INTERPROVINCIAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 1465, 13 December 1879, Page 11

INTERPROVINCIAL.

Auckland, December 4th. The Rev. Shirley Baker, Wesleyan missionary, and the white King of Tonga arrived by the Mytle, ea route for the Sydney conference, accompanied by David Nga, an influential chief. One hundred and fifty people are at work on the newly.discovered gumfields, about five miles from Hamilton. The average of wages made is 10s to 12s a day. The Customs duties for the week were L 5215. The liabilities of Messrs Godeffroy in Auckland will not exceed L 20.000. December Bth. _ The Coromandel goldfield is looking up again Eleven hundred and sixty ounces of gold were brought up to-day. A young salmon, caught with a rod and fly in the Mahuranga River, indicating the success of the acclimatisation labours there of the Rev. C. Kenny and Mr Palmer two years ago. December 10th. The Regatta Committee met to-night and decided that for the Champion Schooner Race the first prize should b6 LIOO and the second Erize L3O. For the large cutter race the ret prize is a silver cup, value L 35, presented by a member, with Lls added ; second prize, L2O ; third, LlO. Two other silver cups will be presented, for an open boat and yacht races. There is every promise of a successful meeting. Gbahamstown, December 7th. The Wattaki Gold-mining Company have declared a dividend of 2s 6d ; the Moanataiari will also declare a dividend before Christmas, This mine had a return on Saturday of 443£ozs of gold. Albumia shares are unaltered in price. December 10 th. Five bandsmen belonging to the Naval Brigade will be tried by court-martial next week for refusing to attend church parade. Wellington, December 6th. The new marble altar for St. Mary's Cathedral was consecrated this morning by Bishop Redwood. There was a large assembly to witness the ceremony. ' The Post states to-night that the Bank of England has undertaken to float the whole of the loan at L 9 710 5; interest, 5 per cent. Amongst tha, amendments in. the Property Assessment Bill made last night wss one increasing the exemption from L3OO to LSOO. ' December' 7th. ' ' It is reported on good authority that Rewi has declined to hold any further communications with Government, and has rejoined Tawhiao at TeKuiti; also, fcthat Hiroki has left Parihaka and been offered refuge in the King country. He is now at Ngatimaru. ' December Bth. The Greymouth rußh to Seventy-mile Beach continues in spite of the unfavourable weather, and miners speak well of the prospects. A very rich reef was struck on Saturday in the New River tunnel. At Lyell the sluicing claims at Nelson Creek were opened by the Hochstetter race, and are yielding splendidly. One claim's returnß for the last eight months have averaged lOOoz of retorted gold per month among four men. Some uneasiness is caused by the apparent large falling-off in the traffic in the South Island's main trunk line, the proportion of working expenses to receipts having increased from 68 to 95 per cent. It is hoped that this is only temporary, and that there will be a recovery in the grain season. ' The North Islamd lines show an improvement as compared with last year, notwithstanding the commercial depression. I hear that the report for the five months of the current financial year shows the proportion of expense to- receipts has decreased from 81 to 79 per cent., which is equivalent to an increase of 2 per, cent, in the net receipts, although this is for the dullest period of the year. December 9th. A boy named Hockley had a narrow escape of being shot at the Kaiwarra rifle range on Saturday. ' He crossed the range just as a man fired a bullet, , which passed through his trousers, and, curiously enough, actually made a centre. The annual Grand Lodge session cf Good Templars opened ,this morning. The report submitted showed the present number of lodges /in good standing was 155, being one less than •last year. The existing membership is 7653, being an increase of 323 over last year's returns. At a meeting of the Licensed Victuallers' Association it was decided to make an extra charge of 6d per bottle on spirits. Blenheim, December 10th. In the Supreme Court yesterday the case of Kirwa, Goff and Gowrie, cattle-stealing, and Yates, assault with intent on a young girl, wore dismissed. The libel case Earle v. Doherty is still proceeding. The effect of Mr Travera' speech was that Doherty was not guilty, that the libel complained of was true in substance and fact, and that W. B. Earle had seduced his niece, and had frequent intercouse with her while living under his care and protection; that the publication was for the public benefit, as Earle had been a councillor of the Borough of Blenheim jutt previously ; that at the time he was a candidate to fill a vacant seat ; that he held high office as Grand Counsel or in the Good Templws for the Seuth Island ; that he held office in the Presbyterian Church, and had served, and was entitled to serve, aa a grand juror; and that it was for the public good that the allegations should be cleared up, and such a person prevented from holding such offices. Mr Conolly asked for an adjournment to coneider the plea, which was granted for an hour, and demurred that the publication was for the benefit of the public. On resuming, Mr Conolly said that the evidence must proceed. The case went on, and the publication of the libel was proved. Mr Travers opened the case, and outlined a most horrible story, comprising a series of alleged offences of a grossly indecent nature. This afternoon Fanny Townsand gave her evidence in chief, and detailed a number of indecent acts, and the committal of a capital offence. Other important witnesses are to be examined to-night,

