News of the week.

Otago Witness, Issue 1461, 15 November 1879, Page 16

News of the week.

Messrs Sinclair and Morton have completed a tram-car for the Dunedin Tramways. It is made according to the design of the English cars, but is much better finished than the cars imported from^Home. The ironwork, brasswork, bells, lamps, and fittings have all been manufactured by local firms. The proprietor of the tramways, Mr Pruudfoot, has expressed the opinion that the car is finished in a much superior manner to the English cars, and it is probable it will be fully las durable, for firstclass work has been put in it, and the materials are also of the best quality.

The extent to which the labour market is relieved by the employment of men by the Government for the construction of Bections of the railways not let to contractors may be gathered from the following facts. No less than 700 of the men who applied for work as unemployed labourers are now engaged on the Otago Central line of railway ; on the Government section of the LiviDgstone and Oamaru line 400 naen are at work, and 50 others are waiting until the Bectionis extended ; while 100 men ara engaged at other works undertaken by the Public Works Department in different parts o^ this Provincial District — the principal one being for the protection of Balclutha against floods, in Canterbury 630 labourers have obtained work from the Government in a similar manner. Tho total number of men employed by tbe Government and by contractors in the const ruction of public works in the Middle Island is 3250, exclusive of inspectors and the staff of the department. The ordinary meeting of the Bruce County Council was held in the Council Chambers, Milton, on Tuesday last. There were present Messrs H. Clark (chairman), Calder, Duff, Douglas, Murray, Petrie, Smith, and Store. The business was of no general interest, and ■was comprised chiefly in the reading and discussion of correspondence with the Milton Borough Council, Public Works Office, Wellington, the Treasury, and the Balmoral Road Board. With respect to the first item noticed, the Borough Council invited the cooperation of the county towarcs a modification of the existing arrangemerits as to the hospital question, &c. Various accounts were passed for payment, and some routine business having been concluded, the meetiitg adj jurmd. The Southland Times bears tbat Mr Shirley's contract for tho formation of the EdendaleForirose railway is now completed, but the bridge over the Mataura is behind, and cannot be fiaished for some weeks at any rate. Mr Sbirley'd cantract was only for formation and bridges, and did not include the laying of the rails. Tenders will be called far this portion of the work in due course,

Messrs Kirkpatrick, Glendining, and Co. have just completed a number of uniforms for the Headquarters Brass Band, made of 'a fine but strong dark-blue cloth, relieved by scarlet and silver stripes. These uniforms look at once strikingly handsome and serviceable. We imagine that at Monday's parade no Volunteer uniforms will bo seen so neat and effective in appearance as those of the Headquarters Brass Band. The manner in which Messrs Kirkpatrick, Glendining, and Co. have completed their contract for these uniforms is another gratifying instance of the excellence to which our local manufactures can be brought when legitimately encouraged.

The Gore correspondent of the Southland Times writes:— "The Waimea Plain railway is now well advanced towards completion, some eight miles of formation out of the 36 being all that now remains to complete the work. Platelaying and ballasting 1b now being puahed on at both ends of the line. At Gore the rails are laid for eight miles, and at Elbow between three and four miles have been linked in. Rails are being laid at each end at the rate of about 70 chains per week, so that in all probability the work will be completed in about four months, should no unforeseen circumstances arise in the meantime to delay it. The bridges are being pushed on with all speed, some 20 men being employed at this work alone. Near the station at the township of Mandeville, a new hotel is being put up for Mr J. O'Kane, who expects to remove into it by the time the rails reach the township, so that he will have a good opportunity for a house warming. Mr Haxton, of Gore, has also put a new blacksmith's shop at the same place, so that at present the township of Mandeviile has the start of Riversdale in the way of buildings." An auctioneer's license was granted to William John Dyer, of Tokomairiro, at the Custom-house on the 7th.

