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Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3098, 2 June 1881, Page 2

Mass will be celebrated by the Rev. E. Reignier next Sunday at Havelock at 11 a.m.

The English mail via San Francisco is expected to arrive in town this evening, having been forwarded from Wellington overland.

The grain and root show in connection with the Agricultural and Pastoral Society takes place to-morrow at the stores of Mesors Hoadley and Lyon.

The annual meeting of the members of the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society will be held at the Criterion Hotel to-morrow at 11 o'clock.

A misprint occurred in our report of Messrs Kennedy and Gillman's fruit sale on Tuesday. The correct prices realised were apples 2 ; |d to 3f d, and pears 3§d to 4d per lb.

The unoccupied store known as Nicholson's, at Kaikora, is to bo used as a temporary schoolroom pending the erection of a building to replace the school-house destroyed by fire.

In the announcement of the sale by Messrs Banner and Liddle of Messrs Benjamin and Co.'s stock on Tuesday next, it is stated that catalogues will be issued prior to the eale. Owing to there being no time ior the issue of these catalogues a slip containing full particulars of the articles for sale will be enclosed in Saturday's issue of this paper.

At the Resident Magistrate's Court this morning, before H. Eyre Kenny, R.M., John, bmith, Andrew Anthony, and William Gainey, were charged with drunkenness, and each fined 5s and costs, or 48 hours imprisonment with hard labor. Honi Eraka and Koti pi Eihi were brought up on remand charged with horse stealing. They were remanded to the Wairoa, where the offence was committed.

The annual meeting of the Napier Football Club was held last night at the Criterion Hotel, at which there was a very fair attendance. Ten new members were proposed and duly elected. Mr Mowbray was elected secretary and treasurer, and the following committee was chosen: — Messrs Bogle, Westeura, Kennedy, Thompson, and Begg. The season, which will open on the 11th instant, promises to be all that footballers could desire.

There was an amusing scene in the R.M. Court yesterday. Christian Johnsen, a Scandinavian, was charged with using insulting language. The charge having been read out loud she shook her head to signify that she did not understand English. The Court was a little non-plussed at this difficulty, but the lady's husband undertook to act as interpreter. His knowledge of English, however, was so defective that nothing could be made of him, and he sat down. The Court then decided to go on with the case. Defendant at once manifested a lively interest in the proceedings, and finally gave her own version of the story in capital English.

Immediately after the opening of the District Court this morning Mr Lascelles asked the pertrission of the Court to refer to the case of Leonard v. Miller and Potts, which was last upon the list. He asked the Court to treat the case as an undefended one, inasmuch as the authority to act for the defendants had not been filed by counsel along with the pleas. The rules of the Court, he said, must either be operative or inoperative, and by the rules it was required that authority to sue should be filed. Some language, more forcible than polite, was then used by Mr Lee, who appeared, for the defendants, and Mr Lascelles, and the matter was allowed to drop until the case was called on.

In the District Court this morning, before Judge Kenny, judgment was given in the case Waterworth and Lound v. Gilberd and Sweetapple. His Honor said it was evident the work contracted for was not completed, and the plaintiffs could only sue for the value of the work actually done. The amount to be deducted on account of the defective state of the chimneys he fixed at £2 10s, and 10s would be allowed for the extra length of chimneys. The judgment would be for £40 19s 3d, and as defendants had paid £33 9a 3d into Court each party would pay their own costs. The case Rob Johns and others v. Hallett is a matter of disputed accounts extending _ over a number of years, and appears likely to occupy the Court for some time. The case was proceeding when our report left.

On the subject of street lighting Cr. Ellis said last night in Council there were gas lamps in Hastings-street that could well be

