NELSON VOLUNTEER FIRE BRIGADE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 267, 6 November 1873, Page 5

NELSON VOLUNTEER FIRE BRIGADE.

Fbidat, October 31. A special meeting of the Nelson Fire • Brigade was held this evening, for the .purpose of receiving a report from a deputation appointed at a previous meeting to wait upon the Auxiliary Brigade, with a view to bringing about better arrangements between the two bodies. There was a considerable attendance. Captain Lightfoot was in the chair. The following report was read:— At a meeting of the Nelson Volunteer Fire Brigade deputations, at the Custom House Hotel, the Fort, on Thursday, "October S3, there were present Mr Lightfoot, Mr Brown, Mr Cookßey,Mr Brighten, and Mr Gavrard, being the full number appointed at the last 'Brigade meeting to meet a deputation of the Auxiliary Brigade, to make ench arrangements as would in future enable the two bodies to understand their duties and positions both as regard rank at fires, and supplying funds. The deputation from the Auxiliary Brigade consisted of Mr Garrard, Mr Akereten, Mr Freeman, Mr Tutty, and Mr Lukinß. Mr Lightfoot in the chair. The first resolution was propose! by Sir Brown, and seconded by Mr Brighten. It was as follows: — " That the Auxiliary Brigade do forthwith join the Nelson Volunteer Fire Brigade and become an integral part of the same, it being understood that certain concessions wili be made by the original Brigade as to the rules of practice, and the Beach Company will retain the priority of . electing its own officers." Not carried. ■. ■ The second resolution was proposed by Mr Akersten, and seconded by Mr Garrard: — r "That the Auxiliary Brigade attend two practices of the parent Brigade in town in each year, under the order of the officers in command of that Brigade." Carried unanimously. The third resolution was proposed by Mr H. Brown, and seconded by Mr Gooksey:— "That the Auxiliary Brigade engage not to apply for subcriptions or gear from the public, the Insurance Companies, or from the Government ; and the parent Brigade engage to render such assistance as; it considers possible and expedient after listening id a full representation of th e seeds of the Auxiliary Brigade, as expounded by one or more cf their officers, or other mqmbers." Carried unanimously. . It was further agreed, that in cases cf fire In town the Auxiliary Brigade is to be under the control and charge of the officers in charge of the parent Brigade, and in case of fire at the Fort, that the captain of the Auxiliary Brigade is to act as foreman of that company, It was moved by Mr Wigzell, and seconded be Mr Smallbone, " That the report be adopted." Agreed to. , ' r Mr Wigzell then moved, and Mr Foreman Thomson seconded the motion, " That the. deputation be authorised to meet the deputation from the Auxiliary Brigade, and settle matters definitely, in accordance with the report adopted at this meeting; and that the captain and secretary be authorised to sign, on behalf of this Brigade, an agreement to carry out the report, due regard being had to a promise for the return,' when requested, of any property entrusted by this Brigade to the Auxiliary Brigade.. Themotion was agreed to. : The captain then submitted certain plans for {he alteration of the engine-house and lor hose stations— one in Waimea-road, and one in the Wood—which were approved of, and ordered to be carried out as soon as funds sufficient were obtained from public subscriptions. . A committe was theD appointed to see the proposed works carried out. -, The balaoce'sheet for the half-year ending the 19th showed funds in hand to the amount of £77 15s 10d. Since then there have been disbursements amounting to £50 3a., leaving the present balance £27 12s 10. .- The public are bow appealed to for subscriptions to assist the Brigade to carry ont the improvements contemplated.