The iron foot-bridge over the Water- of- Leith, which is to be erected on the eastern side of the present stone bridge, will be completed within three weeks from the present time. The contractors, Messrs Cutten and Co., have finished all the ironwork of the bridge, and the concrete pillars on either side of the Leith are approaching completion. The bridge will be built so as to sustain a weight of 30 tons, or more than double the weight it is ever likely to carry.

A meeting of members of the legal profession was held on the 7th for the purpose of electing two members of the Council of the Law Society in the place of Messrs Kenyon and Nation resigned. The ballot resulted in the election of Messrs Ho worth and Macgregor.

The Sydney Mail of 25 th October contains an excellent portrait of Dr Hector, the New Zealand Executive Commissioner, and a sketch of bis life and scientific labours. The Mail cays : " New Zealand has honoured itself by sending to this city a collection of exhibits which amply illustrate its vigorous industries and numerous endowments; it has further honoured itself by placing this collection in the hands of so devoted a Bavant and bo distinguished a student and explorer as Dr Hector."

A copy of the Letters Patent, Instructions, and Commission of his Excellency Sir Hercules Robinson, G.O.M.G-., forwarded by Sir M.E. Hicks-Beach, Colonial Secretary, has been laid on the table of both Houses of Parliament. Amongst the instructions ara the following : — " The Governor shall not assent in our name to any bill of any of the classes hereafter specified, that is to say :—l.: — 1. Any bill for the divorce of persons joined together in holy matrimony. 2. Any bill whereby any grant of land, or money, or other donation or gratuity may be made to himself. 3. Any bill affecting the currency of the Colony. 4. Any bill imposing differential duties (other than as allowed by the Australian Colonies Duties Act, 1873). 5. Any bill the provisions of which shall appear inconsistent with obligations imposed upon us by treaty. 6. Any bill interfering with the discipline or control of our forces in the Colony by laud or sea. 7. Any bill of an extraordinary nature and importance, whereby our prerogative, or the rights and property of our subjects not residing in the Colony, or the trade and shipping of the United Kingdom and its dependencies, may be prejudiced. 8. Any bill containing provisions to which our assent has been once refused, or which have been disallowed by us."

The right of women to vote at elections of member* of the General Assembly was affirmed in Committee of the House on Friday night, by 34 votes to 29.

A Mrs Barrett made an application at the Police Courb, on Saturday, to have her two children put in the Industrial School. She stated that she might obtain a situation if she oould get rid of the children, and would pay for their maintenance if they were committed to the institution. She had applied at the Benevolent Asylum for relief, but Mr Quinn refused to bring her case before the Committee. Mr Titchener, master of the Industrial School, said he could not possibly make room for the; infants, as there were already in the institution 16 from five months to two years of age, and 138 boys and 97 girls, 100 of whom were under seven years. Mr Watt, R.M., thought the matter was one for the Benevolent Institution todeal with. Aconstablewasdespatched with the woman to seek an interview with some of the ladies connected with the creche which has recently been established, to Bee if arrangements could not be made bo that the children would be taken care of during the day while the mother was at work.

Mr Norman Wood has consented to become a candidate for the office of Mayor of Ravensbourne.

Between 9000 and 10,000 passengers (repre* Renting nearly Ll2O worth of tickets) travelled on the tram-cars on Monday, which demonstrates the great popularity of this mode of conveyance. Not the slightest hitch occurred in the arrangements.

We learn from papers recently received by the Suez mail that tbe Bank of New Zealand negotiated the L 200.000 six per cent, loan for the New Plymouth Harbour Board. The applications amounted to L 211.600, at prices ranging from a minimum of L 95 to L 97. A disagreeable impression has been produced on the Stock Exchange by the news that Australian and New Zealand Colonies contemplate frosh heavy loans. The leading journalsj ournals point out the dangers of the proposed course.

