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Evening Star, Issue 3791, 19 April 1875, Page 2

Railway contractors’ cheques have be?n offered, lately at the Woolshed at a discount of fifteen shillings in the pound, without finding a purchaser. Mr Ebenezer Stony Hay was on the Uth inst. admitted and enrolled as a barrister and solicitor of the Supremo Court of New Zealand by his Honor the Chief Justice.

The * Thames Advertiser 1 says Sir George Grey seem to think boh *8 two purposes to fulfil—"to abuse the General Government, and to get money from them to spend. A few days since a woman named Venturra died suddenly at Sydney, and the medical men ascribed her death to syncope, caused by bad temper. Her husband had to sleep in the shop to avoid her temper. “ The Wandering Heir,” which was played on Saturday to the evident satisfaction of a large audience, will to-night give place to lt A Soldier’s Daughter ” and " The Serious Family, 5 ’ in both of which Miss Howard will appear.

It is stated by the ‘ North Otago Times' that it is the intention of the Government to open the A wamoko branch railway tor freight traffic, if possible, by the end of this month, and for passenger traffic as soon as the line is in fit condition to be passed therefor. The funeral reform movement has been taken up in a business-like manner in London, where several undertakers already advertisa their willingness to conduct funerals “ with simplicity, solemnity, and economy, with light perishable coffins and entire absence of plumes, hatbands, and other media of display, at fixed inclusive charges.”

With the approach of winter a passenger station at Havens bourne is a necessity. It is not pleasant to have to stand in the open air in all weathers waiting for the trains. The traffic to and from this township by rail is now surprisingly large ; and it is the duty of the Government to keep their promise to the residents before the winter sets ia.

Besides writing the serial for * Tinsley,’ Mr B. L. Farjeon is contributing to the ‘ Cardiff Times’ a new story called “At the Sign of the Silver Flagon ” It may not be uninteresting to state that his Christmas story of “No Man’s Land,” which was published simultaneously in London and New York, returned him Ll,ooo as the result of the first three weeks’ sale.

' Among the applications made at the last sitting of the Southland Waste Land Board, was one from Mr W. H. Calder, on behalf of himself and others, to purchase twenty-five acres of land at the Mataura, on which to erect a paper mill. The application was received, and its consideration deferrel till next meeting. 'I he applicant stated that the projectors would commence operations at once if the land were granted.

The Winton-Kingston Kailway is being pushed forward rapidly. Last week the contractors conveyed by rail a party of gentleman from Invercargill a distance of nearly nine miles along the line, as far as the middle of Centre Bush. If the prevailing fine weather lasts, Messss Proctor and Whitaker expect to be running a locomotive as far as uauiels’s crossing on the Oreti in about a month.

The liability of the Government to be sued for damages for injuries sustained on the State railways is acknowledged in Victoria to the fullest exteot. For instance, quite recently a married couple named Black entered an action against the Board of Land aud Works to recover L 450 damages for injuries sustained by the wife, in consequence of a railway station at Melbourne being insufficiently lighted on the arrival of a train at midnight. The verdict was appealed against, but sustained by the full bench of judges.

Some curious answers are sometimes returned by witnessess in the courts of law. Very lately, in an assault case, before Mr Beckham, 8.M., at Auckland, in which females were) concerned, a man named Pridmore was put into the box, and when the question that invariably follows asking a witness his name was pnt to him, replied, amid laughter “Thehusband of my wife and the father of the child,” who was the actual complainant. Mrs Pridmore was more amusing still. merriment was most hearty while she was being examined. In one part of her evidence she said:—“ Defendant had promised to do for her girl; and when she spoke to her oa the wickedness of her threat, she looked hard into her face aud called her a ‘ hussy. * She believed there was a dreadful prefix to the term, beginning with a * D.’” Whereupon his Worship asked what a hussy was, to which innocent question Mrs Pridmore replied “ that whan she was a girl it was something in the shape of a little book for the protection of needles.” The reporter does not say whether Mr Beckham was satisfied or not.

Sir F. D. Bell, in addressing las constituents at Long Bosh, said that Mr Maoandrew had admitted to him that the Provincial Government was bound in honor, and in accordance with the re-union compact, to secure, so far as lay in its power, that every third ship should be sent to the Bluff. He ad Jed that thii view of the matter was also held by the Hon. Mr Reynolds, who was one of the commissioners. Speaking of the Upper House. Sir Francis said the change talked about would be likely to improve the Upper House, .but it would be an evil day when the Upper House of Assembly was done away with, and he did not think it could be very much altered in its form or constitution.

The Ballarat correspondent of the ‘ Australasian,* reporting a gold stealing case tried at Ballarat, says “ When Goodwin was on his trial at the last Assize Court, a witness named Wallis was cross-examined by Mr Trench, who wound up with these remarks: —‘You admit you stole the gold on the Thursaay, that you sold it on the Friday, that you divided the plunder on the Saturday, and I am given to understand that you and your brewer put your Bibles under your arms on the Sunday morning, and went out to preajh on the commandment, “ Thou shall nob steal j is that not so ?' The. witness declined to answer, and the learned counsel sat down with the remark, * God help us 1’ ” At the recent civil sittings of the Supreme Court at Wellington, there was tried a very intricate case, which lasted two days, and for which the jury, who had been required to attend three days, were handed ten shillings a piece. This sum they represented to Mr Justice Johustiu was altogether disproportionate to the inc-m----venlence and loss of time they had suffered, but though the counsel on both side* expressed their willingness to allow the jurymen a guinea a piece, his Honor said he might be impeached for permitting a breach of a prohibitive Act. At the same time he must express the opinion that the Jury Act was most preposterous in its terms, in fact the whole j iry law required remodelling. Before the jury separated Mr Travers accepted the responsibility of doubling the official fee.

Oae shilling and threepence per hour aud found is n>t bad remuneration for f'.rm laborers. This, however (says the * Tuapeki Pinaes’) was the rate of wages paid recently by several farmers in this district who found d fficnlty in obtaining hands for threshing operations, < *ne farmer had enga :ed upwards of a dozan hands, mostly new chums, one morning, at the foregoing rate, aud in the aftetnoon the majority of them s rack for an increase of pay in the shape of '* grog-” This ludicrous demand not being complied with they refused to continue work. A few weeks on bread aud water would do these lads good, besides being what they really require. These badly se looted new chums are now spreaiiug themselves over the country districts, and are invariably found “loafing” about hotel bars and shanties, rather than setting themselves to work for an honest living.

The usual weekly meetings of the Lodge Pride of Dunedin, 1.0.G-.T., will in future be held in the Temperance Hall, Moray Place. An adjourned meeting of the A.O.F. Court Pride of Dunedin, No. 3,780, will be held in the Seuth Australian Hall, to-morrow (Tuesday) evening, at eight o’clock.

During the week ending 17th April, 18 patients were admitted into the Dunedin Hospital, and 15 were discharged therefrom. Mary Sweeney, aged 22, native of Cork, died from consumption.

The police, on Saturday, found in the possession of John Sullivan (who was committed for trial for assaulting one Andrew Hill in Melville street), a pawn ticket for a valuable meerschaum pipe, which they suspect him of having stolen, as in pawning it he gave the name of Cunningham. The pipe, which was pawned on. April 15, has a silver band round the bowl, silver mount on bottom and stem, and has a small piece of silver let into the stem. An owner for the property is wanted.