A sample of tohneco, and manufactured by the Waikato Maoris, is being' exhibited in Dunedin, The tobacco, which is made by the Datives i exclusively for their own use, is very strong—the King's followers having learned, no doubt from the whalers, that a little adulteration with rum find treacle gives the article increased strength. Writing of the elections on the Coast, the G. li. Argus says; — So far as the Coast is concerned, distinct mention, has not been rende of a single candidate for Councillorship, except in the district of Central Buller, where Mr Leodrick Macleao, of NelsoD, aud Mr Donald M'Gregor, a local resident, are in the field — as is, by the way, a Mr Grove, a gentleman who cultivates 'literature and potatoes in the remote interior. At Westport, unless Mr E. J. O'Conor discovers discretion to be the better part of valor, and estimates a sent in the Council to be a more certain way of satisfying his polical sympathies than running for the Superintendency, there will be two new men to bo elected, and there' is not wanting, both in and around Westport, men thoroughly competent for the office, if their vanity is so humble as to permit them to accept'it. • The Auckland Star says:— To-morrow will be ushered into existence the National Punch, a comic paper, designed to hit off the follies of the colonists without assailing private character. Like his distinguished parent of world-wide fame, the new-comer is not tied to any political party; his creed is liberal, and his aims cosmopolitan. The best talent of the colony will be employed to illustrate, with pen and pencil, the new candidate for public favor. We have seen an early copy of the first number. The cover is a study in itself. It contains a strong Punch element in combination with colonial surroundings. The cartoon, of course, has reference to the " Wizard of the South." The Premier ia represented as sitting in Oriental magnificence blowing the bubbles that havo so often delighted and disappointed the liege subject of Her Majesty in this part of her dominions. Aloft ia the magnificent San Francisco mail bubble bursting and descending in unpleasaut showers on those below. Mr Luckie (a very poor likeness it must bo admitted) stands officiating as chief showman with tha Southern Cross in his hand. The latest bubble in the Premier's pipe is the Provincial Loans Bill. There are two good etchings, one illustrative of mistakes that may occur when lady telegraphists are the ro^e, and the other showiDg the follies of fashion. The official returns of the gold export during the past balf-year give some interesting particulars. It appears the respective exports during the half-year ended 30th September, 1873, were as folio ws :— Auckland, 34,271 ozs, 03 compared with 25,399 io the. corresponding half of lost yfar, showing an increase of 8,8720z5 ; Westland, 26,075 oze^as compared with 23,695 last year— increase, 2,3800z5; Nelson, 24,5470za, as against 19,393 last year —increase, 5,1540z5; Otago, 23,5460z5, against 29,964 last year, showing a decrease of 6,4190z3; Marlborough, 180ozs, ajjainst 505 last year — decrease, 3970zg. Thus, every gold province, excepting Otago and Marlborough, shows a most satisfactory improvement. The Auckland gold export has increased to the extent of nearly 40 per cent; that of Nelson nearly 30 per cent; Westlund, 10 per cent* Ou the other hand the amount of gold exported from Otago has fallen off no less than 22 per cent since last year and she now ranks only fourth in the list ot gold-producing provinces, Auckland standing first, Westland Becou(], and Nelson third. The total export of gold from the whole colony in the half year amounted to 108,5460z5, va1ue £433,450, as compared with 98,956 ozs, valued at for the corresponding period of last year. The increase for the colony is therefore 9,5900za in quantity, and £44,172 in value, the latter showing an augmentation of 10 per cent over the relative half year in 1872 Post. On Tuesday last a hermetically sealed bottle waa picked up on the Nine-mile Beach, Charleston, which contained a slip of paper and a lock of hair. If genuine, and from the paper there is no reason to doubt it, it may be of some eervice to nantical men as illustrative of the peculiar set of ocean currents. The paper is in some parts scarcely legible, and had the following inscription on it: — '* This of ha ■—a — is — the head of— devcal Mabam by himself and whosoever doth find it is informed that it is bis personal property ship Sussex off C. Horn, January Ist, 1870." The interpretation would seem to be, " This piece of hair was cat ofi the head of Daniel Maham (or Mahar) by himeelf, etc — Westport Times. Convincing Evidence. — " Mamma, this is very old butter," said a little three-year-old girl at the breakfast table. " What makes you thiok so, my dear ?" " Because it has grey hairs in it."

