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Evening Star, Volume IX, Issue 2718, 2 November 1871, Page 3

Acclimatisation Societv. The monthly meeting of the Council of this Society was held to-day, but beyond acknowledging the receipt of some subscriptions, no business of public interest was transacted. Magisterial-—We, have before us a return showing the number of oases dealt with in the Mayor’s Court during the year 1870. The gross number was 204(5, of which 1435 were summary convictions, 5 were committals, 380 dismissals, and 25 settled out of court. There were 654 convictions for drunkenness aud 226 for vagi ancy. Supreme Court. The principal business transacted at to-days sitting in banco, was the hearing of argument of the ride nm for a new trial ip Pritchard aud Gibbs, on the following grounds Misdirection, verdict against the weight of evidence, want of evidence in support of novation, and substitution of a bill of exchange, aud that the findings of the jury were so inconsistent that judgment could not bo entered up thereon. The rule was made absolute cn the second ground, contingent upon the payment of costs. Mr Barton mentioned the case of Creed v. Dalgety and others, which, together with the remaining cases on the list, was postponed tili next Wednesday. ’ T-ije Bar to Hetrencument. —An extract from a letter by a member of the Assembly, which is published in one of the Southland papers gives an insight into the causes which keep our civil list at its present enormous rate. The writer, who dates his letter the 28th ult, says : “ The estimates have not yet passed, but progress is being made. Members are for the most part very unwilling to make reductions. They will vote for an abstract proposition of a general reduction, but the moment practical effect ja attempted to be given fa it, they ‘'jib,” You may remember the unpleasant task Mr Dillon 801 l had to roll the Provincial Auditor and Deceiver of Laud Revenue into one at Dunedin. Well, a good deal was done in that way before’ Parliament met, but it does not seem much could be gained in committee of supply. It was proposed to reduce (hr. magistrate at Lyttelton just in tlm wmyway as the magistrate at Port Chalmers had been abolished, and everybody knows that Port Chaim is a more important place than Lyttelton. The Government agreed to abolish the office at the end of the year, but behold there is a public meutiug at Lyttelton and the Government are threatened with Hidden death, Then an attempt was made

to reduce the two magistrates at Oamaru and Waikouaiti to one, but the Oamaru member who bad spoken so fiercely about retrenchment immediately opposed it, audso did the Waikouaiti member. Indeed, so long as it does not ell'ect their own districts, members profess economy loudly, but you can’t get them to be economical except at other people’s expense. Indeed you wdl find that the Estimates will go through pretty much in the shape in which they wore brought down by Goverment.”