CITY BREVITIES.

New Zealand Times, Volume LVIX, Issue 2997, 8 December 1896, Page 2

CITY BREVITIES.

Australia!®. items appear on the Erst page. Sporting, • Volunteer and bowling news, and our report of a trial for alleged robbety, 'frill be found on the fourth page. Ah earthquake, short and sharp, was experienced hero a few minutes after 8 o’clock last night. The annual presentation of prizes will take place at the Wellington College at 3 o.tfi. 0A Friday, Tho second gang of ificfi started work ou the outfall sewerage works yesterday. Very fair progress is being made with the work. Should the weather permit, the Duco and Mana will ruu excursions to Day’s Ray to-to-morrow, leaving tho Queen’s Wharf at 8 p.m. A powerful inducement to purchase instruments from tho Dresden Piano Company this month is the organ to be given Away by that Company, « . The examination of the., Tc Aro State School is now proceeding. Thomdon School will bo tho next fiild last on tho list for examination-. . Supreme Court sat from 10 a.m. until 11 p.m. yesterday, and oven then the Picton Hotel case was not concluded. The hearing will bo resumed on Thursday. William Wylie,. alias Wilson, was remanded at the Stipendiary Magistrate’s Court yesterday morning to appear at Christchurch in answer to a Charge of vagrancy. Should Mrs McKenzie’s health porifii* the Hon S. McKenzie leaving home, It tS expected, a lull Cabinet meeting will bfi held next week to clear up business tiCiOre tho Christmas Vacation. The halt-yearly general meeting of the Wakamarina Golden Bar Goldminipg Company will be held, at the office.cf tb.e Company, Featherston street* Monday evening next.

At the Mfctiblrato’s Court John Convey, for drunkenness, was mulcted in 10s, oc 48 hours’ imprisonment, and for having been found in a hotel while under the cloud of a prohibition order he was fined a farther 20s, or seven days. The annual picnic of the employees Cf the | Gear Company will be hold at the Upper Hutt j to-morrow. A special train will leave tho | Petono station at 9.3 Q a.m. t Friends qftho; employees may obthin tickets ‘from any member of the committee'. A lady ‘in Egmoht district addressed the Premier.during tre Election campaign as fol* Ipwa-sx—hope that Mr Symes will get in, and If he does ho will be in good company. Anyone who wants to bj in better company than Mr So-idon’a will need to go aloft.” Only one delegate attended at tho annual statutory meeting fixed for yesterday for tho purpose of electing six representatives on the board of trustees of tho Wellington Hospital, * and consequently tho meeting lapsed. [ Anglers have no cahsfe to complain cf the fishing in the Htitc river this year. On Saturday, fishing., with the fly, one local Izaak Walton got soVeral fine fish, one weighing: 31b, frliifch is a large weight for fly fishfhir. Messrs Baylis, 0. T. Browne, F. Bradey, S. Lancaster and R. Mothes have bean elected to represent 13 of the contributing bodies to the Benevolent Institution. The Wairarapa South County Council has appointed Mr W. Booth as its representative cn the Institution. The moonlight L oxofittion by the steamer CorinaA on Saturday night promises to bo a great b'&Aooss. As the vessel affords ample Space for promenade, she will no doubt be crowded. Tho excursion is to bo held in aid of tho funds of tho Wellington Exhibition Regatta. A convertible pair-bat., ’fif* double-scull racing befit Arrived, by tho Rimutakalast week for tb.e Stfit Boating Club from J. H, Clerk and CA, London. Tho boat is fitted

