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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XV, Issue 208, 25 October 1880, Page 4

The examination of David Hutchison, charged with the murder of his wife und child in September last at Tucker Flat, Kaoieri, by firing the house in which they slept, was concluded in the Resident Magistrate* Court, Hokitika, on the 9ih instant. After the case for the prosecution had closed, Mr Purkiea, who appeared for the accused, thought it was ■ hardly necessary (hat he should be called onto speak. The Bench must have seen that there really was not a tittle of evidence that the accused had murdered his wife or child. There was no evidence that they, were murdered either by the prisoner dr anyone else. The only evidence the prosecution, had was that at about eleven o'clork a row waa heard by Eenrdon. Did (he Bench' think any jury would find Hutchieon guilty ? Under the circumstances were they justified in sentencing him to six months' imprisonment,. for by th< practice bail would not be allowed in a charge of murder ? There wes- no evidence of murder at all, much lese that the prisoner committed it. It was quite unnecessary for him to make a labored address, for their Worships must see that t! c case turned on Reardon's evidence. After retiring for p few minuteß, Dr Giles snid that the Bench had carefully considered the cvi* dence, and the arguments of defendant's counsel baJ been duly weighed. They were unanimously of opinion that the present case was of such a character as to warrant them in sending it to a jury. The Bench could not toke the responsibility of dealing with it. In answer to the, usual,; question the prisoner said, * ( I'm.; perfectly innocent." He was (henpommitted to take bis trial at the next-sittings of the Supreme Court- to be heltf at Hokitika. Including an article on the proposed RasV andi West Coaet railway, the Christchurch Press of Monday says:— " For. ourselves we do not profeßS to be in a position to come to .any. decision upon the question ofthe probable traffic over Buchj a railway. But we have ftlwaya held, if the line could be constructed for a reasonable flum, and the jreffic conducted at a paying price, that it was bo undertaking which could not fail to confer great benefits both upon Canterbury and Weatland. No, one pretends to say that the mineral resources of the West Coast are any. IhinjgHKkip developed yet. Untold weaUhi lies buried there, and what is heeded to ! i bring it to the surface is cheap communication with a food produoirig district like r Canterbury. But , how is such a railway io be built ? No one now dreams for a moment of ad-j\rocating-itß construction by the Government.- The colony will bave mor&than enough Jo occupy^ itaattentioti for y^Ara ;to come in endeavoring to tmke those i already , cpnitru^t^ pay, raod ; it-has, neither time nor money to devote to any new undertakings of such.magnin jfude. If, therefore, we are to .wait till the colony is in a position to enter, ( u;ppn ;the building of a railway to th«. "vyest I Coast, we ar e afraid that the *" present generation will not ccc : the; line..:comIpleted. Bnt it does not follow that thn' Government should stand in the way jof private enterprise. On thereon trar.y, •it is exceeding projbable that Parliament would be prepared to give every encouragement to any coir pan y which msde proposals for; building- such a railway, provided: their demands. were ;at all reasonable: We .wish -the gentlemen who are now taking this important question, up every success. If they see ithelf way to form a company to construct the line, and bring the work to a successful conclusion, they, will have contributed in no email degree to the prosperity of Westland and Canterbury. i The Wool Clip. The "North Otago Timeß" says : — lt is a fortunate ithing for the colony and also for the wool growers that the seasons which has juet gone by has been one of^ the most unusual mildness in the interior. Last year the death rate among sheep, owing to the severity of the winter, ranged from 8 per cent, to 40 per cen '. i— in most cases coming nearer the latter than the former. This year the percentage of deaths, is not expected to exceed on an average more than 2| or 3 per cent. When-it-is remembered that last year the total value of the wool exported was nearly three and a half mil-

■ lions sterling, it would he readily seen i what a good season in the wool country means to the people of the colony. It ■ would he quite safe to say that the ad- ■ ditional return from this source to the wealth of the colony (premising that ( wool, keeps its present value, and there is every prospect that- it will even do < more than this) will he something over, , a million of money. This, coming at a ' time when the circumstances ot the colony are such that increased exporfcations are so much to he desired, should give . a fillip to the hopes of those that think that we have passed through the worst , part of the crisis. The quantity of wool coming down the Waitaki this year is expected to be something over one-third more than last year.