LATEST TELEGRAMS.

Patea Mail, Volume I, Issue 55, 20 October 1875, Page 3

LATEST TELEGRAMS.

(Pku I’it loss Agicxcy.) PORT CHALMERS. October 18. Just landed from visiting the wreck of the steamer Bruce, which struck on the ledge of the rocks between Wickliffe ami Tairoa Heads, at 3.40 a hr., a quarter of a mile from the Heads. She left Timaru at 0 p.m. yesterday, and came along under easy steam. At 3.30 a.m. hove to, and got r soundings in 16 fathoms of water ; shortly afterwards struck stem on about sis feet below the water line. The weather being extremely foggy, the outline of the land was not discerned. The passengers were all landed on the rocks, and walked to the Pilot station. The ship heeled over on the starboard broadside, fracturing about two feet of tho bow. She now lies submerged, and should a N.E. breeze set in little hopes of saving any part of her can be entertained. The steamers Geelong and Jane are tendering her. She is insured for £15,000, as follows National, £IOOO ; New Zealand, £1000; South British, £1000; V.ctoria, £1000; Standard, £500; National of South Australia, £500; Home Office, £lO .'OO. Luggage and crew’s effects, arc p;.rdy recovered.

DUNEDIN. Octob-T U. A meeting of tin! “Guardian shareholders was held yesterday, it was icsolveil that a further call of El per share .should ho made, which would produce IgpOOL), and make tlm amount per-share called up .-£•! 10s on .£5 shares. The shareholders expressed their approval at the literary improvements in the paper, and considered Us position, on (lie whole, satisfactory. The balance sheet shows a loss for the year of ;£ 1,700, find outstanding debts due to date over 1-2,000. GRAHAMSTOWN. October 10. A woman named Airs Wall killed two id her children this afternoon ; a boy of nine years ami a girl ol seven. It appears that the woman was given to chink, and in a sudden outburst of insanity she took up an axe ami inflicted dreadful wounds about, die head and neck, dim boy died immediately, and the girl survived a couple of hours. The children were in the yard of their home, and. the murderess attacked t!-u m without any previous remonstrance. The husband is a miner, find returned from work just after. The allair created a profound sensation in Grahamatowu W ELLINGTON. October 10. Amongst the Public Works appropriations pasajd last night were the fsllowing Patea to Manawatu line ; salaries, etc., ,£2.282 ; construction, ,£24-9,517 Manawatu to Eoxton : salaries, ,-£B2B ; construction, £22,953 Roads—Salaries : surveyor in Seventy-mile Bush, £250 ; engineer Alanawaln, £252 ; also, -£18,297 for roads in the North island, a portion of which is for Wellington. House resumed at 7.20. Atkinson moved the second reading of the Provincial Appropriation Act Continuance Bill, which provides ior the carrying on of the, Deparmental Work, aud*Public Works of Auckland, Nelson and Westland. After a good deal of discussion Macandrow said —“ Oh pass the Hill, as it is the forerunner of what we may expect under our great central Colonial scheme.” Atkinson replied—Excuse me, it is the fag end of Provincialism.” Bill passed. Atkinson made bis Immigration Statement on the House being moved into Committee of Supply, and quoted a number of returns to show the, position of our immigration. 'The total number of immigrants arrived in the Colony nndcr'the Immigration and Public Works Scheme up to the present was 61,000. In 1872, 700 arrived ; in 1872, 10,802 ; in 1874, 17,500 ; in 1875, 12,012); during the hist three months,6,ooo. Thev have been distributed amongst the provinces as follows ; —Auckland, 8,700; 'Taranaki, 1,400 ; Hawke's Bay, 4880 ; Wellington, 9,200 ; Marlborough, 1,08(5 ; Nelson, 1,200 ; West laud, GOO ; Canterbury, 16,000 ; and Otago, 18,000. Of those 19,000 were married people ; 12,900 single men ; 0,(500 single Women, and 17,000 children. 'The genera! plan which was foilowd was eitli.-r tn select immigrants nominated, or to give free passages to persons selected in Eiighmd. The persons who had come out under i he i at ter arrangement were married men mid a 45 years ol age, single men under 40 years, single women u:i ler 45 years, ami children, so long as there were no more than three in a family. In the event of there being more than three <42 dreii in a sin-de family payment had been taken in promissory m-tfs ; !>.it promissory notes on account of these, ami rim system of assisted passages before fr.-e immigration was introduced, had not Ivon at all satisfactory arrangmeuts for the co'ony. in addition to the number of immigrants received irom England th.-re was a balance of arrivals over departures last year of 2870, and there had been additions to tins during the last few months; and up to August, 1875, there was a total balance in favor of the colony of 2,(595. It was a cause fer rejoicing to think that a large number of people were being attracted from theneighouring eoloniesand America. The nationalities of the immigrants wore—English, 34,000; Irish, ll,9oo;Seoteh 9,000; Foreigners from different countries, A,400. Of the total number of immigrants committed fer various crimes up to the 20th August of this year, there had been only 189 committals, of these 150 were for drtmkeness 4 i for petty offences, and 91 unspecified; so that 200 committals were for really trilling offences. Therefore there was evidence of an exceedingly satisfactory state of morality amongst the immigrants brought out, for 200 only had been committed out of over (50,000 immigrants. It had been said they wore bringing out lunatics. He bad made inquiries into the matter, and found that the total number of persons confined in asylums from immigrants was 27. Thu total number in Lunatic Asylums of the fiO.OOO was 47, and of these 20 had been discharged, so that (he real number was 27 out of 00,000. that showed the care in selection. He was sorry to say the. death rate had been so high, especially in children. But the Government: had taken steps which they hoped would result in its being considerably diminished, though he confessed that he had not yet been satisfied as to Ike real cause of the deaths. I he total number of deaths hail been 1,244. Of these—infants under one year of age numbered 502 ; children between one and three years, 445 ; between three and five, 100 ; between five and twelve, 47 ; twelve and upwards, 150. The total number of infants brought out was only 0,670, but of these 500 had died, which was not satisfactory. The infant death rate was 18.8, which was an enormous proportion ; the average between one and twelve had been 2,72 ; and the average rate of adults had been 0.24. 01: the immigrants who had ariivcd 0,820 had been nominated ; and, in passing, he might say bo believed no doubt existed as to the tact that nominated immigrants were the best. Jte-fei-rimr to the cost of immigration, ho calculated °the expenccs of each immigrant. excluding the cost of depots and without making an asset of the bills which they held, had been, up to the present time, just under £2l 10s for each adult, and £22 I2s per head. The promissory notes taken from immigrants for payment towards the passages of children who exceed the number allowed, or might be over ago, or otherwise unsuitable, and also the notes taken before free immigration had set in. had not proved profitable to the Government. The total amount of those note* taken was something like £57,706, but the total amount collected notwithstanding the very great efforts that had been made was about £5,600 ; so there was outstanding about £51,000 on promissory notes. The Government had therefore set their faces against receiving any more promissory notes, intending to take a smaller amount, in order that arrangements might be made by which there would be nothing hanging over immigrants on their arrival, and enabling them to start free. The House would agree with him that it must bo demoralizing that a man should give a promissory note, and on coming

