TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 4896, 30 November 1876, Page 2

TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.

(FEB PBES3 AGENCY.) Gbahamstown, Wednesday.

The Hon. F.. Whitaker arrived yesterday. He attended the Sir Walter Scott Lodge last night, and was affiliated to Scottish Masonry for the {purpose of taking office as Provincial Grand Master of the Scottish Constitution in the North Island, to which post he has been elected. The affiliation took place in the presence of over a hundred Masonic brethren, and a banquet was held to celebrate the event. Mr. Whitaker remains for a day or two to transact business. To-day he is with Mackay andPuckey conferring with the natives re land purchase and extension of the telegraph to Paeroa, the opposition to which is nearly removed.

A movement is being commenced here to effect an amalgamation of the borough and county. The present Mayor, J. E. Macdonald, has accepted a requisition, and consented to be nominated for the mayoralty. Stoppage of the big pump is threatened. There is only enough of the £50,000 grant to carry on for another month. Auckland, Wednesday. A son of Dr. Blrasley has been drowned. A man named Kingham has been arrested on a charge of indecont assault on two young girls five and ten. Several provincial officers will be discharged to-morrow. The officers of the Treasury remain for the present, yhe officers in the Public Works and sheep inspectors have received notice of the discontinuance of their services when the county system is established. The Harbor department will be taken over by the General Government at the end of the year. Robert Skelton died from injury from a fall from bis horse. Cheistchukoh, Wednesday. Between seventy and eighty thousand salmon ova have been hatched out. It is feared that the firing for the General Government district prizes will interfere with many volunteers attending the Otago Rifle Association prize shooting, as the two take place about the same time. Efforts will be made to get the date for the district prize firing altered. The firing for the selection of carbine representatives at the colonial prize firing has commenced. The highest scores in the first competition are—Sergt. Hill, 87 ; Sergt.-Major Fox, 86 ; Lieut. Strange, 78 ; Gunner Patton, 74.

Dunedin, Wednesday. Eleven fresh cases of scarlet fever are reported t<>-day. All the single girls, per Dunedin, were engaged to-day in about one hour. There is a general holiday to-morrow. BaceS, sports, picnics, &c. A Mercantile Agmoy's cablegram from London confirms the fall of OJd. to Id. in the price of wool. The Hon. Mr. Bowen has been visiting the public institutions in the city. Government have expressed themselves generally satisfied with the management of the industrial schools, and promise to provide the necessary punishment cells.