertaken, that the experiment is proving highly successful, and that soon many of our rivers will abound with fish of a character calculated to gratify, by then* existence or their capture, our Colonial Izaak Waltons. Only the other day, a trout weighing 1-llba. loz. was found dead in a shallow of the Shag river, Otago, and we notice that the favorable reports received some time ago from the Upper Thames are confirmed, Mr. Thorpe, of Ohinemuri, stating that the young trout liberated there are growing into goodsized fish. It is a pity, with such promising indications of the rivers of the Colony proving suitable for trout, that more active steps are not being taken in all the Provinces to promote pisciculture.

The people of New Plymouth are very anxious that their . Provinces should receive a share of the business of the shipping employed in convening immigrants from England to New Zealand, as well as of the immigrants. The Premier has made strenuous efforts to induce the Agent-General to obtain the placing of a vessel on the line direct from London ; but tbe Agent-General appeal’s to be unable to induce ship-owners engaged in the trade of carrying immigrants, although—as has been pointed out to him by Mr. Vogel—the roadstead of Taranaki is not worse now than it was years ago, when a direct trade was done between England and New Plymouth. It is possibly with a view to strengthen the hands of the Government in this matter, that a Taranaki journal publishes a list of the names of the vessels that arrived there direct from. English ports between the years 1852 and 1559. From it we see that the number was forty-five, of tonnage ranging from 260 upwards to 1300 tons. Most of these ships had but small cargoes on board for Taranaki, having discharged the greater part of their burden at other ports, and others only went to Taranaki to load for home.