LOCAL & GENERAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 1754, 4 July 1885, Page 8

LOCAL & GENERAL.

The Chamber qf Commerce at their special meeting, held on Friday, for the purpose of discussing the new tariff, passed a resolution by a very large majority 1 objecting to any increase of duty bearing unfairly upon special classes, and expressing the opinion that the additions of duty proposed to be made on the produce of several industries already established in the Colony were unnecessary and unwise in principle, and likely to unfairly burden consumers In the evening a public meeting was held at the Princess Theatre in the interests of the Protectionists at which Mr O. J. Hodge argued at considerable length in favour of Protection theories. This meeting resulted in the passing of a resolution, affirming the desirability of the Colony adopting a thoroughly Protective policy. At the last meeting of the Benevolent Institution the will of one of the inmates, Mr Richard Parks Cocker, who died in January last, was read. Mr Cockerbequeathed to the Institution £100, £10 to Mrs Quin, and the remainder of his real and personal estate to St. Peter's Church vestry, Caversham, to be applied towards the erection of St. Peter's- Church Sunday-school. The deceased appointed the Rev. W. Ronaldson and Mr H. W. Coverlid executors of his will, and requested that Mr Coverlid might be elected a life governor of the Institution. One of the members of the Committee remarked; that it? would be a very satisfactory state of things if the Institution numbered a few more such persons vamongst its inmates as Mr Cocker — a remark which received the concurrence of the other members present. It may be mentioned that Mr Cocker paid for his maintenance during the whole of the time he was in the Institution. A letter from an officer of the Scots' Guards, published in the Standard, gives the following horrible picture of the field of battle a day or two after the fight at General M'Neil's zareeba : — ""When going from Suakin, the last three miles of the march were marked at every step by graves, Arab and Indiaji, so shallow that from all oozed dark and hideous stains, and from many protruded mangled feet, halfstripped, grinning skulls, or ghastly hands, still clenched ih the death agony, though reduced to little more than bone and sinew. The ground was also thickly sown with hands and feet; dragged from their graves by the hyaenas, and the awful stench and reek of carripn which loaded the "air will never be. forgotten, as J think, by any of us. Day af^er day we passed and repassed over the same sickening scene with our convoys, in blinding dust and under a scorching sun, obliged to move at a foot's paeo to keep up with the weary camels, and to pipk our steps carefully for fear of suddenly setting foot on one of those dreadful heaps of oorrup=. tion. The railway authorities have announced ex» cursion trains for visitors from any part of Now Zealand to the Exhibition, from 20th July to 20th October. Return exoursion tickets will bo issued at a low rabe. The tickets wiU be v ava}U able for 35 days from date qf issue, and will also include steamer fares for those who have to travel by sea. A first-blass railway return ticket from Invercargill to Wellington can be obtained for £5 ? including salqon passage by steamer from ; ant} th_e spcond-class and steerage are lower in proportion. 'J?l}p traveller can also obtain a saloon passage b,y steamer and a second-class railway ticket. The committee of the Fair of All Nations, heUl in November last, after some unavpidable delays in making up their apcounts, have at lepgth pubr lished a balancersheet. The gross takings the fair were £1642 Igs Bd. Qf this amount £570 13s 4d was dqpr money, and £100 2s pro? ceeds of refreshment stall. After- paying expenses the committee were able to hand to eaoh of the five parishes concerned the sum of £57 15s 2d as dividend from door-money, etc. The net receipts of the parishes were as follow :—: — All Saints', £346 11s 6d ; St. Matthew's, £324 15s ;, St. Peter's, £166 13s sd; St. Paul's, £156 3s lid ; St. John's, £99 15s sd. Recently the passengers om board a train near Wanganui are stated by the local Herald to have received a scare. Going up an incline the rails were found to be very slippery, and the enginedriver, stoker, and guard all got off to sand the rails. ,Tho train commenced to slip backwards, and the passengers noticing that there was no one on bhe engine became alarmed, and one young man jumped off, narrowly escaping with his life. One of the passengers, a Mr Troy, set to work and put the brakes on, but not before the trainhad travelled about 350 yard?,

