Latest Telegrams.

Western Star, Issue 1571, 17 June 1891, Page 2

Latest Telegrams.

Auckland, Tuesday. At a race*lug of the Sailors Home tho report showed that the average number of inmates was 24. Owing to an Advance in butcher meat and provisions tho charge for board and lodging do not cover household expenses by £IBO. The Public Service Association passed a resolution disapproving of the resolution passed by tho Wellington branch that a clause be put in the Public Service Hill, providing for the service being placed under the control of a non-political board. The City Schools Committee determined ra quarter money to recommend the Hoard of Education to supply free certain articles stationery to scholars, parents to pay for the balance. W hIjIjINOTON, Tucsclay. W. J. Meek, who last week successfully sued a young lady to whom he was engaged for a return of the jewellery he had given her, has been appearing yesterday and to-day as defendant in a slander action. Shortly after his marriage with Miss Attwood was broken off he married a M iss Nicholson, daughter of the wellknown artist of that name. It appeared from the evidence that statements had been made as to defendant’s behavior before ho married her, she being a girl of 20 and he an old man of GO, and this led to a quarrel between Meek and his father-in-law. The former wrote letters to the Masonic Lodge officially repudiating the charges brought by Nicholson, and calling the latter a convict, felon and liberated convict. Owing, however, to his peculiar spelling it was not at all clear whether he wroic felon or follow. He claimed that the word was the latter. The plaintiff considered it to bo the former. Nicholson in consequence sued for £SOO damages.

Meek swore he had obtained his information from hearing something which Nicholson’s wife let fall, and also from his own wife. The latter went into the box and corroborated what he said. Mock, however, admitted ho had offered Nicholson £IOO to settle the matter, but insisted it was to prevent a Masonic scandal. The plaintiff denied that he had even been a convict or felon. His wife denied she had ever said anything like what Meek attributed to her. Thomas j Carr said defendant had asked him to try and get plaintiff’s consent to his marriage, as Miss Nicholson was likely to have a child through him. Meek was recalled and denied solemnly that he had acted improperly to his wife before marriage. If Carr said that he was an abominable —well, something.—After two hours’ deliberation the special jury gave a verdict for £lO damages. The Agricultural Statistics show an astounding f illing off in the grain crops which the Registrar-General estimates means a loss of half-a-million to the colony. The wheat production this year is only 5,723,610 bushels, against 8,448,506 last year ; oats, 9,547,046, against 13,672.582 ; barley, 758,833, against 1,342,823. Potatoes show an increase of nearly ] 2,000 tons. There has been a decrease in the number of holdings in Otago and Ou’erbury, and an increase in Hawkes Bay and Wellingto n I’he statistics also show that considerably more land is devoted to pastoral farming this year At the Municipal Conference this afternoon, it was recommended that section 101 of the Municipal Corporations Act bo amended in the direction of empowering councillors, in absence of the Mayor, to elect one of their number to preside at meetings, who shall have and may exercise all functions of the Mayor. A resolution was carried that the councillor elected as Mayor shall be allowed to retain his seat as councillor until the installment of Mayor, or his successor is appointed. It was decided to strike out the words “ at noon ” in clause 99 of the Act, so as to leave it to each council to fix tho time for installation of Mayor. The Mayor of Nelson moved to alter the present Act so as to provide that the Mayor shall be ehosen from tho council. An excouncillor, Major of St. Albans, seconded. The Mayor of Christchurch and Mr Phillips, of Parnell, favoured the motion. The Mayors of Petone, Wanganui, Dunedin. Ashburton, Auckland and Oamaru opposed it. Ultimately the motion was rejected by 15 to 17. On the motion of the Mayor of Wellington, a permissive clause was added providing for more than one polling booth for the election of mayor when necessary. Au amendment suggested by the Mayor of Dunedin to allow licensed victuallers elected as mayors to sit on the bench was lost by 13 to 11. The Mayor of_ Lyttelton moved the following addition to the Municipal Corporations Act: —Where no loan on water works exist, after maintaining such water works in good repiir and all expenses connected with supplying water are provided, the Council is hereby empowered to transfer tho surplus to the general account. Agreed to. Also the following addition to clause 137 relating to waterwork accounts :—With any' such surplus remaining which the Council is hereby empowered to transfer to the credit of the general account. In the case of tramway accounts several technical amendments required to make the working of the Act easier were proposed Toy the City Solicitor of Wellington. It was agreed that the Conference be adjourned until tomorrow morning. The Mayors attending the Conference have been invited to lunch by his Excellency the Governor to-morrow.