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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 5800, 31 October 1879, Page 2

The House of Representatives yesterday got through a considerable amount of business, and, strange to say, the question of privilege was never once brought up. The evening was taken up with the consideration of private Bills, over some of which there was a considerable amount of discussion. The House adjourned at twenty minutes past one o’clock until half-past two o’clock to-day. The statement of the receipts and expenditure of the Public Account for the quarter ended 30th September, was published in a supplementary Gazette, issued on Wednesday. The total receipts amount to £1,420,895, which, with a balance of £744,292 on the 30th June last, makes a total of £2,165,187. The total expenditure amounts to £2,045,302, leaving a balance on 30th September of £119,885. From various remarks made in the Council last night, it would appear that our water supply is diminishing, and the city inspector has received instructions to prosecute all who use their water for other than domestic purposes. The necessity is apparent to husband every drop of water, there having recently been a diminution of six inches at the waterworks. Mr. Pyke will to-day ask the Colonial Treasurer if he will state to the House the amount of loss to the revenue resulting from the reduction of the tea and sugar duties during the period of nine months, extending from the Ist of January to the 80th September, 1879 ? To-day Mr. Sutton will ask the Native Minister whether he will lay before the House a return of all sums of money paid or agreed to be paid by the Government to private persons for relinquishing their claims upon native lauds, with the names of the blocks of land, the names of the parsons to whom such sums were paid or agreed to be paid, and whether the land had passed the Native Land Court at the time of the transaction ; also the position of the title now ? Mr. Gisborne yesterday gave notice that he would ask the Government if they intended to give the West Coast of the Middle Island its fair share of the public expenditure during the present financial year.

The principal subject of discussion in the Upper House yesterday was the state of the lunatic asylums of the colony, the Hon. Capt. Fraser, who initiated the debate, asserting that amidst the strife of contending paries, and the incessant clamor for public works, such matters as the treatment of the insane were completely lost sight of, and. consequently, that the different asylums had been allowed to fall into a di'-graceful stats. There were many speakers on the subject, and the discussion became very animated, hut it was ultimately adjourned. The scheme to cure drunkards .compulsorily by the State was incontinently nipped in the bud, the Bill being thrown out. The Council disposed of a large amount of business during a sitting of two hours and a half.

The Hon. Major Atkinson has been gazetted Commissioner of Stamp Duties. The resignation of Henare Tomoana as a member of the Executive Council has been accepted.

The 10th of November and the Ist of December have been proclaimed Bank holidays throughout the colony.

A singular case occupied the attention of the Resident Magistrate during a portion of yesterday afternoon, this being an action for £2O damages, laid by Theodore Dogelo against Mr. Holmes, schoolmaster, for beating bis son Herman Dogelo. Mr. Sandilands appeared for plaintiff, and Mr. Ollivier for defendant. The case for the plaintiff was to the effect that the boy had been very severely beaten, his head and neck being marked. The witnesses called were Herman Dogelo and two of hisschoolmates and Dr. Tripe. For the defence Mr. Holmes was called, and it was shown that, the boy had been misconducting himself all. the morning, and he had therefore been thrashed on the shoulders with a cane. Themarks on the head and neok must have been inflicted accidentally, in consequence of the boy moving about while being caned The bench took the latter view of the case, and gave judgment for defendant. And yet another lunatic from 'Wanganui! The steamer Manawatu yesterday brought down a poor fellow named Grogan, stated to be suffering from religious mania. The unfortunate man was at one time a watchman in Wanganui.

There will be a full choral service at StPaul’s Church, Thermion, this evening, which is the eve of the festival of All Saints’ Day. The choir will give some selections from Spohr’s “Last Judgment,” and the soprano parts will be taken by Mrs. Cotterell, who is a member of the choir. A collection will be made in aid of the church debt. Persons interested in the Te Aro Foreshore Bill, now before the House of Representatives, will find a notification in our advertising columns, convening a meeting for this evening, at the Princess Theatre, Tory - street. All owners of property along the foreshore are requested to attend. We have at length found a clue to some of the complaints as to the non-delivery of the Times. A few mornings since a resident in Sussexrsquare, on looking through one of his windows, saw a fisherman who was just passing come on to the verandah, where the morning papers are generally left, and snatch the papers away. The gentleman went out and collared the petty thief ; but the latter, in a very cool manner, wished to know what use people could find with two newspapers. The usual fortnightly meeting of the Waste Lands Board was held yesterday, when there were present—Messrs. ,T. G-. Holdsworth (in the chair), Mason, H. Bunny, and E. Pearce. Mr. J. H. Wallace urged that steps should be taken to make the road to Hunterville, and offer the land for sale. The Board recommended that Mr, Wallace should interview the Minister of Lands on the subject. A special meeting of the Board for the consideration of the new Lands Bill now before Parliament, and the proposed amendments by Mr. De Lautour, was fixed for Thursday, at 11 a.m. The Commissioner reported that no sales had taken place since last meeting. The Young Men’s Wesleyan Mutual Improvement Society held their usual weekly meeting last evening in the new schoolroom, in Taranaki-street, for the first time. The room, which is a very convenient and comfortable one, was well filled by members and their friends to hear a lecture on “Female Character” by Mr. J. W. Ffrost. At the close of the lecture, a discussion on the same subject was taken part in by the members present. Next Thursday evening there will be an open meeting, when a critique will be read by the secretary of the society on the writings of Mrs. Beecher Stowe, after which a number of readings will be given from the same authoress.