A serious revolt has broken out in Afghanistan, where, according to our cablegrams, treasure to the extent, of one. million sterling which belonged to the Ameer has been seized by the leader of the rebellion. The revolt occurred in the Province of Kuuduz, on the; border of what was Turkestan, and about 150 miles- uortheast. of Penj-deh. Tho cablegram states that the leader, isa Khan, was ordered by Russian j allies. Admiral Crown's explanation with refeivncs: to the Russian ship Vladimir Monomach pointing her guns and torpedo tubes at the Agamemnon, in reply to Captain Long's remonstrance, is that he did not consider any port to be neutral in which neutrality could not be enforced. On ' May 8 a Japanese turret ship steamed into the harbour, and anchored directly in front of the Russian vessel, to show that the J apanese will enforce neutrality if necessary. The inhabitants of Burwood, in the Wangaratta district of Victoria, are greatly disturbed by reason of reports that a tiger is prowling about the neighbourhood. The tiger is .supposed to have escaped from a menagerie, and the residents are afraid to leave their houses after , s-J^ughtfall. An examination of the footprints 4B)int to the animal not being a dog. One ""gentleman who caught sight of the animal says it stood about 2ft Gin in height, and in bize was somewhat larger than a young calf. Tho morning was dull, and I could not see either stripes or spots, but the colour was an earthy brown. It had a peculiar movement, making its way over the ground similarly to a large cat, bounding several feet at a time. I returned to my house, and having procured a rifle and revolver gave chase, and after .a run of about 300 yards the animal entered a furzoy paddock, where I lost sight of it, but followed the tracks for some distance." The following are the returns of the Dtmedhi Hospital for the past week : — • ltemaiiimg from previous week t.. 130 I. Admitted during the week ... ... I~> " Discharged ... ... ... 3t> Total remaining ... ... ... 125 Colonel Haultain, who is now in Sydney as the New Zealand representative in connection with the reception ot the New South Wales contingent, has been making an extensive personal inspection and inquiry into the working of the various charitable institutions of New South Wales. He spent one day in visiting homes in which children are boarded-out by the State Children's Relief Board. Colonel Haultain questioned the children and guardians very fully, and seemed to be much struck with three features of the system which, he said, were unmistakably apparent in the cases brought under his notice — namely, the mutual attachment and confidence which seemed to exist between the foster parents and children, the superior class of homes which had been secured, and the extreme willingness of the guardians to submit to the official inspection. He had no doubt of the success of the system. Dr Hector made a presentation of an illuminated diploma of life membership at the last meeting of the Wellington Philosophical Society to Mr John Buchanan, F.L.S., who has been connected with the Geological Survey for over 20 years as a botanist, draughtsman, and explorer, and is now about to^eave the Government service to retire on a well-earned pension. Dr Hector said Mr Buchanan and himself had undergone many hardships together, having on one occasion spent five or six months in the dingy cabin of a little- schooner when exploring the West • Coast Sounds, with rain falling i steadilyf or six weeks at a time. ' ■ The following applications for patents have been made : — R. W. Turnbull and E. Duckworth, for a cramp for holding segments* in a lathe ; E. A. Ashcroft, of Lyttelton, for an iuvention for regulating the feed of albocarbon lamps ; A. Mackie, of Auckland, for an adjustable pole-fitting for carriages ; P. Rabbidge, G. Dillberg, and F. . Hebden; of Christchurch, for the use of mineral ores for telephone transmitters ; J. Bruce, of Timarii', for an oatmeal-manufaoturing machine ; G W. Heslop, of JAuckland, for an invention for. giving notice of changes of temperature ; J. Good, of New York State, for improvements in machinery for hemp drawing and spreading; D. Robertson and H. Barber, of Wellington 1 , for " The simplex preserving pan" ; R. Cotterill, of Invercargill, for a tree and stump extractor ; G. Fisher, of South Wyndham, for a fencing wire strainer ; and 0. Mackay, H. Walden, Hl.H 1 . North, and R. Wyber, of Dunedin, for a barb' wire making machine. ' ! The pearlshell fisheries of Queensland form the subject of a report to the United States Government by' Mr Consul Griffin, of Sydney!. The report points out that these fisheries are situated 1500 miles from' Brisbane, in Torres Straits, a channel some 80 miles in width, sapa r rating New Guinea from Australia. Thursday Island is the headquarters of the fisheries, and the mail steamers stop there to tranship cargo. With two or three exceptions, the vessels en ? gaged in these pearl fisheries hail . from Sydney where they fit out for the voyage, and although the industry geographically belongs to Queens; land, it is almost wholly supported by Sydney capital. The number of vessels licensed for this trade duing 1883 was 206, i and the number of men employed at the end of the same year wa? 1500. Some of the largerjvessels are about 18 tons burden, b/ut most of the boats range from three to eight tons. The New South Wales patriotic fund has now reached £34,670. " 1 r~ji A number of the Dunedin shareholders vi "^ithe Westport Coal Company held a meeting at ' Watson's Hotel on Monday, when a good deal of dissatisfaction was expressed at the call of 10s per share that has been made — contrary, it was asserted, to the understanding conveyed to them by the directors at last general meeting} It was decided to form an influential deputation, and wait upon the directors to ask for an explanation as to the reason of this call. Mr E. B. Cargill, one of the directors who was present as a shareholder, acquiesced in this course, and took an opportunity of speaking warmly as to the future prospects of the company. As showing the hardships which the new tariff will inflict on some unfortunates, the Lyttelton Times gives the following example :— " A short time ago a contractor undertook to put up a bridge for Government, his tender for about £8000 being accepted, There are ironbark piles and timber in the contraot to the value of about £2500, Under the new tariff the unfortunate contractor will find himself minus £250, which he will have to hand to the Government for dvity," The Wellington Post remarks :—" An old horse for a hard road," is a saying which evidently applies to politics as to other mundane circumstances. The member for Hokitika, in opposing the morning sittings, alleged as one reason that Ministers would not be at the service of members who wished to interview them

on matters connected with their respective districts. Mr Pyke, referring to this, informed the House that he had found it more alvautageous to interview secretaries before seeing Ministers, and being an older man than the member for Hokitika,' perhaps that gentleman would take the hint he had thrown out. The New Zealand Railway League, operating j from Waikato, is pushing forward the canvass I for signatures to The petition asking Parliament to grant ji Commission of Inquiry, consisting of commercial men, to examine Mi- Vaile's scheme of railway rates. Tho petition has already received the support of 20 public bodies in^ various parts of the Colony. It is not often that we hear of tho distance between Wellington and Auckland being accomplished on foot (says the Auckland Star) but the feat has just been completed by Messrs W. H. Pulford and Mi- F. J. Greenwood, both of , this city. They arrived here from on Monday night, having walked the distance of nearly (iOO miles in 20 days, or, inclusive of stoppages, in 2o day.-,. Their longest day's record was 47 miles, and they were compelled to cro.-.s one river no less than 47 times. It will be remembered that they also walked from Greymouth to Christchurch after the disbandment of a theatrical company with which they were connected, and since then they have been through almost every part of the Colony on foot. There is something extremely attractive in the very title, not to say the objects, of a National Land Company (remarks the London Times). Here, at last, is a mode of bringing back to life the " statesman " and the yeoman if they are fit to inhabit the modern industrial world and of testing by actual experiment how far land-owning can be made a general trade. One distinctly successful company with this ' object will engender a score of others ; if the principle be sound, and there really be a. general demand for the acquisition of small lots, there is no reason why land companies should not multiply as fast as building societies have done. But we must not be too sure of large or rapid results. We shall be- more hopeful when we see the buyers of land as eager, enthusiastic, and numerous as the sellers. In the meantime the movement merits note as a praiseworthy attempt to do by private effort what some would effect by coercion ; and no one ought to regret many more experiment ■« of the same kind. Sir William Harcourt has put the painful case of bullying in King's College School into the hands of the public prosseutor, with instructions to obtain evidence, and if the evidence should justify it, the conviction and adequate punishment of the offenders. Tho particulars of the case are as follows: — A little boy of 12 died last month (April)* as the coroner's jury found, from injuries inflicted on him at King's College School. The poor lad, on his death-bed, told his father, with injunctions of secrecy, how it ha.l happened. One day, jus the little boys were leaving the dining hall, the big boys arranged tht-mselves in the corridor to bully them. Each big boy hit each little boy a blow on. the back as ha passed out, and more than a dozen fell on this particular victim and killed him. With this knowledge (.says a Home paper) the public prosecutor ought to have no difficulty in finding out who fvere concerned in this cowardly violence. There were oppressors enough who inflicted the wrong, and oppressed enough who suffered the wrong, for plenty of evidence to be procurable. If the cowards who laid handson this little boy can be convicted and sent to prison, we -may soon see an end of an aboininablo practice; which," as Sir William Harcourt truly says, is one of the greatest blots on our social system. If the masters of our public ' schools cannot prevent the. most cowardly of all oppressions, that