TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5422, 13 August 1878, Page 2

TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.

(FEU nißß3 AOENOr.) Auckland, Monday. At a meeting o£ the Licensed Victuallers’ Association to-day the action ot the brewers in raising the price o£ beer was strongly condemned. A resolution was passed,—That this meeting is of opinion that the price of beer cannot be raised to the consumers, and as the licensed victuallers are already heavily burdened, they request the brewers to reconsider their recent resolution, and supply beer at the old price. Ur. Somerville, with his son, is expected by the mail steamer from Sydney, cn route to England. Dickenson, the undertaker, has been committed for trial on the of fraudulent bankruptcy by concealing goods in an adjoining house. > Now Guinea intelligence, received at Cooktown from Now Guinea, reports that a great number of men in a digging party are sick, and that matters were very critical when the Sappho arrived with welcome supplies and medicines. No gold is reported as yet, although strong colors are said to have been obtained, New Plymouth, Monday. The Jockey Club races will be held pn the Oth and Qth December. The programme for the hrst day comprises a Handicap Hurdle Race, £10; Maiden Plato, £4O; Taranaki Cup, £6O; Hack Race, £5; Taranak)

Jockey Club Handicap, £l5O. Second day— Handicap Steeplechase, £00; Hack Hurdle, £10; Autumn Handicap, £3O; Harbor Stakes, £4O; Railway Plate, £3O ; and Consolation Stakes, £2O. Dunedin, Monday, One hundred and sixty-eight acres of land near Forbury, about two miles from Dunedin, changed owners to-day for £25,000. Between July 11 and August 8 there have been received at the Dunedin office applications under the nominated system of immigration for 109 souls, equal to 98 statute adults. Christchurch, Monday. At the Magistrate s Court to-day, J, M. Connell, who assaulted Mr. Thomas, the solicitor, iu the public street on Saturday, was sentenced to two months' with hard labor, and ordered to find for good behavior at the expiration of that time. From his appearance in Court Mr, Thomas seemed to have been very heavily punished. The affair arose out of a bankruptcy case. Connell asserted that he took a man named Moss about to became bankrupt to Thomas, and that Thomas in undertaking to put Moss through the Court promised to see that Connell’s claim was paid ; but afterwards Thomas refused, to pay Trim. Thomas said he made no such promise, and that Connell had not the slightest claim on the estate of Moss. Connell, who was very violent in Court, said he had come all the way from Wellington to assault Thomas.

The Chamber of Commerce held a meeting to*day to consider the question of railway communication with the West Coast, and passed resolutions thanking the Canterbury members for the action they had taken, and in effect said that the route via Amberley would be the best and cheapest. It was also resolved to ask the members of the Assembly to support the Canterbury members in their endeavor to get that route adopted. ' A public meeting re West Coast railway was held to-night, at which about 250 were present. It was resolved, —1. That this meeting desires to urge upon the Government the desirability of connecting tbe Bast and West Coasts of the island by railway with as little delay as possible, in order that the productions and mineral resources of both sides of the island may be interchanged, to the mutual advantage of each. 2. That in the opinion of this meeting the most direct and cheapest route will be via Amberley and Ahaura; and that the Mayor be requested to forward these resolutions to the Hon. the Premier, At another meeting held to-night it was resolved to telegraph a congratulatory address to Earl Beaconsfield. A dredge of local construction has been launched on the Waimakariri, at Kaiapoi. On Saturday several greyhounds were sold by auction. One named Borgia, imported from England by Mr. Wynn Williams, realised £2O. On the application of Government, the Charitable Aid Board resolved to admit patients to the hospital from Kaikoura at a charge of £2 each weekly. Haynes and Benham’s circus opened on Saturday night to a large audience. Ahaura, Monday.

A large and influential public meeting was held on Friday night re railway connecting the East and West Coasts of this island. The meeting was unanimous as to the advisability of proceeding with it, and the route via Hokitika, Haast Pass, and Otago was strongly commended, and Grey Valley connecting with Amberley advocated. The representative of the district was requested to support the Grey Valley and Canterbury route in Parliament, and it was further resolved, —That considering the immense traffic to Beefton, this meeting would urge upon Parliament the pressing necessity existing for continuing the line from Brunuerton to Beefton, and that the work be commenced with as little delay as possible, seeing it would eventually become a portion of the main line between the east and west coasts of this Island. The following resolution was also carried by acclamation:—That the want of a good main road from the Ahaura to the Count’s station, Canterbury, has been long felt, and the absence of such road has proved highly injurious to the producers of the Grey Valley. With a view to encourage settlement, it is desirable that a sum of money be placed by Parliament upon the Supplementary Estimates, for the immediate prosecution of this much needed work. A very .strong committee was appointed, with Mr. K. Alcorn as chairman, and Mr. Drury secretary. It was incidentally mentioned that the committee would gladly co-operate with any other county favoring the same route, the committee to meet fortnightly, which evidently means business. Kdmaea, Monday.

A crowded meeting re the railway was held here to-day; the Mayor in the chair. Resolutions urging on the Government the desirability of connecting the East and West Coasts were carried unanimously. The liue from Greymouth to Christchurch, via Amberiey, was strongly advocated by several speakers, and the suggestion is very favorably received here.