The Evening Mail. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 1878.

Oamaru Mail, Volume III, Issue 747, 2 September 1878, Page 2

The Evening Mail. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 1878.

Mr. Saunders asked the Minister of Justico whether he knew anything of the antecedents of Alexander Lc Grand Campbell before appointing him to the position of Resident Magistrate at Ashburtou and Temuka ; whether he has seen the manner in which he misused his power as Registration and Returning Officer, as recorded in the Appendix to the Journals of the House, IS7B, vol. 2 ; whether he has seen the evidence given by the said A. Le G. Campbell before the Motueka election committee ; whether he has seen the opinion the chairman of that committee expressed as to his ignorance of the duties he had so long been paid to perforin ; whether he is acquainted with the circumstances which compelled the Government t<» remove him from th« position of Returning Officer for Motueka in IS7I ; whether he had any such personal knowledge, or such reliable information, as justified his appointment to a position of such enormous responsibility as that of administering civil and crimi-ial justice in one of the most important and most rapidly growing districts in this colony ? The hon. member was proceeding to say that the administration of justice was being brought into contempt, when Mr. Wakefield rose to a point of order, as the hon. member for Cheviot was introducing matter of a debateable nature. The Speaker ruled that the hon member for < heviot was out of order. The hon. Mr. vStout asked the hon. momber for Cheviot to allow bis question to stand over until Tuesday, when his hon. colleague (Mr. Sheehan) would be in the House to reply thereto. The question was postponed accordingly. Cablegraphic communication between Batavia and Singapore is totally interrupted. A ship left Singapore on Friday last to repair the damage. At the E.M. Court to-day, Flora M'Kay was charged with having on the 2Sth of August stolen some account-books belonging to Robert Keenan. Remanded till Thursday, the sth instant.—Charles Thompson was charged with deserting his wife, Mary Thompson. Remanded to Timaru ; bail allowed, himself in LSO, and two sureties in I 2" Walter Hamilton was fined os for bein'ff drunk and aisorderly yesterday, and John Campbell, for a similar offence, was fined 7s. This morning at 10 o'clock an expross was travelling down Severn-street, when the horse caught its foot in the rails and fell to the ground. Fortunately the veh.cie did not upset, or a serious accident might have occurred. As it happened the obstruction was cleared out of the way in time to admit of the passage of a ballast train that was apparently getting out of the road of the ordinary train. The accident was caused by the planking which was lately lifted from beside the rails on the crossing not having been replaced. Councillor Procter brought the subject before the Council to-day, and, as Chairman of the Works Committee, was authorised to wait upon Mr. Burnett, with the object of getting the matter attended to. What might have been a serious accident occurred at the Breakwater yesterday afternoon. It appears that some score of persons were sitting on a stack of heavy timber when, without the slightest warning, the whole came tumbling down, partly burying a lad (son of the lighthouse-keeper) beneath. With o-reat promptitude the mass of timber was removed, when it was found that the lad had received some nasty cuts about the lees but fortunately no bones were broken. A.'constable who was present, also got his le* hurt through being jammed against a ro"ck by the failing timber. The monthly meeting of the committee of the Benevolent Society will be held at the Secretary's office this evening, at seven o'clock. It will be observed that, in compliance with a requisition signed by a large number of ratepayers, his Worship the Major has called a public meeting, to be held at the Volunteer Hall, to-morrow evening, at eight o"clock, for the purpose of considering the question of the Passeuger Station site. The Papakaio Annual Ploughing Match is announced to take place on the 13th instant. The annual meeting of the North Otago Conrsin" Club will be held on Thursday next, in tho County Council Chambers, at Timaru Resident Magistrate's Court on Saturday, Charles F. Sliendon was committed for trial for making a .alse declaration before the Registrar in order to ootain a marriage certificate. Mr. 0 Meagher appeared for the defence. . We are in receipt of a copy of the improved issue of the Tomahawk, which is now published under the more appropriate title ot tho "Geraldine County Chronicle. We have no desire to differ with the poet of poets when we say that there is a great deal in a name, especially in the name of a journal; and there is something too, in the manner in which the name is brought out ■ 1 he heading of tho Timaru Herald Weekly is quite a wcrk of art, both as regards the conception and its execution upon the wooden block. There aro two principal pictures in the heading, one being "Old and the other, Timaru as it will be when the harbor works are carried out. The one has a gloomy, forsaken, aspect with a. wreck in the foreground, and a surf boat being hauled ashore after one of the most approved primitive methods, by five men. In the omng there are several vessels which seem inclined to observe a respectful distance. The other picture looks like business. The Breakwater has been raised since the events of the first picture had an existence, and there are seven vessels within its hospitable shelter, besides three outside anxious to oet in. In the foreground there are two trains and a number of vehicles, some of which seem to be emerging from the precincts of a large mill, whilst others are laden with what are doubtless articles of commerce, although it would be too tedious a process - ( to prove it. Outside the views is a belt

bearing tho title, which ia again encircled j by a view of Geraldine, choice bits of New Ze&landbushscenery,andemblainsof thearts, sciences, national Bport3, and agriculture. We have already devoted nearly a quarter of a column of space to the heading, and yet have done no more than to give a slight idea of what it is like, leaving tho reader to ■elaborate the numerous subjects that suggest themselves, such as the amazing growth of Tiniaru and district, and their probable future. We must congratulate the people of Geraldine upon the excellence of their ■weekly paper, which should satisfy their every requirement, so far as a provincial district newvpapftr is concerned. It is splendidly printed upon good paper, and consists of 20 pages of the same size as the Witness, comprising matter selected from the Timaru Herald, and tales, articles on farming and scientific subjects, interesting paragraphs, poetry, &c. We hope that the enterprise of the proprietor may meet with the liberal response it deserves.