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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 4811, 23 August 1876, Page 2

A meeting of the committee of the Peatherston Memorial ‘was held in the Provincial Library last evening, Mr. J. Woodward in the -chair. The minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed, after which Dr. Duller, and Mr. Seed, the sub* committee appointed to confer with Mr. Eeetham, made their report, which received the approval of the general committee. Several -of the - gentlemen appointed to collect handed in their lists, showing an addition of £9O to the amount already reported. It was stated that no systematic effort at canvassing had yet been made either on the Terrace or at Te Aro, but that this would be undertaken during the coming week. A letter was read from Mr. Duncan, expressing his regret that owing to a pressure of business engagements he was unable to retain any longer the office of secretary, and at the request of the committee, Mr. O. R. Carter undertook that duty.. The committee will meet again on Tuesday, the 29th inst.

Mr. John Martin received a telegram yesterday to say that at half-past 12 o’clock on the previous night his woolshed at Otaraia had been burnt to the ground. The woolshed was one of the finest in. the province, if not in the colony, and contained a wool press, some bales of wool, a quantity of oats, and other things. The entire loss may be estimated at not less than £2OOO. Hr. Martin was totally uninsured. There is no doubt that the accident was caused by some of those persons who wander from station to station and live by what they can pick up, one of them probably having slept there the night and set fire to the place by lighting his pipe carelessly. Mr. Martin has determined upon giving strict instructions that such characters are to be turned away whenever they shall make their appearance on his station, and he is not to be blamed for doing so. The Hon. the Native Minister laid bn the table of the House yesterday, in response to a motion of Sir George Grey, certain correspondence between the Government and the Native chief Te Wheoro, respecting the pursuit of Winiata, the murderer of Packer. Te Wheoro writes complaining of a statement which appeared in the Waikato Times, accusing him of having connived at the escape of Winiata, and in refuting the charge Te Wheoro describes the strenuous efforts made by himself and followers to secure the murderer. It would appear that the Waikato Times was imposed upon by a certain half-caste who has earned an unenviable notoriety for originating canards. Those who remember the valuable services rendered by Te Wheoro during the. war of 1863, and the unswerving loyalty to the Crown which has characterised his subsequent conduct, will readily acquit him of any charge of want of energy in attempting to secure Winiata.

East Coast Election Committee made their report to the House of Representatives yesterday. In addition to depriving Captain Read of his seat, they also found that he should be called upon to pay £l5O towards Captain Morris’s expenses. It is understood that Captain Morris secures his seat at a total cost of something like £7OO. Captain Read has lost the seat and £2OOO in money.

A case was mentioned by Mr. Waterhouse, in speaking on the Health Bill in the Legislative Council yesterday, which shows the importance of obtaining healthy vaccine matter for inoculating purposes. In England a young woman had been vaccinated with lymph taken from the arm of a negro. The result had been that black pustules had broken out on the woman, and she had been disfigured and her prospects in life ruined. A meeting of the committee of the Wellington Benevolent Institution was held yesterday afternoon. Present —Bishop Hadfield (elected chairman), Rev. R. Ward, Rev. B. W. Harvey, Archdeacon Stock, Rev. Father Petit Jean, Rev. W. H. West, Messrs. L. Levy, D. Lewis, and J. G. Holdsworth. Received—£l Is. from Mr. P. Moeller ; £25 from the Parish of St. Peter’s, To Aro ; and £7 16s. 6d., collected by Mr. Willeston for Paul, Reidal, and Young. Several oases of distress were brought forward and relieved.

The honorable and gallant gentlemen the military section of the Legislative Council had a field day to themselves yesterday. The occasion was the motion of Colonel Brett, that seeing the unsettled state of Europe, it was advisable to make some provision for the defence of New Zealand. Colonels Whitmore and ICennv spoke, and while tfot altogether agreeing with the first speaker, considered It well that attention had been drawn to the matter. The Government ought to keep themselves posted up with the latest information on military matters. Captain Fraser thought it incumbent on England to uphold Turkey at all hazards, and that therefore a war with Russia was probable at any moment. That Power had a fleet on the Amoor, from whence swift cruisers could be despatched, which wouldsweep along the coast line of New Zealand, and levy contributions and do other damage. Dr, Pollen caused a little amusement by regretting, in his usual bland tone, that the hon. and gallant mover should have considered it necessary to commence his line of defence by blowing up the Government. The debate was finished by a word or two from Mr. Chamberlin, who said : I trust that now the military members of the Council have fired off their great guns, I may be allowed to fire off my popgun—which he did, in defence of the volunteers, of whom the three colonels did not appear to entertain a very exalted opinion. An eccentric man was charged with drunkenness at the Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday, convicted and fined. It appeared that he had on the night previous made himself very objectionable to some customers iu the Central Hotel by representing himself to be a detective, and offering certain dark threats to all and sundry. Ho became so very officious at last that the proprietor of the hotel found it necessary to bring a real member of the force on the scene, and the selfconstituted detective was removed to the lock-up. Mr. NT. J. Isaacs has established himself as an auctioneer in the premises one time occupied by Berger and Co,, musicaellers. The place is well adapted for the business, being commodious and convenient for storage, while the situation is undeniably good in so far as it is central. Mr. Isaacs held his opening sale on Monday, at the premises of Herbert Davis and Co., and disposed of all the property offered at fair prices. His next sale will bo on Thursday next, when he will offer a large quantity of wines, spirits, etc. The members of the Rifle Association intend shortly'to* hold a meeting, with the object of considering the question of rifle competitions during the coming season, and deciding upon some date for an opening match.

