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New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4331, 5 February 1875, Page 2

At yesterday’s meeting of the City Council his Worship gave notice that at the next meeting he would move a resolution to the effect that the Council go into committee of the whole to consider the financial position of the municipality. His Worship explained that lie would move the motion simply with a view to give him an opportunity to review the financial position of the city, and to make certain suggestions which will afford opportunity for a full discussion. The motion will be found elsewhere.

Pending the fate of the motion of which the Mayor gave notice yesterday. Councillor George did not proceed yesterday with his motion relative to the application for power to increase the annual city rate. The news from the quarantine station continues to be satisfactory.' No fresh case of sickness-has broken out since the middle of last week, although one male patient, who was afflicted with consumption, died on Tuesday last. There are at present eighteen patients occupying the hospital on Somes Island, all of whom, however, are rapidly proceeding towards convalescence. Fifteen of the single women and girls were brought over to the city by the ration boat yesterday afternoon, and Mr. Eliott anticipates removing the greater number of the remainder by about Tuesday next. Owners of town sections enclosed by gorse had better get rid of; the plant as 'speedily as possible. At yesterday’s meeting of the City Council, the City Surveyor received instructions to proceed with the destruction of the gorse in those streets where it was at all likely to lead to disagreeable or dangerous results. The Surveyor informed the Council that there were localities where the plant had completely overgrown the land and impeded traffic. To clear the town, he suggested that two men should be employed for a year to do nothing else but remove gorse. To carry out this idea will cost the Corporation about £2OO, and to make the work of destruction more effective, owners of sections adjoining roads to be cleared will receive notice to remove gorse fences, and eradicate it from their ground. These directions can be enforced under a penalty of £6, which the Corporation bye-laws give the Resident Magistrate power to inflict.

After several delays, Delaney and Barron came to the scratch at the Basin Beserve last evening. The match was for £2O a-side, and excited considerable interest in pedestrian circles, a great number of spectators attending to witness the event. There were three races —IOO yards, 200 yards, and 300 yards—Delaney giving Barron three yards in the first, six in the second, and eight in the third event, Barron got a slight lead in the first race, and won by a few inches, but in the second and third events Delaney appeared to be able to do as he liked with his competitor, winning easily, and—as the winner of two events was to receive the stakes —the money fell to Delaney. An enterprising individual appeared on the ground with a miniature billiard-board, as seen on race-courses, but his labor was in vain, not a single “ flat" being amongst the spectators. Among the letters of naturalization lately issued by his Excellency the Governor, was one to Barbara do Bakker, who is described as a dairywoman, of Bos*.

We leam from Dunedin that Mr. T. H. Rainford has again joined the English Opera troupe at Dunedin.

The second number of the second volume of the Educational Gazette has reached us. It contains a variety of papers of considerable interest and usefulness.

The Hon. C. C. Bowen, accompanied by his family, arrived from Christchurch yesterday in the steamer Wellington. Captain Dupuis, of H.M.S. Rosario, was also a passenger by the same steamer.

A match between the yachts Xariffa and Garibaldi, will be sailed on Saturday next. The sum to be run for is £4O ; no tonnagetime allowed, and the ■wind to be a whole-sail breeze.

The Chief Postmaster at Wellington has been gazetted as a Superintending Postmaster for the Industrial branch of the Government Insurance department, under the Government Insurance and Annuities Act, 1874. During the month of January the estates of nine persons, who died intestate, were placed under the charge of the Public Trustee. The amounts ranged from £5 to £SO. In two of the cases the deceased persons met their fate by drowning ; another died at sea ; and one—a resident of Marton—was lolled by a fall from his horse.