with patent alidoß and the latest improven\clits. It is supposed to be the finest boat that has been landed in the Colony. Land taxpayers are reminded’that the 10th instant is the last on which payment of this year’s land tax oan be made without the additional 10 per cent. After the 10th all amounts outstanding will be increased by 10 per cent., in accordance With the provisions of the Land and Incdmo Assessment Act. A poll was taken yesterday at the Hqtt County Council’s offices and at Brp vh’s Bay on the question of raising, a doaa of -8500 under the Loahs tp.Locdl Bodies. Act to construct a porting of the., road to Gollan’s Valley l . As far as the Wellington poll was tohoerned the voting was in favour of raising the loan, bub the Brown’s Bay returns are not yet to hand. The. annual examination of teachers of primary schools who desire promotion will be held indifferent parts of the Colony between tilo flth and 15th of January. Civil Service candidates will also bo examined between those dates. The examinations of the Wellington competitors will bo hold at the '1 echnioal School. The number of teachers to be examined will bo about 730, and 30 pupil teachers will be. examined in drawing. Of Civil Service candidates there are 510. In connection with the numbers polled at the general election by some of the candidates, there are peculiarities which may interest the carious. The number polled by the member.for Geraldine, Mr Flatman, represent the year (1H93) ho first entered Parliament. The figures representing the votes polled by Mr Wilford In the Suburbs election would, if arranged in different order, give those polled by Mr Hislop, The primary drawing scholarship examinations for the 50 scholarships available were held at the Technical School yesterday. There were 229 candidates from the following schools :—Potono, 14; Kb an dal lab, 1 • Wadestown, 3; Cross’ Creek, 1; Thorndon, 19 ; Newtown, 27; Rlntoul street, 8; Terrace, 34; .Vlount Cook Boys, 27 ; Taita, 2; TeAro, 30; Kilbimie.7; Mount Cook Girls’, 29, and Clyde quay, 27. The Salvation Army are appealing to the public for donations on behalf of the inmates of their Rescue Homes. The are endeavouring to raise funds to provide a Christmas dinner and a gift of clothing for. the inhabitants of these homes, and as their resources are taxed to the utmost they are unable to provide the funds themselves. It is not necessary to enlarge upon the good work done by these homos to ensure largo donations towards such* a good object. Donations may be sent to Ensign Twyford, of the Cuba street Rescue Homo. At Mr Alfred Hill’s farewell concert M. Ovido Musin, Madame Musin, Herr Soharf

and Miss Hatherly will perform in the early portion of the programme, aad “ Hiaemoa ” will follow, given as before by Mr Maughan Barnett’s Musical Society. The box plan is already rapidly filling, and all who wish to hear this splendid cantata should at once book thoir seats. As announced elsewhere all interested in the farewell to be given to Mr Hill are requested to meet to-night in the Exchange Hall at 5 o'clock. The thirty-fourth annual report of the Australian Alliance Assurance Company shows that out of the credit balance for the year, viz., £33,371 14? 9i, a dividend of six shillings per share is declared, .£4OOO appropriated for suspense investment account, and •814,371 14s 9d carried to credit of next year’s account. The not amount of fire premiums received for the year were JJ21,438, and marine prominma, JUfi,39s. Mr A. E. Kernot, Victoria street, is the Wellington district agent. Instead of the usual monthly organ recital at St. Mark’s Church, the choir will, under the direction of Mr L. F. Watkins, the organist, render Spohr’s “ Last Judgment ” on Thursday evening next at 8 o’clock. An offertory will he taken for the organ fund, which Mr Watkins is anxious to see increased in order.that the sew stops, prepared for when the organ was rebuilt, can be purchased and placed in the instrument. . The solo work has been entrusted to Miss Hamer ton, Mrs Webb and Messrs Pago; Blow, Gooder and HueVoon, who should do full justice to this beautiful work. At the fortnightly meeting of the Society for the Prevention ot Cruelty to Animals yesterday afternoon, the inspector’s report showed that he bad enquired into 12 cases of cruelty since last meeting. The inspector was instructed to make all enquiries with reference to the immediate killing of maimed sheep that arrive in trucks at the slaughterhouses. It was stated that numbers of sheep which are sent in tracks become injured, and are allowed to remain some days befero being kill -d.' Mr J. G. W. Aitken was appointed vice-president, and Mr Watson to a vacancy on the committee caused by the resignation of Mr H. Beauchamp, which was received with regret. The following subscriptions have been received since, last meeting:—H. Beauchamp, dJI Is; Mount Cook Girls* Band of Mercy, 10s 6d.

