TELEGRAMS.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1204, 25 February 1880, Page 2

TELEGRAMS.

(PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.) j ' WELLINGTON. February 24. Ifc is stated that counsel for the native prisoners have determined to contest the validity of the Government's action iii assenting to the Maori Prisoner's Trial Bill, on the ground of the Bill being repugnant to the law of England, and outside the Governor's instructions. Writs will be served on the Governor by some of the prisoners, claiming damages for illegal imprisonment. With the object of accelerating the San; Francisco mail service, and providing fpr probable trade requirements, the Pacific Mail Company have applied for, and obtained permission from the contracting Governments to send , the City of Pekin from San Francisco to the Colonies, for the purpose of being inspected and substituted, if necessary, as a mail boat under contract for either the City of New York or the City of Sydney. ! February 25. : An influential Committee has been appointed to collect subscriptions in. aid of the Irish Distress Fund, and a house to house canvass will be made on Monday.: dunedin'. ' ; February 24. \ The statement of the trustees ,of the Kai angata Fund shows that of the total amount of the fund (L 15,315) the sum of LGSS Is 2d is to credit on current account; L 14,090 Is on deposit; LlO2 was rfeceived as interest oh deposit account; L 558 from sundry investments ; LllOO was paid to the executive committee; and L 14,200 remains to the credit of the fund. In reply .to a deputation which waited on him this morning on several:.matters in connection. with the Port line, Mr. Conyere expressed himself favorable to leaving the carriage doors unlocked, plaining that the danger to children had' been the only cause for this not being done in the past. However, he believed a spring had been manufactured: which would lessen the risk. By the adoption of the report of the special committee appointed to consider the question-of retrenchment, the City Council liave reduced the annual expenditure by L3OOO a year. February 25. Mr. Commissioner Conyers has ordered all the doors on one side of the railway carriages to be unlocked. ■ . - ;■" The superiority of the Greymouth coal" over the Newcastle for gasmaking pur J poses has received a striking proof at the Dunedin Gasworks. The Engineer reports that he has been enabled to report that for the 28 days ending February,'lS, Gremouth coal being used, the consump-r, tion was 50 tons less than during the -corresponding period of last year, when Newcastle coal was used, while the quantity of gas manufactured was 165,000 cubic, feet more. Besides this, gas .from the Grey coal was of two candle greater illuminating power than that from the Newcastle. A statement was • made at-*tHe Council meeting that the saving was equal to L6OOO yearly. CHRISTCHURCH. February 24. Lily Payne, five years old, d.ied from measles at, the Quarantine Station this" morning. She was a passenger by the ship Westland. - The N.Z.S. Co.'s ship Waimate arrived to-day, 88 days from Deal. On the health officer going down, it was found that there had been fourteen cases of measles during the voyage-, and two still under treatment. The ship was ordered into quarantine. The Waimate brings 20 saloon, 33 second cabin, and 100 steerage passengers, all in good health with. the exception of the above-mentioned cases. This afternoon another case broke , out among the children., No deaths have occurred. - The Easter Review Committee are not going to use the Immigration Barracks, in consequence of the arrival of two vessels with disease on board, and will make arrangements to camp out any men that' cannot be accommodated at the hotels', i

February 25., , The Hon. E. Richardson has been re; elected Chairman of the Lyttelton Harbor Board.

The Christchurch street tramway is to be officially opened to-day. | j

AUCKLAND. February 24.; The annual inspection of the volunteers is being conducted by Colonel Leckie. W. H. Binder, head master of Nekton East School, was charged with assaulting Edward Goldirig, a pupil, teri years of age, by flogging him for.;truancy. was dismissed, each party paying their own costs. . ■ v '

Six of the French Communists have gone to Whangarei'to seek work at the co«U mines 9r gum fields, and the loqal police have been instructed not to "interfere with them in a way that would prejudice their ohapce of employment;" j OHINEMUTU. | : February 24. '■ A violent ejection case from the Ohiiiemutu Hotel came to-day before*! H. Brabant, Esq., and 7 ]^bft' Five appeared itifduration cf rnspectbV' 'Emerson. Counfeel objected to MrTGraharn'a sitting . tfhe berfch', as being implicated. ""Mi\ Graham .declined t.o leave the Bench, and ultimately •said, aa he saw no cha-ice of tliS natives gotting justice, he would procure a Parliamentary enquiry, upon the application of

the natives. The magistrate adjourned the case till the sth of March to Tauranga, adding that he did not think he could sit with Mr. Graham, who might be implicated, but would do so with impartial justices at Tauranga. HAWERA. February 24,.. ~ ; meX arrived Ihlf^e Aj.ijan4 went pfeyed I i 1 "potatoes, 4 6?kfits peaches,-^kit^^abb^es, 3 geese, 16 fowls,"4 turkey, 2 kits maize, and 1 can of honey. The present was made by Patu Wanna, in the name of Te Whiti and Tohu. Colonel Roberts thanked tWS'A SHT G3TA^I ;

_ , KEW PLYMOUTH. . . i <Jfo. -4 Company fi.tatioiied at •OTratu/have "subscribed" LB4T I7s towards the Irishbeing Home. One xiigLtY''siifec'ribed! L's. ''rTb'srl and:2 "Companies, stationed at WaiHi, subscribed L 45. ' !

TIMARU. ; February 24.1 Mr. Gilbert Archer was unanimously re-elected Chairman of the Timaru Harbor Board to-day.. . ~ ~.3 t:[ ;! PORT'CHALMERS. j February 25. j Arrived—Rose M., from Newcastle ; Rotomahana j from Lgtteltpn. r. ! A man named Michael Tich fell fromja chimney stack at tne back of the George Hotel and fra6tured r his-skull. He lies in a precarious condition. j