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Evening Star, Issue 3516, 30 May 1874, Page 2

The purchase of the Waterworks by the City may be considered virtually settled. On Monday evening the City Council will be invited to adopt—which, in all probability, they will do almost unanimously—a recommendation by the Waterworks Committee to purchase the works on the following terms“ For the original 4,400 shares, Ll7 10s ... ... £77 000 For Col. Kitchener’s 304 shares, Ll7 ’ 10s ... ... 20 500 For 650 shares issued under the 1871 Act, Ll6 10 400 For 850 shares issued under the 1871 Act, 30s prem 3,825 £101,725 Payment to be made either in cash or by debentures of fifty years currency, bearing 6 per cent interest. The consent of the necessary majority of the shareholders to the sale has been obtained by the company’s directors.

In every community there are to be found persons who will on occasion set all the ordinary rules prescribed by common sense and good manners at defiance. These unfortunates, for such they appear to be, are impelled periodically or otherwise, without any perceptible cause, to make asses of themselves. This appears to have been the case with the miserable person who the day before yesterday published the document which gave so much offence to the Speaker of the Council and to members of both sides of the House. If the author of the document should be discovered we do nob think the public ought

to deal harshly with him He is evidently tar more foolish than wicked. The author of this wretched production will have a uf ficiently heavy burden to be r without its being necessary for the public to add to his sufferings. Tue pangs of remorse which can* not fail to seize, sooner or later, upon a man who remembers that he has written stuff like that will punish him sufficiently. If this thing had been blasphfemous, or filthy or calculated to do any one any harm, the influence of time might have done something to soften the wretched writer’s sense of literary guilt, but the knowledge that one has been the author of such senseless, silly tr »sh ought to blight one’s whole car-er and maite him fairly shudder whenever he comes anywhere near pen, ink, and paper, lest he might in an unguarded moment bo induced to handle them again. If Parliamentary rules had allowed us to publish just two or three sentences of this wretched stuff, onr readers would have confessed that the writer of it was more to be pitied than blamed.

A telegraph office is now open at Waitaki and one will shortly be established at Otepopo. There are 3,557 Chinese in this Province; 88 residing in the City, 485 at the Duustan, 201 at Mount Ida, 1,214 at the Lakes, 606 at Waikaia, 176 at Tokomairiro. and 490 at Tuapeka. The number of births registered in Dunedin during the month of May was 95, and of deaths 28, the excess of births over deaths being 67, or at the rate of 239 - 3 per cent. The number of marriages registered during the same period was 44. They know how to do things in Christchurch. Inspector Pender, who for many years has had the oversight of the police in that city, is about to be transferred to Timaru, and on Monday the inhabitants of the former place intend to testify their appreciation of his zeal and ability by presenting him with a gold watch and chain and a tea service, the sugar-basin of which will contain 200 sovereigns. 0l P u klic Works, in company with the Lngineer-ia-Chief, visited the Oamaru breakwater and Waitaki bridge works on Wednesday. Of the former, Mr Richardson expressed a very high opinion, and considers them a success, and in every respect satisfactory. According to the local paper the Government is very anxious to push on the Oamaru-Waitaki railway, but the delay is being caused by the impossibility of procuring freight for sleeners, though the Government are prepared to pay a liign rate both for freight and insurance, . The concert in connection with the tea meetmg of the Episcopalian Church, Port Chalmers which was postponed from last Monday on account of the inclemency of the weather, took place last night in the Masonic Hall, and was a decided success, the room being crowded The vocalists were Mesdames Downes and Sutherland, Miss Mansford, Messrs Wignall, Bott r airow, Asher, and Neale ;MrA. J, Towsey presiding at the piano. At the end of the second part of the programme, the Rev. Mr Leeson the curate, moved a vote of thanks to those ladies and gentlemen who had assisted, and to Mr Towsey. The concert was then brought to a close by the National Anthem being sung. The committee iu Stead’s case obtained his release to-day, and on Monday will hand over to him the subscriptions remaining in their hands. 1 hey consulted Mr James Smith on the legality of the warrant under which he is m custody, and were informed by that gentleman that not only had the Coroner power to sign the warrant of commitment when directed to do so by the Judge, but that the whole of the proceedings had been taken in due form. In justice to the visiting justices and the gaoler, it is only fair to state that the former assisted btead as far as they were able, by obtaining legal advioe when the question of the legality of his detention was first raised. Two different Provincial Solicitors and a well-known barrister were consulted, aud they all agreed with the opinion since given by Mr Smith. The statement that Stead was deprived of the use of writing materials is only partially true. For some time he was allowed the free use of them in his own quarters ; but impropriety on his part led to curtailment of the privilege. Among other things he attempted to forward to the United States, for publication in New York, a lengthened communication, in which the Government andprivate individuals were atttacked m most scurrilous terms. It was then that the gaoler felt called upon to interfere ; and Stead, from that time, was restricted to writing in the gaolers office, or in the warders’ room, we believe ; but in each of those places he had the fullest liberty to write. The Lodge Pioneer, P.A.F. Society, will meet ou Monday evening, at 7.30. The attention of Volunteers is directed to a general order published in another column. The ninth monthly meeting of the National pnilcling Society will be held on Monday evening, at six o’clock. A meeting of Volunteers entitled to land scrip will be held in the Provincial Hotel, ou Monday evening at 7.30. The Guiding Star Lodge, 1.0. G.T., will meet on Monday evening, in Knox Church Schoolroom, at the usual hour. In adverting to the prospects of the Dunedin Land, Building, and Investment Company we wish to mention one pare of the Company's intended operations, which is not inserted in the Company s prospectus, and which we think should have been made known. We refer to the deposit branch. It is purposed to receive money on deposit, for which interest will be allowed ranging from five to eight per cent, per annum’ ihis arrangement will benefit both depositors and shareholders. The former will receive a larger rate of interest for their money then can be got from banks or other institutions, with the best security it is possible to give ; while the shareholders, having the use of the deposits,aud the subscriptions raised from the LlO terminable shares to be issued, and by working with a considerably enlarged capital, will be in a position to refrain from making calls. A rumor that the^ Company only intend to build working men s cottages only has been current, but we are m a position to state that such is not the case. In the words of the prospectus, houses will be erected suitable for all classes.” ■ We may mention that the interim Secretary will be at bis office to-night from 7 to 8 o’clock, to receive applications for shares. We are requested to call attention to the advertisements that appear in another part of this paper, on the subject of the Registration of Policies of Life Assurance in terms of the above Act. The Act required that all companies cailying on the business of Life Assurance in .New Zealand shall deposit cash or Government B fr“ t^ with the Tublic Trustee to the extent of Do 000, which is to be increased as the business of the Company goes on until it reaches the sum of L 20,000. These sums the Act requires the Public Trustee to hold in trust for policy holders, being such in respect of policies issued in the Colony by the company making such deposits, whether the policy has been granted before or after the passing of the Act providing that such policies, if granted before tliG commencement of the Act, he registered within twelve months from such commencement (November 1, 1873), or if granted after the passing of the Act, within six months after the making thereof. It will follow from the above, that holders of policies granted on or after the Ist of Novembei* last must register before the six months have expired, or°they will forfeit the benefit conferred by the Act Ihe Australian Mutual Provident Society has given the holders of its policies the opportunity to register them, so that it now rests with those policy holders to avail themselves of the privilege.