Untitled

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4246, 29 October 1874, Page 2

It will be observed that tenders are called for by the Provincial Government for the construction of two bridges of some importance—the one over the river Tauex-a, near Masterton, and the other over the Silver Stream, at the Upper Hutt. Both are very necessary works, and will greatly facilitate and lessen the danger of travelling in the Wairarapa. Tenders are also called for for the cutting down and clearing of about five miles of bush on the new line of. road from Murigaroa to Waikanae. The Court of Appeal. sittings begin on the 9th of next month. The cases down for hearing are—Cashmore v. Maney, Vermeil v. Brandon, Passmore v. The Bank of New South Wales, Vincent v. James, Tully v. Ngatuere, Hokitika and Greymouth Tramway Company v. the County Council of Westland, Harding v. Galbraith, Strachan v. Lyon, Kussell: v. Secley. The Wanganui Supreme Court sittings begin this morning, His Honor Mr. Justice Johnston having arrived in Wanganui yesterday by the Stormbird, at one o'clock. There are eleven cases on the criminal calendar for trial.

Arrangements are being made in Napier, it will be observed from a telegram, to entertain Sir Donald McLean at a banquet there on an early day. Merchants and others who may wish to telegraph to the United Kingdom or the Australian colonies, by the mail steamer Tararua, will notice that the mails for that vessel will close at the Bluff at ten o'clock, sharp, this forenoon.

The s s. Taranald appears to have met with exceptionally severe weather on her present trip from the North. She had the Auckland Suez mail on board, for transhipment to the Albion at Nelson, that vessel having been detained from Sunday morning till Monday night, for the purpose of carrying it on to Melbourne. The Taranaki, however, was delayed for twenty-four hours inside Manukau bar. She only reached Nelson very late on Tuesday night, and was not to sail again until near midnight yesterday. ■ Her departure from Wellington for the South, therefore, has been postponed until this evening. The telegraph has not informed us whether the Albion was further detained at Nelson, or went on without the mail, leaving it for the Wellington to carry back to Auckland to be forwarded via San Prancisco.

Another hard north-west gale was experienced yesterday, passing into the west as the night drew on. Heavy squalls occurred throughout the day, bringing clouds of dust, and clearing the footpaths of everything but stones and gravel ; while the extraordinary liberality of the Corporation men, with their unwieldly hose, deluged the streets rather than watered them, and made them dirty—as full of mud and water-holes, and as unpleasant to cross, as if it had rained all day. Although various causes, which need not be specified, have led to the immigrants by the Cartvale remaining on hand a little longer than those by other vessels, the great demand for labor has left few of the shipment in barracks. All the single men and women have found, employment at advantageous rates, and only three families remain, sinply on account of the difficulty of finding house accommodation. Two or three families who arrived by the: Conflict, nearly two months ago; retain their quarters at the barracks for the same reason ; but the ".bread-winner" in each case finds abundance of employment, so that the Government aro relieved of all expense on account of these families. The new arrivals, howoveiv are not the only persons subjected to annoyance on account of the scarcity of dwelling houses. An addition will shortly be made, by the firm of Levin & Co., to the coasting steamers trading out of the port. ; Mr. W. Levin, who is at present in London on a visit, was, according to lato advices, negotiating for the purchase of a vessel of about 200 tons, but had not determined upon a selection. . The present is regarded as a most favorable time for purchasing, as the price of iron steamers has receded somewhat. The new vessel may, therefore, be expected to put in an appearance in the course of a few months.

The immigrants by The Douglas having undergone a thorough process of purification, will be lauded from Somes Island to-morrow. The continued demand for tradesmen of all classes, as well as domestics, will no doubt lead to the speedy absorbtion of the immigrants. Wanganui has already forwarded a : request for twenty single women, who will be despatched on Friday, should there be a steamer available. A large proportion of the immigrants are for tho Feilding Corporation Settlement. "We gave yesterday, in the shipping columns, the decision of the local Court of Inquiry at Auckland, in the Anazi case. We may now remind our readers that on appeal to the Board of Trade, made by Mr. Seed, Secretary of Customs, that decision, as regards the power of the Court, was pronounced to be erroneous. The Board of Trade's letter to tho Secretary of State for the Colonies, on the subject, has already been published in our columns. We are happy to receive Mr. Moody's assurance that the Co-operative Butchering Society (" limited"—very much, we fear) is " still alive and kicking." .We doubt, however, that it is possible that arrangements can have been made to " carry on" a business that never was begun, in premises that never, were opened. We have no doubt the young firm who are about to commence business will be very happy "to supply the members of the society on very liberal terms"—as they probably, will the public as well. The secretary admits that there were members of the society who were " lukewarm," and their coldness, we fear, has frozen up the idea.

Yesterday being the Htttt Court day, no cases of any kind were heard at the City Police Court.

The ordinary fortnightly meeting of the City Council will be held this afternoon at four o'clock.

