LATEST TELEGRAMS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume IX, Issue 251, 22 October 1874, Page 2

LATEST TELEGRAMS.

.- : : — INTERPROVINCIAL. Atjcklabd Wednesday. After being locked up all night, the jury in the'StSr libel case were discharged without having arrived at a verdict. It is understood that eight were for not guilty, and four for guilty. A. ' " The Bank, of New jZsaland half-yearly meeting was held at noon to-day. " The report showed a nett profit of £i5 703»_ahd„a. balance from last half-year of £13.212. A' dividend ]pf ten per $enc was declared, and alßg-S^ouus Ot 5a ; A balance oi £13 V 9l€L wiii carried /forwatrd^ and^Hje; report .was adopted The HSfcJamey Williamson' 1 w'-i's elected director vice Mr Taylor, resigne-1. Mr Taylor ; waa,elected auditor. Atjcklani), Thursday. " The Herald to-d&y pub'ishes a petition to the Governor/ drawn up by Sir George Grey against the proposed constitutional changes, and Sir- George aaki the Superintendent to. take Bteps to ges the petition signed. The petition sets forth ; — That as the Governor exercises powers belonging to the Queen by her prerogative as powers conferred by the.Constitution Act, any |ja<}tion in -violation of .them would be traconsiitutioftal4nd in violatiori of "Acts' of Parliament, and the liberties of the people, and hurtful to the interests of her Majesty's dominions. That the New Zealand Constitution Act establishes four estates, namely, the Crown or Governor, the Legislative Council, the House of Representatives, and the'Pf ovincial Governments, which have no powers but which are derived from that Act. A'l these are carefully balance 1 to form one whole, which is the representative Government of the country. The Governor is bound by his duly to protect eßch of these estates in thtir, powers and privileges. was *a jfeaf ; that the Legislative CoOneil, which least truly represented the peop'e- would strive to . destroy those, bodies which were most truly representative and independent. ~ For m»ny years the people had returned repyepentativesto. ejejteJse r those; powei s •' couferre|i by; th§ Constitution Act, nor could the electors confer any other power on fhem, ; and' any •■ other powers they ' ' might : claim and assert would be absolutely void,, .Tho,. petition^ then proceeds .to- set forth the neoes»ity for, and the many advantages derived from Provincialism, in making loc 1 laws, voting the expenditure of money and training thepapulation io political discussion. The petitioner hoped to see <• the ; whole -English speaking race hereafter welded together hy the Provincial or Federal system which won A d , V T °7° a aalution of; many, difficulties now existing. In support of this.' the' petiiioner instances Germany, Itiiy, Canada, ahrtsays that Her Majesty's late Government irdertd the same to be introduced into South Africa. Local legislatures were very useful to the people for guarding against the unjust alienation of public lands. Because the General Assembly was composed of three esjated which were imposed upon the conn try// :uuder Act of Parliament "in which the inhabitants were not represented; that the) colonists were only directly represented in one branch of the Legislature, and were subjected to a con«titutton repugnant to that /of Great Britain. The Briiish Parliament placed it beyond the gmwer of the Assembly tor destroy lfa e profil^e*^. apo% 6bght' f now to v protect them. He was crfedib'y informed that one of the chief objects of the Premier in going to England was to get the Constitution Act altered !o:;enahh» the Asfembly to abolish, wholly or partly, the existing Provincial Governments. The ImpeiiaiGovernment ought not to be drawn into these local queftiqns unnecessarily, or unless it was seen that the Provincial councils passed Acls<desfriwine the representative institutions.' : He^hoped that all the papers connected with the sub- - ject ot inducing Parliament to alter the constitution will be laid before the Assembly ffithont delay, otherwise it would be impossible" t9,prev,eo^Pßriiamer\t taking a ; stjep;^urriediy: which the colony 'would '.^afterwards regret. ' He believed there was no instance, except by tyranny or revolution, of freely elected legislatiures being swept away without' the ] consent of ench of such legislatures, and to do bo in this instance would be a breach of faith and a' bad public example to the? whole > empire. He hoped that his Excellency would . prevent the momentous consequence of this step by summoning the GeWerar 'Assembly to meet with the least posaible delay in order that all the necessary information may be afforded ' to f tbe inhabit ants of the colony. That this petition be sent to her Majesty to be laid before the Parliament and that bis Excellency do immediately^'serida felegraphlc message to her Majesty's Government pointing out that at present there is no one constitutionally, or in point of law, qualified -to negotiate for the abolition of Provincial institutions, and therefore to do so would be a violation of the rights and liberties of the people and a great put lie error, as there wc re proper and constitutional means of settling the whole quei ion. -. , _ . A fire broke out this morning at four o'clock, and burned down the block of buildings at the junction ot Wakefield-street with Qaeen and: Kutland-streets. It broke Tout in Kemsley's earthenware shop. Three araail dwelling houses in llutland-street rapidly c&flghYvdre,; th,e lomatoj bearly escaping in. their night dre-ses. Clarembnt Hotel, a brick building in WakeSeld-street, nextcaughr, fire, and rapidly succumbed. There was a greafe'gearcity ox water, which rendered ihe efforts of the Fire Brigade unavailable. The two-storey buildings occupied by Woodward, baker, and a dressmaker, adjoking building, were destroyed, also Ltnbail's butcher's shop, of wood. By this time a copious supply of water was procured, and although the Are hart obtained a strong hold on the buildings it was extinguished through the efforts of the Brigade. The insurances, so far as ascertained, are Keinsley's stock and furnilug^ £650 in the Victoria Company.; Qaremone Hotel, £600 in the Norwich Union; Lanball'a £250 in the National. A good deal of the property was carried out. The fire origirmed in s shed at the rear of Kemsley's premises He was burnt out a ye*r ago at Riverhead. _ Alkxasbra, Wednesday. Bewi, who has been at Taupo some time unsuccessfully endeavoring to stop roadroakipg in this locality, has written to Manuhiri for consent to spill blood there. NaPiBK, Thursday. Ihe ship Rosella, from California bound to Dunedin, 76 days out, met with such heavy weather on the passage that she sprung a leak, and bad to put in here for repairs.