The Nelson Evening Mail. TUESDAY. JUNE 23. 1874.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume IX, Issue 148, 23 June 1874, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. TUESDAY. JUNE 23. 1874.

Smith's Combination Company.-— This Company will arrive by the Phoebe to-night, and give an entertainment at the Masonic Hall to-morrow evening.

Nelson Eegatta Club.— -A meeting of the members of this Club will be held at the Globe Hotel this evening, when a full attendance is requested. All-Saints' Church. — A short service will be held at this church tomorrow evening, at s' o'clock. Siamese and Asiatic Circus. — This company performed to a crowded audience last evening, in tbe paddock near the Institute. They perform again in Nelson to-night and tomorrow evening, at Wakefield on Thursday, and at Richmond on Friday. The Goddard Benefit — In reply to many inquiries as to the amount realised at tbe entertainment given by the Nelson Artizans' Society for the above purpoee, we are requested to state. that after deducting the expenses, £7, a cheque for £20 was handed over to Mrs Goddard. Colonial Bank — A meeting was held yesterday at Messrs Adams nnd Kingdon's office, when the deputation from Dunedin gave some explanations as to the objects of tbe Bank, and several gentlemen subscribed for shares. Mr Scaile bus been appointed local secretary, and will be happy to furnish every information. We see by advertisement that a public meeting will be held on Friday evening next, at 8 o'clock, at tbe Trafalgar Hotel, for the purpose of forming a Committee to receive applications for fhare3, and establish a branch of the above Bank in Nelson, Mr. B. Fhort, of College Hill, invited tbe Nelson Wesleyan Sunday School Teachers, Kev. T. Buddie, and a few friends, on Friday evening' last, to tea, and spend the evening with hiß family, upwards of 40 were present. The evening was very pleasantly and profitably spent. Dr Hector, who returned to Wellington yesterday from a visit to the Collingwood coal mine, states that he found very satisfactory progress had been made with the workings. The tunnel is now driven a distance of 600 feet, but owing to the flatness of the strata, which prevented the workings beinpc so profitably carried on as they migbt otherwise be, it was decided to make an " up*rise," or shaft, 50 feet high at the extremity of the tunnel, die effect of which is that as much coal is being got. from tbe mine as if the tunnel had been carried a distance of 400 feet further. The whole of the coal measures in the mine have now been explored, with this result: that the coal in the seams is as pure inside as outside, but, contrary to expectation, it has not proved any thicker. The quantity of coal being got out is, nevertheless, quite encouraging, and with the facilities for shipment, and the proximity of the iron deposits at Para Paro, in connection with which, a large supply of coal will be required, the promoters are very eanguine. Dr Hector also examined a seam of coal at Richmond, which had been explored at hid instance, a short time ago, and found that the seam was 6 feet 3 inches thick and of good quality. Private parties have commenced to sink a shaft in tbe locality, which is within a mile of the Foxhill railway. Mr Mackay, a member of the Geological Survey Staff, also examined a coal seam at Picton, but it turned out lo be merely a local deposit of no value or importance. — Times. Auctioneers and the Licensing Act. — The West Coast Times of June 6th says : — At the Resident Magistrate's Court on Friday, before G, G. Fitzgerald, R. M., Messrs Pollock and Bevan, auctioneers, were charged with having sold spirits, to wit, one quarter-cask of brandy, on the 23rd May last, without having a wholesale wine and spirit license. The case was an unusual one, as was evinced by the Resident Magistrate in dealing with it. Mr Button, on behalf of the defendants, pleaded guilty to having sold the quantity of brandy on the dato named, but contended that the sate was not a wilful infringement of the Act, as the regular custom of auctioneers selling spirituous liquors on behalf of the owners, was recognised in everyday trading, and was likewise provided for in the 17th Section of " The Westland Public House Ordinance, 1867," which reads as follows :~" Any person exercising tbe trade or calling of an auctioneer, may sell, as agents for tbe owners, any spiritous liquors, wine, ale, beer or porter — anything in this Ordinance to the contrary notwithstanding; but any such auctioneer who shall cell or shall keep or expose for sale, any such liquor on his own account, shall be liable to the penalties mentioned in section 2 of this Ordinance." In the present case,- tbe defendants might be said to be partly owners and partly agents. The stock sold was portion of a consignment which had been drawn against in the ordinary mercantile way. The consignment had been offered at auction, part of it bad been publicly sold, and the balance was open for sale at the reserve price. Commiesioner James pointed out that the goods were not absolutely sold at auction; that Mr Hansen the purchaser went and directly ordered the quartercask from the defendants. Mr Button was free to admit that it was not an absolute public sale, but only such an infringement of the Act, if infringement at all, as should cause the Bench to inflict tbe smallest penalty. The defendants were in possession of an auctioneers' license at £25, and he considered that it was never intended that auctioneers should be compelled to take a £10 wholesale license in addition. The Magistrate stated tbat there had

