INTERPROVINCIAL.

Timaru Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 3508, 26 December 1885, Page 3

INTERPROVINCIAL.

(By Tbleobaph.) AtfcjtLAKD, Dec. 24. The rerdict of the jury who presided at the inquest on the body found ' m the Waikato rirer, near Baogiri, i» "That the jury are of opinion that the deceased met his death by foal play, then being mortal wounds on his head and body, whloh it that of a white man, forty years of aj?e, and i> unidentified." In consequence of the recent fracas between Captain Dargaville and ox-Drill Instructor Smith, at the late parade of the Dargarillo Volunteen, Instructor Smith hag tendered a public apology to Captain Dargarille. A meeting of the Tariou* bntnchei of the briildiog trade* has been held at St. James' Hall, Mr Moss, M.H.8., presiding, to consider tho circumstances of the strike 6f carpenters and joiners. A resolution was "cgntßdr m faror of appointing' a Board of Conciliators. There i» a prospect of an early settlement of tho dispute. ooT«rnmcnt has declined to uiue railway •ptMtA to the unemployed to trarel to and from country works. Of the fifty meo who vex« joined m g«sg» W work on toe contract!

offered by the Waltomota County Council, only sixteen men are now on the ground. Napibb, Deo. 26. Bush fires continue to rage hero. Mr White's homestead, outbuildings, and all their contents, at Sherwood, Takapara, bare been totally destroyed, The insurance is £1200 m the Union office. James Higgs' homestead st Makoretu has also been destroyed. It was uninsured. The country is so dry that the sparks from railway trains are causing fires, and many settlers and their hands have been out all night for several nights grappling with the fires which threatened to sweep their runs. Enormous areas of valuable bush hare been destroyed: Georgo Thomas Saw tins, Editor of the Evening Sews was to-day committed for trial on a charge of criminal libel on Charles Ocean Thompson, who was charged at last sitting of the Supreme Court with indecent assault on a child, the bill being thrown out by the Grand Jury. The first mate of the ship Waikato, Charles Bobe.it Cleveland, was to-day fined £1 and costs, for assault on an A.8., of the ship. Wblusotoh, Deo. 25. Jcweph Alexander Foden, a seaman belonging to tbe ship Piako, was drowned last night. He ma suffering from drink, and while going down the wharf he walked overboard. The body has been recovered, and an inquest will be held. The Hon. W. J. M. Ltrnacb, Messrs J. C. Fitzgerald and J. K. McDonald have been appointed as a board to judge the prize essays on the present condition and future prospects of the industrial resources of New Zealand, and the best means for fostering their development. One gold medal and 20 guineas, one silver medal and £10 10s, one bronze medal and £5 5s will be awarded, provided the essays reach a sufficiently deserving standard of excellence. Bibnheim, Dec. 24, At the Spring Creek local option poll nobody voted at all. The Chairman of tbe Licensing Committee is consulting with the Colonial Secretary as to what he is to do. CBBisTCRTTBoa, Dec. 25. A seaman named Arthur Bond, of the Tainui, met his death at Lyttelton to-day while running through tbe electrio machinery room. A fire broke out on the ship Soukar yesterday evening, but was extinguished before much damage was done to the vessel. The origin of the fire is a mystery. Oaiiabit, Dee. 24. The grass and crops m this district are suffering severely from want of rain, the present being one of the driest seasons experienced for years. 1 Vvsnonr, Deo. 24. The Premier Company at Macetown have sent down a case of 294 ounces of retorted gold. Tbe Harbor Board will endeavor to get a, validating Bill passed next session, most of their leases having been found to be invalid. A charge of impudent theft was heard today and adjourned. A woman coming up to a boy remarked -what nice boot* he had on, coolly took them off and ran away.