TELEGRAMS.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1237, 5 April 1880, Page 2

TELEGRAMS.

WELLINGTON. April 4. Boyd failed to complete 112 miles in 24 hours. At the inquest on the body of the girl Ellen Miller, killed yesterday, a verdict of accidental death was.-returned. ■ A deputation from the Working Men's Small Farm Settlement Association waited on the Governrnsnfc to-day, urging the necessity of a bloclf of land being set apart for the purpose of forjping special settlements. The reply was that the Government were doing all in their power to promote settlement on land, and it was pointed out to the deputation that it would be much better for the association itself if it went in for land under the deferred payment clauses of the Act, not under the special settlerjiepf; clause. A deputation re the West Coast Railway waited on the Government, putting forth a resolution passed at a recent public meetiug. Major Atkinson replied that with regard to the proposed scheme he was afraid it was not practicable. As far as he could see there would be practically nothing left after men and families had been provi4ed for. Such a scheme, too, would cause a great complication' in accounts and would be an infringement of the land laws. He was afraid the whole thing would not give satisfaction to Parliament or the people. It is understood that Mr- Parris has gone to Parihaka to communicate to Te Whiti the nature of the recommendations made by the Commissioneis in their interim report, and to explain fully to him the views and intentions of the Government in relation to those recommendations. The Commissioners will proceed shortly to Dunedin and Hokitika to examine any Maori prisoners who may desire to tender evidence before them. It is not probable that they will conclude their labors and send in their ultimate report mujh before the end of the current month.

The officers of the fire brigades waited on the mayor to-day to bring forward the awkward position they would be placed in by the subsidy being suddenly stopped. The mayor stated that the action of the Corporation was entirely owing to the insurance companies having signified their intention of withdrawing their contributions to the brigades. If the Brigades forwarded him a list of their liabilities he would call a special meeting of the councillors to consider the matter.

April 5.

A telegrain roceived from Fielding states that the Awhare Hotel was destroyed by fire last night, everything being lost. The family escaped in their nightdresses. One of the boarders, whose name is unknown, was burnt to death, and two others seriously injured. An inquest will be held on Tuesday, The hotel was insured as follows : —Colonial, LISOO, of which L 1250 was reinsured; South British, LSOO, partly reinsured; Union, LSCO.

The criminal sittings of the Supreme Court commenced this morning. The Chief Justice, in his address to the Grand Jury, said that the calendar was of the usual average for this district, and that the cases were of a class which required no particular comment. <

DUNEDIN. April 4. Eighty thousand bushels of oats were sold at Waimate one day last week for Sid per bushel, April 5. Mr. Justice Williams, in his-charge,, regretted that the calendar was one of

the heaviest that. had occurred for many years. In a considerable majority of the cases the crimes were traceable directly to the drunken habits unfortunately prevalent in the -Colony. He spoke of ■Butlfcr'scaseasonestanding alone, in its horrible -pre-eminence. ' Crimes of its kind, foriutiatelyJfor human nature, were exceptional; and could not be accounted for by an investigation of social forces and influences as operating on the ordinary run of men. The Grand Jury returned true bills in the following cases, and the prisoners pleaded guilty : —Ernest Sydney James, and Henry Conway, both, ladsj were sentenced to three months for robbery; - Edward Featherstoji and James Murphy,, for, robbery, were -sentenced.to. one' year; Henry Fell, for forgery, was sentenced to two years; and James Midgley, for cutting and wounding, wassentenced to eighteen months. James Gibson, for larceny, was sentenced to six months. The Grand Jury threw out bjlls ip the cases of William Chalmers and John Mowatt for robbery and David M'Keill for highway robbery. Later.

The Grand Jqry discharged the bill against Robert Sewell for putting and wounding. William Matheson, convicted of robbery, was sentenced to two years. Butler's case will be taken on Thursday. The City Bench dismissed the information against publicans for selling adulterated liquor at the races, it being proved that it was only 2? per pent, water, which is only slightly in excess of the allowance in Melbourne for adulteration. CHRISTCHURCH. April 5. As the Grown Prosecutor declined to conduct the prosecution in the libel case Crisp v. Ivess, it has:fallen through.. , The yield of wheat oil Jameson's farm at Wakanui ghowg an average of 68 bushels to the acre. By ah explosion of' gas'at the Lyttelton Gaol, a man named Yeats, who was filing the gas-pipes, was badly burnt. At the Resident .Magistrate's Court this morning, Barrepger was committed for trial for embezzling four sums (L2QO, L6O, L3O, and Ll2), the property of his employers, the Bank of New Zealand. AUCKLAND; April p.

