TELEGRAMS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 5331, 21 March 1879, Page 2

TELEGRAMS.

(Per Pbess Association Special Wire.)

. Auckland, March 20th. Captain Kobertson, of the ship Loch Fleet, was thrown from ,his horse, and had hia collarbone broken. ' > '

One tender from Auckland and five from'tSe Thames were lodged for the second contract; of the Thames and Waikato railway. The amount is about 1.15,000. A second diver has been engaged for the Taupo, so that double the quantity of ballast may be got out. Sir George Grey is staying at Kawau.""'He will not come to Auckland till next week. The water is steadily rising in the mines, owing to the stoppage of the Thame«'Big Pomp, and the Queen of Beauty workmen have Btopped at No. 2 level; a'sj tribating parties. The solicitors of the Northern Judicial District intend forming a District Society under the Law Society Act. In the case of James Patrick Dower, bankrupt, Justice Gillies said there was no doubt of the bankrupt's, statement beiDg false, and it was a'.questioh whether he should not be prosecuted under the-Fraudulent Debtors Act; -His discharge was refused.

A Fijian named Tom narrowly escaped drowning at the wharf early, this; morning. Constable M'Donald heard the splash, and slid down a pile in the dark to clutch hold of him. Tom made no attempt to save himself. Two sailors threw a rope, which the constable lashed round his body, and Tom was hauled up on the deck of the vessel, He was fined 20s and costs at the Police Court for being drunk. v '

New Plymouth, March 20th. - At! a meeting to-day of the creditors of Henry Eevell, confectioner and baker,' bankrupt, the assets wera stated at LB2O, and the liabilities at L2OG2. A composition of 10s in the pound, payable at three, six, and nine months, was offered, but declined by the creditors, and the trustee was instructed to sell the business and wind up the estate at once. The creditors expressed themselves strongly as to the reckless way the business hal been carried on.

Wellington, H*rJh 20th. On several oocasions during the lj,st few days the points on the Hntt railway wera^ found displaced after being left safe. La3t night;a passenger train tan into some trucks°onr'» siding at Upper Hutt, through the points beinff open, which had been only co-el shortly •■before. No great damage .was dona v'-The windows of one of the stations were also broken by some miscreants. , ,-,.-. To avoid the costs of a Sanreme Court action against any other of the City Councillors for taking fees as members of the Wharf Committee,' it has been agreed that tho CityScOicitor and Mr Stafford shall state a special case for the opinion of a Supreme Court "judge. Colonel Whit more returned to-day. Two men have been committed for trial for garotting and robbery. , At a meeting of Wellington shareholders in the D'Urville Copper Company last night, a strong feeling of dissatisfaction was expressed at the management of the mine, and stens were taken to caU an extraordinary meeting of shareholders, with a view, to moving the headq darters of the company from Blenheim to Wellington. It was stated that the ore sent to Newcastle for s Belting g.ive under 10~ per cent, of copper, but tha< richer lodes had been found, ani that some Australian experts who had recently visited the island reported most favourably of the prospjcts of tho mine.

Greitown, March 20th. An influential meeting to-day decided to> take immediate steps under the District Eailwaya Act to construct a railway from Greytown to Waihenga. . The preliminary survey will be commenced next week. The project is being taken up warmly by the Hon. J. Martin and other leading settlors.

Hokitika, March 20tb. The sohooner Cynthia, from Wanganuf, bound for Greynaouth, ran ashore ou the beach near Ross to-day.

The Christchurch coacb, due on Wednesday, has not arrived yet, through the flooded state of the rivers.

Bishop Eedwood h, expected in a day or two.

The County Council decided to give testimonials under the county seal to Inspector James and Detective Brown, in recognition of their goad services.

Christchubch, Mar li 20th.aj Judgment was given yesterday in toe Magistrate's Court in tlift ci^e of Clark v. Marks. The principle wi>s affiimed that auctioneers are not entitled to charge commission on property ■withdrawn fr.im sale. .

The telephonic connection just completed between the two Piro Brigade station i and Mr Suparintendent Harris' house was tested last evening in tie presence of the City Councillow, insurance agents, and a -number'of'ladies and gentlemen. The experiment was successful. Some cornet, ba-ijo, and vosal selections from the Chester and Liish field street station? were transmitted _ perfectly; and even the human voice, in its lowest tones, was, heard with distinctness at Mr Harris' place." Before the conclusion of tha experiment a conversation wa? carried on, in an ordinary tone, between Mrs Harris and a ludy at one of the stations. The circle of communication will be made complete by the adjustment of pegs. Some slight improvement is to be made in rendering the sound-proof boxes at the stations perfect. A lira broke out in a linen-closet in the Queen's Hot' 1, ne vly erected at the corner of Caahel aud Manchester streets. Through, having a full water-tank on the premises the progress" of the fire was stopped after *L3O worth of damage had been done.

