LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXVI, Issue 3118, 8 February 1871, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Gold Mining Co.'s Meeting-. — The Port Nicholson Mining Investment Company, Limited, held their third general meeting on Monday evening. The directors' report and balance sheet presented to the meeting show that the compiny has during the half-jeur ending on the 31st December lust, received dividends amounting to £234 3s 4d on a totul investment of £4086 14s 4d, or rather above 5£ per cent, for the half year. The company has not altogether escaped loss, the sum of £159 having to be written off for shares in mines that have collupsed ; but after making provision for this, and placing £150 in reserve, the directors were able to recommend a dividend of 5 per cent, on tho paid-up capital for the half-year. A proposal to invest the profit instead of declaring a dividend was not received with any favor, and the report as presented was adopted. Notice of the time when the dividend will be paid appears in our advertising columns. Pbovincial Council Election. — The Returning Officer made the official declaration of the poll yesterday at noon, but the figures were the same as those already published : — Crawford, 284; Oroft, 169. Mr Crawford came forward and thanked the electors, hoping the election then going on would have a similar termination. Mr Carpenter then returned thanks on behalf of Cornelius Croft to the 169 electors who had recorded their " free and independent " votes for him, and went into some explanation in connexion with the Eichmond-Travere committee and Crofts' candidature ; but the thread of his remarks was so broken by the playful humor of o few persons in the crowd, that it was impossible to hear what was said. Accident. — We regret to say that the electioneering bustle of yesterday led to an accident. • One of the coaches that h.d been engaged in running electors to the polling booth on the beach got upset, and a young man named James Walden suffered, ufc least considerable injury, if bis leg is not broken. We were at first informed that he had sustained a compound fracture of the leg, but have since heard that it is not broken, though severely cue and bruised. Ho was at once conveyed to the Hospitul. Another Atlantic Cable. — We learn from New York that an enterprise has been started under favorable auspices for laying a new Atlantic cable. The name of the company is the New York and London Direct Telegraph Company, Limited. It is organised and registered in London, and the capital is fixed at 3,200,000 dol. gold. Five of the twelve directors are Americans, and they have been instructed to secure a subscription of 50,000 dol. in New York, the rest of the capital to be raised in England. The western end of the cable will be on the shores of Rhode Island, and the eastern end on the coast of Wales. It will be laid in August. The Isimigeants. — We understand that the a.s. Wanganui will get up steam early tbis morning and proceed to the Celeeno for l he whole of the immigrants, in order to bring them ashore. Tho Swedibh immigrant:!, who will be located in this province, will be ljoked after by the Provincial authorities; while those for Napier will proceed to their destination by the Lord Ashley in the course of the day, the Wanganui taking those for Nelson at 2 p ra. The Faielie RAILWAY.—It appears that an attempt will bo made in a few weeks to urge upon the Victorian Government the necessity of making an experiment to test the merits of Fairlie's railway system. A line ha 3 been selected between Heidelberg, Ivanhoe, and Alphington, through Northote to Melbourne, which the Government will be asked to make noon this principle. Colonial iNur/aTar. — Some elaborate calculations are furnished to the Ballarat papers by Mr A. J. Main in support of tho following statement he mukes: — We cun, in Ballurat, produce tweeds, shirtings, meltons, flannels, blunkets, &<!., of equal quality to those made in England, at a considerably lower price — provided, of course, we have equal machinery and equal skill to work lit. With 4500 1b of wool we could produce fabrics to.the value of £870 9s 6d per week, equal to English, at English prices, and obtain a very high rate of profit on their manufacture — equal to 45 pert cent per annum. Melancholy Accident. — The " Lyttelton Times" of tho 3rd says : — A melancholy accident occurred yesterday morning in the yard of St. John's School. It appears that a girl named Eliza Brown, the daughter of Frederick Brown, Colombo street, was playing about <x horse which is generally kept there, stroking its hind legs, as some of the other children say, when ib begun to kick, and Btruck her violently on the right temple. Three severe wounds were inflicted, ono penetrating to the bruin, and notwithstanding the unremitting attention of Drs Nedwill and Deamer, not tho slightest hope of her recovery was entertained at a late hour last nighr. We are informed by tho school mistress that the unfortunate girl had been cautioned but a very short time before the accident to keep away from the horse. The Vioi'Obian Goveenment, it is rumoured, have it in contemplation to decline in future to render any assistance to prisoners under committal for capital offences. Consequently prisoners will have to depend in future solely upon their friends for any defence they may require. A Poliob Regulation, — A- Melbourne paper Bays that all those members of the police force who are considered fib for invaliding have to be examined by a medical board. By this means all the able-bodied men will be kept in the force, while those who are weak in health will be discharged with compensation. Electionebuing in Victouia— Probably we may reach tqunl perfection in electioneering tactics by tho next election. We take from (ho Melbourne " Leader" :— The Hon. Mr Michio's friends in South Gipps Land ure reported to have worked bard to get up a requiition to him, and, according to the " Argus," to lnue succeeded admirably. A correspondent informs the " Gipps Land Tiinra," " that when he saw tho requisition on Fridny lust it contained two genuine , eigutitures, the rest having been obtained by the commission process ot so much per name. Ho adds that so glaring was tho touting fur signatures that in his presence, several influential resident?, not averse to Mr Michie's Candida-' tvn 1 , refused lo lend their names to such a document." Mr Miebio is probably unaware of tho amount of enthu^iism his oandidaturo hns evoked. It is not to bo supposed that the Attorney -Gen oral has been a party to getting

up a dummy requisition to himself, or that he has contracted to pay bo much per signature for an invitation to himself to stand for South Gripps Land. It is said that Mr Michie intends to make a personal canvass of the electors. If so ho may be more fortunate than some people expect. Mr Mason, however, has been before him, and it is said, has done wonders with the electors by kissing the Gipps Land babies. It is feared that Mr Michie may have lost considerably by this manoeuvre. All is not lost, however,sund^he Attorney-General may even head tho poll if he can screw himself up to the effort of kissing the mothers. There is but. one danger. Mr Hood is already in the field, and may have anticipated the Attorney-General in this respect.