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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5525, 11 December 1878, Page 2

It is asserted with confidence that Sir Wm. Fitzherbert will he offered, and that he will accept, the Speakership of tho Legislative Council. In that case, tho probable candidate for the Speaker’s chair in the House of Representatives will be Mr. O’Korke, who has frequently acted as Speaker in the absence of Sir Wm. Fitzherbert, and who has displayed a great knowledge of Parliamentary practice and privileges on all occasions when his opinion has been asked for while discharging tho duties of Chairman of Committees and of Acting!- Speaker. Mr. O’Rorko’s elevation would render the Chairmanship of Committees vacant. It is said by those who assume to bo well informed that Mr. B. Hamlin, who has frequently acted as Chairman of Committees when Mr. O’Rorke relieved Sir Wm. Fitzherbert, will be proposed by Ministers as a candidate for the chairmanship. Although the salary of Speaker of the Legislative Council is £2OO a year less than that of Speaker of the other branch of the Legislature, it is understood Sir Wm. Fitzherbert is prepared to make this pecuniary sacrifice, in order to be relieved of heavier duties, which have been toundto interfere with his health. It is a rather remarkable .circumstance that during the past week tho price .of sown timber in Wellington has advanced about 2s. per 100 feet all round. Wo were told that when the railway was carried through to Feathorston timbor especially was to become much cheaper, hut the reverse of tho looked for result has come to pass.

Messrs. Bunny and Beetham will meet their constituents at Masterton this evening. The Hon. Mr. Stout left for the South yesterday afternoon. The Hon. Mr. Sheehan is expected to arrive in Wellington in the course of a few days.

The call of Mr. Wood to the Legislative Council will shortly be gazetted.

A meeting of auctioneers is called for this evening, to take place at the Duke of Edinburgh Hotel. It is said that further changes are to be made in the local police force. Sergeant Smith is, we believe, to be removed to Dunedin. The ship Otaki, from London, will be entered at the Customs and berthed at the wharf to-day. At a meeting of the creditors of Charles Tafner, held yesterday at Messrs. Bailer and Lewis’ office, Mr. Berry was appointed trustee. William Donald, of Pahautauui, yesterday filed a declaration of insolvency. The first meeting of creditors will bo held on Monday next.

“ The Woman in White ” was repeated to a fairly large audience at the Imperial Opera House last evening. To-night “ Bob Roy ” will be produced. Notice Is given that the annual general meeting of the Wellington Building Society will be held at the office of the Society in Panama-street, on the 18th instant. There will be a special meeting of the Hutt County Council on Tuesday next, to' receive the report of the engineer as to the amount of damage which has been sustained in consequence of the recent floods and landslips.

We draw the attention of our readers to an advertisement which declares that on and after the 17th instant the Arcade will close at 5 In the evening, except on Saturdays and special days. Mr. A. K. Newman has entered into partnership with Mr. Zohrab, to carry on business as general merchants, importers, and commission agents. Their business premises for the present will be in Featheraton-street. The usual quarterly meeting of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce is called for this afternoon at 3 o’clock. Several subjects of ’interest are to be discussed, notably the railway station site. The Agent General telegraphs, under date London, December 6th, the sailing of the ship Wellington for Port Chalmers, with 332 immigrants ; and the Warwick, for Nelson and Wellington, with 201, A slight accident occurred «n the tramway line yesterday. A tram was passing along near the Basin Reserve when an axle of one of the carriages broke. The passengers had to subsequently the carriage was removed off the line.

The whole of the surveys in the KaroriMakara district will be completed in about six weeks from the present time, according to a communication received from the SurveyorGeneral by the Chairman of the Hutt County Council.

At the meeting in connection with St. John’s Presbyterian Church last evening, a report of which appears in another column, it transpired that it is proposed to establish a sustentation fund for the purpose of securing to ministers a minimum stipend of £250 a year.

Tho inquiry into matters connected with the police force of this city, brought under the notice of the Government by Mr. Mansford, R.M., was commenced at the Government Buildings yesterday afternoon, Mr, Shearman, Commissioner of Police for the North Island, and Mr. Inspector Atchison, were summoned before the Hon. the Colonial Secretary, but the proceedings being conducted in private we are unable to state what transpired. As will be seen from our report of the proceedings of the Hutt County Council the recent floods have done a considerable amount of damage between Horokiwi Valley and Paikakariki, including the washing away of the approaches to the Pnhautanui bridge. The damage has been so serious that for some considerable distance the mails have had to be conveyed by packhorse. The Council’s engineer forwarded instructions for the employment of as many men as could be found to repair the damage as far as possible, to permit of traffic being restored, and he will proceed on a tour, of inspection to-day.