T bo mate of the barque Harriet Armitagc, which has arrived at Dunedin, had on board that vessel, when she left Hong Kong, two'hundred canaries and twenty larks. All of the larks and about fifty of the cannriea died during the last month of the voyage. Boot and shoe factories, vrhere machine work is the order of the day, are gradually being established on more or less extensive Scales in different parts of (he city of Chriatchurch, and female skillod hands are in great requisition, acd are obtaining very exceHent wages. That " two of a trade can never agree" is an old, and to some extent, a very true saying.' It is certainly exemplified in a challenge which" Wheeler and Wilson have issued in Melbourne to Mr Singer, for £500, to come forward and test the speed of their respective machines, that amount to be handed over by the winner to the Melbourne charities. In would appear there is another Haley in our midst says the Auckland Herald. So think the police authorities ; and so it eppeafs is the opinion of' others. On the 6th ultimo a fire broke out on the premises of a draper, in Queen-street, which resulted in property being destroyed to the amount of £60,000, there or thereabout a, as nearly as could be ascertnined. On the 14th instant, a fire occurred on the premises of Mr J. S. Macfarlane, by which buildings and merchandise were destroyed to the value of between £8,000 and £9,000. Again, on the. morning of the 25th instant, between two and three o'clock, a fire was discovered iv three places in the Ponsonby Rood rope- walk, which was extinguished without any serious loss having been sustained. Aq impression has lately gained ground that these fires have been the act of some incendiary, and we notice that a reword of £250 has been offered on the part of the Government, by Mr Broham, Inspector of (he Armed Constabulary, for the diacovery of the perpetrator or perpetrators. The following are the new tariff charges to the public for telegraphic messages from one station in New Zealand to any other:— -For the first ten words or fraction of ten words, Is ; for every additional word after the first ten, Id per word. On Sundays double the above rates. No charge will be made for address and signature up to ten words j every word over ten will be charged at tariff rates. In the case of a telegram requiring to be delivered beyond one mile from the station to which it is addressed and transmitted, or on shipboard, or on the water, or across the water, further charges will be made as provided by the general regulations and conditions for the time being in force in relation thereto. The following charges will be mhde:— -For the copy of every telegram, Is ; for every search, 2s 6d; for every hour after the first hour occupied in any search for telegramß,2a6d. The Provincial Council of Otago, in the most commendable manner, and with much foresight as to future results, is offering all encouragement to every practicable industry which con be carried on within the four corners of its own province. In this respect it is almost in advance of the Colonial Government in providing bonuses for 'manufactures into which enter the raw material, the produce of Otago. The Provincial Government, being desirous of encouraging the manufacture of woolpacks and sacks, has notified that it is prepared to receive offers from parties willing to embark in the enterprise, and will render assistance by a bonus to the extent of £1500, in the following manner: — On the erection of buildings and machinery to the value of at least £2000, it will give at least £750. On the production of sacks and wool packs to a value of not less than £500, it will give £400, and for the production of a further quantity of sacks to the value of not less than £1000, it will give £350. The Government insists that the cloth must in each case be produced by machinery permanently established in the province, and to be manufactured either wholly or to a large extent from phormium tenax, or other indigenous plants, or from other material grown in the province Herald. A smart pen-and-ink sketch was circulated in the Legislative Assembly (says "iEgles" in the Australasian) during the Mount and Morris debate. A couple of vultures are flying off triumphantly with derisive screams. The AttorneyGeneral has just discharged his doublebarrel, and loquitur — " Bless my soul, I forgot to put the bullets in '." That good may sometimes come out of evil is shown by the fact that the postal card owes its origin to the Franco-Prussian war. The difficulty of soldiers in securiqg pens and paper upon which to write home induced the German authorities to issue bits of pasteboard to the soldiers for this purpose, and they were largely availed of, the messageabeing written in pencil. Their use was continued thereafter in time of peace, and has since been adopted in England and the United States, *'

