Telegrams.

Otago Witness, Issue 1422, 22 February 1879, Page 17

Telegrams.

PROVINCIAL ITEMS. Balolutha, February 16fch. The Government have telegraphed to the Chairman of the Clutha County Council that the Attorney-General has given an opinion upon the case submitted to him from the Councils of Bruce and Clutha, and the Borough Council of Balclutha, to the effect that the Bruce Council can legally expend the rates of their County in erecting the bridge at Balclutha. It is to be presumed, therefore, the work will at once be proceeded with. Inveroargill, February 14th. Mr T. Daniel has been elected Mayor of Riverton. February 16th. It is estimated that LIOOO will be necessary to successfully carry out the forthcoming Volunteer demonstration. Committees have been formed to collect subscriptions. The Government has decided to grant free passes to all Volunteers from the North, as far as Amberley, visiting the Review. February 17th. A public meeting, convened by the Mayor by request, was held at the Town Hall this | evening, to take the approaching visit of the Governor into consideration. It was resolved to give him a befitting reception, and to ask the Athenaeum Committee for the use of the large f reading-room for the purposes of a levee and the presentation of an illuminated address to the Governor. It was also resolved to request the citizens to observe Thursday afternoon as a half-holiday. The Mayor was authorised to arrange for a lunch to be served as soon as the Governor arrives, and to request the railway authorities to make provision for the conveyance of the citizens who might desire to proceed to the Bluff to meet his Excellency. A committee was appointed to give effect to the resolution. Fifteen guineas have been subscribed towards I the ensuing rifle meeting at Nelson, at which there will be three representatives from the Invercargill Volunteers and two from Riverton. Oaiiaru, February 18th. The question of the railway passenger^ station site, over which there has been considerable discussion, has been finally settled, the department having decided that it shall be near the gasworks. This meets with general approval, and hopes are entertained that the station will be ab once proceeded with, as in the matter of station accommodation Oamaru ~ is sadly deficient. Arrow, February 19th. The result of the third County election, held yesterday, is as follows :•— M'Cracken, 149 j Douglas, 148 ; Jenkins, 137. Great excitement prevailed during the progress of the election, and to-day at the declaration of the poll the gentleman at the head of it showed no inclination to bury the hatchet. Naseby, February 19th. Mr M'Kerrow, Assistant Surveyor- General, accompanied by the District Surveyor, the Mayor, and several engineers, went over the land proposed to be thrown open on Messrs I H. S. and E. A. Chapman's run on Monday ; and last night he was waited on at Horswell's ! Hotel by those who had accompanied him to j hear his opinion regarding their application. Mr M'Kerrow stated there would be no diffi- j culty ia obtaining 5000 acres where asked— along the western side of the Eweburn, about six miles down to Taieri. When this is taken up the remaining 5000 acres promised would be selected, and would be thrown open. In conse- ■ quence of advantages having been taken of the Act, the Government were determined to throw open moat of the land on deferred payment. Residents here are very anxious to have the land thrown open under the agricultural lease system. Mr M'Kerrow promised to lay their wishes before the Government. » - INTERPROVINCIAL. Auckland, February 14th. A block of city endowments near the General Post-office realised at auction < LIBO4. The j original lessees paid L 572 for it, and the in- | crease, therefore, to the Corporation is L 1232. There was exported by the Australia 2600 ounces of gold from the Thames goldfield. The anniversary ball of the Auckland Bricklayers' United Mutual Protection Society passed off very successfully. The correct insurances on Gisborne fire are as follows :— Hawke's Bay Co , LI4OO, LSOO of which was reinsured in Union; Standard, L 140 0; New Zealand, L 6550, half of which is said to be reinsured ; National, L 150 0; Union, LI9OO, including LSOO reinsurances from Hawke's Bay Co. ; South British, LBOO, partly reinsured ; Victoria, L9OO ; Norwich Union, L 90 0; Transatlantic, L 100 0; North British, L 200 0; total, L 15.850. February 15th. An infant son of Mr George Munro, of Wairoa south, has been accidentally burnt to death. j