done away with. " All the public-houses," he said " were obliged to have lamps outsido their premises, yet from the Criterion Hotel to the Occidental Hotel there were three lamps, none being needed in that locality." Cr. Ellis no doubt carries hot the excelled; advice contained in the adage, " early to bed," &c, otherwise he would know that, punctually _at midnight, all the publichouses extinguish their outside lamps, in spite of anything in the Act to the contrary. After twelve at night Hastingsetreet would be in pitch darkness if ifc were not for the Corporation gas lamps. Cγ. Ellis should remember that plenty of light is the best protection against thieves that householders can have, and, therefore, notwithstanding the personal quarrel between the Corporation and the Gas Company, th 6 ratepayers have never complained at the cost of lighting the town. At the meeting of the Borough Counoil last evening Cγ. McDougall expressed astonishmeut at the inability of some of the councillors to understand English, and at the weakness of memory on the part of one councillor. Sometimes Cr. McDougall speaks English; sometimes he does not. We have heard Cr. McDougall speak very terse English, and wax eloquent; but we have heard from the lips of a sage recently dead that " the vilest thing under the sun is an eloquent tongue uttering that which is not true." At the meeting last night Cγ. McDougall said that he did not say anything about Mr Davies when bringing the condition of the L/haucer road before the Council. At the meeting of the Council held on May 4th Cr. McDougall, epeaking upon the dangerous nature of the Chaucer road quarry, said, "It is entirely the fault of Mr J. JR. Davies that matters are not set right." On this the Mayor moved that the Town Clerk be instructed to write to Mr Davies about the condition of the quarry.

The City Council of Dunedin has refused Mr Proudfoot's offer of his tramway to the Corporation for £130,000.

For killing: a bullock a man at Tamworth, New South Wales, got eight years, and for killing a brother another man got two years. :

A Canterbury journal says the examination in Sir W. Fox's temperance lesson book will show that nearly 40,000 children in New Zealand have been studying the advantages of temperance.

The Lyttelton Times estimates that the cen us returns will show the total population of the Canterbury District to be over 110,000, or an increase of about 19,000 during the past three years. A prisoner named Eops, at Dunedin, whose sentence would have expired in a few days, escaped while working with the gang. On being recaptured he waa sentenced to six months extra imprisonment.

A number of Chinese arrived at Auckland by the last trip of the Arawata from Sydney, and a scare has been created on the subject of leprosy, which has had the effect of decreasing the trade of the Chinese vegetable hawkers.

Instructions have been issued by the Auckland Presbytery to ministers within its bounds to endeavor to make suitable arrangements for religious instruction on week days of children belonging to their several congregations. Major Smith, the Minister of Education for Victoria, recently epoke in Parliament in very favorable terms of the education system of New Zealand. He was much struck with the high average attendance in the primary schools, which was much in excess of that of Victoria.

The prospectus of the Inveroargill Frozen Meat Export Company will shortly be issued. Numerous offers to take up shares have already been received, and the successful floating of the company is looked upon as certain. Another company is to be floated at once at Dunedin.

Two octogenarians died in New Zealand during April, aged respectively 81 years. Both were females, and both died in Auckland. Five septuagenarians died, a male aged 74 in Auckland, a female aged 73 in Wellington, and two males aged 74 and 76 in Ohristchurch. The Wesleyan Conference, held at Adelaide, after a long debate on the 19th May, negatived a motion affirming the expediency of making tbe New Zealand Conference independent, and adopted a resolution to the effect that the proposal was premature, and that a carefully prepared plan should in the first instance be submitted.

The body of Miss Amy Cochrane was found floating in the Wanganui river on Wednesday. ' The deceased lady was a saloon passenger by the steamer Wakatu from Wanganui for Wellington, and fell overboard at night before the vessel cleared the river. No one on board missed her till the following morning, when the steward went to her cabin door to call her.

Mrs Su&an Wiltshire writes to one of the Wellington papers :—' I am the widow of the late George Wiltshire, who was drowned at the wreck of the Tararua, and I believe am the only person in Wellington who has suffered severely from that terrible cataatophe. I have five children to support, and as yet, for a period of nearly three weeks, not one has been near me to ask if I wanted even a loaf of bread.'

Referring to the -will of the late Sir William Martin, the London Guardian says:—Sir W. Martin having given his widow a life interest in his entire estate (£4,000), directs that at her death £1,000 shall be divided among four neices whom he names, and the remainder of the estate shall be realised and the proceeds paid to the Bishop of Auckland, for the .Native Pastorate Fund for endowment purpose.

The new Czar of Russia enjoys the distinction of being the only male member of his family who is faithful to his wife. Royal personages, male and female, are apt to take liberties in their domestic relations which are not tolerated in ordinary society. The late Czar was credited with three families, anr) he lived openly, before the Empress's death, not only with the Princess Dolgourouki, but with her sister; but bo far not a syllable has been breathed against the new Czar that would stain his name as a husband or as a father.

