TELEGRAPHIC BRIEFS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1901, 17 July 1890, Page 15

TELEGRAPHIC BRIEFS.

The Auckland Chamber of Commerce have carried a motion thanking the Auckland members for their endeavours to reduce expenditure. Mr M'Millan, who proposed it, urged that what was wanted was large and substantial retrenchment by a reduction of the education vote and the lessening of taxation by areduotion or abolishing the property tax. The immigration and emigration returns for June show the arrivals to bave been 841 and the departures 1545. The arrivals were as follows : — From New South Wales, 448; from Victoria, 108; from the United Kingdom, 139; from Queensland, 3 ; from Tasmania, 22 ; from other places, 31 ;— total, 841. The departures to New South Wales were 1069; to Victoria, 226; to United Kingdom, 147 ; to Tasmania, 12 ; other places, 91 ;— total, 1545. Excess of departures over arrivals, 704 persons,' The Timaru Hospital Board at its meeting on Friday last received a petition from the friendly societies asking for a redaction of the charge for the treatment of members. Some lodges offered to guarantee the payment of such reduced fee in all cases sent to the hospital with their sanction. Or Hogg, a member of the board, suggested that the societies raise a " hospital fund " by special contributions, and reckoned that 2Jd per week would pay for an average of six beds all the year round. This proposal will be remitted to the societies. A letter from an Auoklander in Sydney states that there are thousands of people out of work and homeless. The inmates of the Sydney Poorhouse number 900, He warns people not to go there.

Included in the penalties imposed in a recent assault case at Raratonga was one amount of 50dol, one of the natives having been fined that sum for an insult offered to the British flag.

At the meeting of the Auckland Board of Education a number of applications for employment were received from some gentlemen which have come oat from England on account of ill-health. Mr Lennox strongly objected to the board allowing itself to be come a kind of hospital for the benefit of such people. He thought the board should not be made a convenience of in tbh way, and it was not right that these Applicants should be placed over the heads of young people who had grown up, as it were, in. the service of the board.

It is reported (says the News) ibat a Bensational case of attempted sheep stealing will shortly be investigated at the Pol"p9 Coorfc, lavercargUl,