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Evening Star, Issue 4096, 12 April 1876, Page 2

The salary of the City, Surveyor has been increased to L6OO, on account of the engineering department of the City water supply being placed under his charge. At the ‘ Guardian ’ office, last night, Mr John Dungan, who, as we stated on Monday, is about to proceed to Oamaru, was presented with a handsome silver inkstand by the •Typographical Society as an acknowledgme w? valuable services as secretary and first editor of the * Press Nows.’

actually got a vagrant in the Chatham Islands. He is not an intelligent, out a Scandinavian vagrant, and is said to he a Government immigrant. The ‘Southern Cross 4 correspondent speaks of him as a boy, and says he has been committed to the v\ aitangi lock-up. It is understood that the Government have reconsidered the question of the payment of subsidies to Municipalities and Road Boards, ihedwudon first arrived at was to pay only Oh the actual collection for the financial year; but such a course inflicted great hardship, inasmuch as it is not the practice, and in some cases not practicable, to collect, within the financial year, the amounts due for that year. The decision now is to pay on the actual collections within the financial year on account of general rates not exceeding one shilling, whether or not they belong to the year, provided the total collections do not exceed the total amount a shilling rate is calculated to yield.

The pleasures attendant upon hare-hunt-ing in the Old Country are likely to be soon experienced by those residents of Palmerston and others who may be attached to, and are, therefore, determined to participate in, the pastime. The ‘ Times ’ states that Mr W. D. Murison, President of the Acclimatisation Society, has been written to, and asked to bring the matter under the notice of Ilia Honor the Superintendent, with the view of inducing tho latter gentleman to issue a proclamation in favor of tho Palmerston district in the direction indicated. Tho principal object in view is that the hares which congre gate numerously in some places in the neighborhood should, by a series of coursing meetings, bo distributed over a larger area of country, and thus, while aiding the cause of acclimatisation, obviate many complaints now made respecting their destructive proclivities. As soon as the proclamation is

issued there will he little of flo difficulty in arranging for these and other such meetings in a thoroughly sporting manner, as Mr W. A. Y Otmg,' 'Smongst others, has several beagles. The return match between the Albion and Citizen's Clubs will be played on the Oval on Friday. As both clubs intend putting forward strong teams a good game may be anticipated.

The special jury case—Bird v. the National Bank or New Zealand—was commecced in the Supreme Court this afternoon. Mr John R. Strang, a defaulting special juror, was fined L2 2s.

The new theatre was lit with gas for the first time last evening, the arrangements having been completed under the management of Mr F, Johnson, plumber. The seats are now all up, and the opening concert to Mr Sibbald will be given in about a fortnight’s time. In consequence of Mr Stout law lecturer at the University, having to leave in the middle of the last session, his course of lectures, which was resumed on his return, has only lately been concluded. From his report to the Registrar, we learn that the attendance was much larger than during the previous session. The prizeman in the senior class was Mr Herbert J. Webb; and in the junior class, Mr John A. Barr. Yesterday afternoon, a lad named Wm. Pryor broke his arm by a fall while playing on the cannon that stands in front of the Headquarters Drill-shed. Ur Brown at tended and set the limb. We are informed that it is the practice when the senior pupils of the Normal School are being drilled to send the younger ones on to Octagon reserve. This shows the necessity for an exercise ground, properly fenced, in connection with the school.

The Artillery band were inspected at the Drill Shed last night, and mastered twentyseven out of a total strength of twenty-nine They were inarched through the town, and in the principal streets played selections from “The Grand Duchess” and “Madame Angot,” which their indefatigable conductor (Mr M. Hume) has recently arranged for them. We understand that the band intend paying a visit to Tokomairiro on Good Friday,

The clerical staff of the Resident Magistrate’s Court would appear to he shorthanded, for complaints are almost daily made of processes not being served. Mr Mouat, who was plaintiff in an action this morning, intimated his intention of making a formal complaint on the matter to the Resident Magistrate. Mr Mansford stated that he was not aware of the custom in the Court in Dunedin, but the proper course was for the bailiffs to make daily 1 a return of the summonses served, and where not served to state the cause.

