INTERPROVINCIAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 1645, 2 June 1883, Page 12

INTERPROVINCIAL.

The Omapere got off t^JO Westport bar apparently uninjured.

The sentence ;of "death passpd on Phoebe Veitch, for chiM-tnurder at Wanganui, has been commuted to penal servitude for life.

Priestly^ who was tried for the Hamilton mnurder, Writes to the Auckland Herald denying the statement made in the Northern Wairoa Gazette that he stated that he believed Mrs Hamilton knew all about Hamilton's death.

Miss Annie Potta, M.D., of tho Female Medical College, Pennsylvania, who arrived by the mail steamer, intends delivering a course of medical lectures at the 'Osera House, Auckland.

All the immigrants at Napier hy tho Westeneath and Rangitikei found employment within 10 hours, the do'Eieatic servants at from 10s to 15a a week, 'notwithstanding that most ■of them have had tio experience.

The Belfast Refrigerating Company have j •ordered a tirird Haslam machine, which will ' •enable tbtfm to freeze 400 sheep a day, instead <of 250 -as now. The storage accommodation is to be Increased to allow 10,000 ■carcasses in the store at one time.

The body of the boy Lilly, who perished on the Port Lyttelton Hills some time ago, and for whom repeated searches have been rmde, was found by. a shepherd on Friday morning near the place where the body of the boy .Mason was found.

At Auckland a glaring cose of sly grog-selling Shaa been brought to light through the activity of Sergeant Kist. The offender was a Maori, de scribed as a Wesleyan local preacher, living at Kennedy Bay. He has been in tlie habit of selling spirits to Maoris and bushmen. The Magistrate considered the "e'ftence thoroughly proved, and fined the ftVisoner £20 and coats (£8).

The Lyttelton ttarbour Board have under consideration an offer from the New Zealand Electric Light and Power Company to erect 10 more lights, making 26 in &.11 ; the additional lights t« xjost £25 each. Should the Board accept the offer, they will have about the beatulutftinated harbour in the world.

An Interprovincial Freezing an-i Storage vJompany at Christchurch is projected for the purpose of purchasing, freezing, and exporting native game, fish, live-sfldek, and general produce. The company also propose to store and freeze meat, &c. 'on behalf of butchers, grocers, fishmongers, aJad others. Tl ■ capital is to be 4350,000. It is intended to use all the wa«te (products Hi the manufacture of manures. A young man named James Hogan> who was out shooting at the Upper Hufct on the 22nd in •company with another youth, is missing. He separated from his friend in search of pigeons, •and has not since been neen. Search-parties are still out. The youth who went with Hogan into the bush declined to accompany either {party, and some comment has been excited in 4he township by hia action. Hogan, who is about 16 years of age, is a good woodsman, and Ibardly likely to starve to death in the bush, every foot of which he is well acquainted with.

A thunderstorm passed over Auckland on Monday. The lightning struck the coachbuilding establishment of Vennoll and Co., Newton, but three men working at the forge escaped uninjured, though somewhat unnerved. The Ponsonby public school, in which there were 500 children, was also struck at the same time. The woodwork of the turret was displaced and gome fell down, and the zinc sheeting torn off. When the flash of lightning came, followed instantaneously by a deafening peal of thunder, the children were in a- great state of commotion, numbers running out of the Rchool.

With reference to the allegation contained in a, telegram from Auckland, imputing misconduct to female immigrants per s.s. Westmeath, the Government have had inquiries made, with the result that the immigration officer at Auckland reports that the behaviour of the girls while in the depdt was excellent, and there was not the slightest sign of intemperance, while not a word of dissatisfaction had been expressed to him as to their subsequent conduct. The Auckland police corroborate this account, and the ship's doctor atates the behaviour of the girls during the voyage to have been " most exemplary." A fatal accident occurred at the timber-yard of Mr Bartlett, in Hardy street. Nelson, on Monday. A lad named David Hums, in charge of a horse and dray, removed the blinkers from the former, and was about to feed the animal, which started. Burns held on to its neck for a few yards, when he fell, and the wheel of the dray passed over his chest. He was removed to the workshop, and Bpoke once or twice, saying, " What will ir>y poor mother say?" He died directly after the arrival of the doctor, and about 10 minutes after the accident. At the inquest a verdict of il Accidental death " was returned.

The private residence of Dr Lemon, super ntendenc of Telegraphs at Wellington waa successfully illuminated with bh i electric light on Friday night, this being the first private house in the Colony into which this light has been introduced. The apparatus consists of Siemens' shunt dynamo, which will run 25 lights, each equal to 20candle power, and will accommodate itself to every lamp which is cut out on inside. Swan's incandescent lamp is the one employed in the present instance. The plant has been specially imported by Dr Lemon at a cost of a little over £200, and with the exception of regulating the engine (one-horsepower indicated), the whole has been fitted up by Dr Lemon himself. It is believed that the light will be found quite as cheap as gas. For its weight and size, Dr Lemon considers that the Siemens dynamo machine is the most powerful generator in the market. A gas-engine is employed to drive he machinery. Some of the Westmeath's immigrants who arrived at Auckland last week complain very bitterly of the imposition they were in a number of instances subjected to before leaving England. They complain that a regular system of blackmail was practised on them while waiting in the barracks at Plymouth. They state they were not allowed to leave the dep6fc in that port upon any consideration, a trunk-shop being set up indide, at which they were bound to purchase such things as were necessary before joining the vessel. Another fraud which they are indignant concerning consisted in some officious individual overhauling all their packages and insisting that passengers could not be allowed to take with them for the voyage anything in the shape of extras which they had provided to supplement what the ship's rules allowed them. These officials declared it was against all Irules to allow these comforts to go on board, and in consequence many of the passengers were deprived— robbed, they say— of many little matters which, while not very valuable in themselves, would have been deemed a treat during their long voyage. The things were left perforce behind at Plymouth, and became the property of the harpie:, who prey upon inexperienced emigrants.