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Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2252, 26 July 1870, Page 2

The Mayor Elect. —A telegram has been received in town stating that H. S. Fish, Junr,, Esq., tho Mayor elect, will be gazetted Kesident Magistrate in the next Nevj Zcahn^Odzctif,

Th 3 Municipal Elections. The nomination .of Councillors takes place tomorrow at noon at, the usual place. Mr Barnard Isaac intimates that it is not his intention to contest the election. lat ferial Policy.—E:irl Granville, in a despatch of March 23th, says -.—Her Majesty’s Government absolutely disavow any wish to abandon New ZealanJ, or to bring about a separation between this country and the Colony. Brown Paper from Flax.—A Nelson paper has bean informed by a gentleman resident in that city that brown-wrapping paper, manufactured in Melbourne from New Zealand flax, is of the stoutest texture he has ever seen, being twice as strong as ordinary brown paper. Liberality.— By advertisement the Committee of the Benevolent Asylum acknowledge the receipt of L2O, contributed by Mcssjs A. and T. Inglis, the profits of a week s sale, and a further donation of L2O from the same firm in aid of the funds of this charity.

The Gazette.— Letters of registration under the Patents Act have been granted to Sir Wm, Thomson, Mr C. F. Varley, and Mr F. Jeukin, all of the United. Kingdom, for improvements in the working oi the electric telegraph. Letters of naturalisation have been granted to F. Bcissel, Dunedin, hairdresser, and L. do Beer, Queenstown, storekeeper. T Trial of Issues by ‘Jury. —Mr Trave. s has tabled the following notice of motion on this subject in tho House of Representatives That, in tho opinion of this House, tt would conduce to the satisfactory administration of justice, if, upon all trials of Issues by Jury, the decision of a majority, representing not loss than twothirds in number of the Jury, might be delivered as the verdict of the jury.” The Hokitika District Judqeship. There has been, it appears, a complete misunderstanding about the so-called appointment of Mr Justice Ward to tho District Judgeship of Hokitika, The Wellington Independent of July 23, apparently on authority, says :— Too fact is that Mr Ward is not now appointed District Judge, nor is the office vacant; but Mr Clarke, tho present Judge, having he n accused by the Westland County Council of certain misconduct, a preliminary inquiry has taken place, and he is suspended un:il the further enquiry under tho Civil Service Act shall be made and until tho charge is adjudicated on. Mr Ward has been sent down by the Government as jocum tenens.

Borrowing —.The following is the extract from Dr Feathorston’s letter, rend by Mr Vogel in the course of his closing speech on tho Government financial policy : —“ The 1 city ’is jubilant. Our credit stands higher —far higher—than it has ever done. I shall be deceived if our securities do not leap up to an extraordinary extent. Now you may raise any amount you please at a low rate. Capitalists feel that the Imperial guarantee for a fresh million is ample security for them for any loan put upon the market on the colony’s own credit. There is no longer any occasion to hawk our treasury bills through the Australian colonies. You have simply to ask and receive ; but you must have no change of Ministry. Capitalists tell me that they are now ready to assist the colony in any enterprise at all feasible. All believe now in New Zealand’s future.”