The Tory and Liberal expenditure at the last general election is officially returned at £1,750,000, of which 480 Tory candidates spent £951,000, and 488 Liberals £771,540. The 35 Home Rulers, whose expenses have been returned, spent only £14,405. Of all these candidates 590 were successful—34l Liberals, 220 Conservatives, and 29 Home Rulers. The successful Tories spent £414,601, or £1,884 each; the Liberals £527,079, or £1,545 each; and the Home Rulers, £10,490, or an average of £361 each. The unsuccessful Tories spent £536,754:, oc £2,064 each; the Liberals £244,461, or £1,663 each ; and the Home Rulers £3,915, or £654 each.

It is rumored that Mr Sergeant Ballantine is in the Divorce Court! Not in the capacity of counsel, to make a telling speech and cross-examino unfortunate witnesses in his own mellifluous but insidious manner, but as a co-respondent. Tell it not to the Guildhall; whisper it not in the precincts of Westminster Hall—a co-respondent! the plaintiff is a former Lord Mayor of London, and the respondent one who was once very near and dear to him. The story, as it circulates, is one that would have served Congreve or Farquhar as the basis for a merry comedy. ' The Cit and the Sergeant-at-Law ' would not be a bad title for such a play.

The following contribution of the Lyttelton Times special at Wellington must be taken cum grano salts : —" I hear on good authority that on the House meeting Ministers will submit another scheme of retrenchment in the Civil Service. The 10 per cent, reduction of last year will be remitted off the salaries of all retained in the Service, but there will be numerous dismissals and special reductions in certain individual cases. So far as I can learn, the

police force is the only branoh to which a general rule will be applied ; all under th 6 rank of sub-inspectors will, it is said, be reduced Is per day. In cases of first-class Bergeants this is about equivalent to 10 per cent, reduction, but beneath that grade considerably more, pressing most hardly on the worst paid. It is also rumored that Post and Telegraph Department officials will be least affected by the proposed changes."

The police are blamed—sometimes justly, frequently unjustly—for carrying out their duties in a harsh manner. It is right, therefore (says the Lyttelton Times) to record what may be said on the other side of the question. Recently the wife of a citizen of Wellington, over-elated at a turn for the better in her husband's prospects, developed such a strong tendency towards dipsomania, that the section of the Act which provides for the incarceration in a Lunatic Asylum, of persons so afflicted, had to be brought into force. The constable charged with the duty of arresting the lady, learning that the form which her insanity took was that of extreme extravagance, and that amongst other of her requirements was a magnificent mansion, commensurate with her husband's increased means, hit upon the plan of presenting himself in the capacity of a house agent. The lady cheerfully entered the cab in waiting , , and, on being conveyed to the Mount View Lunatic Asylum, instantly offered a rental of £95 per annum, and took immediate possession. There was both tact and kindliness in the proceeding.

The London St. James's Gazette wiites: —' This plaret, it seems, is threatened with Berious changes by the extension of the telegraphic system. A timely note of warning to this effect is givenby one of the American papers. Polariby, it observes, depends upon a cumnt of electricity passing , at rig-ht angles to the direction of the poles. The polarity of the earth depends upon the electric or heat currents of the Bun, and it is highly probable that the earth's inclination to the eliptic is governed by its polarity. If, therefore, there were instantly established sufficient electrical connection by wires around the earth, with the earth itself, to instantly equalize the current and produce a complete reduction of all electrical excitement, what would be the effect on the polarity, and secondly on the inclination to the ecliptic P May there not be a sudden change of polarities—the Arofio region becoming equatorial, and the tropics suddenly changed to polar temperature ? The sudden melting of the vast ice fields would produce another glacial flood ; the present race would disappear, and the man of the quaternary would begin life over again at the antipodes. All this is to be accomplished by the continuation of complete circuits for telegraphing around the globe. Of course tremendous earthquakes would follow, as the - polar diameter is twenty-six miles too short and the equatorial twenty-six miles too long. Whether this theory prove correct or not, there cannot be a doubt that something has of late gone wrong with atmospherical arrangements, and perhaps the telegraph wires are not wholly blameless m the matter."