TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4592, 8 December 1875, Page 2

TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.

(prom odb own correspondent.) Westport, Tuesday.

The populace turned out en masse this morning to witness the trial trip of the first locomotive run on the Mount Rochfort line. In official parlance the trip was purely private, the object being to enable Arthur Dobson, Resident Engineer, to report upon the line and locomotive in actual operation previous to the junketing on opening day. The locomotive attained a speed of twenty miles an hour in the straight running, the vibration being at a ■minimum. The trial was quite satisfactory. The line, however, will be almost useless until the third section is complete, when, according to evidence given yesterday, Westport will be able to supply New Zealand with coal. The seams in Mount Rochfort vary from 20ft to 20ft. thick, and six mines could turn out 10,000 tons of coal a week each. The Colliery Commission took evidence in twenty-five cases yesterday, and finished what are known as the allotted claims this morning. The work of the Commission will probably not last more than a week now. Heavy rain is falling. (PEB PBES3 AGENCY.) Auckland, Tuesday. The Harbor Board decided, at the sitting of the Works Committee to-day, to ask Enningtou to prepare plans and specifications for a dock 300 ft. long, and 12ft. deep. Hull, the former member of the House of Representatives, announces his candidature for Marsden. New Plymouth, Tuesday. The Railway Compensation Court sat yesterday to hear the claim of Charles Brown of £IOOO for depreciation of his property, caused by the street being diverted, and loss of river and sea frontage. . A large number of witnesses were examined, whose opinions as to the value of the property were very wide apart. The Court decided that Brown was entitled to £6OO damages against the Government. Judge Gillies leaves for Auckland in the Welllingtou to-day.: ; ■ During yesterday and to-day a heavy fog has enveloped the town. A number of Parahaka natives are in tow. On seeing the trains run for the first time they cheered lustily. Nelson, Tuesday. Mr. Sharp addressed the city electors last night. He expressed himself thoroughly in favor of abolition with extended local Government power. He traced the rise aud fall of provincialism, and attributed the prominence it had gained to the fact of Sir George Grey being afraid to meet tho General Assembly in the first instance, and therefore having first called the Superintendents aud Provincial Councils into existence, who made their influence felt at the first meeting of the Assembly. He considers the compact of 1858 bound the Provincial Governments to carry out the immigration and public works scheme, and therefore, by adopting the policy of 1870, the General Assembly had virtually broken that compact. Having relieved the provinces of their responsibility on that score, it had thereby entitled the colony to an equitable division of the land fund. Ha thought the Upper House should be elected for a longer period than the Lower House, so that these bodies should not in time of political excitement, be elected at the same time. A resolution “ That Mr. Sharp is a fit and proper person to represent tho city,” was carried unanimously. ' A keen contest for the suburbs is expected between Richmond and'Bout. It is rumored that Baigont will contest Waimea with Shephard; but the latter is considered safe. Dunedin, Tuesday. A fire broke out at two o’clock this afterno DJI [on the premises of John Hydes Harris, in Leith-street. The house, which was a large one, contained a valuable collection of paintings, old curiosities, relics, &0., tho labor of niany years. Tho hose on the premises saved the house from total .destruction. The fire originated "In'- the■ drawing-room, through a faulty chimney. The insurance is £1250 in the Norwich Union on the house and furni.tjiro, and £1250 in the Victoria. This will nothing like cover tho damage done; the immense quantity of water did more harm than the fire. ..... ' The highest tender received for the University building was thatof the Colonial Bank for £27,500.| It being thought that the Council of the University maybe able to obtain privately the amount they require for the building, the arrangement of the matter has been relegated to a, committee'■ consisting, of the .Chancellor: (Sir J. L. C. Richardson), Cargill, and Hare. .Sir Dillon Bell will address the electors of Waikouaiti in the Temperance Hall there this evening. Mr. T. L. Shepherd addresses tho Dunedin electors in a few days. He will contest his old seat. The ship Adamant had an extraordinary passage to the Bluff. Captain Birch was much given to drink. Ho kept the ship sailing about

the coast of Brazil for .three , weeks ; he got on a sand bank within .hail of the shore, apd the natives walked-up to. the-, ship and conversed with those* on {board.: The first mate at last took command, and the captain shortly after died. The provisions were nearly exhausted when the voyage ended. Timaku, Tuesday. R. Turnbull addressed the Gladstone electors last night, and advocated abolition, financial reform, unity of the colony, local government, the sale of ■ Provincial Government buildings, and reserves for distribution among counties. He was favorably received, and a vote of thanks was accorded to him. , An endeavor was made to get the three Geraldine candidates together before the electors polled. 'Wakefield and Bayner consented, but Wilson refused. The detention of Sir John Code’s plans by the Provincial Government has caused much dissatisfaction here. At last they have arrived, and there is likely to be a tremendous demonstration of popular feeling, as the necessity of proceeding with the harbor works is reviving the old feud between North and South. Oamaru, Tuesday. The North Otago Times of this morning announces that from the Ist of January next it will be published daily. The proprietor’s also announce their intention of publishing a weekly at an early date, under the title of the North Otago Standard. Chkistchckch, Tuesday. . Mr. S. P. Andrews addressed the electors of Christchurch last night. He agreed with abolition, but not with centralism, and hoped to see some good form of local government arise to replace provincial institutions. He advocated free and compulsory elementary education, and the same allowance out of the land funds to municipalities as to road boards. The Hon. E. Richardson and Mr. Stevens are strong favorites for the city. Mr. E, J. Wakefield is not supported at all. Mr. Frederick Hobbs has been re-elected Mayor of Christchurch without opposition. It is understood that he made it a condition that £BOO a-year should be voted as an honorarium to the Mayor.