INTERPROVINCIAL NEWS.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXII, Issue 6849, 26 March 1897, Page 4

INTERPROVINCIAL NEWS.

(PER (TOTTED PBBBS ASSOCIATION,)

(BY TELEGRAPH-) WELLINGTON. March 25. The Mahinapua. with the southern portion of the San Francisco mail, is expected to reach here to-morrow evening, and the Penguin will leave at 11 p.m. for Lyttelton with the southern portion. The members of the European and Maori contingents are to be supplied with karkhee uniforms. The collar of the coat is to be of maroon color, and similar material will be used to ornament the cuffs. Each man is to be provided with two paira of trousers —one of Bedford cord for riding purposes, and the other of karkhee cloth for use when off duty—each to have maroon stripes down the sides. The headgear is to consist of a soft hat. Leggings will be supplied to each man. Allendale, who has already been sentencad to two years this session for having burglars' tools in his possession, was convicted to-day on five charges of burglary, theft, etc, and sentenced to 10 years. Accordincr to a notice in the Gazette, the president and members of the Arbitration Court are to bo paid two guineas per day while absent from their place of residence. The chairman and members of the Conciliation Boards one guinea for each day's sitting, and LI 10s when absent from home. Travelling fares will also be allowed. These rates are to date back to October 31st of last year. April 12th is fixed as the day of the first election of the Council of the New Zealand Law Society. The arrivals in the colony for February were 1612. and the departures 1781. In February of last year the figures were 1410 and 1781. The departures are, curiously enough, identical in both in- ! stances.

The new telephone regulations and scale of charges are [gazetted, and wiil come Into force on April Ist. The Department now takes the power to refuse to connect any place for illegal, immoral, or improper purposes, 3nd the new regulation? now provide against strangers being allowed the use of telephones. The rates are raised to L 7 for business and L 5 for private houses where the exchange is open continuously, and L 5 where it is only open during fixed hours. The additional charge for mileage is altered from LI p-jr milt', or fraction thereof, to 10s per mile, or fraction. When any connection is over a mile the applicant will be required to hold it for three years ; for connections over three miles the subscribers will he required to pay for the erecrion of the additional line, and LI for each quarter of a mile as maintenance. Mr Wilfortl, Bosher's counsel, at the request of the prisoner, obtained an interview with the condemned man to day. It is understood that the question of lodging an appeal was discussed. At the City Council 13 tenders were received for cartage. Though one of the conditions was that the driver must be paid per day, one tender was as low as 7s 21, and the highest was 10s. After a long discussion on the living wage, the whole of the tenders were remitted to the committee.

The Council refused the petition of 200 women to allow Professor P.mnell to give them swimming lessons in the public baths, on the grouud that men were not allowed in the baths during the hours allotted to women.

It is understood that it has been practically decided, though not officially annr unced, to hold a short session on Monday week.

CHRISTCHURCH. March 25. In the Women's Council this afternoon Mrs Cuunington delivered an address on the criminal code and prison system. Motions were carried affirming the desirability of raising the age of protection for girls to 2J years, that the time during which charges of criminality should be made should be extended to five months, that it should be illegal and severely punishable to permit a girl or young man under 21 to be found in a house of illfame. A conversazione was held in theevening.

i'fio Pioneer Bicycle Club held a race meeting At Lancaster P.'.rk to-day. About 500 people were present. H. Thompson irss birred from contesting, ss he had ridden record races paced by cash rider?, but at the end of the meeting he essayed to lower Shorland's mile amateur record of 2min II 4 y:hs feconds. lie v.as paced itycwh riders on a triplet and covered the distance in 2min !) 4-s:hs seconds. The event creating the most interest was the tv.-o-nii!o race for muUicycles, in which a quadruples, a triplet, and a tandem competed. The tandem, receiving ISO yards, beat the quadruples by 30 yards. The triplet rras far behind.

AUCKLAND. March 25. The Alameda left for Sydney at 5 p.m. The Mahinspua left for the South with the Sin Franci c co mails, clearing Manukau Heads at 3.30 p.m. The Chairman of the Harbor Board (Mr W. J. Napier) left for Wellington by the Gairlocb, and will interview the Premier regarding the erection of a new admiralty house at Auckland, and other matters of importance to the port. There appears to be a gang of burglars operating in the city. The private residence of David Caldwell (of Macky, Logan, Steen, and Co.) was burglarised for tha secoud time within a fortnight. The house was completely ransacked and articles war.tr.nly destroyed and some taken away. Two pistols were among the things stolen. The premises of George Garrett, butcher, Ivtraugahape Road, were broken into and entered. A man named William Knox was caught redhanded on the premises with a quantity of household requisites and goods packed tip ready for ren;o7ai. Knox bolted after a hand-co-hand struggle with (iarrett, but was subsequently captured after an exciting chase by tradesmen and handed over to the custody of the police. He W33 brought up at the Police Court and remanded. Knox was tried at the last criminal sessions, when he pleaded guilty to a charge of receiving stolen goods, and was bound over on his own recognisances.

WAKAPUAKA. March 25 The block on the European cable still continues, and the latest advices received by the Etstern Extension Cable Company give little hope of the pressure being relieved to-night. The two cables between Maka and Alexandria, which are interrupted, are two of the fastest lines belonging tothcEasternTelegraph Company, an:l carry the sreat bulk of the work to an I from the East and Australia. There are still five routes open to Europe, but the most serviceable of these—that by the Persian Gulf advises Wakapuaka tonight that it is still blocked with yesterday's work. The Cable Company at Wukapaaka has had practically no inward international work to-day. and there is very little chance of any European press messages coming to hand to-night. Mr Browning, superintendent at Wakapuaka. inclines to the opinion that the interruption on the Malta-Alexandria cable has been caused by a repairing steamer.