INTERPROVINCIAL.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIV, Issue 89, 15 April 1879, Page 2

INTERPROVINCIAL.

fPRKSS AGENCY.! Wellington, Monday-night. Messrs Ballance aud Macandrew found the West Coast Kail way surveyed as far as Otaki, and the most severe gradient was 1 in 4 (?) and this only for a short distance. Owing to the limited amount of appropriation made last session, the progress this year must be very small. The land revenue to the end of the quarter ending March 31, was £760,000. There will be a large deficit in the revenue from land, but it is expected to be counter-balanced by the increase from railways customs &c ; the railway revenue for the three first quarters of the jear has been £520,000, of which £211,000 was paid in during the last quarter, and it is estimated that the last quarter which is usually the best quarter in the year will yield £250,000. . A new amateur dramatic club has been formed, and His Excellency and Lady Robinson will become patrons. A respectable woman and her child mysteriously disappeared from their home in the city this evening. The brigantine Anthons, from Melbourne, has been chartered for two years to carry coal from Greymouth to Wellington and other ports of New Zealand. Detective Smart, of Wellington, is under orders to proceed to Lyttelton. The Citizens' ball to the Governor comes off on Wednesday next. Special trains have been arranged for to bring people in from the country towns. The way in which the Government became informed of there being more than the legal number of passengers on the Taiaroa was by one of the passengers telegraphing to the Government from Picton demanding that some action be taken in the matter. Wanganoi, Monday-night An accident happened on Saturday afternoon to a party of quarrymen on the Kai I W i railway line. Twenty-six of them, together with a little girl, were returning homewards after work to the Aramoho Station in a railway truck down a steep incline without an engine, bat asing the brake to regulate th* speed. The brake did not act and the truck became uncontrollable, the speed increasing up to express train rate. The men jumped ont all along the line getting their heads cut, teeth knocked out, and ribs broken, but not dangerously injured. In their panic they all forgot the little girl but one, who gently dropped her out the side of the truck and she fell unhurt. Wapganui was lighted with gas for the first time on Saturday night. ~^ Port Chalmers, Monday night. ' The Stad Haarlem, which arrived off the Heads en Sunday night, brought 602 pas-

sengers who arrived in good health. Six «t a .'r all J nfant3 ' occurred on the voyage, fcne left Plymouth on February 15th, and was detained 26 hours at St. Vincent, and 5 days at the Cape owing to the demand for coal for the Government transports. Owing to the roughness of the sea on the Port Chalmers bar it was deemed imprudent to attempt to cross it. She sailed for Lyttelton with all her passengers, having landed a portion of her mails. Auckland, Monday. The thirteenth half-yearly report of the South British Insurance Company shows a total income of £75,000. Of this £5,602 was brought forward. The premiums amounted to £GG,720, and the interest to £5,965. The expenditure on losses were £36,681; salaries, commissions, and reinsurance, £26,067. Balance, £13,02 G. A dividend at the rate of 15 per cent, on the paid up capital of £100,000 was declared, leaving a net amount to carry forward about the same as the last half year. Tuesday. me races are postponed till to-morrow in consequence of the heavy rain Jaat night and this morning. Mr O'Conne'.i, of Hamilton East, who 'fell from his horse, has died of his injuries. ' Ciiristciiurch, Tuesday. A fire broke out last nigl.t in Edwards Benuert, and Co's bond in Lichfield-street' containing a large quantity of goods. The building was two storeys of galvanized iron on a wooden frame. After a good deal of work by the Fire Brigade the fire was kept from spreading. It must have been smouldering for a long time before breaking out. The origin as yet is unknown.