Several destructive bush fires are raging in the Northern district. Houses, haystacks,, and fencing are being burnt down. The fires are principally due to sparks from passing engines. The Rev. Mr Mulgan, of Katikati, has been appointed Commissioner of Higher Education, in place of Mr J. A. Tole, M.H.R. Detective Farrell, of Wellington, relieves Detective Brennan at the Thames. The latter comes to Auckland. The Customs duties collected at the port of I Auckland during the last week were L 975 0183 Id. February 18th # There ia excessive competition between insurance companies, and now the New Zealand Insurance Company offers to insure from Is 6d per cent, and upwards. At a meeting of the College Governors this afternoon it was decided to appoint Alexander Macarthur, of the Melbourne University, aa English master in the Auckland College. The applications cumbered 46. February 19 th. Mr 'Roberts, a clerk in the Bank of New Zealand, formerly of the Tauranga branch, has disappeared, and is supposed to have left by the mail Bteamer. He was not embarrassed, nor charged with defalcations, but the course of true love not running smooth, he ended his difficulty by leaving Auckland. A cowardly assault was committed by two seamen of the Sapphire on Messrs A. B. Donald and W. Pritchard, who interfered with their horseplay to a little lad who' bad made some remark respecting them in Upper Vincent street. Donald was severely cut about the face, and the Rev. Mr Dutton, Primitive Methodist minister, who was passing, appealed to the sailors, but they turned and took his stick and struck him on the face, severely. The police subsequently traced the offenders, who are named Flag and Huxable, and they were arrested. Wellington, February 15th. The resolution to wind up the New Zealand Steam Ship Company, which was passed at the meeting held on the 10th January, 1879, was this day confirmed at the meeting of shareholders, and liquidators were appointed. February 17th. The Union Steam Ship Company are getting over from Sydney a new steamer named the Zamboanza. The Zamboanza is a fine steamer, 651 tons register, built in Sunderland in 1874. She is stated to have first-class accommodation for passengers, and she comes under the command'of Captain Lopez. It is intended to keep the Zamboanza in the Sydney trade. She leaves Sydaey on or about the 18th insfe. for Wellington. In a civil case, in which judgment had been reserved, Mr Mansford, R.M., to-day decided that all disposal of land by lottery wa3 illegal under the English Act of George IL, and all contracts connected therewith void. A meeting of creditors in the estate of Mr Henderson, C.E., was held this morning. # The assets were set out to be L 53,15 8; liabilities, L 18,486 17s 7d. Among his assets appear the following items : — Oamaru Corporation, L 15.000; Bleron and Mana, bankers, Brazil, L 2000; the Wellington Tramway Company contingent assets, L 2500; J. Brogden and Sons (contingent on payment by Government to them of contract moneys), L 25,000; J. R. Davies, L 5240 8s 3d ; insurance policy, L 100 0; brick-machine patent, L4OO ; land in New Brunswick, LSOO. The creditors proceeded to the election of a trustee, but as there was a majority in number for Mr T. K. Macdonald, and in value for Mr W. B. Wray, it was decided to adjourn the meeting for ten days to complete the proofs of debtors. It is stated that within the last month the Government has acquired half a million acres of land on the west coast from the natives. The have also concluded the purchase of the Kaitangaroa Block No. 2, comprising 90,000 acres of splendid land. February 18th. Private letters received here state that Miss Eva Carmichael, one of the survivors of the Loch Ard, went mad soon after reaching Home. The Stella has left for Nelson, with the Jackson's Bay Special Settlement Inquiry Commission, en route for Jackson's Bay. The annual District Council of the New Zealand Central District of the Independent Order of Rechabites opened its proceedings in the Rechabite HaE to-day. Representatives were present from Tents in Wellington, Hawke's Bay, Taranaki, Canterbury, Marlborough, OtagOj and Southland. Business as yet has been only formal. I A largely-attended meeting of members of the Athenteum was held to-night, when it was resolved by a considerable majority that the institution should be opened oh Sundays. It was left to a committee to arrange as to the hours of opening. February 19th. At the .Rechabite annual district meeting yesterday, the election of officers for the ensuing year was proceeded with, and resulted as follows :— D.C.R., Bro, W. Hislop ; D.D.R., Bro. F. Sidey ; District Secretary, Bro. F. H. Fraser (re-elected); Auditors, Bros. Brown and Bennett. Bro. the Rev. J. W. Ingliis from "Victoria, visited the Council, and conveyed to the assembled delegates the good wishes of the brotherhood in Victoria,' On the question of admitting female members, it was resolved— "That any Tent having admitted 10, or more than 10, female members should be requested to form them at once into a separate branch; and that any Tent having a lesser number than 10 should be requested to obtain that number as soon as possible, with a view to the formation of a separate branch." It was further resolved — "That the district should take no steps in making laws for mixed Tents until such time." It is proposed that a southern board of directors should be formed, until such time as provision be made for mixed Tents by the Board of Directors in England. The Typographical Society recently demanded an increase of 6d per day on day-work, and Id per thousand on night papers, with a corresponding increase for overtime. The masters have remonstrated, and several conferences have taken place, but the Society insists on the increase from next Saturday. The whole of the masters, including the Government pi inter, have agreed not to grant the demand, and a general strike is therefore probable. The Secretary of the Post Office received the following telegram from Tauranga last night :— " The Taupo will not fioab at high water. The cargo is still being discharged. Another effort will be made at the next tide, if the weather keeps fine. She may be got off, but it is very doubtful. There are several holes in the steamer's bottom, and she is now full of water. The least swell would probably break her back. The Hawea returns South on Friday. The Napier mail will be sent overland, and those of South will go by the Hawea." Napier, February 14th. Mr R. Miller reports the sale of Mr Maasey Hutchinson's Whangarei and Waiporo estale, consisting of 416 acres freehold and 5120 acres leasehold, with 2200 sheep and plant, to Mr Gavin Peacock, for L 50,000. , Qw of the earliest sellers of Hawke's Bay, '

