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Star (Christchurch), Issue 9308, 7 August 1908, Page 3

the electoral roll for the Riccarton which has just been issued, jontains 5401 names. / At Gisborne to-day, says a Press Association telegram, Michael Clery was fcommitted for trial on a charge of breaking and entering a fruiterer s Shop. f A claim has been filed in the Arbitration Court by James P. Stewart '^gainst William Parr, jun., for £100 damages for injuries received as an Employee. In the Victorian Legislative Counfeil recently tho Minister of Education moved the second reading of the Bill to jimend the Marriage Acts. He 6aid a tery sad state of affairs had arisen in the practice followed by some so-oalled clergymen, who, while legally qualified to celebrate marriages, exercised no Jproper caution to prevent people entering into hasty and clandestine contracts. vThese marriages were constantjly being performed at agencies by persons advertising themselves as minisfiers. Their sole object seemed to be the collection of fees— under the Bill all i parties defeiring, to enter the married (Btate would have to give three days notice before taking what was practically an irrevocable step. Only people of the highest respectability should be allowed to perform the ceremony. There should be registrars who were kbovo suspicion, or ministers ?w>P«rJy vouched for by the heads of their denominations. If a marriage ceremony were performed at -any hour, except between!} a.m. and 4 p.m., the celebrant would be liable to a fine of £20. Every year the heads of denominations [.would supply the Government with a list ot men in that Church authorised to celebrate marriages, and an official list would be made up from those particulars. The second reading was agreed to. \ . ' .Returns showing the consumption per kead of the population of articles in. wmtnon use have been, submitted to Parliament During. 1907 740,936 gallons of spirit© were consumed, an average of 2.46 gallons per head. The rate »f duty was 16s per gallon, the gross Juty £592,749, a total cost" per head of £1 19s 4d. This is the largest total of jpirits consumed since kIBB7, the amount collected being also the highest, but the rate per head has twice been passed—in 1900 and 1901. Tobacco also shows an increase. A total of 2,156,945 pounds was paid duty on, to the amount of £375,005, at a cost of £Ms 10* d per head. This is the' largest importation, but the rate per head was higher in three previous instances— l9o3, 1904 and 1905. The duty oil cigars, cigarettes and &nuff amounted to 10s 6Jd per head of population. The wine duty amounted to Is 3Jd per head, and that of beer and ale to lOd, the highest since 1891 and 1892, when it was lid and •Hid respectively. The total revenue from Customs in 1887 was £1,281,374* equal to £1 19s BJd per head. L/ 1907 it was £3,085,276, equal to £3 3s l£d per head, an increase equal to 59 per cent, The cost of collecting the Customs and other revenues at the port of Wellington was £899,242, an equivalent of £1 3s 7d per cent of cost of collection. At Auckland it was £848,182, being £l 4b 9d per cent ; Lyttelton and Christchurch £495,538 (£1 8s 6d), Dun^ edin and Port Chalmers £009,6~45 (£1 ;6s 3d). t__L ' -=■