Untitled

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5369, 12 June 1878, Page 2

It is reported that a party of the Ngatiwhakaue have left Rotorua, armed, with the object of occupying two blocks of land at Maketu, which some other natives have been trying to put through the Native Lands Court, to which the Ngatiwhakaue object. The Government have consented to place tho Provincial Hall at the disposal of the Conference of County Council representatives, which is to assemble at Wellington on tho Ist of next month.

The Hutt County County Council determined yesterday, on the motion of Councillor Morgan, to abolish the tolls from the Hutt bridge. Practically, the removal will not take effect until the Ist of February next, as tho tolls collected during tho three months prior to that date are to ha devoted to the forming of a fund for carrying out repairs to the bridge and adjacent protective works. The members of tho Wellington Club gave a complimentary dinner last evening to their President, George Hunter Esq., M.H.R., in grateful acknowledgment of the services which, during a period of years, he has rendered to the institution. A very largo number of members were present on tho occasion, and the demonstration must have been ns grateful to Mr. Hunter as it was justly merited. One of the keepers at Tho Brothers lighthouse named McGowan broke his thigh on Friday morning when descending a stair during his wati h. Particulars of the accident appear elsewhere.

Councillor Dick has given notice of the following motion for next meeting of the Hutt County Council, —That tho sum of £IOO be paid to tho Wellington Highway District, to be expended t ln the Waiuui Riding, Hutt County.

We understand that a running match between' two local peds (amateurs) will take place on the Basin Reserve this evening at half-past 7 o’clock. A more than usually large amount of important business was transacted at the regular meeting of the Hutt County Council yesterday. A full report of the proceedings will be found elsewhere.

Notice is given in our advertising columns that a general meeting of the creditors of Mr. Richard Beckford.Scott,of Wellington,clerk,rvil! be held on the Hth instant, when he intends to apply for a certificate of discharge. Mr. T. Ballinger, late of Chew’s buildings, Willis-street, has purchased Mr. John Turner’s business as a tinsmith, &c., on the opposite side of the street, which he intends carrying on in conjunction with the plumbing and gasfitting trade. At the meeting of tho Hutt Oouuty Council yesterday the sum of £4OO, in two egul instalments, was voted to the Karori-Makara District, ou the motion of Councillor Lancaster, seconded by Councillor Monaghan.

The Fine Arts and Industrial Exhibition in connection with the Working Men’s Club will be opened on Monday, the Ist of July, in the club’s new premises next the Opera House, Manners-street. Applications for space must he sent in on or before Monday, tho 2-ith June inst.

We have been requested to state that a local paragraph which appeared last evening in the columns of a contemporary, relative to the escape of a prisoner from gaol, his subsequent recapture' and trial by the visiting justices, is altogether without foundation, no such occurrences, having taken place. Applications for deferred-payment sections on the Whakamara Block were received on Wednesday last at the local land office,Carlyle. For sections 1,2, 3, and 4 there were 12 applicants, for section 28 there were 3 applicants, and for 22, 23, and 30 there were two applicants for each section.

The usual weekly meeting of the Wellington Literary Association was held last evening; Mr. Robt. Gardner in the chair. The evening was devoted to the study of elocution, and some very good readings and recitations were given by the members present. The subject for discussion next Tuesday will be, “ Was ■the execution of Charles X. justifiable ? ” Another cargo of West Wanganui coal arrived in harbor yesterday by the schooner Elizabeth Curie. Captain Johnston speaks in the highest praise of the entrance to the Wanganui harbor. He took soundings ou the bar at dead low water, and found 15ft. This depth would bo sufficient to allow far larger vessels than the Elizabeth Carle to leave, loaded, with the greatest safety. Messrs. J. H. Bethune and Co. will sell by auction at two o’clock this afternoon, ou the premises, Howe’s Lane, off Dixon-street, portions of town acres 173 and 174, with a convenient six-roomed dwelling-house, with a two-stall stable and outhouses. One of the allotments is planted with fruit trees. After which will be sold the whole of tho furniture and effects of the late Mr. John Howe. The sale will be without reserve. Farther particulars will be found in our advertising columns.

The enterprising merchants and traders of Wellington appear alive to the advantages to be derived from utilising the telephone in connection with their business. We lately chronicled the fact of Air, E. W, Mills having established telephonic communication between his several establishments, and yesterday we notified that the example had been followed by Mr. L. T. Bowden, who has connected his retail premises in the Athenaeum Buildings with his store in Brandon-street. The work, which was executed by Mr. J. E. Hayes, of Lambtonquay, was recently examined by Dr. Lemon, who suggested some slight improvements, and these being made, everything works most satisfactorily. Mr. Bowden invites all who wish to inspect the working of this great wonder of modern science to call at his establishment.

