The Nelson Evening Mail. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 1872.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VII, Issue 187, 7 August 1872, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 1872.

Nelson and Foxhill Railway. — At na influential meeting of residents of Nelson held Ibis morning, it was resolved to send the following telegram to Mr D M. Lnckie, afc Wellington : — Great and general dissatisfaction at Reeves' reply to Luckio's question relative to Foxhill railway. It i 3 known here tliat the plans have been ready over a month. Can you relieve public anxiety on the matter ; will public meeting strengthen your liands ? — Eout, chairman incetiug. Post Office Savings' Banks. — A return recently published of the business dono by these institutions shows that they ore in a roost flourishing condition, and seems to afford very satisfactory evidence of the thrift and saving propensities of the colonists of New Zealund. During the year 1871 thero were received throughout the colony no less than 24,642 deposits representing £31 2,338, the withdrawals during the same period being 14,773 in number, and £261,357 in value, leaving a balance to credit of the depositors on the 3 1st December of £357,654. The approximate amount of interest on investment? at 6 per cent for the same time was £IS,BOBj the interest; pnitS on accounts closed during the year £1125, and the interest accrued and added to accounts open to 31st December £10,165. The total number of deposits since the commencement in 1867 is 82,225 to the value of £1.108,773; the withdrawals, 44,283 or £784,886; the approximate amount of interest on investments, £54,080, and the interest accrued on and added to accounts £30,441. The statistics of the Proviuce of Nelson in thi3 J department for the past year are as follows: — Deposits 714, amount £6588 ; withdrawals 347 ; representing, together with interest on closed accounts, £5366; and the balance at credit of depositors on the 31st December £8812. Tub Restjlts op Vaccination. — At the present time, the following statistics quoted by the Colonial Secretary, iv his speech in moving the second rendiog of the Public Health Bill, will be read with interest. "Dr. Trench, the medical officer of Liverpool, in hia report for 1871 on the health of that town, stated that among 1616 patients treated for the disease, the deaths of the unvaccinated, and of tbosa in whom vaccination was doubtful were at the fearful rate of 56 per cent ; the deaths where only one. cicatrix was visible, on the other hnnd, were only 14 per cent ; where two cicatrices wore visible they fell to 9 per cent ; . while where three were visible they were as low as 7 per cent." The following passage from, a despatch from the Secretary of State having reference to the stamping out of the disease in Ireland was also quoted : — " On the. Ist January 1864, commenced the operation of the Act of 1863, which rendered vaccination compulsory, and its effect ia stamping out; the smallpox is shown by the following table of deaths resulting from that disease in the years since its enactment :— ln 1864, 854 deaths; 1865, 347 deaths; 1866, 187 deaths; 1867, 20 deaths; 1868, 19 deaths; 1869, 1 death." Such statistics as these clearly have a moral for those- living in a colony threatened with tixis terrible disease as is New Zealand at the present moment;. A Roll of. unbleached broad sheeting (says a Wellington contemporary), manufactured from some phormium fibre, received by the Albion from Dr Featherstone, is now on view in the Colonial Museum. It has- been made from' yarh prepared by Mr Thome's patent prpcess, ia which the fibre is cleaned, chiefly by a chemical method. The fabric produced is quite equal in ['strength to that made from, true flax. We understand tliat this is only - a portion of what has been made,- .'and that a variety of other manufactures, such as towelling, may shortly be expected. „ '■ The increased cost of iron -adds; £18,000 to the cost of the Cluthalinei': whicb, however, will still be i finished' wijfli-Vj in £5000 a'raile, : - • ' . -,;• -V. •.-."'• Considebable anxiety is felt regarding/, the ships Agamemnon and Ben More, from [ London to Lyttelton, both of them, being long overdue. They have rail way iron/ on board,/- \ f . ■ "■'■■'■ "-'■; ! /~''" j ;" i .".v :i '"^ Wkf'Post, understand '. that the actuary, who w#s appointed by the V; [Govern inenfe,. to.f. jasceriain the value of the- existing claims of the civil service for ; , pensions, with a view to the : extiuctiq^j§fj;'thoße>.qlainis' has ' reported that the amount-required for such extinguisjbm^ . ";'. : -The Hon£;Mr\<Wa^^ an the Legislative; vCoj^cili^That rin ihe . . : -'making ';and : 'a^ ' -Aej;w;aiv^^^ day>is^ opposed t<?^ns^