Again the Titanic Steel Company’s fortysix cases were before the Resident Magistrate’s Court yesterday, and again they were adjourned in the absence of the evidence to be given in Dunedin. The entries composed a formidable array in the daily cause list, and it lifted a load off the hearts of the officials when the motion for adjournment was made. Judgment for amount claimed and costs, was given in the following cases :—Logan v. Davis, £l6 18s, Bd. ; Logan v. Fawcett, £2 10s. 7d. ; and Butler v. Eyes, £23 4s. A number of minor cases were amicably disposed of. The footpaths of the city are likely to receive more attention in the future than they have in the past. The subject was dealt with in a lengthy paragraph in the Surveyor’s report (presented to the Council yesterday) which gave rise to an interesting discussion. The Mayor suggested that the Council should make the footpaths of the city a first consideration upon all occasions, because there was nothing more likely to make Wellington a bye-word throughout the colony, than the neglect of its footpaths. In some portions of the city, said his Worship, improvement of the footpaths was an imperative necessity. The opinion received general endorsation, and the Surveyor was instructed to attend to those footpaths which needed repair, and to place every facility in the way of those persons who desired to improve the footpaths in their immediate localities, the material to be employed being concrete.

The trustees of the Hutt Park Racecourse held a public meeting at the Masonic Hotel, the Hutt, on Wednesday afternoon, hut the residents of that township appeared to interest themselves but little in the matter. Mr. Hickson, the chairman of trustees, presented and' read the annual report, which showed the affairs of the society to be in a very sound and satisfactory condition. There was a credit balance of £lO3, which included £3O yet to be received from the lessee of the ground., The deed conveying the land from the Superintendent to the trustees was laid upon the table, and it was stated by the chairman that negotiations were in progress for the purchase of a section which adjoined the racecourse, and which would prove a desirable acquisition. The schooner Porest Queen, about whose safety unnecessary and groundless fears have been published, proves to be at present at the mouth of the Waitara River, for which port she has a cargo of railway material. Messrs. Mclntyre and Co. yesterday, received information through the wires that she would probably succeed in crossing the bar at flood tide to-day. The Gazette of yesterday contains an official copy of the regulations for the examination of candidates for the Civil Service of India. As the examination takes place in London on the lOtii of next mouth, the publication of the regulations is rather late in the day, so far as candidates from New Zealand are concerned ; especially as the form of application to be admitted for examination, after being properly filled in, must be in the office of the Civil Service Commissioner before the first of the present month ! The members of the Wellington Garrick Club held a meeting at Barrett’s Hotel last evening. Several new members were accepted, and among other business got through, Mr. W. L'. Taylor was elected treasurer, Mr. Newlyn secretary, and Mi-. Bock librarian. The rules of the old club were read and revised. With a liberal and philanthropic spirit, which ought to ensure great success to the club’s first performance, it was decided to produce the fine old English drama of “ The Rent Day,” the proceeds to be devoted to the Cospatrick Relief Eund. The ship Sophia Joachim, which has arrived in Port Chalmers, has on board thirty-three long-woolled Lincolnshire sheep, nineteen of which are for Mr. Macfarlane, of Coldstream, Canterbury, and the remainder for Wellington. We regret to learn that a number of the passengers—and the ship is one of the New Zealand Shipping Company’s fleet—complain of a short allowance of provisions. They declare that they were half-starved, and had only tasted meat once during the fortnight preceding their reaching laud. The London Times publishes an interesting narrative ef the cruise of the Challenger, in which the following paragraph appears:—“Afterleaving Wellington we made our way towards the South Sea Islands, passing along the east coast of New Zealand. After leaving the land a gale drove us fast to the northward, and prevented any outside work being undertaken, which was the more provoking as the similarity of the flora of New Zealand to that of its neighboring islands indicates that they were at one time joined, and that New Zealand was a large continent embracing the islands to the south and east of it, and also the Kermadec group and Norfolk Island and Lord Howe Island, near the Australian shore. A few soundings would have helped to settle this interesting question.” The Standard reports that a meeting of the land owners on the banks of the Wairarapa Lake, was held at Featherston on Monday last. Present ; Mr. J. P. Russell, who was appointed chairman of the - meeting, Messrs. C. Pharazyn, P. Hume, D. McMasters, J, Tocker, J. Donald, A. Matthews, W. Williams, F. Bookett, J. Wilkinson, and John Feast. It was proposed by Mr. Pharazyn, seconded by Mr. Hume, and carried :—“ That the meeting pledges itself to test the question as to the right of opening the mouth of the Wairarapa Lake, by digging a channel for the water on the first occasion on which it is sufficiently high after the Ist of March next; and, in the event of legal proceedings being taken against the persons doing so, to subscribe the necessary funds to decide the matter in a permanent way ; and that copies of the above bo sent to both the General and Provincial Governments with an intimation to the effect that settlers are only forced by the urgency of the case to come to this decision, which, if carried out, they are all aware may not improbably lead to a dispute with the natives, tire consequences of which may be more or less serious ; and that under these circumstances, they would urge upon the Government to make further efforts in the mean time to settle the question in a more amicable manner.”

