TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.

Marlborough Daily Times, Volume III, Issue 194, 28 January 1881, Page 3

TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.

[REUTER’S TELEGRAMS.] LONDON. January 26. Butter brought in the refrigerating room of the steamship Potosi with fresh meat from Melbourne arrived in excellent condition, and doubts which first existed as to its freshness have therefore been dispelled. After 22 hours’ sitting, the House of Commons finally adopted Mr Glad-

stone’s motion for considering the Coercion for Ireland Bill should take precedence of all other business. Great alarm exists throughout England at the renewed rumors of an intended Fenian attack, and the authorities continue to take precautionary measures.

Portions of the Tower of London, which have hitherto been open to the public, are now entirely closed, and strong guards are daily told off at the various barracks in England in case of attack. News has been received from Central Asia that the Russians have been completely successful over the Tekke Turcomans at Geok Tepe, and have captured that town. Desperate fighting again took place between the two forces before the capture was made by the Russians, and the Tekkcs are now in full retreat from the place. Thursday. The Right Hon W. E. Gladstone has communicaoed to the Press a denial of the report which lias been generally current to the effect that lie intends to take a peerage. It is announced t at the United States Government will in future p’ay New South Wales and New Ze .land one half the cost of overland transporfc of mails via San Francisco. Riots, which have arisen over the miners’ strike in Lancashire, continue to occur in various places, and disturbances are spreading. The military and police in the district are not strong enough to preserve order, and further reinforcements of troops are being despatched. GA PETOWN. January 20. News has been received to-day from Natal that Governor General Sir George Colley who recently left Newcastle with a force of 1000 strong, crossed into the Transvaal and lias arrived in Gogo. Bodies of Boers have already been seen, and anearly engagniont with the enemy is expected. HAMBURG. •January 20. It is announced that the Catania the pioneer of a line of German steamers between Hamburg and Australia, leaves this Port for Adelaide, Melbourne, arid Sydney, ri i the Capo, on the I sth March next, SYDNEY. January 26. The final sitting of the conference was held to-day. The business transacted consisted principally of formal completion of resolutions .previously agreed upon. The conference has now broken up. Sailed—The Pacific mail Steamship Australia for Auckland. [FROM OCR WiamXCTON CORRESPONDENT.]

WELLINGTON. Thursday. .At a meeting of the Seamens’ Union held last evening letters were read from Port Chalmers and Auckland branches treating of the progress of the strike, which both branches determined to continue. The Wellington Union thereupon passed the following resolution : “ That all boats strike for an eight-hour movement on the 31 at January, and to come out if they do liot get it. The eight-hours to he on the aaticles.” unanimously. Every boat is to be notified of the fact.

Bradley, master of the schooner Fleetwing, sues Mr Downes. Treasurer to the Regatta Committee, for the value of the first prize and Cup in the Coasters’ Race, amounting to L(!5 15s. A meeting of the Regatta Committee will be held this evening for the purpose of considering the matter.

The gates for the ensuing races were purchased by Mr Cato for L4lO. It will be remembered that under the Property Tax Act, 1879, the property tax was due and payable in two equal halfyearly instalments, and that one of these ought in proper course of time to have been paid some months ago, but owing to successive delays occasioned by objections to the taxation of personal effects, and to the inquisitorial nature of the original schedules, it had been impossible up to the present time to levy the first half-yearly instalment due for the current financial year ending the 31st March next. Both instalments, however, must be levied during the financial year, and the result of all the delays caused as above is that the first instalment cannot now be collected until the second is almost due. Some annoyance may be created by persons being required to pay the second instalment directly after the first, but it must be remembered this will be on account of the first being long over-due, while both must be got in before the close of March, so that there is no alternative but to make the two payable during that month. The date fixed for payment of the first instalment of the Property Tax is the Bth March, and the second instalment the 22nd of that month. Official notification to this effect will be issued immediately. This Day.

The cricket match Australians v. South Canterbury terminated yesterday, the Australians winning in one inning with 108 runs to spare.

TIMARU. Thursday. The cricket match between the Australians and 22 of South Canterbury was centinued to-day, nine of the latter being out for 22 runs. WESTPORT. Thursday. The s.s. Grafton in going into the Grey struck on the North Spit and smashed the fans of her propellers. She is now on the hard here. NEW PLYMOUTH. Thursday. A man named Alexander Painter, a storeman, died suddenly at the harbor works yesterday. Intelligence has just been received here that a hush fire occurred inland at Parihaka which destroyed a great quantity of food. So excited were the Maoris that it was with difficulty many of them were pre-

vented rushing into the flames and dying with the food which was being destroyed. NAPIER. Thursday. The Governor left Ohinemutu for Taupo this morning, and will arrive at Napier on Saturday. Rooms at the Criterion Hotel have been engaged for him. AUCKLAND. Thursday. The Board of Grammar School Governors this morning carried the following resolution moved by Judge Fenton : —“ That the Board of Governors concur in the opinion of the Royal Commission on Education that the Head Master should lie a graduate of a University.” The motion, which was levelled at the present head master, and considered the first step to a complete change in the school, excited a long and animated debate, and was carried by five to four.

At the Police Court to-day, a large number of boys were sentenced to whipping and one to three months’ imprisonment for robbing orchards.

The Ifernlil states that the Governor gave groat offence at Ohinemutu by refusing to shake hands with a Maori woman who held out her hand to him, and by resolving at the last moment to stay at an hotel owned by one tribe when preparations had been made for his entertainment at an hotel owned by another tribe. At a meeting of the Board of Reviewers under the Property Assessment Act. the business to-day was the valuation of the Alburnia Goldmining Company’s property. Heskcth submitted that shares in the Company were not the Company’s property, but belonged to the shareholders ; second, that the Company’s traffic only was liable to taxation ; third, that the Company’s capital was not liable to taxation ; therefore, he submitted, it was only the proparty of the Company which was liable to be taxed. The Board said that as the matter brought up was a most important one, and would affect the whole of the Goldmining Companies in the Colony, the Board could not give its decision for a fortnight. DUNK DIN. This Day. During the passage of the Albion from Lyttelton to this port one of the steerage passengers from Auckland to Melbourne, named James Garnett Pike, was missed, He was last seen by his mate at 2 a.m. yesterday, when he was muttering to himself as he lay in his bunk. Previously to coming aboard he had been drinking at Auckland, and was suffering from its effects. Pike had been a gum digger at North Wairoa, and had returned to Auckland on the 11th January. He procured some medicine at Christchurch, the greater part of which lie had taken.