An escape of gas was noticed lately at a well-known boarding-house at the top of Plimmer’s steps. When the plumber was sent for it was found that rats had gnawed a hole about au eighth of au inch long in the soft composite pipe. Happily in this case no great harm was done. But is it not false economy using pipes which a rat can gnaw through ? Some of the fires, the origin of which can never be traced, may have been caused in this way. In the case under notice the gas escaping became prominently noticeable in the daytime ; but had the gas been allowed to have had free way during the night, while the doors and windows were closed, and anyone had struck a match, the consequences might have been indeed serious. Those who are building houses (and their name is legion at present) would do well to leak to the quality of their pipiug. Rats, being ’cute creatures, do not probably gnaw a hole in a pipe for nothing; and in this instance their object no doubt was to get at a deposit of water which had lodged in a bend which tho pipe formed in the ground. By the last mail from America, it appears that Air. Dampier was very successful in sustaining the part of Muller in “ The Exiles ” at the Broadway Theatre, New York.—Mr. J. K. Emmett was appearing in “ The New Fritz” at the Standard Theatre to good paying houses, his second week being better than the first.— Signor Alajeroni’a re-appearauoe in New York as tho Old Corporal has been unfavorably criticised by the leading dramatic journals of that city. He has been indifferently supported, and the critics find fault -with his broken English, and his painfully elaborate elocution and style of the Italians.—Dion .Bouoicault is engaged writing a new Irish drama for Wallock’a Theatre, and speaking of the coming piece, the New York Dramatic News says:—“Air. Bouoicault will again present to the laughter of the public the typo of buffoon with which he insults the race to which ho owes a moiety of his blood.—Air. Enderby Jackson, who introduced Harry Rickards to New Zealand some years ago, has engaged an American representative military baud to perform in the various centres of population in the United Kingdom. —Robert Heller was performing at Philadelphia.—The paper above quoted contains the following in its issue of Alay 11: —“ J. Levy, the cornet player, arrived in this city last week, after an absence of over a year in the Australian colonies, where he holds that he was outrageously swindled by various managers and agents. He in particular names one who was here some two years ago as the representative of one Lazar, of Sydney, since bankrupt. Several American actors have complained of this agent in the same way.—Miss May Howard was playing at tho Acadamy of Alusie, Halifax, Nova Scotia, where she opened for the summer season on April 22. Repairs which have lately been going on at tho Presbyterian Church, Hawera, have now been completed, and the church was re-opened for Divine service on Sunday last. The building (says the Patca Mail ) has been greatly improved externally, but vastly more so inside. It now has a compact and comfortable appearance as compared with its former rough state. The work just completed reflects groat credit on the contractors. Tho Patea Mail of the Bth instant says:— “ A special meeting of the Patea Harbor Board was held ou Thursday last, members having been called together to consider interim report, which had been received from Sir John Goode, as to river improvements. Wo understand that some modifications are proposed, which, however, will not retard the progress of the work, and which will be of material advantage as regards ultimate cost, besides miking the work for the contractor less risky, which should mean reduction in price. The prospects of a successful ball in honor of the laying of the foundation stone of the Patea Breakwater are bright.”

Among other items in the manifest of the steamer Mondego, which recently arrived at Southampton from the River Plate, are upwards of 1000 cases, containing between 40,000 and 50,000 ox tongues, from Afessrs. McCall’s factories at Paysandu. This will give some idea of tho enormous slaughter of oxen, which supplies so much of the export trade of the Argentine and Uruguay Republics, the hides for the moat part finding their way to the continent of Europe through Bordeaux and Antwerp, the flesh in tho of “ charque ” to Brazil and the We§t Indies, and tho tongues to the British public. The Spectator learns from a private letter that tho telephone has been adopted by tho Chinese, tho telegraph being useless, as they have no alphabet. 600 miles have already been spoken over in China.

At the Odd Fellows’ Hall on Friday evening next an entertainment will be given by the Bijou Minstrels, in aid of the Wellington Athletic Club funds.

As will be seen by advertisement, Miss Lizzie Morgan's benefit will take place at tho Theatre Royal to-morrow evening, , A woman has lately died at Grimisuat, near Sion, Switzerland, at the age, it is said, of 114, leaving two daughters aged 83 and. 82.

The offices o£ emigration agents for New South Wales, in America and Germany, have been abolished.

According to the Chicago Times, the crop returns show that the acreage of spring wheat in the Western States is 50 per cent, above that of 1877. The present condition of the crops is better than in any year since 3860. The freehold ground rent of £1350 per annum, arising out of the premises situate at the corner of Gracechurch-street and Cornhiil, known as 59 and 60 Oornhill, London, covering an area of about 850 ft., has been recently sold by Messrs. Harvey and Davids for the sum of £33,750, or equal to nearly £4O per square foot.