Mr. F, M. Bates will take a farewell benefit prior to his departure from Wellington. In all probability it will come off at tho Theatre Royal on Monday evening next, when the popular b<sn£ficiare will submit an excellent bill of fare. The programme will comprise “ Ingomar” and “Toodles,” and to see Mr. Bates In the latter part (in which he has yet had no equal in New Zealand) is of itself worth all the money. We cordially wish Mr, Bates what we have no doubt he will have—a bumper house.

Referring to the meeting convened by Messrs Beetham and Bunny for to-night at Masterton, yesterday’s Wairarapa Standard says : —The electors of the Wairarapa may approve of the action taken by Mr. Bunny, or that taken by Mr. Beetham, but what we are contending for is, that they cannot approve at one and the same time of the action taken by both ; and we trust that they will not so stultify themselves, and make themselves the laughingstock of the whole colony, by passing resolutions at the forthcoming meeting in which any such approval could possibly be implied. It was represented at yesterday’s meeting of the Hutt County Council that greater supervision was necessary before accounts were passed for payment, and in accordance with this feeling, a finance committee was appointed, to examine all accounts prior to their being submitted to the Council for approval, A Mr. Jeremiah Dwyer, of Melbourne, a barrister and solicitor of the Supremo Court of Victoria, is applying to be admitted to practise in New Zealand. This gentleman, we believe, is the same Mr. Dwyer who is a prominent member of the lawless “Liberal” party in Victoria, and who has for some time been anxiously awaiting an Attorney-Generalship, which has not yet arrived. Perhaps the hon. gentleman is going to try his luck with the New Zedapd “Liberals.” Who knows I

The Timaru Herald says :—“ It is with great regret that we learn that several farmers in this district have turned their sheep on to their young crops, the latter, owing to the continued dry weather, being completely ruined. We sincerely hope that rain will come in time to save the larger portion of the crops.” Mr. P, Bills, of Pahautanui, sent in a claim for compensation for damage sustained through his store being flooded in consequence of the culvert put in by the Hutt County Council being too small to carry off the storm water. The Council, however, refused to recognise the claim. The Hanawalu Herald of the 10th instant says :—“ Wo understand that renewed efforts are being made by the County Chairman to obtain a refund of the 20 per cent, allowance from tho land fund upon the purchase money of the Manchester Block, sold to the Emigrant and Colonists Aid Corporation. The law is, that 20 per cent, of all land sold in any county is returned to such county. This the Government have hitherto declined to do as regards the Manchester Block. Tho purchase money amounting to some £05,000, tho 20 per cent, would bo a splendid haul tor tho district; in fact, it is so rich a prize that tho Government are very chary of allowing it to pass into the hands of the county. We presume their ostensible (reason is, that being a 1 special’ sale, it does not como under tho usual land fund arrangements ; the actual reason no doubt is, a strong disinclination to part with tho sum of £13,000, which would be the amount of tho refund. The land having been sold, and the Government having received tho purchase money, we cannot see any fair reason why in this instance the 20 per cent, should be withheld.”

The Hutfc County Council held their ordinary meeting yesterday. There was very little business on the paper, but little as there was it took nearly two hours to dispose of it. If the ordinary rules of debate had been observed the business could have boon got through in onethird of the time, but as it was the Council might just as well have been In committee from first to last. The following extract from the Argus shows how largo a business is transacted by the racing community in Victoria :—“ The accounts of the V. 8.0. Spring Meeting have been made up, and the result is a moat satisfactory one. The profit on the meeting is £7llO, which is considerably in advance of last year. That the large sum of £11,210 10s. should be paid over in stakes and plates at a four days’ meeting, and leave such a handsome sum to the credit of the club, speaks well for the sport of racing in Victoria. Notwithstanding the heavy expenditure, the club is in a very satisfactory financial condition. The accounts have been balanced to the present date, and show a credit of £0971, while at the corresponding period of last year the credit balance was £1802.”

A meeting of the creditors of Henry Cuthbertsen, a bankrupt, was called for yesterday, but as no creditors put in an appearance, the meeting stands adjourned till to-day. A call of 2s. 6d. a share on the capital account of the Colonial Insurance Company has been announced in our advertising columns. It falls due on Ist February, at the branches and agencies of the Bank of New Zealand. At their ordinary meeting, yesterday, tho Hutt County Council referred the matter of tho erection of a fence by Mr. Thomas Hawkins, on the old Porirua road, to the Wellington Highway Board, in order that it might be dealt with by that body.

