TELEGRAMS.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1029, 7 August 1879, Page 2

TELEGRAMS.

(PER rP.ESS ASSOCIATION). WELLINGTON. August 6. The Lyttelton Harbor Board's steam tug Lyttelton to-day made a successful exhibition with the steam fire engine, and threw the water to a greater height than that of the hose of the Fire Brigade. The exhibits for Sydney, which were taken on board the Wakatipu last night, weighed 75 tons, and were valued at L4OOO. The following are the charges brought against Captain M'Kenzie, of the Government steamer Stella : He appropriated for his own use certain medicines presumably ordered for the Government steamer Stella, and that he did also demand a commission from the chemist who supplied them. These are the charges upon which he has been dismissed from the Government service, and which he alleges to be untrue.

August 7. Two more shocks of earthquake were felt here yesterday afternoon. Mr. M'Donald, of the Thames, has been appointed District Judge for Auckland. The New Zealand Times asserts that the solicitors of the city have entered into a compact not to take any articled clerks without a bond that they will not, for five years after expiry of articles, practice in the city or within 16 miles of it, DUNEDIN. August 6. A miner named Edward Barnes fell down the Cromwell Company's shaft, 200 feet deep, last night, and escaped with a broken leg.

Very few male immigrants by the Napier were engaged to-day. Several large firms in Dunedin have made considerable reduction in the number of hands lately. At one establishment over one hundred men were dis- 1 charged. t The cargo having- been taken out of the Ship Benares, she is now in the graving ) dock. I AUCKLAND. p August 6. J The Star of Auckland Lodge of Odd- v fellows (American Constitution) gave a j banquet to Grand Master Wheeler, of s Dunedin, in recognition of his services to t the Order. e A meeting of the North New Zealand a Association Executive Committee brought up for discussion the following resolutions: r Ist, that the Native Department of the n Government is mostly unnecessary and f, •mischievous ; 2nd, that every possible t facility should be afforded by the Legislature to natives to have their lands surveyed, and their titles individualised; n 3rd, that immediately on obtaining a c certificate of title the natives should be at s liberty to lease all or dispose of their land j in any manner they wish without the ( payment of anything but a court fee ; 4th, y that an ad valorem duty should be paid <■ by the purchaser or lessee on every first j, disposal of native land; sth, that ample g reserves should be made by the Govern- 0 ment in each district for the future benefit p of the native race; Gth, that to prevent t the acquisition by private individuals or r companies of such excessively large tracts f, of country as would be inimical to the s , public welfare, a system of progressive r taxation be adopted. After a lengthy c discussion the resolutions were remitted to the committee again to further report s upon them. h At Auckland, the Presbytery have arranged to have a conference next meeting on the evils of intemperance and the a liquor traffic. t Messrs. F. W. Caw and Son are constructing a miniature steam launch to the order of ]\lr. William Firth (son of Mr. r J. C. Firth), which when completed will c be the smallest launch afloat in the s colonies. The extreme length of the ( steamer is 1Q feet, beam feet, depth 2 feet, a.nd fitted with an engine of horse a power only, standing 17 inches in freight. j The diameter of the cylinder is inches, with inches stroke. She is intended by the" owner for personal use on the river at his father's estate 3 Matamata. August 7. t

At a public meeting at Whatawhata, it was resolved to ask Sir G. Grey to stand for Waipu. Messrs. Lewis, Frost, Leclair, Kelly, and Larony,of the VictoriaLoftus Troupe, were charged at the Police Court with discharging bullets into the waiting room of the Stokes' Point Ferry. Davis and Frost were fined. The charge was withdrawn with regard to the others. The Rev. Gfeorge Brown, in his lecture at Pitt-street Wesleyan Church on the New Guinea mission, gave a lengthy defence of his war expedition, A resolution was carried unanimously, " That this meeting, while conveying its thanks to the Rev, Mr. Brown for his address, desires to express in the most emphatic manner its appreciation and approval of his action in connection with the recent events in New Britain. CHRISTCHURCH. August 6. This morning, about ten minutes past eleven, a man named Charles Plasted was killed at the stone quarry, Diamond Harbor, opposite Lyttelton. He was engaged quarrying down stone with a bar, when a stone on which iiy was standing slipped, and carried him dowt\ with it; another followed, and asj he <*>ll on the ground the second scone rulicd right on to the lower part of his body, crushing him dreadfully. His ln.ite at onoe ran to him and got the stone oil', the unfortunate man just saying "Lift me up." They got him into the boat to bring him across to the port, and he just said " Oh dear!" a few times, and then died. Deceased was a steady married man, and had only been in the Colony a few months. He leaves a wife and five children. A prize will be offered at the Metropolitan Show for New Zealand tweeds. The Agricultural Association have sent to Australia for judges in the draught horse and breeding cattle classes at the show. NAPIER. August 6. A proposal to construct a line of railway from Napier to Wallingford has been mooted. The line would be 50 miles in length, branching from Napier to meet the Rapua line at Hastings. The estimated cost is a quarter of a million, which it is proposed to ask the Government to provide, rating the property owners along the line for the interest. The line would open up over half a million acres of magnificent agricultural country, at present used as sheep runs. NEW PLYMOUTH. August 6. The Harbor Engineer reports that they have 152 men employed on the works at the Sugar Loaves. The rate of wages paid by the contractor is 7s a day.