Otago University. —At a meeting of the Council of the University of Otago, held yesterday, the following resolutions were passed:—“l. That the Council of the University of Otago cordially approves of the proposal to erect a Colonial University at Dunedin on the basis of tho University of Otago. 2. That the Council expresses its desire to negotiate with tho Council of the University of Now Zealand, when established, for the amalgamation of the two Institutions upon such terms and conditions as may appear equitable- 3. That the Council is of opinion that it would he undesirable for a time to increase the number of professional chairs beyond the four already determined upon, hut would respectfully urge upon the Legislature while providing further endowments, the importance of early provision being made for the establishment of a limited number of scholarships open for competition to the whole Colony.” Leith Ward. —Mr Barnes, a candidate for the representation of Leith Ward, addressed the ratepayers at Wain’s Hotd, Great King street, last evening. Mr Barnes explain' d that the salary he had received, after paying the expenses he was at, only left him the pay of a day laborer. He had therefore virtually given his services to the City, He explained that the difference in the wages of the day men—between (is and gs—was in consequence of the superior use fulness of those most highly paid on account of their length of service. Commenting on the cxpeudi'ure of the City, he considered that L 35,000 had been laid out on works that might have been done for LIG.GOO. He then gave his opinions on the gas contract, which ho did not approve, as ho considered it would cost more than the estimate. He made some remarks on tho unharness of paying rates twelve months in advance, and pointed out many improvements that might be made at light expense Mr Matthews proposed, and Mr Bring seconded, a proposition that “Mr Barnes is a fit and proper person to represent Leith Ward in t he City Council.” The motion was carried unanimously. The San Francisco Mail Service.— The following important motion has been tabled by Mr Macandrew witli reference to this service :—That this House do now resolve itself into Committee of the whol-, for the purpose of considering tho following resolution, viz-.—Seeing that neither of the Australian Colonies has become a party to the San Francisco steam contract, and that Now Zealand has been left single-handed to initiate this line, the Committee is of opinion that in the future conduct of the service, this Colony should look to its own interests exclusively ; with which view it is expedient that tho steamers arriving at Auckland from Honolulu should proceed to Port Chalmers instead of to Sydney, calling again at Auckland on the. return voyage to Honolulu. The Committee is farther of opinion that the time to he allowed between Auckland and Port Chalmers, inclusive of stoppages at intermediate ports, shall not exes cl hours, lhat with a view to carrying the foregoing proposals into effect, the Gowrnmeut bo empowered to increase the present San kh ancisco Mail Subsidy to an extent not exceeding £- a year. Accident. —An accident happened about half-past two o’clock this afternoon

that points to the necessity for caution on the part of drivers of vehicles, while turning the corners of streets where business is active. A. boy was crossing the road at the junction of Princes and Rattray streets, when a two-horse carriage belonging to Mr Brown, Newmarket Hotel, began to turn the corner. As far as we hear, the driver was not going beyond what is usually considered a safe pace, and seeingthe boy, called out to him, and tried to pull up his horsce. Becoming confused, the lad hesitated, the horses knocked him down, and the wheels of the carriage went over his wrist without breaking the bone. Constable Baxter at once took him to the Hospital, when it was found that he had lost two of his teeth in the fall. His name is Savage, and he resides at the Kaikoura. Both horses fell, and one is said to be badly hurt.

