LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXVI, Issue 3311, 5 October 1871, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

The Suez Mail.-— The Suez September mail, with .detailed, advices to August 11, and telegraph advices to September 4 or 5 was due at Melbourne on Thursday last. The New Zealand portion of the mail will be brought on by the Tararua, which was to leave MelbourneforHolutilraon September 30. The telegraph summary may be looked for to-day, or early on Friday. The Government Bills.— -In the House yesterday the bills forming the substance of the fi nancial policy of the Government were read a first time, the second reading being appointed for Tuesday next. The titles of the bills will be found in our report. In introducing them the Colonial Treasurer stated that the Government had no desire to keep back any of these bills ; on the contrary, they were anxious to bring them before the House. When the motion for going into Committee of Ways and Means came on he would take the opportunity of explaining to the House what their nature was. The Wellington Loan.— During the course of 3 esterday's business his Honor the Superintendent introduced his motion that the House should go into committee for the purpose of considering a proposal to obtain a loan of £100,000. The motion will be considered in committee tn-day. PosToGE Stampp. —The Poet Office has commenced to issue new impressions of certain of the postage stamps. As the colors of these are the same as those formerly in use, but on labels of different value*, it is important that the public, when purchasing or issuing them, should be careful to use labels of the values required. Each stamp has the value printed on it in words. In the new issue, the color of the penny stamp is the same as the sixpenny was formerly, the twopenny the same as the penny was formerly, and the sixpenny the same as the twopenny was formerly. The other labels are unchanged. Fatal Accident. — We are informed that on Monday night a trap, in which there several Maoris, was capsized over the Upper Gorge bank, and that several of its occupants were more or less injured. The trap, it is said, fell on Te Einga Kuri, and on Monday night he died at Silver Stream. The deceased is stated to have been the oldest Maori in the Province. Disallowance of Provincial Bills. — Further papers relative to the disallowance of provincial bills have been laid before the two Houses of Assembly. The papers consist of correspondence between the Colonial Secretary and Superintendents of the different provinces as to bills assented to or disallowed by His Excellency the Governor. The correspondence relating to the Province of Wellington is comprised in one letter from the Superintendent to the Colonial Secretary, and a reply, in which the Secretary, after recounting the bills which have not been disallowed or which have been assented to, says :— " With respect to the Wanganui Freemasons Grant Act, 1871, 1 have to inform your Honor that his Excellency the Governor has been advised to disallow it, as the Government are advised that it is ultra vires, on the ground of its authorising a free gift, and not a aale, of land for a private purpose-— such free gift not being authorised by the Public Eeserves Act. The conveyance of the land would, therefore, if the act were allowed, be invalid. With regard to the Highways Act, the Government are advised that it is open to question whether the pawer of deciding an appeal against rates, though given only to the Board, does not, in effect, create a judicial tribunal ; for though the act does not use any technical language indicating that the Board is to proceed judicially, yet it does provide that the Board is to hear and decide, and its decision is to be final. With regard to the Education Act, there is the same objection to the 30th and 31st sections as those pointed out to the appeal provisions of the Highways Act. The Government, however, do not consider the objections sufficient to justify them in recommending that these acts should be disallowed, and, as I have informed your Honor, his Excellency has not been advised to exercise his power of disallowance in respect of them." Choral Society. — We understand that the Choral Society, who had arranged to have a rehearsal this evening, at the Odd fellows' Hall, in preparation for their contemplated entertainment, have given up the use of the hall, so that the bazaar for the Eoman Catholic Orphanage shall not be interfered with. They will hold their rehearsal to-morrow evening. Lectures on Life Assurance. — It will be seen by announcement in another column, that Mr W. A. Thomson, agent for the Australian Mutual Provident Society, will deliver a lecture on the subject of Life Assurance in the Mechanics' Institute, Lower Hutt, on Monday the 9th,inst, when