Numbers of persons are already arriving in Melbourne for the race meeting. Over a hundred horses are out training every morning. •In his late lecture on " To-day in Europe," by Sir C. G. Duffy, at the Melbourne Museum, said:-— English historians were in the habit of pointing out what France had lost by revoking the edict of Nantes and driving out an intelligent and industrious people because they differed upon a question of religion; but be would ask why was M'Mahon in France, Nugent in Austria, O'Donnell in Spain ? Waa it not because the same infernal spirit of persecution drove their fathers out of Ireland that drove the Huguenots out of France ? He detested persecution from whatever quarter it came, and he was prepared to assert that England has lost as much by driving gallant soldiers out of Ireland as had France by driving out the Hupuenote. t There was (says the Australasian) something of more than the ordinary pathos and solemnity attaching to farewell speeches in the address with which Sir Alfred Stephen, Chief Justice of New South Wales, the other day announced his retirement from the bench and took leave of his brethren of the bar. The address represented ihe close of a long, useful, and in many ways remarkable career. In the thirty.four years during which Sir Alfred Stephen sat on the bench, he had seen the roll of barristers in Sydney grow from twenty names to sixty-five, and that of solicitors from fifty- two to 243. And while new names have been added, the old ones have disappeared from the Hat. Said hia Honor, in weighty and feeling terms: — " It is painful for me to remember that, of the small band of ' practitioners first mentioned, four barristers and seven solicitors alone are now living. Of the judges with whom I originally sat and those who next succeeded none now remain in the colonj, the greater number having gone to their long rest; and of the profession whom I address, the far larger proportion have entered it — many of its members have been born — since ray accesion to the office. Truly it, is time for me to* retire and leave the field to younger men. Of my own career I have nothing to say — it must be judged of by others I ask no extenuation of my shortcomings; I have no fear that, anything will be set down concerning me in malice. But I would beg those who may be disposed to think lightly of the judical office, or its work, to be assured of this one thing — that nothing but evil to the country can result from depreciation of either. No object is or ought to be of higher moment, of greater interest to any community, than the integrity, the independence, and the learning of the judges of the land—and therefore the preservation of their station from reproach, and their characters from unthinking comment or underaerved obloquy." Being shown some very fat cattle at the Home Farms at Windsor, and understanding that they had been fed on oilcake, the Shah grew quite animated, and said to the interpreter, " Ask if oil-cake is good for wives." * When the Lords were discussing the Education Bill, Captain Fraaer denounced religious instruction being given in schools. Such instruction he said should oniy be given at the " mother's knee." One member who is always wanting to know, and for ever making inquisition upon all matters, irrespective of his knowledge of them, wished the Hon. Mr Fraser to inform him whether if a boy had no mother — how then ? To which the ready reply was that " A deceased wife's sister can supply her place." The question of the deceased wife's aiater bad just previously been before the House, and it was this that made the repartee so telling. Professor Samuel Gardiner, jun., the man who lights the Capitol of Washington by electricity, has invented a method of discharging fire arms which dispenses with gun locks and all that sorts of machinery. Within the handle of the pistol or gun he has a galvanic battery, or Leyden bottle and a rubber to produce electricity. Thence a w»re extends'to the cartridge, the arrangement being such that on pressing a pin with the finger, a spark of electricity enters the cartridge and fires the powder. Now, if the professor will only make one more improvement, namely, shoot the ball by electricity, without gun or powder, he will distance all competition, and add new laurels to his already distinguished fame as an electrician. It is worthy of special note, as bearing very directly upon the progress of Natural History Science, that the Fish Commissioner of the United States has transported, from the eastern waters, to those of the west, across the American continent, a large number of living fish, in a car specially fitted for their transportation, with tanks so shaped that the water could not escape under any amount of .shaking. Eleven varieties of nab, natives ; of the Atlantic, were thus removed to the coasts of California, with a view to Jheir naturalisation in the Pacific Ocean.

