LATEST TELEGRAMS

Kumara Times, Issue 927, 19 September 1879, Page 2

LATEST TELEGRAMS

[press agency.] THE DUNEDIN FIRE.—W4TERS COMMITTED FOR TRIAL. Duxedtx. Sept.. 19. The Corporation has selected 75 men from 250 who applied for work. These will be put to work on city improvements. ; .. " . The members of. the Dunedin Railway Employees Benefit Society have agreed to amalgamate with their fellow workmen, on certain conditions. At the fire inquiry, the. Coroner having shrrrmed up, the j«ty retired to consider their verdict, and at half past eleven returned with a verdict against Waters of incendiarism. The jury then proceeded to hold ths adjourned inquest on the bodies. Later.' After the inquest on the bodies,- the jury returned a verdict of "Wilful murder" against Waters, who was committed for trial at the next sittings of th-e Supreme Court. Wellington, Sept. 18. The facts regarding Capt. Hewitt's dismissal are-that he received a letter from Government informing him he was dismissed from the service, but assigning no reason whatever. Subsequently, however, he received another letter asking him if he was agreeable that the previous letter should be considered as not having been sent or placed upon record. Clapcott, of the Insurance Department, also received a similar notification, but he showed that he took no part in the election', not even voting. [NEW ZEALAND PRESS ASSOCIATION.] Nelson, Sept. 1.7. A man named Patrick Kirwan, who was recently committed for trial for cattle stealing at Marlborough, but liberated on bail, has committed an assault on the keeper of an accomodation house at.the foot of the Maungatapu named Dyer. From information received the police were sent up to Dver's, where .they found Kirwan much knocked about himself, armed" with an old gun, and' covered with blood. It appears Kirwan went to Dyer's, and after asking for some refreshmeucs savagely assaulted'the latter, and after disabling him, burnt" about .£SO worth of goods. Kirwan v/;ta brought into tmvii i'.'ntl remanded, but it now trauspires that he is of unsound mind. Dunkdin-, Sept. 17. The inquest on the Octagon- fire was resumed to-dav. The prisoner Waters who was defended by Mr Dennison, was in attendance. Evidence was given as to the action of the Fire Brigade at the lire, and Waters's attempts to rescue his property. Waters, arrested for arson, was once employed in the publishing department

of the Otag'o Daily Times Orti-e under Mr Robert Wilson, oiie of the tcu victim's of the fire! The unemployed are to get work on 'he Otago central line cf railway ac once. .Sept. 18. The inquiry into the Octagon fire was continued until past two this.morning, and then adjourned until two this' afternoon. On resuming, Mr Denuison intimated tliat he should not call any witnesses, and the .co'roner, after consulting the jury, decided to adjouni till seven p,m., iD order (hat he might prepare his summing up. New Plymouth, Sept. it. The bush.new being felled on the south side of Sfiatford is all on fire. The Parihaka meeting commenced yesterday, at which there was a large gathering of Natives, the Hon. Wi Parata beiiig among the visitors present. The usual preparations for a fe,ast were ..made, and after 201)0 pannikins had been served it was estimated that about 300 more were required. Te W hiti gave a speech which lasted three hours. He quoted largely from the Bible; indeed, his speech was nearly made up of scripture phrases. Alluding to the prisoners at Wellington, he said they would not be released until he released them by the power of j his speech. If the gates of the prison ; were thrown open the prisoners would* ; not leave until he told them. He said i there would be uninterrupted peace between the two races, the pakeha and! the Maori and that all would own him as their Lord... The speech was simply a repetition of previous utterances, but one time during the speech he made a mysterious allusion which is not yet understood. He placed a stone'oh file roof of the whare, and put forth a sort of parable in inference to it, so mysterious in its nature however as to be entirely beyond the comprehension of the Natives themselves. He will ppsI sihly explain the parable before the meeting breaks up. The meeting will be continued to-day, and riost of tire visitors remained at Parihaka to be' present. There were 15 Europeans' ptesent at the meeting. "Tohu, "the prophet, did not speak yesterday, but he will most likely address the meeting to-day. A" Sre broke out, yesterday morning in the dwelling li -use of Robert Woodv situated two yiid a-half miles on the other side of the Oakura, when the house was completely destroyed ; the inmates losing all their furniture and clothing. Tho house was insured in the Standard; but the amount is not yet known. ArCKT;A'N'fi : ; Sept 17. Edgecome, surveyor, engaged surveying near Waikame, Lake Rangiriri, was' told by natives not to continue, as the Maori Kings orders are that no more roads and no more surveys were to be allowed. A protest being made that the land was not within the Aukati lines' the natives said that Aukati lines are now abolished,- aud that Tawhiao now claims" the whole island. -.- ■ ■ . Sept, 18. . Captain Traite, the .Well known island trader, and his chief officer, Thomas •? Henry Pane, and John Smith, a digger, were apprehended by a detective on a charge of breaking into Messrs Hummers and Company's store Fort street, and stealing therefrom a quantity of tobacco. It appeared the police seized about GO lbs of tobacco in Smith's, Tasrnan Bay, and he tul'mited to the officers that it was obtained from Captain Traite.