TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5467, 4 October 1878, Page 2

TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.

(PER PRESS AGENCY.) Auckland, Thursday. The WasteLandsßoard to-day considered the Broomhall purchase, and adopted the following resolution, —That inasmuch as the distinct understanding upon which the Auckland Land Board entered into negotiations with Broomhall for sale to him of a block of land at the Thames was the introduction of a certain specified number of immigrants, and the erection of a specified number of houses; and inasmuch as it appears that Mr. Broomhall is or has been in treaty to transfer the rights granted to him to a public company, who may not carry out in a bona fide way Mr. Broomhall’s agreement,—the Board is of opinion that the Broomhall Validation Act, now before the House, might contain a clause embracing the original conditions of the settlement upon which this Board concluded its negotiations with Mr. Broomhall before issuing the Thames grant. The Board also resolved, on the suggestion of Mr. Tole (chairman), that a recommendation bo made to the Minister of Lands for authority to set apart certain lands for secular education. A meeting of Presbyterians carried a resolution in favor of establishing a sustentation fund, eo as to give a uniform stipend of £250 a year to each minister. Burton’s Australian Circus opened last night to a good house. New Plymouth, Thursday.

A boy and a man have been stopped by the natives on the Mountain-road, between the new township of Stratford and Katemarae. The boy Taylor says the natives threatened to shoot him if ho proceeded. The man Stewart says he was also obstructed by the natives, and afraid to go on, and therefore turned back. Au explanation given of the affair here is that these natives may possibly be some of the parties out in search of Hiroki, and may have warned the man and boy that ths murderer was about and would probably shoot them if they went on, and Taylor and Stewart, not understanding Maori sufficiently, have taken their friendly words as threatening. The following was received by the police from Hawera this afternoon “ Armed parties of natives and native police are on and in the vicinity of the Mountain-road ; if there were any other armed natives there they would have been reported here (Hawera.)" The general opinion here is that the parties- who have been stopped have been needlessly frightened, as it is an unusual thing for natives armed to be seen on the Mountain-road. The police are making active inquiries into the affair, but as it takes some time to go to Stratford, which is a township on the Mountainroad, and the roads being bad, it takes some time for messengers to get here and back. Patba, Thursday.

Four hundred feet of rubble work on the breakwater has tended to straighten the channel, and give deeper water on the bar. Concrete blocks are being made, and will be laid in deep water on the arrival of the tramway material from Wellington, which will further straighten and deepen the channel. Much regret is felt here at the excision of the endowment clauses from the Harbor Bill. Nahbb, Thursday. The inquest on the fire at the Spit was opened this afternoon before Dr. Hitchings, coroner, and a jury consisting principally of merchants at the Spit. The only evidence tending to implicate any person in the commission of incendiarism was that of the wife of Constable Byrne and of the daughter of Mr, Beukers, both of. whom stated they saw a man without a hat jump over Beukera’s fence just when the alarm was raised. The inquiry was adjourned till to-morrow afternoon. The Borough Council last evening accepted the tender of Mr. Thomas Connor, of Wellington, for filling in twenty-throe swamp sections, for £12,690. The Mayor pointed out that if councillors incurred liability by borrowing money not authorised they rendered themselves personally liable, but the councillors believed that the ratepayers would support them should any difficulty arise in consequence of the Bill tor amending the Swamp Nuisance Act having been declared a private Bill, and so having been shelved for the session.

At a meeting of the hospital committee to-day it was resolved to proceed with the erection of a new building at once, and that tenders be invited as soon as the thousand pounds promised by Government is received,:

Gisborne, Thursday, Under the heading, “ Maori Troubles at Waiapu,” tho Evening Herald to-night says a messenger arrived in town last night from Hicks Bay, bringing intelligence that the situation is still, unchanged.. The two hapus are entrenched in their respective pas, and fire at each other whenever an opportunity occurs. There has been a lot of firing, but up to the time of* the messenger leaving no casualties were reported. In one. instance a chief fired at a Maori point blank, but the shots, or more correctly speaking, the discharge, did not take effect, the assumption being that a number of the rifles are loaded with blank cartridge. The Native .Minister is using his influence to pacify the combatants. The dispute is over a small piece of land. Christchurch, Thursday.