A meeting of the citizens of Wellington has been convened by the Mayor of Wellington for this day week at 8 p.m., for the purpose of considering the question of the introduction of Chinese labor into the colony. The meeting has been called by the Mayor in response to the wishes of some of the citizens of Wellington, as set forth in a requisition addressed to the Mayor. In reference to a paragraph which appeared in the Times one day last week, we have been given to understand that Messrs. Booth andCo/s efforts in the way of opening up forest lands by means of tramways were rather under-esti-mated. The firm have put down sixty tons of rails already, and are importing 240 tons steel rails. Such energy and enterprise speak well for the Wairarapa. The subsidy coming to the Hutt County Council will be paid immediately by the Treasury, and the delay in handing the money over before now arose in consequence of the difficulty experienced in determining tho amount of deductions to be made for hospitals, under the sth section of the Financial Arrangements Act of last session. Robertson’s capital comedy of tt School” attracted a very good attendance to the Theatre Royal last night, and the patronage bestowed upon it was well deserved, seeing how creditably the piece was placed upon the stage and sustained by the various members of the company. In the part of Naomi Tighe Mrs. Bates was thoroughly successful, and Mr. Bates was quite at home as Jack Poyntz. The applause was frequent, and the audience were evidently pleased with the night’s entertainment. This evening “Bast Lynne” will bo produced, when Mrs. Bates will have another opportunity of displaying her great versatility as an actress. The piece entitled “ A Woman of the People ” is in course of rehearsal at the Royal, and will be produced towards the end of the re-engagement of Mr. and Mrs. Bates.

The Waivarapa Daily says that a petition, addressed to the Minister of Public Works, is in course of signature at Featherston, praying that a Sunday train may be run between that township and Wellington and vice versa. There can be no doubt that by granting this reasonable request a great public benefit would be conferred, enabling as it would both Wellington and Wairarapa residents to enjoy an agreeable excursion during the summer season at the outlay of very little additional trouble to the railway staff. It would perhaps be well to give the petition wider circulation throughout the district, but in any case we hope to hear that the Minister has seen fit to comply with what appears to be a generally expressed desire. Respecting the contract that the Imperial Government have concluded for the continuance of the mail services to the Far East for a period of eight years with the Peninsular and Oriental Company from the expiration of the present contract, in February, 1880, the London and China Telegraph of a late date writes ; “ The bankers and merchants interested in the (punctual performance of the various services did well to inform the Postmaster-General of the great inconvenience which would arise from splitting up the service among other companies. The changes which will take place in the working of the various lines are simple and unimportant. The day of departure remains Friday, and the due date for delivery in London Monday. These two days were earnestly fought for ten years ago by all interested in the trade, and it would have been a great mistake to disturb them, The chief features of the new contract are that the Southampton mail service is abolished, and all correspondence and papers will bo forwarded via Brindisi and be conveyed by rail through Egypt. The time allowed to Bombay has been accelerated by two and a half days, and to Shanghai three and a half days, with a corresponding difference for Penang, Singapore, and Hongkong. The line between Hongkong and Yokohama will bo discontinued as a mail service.”

The Khyber Pass is a mountain defile twenty-eight miles In length, in which there are few places where an army could find cover. In April, 1812, however, General Pollock, with a force which comprised only one European battalion, seven native battalions, three regiments of cavalry, and fourteen guns, succeeded in forcing his way through it with comparatively small losses, although the enemy had assembled in great numbers to oppose him, and had fortified with redoubts the heights which commanded not only the approaches to the entrance, but also the pass itself, the mouth of which they had barricaded by a strong breastwork of stones and bushes. The manner in which General Pollock achieved this difficult enterprise was so admirable that in the standard English work on minor tactics the attack is described in detail as an example of forcing a mountain defile defended at the entrance. Broadly speaking, the plan adopted for farcing the pass was first to clear the heights of the enemy and then advance against the entrance. Accordingly, the greater part of tho attacking force was formed into two columns, one of which was to storm the heights on the right, and the other those on the left; while the remaining troops wore kept in reserve, to advance against the centre of the enemy’s position so soon as the attacks on bis flanks should be sufficiently developed. Both right and left columns advanced simultaneously, the front of each covered by a line of skirmishers followed by supports. At first the enemy offered a determined resistance, but on both flanks the defenders were gradually forced up the hills, and finally driven in at all points. As soon as the flanking columns had thus gained possession of tho heights, the portion of the force kept in reserve advanced to the mouth of the pass and, destroyed the barrier, which the enemy had abandoned on finding his position turned ; and as the crowning parties on each side gained ground, so the central column proceeded, until, finally, driven back from height to height, the defender, seeing his positions in the pass thus successively out-flanked, abandoned any further opposition.

Mr. Sldey advertises for sale by auction this day at 11 o'clock, a quantity of superior furniture and household geode, on the premises, Gambrldge-terrace, near Oourtenay-place.