TELEGRAMS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 6501, 13 December 1882, Page 2

TELEGRAMS.

(Per United Pukss Association.)

Auckland, December 12th. It is rumoured that tho police suspect foul play in the case of Hamilton, who died several days ago, supposed from injuries sustained through falling against a bedstead. Interesting revelations are expected. ■ Samuel Cox, a negro restaurant-keeper, was fiuad £50, or a month's imprisonment, for selling beer without a license. He had been previously prosecuted. James Crowloy has been committed for trial on tlie charge of wilful murder of his wife," Ellen Crowley. At the meeting of the Harbour Board a letter was received from the maiiager of the Bank of New Zealand notifying tho arrival of i' 150,000 for the Board, being part proceeds of its debentures, and asking instructions re disposition of the sum. The matter was referred to the Finance Committee. . •

Thames, December 12th. The .) uveniJe Pinafore Company have opened here most successfully. Tho naked body of an infant female child, about 12 hours old, was found about noon today floating in the water in the intake formed by the railway works. There was a wound of a slight nature on tho back of tho head. The post-mortem examination showed that the child had lived after birth. A coroner's inquest will be hold to-morrow. The police believe they have a clue to the mother.

Wellington, December 12th. The following tenders have been received by the Public Works Department for the Hurunui iiiver bridge on the Picton-Hurunui railway :—Accepted: VT. M'Kenzie and Co., Dunedin, £09815. Declined: T. H. Downes, Dunedin £70-12 ; Thomas and Hill, Christcliurch, B7S-18; J. M'Ooombe, Christchurcli, £7881}; P. Sutherland, Port Chalmers, £7394 ; J. Whitaker, Dunedin, £8040 ; Ross and Dunbar, Auckland, £0010 ; Boyieand Co., luverciirgill, £9796.

Large quantities of wool are now airiving for transhipment to Home ships. No leas than eight steamers were discharging- simultaneously yesterday. The Hon. Mr Dick to-day received a telegram from Mrs Bernard Moore stating that the, appointment as head of the nursing staff in Wellington Hospital had been accepted by that htdy. Mr W. H. Levin, member for Thorndon, addressed the electors this evening. About •100 people were present. At the conclusion he received a unanimous vote of confidence and thanks.

Greymouth, December 12th. All danger has passed at Reef ton from the bush iires.

Chktstchukciv December 12th. The receipt-! of the Waimakaiiri Board of Conservators for the past year were £10,17(i, and the expenditure £9!)8o. In the District Court to-day a man mimed M'Lemifiu sued the Tramway Company for €31, the value of a horse killed by slipping on a tram-rail. There was no contention of improper laying or negligence on the part of the Company. The defence was that no action could lie against the Company unless negligence was proved. His Honor thought the defence was not made out, but it was evident tho loss of the animal was a pure accident, and he reserved judgment in order to look into the case thoroughly. A boy about 10 years old, named David Ramsay, while bathing in the north branch of the Waimakariri, at Kaiapoi, to-day got out of his depth and was drowned.

Timaku, December 12fch.

At the inquest on J. M. Shepherd to-day, the jury, after a long deliberation, returned a verdict that the deceased committed suicide while labouring under a fit of temporary insanity. The Supreme Court was occupied all day with the charge of arson against T. E. Lyle, watchmaker, in which a verdict of not guilty was returned.

Tai'ANlt, December 12th. 4 splendid warm rain has fallen all over the district for 18 hours, and still continues. The success of tho turnip cropis now assured. Grain and grass are also materially improved.