A man named Lawrence Dennis lias been arrested for burglary in the house of Thomas Patrick, and stealing a cash-box containing £l3. Ho was brought up at the Police Court this morning, and remanded till to-morrow. The criminal calendar contains the following cases :—Four of larceny, one of forgery, one of rape, one of murder, three of arson, ono of malicious injury to property, one of burglary, and one of killing cattle with intent to steal the carcase.

Damages to the line having been repaired the railway train is running north as usual. The Presbyterian Synod closed its sittings last night. At a meeting of shareholders in the proposed temperance hotel last night it was resolved to advertise for a site. 1800 shares are taken up, but the building will not be begun until 5000 are allotted.

A petition was forwarded by tbe steamer Taranaki to-day to the Governor, asking him to proclaim the city divided into wards. The evidence of Mr. W. W. F. Digby, secretary of the Jockey Club, was taken today before G. S. Hellish, Esq., 8.M., in the case of McGee v. the stewards of the Auckland Jockey Club. The evidence was taken by commission, and was in reference to the disqualification of the racehorse Falcon. The evidence of Mr, Digby went to show the confirming of the disqualification in question by the Canterbury Club, and also the receipt of a letter from Mr. Percival, the secretary of the Auckland Club, intimating that McGee, the owner and the jockey, had been disqualified for two years, and the horse for ever. The evidence will be forwarded to Auckland. Hokitika, Thursday. The steamer Lioness was despatched southwards early this morning in search of the missing steamer Waipara. A great many people here are becoming anxious about the steamer Waipara. She had a dozen or more souls on board, and 25 tons cargo and mails. The Times suggests that the Government should send a steamer in search from some Southern Captoin Turnbull, harbor master, went south in the Lioness with a search party, on behalf of the owners. Letters from Okarito, dated 30th September, report heavy gales, high surf, and flooded .rivers in the locality where the vessel was last seen. There was a very small insurance on the. steamer. The Supreme Court criminal session opened to-day. William Thomas Fowler pleaded guilty to larceny from a dwelling, and was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment. Charles Nygren, for maliciously wounding Elizabeth Campbell, was acquitted ; and on a second charge of wounding Magnus Nicobon he was also acquitted. The Grand Jury threw out the bill for criminal libel in the matter of Davis v, Potts. Dunedin, Thursday. A meeting of the Dunedin Presbytery was held to-day to consider the new Bill introduced by the Attorney-General, and which has for its object to deprive the Presbyterian Synod of the right to appoint those professors of the Otago University whose chairs are endowed out of certain Church funds to the third of which the Synod is compelled by law to expend for educational purposes. The petition submitted, and which it was resolved to forward to Mr. Macandrew and Mr. Matthew Holmes for presentation to Parliament, expressed regret at.the action of the AttorneyGeneral in introducing a Bill to denude the Synod of the above-mentioned power. The Presbytery was not aware of any reason why the said Bill, which seriously affected the rights of the Synod, should have been introduced without due notice to the parties interested, and they protested against it, as they submitted that it was an unjust and arbitrary proceeding, done in violation of the first principles of justice, and one which if it succeeded would produce a feeling of insecurity with regard to Vested rights throughout the colony. A somewhat bitter discussion followed, in the course of which the Attorney-General’s action was severely criticised. The report of Professor Black on the sample of brawn from Oamaru, and which was supposed to have been the cause of the recent poisoning cases there, states that it showed all absence of mineral poisons, but under the microscope vibrios in great quantities were detected. “It is well known,” says the professor, " that vibrios are evidence of putrifactive changes ; but the seasoning present was sufficient to bide them, though putridity had advanced considerably.” Balclutha,. Thursday The township is still under water, the average being two/eet deep. Only three dwellinghouses are gone, but several buildings are. undermined and in great danger. One small store was washed away, one fancy goods shop was washed into the street, and also a blacksmith's shop. Gravel and mud-pits are formed in the streets and gardens; fences are broken down and washed away. The current is very strong in some parts. The streets are full of large hoi s, making them extremely unsafe for horses. A man and horse went completely out of sight in a hole'to-day; both were ultimately rescued. Sand spits, &c,, prevent boats plying. Only a few families remain in town, almost all the rest have gone to the neighboring settlers. The railway is much damaged. The station buildings are still standing, but are undermined. Both bridges are safe. Inch Clutha, Stirling, and Kaitangata are all submerged The greater part of the stock is saved as yet, but is in a very precarious position. No human lives have been lost. The river has fallen very little.