NEWS OF THE DAY.

New Zealand Times, Volume LVII, Issue 2411, 17 January 1895, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Mr W. Gray (secretary of tho Post and Telegraph Department) is to accompany the Postmaster-General to the Intercolonial Postal Conference ajfc Hobart. The Hon C. J. Johnston has been unanimously elected chairman of the new board of directors of the Wellington Woollen Company. The Chief Judge of the Native Land Court and Judge Butler left for Otaki yesterday afternoon to hold a sitting of the Native Land Court there to-day for tho purpose of hearing and determining a mimhsr of applications tor re-hearing in respect of tho Aorangi and other blocks in. tho Otaki district. Judge Maokay is to hold a Court at Danevirke to-day for the subdivision of the Tamaki block, which is situated not far from Danevirke. The block has an area of about 34,000 acres, and the subdivision is with a view to its acquisition by tho Government.

A first dividend k>f six shillings in the pound is to bo declared this week in the insolvent estate of Albert Delaney, formerly of the Trooadero, Wellington. : The amount of liabili ties in respect of which the dividend is to bo paid is £775. A very successful trial of Mr Ford’s siren took place yesterday. It was first tested at the Railway Wharf, then at Sop-mes’ Island, and finally at Fort Ballrfhco. During the trial at Soames” Island half a gale was blowing in the direction of Petone, yet the siren was heard distinctly at Port-Ballauce. The .cylinder used was made of copper instead .of brass, which is a more suitable material, whilst the piston was without packing. Still very good results were obtained.. Thiswas all the more satisfactory as the instrument was only 2j inches in diameter, the proper size being from six to eight inches. It is intended to have a brass cylinder of the requisite size constructed at the Petone workshops, when another trial will bo made. It is seldoin that a vessel comes into .port after a long sea voyage so clean and with eyerything on dock so neat as the barque' Star of the East, which arrived frgm New York on Tuesday, and was berthed at tl/a Queen’s Wharf yesterday. T.he cleanly nppodrtoce qf the vef’sel admired by hundreds of people' Off the Wharf. ' TJj.e condition pf" the barque oeif‘tainly reflect? t.hb greatest credit on Captain Niiian}.- to

This cycling, at St. John's Church, Mr Maughaa Barnett is i» give his first organ recital. Handel's J? Oojjcopfco, the adagio and finale from Mendelssohn's First Organ Sonata, and places by Smart,' Salorpo, Saint-Saens and Wely will be included in' the programme. Mr Prouse will sing, for the first time here, J. F. Barnett’s “Book -of Ages,” and will also -give Gounod’s if Nazareth.” The recital commences at 8 o’3ock. His Excellency the Governor and a party from Government House are to be present. Tuesday, the 2?nd; inst., is to he a l?ant holiday in Wellington, '

At tho annual meeting of the Wellington branch of the New Zealand Fire Underwriters’ -Association;- officers were elected for thejensning year as follow: —Chairman, Mr F. Pickering (Imperial); vice-chair-man, Mr P. Butler (Phoenix); executive committee, Messrs G. H. Harbroe (Commercial Union), J. H. Hall (Liverpool, London and Globe), W. Evans (Standard), W. I. Bolam (New Zealand). Mr Manfred Rose, the manager of the Walter Bentley Company, has been busily engaged during the week in arranging for the return visit of Mr Walter Bentley, who appears at the Theatre Royal on Monday evening next in the charming comedy “Garrick,” which affords ample scope for able acting, not only by Mr Bentley, but by all tho members of the company. It is a far cry from tho modern drama to oldfashioned comedy, but Mr Bentley easily bridges over the gap and presents a courtly, polished gentleman of the old school, that would please Garrick himself. His drunken scene is admirably acted, and his heroic self-sacrifice in the last act beautifully played. The after piece is the Scotch farcical, historical drama “ Cramond Brig”’ in which Mr Bentley impersonates the old Scotch farmer, Jock Howiesou, the miller. Playgoers are reminded that the season is only a short one. The box plan is at Holliday’s. An incident occurred on the voyage of the Mararoa from Auckland to Gisborne, says tho Poverty Bay Herald, which goes to show the care- necessary in navigating through a fog. At about 9.30 at night, some three hours after leaving Auckland, tho weather being thick. Captain Chatfield, knowing he was in the vicinity of The Watchman Island, stopped the engines. This brought a number , of passengers on deck, curious and anxious to know what was the cause of the. delay. After waiting for ten minutes .oi- a quarter of an hour the fog lifted, and right abreast of the steamer, apparently only a few hundred yards away, loomed out of the daikness the rooky cliffs of Tho Watchman’. Having thus found his position. Captain Chatfleld. ordered full steam ahead.., Notwithstanding the ’delay consequent -oh ,the alowing-down’ the steamer made a passage of slightly under 20 hours from Auckland.

Special quotations in the clothing department' at ,Te Aro House during the partnership sale now going on are given in an inset published with this issue. At the Magistrate’s Court yesterday, before Mr Martin, S.M., a boy named William Draper,, charged with theft, was remanded for a month in order that his friends may get employment for him in the country. The information charging Andrew MoEerrow with having threatened Felix Parry Jones with a loaded pistol was (JjSmissed,. the affair being evidently the outcome of a foolish joke. His Worship expressed his strong disapprobation of such jokes, and remarked that it was lucky for the' defendant that ho had not been guilty even of a technical assault by pointing the pistol, because if that had been proved'ho should have imposed the maximum penalty and ordered defendant to find- substantial sureties to keep tho peace,

As’ announced by advertisement elsewhere the wool sales take place to-morrow, when the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, A. G. Taino and Co., Laery and Co., and Levin and Co. will offer lots. Levin and Co.’s wool is open .for inspection at their stores in Grey street.

The Council of the New Zealand Football Association met last night at the office of tho Colonial Mutual Association, Mr P. D. Leslie (Otago) in the chair. The questions to be submitted - to tho several associations in New Zealand in reference to future tournaments, as drawn up by a sub-committee, were adopted with slight amendment, as were also the revised laws pf the game,

,-,Taino and Cp.’s Mi/nakau stock safe toclas • ' Matthew Henry holds l,is stock sqlo. at Palroorston to-day at 12 o’clock. Abraham and Williams’ Palmerston sale takes place to-day at 1 o’clock. Townsend and Paul sell fruit to-day at 9 o’clock,and on Saturday. Laory and Co. sell fruit at 9 o’clock to-day. Consignees are - asked to. take delivery of cargo by the Star of the East and Alice, from New York. , Abraham and Williams’ Levin sale on Friday, 25th, is advertised. Hume and Son, merchants and general grocers, Willis street, • announce that they -have received another shipment, of- the wellknown Ceylon tea, sold at 2s per lb. This tea cannot he had from any other house in New Zealand, and is disposed of solely to con-. Burners. ’ ; ’

. Tenders are called for painting, etc., at the Wellington Hospital. .Hume and Son; Willis street, have 509 sides best South lalan'd-cured bacon on sale,* quality guaranteed, for 6d per lb by the side. The firm remind tho public that they charge wholesale prices only for every description of gro.qprips rptajjed at their stpr.es, W, M, Bannatyne and Co. have 16,000 eases Light of tho Age kerosene, ox Star of tho East. ; Purchasers aro wanted for the New Zealand YCast Company’s yeast.