Telegraphic News.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLI, Issue 8198, 26 May 1906, Page 8

Telegraphic News.

(Per Pre.<H AUCKLAND, May 25. j At the Magistral'* Court to-day, Mr j jitddell, 8.M.., K rm * h>« decision in tht* j ; csi.«ur of th-' Mount, Albert: Kottd Board v. the Presbyterian Church trustees. | The action, which «?i* of a friendly nature, was brought with the object of aKeer'ainmg whether the defendant trustees could be held liable for ra*e* on certain vacant sections of ground held by ihe church at Mount Albert, which were feneed off separately from allotments actually oosupicd by tho church buildings. Defendants claimed exemption under tho interpretation clause of the Rating Act, 1004, which provided that land occupied by a church waa exempted, Hi* Worship held thai the area, including tho sections on which ratea were claimed, could not be regarded as unreasonably large, and after quoting authorities, held that the property was not liable to be rated. A report upon the proposed regulations regarding the inspection of the city millc supply w*a« submitted to a meeting of the City Council. It »tates: " On the point of milk snpp'.y, it was mentioned that much of tlie da tiger, especially regarding infant mortality, existed m the conditions under winch milk was kept in private house#, and that public attention should be called to the. absolute necessity for extreme cleanliness in the matter." The committee recommended that draft regulations in respect to the licensing of milk vendors be recommended to tho Finance Committee for adoption. The report was agreed to. TIMARU, May 25. The Harbour Board to-day rejected a motion to increase the height of the new rubble breakwater, now Oft above high water level. Mr Maxwell s original design was for a half-tide wall, but the Board made it higher. The engineer was instructed to prepare plans for a wharf along the north mole, and to reclaim an approach io it. At the Supreme Court to-day a youth was sentenced to four years' hard labor for an indecent assault on a schoolgirl. He not long ago served sir months for a similar offence, A ease for nullification of marriage came before the Supreme Court from Ashburton, the wife being the applicant. The ground of action was that she was a half-blood niece of her husband. The defence claimed a literal reading of the table of prohibitions, which mentions nieces, not half-nieces. Judg' l Cooper ruled thai the jaw of Ecclesiastical Courts applied, and this prohibited marriages of imif-blood relations in that degree. A decree nisi was granted, A peculiarity of the case was that both parties desired the application to fail, but wished to teat ihc legality of the marriage. CHIIISTCHURCH, May 25. The annual provincial conference of the North Canterbury Farmers' Union concluded to-day, when the following motions were adopted:—"That owing to tho present grain statistics being very unreliable the Government be requested to compel every threshing machine in New Zealand to send in tallies of gram threshed ; that with a view of fostering closer relations with the Homeland, this branch is strongly of opinion that in any revision of the New Zealand tariff the question of preference should always take a foremost position." OHRISTCHURCH. This Day. The public examination of F. H. Bruges, a well-known solicitor, who is bankrupt, has l>egun in the Supreme Court. Mr Justice Uenniaton ruled that the examination was premature as the complicated accounts of the various trusts are still to be investigated and the examination might prejudice the satisfactory winding-up of the estate. He therefore adjourned the case sine die. WELLINGTON. This day. Captain W. Short, a retired master mariner, 75 years of ago, was found dead in his bedroom with his throat cut today. GORE. This day. At the Court to day, Mr McCarthy, S.M., lined Malachi Hanley £'f>o and costs for keeping liquor for sale in a j no-license district. The charge was I the result of a recent police raid on ! defendant's private hotel at East Gore, j Notice of appeal was given. NEW PLYMOUTH, This day. A fire at Waitara shortly after midnight destroyed the new premises owned by A. W. Ogle and occupied by a Chinese fruiterer. Fortunately there was no wind, otherwise the whole block would have gone. The insurances are j unknown at present. ! NELSON, This Day. j Captain Walker, agent for the Union i Company here, succeeding the late Captain Keeble some years ago, died last night after a somewhat protracted illness. The question of establishing a Government coal vie pot in Nelson, owing to the alleged high price of coal, was brought before Colonel Pitt during his visit by tho local Trades and Labour Council. The monopoly in the coal carrying trade was mentioned, and the Minister promised his earnest consideration. The coal firms aro now Writing to the newspapers declaring that the prices quoted hy the Trades' Council were inaccurate.