The Mamvmtu Times states that Mr. Thos. Nelson, storekeeper, of Ashurst, with a party of five, intends going out during the week on an exploring expedition. The direction of their investigation will be the course of the Pohangina River on the east aide, which they intend to travel up for about thirty miles. Some short time since Mr. Nelson made a trip up that way, and from the lignite found upon the beach, and other indications which were presented, he feels confident that coal can be found- in the district. Although the primary object of the expedition is to seek for that .mineral, any traces of an auriferous character will not be overlooked, particularly as most of the party are thoroughly experienced gold diggers.

The Wairarapa Standard says :—“ If to Sir George Grev is due the political revival which has been witnessed, to his Ministry may be justly ascribed some part of the blame for the present unsatisfactory state of affairs. Before it vacated the Treasury benches there were many of its proceedings which we were compelled to condemn; but all the time, as our worst enemies will bear us witness, our loyalty to the late Premier remained unshaken.” The Act to vest native reserves in the Public Trustee, introduced by Sir George Grey, provides that the powers of the Governor under the Native Reserves Act, 1856, shall be vested in the Public Trustee, with the stipulation, however, that the Public Trustee shall have no power to delegate all or any of the ’powers vested in him under or by virtue of this Act. The Wellington Provincial District High, way Boards Bill, introduced by the Hon. Mr. Waterhouse, provides that every ratepayer within the limits of a Highway District in the Wellington Provincial District shall have one vote, provided that he has rateable property whether in one or more tenements, to -the value of not less than £SO ; over £SO, but less than £IOO, two votes; for £IOO, but less than £l5O, three votes; for £l5O, but less than £350, four votes ; and for £350 and upwards, five votes.

Monday, the 10th of November, will be observed as a public holiday at all post offices in the colony. The annual meeting of the Caledonian Society is advertised to be held on Monday at the New Zealander Hotel.

At the meeting of the Philosophical Society at the Museum to-morrow evening, there will be a postponed discussion on “ Mind Stuff,” and a paper is to be read by Dr. Curia on “ Beet Culture.”

The Lingards again presented “ Our Boys ” and 11 1 Ladroni ” to a fair audience at the Theatre Koyal last night, and the characters were well sustained. The performance will be repeated to-night.

The number of vessels which entered the principal ports of New Zealand from the United Kingdom for the quarter ending SOth September was 10, as compared with 13 for the corresponding quarter of 1878. Three came to Lyttelton, two to Timaru and Dunedin, and one to Wellington, Auckland, and Oamaru. Prom the British possessions 167 arrived, as against 164 for the corresponding quarter in last year. From foreign countries and whale fisheries 47 arrived, as against 38 for the quarter ending SOth September, IS7B.

The “ Patchwork ” entertainment, in aid of St. Peter’s bells, was a great success in every respect. There was a crowded house, and the proceeds should be a considerable aid to the fund. Musically speaking the entertainment was far above the usual run of amateurs' efforts, the solos and choruses being capitally and most effectively rendered, especially so in the ballad “ Still I Love Thee ” and “My Darling Dwells o’er the Sea.” In the extravaganza, the “ Trovatore ” duet was especially good, but the great feature of the evening was the cornet solo by Master Hill ; and when we say that the Hill family were the orchestral with Mr. A. E. King as pianist, it is to add the entertainment was very good indeed. It should be repeated. Messrs. T. Kennedy Macdonald and Co.’s auction rooms were lit up last evening, and a number of persons inspected the display of furniture. The rooms will be again open to the public this evening. A petition was taken round the city yesterday for signature in favor of a clause in the Licensing Bill for granting bottle licenses to grocers, and a number of signatures were obtained.