A boy nam'fd Matthews, in the employ of the Middle Park Company, had his leg broken yesterday while riding the gray Patrician colt The animal reared up, and fell backward on the lad.

At yesterday's meeting of the local committee of the Sydney Exhibition the committee divided themselves into sections/ <vith the view of waiting on the people most likely to send articles to the Exhibition. It was resolved to ask the Government whether they would make arrangements for polishing specimens of marble sent by the Canterbury Marble Quarry Com. P«ny. From January Ist to March 19th of the present year, th-jre have baou registered at the City Council Chambers, for Christchurch alone, 1049 dogs—equal to 1.524 10i in feet. During the same period fees have also been collected at the Council Chambers for 66ft

*aogß, which amounts are payable to the ■Selwyn County Council. ' At t.o-night's meeting of the Hospital Board there was a sharp passage of personalities _be tween the Chairman and I>r Turnbull after 'the new medical staff had been appointed. In -answer to the Board's advertisement inviting applications from medical men eleven letters Tiha.d been received, but before opening them it "was arranged that the Board should first decide the number of the new staff.. Dr Turnbull con--tended that the proposed staff should number "<£htee physicians and three surgeons, and read atelegram from Dr Borrows, of Dunedin, showing that the honorary staff at the Dunedin Hospital numbered six, that number having Tjeen reduced from eight, against the wish of the medical staff there. Eventually a resolution carried deriding that the incoming staff should number five. On opening the applications ■■it was found that six of them were dummies, the envelopes merely containing slips of paper, •on which were written the words, without any .•signature, " Tender for hospital staff." Some "" chaff "followed, directed at Dr Turnbull for his being so persistent in desiring that; the num"Sber should be six, and among other remarks the Chairman said that Dr Turnbull I&new all about the dummy applications. Dr 'Turnbull rose in a very great passion, accused -the chairman of bang a partisan during the time he had held the position of chairman, and said 'that he had always condncted the proceedings m a most biassed manner, and he thought it would be a jndic-'ous proceeding if the Board were to •4ake steps to remove bim from the position ot •chairman. The Chairman retorted by saying that whatever be might have done he had never made untruthful statements knowing -them to be untruthful, as Dr Turnbull ba<t ' done, and that the whole of the present complication had arisen only through Dr Turnbull having misrepresented the viewa of the late medical staff at the meeting of the Board. Mr -J. E. Biown moved tbe adjournment of the '. Board, end Dr Turnbull said the remarks made by the eh airman were not worth his notice. The Mount Torlesse station was submitted "to auction, but no purchaser could be found. 'The adjoining Brookdale estate was also sub~snitted, but withdrawn. The question of incidental expenses of school -committees will ba considered at the next sneetinp of fhe Education Board. The Harbour Board, at its meeting yester--day, resolved to authorise the issue of debentures for L 200.000, such debentures to be fixed •;at the minimum price of LIOO each.

Oamaku, March 20th. The Assessment Court sat again to-day, and ■greater rrogress wa3 made owing to the absence of appellants, tho ratepayers be'mg apparently tired of the business.

Invbrcargill, March 20th. The District Court opened to-day. The only ■case of interest was one in which a bankrupt ■applied for an order of discharge. He was oppos-d by two creditors. From the evidence : given it appeared that the- man (Bennett by name) entered into a contract some four or five years ago to construct a section -of the railway between here and Kingston. On the completion of the work he failed, with liabilities somewhere about LIB.OOO. The evidence went to show that the man kept no books •whatever besides a pay-sheet and a time-book, -and he appeared totally unable te inform the •Court where the money had gone. Shortly after commencingl the work he made over his property to his wife, and on this point the ■counssl for the opposing creditors laid great stress. The bankrupt's counsel declared that the whole affair was a sham : that Bennett merely held the contract^ for the two men who were now oppo-ing his discbarge. Judge Har■vey commenced very strongly on the circumslatice that a man with a contract involving £i 28,000 should keep no books, and adjourned ■the case for a month in order to allow of the "trustee ascertaining more thoroughly the slate •of affairs.

Thg weather is very stormy and ecld.

SPECIAL TELEGRAMS. (from oob own correspondents.)

Wellington, March 20th,

A nesting of the creditors of Williams, ■Cameron, and Co., saddlers, of Wellington and "Wairarapa, was held to-day. The failure of William James, cabinetmaker, ■33 also announced. James' liabilities are L6OOO, and the assets represent some L3OOO. The Bank pressuie and shortness of ready money ■las caused tap suspeasion, and many others are eaid to be in the Bame condition, and likely to follow Euit.

Christchurc'h, March 20th.

Petersen and Co. hr.ye manufactured a ■challenge cup for the Otago Itowing Club, as a ;fcrophy to ba held by the winning crew in the JHeuley Challenge-Fours race. It stands 15 inches high. The workmanship is very fine, ..and Messrs Petersen intend to exhibit their -work at the Sydney Exhibition; :