Press Special Wire.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1598, 3 April 1879, Page 3

Press Special Wire.

New Plymouth, April 2. At a special meeting of the Land Board today, the Waimato Plains were declared lands of special value, and the upset price for cash fixed at To per acre, and on deferred payments at T 7 10s per acre.

The youths injured at the races are slowly recovering. At a meeting of the creditors in Dobbins’ estate to-day, the validity of the bill of sale held by Messrs Humphries was questioned, and submitted for Mr Hesketh’s opinion. Wellington, April 2.

The “Post” to-night in an article on draining and colonial industries quotes Mr Clarke’s opinion on New _ Zealand made drainage pipes in which it is stated that some Auckland made pipes recently shipped to Wellington are pronounced by experts to be equal in every way to the best homo pipes. Wellington made pipes are not considered so good for drainage purposes. The D’Urville Island Copper Company have received the official reports of the smelting, which says, half the sample was composed of simply the ground accompanying the ore. No attempt whatever had been made to sort or dross the ore, and out of the forty-seven tons actually weighed, only fifteen should have been sent. With the view of determining the actual value of the ore the smelter took out a fair sample, such as he would have sent for sale if in charge, and jit* yielded 29] per cent. He expresses the opinion that the ore is good and likely to get a good deal better at greater depth. The Government state that the removal of the su wey party from the block on the Manawatu river was the result of a misapprehension on the part of the Maoris. It appears Mr Baker, surveyor in ctarge of the party, did not give notice of his intention to survey the block, and when he entered on the land the Natives wanted to know his authority. None of the party understood Maori, and were unable to make explanations, and the Natives therefore removed their instruments. The Native department was communicated with, and explanation followed, upon which the Maoris expressed their regret, saying they acted in ignorance, and the survey party was allowed to return to work. Messrs Ballance and Macandrew started at three o’clock this afternoon on a visit to the West Coast. They will go over par* of the proposed new railway line to the Coast, and visit Manawatu, Rmgitikei and Wanganui. They also contemplate going over Pate a country up to the Waingongoro river, crossing which they will visit the seat of the Waimate difficulty. They will be about ten days. The ketch Emerald, from Gisborne to Picton, put into Wellington last night in consequence of the mate, a German, named Auguste Pollonow, having become insane on the voyage. There are still no tidings of the missing yacht Fanny Goddard. Messrs Walden and Hill started in the Contrabandiere and searched the Heads from the lighthouse to Lowry Bay without having seen a single vestige of the missing craft.

Pinfiro and Sinking Fund arrived in the Southern Cross from Auckland yesterday, and went on to Christchurch to-day. The following is the full text of the decision of the Education Board in the Mount Cook school squabble : “ That a letter be written from the Board to the head master of the Mount Cook school, strongly reprimanding him for his conduct in the school, especially for finding fault with the presence of the scholars, and generally for a defect in necessary courtesy of manner towards the subordinate teachers in the school. They resolve further that two of the Misses McGowan should be removed to another school. They would not in this removal be deemed in any way as censuring the Misf-es McGowan. They hope that in the future the evils at present complained of may not exist.” The first marriage of a Maori woman before the Registrar here took place to-day at the Supreme Court.

Blenheim, April 2

The new paper started here by the Opposition applied for advertising. Mr Ward, M.H.R., moved in the Education Board that tho whole of advertising be taken from the “ Express ” and given to the “Times.” Some parties in the Wairau Road Board and tho Borough Council carried similar resolutions. In the building society a like motion was moved with the same results. The “Express” states that in future it will publish all their notices gratuitously, and protests strongly against the course of forcing a paper with public funds to further private ends. It <■ enounces the Education Board as an engine of oppression, and puts its trust in the spirit of fair play which animates Englishmen. Dunedin, April 2.

Tho bakers decided to give to tho masterbakers in Dunedin and suburbs a week’s notice by circular that they have formed themselves into a society for the protection of their interests, and that on and after tho 10th inst. they intend to give their employers nine and a half hours’ work daily, viz., from 5 a.m. to 4 p.m. The case of Stanford v Gillies, an argument of a rule nisi to enter a verdict for the defendants on tho following grounds, came on for hearing in the Supreme Court, to-day. The rule was granted upon the following grounds : —(I) That the evidence taken at the trial shows that the money claimed in the plaintiff’s declaration was paid to the use of the defendants, and not otherwise. (2) That the safd evidence further shows that the said money had been previously acquired by the plaintiff in fraud of his co-partners, to wit, the general rody of the shareholders in the “ Otago Daily "Times” and “Witness” Company (limited , and that tho same of right belonged and, ex dehito jnstit'ne, was payable to the defendants as the duly appointed official liquidators of the said company. The argument will be continued tomorrow.

Invercargill, April 2,

The ratepayers’ roll for the franchise has been completed by Mr Scandrett, the town clerk, and contains nearly 700 names. The vital statistics for the past month are— Deaths, 31 ; births, 121 ; marriages, 39. Two hundred and forty-seven police cases were dealt with during the quarter.