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Evening Star, Issue 3996, 15 December 1875, Page 2

It is a remarkable thing that all the cab Tea in Australian waters are broken just now. Yesterday communication through the Cooks Strut cable was interrupted about three rmlea from the Wellington shore end, and is likely to remain so for nearly a week. Owing to the prevalence of whooping cough and the outbreak of scarlet fever in the district, the examination of the Anderson's Bay school, which was fixed for the 24th inst., has been postponed. It has also been thought advisable under the circumstances to close the school. Two lectures were de'ivered last night. At the Congregational Church, th? Rev. W. J. Waters interested a numerous audieuco •n Tennyson's new poem of " Queen Mary ;" and those who heard Mr Kirby in the All Saints' schooi-room spent an instructive " Half-hour among Authors." A body of fire police has been established in Cbristchurch. Trey uudergo a systematic drill to facilitate their action in case of fire. One division takes possession if the doors of premises, another stretches ropes to keep the ground clear, and ;he other is held in reserve to take charge of goods saved. There are a good number of lawyers now candidates for po'itical honors. In Auckland three—Messrs Whittaker, Shoehan. and Res; in Wellington three—Messrs Travers, Bran.lon, and Buoklcy; in Canterbury two—Messr3 Hanmer and Harper ; in Otago two -Messrs Stout and Maca?sey; in Westland three—Messrs Button, ISewton, and Guinness. If they all get seats the legal profession will be well represented. There was only a short sitting of the City Po'ice Court to-day. Jane Martin, charged with being drunk, was fined 10s, in default forty-eight hours' imprisonment; Andrew Martin, 40s. John Brownie was charged with jumping into a railway train while i'i motion at Caversham on December 4. The defendant was provided with a pass, and as tho train was beginning to move he jumped into it. Rle was fined 103 and costs. Messrs Ward and and Brown, J.P.'s, pr sided. Of the three steamer 3 that left Port Chalmers yesterday for Lyttelton, the Company's s.s. Taupo acquitted herself the most oreditably. !She left Port Chalmers at fn-e miuutts past five, and arrived at Lyttelton at ten minutes past nine, making the run in nix-teen hours and a quarter. The Phccbeleft Port at a quarter to four, and arrived at Lyttelton at a quarter past ten, making a passage of eighteen hours and a half. The Cyphreues left Port at half-past four, and was the last to arrive in Lyttelton. Women who indulge too freely had better beware. In dealing with a charge of drunkenness at the City Po'ico Court this morning, in which a woman who apoeared with an infant in her arms was the offender, Mr Ward stated that the Bench wonld itflict the most vigorous penalty the law allowed, when a woman was charged with drunkenness. luspcctor Mallard remarked that it was a matter of no uncommon occurrence now to soe womea continually driuking pints of beer at public-houses—a thing which he had never seen in the Colonies before.

On Tuesday evening a tea-meeting was held at Maori Hill school. Nearly 200 person?, including children, were present. Addresses were givt-.n by Rev. Dr Stuart, Messrs Dick, Wright, and Innes. The chairman (Kev. Mr Upton Davis) stated that regular services were held on Sunday and Tuesday evenings, and the Sunday afternoun service numbered about seventy. The growth of the school had compelled, them to build, and the whole cost would be about met when the protita of the evening were handed in. Tho school still needs te be fenced in.

The Harbor Board's' new scale of dues shows very little alteration on the old dues, save those collected at Port Chalmers, which are now one half those levied in Dunedtu. The alteration is ma : niy in name. What were formerly called harbor dues ara now styled a harbor improvement rate, which, to overcome certain legal difficuli-ioa that had been raised, are levied under the Board's Act of last sebsion. A second schedule adopted by the Board, and gaz-jtt d to-day imposes charges for landing stock, and makes a charge for fi hermen's boats of twenty shillings per annum ; in return for which the Board provides a landingstage at the eni of the old jetty, on which the men wi.l be enabled to clean tbeir fish, i-istcnd. of, as formerly, depositing the cfl\l on the reclaimed land and thore creating a great nuisance, hitherto, tho Board experienced difficulty in regard to charging timber-ladcu vessels, through their inability to prove tho quantity of timber in a vessel's ho d. In future, the tonnage of all goods and cargoes is to be taken r.s eutered through the Customs, unless an error therein can be satisfactorily proved by the consignee.

I'iroct corainunicatioa between Dunedin and Fiji is beginning to bear fruit. Ritberto, notwithstanding the proximity of New Zealand to tho newCoiony, the principal part of Fijia.-j produce has found a market in Victoria. Tho lirat innovation was the establishment of steam communication with Auckland. We havo often pointed out the advisjib lity of our L'unedin merchant-* cultivating trade with the Fijian group, bub from some cause or other oats and other cere\l produce of Ocago found a market there, after being landed and leshipped at Auckland, instiad of bein# forwarded directly. We trust tha ; ; this round-about tr.iiiic is about t-r> cea : ie, and diieot counmmi cation substituted. J lie first sign of so benelicial a cbaiige is given in samples of sugar received by Messrs R. Wilson and Co, of this ify, of a fihipment expected to arrive by the next steamer. represent brown and yeliow crystals, of good quality and flavor, 'which seem admirably sitijtfd alike fur confectionery and domestic purpuseu. We trust the trade thus merely rudmeit'jjwy may expand into extensive transaction** mutually beneficial,

The Court for the revision of voters' lists in the South Dunedin Municipality, is a H >urned until the 2l«t inst., at Moloney's Hotel. The Dunedin Regatta committee will not meet to-mo row, it being a holiday. The annual distribution of prizes at the Girls' His?h will take place on Friday next, at 2.30 p.m. Mr M. W. Green will lecture, in the Christian Chapel, Great King street, to-morrow evening, at 7.30. on " The true Church, where shall we find it V

The Rev. John Ryley, of Otepopo, will jreaeh at St. Andrew's Church, Walk-r strtet, to-morrow, being Fast Day, both morning and evening.

The meeting of the Provincial Grand Chapter oTNew Zealand and Kilwinning Otago Royal Arch summoned for this evening is postponed until MonJay next at 7 p.m. In ouv advertising oo'nmna will be found the program-ne of a saored concert in aid of All faints' Church organ fund, to be given in the Temperance Hall to-morrow evening. The united choirs of St. Paul's, All Saints', and St. Matthew's will render the choruses, urdcr the conduotorehip of Mr Towsey, A cricket match will be played on the Oval to-morrow between an eleven of the D.C.C. and eighteen, with Paramor, to commence at eleven o'clock sharp. Players are"requeited to bejpunctual. The following are the sides : p.C.a—Allen J., Clarke G., Collinßon L. T., Dixon G., Fenwick F., Godby H. L., Godby M. J., Gleu A., Lathbury W. H., Macfarlane P., and Macdonnell R. T. Eighteen—Paramor G., /dams A., Fotheringham J., Faltoa K, Geddes, Godby A., Johnston R. H., Kettle N., Lambert J. C, Leach, Matshall J. C, Morrison W., Park R., Rhodes H., Roso H., Russell Fred., Sntcliffo, Tait W. Emergencv men—Messrs Buckingham, Cleverdon, Heudley, Lindsay \V., Pollen H., Reid, W. 8., Marsdeu, and I othamley.