TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4413, 12 May 1875, Page 2

TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.

[from oub own correspondent.] Auckland, Tuesday. In the Council to-day Mr. Dargaville opposed the motion that £3BOO be appropriated to cover liabilities incurred under special orders. He said he believed one member of the Executive had expended money without the concurrence of his colleagues. £I6OO of the amount was unwarrantable expenditure, and little better than a fraud. The Carpenters’ and Joiners’ Society has resolved to support the Early Closing Association. _ The fire-brigade has arranged a code of bell signals for fires in various parts of the city and suburbs. A woman named Hurr has recovered a hundred pounds damages from a carter named John Wallace, who drove on the wrong side of the road, causing her horse to throw her, by which she sustained severe injuries. The police to-day made a raid on a brothel and captured three women and four men, including a Maori. The house was in a horribly filthy state. A meeting was held to-day to adopt a farewell address to Sir George Arney. The Echo to-day says Sir George Grey has told a gloomy story of the provincial finances. Without drawing a moral, he has told the public what he finds to be the condition of the province. He has detailed existing grievances more elaborately than ever they were told before. He draws no moral, and makes no proposals; particularly keeps his own counsel; says there is not revenue enough to pay the departmental expenses; and says there is little or no chance of obtaining much more money by any possible savings in colonial expenditure. If so, it may well be questioned whether the very best thing to be done is not to close up those institutions which have no longer either means of living or hope of obtaining such means. The speech, able as it is, sounds like the knell of provincialism in this part of New Zealand. The Superintendent has gone to Kawau with the captain and officers of LTnfernet, where they will spend a few days in shooting. A motion asking the Superintendent to send down an appropriation to cover special orders to the amount of £3BOO, was carried. Mr. Rees has moved the address in reply, and the debate has been adjourned. Dunedin, Tuesday. According to police returns, laid on the table of the Provincial Council, the number of persons apprehended during the year ending February 28, 1871, was 2207; and for the corresponding period of 1875, 3223, showing an increase of 1016, or upwards of 40 per cent., whilst the increase of the population of the province during the ten months ending December 31st, 1874, which is the nearest approximate period, was 12,938, or at the rate of only 15 per cent. The Governor lunches with the members of the Provincial Council on Thursday. The new Harmonic Society’s concert last night was a great success. Three inquests will be held to-day—one on the body of a man who was killed in town, another on that of a man who had to have his leg amputated from the same cause, at the same quarry, and afterwards 'died, and the third on a man who, in the darkness, fell over a cliff, and expired not a hundred yards from the same quarry. A verdict of “Accidental death” was recorded in all the cases.

PROVINCIAL COUNCIL OP NELSON.

[Per Press Agency.] NelsoNj Tuesday. The Superintendent opened the Council to-day. In his address he stated that the views he should express would be his own and not necessarily those of the Executive, as he considered that the Superintendents, in confining their addresses to expressions of opinion dictated by the Executive, were accepting a position wholly inconsistent with the existence of independent relations between the elected head of the province and the Council. He said that with one or two exceptions he had worked in satisfactory accord with the Executive in regard to the ordinary routine of administrative action, such as the appointments and dismissals, &c., of officers —had been content to record his protest ; but in one matter largely affecting the interests of the province he had told the Executive that he would either require their resignations or call a special meeting of Council, and the Executive had given way. The revenue for the year showed a slight decline owing to the difficulty felt in executing surveys, and consequently of bringing land into the market. Referring to the proposed provincial changes, he said that if the Government’s proposals included abolition of provincialism throughout the colony, and did not insist upon maintaining intact the land compact of 1856, and made a fair provision for local government, he would not oppose them. The Superintendent caused considerable excitement by referring to the Brunner railway in the following terms : “The Brunner line, that remarkable specimen of political railway making, after a struggle of four or five years, affords some promise of being open for traffic before the end of the year. The first estimate of its cost, for which a vote was taken in 1871, was £26,250. In 1872 the estimate was raised to £54,400, or more than double, and a vote was taken for a difference of £28,150. In 1873 the estimate was raised to £74,000, and a vote was taken for the excess of £20,000. In 1874 the estimate was raised to £84,000, and a vote taken for the additional £10,000; and this year, I believe, a further sum of at least £15,000 will be required. Whether the Hue can be maintained at all in the present position of things without an enormous cost, or whether it will tumble into the fiver, are questions which time alone can decide. I believe it will be found necessary to abandon it, and to reconstruct it on the north bank of the river, with the terminus at Cobden.”