been great doubt ae to the proper con- j struciion of the Act on the point at | issue. It had been held, though be would not go the length of saying it was correct,- that the sale must be while ! acting In the capacity oi" auctioneer and not as a wholesale vendor. Tho new Act was more stringent, but he hoped there would be some attention drawn to (he matter during the next session of I tfie Assembly, as at present there would appear to be some difficulty in deciding j the point. The charge was admitted and he should inflict a fine of 20s and costs, I4a. j Homes for Immigrants. — The following circular addressed by Mr Vogel to tbe Superintendents of the various provinces in February last, has been published by the Wellington Times : — " Sir,— rlt is very desirable that some of the immigrants arriving iu your province should at once leave the town and its vicinity and proceed into the country districts, either to become settlers on their own account, or to accept employment from Bettlers. To enable this to be donp, I shall be inclined not only to allow a moderate expenditure for the cost of transit, but also-a proportion of the experse for renting suitable buildings, if any are available, as temporary depots for the immigrants, in the country towns or villuges. Tho scarcity of house accommodation is such in many of the country districts, that immigrants, especially families, inclined to settle and seek employment in the country, may And themselves deterred from doing so on account of the want of adequate shelter. Tt has suggested itself to me that it would be very desirable to erect, at different points where employment was available, serviceable but cheap four-roomed cottages or huts, not exceeding in cost £100, for the purpose of letting to the immigrants. Where the Provincial Government have land to spare in the vicinity of railway worke, small areas of land might be included, with the cottages, in a lease. This, however, I leave to the consideration of the Provincial authorities. lam willing, as a means of thus settling immigrants, to place a certain amount of money at your Honor's disposal to build such cottages or huts, on tbe following conditions :— ( I.) That these be let to newly-arrived immigrants with families. (2.) That the Provincial Government undertakes and guarantees to to! urn to tbe General Government the amount expended, with interest at 5 per cent., in four instalments, on the Ist January, 1875, 1876, 1877, and 1878. I leave you to make such arrangements for building the cottages, and to let them on such conditions other than those stipulated, as may seem to you desirable. If you approve of this j proposnl, I shall be glad to receive any suggestions from your Honor on the subject, as also to learn the amount of money you think you "will require during the current year.— l have, &c , Julius Vogel." One of the neatest and prettiest things in monumental ornamentation to be seen probably in any part of the world, certainly in any of the Australian colonies (says tho Melbourne Herald) is that over the grave of Signora Tamburini Coy's baby On one side of the grave is a photo of the child, enclosed in wax flowers, and protected by a glass; opposite to it, and similarly placed, is an inscription in Italian. In the middle of tbe grave is a marble cross, in the centre of which is a picture of a child being born aloft by angels. The whole affair is exceedingly chaste and artistic. At the anniversary meeting of St. Patrick's Benevolent Society, held in Dublin, au old New Zealand veteran spoke. General M*oleverty, in returning thanks for the army, said that the gallant and skilful young officer who had just brought the Ashantee war to a successful conclusion was an Irishman. (Cheers.) An ancestor of Sir Garnet Wolesley had saved Enniskillen at a most perilous time, and it was owing to the foresight of Sir Garnet himself tbat our forces in Ashantee had been provided with everything needful. Ours was an incomparable army, composed as it was of English, Irish, and Scotch. It was of them that the great Napoleon said they did not know when they were beaten. (Cheers.) On tho subject of the Australian and Californian mail service, the correspondent of the Melbourne Argus writes on the 27th April: — The arrival of the Tartar, Captain Perris, on the 14th instant, in buta few hours more than thirty days, from Sydney including one day's detention at Fiji, and one day at Honolulu, gave considerable satisfaction to tbe friends of the line. It begins to look as if, after all, the new route will be able to fulfil its promises, and put the passengers and mails from Australia in London in 45 days, as against 51 by the Peninsular and Oriental steamers. The passengers who arrive by the Australian line of steamers are very handsomely treated by the Central Pacific Kailroad Company, under an arrangement made with Mr Hall, manager of the line. If they wish, the passengers can be forwarded, immediately on their arrival, in a special train made up of the luxurious Pullman Palace cars. A great many who came by the steamship Tartar availed themselves of/ this arrangement, and within a few hours after they touched our coast, were flying across the continent as fast as the iron horse could bear them, and surrounded with as many comforts as can be procured in a firstclass hotel.