INTERPROVINCIAL.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 167, 17 July 1877, Page 2

INTERPROVINCIAL.

WEtxraoroN, Monday. Arrived— Barque Robina Dunlop, from London, 1 18 days out. : - The first annual general meeting of the Wellington Coal Company was held to-day. The Directors anticipate the Company's mine branch railway will be so far completed that coal will be delivered in Westport about the end of July. Mr James Swinburne has beenappointed Mine Manager, and the Board are satisfied with the manner in which he has performed his duties. . The (Director? recommend the balance-sheet be' made up to 3ist December, 1877, by which time it is expectedthe Company will be in working order. The balance-sheet shows—capital paid up, £4780; value of Company's property/ £7567 ; contingent liabilities and assets, £770 and £2260 respectively. The Chairman^stated that the schooner Julius "Vogel was now loading with coal, and would arrive here, shortly with the fiifsb; shipment from the Company !s minei The branch railway to the mine is completed, and coke ovens are in course of erection. The samples of coal already, received have /beeirjreported on favorably/ -The': price of coal delivered on board at Westport is fixed at 12s per ton. Several leading shareholders are.ia treaty for the purchase -of- a suitablesteamer to convey coal to Wellington. It is intended to balance accounts at the end of the current year, and ho!d the next meeting in: February, 1878. : Tuesday. Ihe conference for the suppression of intemperance has concluded its sittings. The second draft petition to be submitted to the Legislature was adopted with the amendment that a clause should be added declaring the present, constitution of the Licensing Court unsatisfactory. The members Q& the city were requested to take charge of the petition, and support it to the utmost in &jeir power. It was also resolved to establish .a 1 " •Temperance Socieiy, and a Committee of gazetted ministers of religion as well as laymen was appointed to carry out the resolution*. A resolution was also carried that the conference tbiuksit desirable that no new pub'icans' licenses should be issued until aftetthe next session of Parliament, and that this resolution be conveyed to the Licensing Bench. Timaru, Mouday. Ihe next meeting of the New Zealand Grand National Steeplechase Club will be held at Timaru on August 22nd, and promises to be one of the best yet held ia the. Colony. Auckland,' Sunday. Arrived— Hero, from Sydney. "Monday. The schooner Mera, 237 ton 3, left HokiaDga for Dunedin with a full cargolof ''timber. After crossing the bar, the wind fell, and the 1 captain let both anchors go ; but heavy rollers set in, and the masts had to be £ut away to save the ship. Ihe anchors parted in the night, and the vessel went ashore. She was commanded by Capfc. Loverock, and belongs to Messrs Lemon and Meek, of Oamaru, aud Keith, Ratnsay, and Anderson, of Dunedin. Shp was Clyde built at a cost; of £3000 only two years ago. Her hull was insured in the New Zealand, National, and the South British for £500 each, and the cargo of timber in the Batavia office for £600. It is'etpected there are other insurances on the hull, but they are not known at present. Captain Worsp, Marine Surveyor, left by Riverhead boat for the scene of the wreck, aud on arrival will hold a survey on behalf of all concerned. . Mr Sheehau addressed his constituents at Mataurangi. In the course of his speech he reviewed the proceedings of last session, and the, probable course of events in the approaching Parliamentary campaign. He advised the people to stick to the local Highway Boards in preference to the Counties, over which they could have no control. Subsidies would probably be discontinued next year, and they would have to rely on taxation for improvements. At the close of his address, the following resolution was carried unanimously .— " That this meeting expresses full confidence in Mr Sheehan, ane approves of his action in the last session and of his contemplated action in the ensuing session, of Parliament." Mr Howe has addressed the Coromandel electors and received a vote of confience. Renata, a Maori chief at Coromandel, died a few days ago. His friends placed hito on the banks of the river in the cold and wet during his illness, to prevent his house becotniug tapu. The City of Sydney left San Francisco on June 2UII, and arrived at Honolulu on the 28th, the total time from 'Frisco to Auckland occupying 566 hours. Mr Houston, representing the Pacific Mail Company, is a passenger to Sydney. He has full authority from the company to conclude sued modification in the mail service as may be mutually agreed to by the New Zealand and Sydney Governments and himself. He says arrangements have been made to run a special mail train from New York to Sau Francisco iv five idays, and that if the company's steamers were allowed to leave San Francisco on the arrival of the mail, there would be an average saving of about four days. On the present trip of the City of Sydney, the mail arrived .at Sau Francisco sixty-six hours before the date of sailing, and when the special mail train is run there would therefore be a still greater loss of time. Dunedin, Monday. Mrs Reid's acquittal causes much dissatisfaction. The Macandrew Testimonial Committee meet this evening to fix the day for the presentation and make other arrangements. Mr W. Conyers, Manager of the Otago Railways, was entertained at a public dinner on Saturday night, previous to removal to Christchurch. Sic Dillon Bell occupied the chair. Replying to the toast of his health Mr Conyers said that the Otago railways are now earning £180,000 per annum, and that the railways of Otago and Canterbury will next year earn close upon half a tnilliou. Mr Bradshaw on Saturday received applications for 4000 shares in the Union Insurance company, and for want of forma had to refuse applications for as many more. MrM'Laren was fined 40s in the Police Court to-day for having, iv the course of a speech, commented iv strong language upon ths jury who acquitted Mrs Reid.

... Tuesday. A preliminary meeting of tha master ironworkers was held last aigafe, mth a ,Tfor to asking the Colonial Government to har« th« roiling stock executed in the colony. After arranging the preliminaries the meeting adjourned to Wednesday. A meeting of artizans for the same object will ba held on Friday. At a meeting of the Macandrew Testi--1 monial Committee, it was resolved that tha testimonial be presented on Friday evening, and that Mr Macandrew be entertained at a dinner the aame evening. The speeches of the Mayor when presenting the testimonial anoTMr Macandrew'3 reply are to be tha only speeches. The Government has set apart about four miles of the Clutha to Clinton railway section for giving work to the unemployed. At St Paul's schoolhouse resolutions in favor of religious instruction in Government schools during school hours were unanimously adopted.