Napier, Tuesday. The lifeboat was used for the first time today. She behaved very well The gale is abating, and the sea going down very fast. Auckland, Tuesday. The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company have received the following English commercial telegram : “ London, 28tn April.—Wool up to date : 250,000 bales arrived. Sales will close 23rd June. Tallows —Stocks of all sorts, 15,000 casks ; mutton, 455., beef 41s. ; public sales of Australian comprised 4000 casks. A public meeting to-day, convened by the Superintendent, adopted a farewell address to Aruey. It is to be left at public places for signature. The French steamship LTnfernet took the Superintendent to Kawau to-day. The officers are to be guests of Sir George Grey for two days, after which the vessel will proceed on her cruise. New Plymouth, Tuesday. A deputation in re the lunatic asylum waited on the Superintendent to-day, to hear replies from the Superintendents of other provinces whether they could take our lunatics. The Superintendent told the deputation that Wellington was the only province which had room in asylum for lunatics, and the deputation expressed a wish that they—[the lunatics, not the deputation]—should be sent there immediately. The Superintendent leaves for Wellington on Thursday next, on business connected with the province. A new block of land, of some 6000 acres, will be opened for sale shortly. The cash received by the Treasury for land for the first quarter, is at the rate of £IO,OOO a year.

Blenheim, Tuesday. Mr. Moorhouse’s meeting last night was largely attended. Mr. Hodson, Mayor of Blenheim, was in the chair. Mr. Moorhouse said : —“ Respecting abolition, he would vote for no change, unless ho saw something better to take the place of that to be abolished, but was quite ready to consider any suggested reform/’ A curious episode occurred towards the close of the meeting. Moorhouse said that Seymour, before leaving here offered, unsolicited, to place his name on Mr. Moorhouse’s committee, while Joseph Ward stated that he

would not have thought of coming forward had he not been induced to do so by the request of Seymour, who at the time knew Moorhouse desired to become a candidate. A vote of thanks to Mr, Moorhouse was proposed and passed. Christchurch, Tuesday. A meeting is called for Monday next, to make arrangements for holding a steeplechase meeting in the vicinity of Christchurch during the present year. The bootmakers’ strike is concluded. The workmen, after being ten days on strike, made a reduction in their demands, which were then agreed to by the masters. The advance in wages gained by this is very trifling. There are no signs of settlement of the Museum question. Mr. [Fussel, chemist, fell off a ladder on to his head yesterday, and was insensible for six hours. He is recovering slowly. A heavy and almost incessant rain has fallen since Friday night. No signs of clearing up. The northern rivers are flooded, and traffic is stopped. Mr. Delamain has entered Templeton for the' Melbourne Cup race. Dunedin, Tuesday. A deliberate attempt was made by twO' young lads to upset the Green Island train. They rammed stones between the points till the rails were forced out of place. The driver saw the danger, and pulled up in time. The police have a clue. It has been raining incessantly ever since the Governer’s arrival. His Excellency is at present suffering from lumbago. The Marchioness holds a reception to-day. The ball by the citizens is fixed for Friday. O Amaru, Tuesday. The hull, masts, spars, rigging, boats, ropes, sails, and all gear belonging to the wreck of the Elderslie, were sold to-day in seventeen lots for £302. The weather is clearing up.