The Evening Star FRIDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1875.

Evening Star, Issue 3992, 10 December 1875, Page 2

The Evening Star FRIDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1875.

We are oblige! to hold over our Police Court report, a quantity of correspondence and other matter, and are in hopes of being able to overtake arrears to-morrow.

“Aurora Floyd” was repeated at the Queen’s Theatre last evening to a poor attendance, and was followed by a double hornpipe by Miss Vivian and Mr Hooper. Tonight the chief feature of the programme will be a dramatic version of “ Lady Audlev’a Secret.”

The Taupo, with the San Francisco mail, was to leave Lyttelton at 3 o’clock this afternoon, and may therefore be expected to arrive at Port Chalmers about 9 o’clock tomorrow. The Taupo receives no special subsidy for carrying the mail, so has not hurtied down the coast.

The following are the names of the eleven selected to play on behalf of Oamaru in the match with Dunedin : -Messrs Millington, Sumpter, Rice, Nicholls, Smith, Fenwick, DeLautour, Creagh, Booth, Tempest, and Lees. The game will probably take place on the Ist Jaßnary. The following items are from to-day’s * Bruce Herald ’ ; —The Clntha river at Balclutha yesterday was reported to be higher by eighteen inches than at any time during the past four years.—Mr P. Maaou has sold his seven-acre paddock on this side of Balclutha for L 350. Three years ago this land c< at him L3B 10-'.—Mr John Little, a recent arrival by the ship Auckland, has been ap pomted teacher of the Fairfax side school.— It is currently rumored throughout >Southland that the New Zealand and Australian Land Company’s fine estate of Edeudale is about to be put in the market for lease, subdivided into small farms, and to be given on long leases on favorable term’. We are credibly informed that Mr Brydone’a—the Company’s manager trip to the Home country was mainly earned by his desire to urge such a course upon the owners. The Regatta Committee experience some difficulty in collecting the subscriptions promised them. At the meeting last night it was shown that there was considerable is- ( satisfaction on account of the strict definition of the term “amateur” in the rules that had been adopted. It was decided, after discussion, that “amateur” should include all those who do not gain their livelihood on the water. It was understood, however, that for the future the more strict definition should be adhered to —via., that which excludes all persons who take money priz s, &o. The following were elected officers for the day : —Judge : Mr L, 0. Beal; Commodore ; The Rev. T. L. Stanley; Umpire : The Rev, R. L. Stanford ; Committee : Messrs Somerville, Frederick Chapman, T. L. Stanley, and S. N. Muir. At Lyttelton last week a little boy, named Landman, died through swallowing a gooseberry. From the evidence of the child’s mother at the inquest, it appeared that the child choked through swahowirg four green gooseberries, while she was out of the room Mrs Larriman succeeded in extracting three of the gooseberries from the throat, but failed to remove the fourth. Sho at once started to take the child to the Christchurch Hospital, but before reaching there the child expired. A po»t mortem examination showod that death resulted from suffiocation, caused by the gooseberry obstructing the throat, A verdict of “ Accidental death ” was returned.

A meeting of gentlemen interested in establishing a Seaman’s Institute at Port Chalmera was held in the Court-house there last evening. His Worship the Mavor in the chair. The meeting was convened for the purpose of endeavoring to arrange terms for the amalgamation of the Mechanics’ Institute and the proposed Seaman’s Institute. The Seaman’s Institute Ordinance, passed at the last session of the Provincial Council, was produced, and it was stated that the old school buildings and site had been conveyed to the trustees appointed, viz., Messrs Mans ford, M’Derraid, and the Mayor. A number of propositions w re made and fell through, and finally, upon the proposition of Mr Joyce, a committee, consisting of his Worship the Mayor, the Bev .or Isitt and Dr L'rysdale, was appointed to consult with the committee of the Mechanics’ Institute and prepare a scheme fsr amalgamation. Mr Steward has now two hobbies, his latest being an income tax, for which he goes in strongly. He told his constituents at Oamaiu the other day that “he would exempt from taxation all incomes below L 250, or say 1 300, taking inoomoa between ( 300 and ) 500 at a minimum rate ; incomes incomes LSOO and LI,OOO at a higher rate; and incomes above LI,OOO at a still higher rate ; for he held that a man with LlO 000 a year was better able to pay LSOO a year taxes to the State than twenty men with incomes of LSOO a year to pay taxes amounting to L 25 a year each. Then while all contributed to the Customs’ revenue aa consumers of dutiable articles, it was unfair to demand as much in direct taxation from the ma> who bad six or seven mouths to feed aa from the man who had only himself to maintain ■ and his

taV" 1 '■ ' ■ eni ® would fairly adjust th* burden as between the married man and the single mao. He would do it in this way, viz., by allowing the person assessed fe> write off from the taxable amount of his income (the first L3OO going untaxed) up to incomes of LI,OOO a-year—thio limit would include nearly the whole of the trading and a large part of the professional classes—one-riphth for his wife, and a like amount for eac \ child or member of his family by him maintained, so that he should only pay upon the surplus, if any. He held that in incomes up to

LI,OOO the man who had fight persons dependant on him for support deserved to go free of income tax, so long as heavy custom duties were levied, as he was a large contributor to the revenue in the shape of indirect taxation. Of course there would be no deduction in any case after the first Ll,ooo of any income. Such a scheme as this would lay the burden lightly on the working bees of the social hive, and, he thought, might be brought down from the region of theory to that of praefier'.”

A branch of the Colonial Bank of New Zealand will he opened at Balclutha, ou Saturday, the 11th inst.

. Dunedin Guu Club will hold its adjourned monthly meeting at the Empire Hotel, on Monday next, at 8 30 p.m. , The annual sports at Green Island, on Boxiug Day, will be held in Mr D. Andrews’s racecourse paddoek.

The Saturday Evening Concerts will be resumed on Saturday evening next, at the Temperance Hall.

A lecture, the proceeds of which will go to the funds of tbe Ur*, ban School, recently pro posed by Mr Paterson, will be delivered by the Kev. Jas. Buller, on “ Martin Luther,” at the -temperance Hall, on Monday next, at 8 p.m. In our advertising columns may be found the programme of the Caledonian Society’s Annual Gathering, to be held at the ISorth Dunedin Becreation Ground on Saturday and Monday, January 1 and 3. Large money prizes are offered for the several sports. Entries will close positively on Wednesday, December 22. at 6 p.m.