The New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY.) WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1878.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5531, 18 December 1878, Page 2

The New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY.) WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1878.

Our leader and a quantity of other interesting matter is unavoidably held over for a future issue.

We have been officially informed that communication on tho Port Darwin line is interrupted beyond Powell’s Creek. At the public meeting held in the Athenaum Hall last evening, which was crowded to overflowing, resolutions were passed against Chinese immigration to this colony, and expressive of sympathy with the strike in Australia against the employment of Chinese labor.

The Hutt County Council held a special meeting yesterday, to consider what ' course should be taken in connection with the damage done by the recent floods. The chairman reported the result of his interview with the Colonial Treasurer, and suggested that the Council should endeavor to meet the necessary extraordinary expenditure out of their own funds, by concentrating nearly all effort on the points injured, rather than accept the terms offered by the Treasurer. The Council unanimously took this view. It may be added that the report brought up by the engineer stated that the damage done by the flood was not so serious as originally stated. Councillors Smith and Lancaster held the opinion that the county has a claim to a share of 20 per cent, of the proceeds of the sale of the reclaimed laud, and the latter gentleman also thinks the county should bo paid a share of the assessed value of the provincial buildings. Some discussion occurred on these points, after which it was resolved to refer the whole question for opinion of counsel. Some further business was transacted, and the meeting then adjourned. The annual meeting of the Wellington JJuilding Society will be bold this evening.

The steamer Patea that was lately built by Mr. E. W. Mills on the reclaimed land will be launched to-day at 10 a.m. The Supreme Court will sit to-day, when the case of Wilton v. Kilmister will be heard before his Honor the Chief Justice. The Board of Governors of the Wellington College held an adjourned meeting yesterday afternoon, a full report of which will be found in another column. The prizes at the Terrace school will ha distributed to-day at 8 p.m. The Hon. Mr. Ballance has been requested to preside on the occasion. An unusually attractive sale takes place in the Arcade this day at 11 o’clock, 93 packages of luggage, being the latest French novelties in confectionery, Mr. Sidey advertises the sale as entirely unreserved. Mr. Mansford, R.M., had an interview with the Minister of Justice yesterday, when the Hon. Mr. Sheehan decided that the Resident Magistrate’s Court should be removed into the old provincial buildings at the end of the present month. The Brogdcn immigrants have found out a new mode of escaping their liability on their promissory notes, viz., filing their schedules. One of the bankrupts before the Court yesterday owed about £IOO, of which £95 was duo to the Messrs. Brogdcn. A meeting of the managing committee of the Tramway Company was held yesterday, when a quantity of routine business was disposed of. Mr. Jackson severs his connection with the company to-day, and for a time the managemet will fall on a committee of three, of whom Mr. Greenfield is chief. The panorama of “ The Arctic World” will be exhibited as fa llows in the Wairarapa : Featherston Town Hall, Thursday evening next j Carterton, Friday and Saturday, December 20 and 21 ; Grey town Town Hall, Monday and Tuesday, December 23 and 24 ; and Masterton on Boxing Night. We hear that the teachers of the Kinder Garten School in Tory-street intend distributing one thousand presents fcff their Christmas tree to five hundred children, on next Friday afternoon, at three o’clock. The parents of the children and their friends are invited. Mr. Ashcroft, the manager of the Welling-ton-Masterton line, has arranged that the ordinary time-table shall be suspended during the Christmas and New Year holidays, and a special table brought into operation. The usual concessions in fares are made. The gas supply was practically cut off for a few minutes last evening, owing, it is believed, to some operation at the works in connection with the gasometers. A number of people deluged their meters with water to set matters straight, while others made search for practical jokers.