The Dunedin Hospital returns for the past week are as follow : — Remaining from previous week, 134 ; admitted, 14 ; discharged, 20 ; death, I;—total1 ;— total remaining, 127. The following wa3 the state of H. M, Gaol, Dunedin, for the week ending November Bth, 1879 :— Awaiting trial (exclusive of 2on bail), 3 males ; penal servitude, 33 males, 3 females ; hard labour, 42 males, 21 females ; imprisonment, 1 male ; imprisonment (default of surities), 48 males ; tata 127 males, 24 females. Received during the week, 15 males, 5 females ; discharged 13 males, 7 females.

Mr J. P. Armstrong is at 'present in Wellington, lecturing on "An Irishman's Pilgrimage throv^h America in 1848,"

His Excellency Sir Hercules Robinson, G.C.M.G., Governor of New Zealand, arrived at Christchurch on Tuesday at noon. His Excellency was received at Lyttelton by Mr Allwright, M.H.R., and his Worship the Mayor, Dr Rouse, and Messrs Conyera and Back. On arrival at Christoharch by special train, the Governor and party were received by the Hon. William Robinson, Mr H. P. Lance, and a i ew friends, who accompanied them them to Coker's Hotel, where the Governor will remain during his residence in the city. His Excellency is accompanied by the Hon. Lady Robinson, Captain St. John, A.D.C., and Mrs St. John, Miss Robinson, and the Hon. A. Cadogan.

Some 2864 persona travelled on the Dunedin section of railway on the anniversary of the . Prince of Wales' birthday, including 898 passengers to the Ocean Beach.

Mr Henry Tewsley, who for a very considerable time has been a member of the Harbour Board, and since the retirement of the Hon. Mr H. Reynold?, about 12 months ago, has held the position of chairman, has forwarded to the Board his resignation. This course he has been compelled to take by the advice of hia medical man, and he contemplates a rislt to the Home country for the restoration of hia health. The resignation was accepted at a special meeting of the Board on Tuesday morning, when deep regret at such a step, and sympathy for Mr Tewsley in the circumstances rendering it necessary, were expressed by the members.

In answer to a question put to the Government on Tuesday, it was Btated that the Pullman cars lately imported from America could not pass through the tunnels on the ChristcnurchInvercargill section of the railway line. The Government agent in New York is said to be responsible for the mistake.

Mr J. L. Gillies, the honorary secretary to the Melbourne Juvenile Industrial Exhibition, attended at the Harbour Board Office on Monday and Tuesday evenings to receive Dunedin exhibits, but only a few were lodged with him. We shall not give the list until the whole of the exhibits have come to hand. Exhibitors, by delaying to send in their articles, have put Mr Gillies to an amount of unnecessary trouble, and it is to be hoped that they will attend to the matter at once.

The annual meeting of the National Eire and Marine Insurance Company was held on Tuesday, when the report and balance-sheet were adopted and the retiring directors and auditors re-elected. A notice of motion by Mr Reeves, which was intended to alter the ruleß bo that directors on retiring would not be for a stated time eligible for re election, was read to the meeting, and the grounds upon which it waa based were stated in the course of discussion ; but the matter did not come before the meeting for decision, as it could only be dealt with at a special general meeting. We have been requested to mention a fact which was not stated at themestingon Tuesday, bat which is regarded as eminently satisfactory, viz., that during the past year the number of shareholders has been increased by 200. At the last meeting of the St Kilda Borough Council the half-yearly balance-sheet to September, 1879, was submitted. It showed receipts amounting to L 274 15a 6d, an expenditure of L 279 2s lid, the cash in hand to be L 37 4s 9d, and an overdraft of L 303 Is lid.

A sitting]! of the Supreme Court in Bankruptcy was held before Mr Gordon, the registrar, on Tuesday, at which David Letham and Robert Barclay obtained final orders of dis. charge.

