SPECIAL TELEGRAMS.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 849, 4 January 1879, Page 2

SPECIAL TELEGRAMS.

(from our own correspondent.) WELLINGTON. January 2. January 4. Mr. Barton, M.H.R., contradicts the statement made by the Times this morning that he purposed removing to Auckland to practise his profession there, and says so soon as he has settled his dispute with the judges he will resume practice in Wellington. The Union Steamship Company are about to establish a separate agency for the Company in Wellington, under a local manager, probably Mr. David Mills. The rumor that the Company intended to remove their head-quarters to Wellington is declared to be unfounded.

DUNEDIN. January 3. January 4. At the City Police Court, four men charged with riotous conduct on New Year's morning, were fined sums ranging from 3s to ss. Owing to a heavy downpour of rain, the sports have been postponed till Monday. The latest quotations in the betting market are:—

8 to 1 agst. Fishhook 8 1 Titania 9—l —— Mata 9 1 Templeton 100 8 Camballo 100 8 Fallacy 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 to 5 to 2 agst. any other. The Arawata left yesterday morning for the Bluff. Immigration nominations for last month were 72—equal to 52 statute adults.

'AUCKLAND. January 3. Henry Nicol waa charged at the Court this morning with stealing L4O from the dwelling house of John Adams. Prisoner was remanded for a week, and bail refused. Accused is the son of an old and respected family. The Auckland and Taranaki cricketers just commenced .their match. The weather is beautiful, and there is a large number of spectators. . The Herald to-day, in a leading article, says the Premieres speech at Grab ima town ' has been commented on in the principal | southern papers, and that the tone prevailing in most of the articles is that of disappointment. It says :—" Of course it is only to be expected that the organs of the Opposition should attack the speech' and! seize every occasion it offered or that could be manufactured out of the topics or allusions dealt with, to cast reproach on the Ministry, and especially on the Premier. It is a fact that the dissatisfaction we referred to has been expressed by several influential journals which hitherto have given the present Government a strong independent support. We do not suppose that this shows a change of front on the part of those journals, and indeed what -they have said will prove more saltitaiyjo their friends than long strings of-praises. There wa» a general expectation throughout the country that the Premier, when he addressed his constituents, would do something in the way of pulling his party together, ana setting forth a programme for the next session—a programme of measures in the direction in which some movement has already been 'made, but less extensive than that of last session, and more practical, having eliminated from it those subjects to i which the House and the country have shown such entire apathy that no Ministry can expect to do anything with them. A public man may advocate changes respecting which [he stands almost alone; but a Minister must ! do the work which the country expectsof him. It was thought that the Premier would dwell on the achievements of the i Ministry, which were unquestionably great, and would point out their vast and enduring | importance, and seek to arouse interest in a matter which the' Ministry proposed to deal with in the future. It is not be wondered at that disappointment should be felt when it is found that a large part of the Premier's speech was occupied with a discussion of a subject in whiclr the mass of the people felt very little interest."

CHRISTCHURCH.

January 4. The repairs to the Rangitata bridge have been sufficiently advanced to permit of the resumption of traffic by light engines at a slow pace. In a few days more, the ordinary traffic will be resumed.. The return of prisoners in the district gaols on December 31st shows—Lyttelton, 100; Addington, 45; Timaru, 22. The circulation of the Press has increased 500 in one week since the reduction in price. The Times was permanently enlarged to eight pages this morning in consequence.