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Evening Star, Issue 3523, 8 June 1874, Page 2

The demand for labor at Napier continues unabated. _ Ihe lelegraph ’ states that all the single girls that arrived in the Schiehalliou were engaged almost simultaneously with the opem ing of the barrack gates, and the single men nave all round employment. ~ P. a P er says there is now no doubt that dipthena has made its appearance in Invercargill, and that a few decided cases of this dreaded disease have been developed. One or two deaths have also been reported, and considerable anxiety has been evinced on the subject by the community generally. The Hokitika papers report a case heard before the magistrate there, when a debtor was sued for forty shillings, the creditor agreeing to accept payment by instalments of one shilling weekly, to which the debtor (who must be a born humorist) demurred on account of the same being more than he was able to pay. ma ?ager of the Shotover Terrace Gold Mining Company, Mr G. Grant, has forwarded to us the following telegram from ~ i, r ~v ans > , ? manager of the Company:— de ®P sinking, and syphon completed. Drive on bottom, 9ft long, produced three ounces gold out of fifty trucks This week will give good trial.” The General Government have received from California 501bs of the seed of the Chilian Alfulfa grass. llns grass is being grown to an immense extent ui California, and the reports ot its stock-carrying powers appear too extravagant almost for behet. For example, it is said that, in one case, 21,000 sheep are kept all the year round upon 1,000 acres of grass, divided into paddocks. Alfulfa is a species of lucerne. Its roots strike down most vigorously to water • indeed, we have been shown, as a sample, part p Y hlch \ ve are assured reached a growth i i 'll 1 ' 11 . 1 ? a J m S le year. The seed has been handed to Dr Hector for distribution. * here W S, 3 no sitting in Bankruptcy at the Supreme Court this morning, Mr Registrar Ward not being empowered to sit, in cousequence of the presence in the district of his Honor Mr Justice Chapman, who is a passengei by the lararua en route for Invercargill. S oes there to try the criminal cases at the sitting of the Supreme Court commencing on the 12th mst The following cases will be dealt with :—ihe Queen v. Davidson—theft from a dwelling-house; the Queen v. Godling—a similar offence; and the Queen v. Diamond—assault with intent to commit robbery. A new dramatic season will commence at the f -i^ eatre this evening, with the drama of ihe Orange Girl ”as the opening piece. We are glad to perceive that several old and deserved favorites are announced in the advertised hst of the company, which includes Mrs wfllif lady > Miss Marion Willi., Mi J, B. Steele, Mr Musgrave, and Mr Keogh, stage director. It is sufficient to men turn that the musical arrangements of this theatre are under the management of Mr F. Leech ; and Mr ‘Williams, the scenic artist, comes here with a good reputation. All playgoers wdl regard it as a relief that the Princess should be again devoted to the legitimate di_ama ; snd we hope Messrs Steele and Keogh will meet with liberal support. _ The wind table published in the Meteorological Report just issued is worthy of a few passing remarks. In 1871 there were twentynine calm days at Dunedin, while there were only two at Wellington, and none at Nelson or laranala. In the following year, there were 142 calm days at Queenstown, in the South Island, which would seem to be a paragon of

places for weather, while there were ninetyT • a A. D^ ne # n 1 ? ; and seventy-six at Bealey, also in the South Island; two only at Wellington and none at Taranaki, Nelson, nor Southland. Wlllington has the reputation of enjoying only two kinds of winds--north-west and south-east—and in 1871, winds from the firstnamed of these " airts " prevailed for 191 days and south-east winds for 105 days, leaving onlv ™ nt £ seven days for all other winds For 1872, the proportion was 179 for the northwest, 111 for the south-enst. Bealey, to which reference has already been made, seems to be rattier a peculiar place. In 1872, it had seventysix calm days, and no less than 208 of winds from the north-west. At a-meeting of the Southland Waste Land Board, on the 4th hist., a Mr Martin, of Waicola applied through his agent, Mr John Dalghesn, for 540 acres on his run at Waicola, at L 3 per acre. Mr Baker stated that the Provincial Government had set aside 860 acres at Waicola as land to be reserved under the deferred payments system ; but the exact locality had not baen deiiued. The application might embrace a portion of the laud so set aside. It would be for the Board to decide whether, in the probability of this being the case, the aphcation should be granted at once. Mr Mitchell said that the Board had no information as to the site of the land reserved or intended to be reserved. The Government were certainly wrong in not acquainting the Board with the exact site or locality of the reserved land. Mr M Arthur thought that the application, a portion of which was pastoral land, gave indubitable proof of the increased value of land in bouthland, and he deeroed that it would be unwise not to accept L 1,620 for 540 acres of land. Ihe application was granted. There will be a meeting of the Otago Institute to-morrow evening at eight o'clock. The adjourned general meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society will be held in the Athemeum Hall, on Wednesday evening, at eight An amateur concert will be given in the Anderson's Bay Schoolhouse to-morrow even"J S " £ ho ,P7's?, edß y ilL S° Awards the erection ot an English Church in that district. The half-yearly meeting of the Lucknow Quartzmining Company will beheld at Messrs M Landless, Hepburn, and Co.'s offices, on Wednesday afternoon, at four o'clock.