INTERPROVINCIAL NEWS

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXVIII, Issue 8091, 8 January 1903, Page 1

INTERPROVINCIAL NEWS

By Telegraph. Per Pkess Association. ■WELLINGTON. • January 7. Lost Friday morning, while tlic Corinthic was at Hobart, W. iHurdwkk, the boutswain, was killed whilst unshipping one of the derricks. The boom suddenly slipped, crushing his head against the mast. •Frank Norton, who served in one of the New Zealand Contingents, and wont from iSouth Africa to London, worked his passage out on the Corinthic. On the morning of December 15, whilst bringing up stores from the ship's hold, ho was knocked down a distance of. 30 feet by being struck with the hoisting gear. Norton's skull was fractured and one of his legs fractured, and on arrival of the vessel to-day he was transferred to the district hospital. Kenton Estate, with an area of 550 acres, near Dunedin (Oamaru ?) is being taken over by the Government for settlement. Another officer to retire from the Defence Department is Captain Lomax, who has been adjutant of the Wellington district for two years. He joined the Taupo Field Force in 1868, and was captain and adjutant of the First Regiment of New Zealand Cavalry under Colonel Noakes. He wears the .New Zealand war medal, and was recommended for the New Zealand Cross by Colonel M'Donnell and Major Kemp, but never received it. Returns of candidates' expenses at the general' election have been filed. They are :—Aitken, £7l 10s 3d ; Duthie, £B7 9s 8d; Atkinson, £47 19s 3d ; Godbcr, £lll 0s 3d; M'Larcn, £3O lis 6d. The regulations which govern the a.ward of scholarships allotted 'to New Zealand under the will of the Cecil Rhodes lflive not yet been prepared. They were to be drawn up by the officers of the 'Education Department, but the work has been delayed by the lack of explicitues-s as to the conditions in later communications from the. Trustees. Dr Parker, of Montreal University, organising secretary of the fund, who is at present conferring with the authorities of Oxford, visits Australia, and probably New (Zealand in connection with these scholarships. A telephone message was received to-day from the lighthouse keepers at l'encarrow Heads that two men employed in Orongaronga Station had quarrelled, in the course of which one had denounced the other of having been implicated in the Gatton (Queensland) murders of 27th December, 1898. The accused man was locked up at the station pending the arrival of the police. Two detectives have left the city for Orongaronga. They are driving to the place, but, as the distance is considerable, and rain is falling, they are not expected to return before midnight.. The police have no details of the man's accusations or of the alleged murderer, who gives the name of Kennedy, alias Massey. nor are they at present disposed to express an opinion in regard to the incident. The tender of James Trevor, at £20,119 has been accepted by the City Council for the construction of the power house for the electrical tramway system. At a special meeting of tlic City Council the proposal to have the. weekly halfholiday changed to Saturday from Wednesday was lost. ft is understood that Major Reid, acting adjutant for Auckland, is retiring from the Defence Department. It having been a. burning question for some time past with Crown tenants as to whether they had the right to dispose of the milling timber upon, their holdings without obtaining permission from the Land Board, and also' whether the Land Board could compel such tenants to pay the amount received by them for the. sale of such timber to the Receiver of Land Revenue as so much rent in advance, the Government decided to submit the question to the law officer of the, Crown for his decision, which is that the. tenants have, the power to remove marketable timber from their lands, and also that it is not necessary that they should obtain the consent of the Land Board before doing so; and, further, that the. Crown cannot impose as one of the conditions that the money received from the sale of timber should be paid to the Receiver of Land Revenue as rent in advance.

11UNEDIN. *" January 7. Stock Exchange sales :—Rise and Shine 235, Unity 13s. The chairman of the Woolbrokers' Association, states that buyers and sellers have now come to an amicable understanding, with regard to tho dispute as to tho delivery charges. An allowance of 6d per bale will be made to "local" buyers who do their own carting, but not to outside buyers. Buyers were in favor of a sale being held on Friday, but in view of circulars having been sent out that the next sale would take place on the 29th, it was deemed inadvisable to hold one earlier. At a meeting of delegates from the city and suburbs, held to-night, it was decided to observe the shops' half-holiday on Wednesdays, as before. At a meeting of the newly-formed Amateur Athletic Association centre it was decided to hold the Championship Meeting for the colony on the Carisbrook Ground on March 7th. The events will be 100, 250, and 440 yards flat, half-mile and three mile flat, one mile and three mile walks, 120 and 440 yards hurdles, long, high, and pole jumps, putting 161b weight, and throwing 101b hammer. CHRISTCHUUCH. January 7. Great interest has been aroused during the last few days in tho election of the first Tramway Board for tho Christchurch tramway district, which was constituted by special Act last session. Large numbers of candidates, representing almost all classes of the community, are already in the field, and some keen contests are expected. districts in Canterbury have adopted the principle of establishing district high schools. One is in existence at Akaroa already, and it is probable that others will be inaugurated at Amberlcy and Darfield soon. AUCKLAND. January 7. The New Zealand and River Plato Land and Mortgage Company, in a general meeting on Januaiy 6th, resolved to adopt the recommendation of tho directors relating to the distribution of the year's profits. The chairman stated in liis speech that the directors will probably pay a dividend next vear at the rate of 7 per cent., payable in instalments of 3£ per cent, each, and that the Board propose to issue, the remainder of the new shares (as soon as the necessary arrangements are made) pro ra"t.i to existing shareholders at a premium of 2s 6d per share. WESTPORT. January 7. J. Crosswell, of Coalbrookdale Hotel, was to-day fined £5 5s for selling liquor on Sundays, and £1 for unlawfully opening his licensed premises on the same day. The question of distance was raised, the one who had the drink claiming to bo a bona fide traveller within the meaning of the Act, but a survey which was made showed the distance from Denniston Hotel, where the traveller had stayed the previous night, to Coalbrookdale Hotel to be 2 miles 49' chains. For exhibiting handbills and selling tickets in connection with tho Mount Kembla art union, a resident of Seddonvillc was today fined 5s and costs. Mr Hawkins, S.M., during the hearing of the case, passed sonic strictures on the totalisator. It was bad enough, he said, for men to invest their earnings on the totalisator, but a lamentable

tliiim to iinJ w.nu.-n (lnim: the same. The .Miiihlin.: on Hi.- elian;e brought before him \va-< a liealiile compared In dial, which took place on ll>.' u.lali.ati.r. an.l tli.iv wan a ivrlain amount "I' nalinnal liypocri'.y in ill,' Slat.' Mipprefine; Hi., .in.'' form' of gambling ami cneour.ie.in;; I h.- ollu-r.