The City Council held its usual meeting last night, and disposed of a deal of business, the proceedings terminating at 10.2 ) p.ra. Mr. Walter Johnston will to-day ask the Government if th«y will appoint a Resident Magistrate for the Manawatu County ? Mr. Turnbull yesterday stated that he would at an early date ask the Government if they will bring forward an Act so to simplify the law in regard to Divorce Courts that it shall not be necessary for suitors in certain cases to appear in Court. In the absence of Mr. Hutchison from the House last evening, the consideration of the Abolition of Imprisonment fur Debt Bill (in committee) was postponed for a week.

Mr. Gisborne has given notice that he will, to-day, the Minister for Education, (1) whether the Government will introduce, this session, a Bill, as requested by the Senate of the University of New Zealand, with the object of securing, for the purpose of higher education in the Provincial District of Wellington, the 4000 acres required by “The University Reserves {Act, 1875,” to be set apart for that purpose ; (2) whether they will introduce, this session, a Bill, as requested by the Senate of the University of New Zealand, to vest in trustees the lands reserved for promoting higher education in the provincial districts in which they are situated, and to enable such lauds to be administered for the purposes for which they were reserved ; (3) whether the Government recognize that an equivalent endowment should be given for the purpose of higher education in the Provincial District of Auckland, in the place of the reserve of 20,000 acres set apart in the Parish of Tahawai, in the District of Tauranga, by the Resident Minister at Auckland about June, 1869, and afterwards appropriated by the Government for another purpose ? We desire to call attention to what appears to be a dangerous principle which is likely to be introduced into our City Council proceedings, if it is not checked. We refer to Councillors jumping up and making enquiries as to reasons for the performance of duties by the Corporation officers. Councillor Stafford last night, for instance, “ wanted to know, you know” why the recent charges of breach of a by-law had been laid against Mr. Love, and he was told that it was merely in order that the by-law, relating to footpaths being obstructed, should be observed. Any such information could readily be obtained from the Mayor or Town Clerk, but it would tend to seriously interfere with the proper discharge of their duties if the Corporation officers knew that their actions were likely to be made the subject of enquiry at the Council meetings.

We have been requested to draw attention to the announcement of the sale of refreshment,booths, to be held on Monday next, at the Arcade, for the Friendly Societies’ De. monstration at the Hutt. A noticeable feature in connection with these sports is that no intoxicating drinks will be allowed to be sold on the ground. At the Resident Magistrate’s Court yesterday, before Mr. Mans ford, a man named William Fitzpatrick was charged with vagrancy. It appeared that he had been in the habit of talking to the boys in the playground of the Terrace School, and inquiring where the keys and money were kept. The case was remanded for a week, to enable defendant to call witnesses for the defence. A woman was fined for drunkenness, and a man named Patrick Neary was charged with neglecting to support his wife, and with being an habitual drunkard. The case was remanded for a week, to give prisoner a chance of redeeming his promise to turn over a new leaf. The adjourned charge against Mr. J. T. Love, for exposing goods for sale on the public footpath, next came on for hearing, Mr. H. H. Travers appearing for the Corporation, and Mr. Ollivier for the defence. Evidence was called to show that the goods had only been on private property in front of the shop, and this was held to be fatal to the information, the case being dismissed with costs. A charge was partly heard against Mr. Smith, Te Aro House, for exposing goods outside the shop, the defence set up being that the pillars of the shop were flush with the footpath, and that the goods had been stacked in the recess against the windows, between the pillars. This case was adjourned for further evidence. A large number of civil cases were disposed of, the Court sitting all day, Mr. Rolleston, in reply to a deputation from the Education Board, —consisting of the Hon. 0. J. Pharazyn (chairman), the Rev. J. Paterson, and Mr. Beethara, —promised that any engagements entered into with the Board by the late Government, with reference to sections of the Thorndon reclamation, would be faithfully carried out. A sharp shock of earthquake occurred yesterday morning, at about half-past two o'clock. Although several persons were aroused from their slumbers much earlier than usual in consequence, yet, strange to say, no one working in our office felt the least indication of the shock. Our morning contemporary, however, reports that the machinery in its office was visibly shaken by the movement. We have to acknowledge the receipt of the fourteenth annual report of the Colonial Museum and Laboratory. Laery, Campbell, and Co. will hold a sale of feed oats on the wharf at 11 o'clock this morning. Mr. Thomas announces an auction of fowl wheat, oatmeal, navy wire, &c., at his mart, at 2 o'clock this afternoon.