“My prognostication,” writes the Christchurch correspondent of the Otago Daily Times , “as to the opening price of wheat has proved to be exactly correct so far—namely, 35.; and this figure I am afraid will not long be maintained. 30,000 bushels of new oats have been sold for immediate delivery at 3s. Our crops are generally very heavy, except where the caterpillar bas been at work, and there is plenty of time for wind and rain to do enormous damage. The top price for mutton is 2id, and for beef 275. 6d.” The Port Chalmers fishing cutter, on her last trip, returned to port with forty pairs of soles, and other fish. She made so heavy a haul, however, with a favorable wind, that the trawl burst, the fish escaped, aud she was obliged to return to port for a new net.

On Saturday evening, says the Wairarapa Standard , the stewards of the Carterton and Taratahi races met to settle up. The amount paid away in stakes on that evening was £Bl 55., in addition to about £2O which was paid on the course for sports. We are happy to learn that when outstanding subscriptions are paid in the committee will have a balance to carry forward for next year.

A woman raving mad laid herself across the rails this side of Burke’s Brewery, says the Otago Daily Times , anl the engine-driver of the last up train was fortunate enough to observe her in sufficient time to stop the train and prevent it passing over her. When taken up she flourished a formidable carving-knife, and on reaching town was with difficulty conveyed to the police station, whence she was sent to the Lunatic Asylum.

A singular occurrence is reported by the Auchland Evening Star as having occurred in Parnell, at the house of Dr. Wright. Says the Star: —“ That gentleman’s son has been lately taking lessons in boxing from a young man named Davis, who attends at intervals for the purpose. On Saturday the pupil was receiving his usual lesson in the ‘noble art’ from his instructor, in an outhouse, when a youth named McCleary came to see the doctor’s groom on some business. The instructor, as we are informed, asked McCleary to take a turn with the gloves. He agreed, and the two set-to. After the encounter had lasted a few minutes, McCleary staggered backwards and fell. As he did not rise the two young men ran to him, when he was discovered to be perfectly insensible. Dr. Wright was called, and when he came he found that McCleary was suffering from a paralytic fit. Strenuous efforts were made to bring him to, but without success. He was then conveyed home to his mother, who lives at the back of the rise and not far off. The noor woman was deeply distressed at the condition of her son, but did not forget to soundly rate Dr. Wright for “ encouraging fighting in his house,'! We are sorry to say that up to yesterday evening the sufferer had not spoken or become sensible. It is thought he was struck in the windpipe. We learn to-day that McCleary is better, though he is still unable to talk. The spectators say that the injury was not caused by a blow at all.”

It was mentioned the other day that the Chairman of the Southland Immigration Association had telegraphed to Mr. Vogel to remind him of Ins promise that ships with immigrants should be sent to The Bluff at regular intervals. The message ran as follows ; —“lnvercargill, 21st January, 1875. Hon. Julius Vogel, New Zealand Agent-General’s office, London.—No immigrants arriving. Cargo ships Bluff landing immigrants other ports. Great outcry. Provincial blames General Government. Southland relies upon you fulfilling promises. Send immigrants Bluff direct.— John Mitchell, Chairman.” This message cost the patriotic committee the sum of nineteen pounds and one sixpence.

The Wanganui Herald is somewhat petulant with the Minister of Public Works over the slow progress of the Wanganui-Waitotara railway. It states that Mr. Fowler, the engineer, is about to be removed, and it argues from the fact that the Minister of Public Works is not in earnest in pushing forward the Wanganui end of this most important line. Our contemporary, however, can hardly be in earnest when he says that the delay of the Government in this matter has to a considerable extent destroyed the confidence of the district in the sincerity of the Government as to the railway works in the north of the province.