- A very full rehearsal ofthe.orchestra and soloists engaged in the production of “ The Golden Legend ” was held last evening at Thomas* Hall. The soloists secured by.the Festival Choral Society for the grand workare: —Mrs Donne, who will undertake the soprano work ; Mrs Burfoot, contralto; Mr J. W, Hill,' tenor ; and Mr F. V. Waters, bass. .It was finally decided to hold the concert on Thursday, the I7th instant, instead of the 18th, in deference to Mr A. F. Hill, whose complimentary, concert will be held on the latter date. The resignation of Mr Ritchey as hon. secretary was accepted with regret, aud .the" council minuted its deep sense of the services Mr Ritchey has ungrudgingly given to the’ Society. A" full rehearsal of orchestra aud soloists will be hold on Thursday evening in tho Dresden Rooms, and a final full rehearsal of orchestra, soloists and

chorus will bo held ou Tuesday next in Thomas* Hall, at 8 o’clock. All members are toattend on that evening. In the Supreme Court yesterday, before Mr Justice Edwards, tho civil case of Anno £. Roskruge and E. B. Roakruge, of Picton, versus Michael Ryan, of Pahiatua, and P. K. Watty, of Wellington, was heard. Plaintiffs claimed JJSQO damages, under these circumstances : In August, 1808, defendants, it was aUeged, induced plaintiffs to buy the lease, stock and furniture of tho Terminus Hotel, Picton, on tho representation that the takings were >846 a week over and above tho outgoings for stores, &o. , whereas they were much less; to defendants’ knowledge. It was a form of the contract of purchase that the value ofthe stook should be ascertained by valuation. Plaintiff* alleged that, owing to false and fraudulent representations, they paid .£666. to defendant Ryan for furniture v <fco M whereas it was worth only JMOO. The defence was that there was no statement made that the takings were >646, and if it was proved so, then such ropresontationjwas true. There was Also a denial of conspiracy between Ryan and. Watty in regard to making an excessive valuation, as alleged. Farther, .£666 was not over-value for the property in question. Mr JelUcoe appeared for plaintiffs, and Mr Skerrett for the defendant Ryan. Watty, who had made the valuation and was bracketed as a defendant, was unrepresented. A quantity of evidence was taken, the witnesses being mostly from Picton. Tho Court sat late last night, but the case remains unfinished. Stops will likoly be taken to com-, pci tho attendance of a witness from tho South.

George Anderson pleaded guilty yesterday morning at the Magistrate’s Cotfirt f,6 having stolen a silk Vsldod at 10a. from William Ken)in H 6 received a month's imprisonment. The same defendant also pleaded guilty to having stolon a pair of trousers, valued at a like amount, from John Griffiths, Mr Greenfield sentenced him to three months* imprisonment, tho two sentences to rh.fi concurrently-. .Strß W. E. Rhodes has forwarded a donation of lao Hospital for the Christmas fund.' Intending contributors to this fund aro asked to aend donation* at their earliest ooa» venionoe, so that the secretary and malrofi may bo able to know in good tiifio how ifiuoh they will hivoftt their discos?!. There firfi fit present about and tirao Ufiebdcdto make selection of the good* ftfillrolc x >r presnnls for th9..patients. Ail 4'm .Vo;n will bo rcicirod ?fii duly acknowledged through the pi’eis. The A, 3, Ttoggins, 8.A., will give a course cl six lectures on “ The History and Development of Economic Thought,” at Sfc. Peter’s Schoolroom, the first of the series takingpluce ou tho XObhinst. Mr J. Hutcheson, M.H.U., will preside. Mr Hoggins was appointed by the Sydney University as Lecturer on Social Science in connection with tho Queensland University extension scheme, and bears high credentials from. ihb University Extension Board, Which testified t 6 the great grasp ho showed 6f hi§ subject, and the. excellent literfiry garb in jyvhich the lectures wore clothed,.. Aord Lamingt-ofi filed spoke i highly of the lectures^ AAa meeting of Court Sir George Bowen, Nc. 5084, A.0.F., la?t night, tho following members wore nominated for the following offices for tho ensuing six months *—, Bros. S. Ford and J. FttUdftj S.C'.R., Bro. W, A. Worth .iHefilbr Woodward, Bros. W. P. Branagan, T. Bryafitj R, A, Edwards ; Junior Woodward, Bros. T. Bryant, R. A. Edwards, P. Brana* gan, W. Hutchison; 5.8., Bros. A. Rose, W. Hutchison, T. Bryant; J. 8., Bros, W. Hutchison and T. Bryant ; treasurer, Bro. H. Birch ; assistant secretaries, Bros. Griffiths, T. Bryant, H. Baldwin. Three new members wore initiated, and three others proposed.