The township and district of Waikouaiti were thrown into a state of excitement during last week owing to the apprehension of two of its residents on a charge of cattle-stealing--an offence it is alleged that has been committed with impunity for several years. Richard Nelmes and Harry Francis were brought up in custody before Mr Murdoch, R.M., on Wednesday last, and re manded to Saturday, when they were again further remanded till to-day, when the charge was gone into, the court being crowded to excess. The ‘Herald’ informs us that the cow, which forms the subject of the prosecution, died on Monday night last from injuries sustained in roping. It is stated that the Friendly Societies in Auckland propose calling a general meeting of the members of the whole of the Friendly Societies there to discuss the position they are placed in by the Government in refuting to register certain lodges unless they first adopted the tables submitted by Mr Knight, the Government Actuary. It is proposed that if the question should not be settled previously, to appeal to the Legislature to appoint a commission “to inquire into the state and workings of Friendly Societies in these Colonies, and thus to prove their fitness or otherwise, for registration,” In the meantime steps will be taken to show that their tables of payments and benefits are made upon a secure basis. An attempt to launch the new iron steamer Iron Age, built for Messrs Bouman and Macandrew by Sparrow and Henderson, was made shortly before high water this morning. The steamer had been slid along as far as the permanent line of railway just beyond tho Stuart street Jetty, when one of the slides gave way, and the “Iron Age” remained a fixture on two beams on the railway line. In order that the traffic between Dunedin and Port Chalmers might be resumed, it was found necessary to lay a fresh line of rails three yards from the permanent line, for a distance of about 100 yards ; and the first train left for Port Chalmers shortly before 10 o’clock. The steamer still remains on the line; and during the day quite a crowd of persons have been collected at the place to witness the very unusual sight of a steamer on a railway line.

The Wellington ‘ Argua ’ can say nothing too bad of Sir George Grey, and in a recent editorial writes of him thus :—“ The Superintendent of Auckland had the supreme impertinence to return this telegram unopened to the Premier of the Colony, and yet had the inconsistency, two days after, to forward to the Minister whom he had insulted, remarks of his own and of Mr Reader Wood’s on the figures alluded to. Sir Julius Vogel Kid himself open to this insult, certainly, by attempting to argue with a man whom it is only charitable to suppose must, in Colonial phrase, be a shingle short, or else, with his official experience, he would never talk seriously of communicating direct with the Governor on departmental matters. There is something inexpressibly painful in the spectacle Sir George Grey presents to the Colony. Consumed by envy and selfcondfeit, he runs a muck with everyone. He apparently cannot forgive the fact that he has had a successor in the Governorship of New Zealand. This and his age furnish a key to much which would otherwise be inexplicable. He wants a Royal Commission. We say let him have it by all means, but let its subject be the Superintendent of Auckland, and let the Commission itself be one de lunatico inquirendo.”

There was, a smart passage-at-arms at Queenstown the other day, between Mr Beetham, R.M., and a Mr Finn, who practices in his Court. A series of quasi-criminal cases were set down for hearing, and, after hearing the evidence, the magistrate con sidered the case proven, and imposed a nominal penalty, whereupon the following not very creditable dialogue is reported by the ‘ Mail ’ to have taken place : “ Mr Finn said his client felt strongly that he was not receiving justice and would not go o'n further with the other eases.—Mr Beetham ■ You are a barrister and an officer of the Court. Suppose your client had really instructed you to make these remarks, your own position should have prevented you acting as his mouth-piece in attempting to insult the Court. ■ —Mr Finn : My client feels that you are prejudiced against him, and Mr Beetham : In what way ? —Mr Finn: At the Licensing Court you styled his opposition to the grantingof a slaughtering license in a slighting sense, as childlike and bland, and we shall argue those cases in another place. Mr Boyes, another of the ju.-tines fitting at the licensing, had said ho was not responsible Mr Beetham : That will do. Are you .going on with the next case ?—Mr Finn ; My client ip cevtam that

he will not obtain justice, and I have therefore advised him to withdraw it. The cases wefe proved as clear as noon-day, and it was of no use going on with the other.—Mr Beetham ; That is sufficient. Such conduct is very disagreeable in a Court of Justice.” — The cases were then withdrawn.

The s.s. Taiaroa will, especially for the benefit of visitors to the Christchurch races, sail for Timnru on F iday, returning on Saftmlay and • outlay, Trains run between Timatu and Christchurch twice daily.

A tyr ographiual error crept into our report of Mr Bathgate s judgment yesterday in Stohr’s trustee v. Stamper. Instead of “ the trustee can purchase,” &c., it should have been “no tru-tee can purchase,” &c.

All chess players of the Province are invi ed to meet at the Athenaeum Club Rooms to at eight o’clock to ma l, e arrangements for the forthcoming match for the silver cup. We trust there will be a good muster, so that aha> d struggle may be made to wrench the laurels from the Auckland players. The rooms have been enlarged lately, but we ho e to see them crowded to-night.