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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5161, 6 October 1877, Page 2

Parliament is not the only place where time Is wasted. Our Law Courts err iu the same direction, and iu the interests of unfortunate jurymen and the public purse we are glad <o see that Mr. Justice Richmond is setting his face against it. A case in which natives were concerned occupied the attention of the Supreme Court yesterday. Two Maori witnesses were called, and their examination and crossexamination occupied an hour each. The evidence was for the defence, and the facts elicited were admitted on the plaintiff’s side. The Judge asked counsel how many more witnesses he had to bring forward to prove circumstances which were not denied by the plaintiff ? Counsel replied that he proposed to call four more, and further that he iutended. to subject them to the same examination. Well, said his Honor, it is not fair to the Court or to the jury to have to sit for hours to listen to an oft told tale, which nobody disputes; and it will not be permitted. Tho result was that counsel agreed to put one simple question to each witness. "When called, a short definite question was put, and the evidence of the four was confined to the monosylable “ No,” or rather its equivalent in the native tongue. When told to stand down, our dark-skinned fellow-subjects appeared to be utterly bewildered. They could not understand being brought all the way from Te Ore Ore to say so little.

Nothing certainly appears more desirable than that all disputes should be settled in accordance with “ equity and good conscience.” Yet such words in a Native Lands Act actually appalled Mr. Justice Richmond yesterday. It was provided in the Act that a conveyance of land could be sat aside if it had not been effected in accordance with “ equity and good conscience.” His Honor said that certainly opened up a wide field for an ambitious Judge. He himself would not enter into the question of equity and good conscience, but would act in accordance with the fixed principles relating to real property. The Native Lands Court was the machinery provided to deal with equity and good conscience, and he would require a certificate from that Court as to the conveyance of the land in dispute. Shaking the proverbial rod rag in the eyes of a wild bull is not more enraging to that animal than the mention of the word “ Governor” is to the ears of Sir George Grey. Last night the great Proconsul waxed warm indeed on the clause iu the Land Bill empowering the Governor to nominate the members of the Waste Lands Board. Sir George said if the clause were carried he would propose that the House of Representatives bo nominated by the Governor. Wc shoul I have nomination all round. If it was time in small details, it was just as true in great matters. Let the principle be carried out in its entirety. However, Sir George’s eloquence was wasted, for the clause still remains part of the Bill.

Mr, Rees would be very sarcastic last night at the expense of the hon. member for Timarn. Mr. Stafford in the discussion on the Land Bill made a remark in reference to giving facilities to the man of small means to acquire laud. “ Ha, ha,” said Mr. Rees, “ this is a now character which the hon. member for Timarn appears iu. The advocate of the poor man !” Mr. Stafford rose and said the hon. member for Auckland City East was as ignorant of his political history as he was of a great many other subjects on which he spoke. He recounted what ho had done when Superintendent of Nelson to settle the people on the land, and also his actions in other positions. There wore gentlemen in the House who knew his political history, and he could afford to put aside the remarks of the hon. member for Auckland City East. Mr. Rees made an apology which had not the virtue even of being a plausible one. He admitted the hon. member for Timarn had hitherto been fair to all classes, and said that his remarks referred to Mr. Stafford as having now become the advocate of the poor man solely. The Palm Mail of the 3rd inst. says : Flockowners iu Patea Oounty for the most part report good increase this season. Some have lost after lambing, but taken all round the result is very favorable. Mr. E. Richards has tailed on the Paranui run 3197 lambs from 2539 ewes, being an increase of nearly L2G per cent.

A money order and savings bank office will be opened at Obinemutu (chief office, Auckland) on an after the 15th instant. The Hon. Mr Fox stated in the House yesterday that Mr. Lusk was going to Auckland by the Wanaka on Tuesday next. Mr. Lusk may not return until he is re-elected.

A general meeting of the Wellington Temperance Society will be held at the Provincial Buildings on Monday evening next at eight o’clock. It is notified in the New Zealand Gazette that Mr. A. Seabury and Mr. Peter Gibson have been appointed harbormaster and deputyharbormaster respectively for the port of Pox ton.

In the Legislative Council last night the Hon. Mr. Peacock was received by the Lords with evident marks of coldness. On his entering the chambei he was challenged as a stranger, and he withdrew. Thus we see disqualification makes strangers of them all.

The Inspector of Police received information yesterday that an inquest was held at Palmerston on the bodies of the two Scandinavians, Paul Christiansen and Jens Lund, found in the Manawatu River, and that a verdict of “found drowned” was returned by the jury.