Mr Wm. Cooper, expired yesterday at Havelock, after a painful illness. Mr Cooper* arrived ia Wellington about the year 1840, and after remaining there a number of years came to Hawkes Bay, when the district was in its infancy, and renrunod here up to the fa'iie of •* his death. • Hokitika, February 18fch. Through opposition in coaching between Hokitika and Christchurch, fares are reduced to 20a, inclusive of train from Malvern to Christchurch. Greytown, February 17th. The stewards of the^races have disqualified P, Murtagh f £e>r three years for using insolent language to them. ________ Christohdrch, January 13fch. During the past fortnight 12 cases of typhoid , fever, one of diphtheria, and one of scarlet fever, have occurred. During the quarter ended December 31st, there were 110 scb^B under the North Canterbury Board of /Jißlucation,/ Jißlucation, taught by 158 t masters and 176 mistresses, besides 20 sewing mistresses. The numbers on the roll at the end of the quarter wer©7oß7boyiand6s6ogirls. being aa increase of 1254. The average working attendance was 5330- boys and 4746 girls. The t Gloucester street school, East Christchurch, ia i stiil at the head of the list in point of attendance, the average being 856, and the total number on the roll 1152. February 18th. Up to last evening the grain carried during the present season from Ashburton to Christi church, including intermediate stations and branch lines, amounted to 26,723 bags. February 19th. There was a large attendance of Roman Catholics last night to bid farewell to the Rev. Father M'Namara, and present him •with an address and a purse of sovereigns. The proceedings were of a deeply interesting diSLrfliCfiGi 1 Messrs' J. Blacketf; and W. N. Blair, engineers in charge of the North and Middle Islands respectively, are at present sitting aa arbitrators at the new Government Buildings relative to matters in dispute between the Government and Mr W. Stocks, contractor for the "Waimakariri Gorge bridge. As soon as the evidence has been taken in the case, the arbitrators will next hear evidence in regard to a difficulty which has arisen between the Government and Mr J. Fraser, the contractor for the Malvern water-race. About 500 objections have been sent m against this year's assessment. Even should the whole of these objections be allowed, which is highly improbable, the total assessment of the city this y«ar will amount to over L 205,000, being an increase of L 37.000 on last year's assessment. By the San Francisco mail the Railway Department have received advices of the shipment of 50 additional sets of iron-work for lowside waggons. The waggons are intended for the Christchurch section. As the vessel sailed on the 12th December, she may be expected in the course of two or three weeks. Timaru, February 14th. At a meeting of tha Chamber of Commerce to-day, the letters forwarded to the Underwriters' Association in London regarding the nature of Timaru and Oamaru ports were brought before the attention of members by Mr Granger, the local manager of the National Mortgage and Agency Company, on whose motion a resolution was carried to the effect that a statement showing the number of vesßels lost during the last ten years, with tonnage and other particulars, should be prepared for transmission to New Zealand and Sydney Underwriters' Association, and to Lloyds'. The mover said such information would astonish the Associations, as it would give them an idea of the class of vessels lost, and the strength of their cables. The South Canterbury Board of Education returns for the December quarter, 1878, show 2666 children on the roll as against 2415 at the end of the previous quarter. The concrete blocks are ready to be laid by the steam crane for the harbour works. The shingle is collecting at a wonderful rate on the south side of the breakwater, and already the Harbour Board can say that two acres of land worth fully L 15,000 has been reclaimed) for them by the action of the sea. February 17th. The Hon. Mr Ballance arrived by_ the 10 o'clock train from Oamaru this morning, and was met by a number of the leading citizens, and conducted to all the public buildings. He expressed himself exceptionally well pleased with them, and with the town as a whole, which he said was the best built of its size of any in the Colony. He left by express train for the North in company with Mr Stout, who made no stay here.