The imports for the ■ quarter ended March 31st amounted to L 372,924, and the: exports to L16G,021.' ,; For the corresponding quarter of 1879 the imports were L 438,513, and the exports L 135,726. • The cage of Mr. J. <3. Natiye Interpreter, is likely to assume the dimensions of a State trial. The defendant will be tried by special jury, There are no less than five indictments against liim for five separate offences made indictable, and therefore criminal, by statute as well as common law. In order to finish the necessary panel for hearing each indictment 1?0 special jurymen have been summoned. Three hundred and twenty is the total number of the special jury list.

April 4. Bishop Selwyn preached in St. Paul's, which was crowded. The steamer Glenelg has arrived from the East Coast with a large number of Maoris—witnesses in J. 0. Young's case. Scott accomplished the feat of walking 112 miles in 24 hours, with '8 minutes to spare. At .the last mile ,he put on a splendid spurt, accomplishing it in 8£ minutes. The theatre wss crowded. There was tremendous? excitement and enthusiasm at the finish." The platform was rushed. Scott did not. appear to be distressed by his exertions. April 5.

Pat Doran drew a crowded.house in the local sketch illustrating the late meeting in City West, in which Mr. Love acted and burlesqued Mr. Hurst, M.H.R. The Supreme Court was opened to-day by Mr. Justice Richmond, who, in chargr ing the Grand Jury, said he regretted the heaviness of the calendar, in which twenty-six persons were on trial, excluding five natives charged with misdemeanor. Referring to a case of forcible entry at Ohinemutu, he said that the persons might commit this offence by violently entering upon the tenement, though they might have a legal title to it.' It appears that amongst, or in some way connected with the forcible entry, was a bailiff, who pretendedfto distrain by right of distress. This was a barbarous remedy, and the landlord availing himself of it must do so in a peaceable naai)ner. The persons who were forcibly entered upon were natives, and the persons who entered upon them were Europeons, which shows the danger of such proceedings. But as representing the magistracy of the district, he felt it his bounden duty to say that if violent proceedings were instigated by Europeans, the movers in the business deserve censure, and should they be found to come within the reaoh pf the Iftw they shpuld receive exemplary punishment. It wag intolerable in private persons in pursuit of private gains that they should jeopardise the peace of the country. He hoped publicity would be given to the matter, and the guilty persons receive public reprobation.

GRAHAMSTOWN,' April 5. Tukukuni, the Romata observationist, has signified to the County Council, through the police department; his willingness to allow the road to. be made through his property. The Government will grant the county L3OOO for the construction of the same. TATJRANGA. -* April"s. A destructive fire occurred here early thig rporning, the residence of Mr. A. Gilmore being totally destroyed. The loss is estimated at L4QO and is partly gQyerecj. by insurance. GISBORNE. - - April 5. - Thp late floods ;have caused compara- j tively little damage j.n this distplgt. NEW PLYMOUTH. April 3. The Hinemoa arrived at 3 p.m. from Wellington, with the wives and families of the unemployed, numbering 160. They will be accommodated in the ba,rracks for the present, till arrangements are made for conveying them to their relations at Stoney River and Stratford. . ■ NAPIER, , April 4. : At a meeting 'of the" Waipawa' Council, the! road overseer estimated -the damage to roads and bridges in- .that County by the recent floods at over L3OOO. It was decided to ask for a share of the LSO,QOQ voted for roads' in the North Island, as almost "all" the damage is in the Seventymile Bush-road, nearly the'whole of which passes through Crown"or natiye lands and . returns 110' rates. ...... ■ His Excellency the Governor will during May pay. a visit to the Hon. H ; . R., Russell at Waipukurau for pheasant shoot- : ing- ' 1 •: '•