The Hon. Mr. Reynolds, M.H.R., arrived from the South yesterday by the s.s. Wellington. - A schoolhouse is being erected in connection with the St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Lambton-quay.. The building is to bo used as a Sunday-school, and will adjoin the present church.

We learn by telegram’ that Mr. G. Darrell’s new drama “ Transported for Life,” which was produced in Dunedin for the first’ time on Monday night, was a splendid success. There was a large house, and the criticisms of the Press were very favorable. , V A special meeting of the City Council will be held at half-past 4 o’clock on Friday next, to consider the report of a special committee appointed to consider fresh negotiations opened by the Wellington Gas Company for the sale of the works to the Corporation. It is understood that a definite, and what is considered a tolerably satisfactory offer has been made- by the company. The people of Taranaki—or some of them at least—are becoming anxious about Mr. 33. M. Smith, a gentleman who in connection with iron-sand has become quite notorious if not popular. A telegram from Taranaki, received by a gentleman in Wellington yesterday, says: —“ Where is Smith. No news here. Wife and others anxious.” This imparts quite a new feature of interest to the Steel and Iron Company’s arrangements.

At the Resident Magistrate’s Court yesterday the youth Randolph Laurent, who is about eighteen years of age, was called to answer a charge of having committed a heinous and unnatural crime. He could offer nothing in defence, and was committed to take his trial at the next sitting of the Supreme Court. The other cases were simply “ drunks,” and the delinquents were disposed of in the usual manner. There was one case of lunacy, and the party, a woman named Twouey, was committed to the Lunatic Asylum. The OrorModl Argus of August 15, the day upon which Mr. Pyke spoke in the House of Representatives, says :—Mr. Pyke himself is put down as a deserter from the good cause, and his past expressions raked up in all their enormity against him ; while his constituency is asserted to hold separation views of the most pronounced kind. The question of separation was not before the electors when Mr.- Pyke was returned, and therefore he cannot be accused of being false to his constituency. Nor do we think that separation has the sympathies of the Dunstan electors—the resolution of the so-called “Dunstan Political Association” to the contrary notwithstanding; and we cannot but characterise it as a piece of presumption on the part of that now defunct body to assume any such thing. In opposing ' the separation resolutions, Mr. Pyke will, we believe, not only be acting according to the feelings of the great majority of his constituents, but also doing a good work in the interests of the goldfields. The following is the fifth half-yearly report of the Standard Fire and Marine Insurance Company of New Zealand, to be submitted to a general meeting of shareholders, to be held on the 4th September : —“Your directors beg to submit herewith the annexed statement of accounts and balance-sheet for the half-year ending 30th June last. The dividend declared at last half-yearly meeting, amounting to £2500, having been carried to capital account, there now remains a gross balance to credit of profit and loss account of £2.4,385 19s. 4d., of which £14,858 will require to be set apart to provide for re-insurances of current risks, and for payment of unadjusted losses, which will leave a net balance of £9550, and which your directors recommend should be applied as follows, viz. That a dividend of fid. per share for the half-year be declared and carried to credit of capital account, which would make shares then stand at 12s. fid. paid up. Forty per cent, of surplus to be carried to credit of reserve fund ; 30 per cent, to be paid to policyholders in the company whose accounts show a credit balance for the preceding twelve months ; and the remaining 30 per cent, to be also carried to reserve fund. The capital would then stand at £31,250, and the reserve fund at £SBIO. The business of the company is in a very satisfactory state, and your directors are much pleased to be in a position to recommend the distribution of a bonus among the insurers ; and they consider that this course of capitalising dividends will recommend itself to the shareholders as being most conducive to the wellbeing of the company.” The premiums received during the half-year amounted to £26,046 11s., and the losses to £15,379 4s. The Maories in the neighborhood of Te Ore Ore are having a row between themselves about some land. A local paper thus describes the matter ;—Some time ago one party let a block, known as Okurupeta, to Mr. Welch, who is now using it as a sheeprun. The ownership was in dispute at the time, but no very active steps were taken to prevent occupation. There has been a flareup once or twice since then, a resort to arms being considered advisable on one occasion. But it came to nothing, and the sheep have remained on the laud. Now, however, the matter has taken a fresh start. The fact of one party getting a good round sum annually in the shape of rent, while the other received nothing, was rather too much for the outsiders, and they are therefore once more threatening to drive off the sheep, which the other party is prepared to prevent by armed resistance. Saturday appears to have been the day originally fixed upon for taking the first active steps, but that day as well as Sunday, and so far as we are aware, Monday, have passed off without a sheep having been disturbed, and without any powder having been wasted. We are not prepared to assert that the whole affair will blow over, without anything being done, and should not be at all surprised if it ends in a fight. Since the above was in type we learn that Wi Tiuitara and those who, with him, dispute the ownership of the block, intend moving on to the land to-day, after which they will proceed to out down the fences. Wi Waka, Manihera Maka, and those with them, are said to be prepared for shooting the intruders. There may be some little disturbance, but it is not likely to affect Europeans.

A moat important sale of town and country properties will be held this day by Mr. G. H. Vennell, at his rooms, Hunter-street. The town properties consists of valuable building sites for villas, and also in Willis-stroefc for business premises ; country properties in Johnsonvillo, and several In Wairarapa district. Speculators and parties seeking homesteads will do well to attend this sale.