of the physically strong over the weak, they must be taught that the law will step in and shield the children they fail to protect. Concerning the Afghi. * frontier question, and the agreement arrive 1 at between England and Russia, Mr Gladstone and Lord Granville stated in Parliament that a friendly Power having agreed to arbitrate, no difficulty was anticipated with regard to details of the agi'e?ment. Lords Granville and Kimberley had met M. de Sfcael and M. Lessar, and had gone over the question of delimitation with them, and had arrived substantially at an agreement which was perfectly satisfactory to Ministers, to Lord Dufferm, and the Council of India. The agreement had been transmitted to the Russian Government by the Russian representatives. The Russian reply since received does not, however, accept ill its entirety the agreement arrived at in London, but reserves certain points, concerning which negotiations are still proceeding between England and Russia. It is not expected to give rise to any serious difficulty, inasmuch as the new Russia-Afghan frontier agreed to by England assigns to Russia the whole of the debatoable land .except a small triangle of territory surrounding Zulfikar. Otherwise the frontier is exactly M. Lessar's line. The Earl of Kimberloy made an important declaration in the House of Lords on May 12 regarding the policy of the Government in the defence of India. He said that a plan of defence had been prepared and approved extending from Peshawur to the Indus Valley railway. An expenditure of £5,000,000 had been authorised for at frontier railway and military roads, including the Quetta railway, which will cost £2,000,000. Further works may be necessary. The Viceroy thinks with the Home Government it is a matter for consideration whether, there should not be several strong fortresses on the line of defence. The frontier should be defensible to meet the case of Afghanistan beiug assailed on becoming hostile to England. A daring, and so far a successful, escape from legal custody was made (says the Southland Times) on Saturday night by a man named Thomas Lawson. A few days back a mate of the escapee discovering that he had been despoiled of a watch, information was given to the police, and the crime traced to •Lawson. When wanted he could not be found, and to Detective Ede was entrusted the work of discovering his whereabouts. The detective, after some hunting, found his man at Mataura, handcuffed him and took the night train for Invercargill, accompanied by the prisoner. The carriage occupied was one with side doors, and at the Oteramika station a stoppage was made to pick up passengers. When the train had again started the guard came in to issue tickets, and in doing so had to stand between the detective and his charge. Taking advantage of the situation the latter, although still handcuffed, succeoded in opening and springing through the unlocked door. Whilo in the act of jumping, his intention was percoived by one of the passengers, who seized him by the coat tails and prevented his immediate escape. Although every effort was made to attract tho attention of the engine-driver, the length of

tho train prevented the signals being observed, and for a considerable distance Lawson win dragged along in clo.se proximity to tho wheels. Fearful of causing the death of the man, the detective ordered him to he let go. At the ne:d station the detective left the train to seek his lost friend, and later on two 'constables were sent to his assistance. U]> to the present Lawson lias not been captured. A despatch has been received by the Governor from the Secretary of State for the Colonies, (inclosing a memorandum from the [secret a>-y of State for War to the effect that it lias been determined by her Majesty's Government to place two commissions in the Imperial army at the disposal of each of tho Australian Colonies and New Zealand. The commissions for ouch Colony will be awarded by competitive examination, and the examination papers will be received by the next mail. The conditions require that the candidates shall be between 19 and 22 years of age, and that they shall have served for at lea-.L two years in tho Colonial forces. The offer of these commissions is a most graceful recognition of the position of the Colonies as an integral portion of tho Empire, and has no doubt been prompted by the readiness which the Colonies have shown to render military assistance, if required by the Mother Country, in cany part of the world. From the English papers by tho last mail we see that the War Office has offered 26 commissions in the army to the students of tho Royal Military College in Canada. With the 12 now open to Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand, no less than 38 Colonial youths will thus be made commissioned officers in the Imperial arm}'. During the hearing of an application made in the Invercargill R.M. Court, counsel for one of the parties commented strongly on the manner in which the Bankruptcy Act had been drawn up. It was ter.sely described as a disgrace to its framers. Tho rules framed under it were also referred to in anything but complimentary terms; each rnle, it was stated, appeared to be fighting with the other, and all of them with the Act. At another stage in the 'proceedings several inconsistencies between the Act and the rules were pointed out, and the Court remarked that, tho framers of the Colonial Statutes had embodied the English Acts. — Counsel : " Bun did not read them.'"' — The Court : It. takes a long time." — Counsel: Yes, T daresay the judges are v •>!