Political. —Mr Travers, M.H.R. for Christchurch, has resigned his seat. In his address to his constituents, he complains of the scurrilous attacks made upon him by the Lyttelton Times, and says : —“I am not inclined to occupy any longer a public position which exposes me to such vu gar annoyances, which, at least, I shall be sav d from by absolute retirement from all future interference in polite d matters; and I beg therefore to intimate to you, that on the Ist of August next I will place my resignation in the hands of the Speaker I give you this early intimation in order that no delay may follow in the election of my successor. In conclusion, permit me to suggest that so long as an imoortant constituency permits its member, without any reasonable cause, to bo made the subject of such comments without remonstrance, cither general or individual against them, it will find it difficult to secure tho services of independent or honorable men.”—Mr Stafford intends te bring before the General Assembly the claim of the Timaru and Gladstone district to a third representative. ' Port Chalmers Town Council. — At a special and last meeting of the present Council held last evening, in the Town Hall, Port Chalmers, there was present—His Worship the Mayor, Conn dliors O’Donoghue, Dodson, Law, |M‘Kinnon, |Far.nie, Ennis, and Clark. ' The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed, and after the correspondence was dealt with, the auditor’s report for half-year ending 25th July, 1870, was brought up. It shewed a balance at the bank of L 73 19s lOd, and cash in hand L2 3s sd. The auditors passed a high compliment on the way the books and accounts had been kept by the Town Clerk, (Mr Asher.) The auditors’ account of L 6 each, was ordered to be paid, also a petty cash credit of L 5 to the town clerk, after which the report was adopted. Pollingplaces were fixed for each ward, and poll clerks were appointed in case of a contest for the councillors’ seats. The nominations take place at the Town Hall to-morrow. Councillor O’Donoghue’s motion for thefproduction of papers in tho case of Crawshaw and another v. the Town Council, was ordered to stand over. The Chairman of the Public Works Committee mentioned that a sum of LIOOO would make and mettle the stress. The surveyor, Mr M’Leod, had surveyed and reported on plans which were prepared by him for the Council.' His Worship the Mayor then left the chair, when Councillor O’Oonogbue moved, and Councillor Dodson seconded, a vote of-thanks to the Mayor, D. Rolfe, Esq., for his able and gentlemanly conduct in the chair during his tenure of office. The motion was carried Mm. con. The Mayor replied in a neat speech, thanking the Council for tho assistance they had given him in his duties as chairman, and the Council thou terminated. Mining Notes. The following items are taken from the Dunstan Times :— At tho Bendigo Gully the frosts at night are certainly severe, but tho days are delightful and spring-like. The dredging interest may possib’y suffer, but, as nature Joes not admit of class legislation, we must accept the gifts the gods provide without grumbling. _ The Company having completed the repairs to their machinery, are now busy crushing. Thcv have about 330 tons of stone at grass, so the stampers have work before them for some time to come. This company have to cart their stone a long distance to tho mill, ' which must be a considerable drawback ; but probably as they progress a tramway may supersede this expensive process. The Aurora Company are still vigorously pushing forward their main lead. The reef struck by them a week ago is wid ning and improving as they go on. Mr Hazlett, the manager -of the company, has been putting through the amalgamating barrels a quantity of tailings that is, the sand saved on the blanket striker after leaving the copper tables, and the result, after tho most careful manipulation, was a return of an average of 7 grains of gold for every ton of stone passed through the stamper boxes, and as this amount is not even lost, I confess X fail to see where the extraordinary loss spoken of some time ago takes place. Probably, as deeper levels are re ched, and a grea'er combination of metals occurs, the per centagc of loss may enlarge ; but, by tho exercise of judicious care, even this increase may ho avoided. Until then I believe the public may rest satisfied that tho “enormous” waste of tho precious metal exists only in the imaginations of those who know better. Mining operations on tho Shotover are rather at a stand-still just now, on account of frost; not that the workings are frozen up, but it is impossible to get timber out of tho various bushes to secure the ground. The tunnelling companies employ a great deal of labor in packing timber, and this work cannot be proceeded with unless in mi d weather. Three dredging machines are in course of construction on the Shotover. Tho Nil Desperandum Company are building theirs at Arthur’s Point, and intend taking it up as far as the Sand-hills by a rather novel process in use on Canadian rivers. The modus operandi is to fit the vessel with two paddle wheels like a steamboat, but attached to a moveable shaft; so that they can be. depressed, elevated, or entirely lifted out ef the water. A long warp lino is securely fixed some distance a-head on shore. This, in its turn is attached to a powerful winch on board the ve-sel. The fact of heaving on the rope or rather holding the vessel against the current, gives motion to the paddle wheels, which materially assist to forge the vcss l a-hoad. Messrs M‘Kay, tho builders of the Nil Desporandum dredge, are confident that their vessel, will by these novel means, successfully stem the current of tho Shotover. , I must say that with these gentlemen nothing seems impossible. They succeeded in bringing tho Victoria steamer up over the falls .at Frankton, placing her safely on Lake Wakatip from the Kawaiau river. They now propose to raise the Wakatip steamer from her three years’

submersion in ten fathoms of water in Queenstown Bay. With men of this enterprising stamp among us, the district cannot help going a-head. Mr Griffen’s friends and supporters give that gentleman a dinner at Mr Murray’s rooms, Rattray street, to-morrow evening. Mr Woodland will address the electors at the European Hotel, this evening, at 8 o’clock; and Mr Barnes at White’s Queen’s Hotel, to-morrow evening, at 7 o’clock. We would remind our readers that the Rev. Mr Scrimgeour delivers his lecture on Anti-Spiritualism in the Masonic Hall this evening.