Snow is reported to have fallen in the Bay of Plenty district on the 13th instant. It is stated that this is the first occasion for many years in which snow has been seen in that locality. The California Minstrels (Mr. Harry Kelly's party, are playing with great success at Napier. They are spoken of by the local press as by far the finest company of minstrels who ever visited Hawke's Bay. They are about to return to Wellington for a week, commencing on Monday next, when they will perform at the Odd Fellows' Hall. About six hundred English birds were shipped by the Queen Bee, from London for Napier, at an expense to the province of some £SOO or more. Good cabins were secured for the birds, and a man was sent out in charge of them. Only the following reached Napier—-twenty-seven rooks, eighteen larks, one partridge, twenty-four blackbirds and thrushes, and two owls. No one, who has not endeavored to bring out English song-birds, can form an idea of the difficulty of the task.

The following tenders were received at the Public Works Office, Wellington, for the Hook contract of the Timaru and Waitaki railways: —Accepted David Proudfoot, Dunedin, £35,852. Declined—George Pratt, Timaru, £36,025; E.J. Wright, Christehurch, £87,502; J. Hadfield and Co., Christehurch, £38,750; W. Puller, Christehurch, £39,300; Allan and Stumbles, Timaru, £39,960; Brogden and Sons, Wellington, £44,622. The fears raised by the outer signalman on Tuesday evening in regard to the brigantine Enterprise appear to have been altogether groundless,.for the vessel and the p.s. Lyttelton, which was despatched to her assistance, both proceeded on their voyage the same evening. The brigantine was lying in safety in deep water, and being about to.proceed to sea she was allowed to drift until the anchor was made secure. The fact of the vessel drifting without sails may have created the impression that she was dragging her anchors ; so that the alarm was not, after all, without some justification.

The services connected with the sixth anniversary of the Primitive Methodist Church in Webb-street have just been held. The Sunday sermons were effective, and well attended. The usual tea-meeting was held on Tuesday evening, and was patronised by more than two hundred persons. The taste of the young people was displayed in floral decorations, while the ladies took care to provide inviting tables, which were filled more than once. A few minutes after seven o'clock the public meeting was commenced, with a crowded congregation. The report was read by Mr. J. Edge, from which we learn that the freehold of the church site, which had been held on lease, has been purchased ; a lobby has been erected, and further improvements have been determined on. The total income, including loan, is £2OO 10s. Id., and the expenditure for the year, including purchase of the ground, is £157 2s. lid., leaving a balance of £43 7s. 2d. in the treasurer's hands, to which must be added the proceeds of the present services. The following anthems were spiritedly rendered by the choir:—" On Jordan's stormy banks, I stand," "To lofty themes," with chorus, "0 speak good of the name of the Lord," and "0, how amiable are Thy dwellings." Speeches were delivered by Messrs. Leary, Clement, E. Taylor, and Kev. It. Ward; and a successful course of services was brought to a close by half-past nine o'clock. The absurdly narrow footpaths of the city of Wellington have often formed the subject of inward malediction as well as passing joke, and not without very good reason. In the primitive days of the settlement a footpath six feet wide may have been sufficient for all the necessary purposes of the community, but to suppose that such a width is sufficient for the traffic of the present day, when the population and the business have increased tenfold, would be amusing if it were not really very j annoying to the existing race of Welling- | tomans. In Willis-street, where not a foot can be spared from the confined limits of the roadway,.the nuisance is bad enough ; but it is infinitely worse and more aggravating to find the narrow idea perpetuated in the footpath on Lambton-quay, where the roadway is 100 feet wide. A. foot or two added to the footpath along the quay would add something to the appearance of the city, and afford greater convenience to pedestrians. The pathway on the business side of the quay, from Grey-street to Woodward-street, would certainly be greatly improved by such an alteration, and the City Council could not do better than give the subject its attention at its meeting to-day. The formation and kerbing of Woodwardstreet—a work which the long-suffering inhabitants of the neighbourhood might with justice have demanded long ago—is being prosecuted with a vigor for which the City Surveyor deserves credit. The ruts and watercourses in the piece of declivity which forms the roadway, have brought many a poor "dobbin" to grief. The street has, in fact, for years past been a terror to expressmen and drivers of bakers' and butchers' carts, who are compelled to use it as the only means of communication with the Terrace from the centre of the city.

The Theatre Royal was announced some days ago to be opened this evening for a season of twenty-four nights, by the StephensonBurford Company, which has been playing in the West Coast .towns for some weeks with marked success. The company, however, have apparently been delayed by the difficulty of travelling on or from the West Coast lately, and their .business arrangements have not been perfected, for the same reason. The play for the opening night has not yet been announced. It is probable the company may be on board the Taranaki, which is expected here in the course of the day. It is possible, also, that some intimation will be given in the course of the clay as to whether the company will play this evening or defer the opening till another night. Miss Stephenson, Mr. Burford, and the other leading members of the company are bo well known here that they will, no doubt, be welcomed warmly, and enjoy a successful season.