LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Colonist, Volume XVIII, Issue 2016, 6 January 1876, Page 3

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

We remind our readers of the Congregational Church tea-nvsotin? this evening.

Additional Inter-Provincial Steam Communication.—We are glad to learn that to the enterprising New Zealand and Union Shipping Companies we shall be indebted for more constant communication between the Northern and Southern Provinces of this Colony. The New Zealand Company hare made arrangements to despatch one of their steamers j for Southern ports every Tuesday and Saturday, and for Northern ports every Monday and Wednesday ; ; and the Union Company will despatch one of their' steamers for South every Thursday, and for North every Friday. This arrangement must prove a groat convenience to shippers and the travelling public. Police Coukt.—Edward Thatcher was again brought before tbe Court, and further remanded to Gisborne, Poverty Bay. Customs Duties at Greymouth.—We have been favored by the Collector of Customs with returns showing the net, amount of Customs duties (after deducting refunds) collected at the port of Greymouth for the year ended December 31st, 1875, together with the returns, for comparison, of the receipts for the year 1874. The quarterly comparisons are shown by the following table :— 1874. 1875. | March quarter ...£lO 350 ...£8 200 i June „ ... 10,590 ... 10,349 I Sept. „ ... 10,509 ... 9,231 Dec. „ ... 12,181 ... 9,653 Totals £43,630 £37,433 This shows a deficiency on the year of £6197.— Grey River Argus. January 4. The return of the quarterly export of gold from Greymouth, during the year 1875 is as follows :— j ozs. dwt. gr. Value. March ... 25,391 0 14 .. £1,01,576 4 0 June 17,848 0 0 ... 71,393 17 4 Sept 23.192 10 14 ... 93,451 10 G Dee 22,656 11 13 ... 90,626 6 2 Tjtala ... 89,091 2 17 £367,047 14 0 The amount of gold exported during tbe year 1874 was 73,5320z5, value £294,128, which thus makps the increase for the year 1875 13,5590z5, value £51236 —a result that speaks well for tho district. The increase is no doubt due to the greater development of the quartz reefs in the Inangahua district.— Grey Hitier Argus, January 4th. R-3Ei?fON Items.—The Inangahua Herald of January Ist gives tha following :—" The break which occurred in the Wealth of Nations race on Sunday morning last was promptly repaired on the same diy. Had tho aocident not been discovered until the following day the damage would have been much moro serious. The Crushing Company's race suffered more than that of the Wealth of Nations, and although Mr Raithby (whose effort were seconded, by Mr Watson, of the Wealth of Nations) put on all the hands that could be got, the break was not closed up till Tuesday morning. The appearance of the embankment and of the slabbing of the race where the break happened leaves no room for doubt but that they were deliberately broken open by some evil disposed person or persons, though what their moUvo may have been would be difficult to determine. It is likely that a reward will be off-sred for the arrest of the perpetrators of the deed.-*—The No. 2 South Larry's gold arrived in town yesterday evening, the result being most satisfactory. The yield was 3750zs of retorted gold for twenty-three days' crushing, and there is every indication of similar orushings, the reef in the south face beicgover 15ft wide.—The Independent Company's first crushing will be concluded at the Crushing Company's battery to-morrow night. The contractors for the trial shaft resumed work on Wednesday morning. The shaft is now down 23ft. —Tbe application of Maloney and party for the ground known as the Royal Standard has been granted. The ground will b? worked at once. The usual monthly cleaning up at the Wealth of Nations mine took place on Friday the 21st of December, with a result ofsloozs melted gold. At a meeting of directors, held on Saturday, lst January, a dividend, the seventeenth, of 4s per share was declared.— Grey River Argus, January 3. Electoral.—Mr E. T. Robinson lias withdrawn from the contest for Hokitlka, and Mr Hugh Carlton from the contest for Eden. The Cromwell Argus (Otago) states that the first cake of gold from Rooney and Jones's claim, Bendigo, has been brought down. Its weight was 455 ozs. 5 dwts,, from 281 tons of unpicked stone. This speaks well for the Bendigo district. Tua last cleaning up of the Otago Company's claim, Blue Spur, yielded upwards of 3000z., and paid a dividend of £70 per man for the month.— Otago Daily Times. A portion of a human skeleton, said to be that of a Maori, was found at Avonsirle, Canterbury, on December 24, by some men engaged in carting sand. The Otago Daily Times says that at the official declaration of the poll, one of the greatest pests of Dunedin returned thanks to the 29 free and enlightened electors who had voted for him as a fit and proper representative of the city in the General Assembly. Having quoted some passages, he bade farewell —we trust it will prove an everlasting one — to " tho political muckworms of Dunedin." The case brought by the police against Mr James J. Miller, the promoter of the Mammoth Sweeps on the late Melbourne Cup, at Melbourne, has resulted in a dismissal. A great deal of evidence and arguments by counsel was heard on both sides, resulting in the Bench at first being equally divided in opinion. Finnlly the ca-^e. was dismissed. The San Francisco Mail Service.—The San Francisco, News Letter writes as follows about the Pacific Mail Company : —" We tell our readers in bdtlv New Zealand and New South Wales that they must held this company to a strict accountability in regard to ieach and all of its engagements. Every penalty must be rigidly enforced. In no o'her way will they obtain anything like the results they have bargained for. Give this Company an inch and tney will take an ell. It is under bad auspices now, and doeß not mean to act in good faith. We know it means to so run the New Zealand Coastservice as to disgust the Government and people, with the expectation of reaching Sydney via Auckland, and without touching atEandavau. We know'that is the programme. By at both Sydney and' NewZaalanfrwill have an inferior ;service,,..But if from.the-start all penalties aro enforced, it may teach the company - that aeither Government will ba played with*"

Otago "Sheep Returns.—The Otago Guardian of December 25th, says :—From the annual report of Mr Bay ley, chief inspector of sheep in this Province, it will >be -seen that the total number in Otago at presenti.is ,3,852,395, of which number 2,360,810 are depastured, on runs generally, and , 117,050 on what .are called goldfields runs. The former graze over, an area of six and a half million acres of the waste lands of the Province, and yield a revenue of £68,856 195.; the latter are depastured on about 400,000 acres of that portion of the Wakatipu and Tuapeka Goldfields commonages, the leases of which were sold by auction about two years ago, and the contribution to the revenue by their owners by way of rental and assessment is £11,393. Within the last two months thirty natives died on tlie Coast between Waipiro and Hicks' Bay; and tangii have been consequently, almost daily occurrences, in that quarter during that period. To want of medical attendance is attributed to a great extent this unusui.l number of deaths in so short a time.— Poverty Bay Standard. Drowned.—At Wairoa, Hawke's Bay, an- old settler named Frederick Reed, has been accidentally drowned. The residence of Mr Ciuley, accountant, Bank of New Zealand, Napier, was totally destroyed by fire recently. It appears the cat, upset a bottle of turpentine on some dried mint, and Mrs Cauley coming into the room with •**. lighted candle the spirits ignited. The building and contents were insured for £400. Christohuuch Cathedral.—lt is,estimated,that £10,000 will be required to complete the bare shell of the Christchurch Cathedral, Canterbury, and that £40,000 more will be needed to finish the structure.