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Evening Star, Issue 3858, 6 July 1875, Page 2

The well-known and efficient detective officer, Mr H. Feast, of Christchurch, has, we notice, boon promoted to a third-class inspectorship in the Canterbury police force. It is said that copies of the ‘ Wairarapa standard, containing Sir George Grey*® unique letter, have been sent to Mr Disraeli, Mr Gladstone, Lord Carnarvon, and the r ari of Derby. Query —Will they read it ? At the Residents Magistrate’s Court, Port Chalmers, this morning, before Mr T. A. Mansford, R.M., John Morrison, William Thomson, and Henry Eacherin, charged with being drunk and disorderly near the old jetty on Saturday night, were dismissed witn a caution. A few charges of drunkenness constituted the business brought before the City Police Court to-day, Henry Eden and John Dugan were each fined ss, with the usual alternative ; Ellen Burton, 40s, or fourteen days ; James Mahon, L2, or seven days ; Mahon* for being an idle and disorderly person, having been three times convicted of drunkenness during the last twelve months, was further sentenced to two months’ imprisonment, with hard labor. The meeting of those favorable to the celebration here of the O’Connell Centenary was held yesterday afternoon at the Shamrock Hotel, and attended by twenty-five gentlemen - the May or presiding, by request. On' Mr J. P. Armstrong’s motion, those present formed themselves into a committee (with

power to add to their number) to arrange for the celebration of the centenary about a month hence. Mr J. Duugan was appointed secretary and convener of the committee. “ iEgles ” in the * Australasian ’ writes “SoSargood and Company wouldn’t float! The deposits are to be returned in full. Some money was subscribed, but not enough to carry out the project in its integrity. It was found that many of the firm’s old customers, who were relied on to subscribe capital, hadn’t the money. This, of course, gives the opportunity of suggesting— ‘ How could an old customer of a soft-goods house be expected to have any money?’ How ever, I have no doubt that the Sargoods will survive the failure of their soft-goods project.”

A new comedy, “ Dollars and Cents,” was produced at the Princess’s, last night, but, perhaps from the manner in which it was played, it appeared a very tame affair. As it is to be repeated this evening we hope then to find some of the performers better up in their parts, which will work a great improvement. Mrs Bates has not a very prominent part in that of' Kvelyn Nicklebury, but Mr Bates has one eminently suited to his capabilities in Mr Pymples. His excellent and natural acting in the last scene, and that of Mr Musgrave (William Nicklebury) all through the piece are enough to save “ Dol’ars and Gents ” from being entirely condemned, but the other characters might have been more satisfactorily filled. Mr Power, for instance, was evidently overweighted in the part of Frank Nicklebury—he stumbled over his words most lamentably. The Borough Council of Lyttelton has written to the representative of the town in the Assembly that in its opinion the Municipal Corporation Act needs amendment in the following respects: —The present system of elective auditors to be set aside and replaced by official auditors in the service of the Government. Provision to be made for large powers to compel and regulate joint drainage in places exceptionally situ--L-Ji i_ r i. r .1 • .

mioh as Lyttelton, where the sub* division of property often readers drainage directly into sewers practically impossible. Provision to bo made to render the authority unnquestionable of bye-laws after they are finally passed, suggesting that confirmation of bye-laws passed by boroughs should be by Acts of the Assembly, passed from time to time—-bye-laws to have no force until so confirmed, but thereafter to have the force of Colonial statutes in the places to which they apply. An inquest was held at the Hospital at noon torday before Mr T. M. Hocken, District Coroner, on the body of the young man Robert Newton, wh«;se death we mentioned in our last issue, Deceased was working at vlessrs Sparrow and Co.’s foundry, sawing wood, on aturday, when a piece of wood struck him ia the bowels, inflicting internal injuries from which he died next night. The main object of the inquiry, as stated by the Coroner, was to see whether evosy precaution had been taken to prevent the occurrence of accidents of this kind rather than to discover how deceased met his death. The principal evidence was given by James Fraser, blacksmith, who stated that deceased lifted a board intended to cover the fly-wheel, and on resting it against his stomach the further end caught a spoke of the fly-wheel, which caused the other end to press against deceased and throw him back a distance of 15ft. A verdict of “ Accidental death ” was returned, a suggestion being thrown out that every precaution should be taken each morning before work was commenced with regard to the enclosing of the fly-wheel. Our paragraph in yesterday’s issue in reference to the late Mr Graham was incorrect in one or two respects, wtich wo hasten to correct, and at same time give a few additional particulars, supplied by an esteemed correspondent. The deceased, James Graham, was master of the side dredge employed at Rattray street wharf. He had been in the Province for fifteen years, was for some time in the employ of the Harbor Company, and was mate on the Maori at time of the accident Which resulted in the death of Mr Balfour. He was in the sme boat at the time it capsized, and narrowly escaped drowning. He was once washed orf the deck of tho Maori and washed on again by the succeeding wave, and in many other ways had many hair-breadth escapes. At one time he had charge, of the Brace on the West Coast. The accident which caused his death arose from the sleeve of his coat being caught in the cogs, thus drawing his hand in between the ..eeth of two cog-wheels. Two fingers had to be taken off, and the other fingers were more or lees injured, the flesh being torn off them. Up to the ninth day after the occurrence he was getting on weß, and the hand healing. Symptoms of tetanus then set in rapidly, and soon did its work. Dr Borrows, who attended the deceased, waa most unremitting in his attention, and so far as medical skill in such a case could avail was more than usually successful. The Rev. Mr Hare, late Private Secretary to Sir James Fergusson, has recently visited Western Australia, and apparently taking a great interest in acclimatisation, he inquired of the Colonial Secretary whether in the event of any society in .New I Zealand wishing to procure any of the birds, &c , peculiar to Western Austra'ij, the Government of the latter Colony would be willing to enter upon a system of exchanges. Since his return to Canterbury, Mr Hare has forwarded to the so&jety there the following extract from Mr Barlee’s letter iu reply:—“On the question of mutual exchanges for acclimatisation purposes, yon will find the Government of this Colony anxbus to meet your views, and to reel* procate heartily with individuals or societies in New Zealand. I have for years endea- I vored to supply to societies in all the 1 Colonies—with, 1 think, the sole exception ,