A sitting of the Bankruptcy Court was held yesterday afternoon. Two or three formal applications were granted, and a long examination took place in regard to the transactions of Lawrence Salmon, on the occasion of Mr. I’itzherbert applying for an order of discharge in favor of debtor. The application was strongly opposed by the trustee, Mr. Berry, but was granted subject to a fortnight’s delay. Boucicault’a drama “The Willow Copse” was performed at the Opera House last night by the talented company which have occupied the boards of this theatre for the past three weeks. The season draws to a close, this evening being the last, when “The Willow Copse ” will be repeated. It is to he hoped that a good house will assemble to-night to bid farewell to this company. A very good programme has been issued for the grand benefit concert in favor of Miss Florence Neville, which will be held to-night at the Athemcmu Hall. Mdlle Charbonnet and Mr. Bennington have tendered their services, and almost all the leading Wellington amateurs will assiat at the entertainment. We hope to see a numerous audience present on the occasion. • The members of the Choral Society met in full force last night, over 80 being present, resulting in a very satisfactory practice of the oratorio of “ Elijah,” which is to be performed on Monday next at the Imperial Opera House. We believe the upper-circle and pit will be open to the general public, the other portions of the theatre being required for the subscribers. An adjourned sitting of tho Licensing Court for the Wellington district took place yesterday. It was expected that the extra bar auestion would have been discussed, but tho Inspector of Police explained that ho thought after the expression of opinion from the Bench last Court-day hotelkeepers would have made application for extra licenses. That had not been done, and probably ho wquld have to bring a case into Court to have the whole matter settled. Mr. Ollivier made rather a novel application on behalf of Mr. Bertie, who is about to build a large now house. He wished the Bench to say whether they would, when the work was completed, grant a license. Mr. Mansford favored the application as a proper mode of procedure, and after inspecting the plans said so far as ha was personally concerned, as at present advised, he would promise to support the application. Mr. Moore took the same view, but Mr. Holdsworth, believing there were already sufficient licensed houses in town, and knowing little of the locality, declined to express any opinion.

The peculiar policy of the Telegraph Department in regard to new stations has been again exemplified in the, Pahantanui people’s application for a station. The department refuses to grant the station unless a guarantee ot £6O a year for three years is given. The facta of the case are that there is no nearer station to Wellington on this lino than Otaki, some fifty-two miles away. The wire runs right through Pahantanui, and there is already a Government reserve of two acres as a site for a station. If a station were created it could not but be remunerative, owing to the tolerably large and fast increasing size of the place ; while for line purposes it mast certainly be very useful for the department. This guarantee system is the must unfair that could possibly be devised, because it is not properly carried out. Nun.hers of places with far less claims than Pahantanui have been given stations without any guarantee being demanded, and we might almost say in hundreds of places the guarantee has not been insisted upon. Por years a guarantee was demanded, then after full consideration all the guarantees were swept away, and now finally it is again being attempted to revive the system. In a case like this, where the lino is already carried past the township, and a site is secured, the department ought to have made no difficulty about granting the application. At the weekly meeting of the committee of the Benevolent Institution, held in the Provincial Library yesterday afternoon, there were present—Archdeacon Stock (in the chair), Revs. Harrington, Held, Dnmbell, and Potter, Messrs. D. Lewis, J. B. Smith, L. Levy, and Jos. 6. Holdsworth. The following subscriptions were received ;—National Bank, £5 ss. ; Thompson, Shannon, and Co., £5 6s. ; David Anderson, jun, £5; Mr. Laing, £1 Is.; the Mayor, £1 Is ; Lyon& Blair, £2; Mr. Sloan, 10s,; Mr. Preeman, 10s.; Bank of New Zealand, £5 ss. ; X.Y.Z., £1 Is.; Mr. Meek, £1 Is.; Mr. Pife, £1 Is.; Plimmer, Beeves, and Co., £i Is. Several cases were dealt with, and help given, others declined. Subscribers to the Choral Society are reminded by advertisement that the plan of the Imperial Opera House will be open ot Bennington’s, Lambton quay, and Watt’s, Willisstreet, for the reservation of seats, from 2 p.m. to-day, and from previous experience they will no doubt be quickly taken up. We understand that to prevent crushing the place has been equally divided—one half of the boxes, drees-circlo, and stalls being at each of tho above places. A cricket match between tho Postal and Telegraph Departments will be played on the Basin Reserve to-day. Wickets are to be pitched at 11 a.m, Tho following are tho teams :—Post Office : Messrs. Bannister, DeOaetro, Beswick, Duncan, Waters, Gray, Painter, Willis, Gannaway, Tripe, and. Clapham. Telegraph : Messrs. Mouutier, Sunley, Crowther, Keefe, King, Hampton, Northoroft, Henry, Smith, P. Gannaway, and Plimmer. Umpire, Mr. A. J. Maginnity ; scorer, Mr. Brogan.

The public meeting of citizens in connection with tho railway station site was thoroughly successful, and tho unanimity displayed on tho main question showed that the citizens are quite in earnest. When tho meeting commenced—a little before tho advertised hour if anything—there was not a very numerous attendance, but in a very few minutes people trooped in in largo numbers, and before the hour for the termination of tho meeting arrived tho room was full. All the speeches were necessarily brief, but were to the point, aud a resolution asking the Government to change tho present position of the station was carried, and a deputation appointed to wait on Ministers and place before them tho views of tho meeting.