“On their own merits modest men are dumb.” During the discussion on the Land Bill yesterday in the House, Mr. Stout stated that he was in favor of elective boards, but added, with great modesty, that he did not think the House was yet educated to such a standard as to vote for their establishment. Clause 18 in the Land Bill was discussed pretty fully yesterday. Sir George Grey opposed the appointment of members of land boards by the Governor, as they would simply become nominees of the Government. Mr. Bastings wished to state publicly that he had been for years a member of a land board, and never knew any Government to communicate with a land board with a view to having its particular ideas carried out.

Messrs. Guthrie and Larnaoh, timber merchants, of Dunedin, are about to establish a branch of their business in this port. They have purchased a mill at the Manukau, and intend supplying the market here with kauri timber. Already two vessels are on the road with full cargoes of kauri for this port from the Manukau, namely, the Edith Reid and Amaranth, which are to be followed by the Prince Rupert.

St. George’s Hall was again crowded last evening, and the burlesque of ‘‘Aladdin” was repeated with great success. It is evident that the manager, Mr. Cary, has hit the popular taste by introducing prizes in connection with the excellent entertainment nightly provided for the audience. A gold watch was amongst the gifts last evening. Tonight “Aladdin” will be presented for the last time, and amongst the prizes will be a cradle and perambulator. On Monday “ The Waterman” will be produced, and on Tuesday “Lucrezia Borgia.” At the Resident Magistrate’s Court yesterday, before H. S. Warded, Esq., R.M., Thomas Murray, charged with being drunk and creating a disturbance in Willis-street, was sentenced to 48 hours’ imprisonment in default of payment of a fine of £l.—James Daly, another offender against the laws of sobiiety, was fined 55., with the customary alternative in case of non-payment; and John Martin, for a like offence, this being his first appearance, was discharged.—On the civil side, judgment was ■ given for plaintiff, with costs, in the case of E. Sage v. C. Barnett, a claim for £44 6s. for board and lodging and goods supplied. By a reference to our advertising columns it will be seen that a meeting of the Wellington Working Men’s Club will be held on Monday evening at 8 o’ clock, for the purpose of electing two auditors, receiving progress report, and for general discussion. We notice that the committee have very judiciously invited persons who are favorable to the movement to attend also, and we therefore expect to see a large attendance. The spacious hall of the Wellington Eire Brigade, Manners-street, has been selected for the place of meeting. The Hon. Mr. Fox in the House yesterday called the attention of the Government to the following paragraph from a newspaper :—“ It would not do to have a general municipal election very often in Wellington. The 1 little bill ” presented to the City Council for expenses of the booths amounted to £42 ; of this amount £l6 was set down as liquors supplied at one booth. The poll clerks, scrutineers, and returning officer, must have made some good running to consume £l6 worth of liquor in the time. They worked hard, and yet the ratepayers grumble.” Mr. Eox asked the Government whether there was any means of checking such wasteful, reckless, and demoralising expenditure of the citizens’ money. The Hon. the Attorney-General stated in reply that the expenditure was entirely illegal and very censurable, but the remedy lay in the hands of the ratepayers, any of whom could object to such expenditure, and the auditors of the city accounts would be quite justified in refusing to pass such an item.

Referring to the Havelock Athenfeum Bill, which passed its second reading in the Legislative Council yesterday afternoon, Dr. Pollen observed that it seemed to have been drawn up rather by a poet than a lawyer. Clause 3 read as follows :—“ The objects and purposes of the body corporate shall be to aid and promote public education and moral and intellectual improvement, and the general study and cultivation of the various branches and departments of art, science, and literature, by means of libraries, lectures, classes, or in any similar manner, and to provide funds for such purposes, but the members of such body corporate shall not derive any personal pecuniary profit therefrom.” And the town of Havelock—or rather it should be called a city —had plenty to do if, by reserving only those ten sections mentioned in the schedule, it could effect all the wonderful things suggested iu the above clause.

At the Theatre Royal last evening Mrs. Morton Tavares took her benefit, when the laughable farce of “ Kernoodling, or All in the Wrong,” followed by “ Checkmate,” was produced to a very good house. To-night is announced as positively the last appearance of Mr. and Mrs. Tavares this season, and a large and appreciative audience may certainly be anticipated on the occasion. “ The Overland Route” is the piece announced. The Oamaru Reserves Bill, which had passed the House of Representatives, came on ‘for its second reading iu the Legislative Council yesterday. During the discussion that ensued on it, it appeared that Oamaru was very richly endowed already, 10 per cent, of the whole place, or, as Mr. Holmes very clearly proved, 245 town quarter-acres being set apart for reserves in some form or other, all of which were fetching from 235. to 30s. per week each. The hou. the Colonial Secretary, in speaking to the Bill —the debate on which was subsequently adjourned —remarked that the Oamaru Reserves Bill was evidently “ not a Government job, but emanated from the Opposition side, where public virtue always takes refuge, and where only it can flourish.”

