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Evening Star, Issue 3107, 3 February 1873, Page 2

It was intimated by counsel in the Supreme Court this morning, that applications for new tiials would be made in the cases of Pritchard v. Packman; M'Comb v. Low ; and Hartley v. Smith. Jurymen, therefore, during the next sessions, will have what a learned Counsel facetiously termed “lota of fun.”

A rumor was current in town this afternoon that a man had lost bis life in a fight at Kensington ; but, on inquiry, it turned out a quarrel had resulted from the impounding of some cattle, and, iu a general melee that took place, the man referred to received a severe mauling. It is probable that the matter will form the subject of inquiry in one .<?f the Courts*

There was a sitting in banco this morning, when Mr Justice Chapman delivered judgment in the case of White v. M'Kellar. Judgment went on The whole record for the plaintiffs; for the defendants on the demurrer to the second and third pleas, with leave to the latter to amend their replication, and to rejoin to the replications unsuccessfully demurred to on the usual terms.

Mr Hocken, the City Coroner, held an inquiry at the Hillside Hotel, at noon today, into the cause of the death of a carrier named Thomas Turpin, which occurred on Saturday. The deceased had that day purchased a horse, which he rode to his house at West Taieri, and when near Hillside, on returning to town, it shied at a passing dray, threw him and fell over him, death being almost instantaneous. Turpin was 38 years of age, a native of England, and leaves a widow and several children.

Mr J. A. J. Macgregor, solicitor, died at Queenstown on Friday morning. He pleaded in the District Court, till within a very short time of his death, and was, therefore, as Judge Cpy said from the Bench, almost struck down by apoplexy in the very sight of the Court, ’ A subscription was raised for his family. The deceased gentleman must be well remembered by many, bptfi in Melbourne, at the Thames, Dunedin, and elsewhere.

At Christchurch, last week, the Kev. C, Fraser gave an account of the recent meeting of the Synod of Otago and Southland, and particularly what had been done with a view to arranging a union between the Northern and Southern Churches, He said the Commissioners had given it ap their opinion that, while the union of the Synod with the Geaei'ftl Assembly was desjrable on

every account, it would be unwise to press the matter until the congregations in the South had the full liberty accorded to them of deciding whether or no they should use the hymn book and instrumental music. These matters, though of very minor importance, yet occasioned great anxiety to I some minds unaccustomed to their use, and j it was unwise to mix up such trivial matters I with the subject of church % union, 'i he [ Otago church had now adopted the I hymn book, and would, no doubt, soon adj mit instrumental music. The lecturer gave it as his opinion that the union would pro ; bably be consummated when the General Assembly next meet in Christchurch. The arrival sf the Nebraska at Auckland has put us in possession of the details of the American news up to the date of her leaving San' Francisco, and we published an extra giving intelligence of her arrival. Beyond this, we did not think the nows of sufficient importance to need a spec : al publication, as the last cablegrams via Australia brought European and American items to the 25th January—some weeks later than the latest date by the Nebraska. Speaking at the dinner at Mount T da last week, the Secretary for Land and Works is reported to have satd :—He had at one time entertained a strong feeling of prejudice against the expenditure of money now taking place at (himaru. It was the best thing, when a man raw cause to change his views, to say so ; and lie must say that, since his visit to Oamaru, he was committed to an opposite opinion. He might alst) say that a considerable amount of discussion was going on as to whether an expenditure of L40,00l) in this district was justifiable. He thought the money would be just as prudently spent as the proposed expenditure at Oamaru, and quite as much as some sums proposed to he devoted to railways. If water could he 1 r mght in, to let at L 3 per Government head per diem of twenty-four hours—and this is the policy he would like to see carried out, if he remained in office—scheme would 1 e a general benefit, and would recoup the Government. Money in the world w s plentiful, and the Government would be content with bare interest. A long li-t of new regulations for the Civil Service have been published in the General Government Gazette., which indicate very im portaut and necessary reforms r ■ the pubbe service of the Colony. The office-hours remain the same as heretofore, but a time book of the arrivals and departures is required to | be kept in each office, and laid before Minisj terial heads of departments every Monday ■ morning. All officers will be required to I attend to their duties for any longer period during which they may be required for the I completion of arrears of work, or in conse- : queuce of any departmental or public exi- ; gency ; and no charge for overtime will be I allowed except under the express authority jof law. It is very properly provided that no officer shall accept, or shall continue to hold or discharge, any paid office in connection j with any banking, insurance, or mining company, or any building society, or any similar body whatsoever, without the express permissio;', in writing, of the responsible Minister ; and that no profession d officer to whom the Civil Service Act, 1860, applies, shall engage or continue in the private practice of bis profession without the authority of law or the express permission, in writing, of the responsible Minister. In cases of application. *or leave of absence, the permanent head of the department is required to,report as to the general conduct of the officer dur--1 ing the previous portion of the year, and as to the regularity or irregularity of attendance by the officer for the same period dur- : ing the prescribed hours of business. The | stereotyped rule prohibiting persons in the employ of th,e Government from contributing to newspapers is includ' d, and will probably be observed as rigidly as are most other restrictions in regard to such matters It is also stated that officers’exciting Parliamentary action with a view to increase of their 1 salaries will be liable to summary dismissal from the service—none of which cases will, of course, ever come to light. In thee calm and deliberate language of Government it is then laid down that, in order that officers of all ranks may be enabled to render loyal and efficient service to Government, they arc expressly required and enjoined not to to take any part in political affairs otherwise than by recording their votes at elections ; and every violation of this regulation will be forthwith visited with such penalty as the circumstances of the case shall appear to demand. The penalty %hich the circumstances of the case shall appear to demand will (in the opinion of the , Independent) in all probability, depend in great measure upon wbat king reigns, and it ; it is not to be doubted that the officers of the Civil Service will as well undertand how to evade this rule, as the Government ’ will understand how to enforce it, Ihen follow rules for the guidance of courts of inquiry into the conduct of officers offending, and regulations for the management of i the Government Printing Office. Uni doubtedly these regulations are framed upon a very proper conception of what should be expected from a Government servant, and it only remains to be seen how far the Government are serious in reforming many of those abuses which were very generally declaimed against during the last session of Parliament.

A lecture will be delivered in the First Church, to-morrow evening, at ha:f past seven o’clock, by the Rev, J. Nish. Subject : “The Antiquity of Man.” A meeting of the Standard Property Investment Society will be held at the offices of the Society, Prin es street, on Wednesday evening, at six o’clock.

The Rev. J. M Peebles will deliver a lecture in the lower hall of the Athenaeum, to-morrow evening, at 8 o'clock. The attention of the public is called to the fact that the altered railway tabic for February is published elsewhere, and that from to morrow the first train from town will leave at 7.30 a m. instead of 7.