In the R.M. Court, Milton, on Tuesday, the only case for hearing was A. W. Grant v. D. Reid, an information laid by the former (of the Bruce Standard) calling' upon the latter, as part proprietor of the Bruoe Herald, to show cause why he should not be ousted from his seat as a borough councillor,' as being beneficially interested under a certain contract. • The case was adjourned till Taefeday next for the production of a material witness — viz,; the Registrar of the Supreme Court.

The Lyttelton Time 3 says :—" Our Wellington correspondent telegraphs that it is proposed to amend the Lotteries Act so as to legalise the totalisator. South Australia has already made this mode of gambling legal, and if New Zealand follows suit, we Bhould imagine that consternation and confusion will speedily invade the noble army of 'metallicians.' "

The Premier, in reply to Mr Lundon, stated in the House of Representatives that "the Goyernment were considering the expediency of imposing a duty on all coal imported into the Colony.

Mr Ballance gave notice on Friday afternoon of an intention to move an addition to the Land Amendment Act, providing for the extinguishment of Waste Lands Boards, and the dele, gating of their duties to County Councils. . In our Woodside (West Taieri) correspondent's letter will be found a description of the trial of atraotion engine recently imported from Home by Mr Peter Grant, of Gowrie. ; ~

The Palmerston and Waikouaiti Time's states that two dogs, owned by a Palmerston resident paid a visit to Mr Douglas' Smyler'a Peak paddocks and commenced worrying the sheep. Mr Douglas' son, noticing on his return from oharoh, the sheep in the paddock next to the Peak to be rather restless, had his suspicions aroused, and after watching a few minutes discovered two greyhounds in full pursuit of the sheep. They had then throttled one sheep, and the bulk of the flook had forced through into the next paddock. Luckily the dogs had nottimetodomuch more damaga, but the mixing of the^washed. with the unwashed nocks is very annoying. On a former occasion the dogs of the same Palmerston resident did considerable damage among Mr Douglas' sheep. ,

The London Times of September 24th, in its money article, says : — " There seems to be among many of the principal people interested n Colonial securities a fear that the Australian Colonies are seeking to raise too much money. At present the different Legislatures have sanctioned in all the raising of over L 20,000,000, in addition to the existing indebtedness, which in Borne cases is quite large enough. The market for Australian bonds has hitherto been a good one, and it would be a great pity if distrust were created by an indiscriminate launching of new loans. The works for which most of the authorised borrowing is required •would undoubtedly help forward materially the different Colonies, but the readiness with which previous appeals have been answered here should not lead our antipodean brethren into the mistake of supposing that all future applications will be as readily responded to if judgment is not Bhown in selecting the opportunity." We mentioned last week (says the Palmerston Times) that 100 tons of Shag Point coal had been taken by the Union Steam Ship Company, to be tried on board the s.s. Roto, mahana. The manager of the Coal Company received a telegram on Saturday last stating that the engineer of the steamer reports very favourably on the cpaj forwarded,.

A special .meeting of the Chamber of Commerce to consider the revision of the Customs tariff was held on Wednesday, and the matter was discussed at some length. The Chamber ultimately adjourned unMl Friday. A special committee was appointed to bring up a report, and the principle was affirmed by a large majority ofthe Chamber that the revised duties should be raised for the purpose of revenue only. A brewer in this city informs us (Daily Times), apropos of our remarks on a proposed duty of 6d per lb on hops, that his firm uses about 20 tons of hops per annum. The duty on these, at 61!6 1 ! per lb, would amount to no lesa than Lll2O. This would be protection to native industry with a vengeance.

Mr J. Tyerman gave his last lecture in Dunedin on Wednesday, in the George street Odd-Fellows' Hall. The Bubject wa3, " The teachings and uses of Spiritualism, with answers to popular objections ;" and upon this the lecturer spoke for close on two hours and a-half, to a namerous and appreciative audience. Mr R. Stout was in the chair. Mr Tyerman leaveß for Melbourne on Friday.