Many horses' are made vicious from cruel treatment. A frightened animal . cannot use its senses aright ; it must first be re-assured by considerate treatment. Mr G. Arraes, of Rochester, New York State, baa proved that the surface of steel may be hardened, without hardening the % masa of the metal, by placing the steel—a cylinder for example, upon aa enginelathe, and, while it is in motion, bringing . into contact with it an emery wheel rotatiDg at a velocity of above 1,800 revolt lions a minute. . . Glass bonnets are among .the t novelties at the Vienna Exposition! i .(These articles corao from Bohemia, and specimens have been sent to Paris and London, arid; some also to this country, in the.hope f that they will become popular, and be "all the fashion next fall. The bat is described as made of loose pieces of, glass, : Jasterieu*closely, together by a gutta-percha band, 1 which allows it : to conform to the head. Inside there is a lining of silk, .and' the trimmings are various. Birds and flowers ara chiefly used for ornamentation, colored so naturally that in appearance they are far superior to the uaualartificial goods. A bonnet of glass weighs buV a , few ounces, only a very ' small quantity ' being used in its construction. Of course they are very durable, rain will 'not' spot them, and the cost is said to be small. \ The Hon. Mr Campbell, in opposing th; Auckland Loan Bill, gave to the LeghTlative Council, towards the close, of the last session, the following curious calculation. He says the following will be the result of the provinces borrowing at 6 r per cent., instead of the colony borrowing^, ' 4£ per cent. The difference of-ij per cent on a currency of 35 years, reckoning compound interest upo.i that 11 per cent., will be a loss to each" province as follows • Nelson would borrow £110,000, an'l ioae ±99,770; Auckland, £190,000, and losa £172,330 ; Wellington. £«75;000? 'and lose £158,725; Marlborough, £21-000 and lose £19,048, Taranaki, £30,000, arid lose £27,210; Hawke's Bay; £210000 and lose £190,470; Otago, £300,000, and lose £272,100. The total sum, raised would be £1,036,000, and the total loss would be £939,653." « But," the hon. gentleman added, " the colony would haye 1 to pay these loans." The loss would therefore be absolute, and a heavy additional burthen upon the taxpayer. The following is from a lately published book, entitled "Underground, ibr Life Below the Surface," by Thomas W.Knox« —"A story is told of a Frenchman travelling in a railway coach in England/ who was very anxious to change his shirt in order to make a visit after the train had arrived, without taking the trouble to go to a hotel. His guide-book indicated a tunnel on the road, and he asked the guard or conductor how long the trairi would be in tbe tunnel. The guard mistook the question, and supposed he asked' how long before the train would reach the tunnel. He answered briefly «half-an-hour.' The coach in which the Frenchman was travelling was filled with : ladies and gentlemen, The traveller got dowri his valise, unlocked it, and made everything ready for change of apparel while they were in the tunnel. As soon as' they entered it he pulled off his shirt, and prepared to put on a clean one; but imagine his surprise and that of his companions discovering that the train remained only three minutes in the train instead of thirty. A.s they, came out in open daylight he was in their midst in a condition quite unfit fora mixed company of ladies and gentlemen." The Post-master- Gen eiral's Annual Report has just been presented to Parliament. ■ From it we learn tthat there has been a large and steady increase of postaltelegraph business :—" The total number of telegraph offices open at the end of the year was rather more than 5,430, and the number of ordinary messages last year reached a total of 15,000,000, showing an increase of nearly 3,00Q,000, or about 25 percent. A still greater increase took place in tbe number 6f words transmitted for the newspaper press, the press messages (excluding some sent ; as: ordinary telegrams) having, last year, contained more than 28,000,000 words, being an increase of 7,000,000 words, or more than 33 per cent. During one night, when some important ministerial statements w«re made in Parliament, 200,000 words, or about 100 columns of The Times, were transmitted from Telegraph-street for publication in the Provincial papers. The special telegraphic work in connection with the Autumn manoeuvres amounted to half-a-million words for the preps. The total length of the postal telegraph wires at the end of 1872 was more than 105,000 miles, of which about 50Q miles i were rented by private persons. In 11371 , the total mileage was rather less than 88,000. The telegraph instruments at theerid of the year numbered more than 7,500, being an increase during the year of nearly . 14QQ.— JBfolfa* Paper. ~" 7