A. Ludlarn, Esq, J.P., will occupy the chair. Mr Thomson is also to deliver a lecture on the same subject, at the school room, Wai-nui-o-mata on Wednesday the 11th, the chair to be taken on that occasion by J. Grace, Esq., J.P. The lectures aro to have special reference to the superior claims of the mutual principle, to be illustrated by diagrams, and to be open to all who choose to attend. An Auckland Free Fight. — Thescene was changed. It was a road in the North. The Otago members occupied positions round the ring, while the gladiators of the Auckland phalanx indulged themselves in " friendly abuse." Accusations of the carrying' out of misanthropic objects by the Superintendent towards the people of the provinco ; this, with the retorted scorn, being handed back with the addition , that such statements came very badly

from a place-hunter, who was dangling at the heels of the Government with "information" the very reverse of the opinions of the people, and that "it; was a calumny for any member to say that the business of the province had not been fairly administered," formed prominent objects in the ornature of the rhetoric of the Auckland members. Ultimately the good sense of Mr Wood and Mr Williamson smoothed the turbulence of their more excitable confreres. Lady Audley's Secret. — This clever fiction, which was first dramatised in the colonies by Mr Yogel, and represented on the Dunedin and Melbourne stage by Mr and Mrs Clarance Holt, has been adapted for the stage by Mr Brougham, an American, whose adaptation is now being acted on the Melbourne stage with considerable success. The Hon Mb J. Hall. — The many friends of the Hon Mr Hall will regret to know that for several days he has been so ill as to be unable to attend to his Parliamentary duties. Yesterday Mr Hall's health had apparently improved, but it may be some time before he is perfectly rec wered. The Alleged Ab9conder, Blocs. — By the Alhambra, yesterday afternoon, Mr Propsting, a !member of the Tasmanian Detectiv.e Police Force, arrived in Wellington, and to day will appear at the Resident Magistrate's Court to identify the person arrested a few nights ago by Sergeant Monaghan as Mathias Bloch, for whom a warrant bad been issued by the Tasraanian courts. We notice, by a telegram in the Melbourne " Argus," that a Mr Bloch, understcol lobe the brother of the person now in custody, had been committed for trial on six charges under the Insolvent Act, being admitted to bail,himself in £400, and two sureties in £200 each. Should the person in custody hero bo identified as the Mathias Bloch for whom the warrant has been issued, he will probably proceed by the Alhambra, which leaves to-day, in charge of the detective. The Bazaar.— The state of the weather interfered considerable yesterday with the attendance at the bazaar in aid of the Eoman Catholic Orphanage, and the bazaar will be again open to-day, when the remainder of " the stock" will be dirposed of. After the bazaar has closed, we understand that those who have so earnestly interested themselves in it, and as many more who choose to attend, ■will join in a dance, half-a-crown being the charge for admission. The Railway Contracts,— We notice by the Christchurch papers that arrangements have been made for the holdingof a meeting, to consider the contracts with Messrs Brogden, the railway contractors. Dr Carr.— -This gentleman arrived in Wellington yesterday afternoon by the Alhambra, and purposes giving lectures illustrative of mesmerism. The Stranding of the Tell and Lady Bird. — The following are the findings of the court of enquiry into the strandings of the barque Tell and schooner Lady Bird. In the case of the Tell :—" That the master showed negligence in not shortening sail immediately that he observed sigos of a southerly squall coming up, and that he ought not at the time to have attempted to beat out of the harbor, knowing his vessol was slow in wearing and staying, and that his crew was but a very indifferent one." In the case of the Lady Bird :— " That taking into consideration the state of the tide it would appear that the master stood rather too far over towards Barrett's Eeef, and that whilst tacking the wind suddenly changed, which caused the vessel to miss stays ; and in consequence of there not being sufficient room either to wear ship or veer out eablo, the vessel, by the joint action of the wind and tide was driven on to the rocks." The nautical assessor (Capt. Johnson), who was present at the enquiries, concurred with both the above findings. The Canterbury Executive. — In a Provincial Gazette issued on Saturday, it is notified that Mr Joseph Beswickhas been appointed a member of the Executive Council, also Provincial Treasurer in the place of Mr John Marshman, whose resignation is accepted. Mr W. P. Cowlishaw is appointed Provincial Solicitor