of New Zealand—such of our animals, birds, or plants as they desired to have. In exchange I have received valuable supplies of plants, and I have introuced hares, pheasants, trout, perch, and eels. Pheasants and Californian quail are the birds we most want at present Western Australia can supply kangaroos, dalgeils, bourchies, opossums, and various small marsupials, wallabies, emus, black swans, guow (native pheasant, very rare), cockatoos (black and white), and paroquets of various kinds,” The following items respecting railways are taken from to-day’s * Bruce Herald *:— ‘ The whole of .the railway line between Dunedin and the Clutha will probably bo handed over to the Government by the Ist September, and it is nut at all unlikely that it will be opened for traffic soon after that date. Nearly half the shares in the Tokomairiro Valley Hallway Company that will have to be taken up before work is started, frave already been applied for, so that the p.rospects of the company are encouraging. At a meeting of shareholders of the Outram to Greytown Kailway Company on Saturday, it was decided to stop work for the present, a nd a Committee was appointed to ascertain whether the Company could legally carry on its operations. It it to be regretted that the swamp on the £*alclutha line near Stirling, which has been subsiding ever since the earthwork was placed upon it, About two years ago, was not draint. d before *being in, as if left in its present »t is certain to be an eye-sore and expense tc* Government for many years to come \ 6 understand that Messrs firogden and Sons m*de a liberal offer to the Government to I ,

cut a large and- deep ditch from the head of the swamp to the Kaitangata Lake, at a price which has already been.far exceeded by the extras incurred for stuff since thrown into the swamp. It is said that the swamp is sixty feet deep, and if this is the case u will swallow up thousands of tons of stuff for many years to come. Had it been •drained as suggested, this could have been made one of the beat portions of the line, instead, as at the present, one of the worst, and almost dangerous to traffic. The observations of Majors Steward and Atkinson on the present condition of the Volunteer force have provoked a strong leader from the ‘NewZealand Times,’ which advocates the abandonment of the system, and that in future only cadet corps should be encouraged. The cry that has gone forth from Milton will, our contemporary thinks, do some good. “It will induce men to think out the question for themselves. When the patient taxpayer asks himself, in bis leisure hour, what he gets for the yearly ex* penditure of something like L 25.000 on the militia and volunteers of the Colony, be will find a most unsatisfactory answer in Major Gordon's report, and the speeches of Majors Steward and Atkinson Disorganisation, inefficiency—a paper at my, in fact; dissatisfaction in the ranks, heart-burning and jealousy among the officers, and “red-tape” supreme at head quarters : for all practical purposes, an armed nsob. This language may teem strong, but it only faintly reflects the conclusions to be drawn from the veracious sources we have mentioned. And when the taxpayer comes to realise the facts as they are, he may be excused if he takes, an economic fit, and refuses to pay for an empty demonstration. For our own part, We think the Colony would survive the disbanding of the entire force. It would save a good deal of money which is now wasted, according to the very best authority; and it wouM effect au indirect saving by not interfering with tbe ordinary pursuits of industry. At all events, there is no pretence for continuing this useless expenditure in the Middle Island. And for the matter of that, so long as the A rmed Constabulary is kept in its pre ent efficient state, we see almost as little reason for continuing it in the North Island.”

The District Lodge Officers will pay an official visit to the Lodge Pioneer, 1.0.G-.T., this evening. Mr Sykes’s concert will be given this evening, in the Temperance Hall, and not in the Queen’s Theatre, as mentioned by us last night.