Greymouth, December Bth. The Claud Hamilton shipped 51O8oz 18dwt 16gr of gold from this port on Sunday. Wanganui, December 6th. Dr Earle wa3 savagely attacked in his surgery this morning by a madman, named Antonio. The man, after a conversation with the doctor, during which he applied for admission to the hospital, took the opportunity of the doctor's back being turned to strike him on the back of the head with a large stone. Dr Earle was stunned for a time, and is now suffering from the blow. Antonio made his escape. Christohuroh, December 4th. Haymaking is in full swiDg in the Ashburton district, and, should the weather hold fine for a few days, splendid orops will be stacked. December 6tb. At SwannanQa the crops are far advanced, and should the weather hold fine the reaper will be at work there within eight or ten days. On one farm a crop of barley promises to average 70 bushels per acre. The crops all round the district is estimated to yield 60 bushels per acre. The grain promises to be of fine quality. At the adjourned meeting of Jicenseholdßrs last evening, among othe resolutions agreed to wa3 one proposal that hotels should be divided into classes, ABC, and license foes shoud be paid pro rata iv accordance with accommodation — say from L4O to LlO per annum. December 9th. At the meeting of the Rifla Association held last night it wss determined to make a final effort to induce a sufficient number of men to go to Dunedin to firo in, the Interprovincial match. It was resolved to ask the Otago Association to allow Christchurch Volunteers to fire here on December 19th, and to challenge North Otago Association to fire on the same day, thus making a triangular match. December 10th. The Bishop of Christchurch and Mrs Harper willcelebrate their golden wedding-day on Friday next. The Christchurch roll of shareholders of the company formed for settlement of the Waimate Plains numbers 500 heads of families, representing 3000 souls It is proposed to amalgamate with the Wellington Small-Farm Association, aad two delegates will be sent to Wellington to interview tiie Government. The result of the Good Templar Grand Lodge elections this afternoon was as follows : —Chief Templar, R9V. Dr Roseby; viceTemplar, Bro Johnson, Wellington ; secretary, Bro Cameron ; treasurer, Bro Carr ; chaplain, Bro Buttle, Balciutha ; marshal, Bro Smith, Lyttelton; superintendent of juvenile Templars, Bro Smith, Christchurch ; representatives to W.G. Lodge, Melbourne, Bros Bennett, Roseby, and Jago. It showed that 23 new lodges had fcbeen instituted during the year, while 24 had ceased workiDg, leaving the number now in existence at 155, containing an average membership of 53. There is a slight decrease in the membership, amounting^to 323, the total number now being 5871 brothers and 1783 sisters, being a total of 7653. Nine degree temples are in operation, and there are 2175 brothers and 683 sisters who are third degree members. Special sessions of the Grand Lodge have bean held during the year at Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, Invercargill, Queenstown, Arrowtown, Oamaru, and Timaru. These sessions were a great success, and it was a recommendation to the incoming executive to hold similar sessions at Wanganui, Napier, the West 'Coast, and the Otago goldfields. The financial position of the Grand Lodge was good, compared with former years, as the statement of assets and liabilities showed a credit of L 307 4s 7d. Timabu, December Bth. The weather daring the last 48 hours has been very boisterous. Heavy rain has fallen, damaging the crops and flooding the rivers, washing away a portion of the railway line at Otaio. December 10th. The half-yearly Criminal Sittings of tha Supreme Court opened to-day before Judge Johnston. Tjue bills were returned in the following cases : — Thomas Griffin, stealing from the person; William Charles Kidney, forgery and nttering (two charges) ; Patrick Finn, forgery and uttering; Edmund Jeffery, maliciously placing au obstruction on the railway line ; Edward James, forgery ; Harry Daniel Manning, aiding and abetting to commit a forgery Albert Godfrey Saunders, aiding and abetting to commit forgery ; John Doyle, forgery and uttering ; William Cortham, attempt to murder; Thomas Hunt, cattle-stealing; Mary Hunt, wilful damage to property ; Frederick Neiber, obtaining money by false pretences (two charges). No bills were found in the cases of Alfred Fisher, for libel, and W. B. Nightingale, for larceny. The following prisoners were dealt with:— Thomas Griffin, 12 months for stealing from the person ; W. C. Kidney, forgery, one day ; Patrick Finn, forgery and uttering, 12 months ; Edward James, forgery, two years ; John Doyle, forgery and uttering, 12 months ; Mary Hunt, wilful damage to property, one day ; Frederick Neiber, false pretences, one year on one charge, and acquitted on the other. The weather i 3 now warm, but heavy floods ara still coming down in most of the rivers.