NEW ZEALAND

South Canterbury Times, Issue 5007, 15 May 1889, Page 2

NEW ZEALAND

(By Telegraph.)

AUCKLAND, May 14,

Mr Harris Clark, secretary to the South British Insurance Company, was presented by the officers of the company with a marble time-piece prior to his departure to assume the management of the Otago and Southland branch.

At about 7 o’clock to-night the steamer Australia, bound from Auckland for the East Coast and Wellington, collided in Eangitoto Channel with the tug Awbena and the barque Essex, which were lashed together coming into port. Tho cause of the accident is not known. The Australia received a slight dent on her after port quarter, and her deck planks were slightly started and one of her boats damaged. The bowsprit of the Essex was carried away. The Awbena received the most serious damage, and it is thought that her stem is twisted out of place and some planks started. The Australia, which had a number of passengers on board, returned to port, whilst the Essex sailed to an anchorage in the harbour. The Awbena has been beached at Eangitoto.

WANGANUI, May 14.

The Borough Council to-night resolved to njeet a committee of the Gas Company, and hear their proposals as to future reductions in the pri.ee of gas, but without prejudice to the council’s scheme for corporation gas works. An accident happened to-qlay to Mr W., Bussell, a settler, of Gpat Valley. Ho was thrown out of a cart and so seriously injured that his recovery is doubtful. Major Kemp is very ill from inflammation of the lungs, and fears are entertained of his not recovering.

A man named Johns was sent to prison to day for two months for begging alms.

MASTIETON, May 14,

Te Mastorton Lodge, E. 0., passed a resolution in favour of the formation of a Grand Lodge.

NEW! PLYMOUTH, May 14,

On tho hearing of a petition in the District Court for the adjudication as a bankrupt of Joseph Simmons, late of Opunake, who was arrested in Wellington on Friday on a charge of being an absconding debtor, a solicitor gave his written undertaking to pay in full the accounts of those petitioners with all costs incurred, and tho petition has since been withdrawn.

WELLINGTON, May 14. In order to prevent confusion in mercantile

correspondence, the postal authorities have i issued instructions that persons who have 1 sent original letters bj the lonic, on giving J intimation by Thursday morning to the Wellington post-office, can have them transferred ! to the Rimutaka.

The Shaw Savill and Albion Company have entrusted to Messrs Cable and Company, of the Lion Foundry, Wellington, the work of repairing the steamer lonic, which returned to Lyttelton yesterday with her crank shaft broken. A gang of men will leave here tomorrow by the Takapuna, aud it is expected that the necessary repairs will bo effected in four or five days.

The Hew Zealand Pacific Lodge, Ho. 517, E. 0., passed a resolution in favour of the the grand lodge movement. The Masterton lodge have also adopted a resolution recommending it.

CHRISTCHURCH, Mat 14, A meeting of the creditors of Donnolly, of the Palace Bink, was held to-day. In Donnolly’s statement the unsecured creditors were put down at £2048 6s 6d; secured creditors, £4505. The value of the security was stated as £4505. The assets were furniture to the extent allowed by the Act, and chairs to the value of £4O in the rink. The Bank of Austra'usia was secured not by the bankrupt but by Mr Benjamin, who had given a guarantee ta the bank, taking as security the building erected in Christchurch as the Palace Kink. The equity of redemption of this had been mortgaged to the Mercantile Finance Company for £6OO, and had been transferred to them on condition of their release of the security of property included in leaseholds in Christchurch, Dunedin, and Nelson, on which skating rinks were erected. The bankrupt stated that a partnership existed between one Piper and himself, and that there existed to him a liability of £BOO, for which he had been threatened with a writ. Messrs Benjamin and Jacobs had become guarantee for the advance of certain money by the Bank of Australasia. He had also given a mortgage over the Christchurch and Dunedin rinks to Mr Benjamin, to secure certain promissory notes. The mortgagee had (aken possession of the rinks. The statement laid on the table showed the amount received during the fifteen months immediately preceding the filing to have been £7936 13s 6d. This included profit on tho Christchurch rink, £958 13s 10d j Dunedin rink, £B2O ; Nelson rink, £2B0; profit on skates, £lO3 8s Id. This had been disbursed. Tho amount paid in connection with the Christchurch rink was £5089 14s 4d. In his statement the bankrupt accounted for his losses by the cost of the •Christchurch rink, which was as stated above, and was only taken into account at £3200, and other matters which made a total deficiency of £2OOO after taking into account the profits on rinks and skates, and the amount put in by the bankrupt himself. When he came here, he had £4OOO. The meelirtg adjourned to allow tho books to be examined.

DUNEDIN. Mat 14. At a large meeting of officers and volunteers to consider the correspondence in reference to holding a shooting contest during the period tho Exhibition is open, it was unanimously decided that tho meeting should be under the control of the New Zealand Rifle Association, with the co-operation of a local committee, all present being appointed a committee for the purpose. Three cheers were given for Captain Somerville, chairman of the New Zealand Rifle Association.

The Payne family of musician?, from Ballarat, Victoria, opened here to-night to a packed house, many being unable to gain admittance. They were accorded an enthusiastic reception, and the season promises to be remarkably successful. They will work their way northwards.