->• hard-worked, and sometimes nod, but they come down very severely on us when we do so.'' We are happy to learn that the bjys now attending the High School have re.solvdd to publish a School Magazine. With the view of getting assistance from past pupils of the school, t\s many as po->sible have been communicated with by circular, and there is no doubt that many of them will assist in promoting a scheme which will assist in increasing the efficiency of the school. The editors are Messrs G. Turton and J. B. Thomson, and the magazine will be published on the first Monday of March, May, July, September, and November, and on | the 15th of December of each yuar. It is expeoted that there will be about 40 pages in each number, and the annual subscription has been fixed at 3s. Owing to the state of his health rendering it nece»sary that he should abstain from taking part in public/iffairs, Mr Robert Gillies has forwarded his resignation as member for Bruce to the Speaker of the House of Representatives. The secretary of the Ofcago Benevolent Institution desires to thank Mrs Dewes and the ladies and gentlemen of Waitahuna and Waitahuna Gully for their kindness in assisting at a concert, from proceeds of which the institution received the sum of £11 lls (id. What, was \irtuully an indignation meeting was held at Port Chalmers on Tuesday evening to canvass the action of the Harbour Board as regarded the Dock Trust and the allocation of the loans. Mr Elder and several other members spoke strongly, and a number of resolutions were carried. It was resolved to take legal steps to prevent tho further misappropriation of loau money ; to petition that the Otago Dock-. Act be annulled so as to vest tho power in the borough council ; and to despatch the Mayor and Mr Elder to Wellington immediately as delegates to bring the grievances of Port Chalmers under the notice of members of the House. At the instance of Mr A. Thomson a resolution was also carried generally approving of the new tariff. The population of Victoria on the 3ist March, as checked by the Government statist, is estimated at 5)03,920 persons. During the quarter the increase by excess of registered births over registered deaths was 319b' — viv., 1430 males and 1766 females; that by excess of recorded arrivals by sea over recorded departures by sea was 2715 — viz., 2114 males and (iOl females. The total increase of population was thus 5911 — viz., 3544 males and 2307 females. This increase is less than that recorded in the corresponding quarter of the previous year — viz, 71 17, but much larger tlum the corresponding quarter of 1883— viz., 4150. Tho civil sittings of the Supreme Court were continued at 10 a.m. on Thursday, when the case of Radow v. The British and New Zealand Mortgage and Agency Company was begun before his Honor and a special jury of 12. Plaintiff's olaim is for £2000 by way of damages for an alleged wrongful sale by defendants last March, as mortgagees, of the Mistake Run, neai* Lake Tekapo, in the Mackenzie County, South Canterbury. The Court was occupied until 4 o'clock in the afternoon in hearing evidence for the plaintiff, and then there ensued long arguments by learned counsel on nonsuit points raised by defendants' counsel. His Honor refused the nonsuit, and the Court then adjourned till 10 a.m. on Friday. The case was concluded on Saturday, when the jury answered the issues as follows : — How much do you find on the first issue as to the damages the plaintiff is entitled to recover from the defendant? — £840. How much do you find is due by plaintiff to defendants in respect of the counter claim 'i — £779 7s 6d. His Honor said that judgment would stand over, and all questions as to cos.ts, etc., would be reserved; his Honor certifying for the special jury. A narrow escape from a very serious accident happened on the Lower Portobello road on Friday morning. As Mr Scott, of Broad Bay, was driving a spring-cart along the road, and just about a mile below Waverley, the horse shied without any apparent cause, and the occupants were thrown out and badly bruised. Mrs Carneigie was thrown over the bank among the boulders, but the child she had with her escaped unhurt, and though the horse and oart turned over twioe in their doscent they reoeived little damage. The Portobello coaoh was just a little di-jtnnoo behind when the accident occurred, and the driver and passengers lout whatever asnistnnco was necessary to get the horse clear of the cart, and take caro of tho lady, who was brought on to town foxmedical attention. Those who witnessed the accident aver that the escape of tho parties was bomothing miraculous.