INTERPROVINCIAL.

Timaru Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 2761, 30 July 1883, Page 2

INTERPROVINCI AL.

[Per Pbess Association.] | AUCKLAND, July 28. I At tha District meeting of Oddfellows a tatement submitted showed 14 Lodges m the Auckland District, with 1179 member?, 153 of whom had been admitted during the rear. The sick gifts to members amounted to £1198. The receipts of the sici fund -•uring the year were £3233, and thp gain by the fund after paying expenses £1012. The gain of tbe Lodges' District funds during the year was £411. Goodeon's buildings, where a fire occurred lait night, were lold to the Australian Mutuil ProTident this week for £14.400, as an investment. The damage to the buildings amounts to only a few pounds, and the damage to the stock to about £300, insured m the Colonial Office. Jenkins alias Wylie, for larceny as a bailee, hai been remanded to Maslerton. The barque Gaz»lle h>i not been gut off the bank near The Watchman, but is expected to do so m ton days hence, when tho tidee answer. Three larrikins, named .Ino. Doyle alias Olanpole, Jerry Drijcoll alias Bouncer, and John Hoffy, were charged at the Police Court with disturbing the Salvation Army meeting. They were ordered to find sureties of £!5 each for good behavior for cix months. At an inquest on Sam Hiekson. tbe jury returned a verdict of " Diei from disease of the chest, oggravuted by exoewive drinking," also a rider to the effect that his house w«s unfit for human hab tation. Hagell, an expressman at Avondale, found what he thought was a piece of coal m hii loft and put it m bis kitchen gra'e, when an explosion took place and he was severely burned about the head, face and arm*, and i> now m a critical condition. The supposed block of coal appears to have been 61bs o blasting powder. Its pretence m the loft ii explained by the fact that Hagell's son-in lan was tome time ago employed on the Eaipan railway, and it is believed the powder becauv ing wet he brought it home with tbe object o having it dried, and forgot all about its exist tenee. In Chambers, before Mr Justice Gillie?, the caio of Stone Bros. v. Major Atkinson, an action for the recovery of the confiscated barque Gazelle, Mr Heaktth for plaintiffi, applied for leave to amend their declaration. Mr Tyler, for the defendant, opposed tho application. His Honor decided to grant the leave prayed for on payment of all the costs of the action. The Auckland football team are going into active training for their trip South. Practice matches are held every evening. T, here was a match this' afternoon, a trial tix'een v. a selected twenty-one. Tbe latter won by thirteen points to two points. Whiteside, the Northern "Taiaroa," is m grand farm. He obtained a try for the selected. WBixjNOTOir, July 28. Newi from Terawhili to-day reports the Golden Crown crushing is proceeding satisfactorily. The plates show splendidly, and a yield of Goz to the ton is predicted by experts. Shares m the Company h»7e risen greatly and all other stocks also advance. The wb<hing-up it expected about ths end of next week. Tbe Wellington-Manawatu Railway Company has repaid to the Wellington Loan and Investment Society the £30,000 advanced. Experiments m running the tramway steam motor on the Hutt Ba'lway have been so fa? attended with satisfactory results. The Governor will deliver the annual address to the New Zialand Institute on August Bth. Chbistohuboh, July 28. At 2 o'olock this morniag a grocer's shop and three-roomei house at WooWton were burned down. The insurances are i— Standard, £200; Liverpool and London and Globe. £200 ; North British Mercantile, £150. No : thing has been saved. The body of John Hossick, an old resident here, was found m the river Avon this after noon. He had been missing since WedDosdij and bad been drinking heavily lately. July 29. A quarterly raeetin* of the Obristohurol branch of the North Canterbury Educational Institute was held yesterday. There was i large attendance. At the Ninety Mile Beach Smith and partj were not able to finish washing up, ai tbi water was let out of the lagooD. What the? had washed satisfied them, but 'he opinion ii pretty generally expressed that the carriage oi the stuff to the water wiil make the work toe expensive. On Friday, after stripping to a depth of four inches, they came across a layei of wasbdirt about twelve inches thick, whicb proved to be very ricb. As yet, however, sothing has been found to justify a rush. At Glentunnel a piece of quartz has been found showing specks of gold all over it. At Ashburton the gold fever has set m, and on Saturday several well-known Alford Forest •ettlers, old digger*, came to Ashburton, bringing with them several lumps of quartz obtained from rocks m their own district. One of these was wedge-shaped, and made a " fullish kind of bandful." Tbe upper mrface of this was covered with " laye-t of gold." The specimen was so rich as to delight tbe eyes of every man with gold mining experience, and the sight of it raised a high fever among the knots of people who bad a chance of looking »t it. The gold was undeniably right, and there can be no doubt that where such a rich sample can be obtained there is plenty remsitiiog. The exact locality from which specimens come, of course, it at present kept dark, but the finder is confident that m a month or less the matter will be heard of m a more definite form. Several patties m the district have been quietly at work for a considerable time, and indications are not vanting that vory soon something definite regarding the ranges that overlook Ashburton County will be known. It is not wi«e to be too sanguine, but there can be no doubt about the richness of the specimens that, during the last month, have drifted into Aehburton, and get the credit of being Alford Forest quartz. DtTNEDIN, July 29. The clergy at Port Chalmers who desired to take up the work of religious instruction m schools have abandoned the idea, as the Committee would only grant the use of tbe buildings between 9 and 9.30 a.m., and was considered that «ny attempt to brin* ths children out at sucb an early hour could only result m failure. A log of firewood was placed on the northern railway line at one of the city street crossings on Friday night. The cowcatcher threw it off. The police are making enquiries. The gaol enquiry gat again on Saturday. One prisoner gave evidence of his ill-treatment by Mr Caldwell, and two ex-prisoners spoke favorably of that officer's management. Tomorrow Captain Hume will give evidence. Bishop Moran leaves for Wellington on Wednesday to give evidence before the Committee to whom the Catholio petitions on education were referred. Invbboabqii/l, July 28. A meeting of settlers was held at Thornbury to discuss tbe proposed increase m the property fax. Mr Hamilton moved a motion disapproving of increasing the tax, and expressing his opinion that instead of raising the tax, tbe exemption should be reduced to £100. Tho speaker admitted the fairneas of a property tax, but held that with the present exemption of £500, one third only of the population contributed. It had been said Government were afraid of being turned out if tbe exemption were reduced, but they were unworthy to hold offiVe if influenced by such considerations. Mr Molntyre agreed with the motion so far as lowering the exemption, but lie did not think the property tax fair. A land and income tar would be preferable, and it was simply a question of time when the chango would be made. The speaker (aid tho Colonial Treasurer might be a very good clerk, but he was no politician, as shown by what he told people at [nvercirgill, namely, if they did not like the tax, they could sell out and go elsewhere. The »r«*W held tbe exemption should be ibolißbed altogether, and predicted that Major Atkinson would yet come out as an apostle of land nationalisation. In the event of Fettlers not being able to p»y, he would giro them 10 per cent over the valuation of their land and take it over, leaving them free to go alaewbere. Another speaker, m considering the tax, mentioned cases where settlers with horwi worth £60, returned them at £15. Other speakers urged a reduction of tbe exemption, and some also fav6red an income tax. No amendment was proposed, and the

motion passed by a large majority, a copy to to be sent to the Treisurer.