in the place of Mr Wynn Williams, whose resignation is accepted. Attempts at Eobbeey. — Two distinct attempts at robbery occurred at Kaiapoi, Canterbury, on Sunday night last, but the culprit did not succeed in either. When the offices of Messrs. Dudley and Craig were opened, it was discovered that some person had burglariously entered the premises during the night. The cash box had been opened, but its contents were nil, and the perpetrator of this act did not gain much for the trouble and risk he had run. The office of Messrs. B. Eevell and Co., whrrfingers, attached to their store in Charles street, was also broken into the same night, but beyond the expense of the pane of glass by which the would-be thief entered, no other loss was sustained. The store at Leithfield was broken into on Saturday night, and a variety of goods carried off, consisting of Crimean shirts, pipes, boxes of cigars, &c. Eeichelt's Trial.— The case for the prosecution in Eeichelt's second trial closed on Friday last. The address for the prosecution was made by Mr James Smith on Saturday morning. He commenced shortly after ten o'clock, and did not conclude until a quarter paßt one. The Court then adjourned until two o'clock, when Mr Barton rose to make the speech for the defence. The learned counsel spoke for nearly four hours. His Honor commenced to sum up at about six o'clock. When the jury were about to retire, shortly before nine o'clock, the Foreman, Mr Hugh M'Dermid, asked whether His Honor, if the jury failed to agree before twelve o'clock, would take their verdict on Sunday. His Honor replied in the negative, and the jury then retired. When his Honor entered the Court at thirtyfive minutes past eleven o'clock, that portion set apart for the accommodation of the public was so crowded that many persons were obliged to remain outside. The jury entered the Court shortly after his Honor took his seat on the bench, and on 'the Associate asking wherther they had found the accused guilty or not guilty, the Foreman replied, " Not guilty." The Pacific Mail Seevice. — The following is a copy of the " remarkable " letter from the Government of New Zealand referred to in a recent Melbourne telegram. Copies of the same letter were sent to the Governments of New South Wales, South Australia, Queensland, and Tasmania. It is dated Sept. 2, and signed by Mr Gisborne : — ln regard to the Californian Mail Service, I have the honor to inform you that, pending more vessels being put on the line, and the connections being placed on a more satisfactory footing, the Government of New Zealand, at the request of the contractors for the Californian Mail Service, have agreed to allow the contract steamers arriving at Auckland from San Francisco to proceed to Australia, and that wo shall be glad, during the next four months, to carry

mails for your Government by tbose steamers free of cost. In the course of two months, the Government propose to send to New South Wales a representative to confer with your Government on the whole subject of the Californian Mail Service. The Inteecolonial Conference. — The Melbourne "Age," in some remarks on. the subject of the Intercolonial conference, says : — " It is a matter of regret that New Zealand will not be represented, for its Government has shown itself to be more progressive than any other. The proposition for the last conference came from New Zealand, and, disgusted apparently at the lukewarmness with, which it was responded to, her statesmen have successfully pursued the course they recommended, without any assistance whatever. They have established a postal service of their own, and obtained the promise of a subsidy from England ; they have succeeded in establishing a direct trade with America in wool and flax, and are completing negotiations with the Government afc Washington for the admission of Australian produce on favored terms ; they have resolved to establish a protectorate over the Navigators' Islands, and have in all their proceedings asserted colonial rights as of equal validity with the Imperial prerogative. They have by their extra- colonial action set an example which, while it shames the past, is likely to stimulate our. present Government to take the position which is due to Victoria as the leading colony of the group." The Southebn Canteebuby Railway. —The "Timaru Herald" says : — " Messrs Allen and Stumbles, the successful tenderers for the railway, arrived in Timaru yesterday for the purpose of arranging preliminaries before commencing their contract. They intended to have commenced on Monday, but in deference to the public wishes have deferred opening ground till Wednesday, which is set apart for a general holiday to celebrate the turning of the first sod. The rumor that the contractors intended to bring in Chinese labor is utterly without foundation."