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Evening Star, Volume IX, Issue 2672, 9 September 1871, Page 2

Princess Theatre. The theatre will be opened this evening with an entertainment similar to that provided for the public on Tuesday last, with the addition, on this occasion, of a comic lecture by Mr R. P. Whitworth. Mayor’s Court. The business transacted to-day was unimportant. Wm. M‘Donald, charged with creating a disturbance in Moray Place, was remanded to Monday, and William Hall late of Bristol house, arrested on warrant for disobeying a summons, was remanded to Wednesday. Gaol Return.—The following is the state of H. M. Gaol, Dunedin, for the week ending 9th Sept. Awaiting trial, 6 men, 1 woman ; under remand, 2 man, 0 women ; penal servitude, 80 men, 0 women ; hard labor, 44 men, [9 women; imprisonment, 1 men, 0 women ; in default of bail, 2 men, debtors, 1. Total. 141 men ; 10 women. Received daring the week, 9 men, 0 women ; discharged, 14 men, 0 woman. One of the prisoners in default of bail is also at labor. Export of Wool. — A return of the quantity and value of wool exported from New Zealand in the financial years ending respectively 30th Jun'-, 1870, and 30th June, 1871, has been laid before Parliament. It shows that, during the terms in question, no less thau34,327,4531b5., valued at L 1,390.290, have left the Colony. Otago heads the list with 12.928,071ib5. ; Cautorbury is next; and Wellington is third on the list. The lowest on the record is Westport, the exportation from which in the two years only amounted in value to L 35. A Step in the Right Direction.— By the Sale of Poisons Bill introduced by the Government, it is intended to provide for the examination and granting certificates to chemists and druggists in the Colony. We have reason to believe that when the Bill is in committee, an effort will be made to assimilate the law to that of England, which provides that no person shall assume or trade under the name of chemist or druggist, nor show poisons, nor dispense physicians’ prescriptions, unless his name appears on the register of chemists and druggists, t before which registration he must pass a 1 stated examination. The Otago Schoolmasters’ 1 TION. — This body met to-day; Mr Gardner! (president) in the chair. There was a very I full attendance of members. The secretary report id communications from Messrs Hislop and Reynolds, and was directed to convey the thanks of the Association to those gentle- , men. The discussion of the Education Bill was then taken. Several objectionable features were pointed out; and a committee consisting of Messrs Park, Gardner, Hawthorne, Stewart, Milne, and Ferguson, were appointed to draw up a series of resolutions so be laid before the Association on Saturday next. Masonic Hall.—Mr Sykos’ entertainment last night was a decided success. The Hall was well filled, and the audience were loud and frequent in their applause, particularly with regard to Mr Sykes’ performances on the piano. M r Syko < was assisted by several amateurs, of whom the most deserving were la petite Amy and Master Miss Amy is a young lady of some nine summers, who dances with much grace and ease; and Master Parker, who appears to us to be much about the

same age as Miss Amy, is already a proficient on the violin. With proper care and education both these young artists will ultimately make their mark in the profession. Railways.—We have had an opportunity of inspecting some of the plans prepared by Mr Millar. F.S.A,, in connexion with the Northern Trunk Railway. Altogether he has prepared thirty of them, but the majority have been forwarded to the Public Works Department at Wellington They are excellently got up ; but are most noticeable for minuteness of detail. We observe that those which now lie in Wellington have been brought under tho notice of the press of that city ; and the Independent says of them, “They are most beautifully and elaborately executed, and professional gentlemen assure us they are as useful as they are artistic. In addition to what we are accustomed to see in such plans, on one of the sheets there is a schedule of gradients, ascending and descending, lengths and rate of inclination, lengths and radius of curvatures &c., and on another, we have a plan and vertical sections of the borings made iu the bed of the Waitaki river, with a view of testing the same for the foundation of the railway bridge. This last is most tastefully executed and beautifully colored. Sheet No. 13, willpuzzlemostcritica, and looks like an engraving (here our contemporary is in error, it is a veritable drawing) of the township of Oamaru, and surrounding country. Every sheet, in short, is a triumph of ingenuity and artistic skill.” The Land Transfer Act. — A report from the Registrar-General of Land for the first time appears amongst the departmental reports. We make the following extracts ;—As may be gathered from my estimate of the amount of business for the next financial year, I am very confident that the system will be in New Zealand a very great success. By correspondence with the Re-gistrar-General of the neighboring colon es, I have ascertained that in no case has the success of Mr Torrens’ system been at all equal to the rate of progress made in New Zealand during the first few months of its working. So far as 1 have had an opportunity of judging, the legal profession generally has not been more zealous in its acceptance of the measure than might have been expected by those who are in a position to judge of the extent to which the interests of the lawyers were likely to be affected. As a rule the eminent lawyers of the Colony' unhesitatingly confess the very great boon which this measure has been and is likely to bo to the public, and have assisted greatly in introducing business into some of the offices. But the material profits of conveyancing practice will be so seriously disturbed by the public acceptance of Mr Torrens’ scheme, that it is not natural to expect to see lawyers as a body voluntarily exchanging the present emoluments for the comparatively insignificant fees derivable under the Land Transfer Act. It has, however, throughout all the districts been a matter for congratulation, that the legal profession have in very few cases exhibited the hostility which, had it been exerted, would not under the circumstances have occasioned any surprise. One circumstance may, however, be taken as Significant of the legal appreciation of Hie uses of the Act, namely, that most of the titles submitted for registration by the profession, are in some degree defective—not radically bad, yet not easily marketable. These titles arc called by the profession “holding titles,” as contra-distinguished from “ marketable titles.” In fact, the department is indebted to the legal profession for a large number of troublesome titles, involving inconsiderable values, and in respect of which the prospect of professional’ fees is not encouraging. In dealing with titles of this class, my instruction has been to render through the office every assistance in the amendment of the title previous to its being registered, and so guaranteed by the Government, but in no case is a title which involves any patent risk of a call on the assurance fund to be entertained. Under the law and the practice of the department, any title, however long and complex, may bo investigated at a coat of 5s only, for in the event of our declining to issue a certificate, we return all the fees deposited with the exception of such amount. This scrutiny in a private office would cost from LI Is to LSOO. Mr John Cargill will meet the electors of Roslyn at Maori Hill this evening at half-past six, and at the North-East Valley Schoolhoqse, oj) Monday evening at 8 o’clock. A meeting of the Uijiqn. Permanent Building Society, for the purpose pf receiving subscriptions, applications for new shares, &c., will be held at the Society’s Office, Princes-strcet, on Monday evening next, from 7 to 8 o’clock.