TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4448, 22 June 1875, Page 2

TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.

(prom our own correspondent.) Auckland, Monday. Thomas Macready, M.P.C., an old settler, is’dead. His funeral, whieh took place to-day, was largely attended, the various public bodies and the Masons being present. The Kawakawa coal mine has been flooded for a week, but is now dry. Dunedin, Monday. Edwards, the pedestrian, finished his task with 6min. to spare. All the tollgates in the province are to be removed to a reasonable distance from the city boundaries at the expiration of the present leases. ■ A Scandinavian Society is to be formed. There was a very heavy sitting in bankruptcy to-day, there being a large number of cases on the list. Justice Johnstone took his seat on the bench here for the first time. A man named O’Leary was killed by a fall of earth at the Blue Spur, where he has been working for many years. He had his leg amputated, and died an hour afterwards. Another case of sticking-up occurred at Mosgeil on Saturday. A fellow stole a lad’s horse, saddle, and bridle. He was speedily apprehended, and remanded to Dunedin. The Press Amateurs, now known as the Peripatetics, give their first country performance at Port Chalmers on the 3rd July, in aid of the hospital funds of that place. The woman Schmidt was brought up this morning on a charge of bigamy and remanded. During the winter months the gold escort from the north will come down once a month, instead of twice. (PER PRESS AGENCY.) Auckland, Monday. A long correspondence between Pollen and the Superintendent is gazetted to-night. It commences with a letter from Pollen on the 18th March, stating that the engineer in charge of road and bridge works in the Waikato reports the bad state of the bridge over the Whangaruarino Eiver, on the Mercer and Newcastle main road, and proceeds to state that as the Government are paying the province large sums out of the confiscated lands fund they can no longer keep that road in repair. Grey replies that £2867 is all that has been received, and inquires into the amount of balance due. Pollen replies £728, which will be paid forthwith. On the 5tR June the Provincial Accountant, after previous applications, telegraphs that unless the capitation and special allowances be paid over, to the province will be unable to meet engagements. A reply follows that the money had been stopped to pay interest on the railways debt. Grey replies protesting against the stoppage, at a time when the province was involved in liabilities arbitrarily ordered by Pollen on the goldfield, which he considered unnecessarily large.. Pollen replies that the money was stopped in the ordinary course of business. He recognises the duty of Government to carry on the province if necessary, until the case had been brought before Parliament, and if application to that effect be made, the Cabinet will consider it. He would take the responsibility of ordering the money to be paid. Grey replies in a letter dated to-day, 21st June, that £6OOO advance was wronfully held back from the province ; also, that as regards this sum, that if Ministers.had power to pay it now they could have done so before. He refuses to accept it except as a right, and continues : “ The recovery of the amount due for interest on the Onehunga railway has not been made in the regular course of business. The demand should have been made. Monthly accounts should, by law, have been furnished to me, to which I should have had an opportunity of objecting and being heard before the whole sum was arbitrarily levied on the province. I have already stated my belief that to take this amount from the capitation allowance unlawful act. I beg you will take the opinion of your Solicitor-General on this point. I am now taking legal opinion regarding it. If my belief on this point turns out to be right, and the capitation allowance is not paid, I propose to take means in a friendly spirit to determine the great constitutional question, whether or not there are legal means by which provinces can support then- rights, instead of either craving them by unbecoming submission or engaging in disputes which might have most unhappy and dangerous results.” Grahamstown, Monday. The Moanatairi Company have made 219 ounces for the fortnight. Doige and Haynes have invented a goldsaver, They intend registering the same, and

applying for the bonus offered by the Otago Government for inventions, on the claim that their machinery is specially fitted to save light gold.

Napier, Monday. Mr. Ormond was re-elected for Hastings unopposed. Heavy rains on Saturday flooded the Meanee flats and the low-lying part of the town. Many sheep were drowned. A serious case of stabbing occurred on Saturday evening. James Cable, a bricklayer, was stabbed with a knife by John Thomas, a cab-driver, who inflicted a dangerous wound five inches long in the stomach. Thomas was brought before the .Resident Magistrate to-day and remanded. Thomas being employed as overseer on the road, was discharged by Cable, under whom he was working. The former resented it. Cable may recover, but he is not out of danger. A long and able letter in to-day’s. Herald from Dr. Spencer on the cause of the late epidemic here, points out that the immigrants per Clarence were landed here on January 5 in every stage of the disease (typhoid fever), and landed at the barracks. The Council meets, after an adjournment of a week, to-morrow. Grevtown, Monday. Tully, who presided at the election of the Greytown Local Board last year, and returned the commissioners as duly elected, is now officially requested by the Provincial Government to forward a report that no commissioners were elected. Should Tully now report as requested, the Superintendent may appoint a Board of Commissioners under the loth section of the Local Boards Act. A ratepayers’ meeting is fixed for Friday evening next. Blenheim, Monday. At. the Wairau election, Ward polled at Blenheim 116, at Marlboroughtown 26, at Eenwick 36 ; Moorhouse at Blenheim 125, at Marlboroughtown 41, at Renwick 7. Majority for Ward at these three places, 5. There still remain returns to come in for the Wairau Valley and Flaxburne. The election has been most keenly contested. There was great excitement towards the close, and heavy odds were laid on Ward. Hokitika, Monday. The schooner Mary Campbell got off the beach at last night’s tide, and is now safely alongside the wharf, very little damaged. Christchurch, Monday. Additional fifteen miles of Oxford branch line of railway is to be formally opened this morning. The event will be celebrated by a public luncheon and ball at Oxford. Additional fourteen miles of Southbridge branch line of railway will be ready by July 15. Port Chalmers, Monday. A meeting of the workmen and sub-contrac-tors employed on Strachan’s contract fer the Dunedin and Moeraki railway was held this evening, in Dodson Bond. Mr. James Quinn was called to the chair, and after several persons addressing the meeting, the claims, amounting to £3OO 14s. 2d. for sub-contractors, and £236 16s. 6d. for wages-men, were submitted, and a committee appointed to place the same in' the hands of Mr. Mansford, R.M., in order that he might communicate with the General Government respecting the state of affairs. The meeting was most orderly, these poor fellows stating their grievances in a most manly way. Great sympathy is expressed for them in Port Chalmers and the neighborhood.