The Evening Star. MONDAY, MARCH 27, 1876.

Evening Star, Issue 4082, 27 March 1876, Page 2

The Evening Star. MONDAY, MARCH 27, 1876.

Timaru is now lighted with gas. The works, which have cost a little untfer L 7,000 to complete, were designed by and erected under the supervision of Mr Henry Courtis, of Melbourne ; the plant waa manufactured in Melbourne by the Fulton Foundry Coqipany, and erected by Mr A Wes, of this City. The jewellery robbery from tbe Corona occupied the attention of the Bench at the City Police Court for a considerable time to-day. The evidence showed that the two prisoners had freely presented the stolen property to the sin.gle girls immigrants by the vessel, Both prisoners were committed for trial.

We are promised an early visit from the Lydia Howard Operetta Troupe, which is now performing in Napier. As was stated by us some weeks ago, this company, the principal members of which are M'sses Howard and iSavaro, with Mr Power, pror duces opera bouffe, and its repertoire includes “Chilperic,” “Nemesis,” &c.

The match for the Cup presented by Lieutenant Muir to the Dunedin Volunteer Artillery recruits took place at the Anderson’s Bay range on Sa urday afternoon. The conditions were five shots at 200, 400, and 500 yards; any position'; class targets. Gunners G. Sykes and Stephenson tied with 39 points, and on firing off the latter secured the trophy by one point.

A second fire has occurred on the farm of Mr Chrystal, at Waireka, some fifty bags of barley being destroyed,—The losses by the fire at Christie’s farm, Upper Harbor, on Saturday, are estimated at L 1,300. The buildings were valued at L6OO, and the contents at L4OO, all uninsured. Master Morris’s value is put down at L3OO.

As an indication of the haste with which the railway works in Canterbury are being pushed southwards, the ‘South Canterbury Times’ mentions that an engine and loaded trucks with railway material have been for the past weeit enabled to travel from Timaru to a mile and ( a half beyond the railway bridge across the Pareora river. The line will be open for traffic as far as the Otaio in a very short time;

It is currently reported, says the Wellington ‘Argus,’ that the three experienced Civil Servants who are to be sent round the Colony with letters of introduction to the, Superintendents, conveying the bowstring, are Mr Halse (Under-Secretary to the Native, Department), Mr W. R. E. Brown (Regis-! trar-General), and Colonel. St.. Jphn (Underbecretary for Defence). We rather fancy that our contemporary is trying to be jocular; .

Mr David Proudfoot is the successful tern derer at L45,000f0r the section of the Great Northern Railway extending from the Kilmdg Creek at Blueskin Bay to; the Maori Kaik at Waikouaiti, There is only one section of this line required to complete it through; and to is expected that tenders for it will be advertised for shortly. The works on it, however, are very slight, and should not take long to finish. On the section just let the worky though heavy, is well scattered, and consists mostly of earthwork. There is one small tunnel. Mr Proudfoot is allowed twenty months to complete his contract in. Yesterday evening Mr J. Neil delivered an interesting and instructive lecture in Milton Hall; the chair being occupied by Mr D.’H‘Lean, teacher. The subject was “Is the Bible the Word of God”—in opposition to the. views recently advocated by Mr Chas. Bright. The lecturer dwelt on the inspiration of the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament as proved by the fulfilment of the prophecies contained inrthem; the need that existed for a divine atonement for sin and a future resurrection from the dead, as evidenced by the undoubted VesuireCtiou of bur Saviour. , The .audience, which consisted of about 150 persons, listened with attention throughout. The undermentioned prisoners were received into the gaol on Saturday evening, Henry Young, alias Uhl, sentenced at Oamaru on the 17th inst. by.;Mr Parker, R.M., to six months’ imprisonment, with hard labor, for endeavoring to impose upon Samuel Gibbs, Oamaru, by a cheque drawn by Harry Uhl, on the Colonial for the payment of LI 10s, the said cheque being valueless. l John .Black,. sentenced at the District Court, Oamaru, bn the 20th inst., by Mr Justice Ward, to eighteen. calendar months’ imprisonment, with hard labor, for larceny at Oamaru. John Millichamp, charged with having, on the 4th February, 1876, at Temuka, feloniously .married and taken to wife one Eliza Emma Thorpe— Fanny Millichaiqp, his former wife, being then alive.