A New Zealand Gazette, dated the 4th inst, which reached us yesterday, notifies the following traffic returns on the New Zealand railways for the month ending 25th August— Koipara section, receipts, £321 10s. fid.; Auckland, do, £1899 10s 5d.; Napier, £1397 14s. 9d.; Wellington, £832 11s. fid.; Foxton, £690 ss. 7d.; Wanganui, £l2l 55.; New Plymouth, £149 Os. 9d.; Greymouth, £sll 4s. 9d.; Westport, £74 3s. Id.; Nelson,£327 Os. 9d.; Picton, £403 3s. 3d.; Christchurch, £15,583 18s. 7d.; Dunedin, £5955 3s. 5d.; Invercargill, £2643 14s. Regulations relating to trout fishing on the Matai River, Nelson, and in Otago, are published for general information. The acceptance by the Governor of the resignation of D. McKellar, Esq., of Cromwell, of his appointment as justice of the peace, is announced.

Messrs. Todd and Johns nolify to the public in our advertising columns that they have re-oponed the old tobacco and hair-cutting establishment in Willisstreet so long and successfully presided over by Professor Rowley. They have at considerable expense altered and refitted the interior of the premises, and are prepared to supply the various wants of their customers in a style not to bo surpassed in the colony, A large and varied stock of useful and elegant articles for the toilet and the lovers of the fragrant weed has been procured regardless of expense.

At a meeting of creditors held yesterday in the estate of A. Zeilman, jeweller, Mr. Davis was appointed trustee. Tenders are invited by the Public "Works Department up to noon on the 31st instant for the supply of rolling stock for the western railways in Otago. The Telegraph of the Ist inst. says: —It is noteworthy that, although there are no less than fifty ladies on the burgess roll of Napier, not one recorded her vote at the last municipal election. How is this ? Can it be true that none of the candidates had secured the confidence of the fair sex 1 The Patea Agricultural and Pastoral Association’s show will take place at Waverley on the 15th November next. Arrangements, says the Mail, have been made for holding the show in Messrs. Morton and Duptou s paddock, which is situated conveniently near to the township. This district is beginning to attract considerable outside attention. The coming show will be a kind of test of its capabilities from a farming point cf view. It behoves all interested in the district to take part in this annual show, and not to hang back either with stock or produce for fear they may not be prize-takers. We hope to see thorough heartiness shown in this matter. The recent drought in Australia has evidently been a most severe one. A settler writing to a friend at Bathurst, New South Wales, says:—“ I have returned from a trip down the Macquarrie and Oastlereagh. This drought is indeed fearful, and squatters who twelve months since could draw a cheque and get it paid for £IO,OOO, can’t draw one now for £IOOO. Indeed there are some poor fellows who, through hard work and frugality, had nearly reached the top of the ladder before this frightful drought visited them ; but, alas, now they are nearly beggars. I don’t exaggerate when I tell you that I know some squatters who, out of flocks of say 50,000 sheep, have not a tenth of them left ; and cattle owners on many stations are just as heavy losers. The noise of the axe and saw can be heard on many runs, falling the handsome and drooping myalls to sustain life in the perishing beasts, who now almost refuse it as a food on account of the almost imperceptible spring in the young grass on some partly favored spots on the runs. There are some runs which are all right yet for feed and water, but for how long is another matter. The heat is now almost too great to bear down the rivers, and the sky is almost destitute of clouds. The black caterpillars in myriads are on ‘ the leaf,’ and eat up every vestige of green food. Such is my plain unvarnished tale.”

The Hawke’s Bay Herald of the 3rd instant reports the occurrence of an accident which happened the previous day, and very nearly proved fatal. As the steamer Manaia'was leaving the wharf, Mr. Nelson, the engineer, finding that there was some hitch about getting the vessel started, opened the door of the paddle-box and went half inside to start the wheel. It came round upon him suddenly, and would have probably crushed him to pieces had not the fireman promptly brought it to a standstill. When Mr. Nelson was removed he was found to be severely bruised about the ribs, and in great agony. He was lifted on shore, and a cab was brought, with the view of bringing him up to the hospital. It was found impossible, however, to lift him into it without causing excruciating suffering. The stretcher from the railway station, .therefore, was procured, and he was carried over to Mr. Young’s hotel. Dr. de Lisle was sent for, who reported that there were no bones broken. Mr. Nelson has since been removed to his own house at the Spit.