Ixvercargill, December 12th. The Riverton beach is- strewed with the wreckage of a ship evidently destroyed by fire. The vessel apparently has only been recently At the Supreme Court to-day the Grand Jury found true bills in each case. All the criminal business was concluded except the stabbing case. The following are the sentences :—John Robins, larceny as a bailee (pleaded guilty), six months' imprisonment, with hard'labour; 0. Everett and D. Moore, ! burglary at the Criterion Hotel, Invercargiil, 12 months' hard labour. 1 The fire at Mabel Bush did not destroy the I mill, as reported, but the tramway. Several sawmills have .suffered losses, but the steady welcome rain for 24 hours past has removed all Mr Stout has arrived here. He is engaged for the defence in the case Lewis v. Southland Times. <■- SPECIAL TELEGRAM. -• (FROM OUK OWN CORBKSPONIJEXT.) Wellington, December 12th. As inquiries are beginning to be made respecting the intention of the Government with regard to the floating of the first million loan, I may say that I understand that all necessary authority lias been transmitted to the loan agents, who are empowered to use their own discretion in placing the loan on the London market when the period of pledged j abstinence expires. That time is up this | month, and the matter then rests with the loan agents, who will offer the loan at the earliesfperiod which in their opinion is consistent with tho best prospects of success. I may add that, the latest information from reliable sources points to tho probability that the loan will readily be taken up at a fair price. Mr Rolies.ton leaves early to-morrow morning overland for Marton, and will be absent a week or two - possibly longer. His mission is to facilitate the opening up of some valuable Crown lands in tho north of this province— that is, at the back of Wangauui. He will o-o over the ground personally, and confer with the Rangitikoi Council on the subject. Mr Rolleston, after dealing with the Wanga-nui-Murimotu country and roads, may perhaps visit Taranaki. There Sir W. lox and Mr Mackay are rapidly winning over the Natives and settling the Nativo lands question. This task is now almost over, and ere very long the i erstwhile disturbed district will be one- of the most populous and prosperous sural localities in all tho Colony, thank? to the policy of the present Ministry and its vigorous execution. Although nothing further has bean heard touching Northern Native affairs, either in respect to Mr Bryee's let,ter to Wahanui re the 1 opening of Kawliia Harbour, or as to Tawhiao and the Waikato, it is believed here by tho best judges that the Native King' movement is finally crumbling to pieces, and that if Government persist in the present' course they will meet with little or no resistance, active or passive, on the part of the Natives. _. This idea is confirmed by tolerably reliable information from the Natives themselves. The popular excitement about the prison revelations continues unabated, and there is a strong feeling that no time should bo lost in drafting a bill to amend the Prisons Act—viz.,

by curtailing the powers of visiting Justices to award ■~imprisonment in excess, of original sentences, and to secure that prisoners may not 'be detained beyond the expiration of such sentence given after open and public trial. I believe I am warranted in saying that although tho subject has not yet been imdor consider^-, tion, Lam morally certain that such a bill will bo brought forward next session. I know there is an exceedingly strong feeling on the part of most of tho Ministers, at any rate, that the recent revelations disclose , a state of affairs both shocking and in- | tolerable, and I feel convinced that stringeut means will bo adopted for preventing tho future detention of prisoners, at the will of irresponsible functionaries, beyond the terms ior sentences passed in open Court. Hitherto, until tho late return opened the public eyes, it .has been most difficult to interfere, and I understand the unsatisfactory condition of various gaols, notably that of Dunedin, even before these extraordinary abuses were disclosed, came under the serious notice of Government, and lod them to procure from Home the best man obtainable, in order to secure a thorough and sweeping reform. Nearly all the cases recently disclosed occurred before Captain Hume's advent, and you may remember one of _ his earliest stops brought him into conflict with tho Dunedin visiting Justices. I hear of other cases of gaol tyranny than those set forth in the return, some of which are quite startling. lam told that a prisoner who was unaccustomed to manual labour was condemned (hS "idle") to various punishments which affected his health, and lie had to undergo a medical operation, but the doctor did not know that ho was sentenced to a term of solitary confinement with bread and water rations, and only a hard board for a bed. In a few days he died, and the inquest resulted in a verdict of "death from peritonitis." In another case it was assorted that a prisoner was compelled, though ill and spitting blood, to proceed to his task, permission to see a doctor being refused on the ground that he was " malingering." The man died vithiti a week. These statements have been made with every appearance of truthfulness, aud places and names and dates furnished. Certainly they seem to call for strict investigation.