Miss Amy Scott, one of the pupils of the Middle District School, has drawn a map of England, which is intended to be sent to the Melbourne Juvenile Industrial Exhibition. The piece of work has been carefully executed.

At a meeting held at tha schoolhouse, KaitaDgata, on the Bth inßtant, Mr Shore in the chair, it was unanimously resolved to urge upon the Government the great necessity for a Resident's Magistrate's Court, and a Justice of the Peace for the township. It was also urged that the registration-office should be removed from Stirling to Kaitangata.

A peculiar case came before the City Police Court on Wednesday. William Swan, a coal-merchant, residing in Dunedin, was charged with failing to support his mother, Elizabeth Swan, a widow, aged 63. Mr Denniston appeared for the complainant, and Mr Stout for the defendant. It appeared from the evidence that Mrs Swan had been for some time living with her son, who, however, fell out with her because she was in the habit of going away from the house and working all day for a married Bister. She wished to have a house to herself, so that she might act as she pleased. The case was dismissed.

The annual social meeting in connection with the Kriox Church Literary , and Debating Society was held on Wednesday in the classroom of the old church. The Rev. Dr Stuart was in the chair. The meeting took the form of a concert, durujgj which songs, recitations, and addresses were given. There was an interval in' which tea and cakes were served in the old church itself . During the evening the. report of the Society was read. It embraced transactiona extending over t a period of 15 months. The average attendance had been 14. The Committee reported that they had lately been making an effort to establish a union with the vsrious Presbyterian Young Men's Societies in the city, and they have pleasure in stating that they have met with a favourable response. It was hopsd that the details would be arranged betore the next winter session commenced. The report was otherwise satisfactory.

-Referring to the late fire at Winton, the Southland Times says :— " We regret to hear, that Mr Ord's mill, which was burned to the ground on Sunday last, was uninsured. Mr Ord is thus a very heavy sufferer — in fact, he estimates that L2OOO will not more than cover his loss, for berides the destruction of the building the machinery, some of it most valuable, has suffered to such an extent as to render it practically useless. - Notwithstanding this reverse, hewaver, Mr Ord contemplates start-, ing again, the large area of capital bush near his mill offering peculiar advantages in the sawmilling line. Great sympathy h felt for him in the district, throughout which he is highly respected.- He has resided near Winton for some time, and was just beginning to find his feet when this unfortunate casualty overhinh"

The following letter appears in the London Daily News of September 24th: — "To the Editor. Sir, — As a largre number of farmers and other middle - class Englishmen are leaving for the 'England of the Pacific,' will you allow me to inform them that I have just received from the AgentGeneral his promise to endorse a request which I have' made to the New Zealand Government, that the emigration homes at .each of the leading ports should be thrown open, free of expense, 'to ' the new arrivals. Should the Wellington authorities accede to my request, and I have no doubt that they will, most valuable help will be afforded in the shape of a temporary home while the immigrant is selecting his sphere of operations. By giving publicity to this in your widely.circulatiog columns much anxiety may be relieved. — I am, Sir, your faithfully, Akthub Clatden. 13 OlapHamcommon Gardens, S.W., September 23td."

We have received from J. O. a contribution of 103, to be handed to Mr J. GK S. Grant.

Friday, the 28th instmt, has been proclaimed * bank holiday in Dunedin and the Counties of Taier 1 and Peninsula

We have received a copy of the Catalogue of tha Otigo Institute aad Museum. The library contains about 1200 voluma?, many of great value, and specially selected to assist ncientific workers. The shelves also contain aboir. ICO pamphlets. The money value of the works is bet yeo:i £20 0 ard £3000.

The Governnxii t ar. c-.Uin? tenders for tho inland mail service, 1880, between Fortrose and Waikawa, Kattangata and Waogaloa, Quoenstown and Arrow Klver. Tender* will be received until the 29th irst. Full pirticulara will bo found in our advertising columns.