A correspondent of the ‘North Otago Times’ makes an accusation against the officials'in charge of the Awomoko railway works, which should meet with prompt investigation. It is simply that the'.‘‘truck system,” or something very like it, has been introduced by the Provincial Government or their agents in dealingrwith the men cm’-’ ployed on the works. He says :—“ In proof of my statement-I tencloae an order in my favor on a storekeeper, Mr D. Shaw, Papakaio, and in lieu of payment in cash or of , a cheque or voucher payable at the bank. Fifteen men received similar orders, all on the same storekeeper, on Tuesday last. I may state that on the 20th December: last I was engaged by the ganger, Mr George Ottaway, for navvy work, at the* rate of 9s a day. At the time I was engaged I understood as a matter of course, that I would be paid in the usual way, viz., in cash or by icheque, or by voucher payable at th°. bank. Payments for work on the line are made monthly, and in January and February, on each occasion for a month’s work* I was paid at the rate of 9s a day by voucher, payable at the Bank of New Zealand, Oamaru,. Three days before the end of the second month’s employment we (t.p., all ; hand—ordinary laborers—on the fine) got notice that the rate of pay would for the future be 8s a day. At that time no intimation was made that the mode of payment, would be varied. On Tuesday night the staff waa reduced, fifteen men, among whom was myself, being paid off. Payment instead of being made by voucher on the Bank as formerly, was made by order on Mr D, Shaw. Most of ns, it is true, got our groceries from Shaw, but on payment of my wages in January and February I-paid Shaw’s account* and , field his receipts, arid I am quite prepared to. pia(y his account current for the present month at any moment. What I complain of is that the Government, or their- ii bn; works such as these should interfere in the matter, and almost -oompel .men to deal at one particular place by making the store- I keeper a Government banker." J

The ‘ Grey River Argus..’ indulges in some j speculations as to who-tt to fill the seat in I the Cahjftvyt rendered viiciaht by the veaigna-1 tion oPHtr Rejuiolds. It remarks :-—“The Ministry are, no doubt, in a difficulty in the matter. They countedrttpon the Hon. John Hall accepting the. vacant portfolio should; they offer ; ib to him. •. They made the offer; • and it was declined. Now there is much, talk of Mr Whitaker joining the' but he cannot do so as Attorney-General,; because the Attorney-General’s Act prohibits a political-holder of the office be'cannot do so as Minister of Justice, because Mr Bowen would not give up his present office, for the very sufficient reason that whilst barely competent for it, he would be quite incompetent for any other. Then it is said that Dr Pollen, the .present,, Colonial Secretary, is likely to resign on account of bad health and" the worry and work he has had to undergo during Sir Julius Vogel’s absence, and to cpntent himself with the more comfortable position of Government Agent at Auckland,’ which he formerly held. In this case a good opening would present itself for MrWhitaker in the Upper House. MrMoorhouae has been mentioned as a probab e Minister—but as to this we must say, that it would be a bad day for any Ministry that gave. Mr Moorhouse a department.” Our 1 contemporary’s choice falls upon Mr George M'Lean, the member for Waikouaiti.

A meeting of <he Yorkshire Chib will be held at the Empire Hotel on Werine-d *y next. The Kichirds n R.fl-s will muster at the D 1 ill-shed to-moirow, ao 7.30 pm. Important buonoss.

The Artillery Band w II meet in tbe ( iberni n-Hotel to-morrow (Tuesday) evening, at ei,ht o’clock sharp. The annual meeting of the Union Football Club will be held at the Hibernian hotel to morrow evtniog, at 7.30.

The weekly practice of the Dunedin Choral Society «ill be held on Tuesday ev mug, in the University Hall, at ei-ht o’cLck. Howell s art union of cabinet work has been d r aw;i. The winn ing numbers may be found in our advertising Columns Mr Pritchard has communicated with us in refe euce to ceitairi repoits 0 uiceraiiig Kory <>’More and other horses having been pricked in shoah g, and in onns us, of what w- j were previously ignorant, that he was the sho.r. He Wish‘B to s 'ate that the hors i s referre.l to have been cirefully ex mi ied'aud that their lame ness arose from entirely different and unavoidable cau-es.

We have been requested to direct attention t > the announ&meut of the' Rale of thefurhitu'6- of. iur James bmith at his res den e at Auder-on’s Bay on i iiday and S tur day next, and to add that as the sale t-av ne e-surdy been hu rud on ac ouht of Mr Smith’s ei ly drp .nure for Englan t, counir, visit is will b> - dmitted o inspecc ihe f irnl'tare'on Wednesday, and the gene.ai public t. do o0 011 the day befoie the sale.