out, find finding that other mon had got out free, repudiate the nolo, or feel that he had something hanging over him that other men had not. This must check his uset illness as a cil;zc i, and injure his morality. Hie proposals lor this year were tnatl Id. 000 immigrants should be introduced. Honorable members would t-ee by the papers laid on the table, that Vogel had ordered 2;*.,000 tin’s year ; but it had been determined to ha\c noiuoic promissory notes and to revert the system oil free pa sages, and therefore to provide tor lit.ooo only, '1 ha proportion of immigrants to each province was—Auckland, 2.200 ; Taranaki. M) 0 ; Mawkes Ray, 1,000; Wellington, 2.000; Mai i borough, Nelson, and Westland. -1(H) each ; Dunedin. 2,000 ; Invercargill, 1,000; and Canterbury. 2.000. By latest advices the following had been despatched : Auckland 1.289.1 Taranaki, 22-1 i ; Mawkes Hay, 1,4.0 1 ; Wellington. 1,-1-IS ; Marlborough. Nelson, and Westland 1» ; Dunedin, 1,777 ; Invercargill 500J ; Canto bury, 1,2-1 ( .». 'Parliament is to bo prorogtucl on We Incsna■ . ‘ WANGANUI. October 10. Weights for Patea Jock-y Club Handicap arc unfavourably criticised. LATEST AUSTRALIAN NEWS. ELUDE. October 19. ’ The Omeo arrived this morning. MELBOURNE. Oct. HU A vote of want of confidence was carried against the Berry Ministry. A dissolution lias been refused by the Governor. The New Zealand cable has been shipped aboard the Edinburgh and Hibernia. They leave London about the end of the month. SYDNEY. Oct. 12. News from Cooktown continues good plenty of gold is coming in. The New Guinea exploring expedition tonnd a splendid river on the South West Coast. The mouth of the river is a mile and a half wide. They went tip it ninety miles, and saw only one. native in a canoe. The country is described as magnificent. The land is low and swampy, and covered with mangroves. They found plantations of palms, cocoa nuts, and tobacco. They also found a reptile fifteen foot long, and inside it was a large male kangaroo. They killed a bird, measuring sixteen feet from wing to wing. McLcay discourages any .settlement of Europeans, on account of the climate, and the hostility of the natives. October 10. The Schooner Frank Guy, timber laden, from New South Wales to Wanganui, grounded on the beach near Waikanao on Sunday morning but got off undamaged at high water. In the House the Old Settlers petition was not recommended for the consideration of the House ny the committee. A bill for the reduction of honorarium, thrown out on the voices. Another member ior Waikato too whs added by 26 to 25 on the motion of Mr Jackson. LATEST ENGLISH NEVUS. LONDON. October 5. Mr Wade British Minister for China has notified the foreign legations at Pekin that negotiations have been entered into, which has averted immediate war. October 8. No decisive intelligence yet received, but Mr Wade is still hopeful of a satisfactory settlement as the demands of Great Britain were both moderate, and just, and he intended adhering to them. The wool sales have closed; good wools maintain the advance ; inferior is unchanged. At the Liverpool Municipal Banquet, Lord Derby deprecated unwise intermeddling as much as excessive indifference in continental affairs. England’s great interest was the maintenance of peace.