NEWS OF THE DAY.

Patea Mail, Volume IX, Issue 1066, 30 July 1883, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

- We notice that the House has passed* a resolution by44-to 24, that oaths in Courts of Justice should be abolished altogether. There are 447 sailing vessels, of 57,856 tons, and 137 steamers, of 18,340 tons, belonging to the ports of New Zealand. . We learn by telegram from Auckland that, at a meeting of the trustees of the Costley estate it was decided to realise the property. It is understood they will not agree among themselves as to a plan of managing the trusts, The executors demanded a guarantee of indemnification on the execution of the will. It has transpired, through ‘Modern Society,’ that 400cwt of the British King’s New Zealand mutton purchased in Leadenhall Market at 9d per lb was sold by the aristocratic co-operative stores in Regent street as lamb at Is Id per lb. . Government intend to place on the supplementaty 'estimates the sum of £12,000 for the reconstruction of the front portion of the Parliament .buildings'but the vote is likcl}': to meet with considerable opposition. Plans have already been prepared for the proposed additions and alterations. Our Kakaramea correspondent writes : A valuable draught horse belonging to Mr J. Hansen, carter, was found dead on Sunday morning,, having evidently fallen ofE the'bank on the roadsidb and broken its neck. Mr Paterson’s: wharo at llnnawapon is reported to have been binned down on Friday morning, but I have boon unable to get particulars. Now that so much interest is manifested upon the question of meat freezing the prospectus of the Auckland Company, which appears in unuilier column, would repay careful porusual.

If satisfactory arrangements. can be come- to. with, any of the Meat Freezing companies ' with which negotiations are now proceeding,-* it is the intention of the Patea Committee to have every branch of the industry; such as canning and boilingdown established here, in addition to the freezing. A meeting of the Meat Freezing Committee was held on Saturday afternoon, at which it was decided to send Messrs Harnilton and Gower as a deputation to Wellington to interview the directors of both companies there—Gear’s and: the Wellington Company—with reference to the establishment of meat preserving and freezing works at Patea. Both gentlemen left by the Waverley yesterday

Mr Morris Greenwall, of Melbourne, has concluded arrangements with Mrs Langtry for a sixteen weeks’ engagement there.

The New Zealand Shipping Company’s chartered steamer Catalonia arrived in Wellington this morning. The attention of members of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association is directed to an advertisement in another column. . We hope members will come forward, with their subscriptions as . the Association would then be in a good position. - Compared with some other Societies, Wanganui for instance, which has an overdraft of £320, the affairs of the local society are very satisfactory, and but little exertion is needed to place them in a flourishing state. - Tlia County Council meet on Wednesday, at 11 a. rn. The initial performance of the Patea Dramatic and Musical Society will take place to-morrow evening at the Harmonic Hall, regardless of the weather. A capital bill has been prepared, and we expect to see a good attendance. Sporting men in the Waverley district are reminded that the annual meeting of the Waverley and Waitotara Racing Club will be held at the Railway Hotel, Waitofara, to-morrow evening, at 7.30.

A valuable entire horse named Radical died on board the Wairarapa on the passage between Wellington and Lyttelton, it is supposed through fright. They arc diamond mad in Canterbury. Shares ih the Diamond Company, upon' which 12s have been paid, are selling at £5. The Dunedin Refrigerating Company have received; a cablegram from London, dated 26th July, stating that the Fenstanton’s cargo of- frozen meat netted £12,600, an average of 6J per lb, A private cable receivedin Auckland states that Judge Maning died on the 21th July, and that the Agent-General sends his remains to New Zealand. . - Over £65,000 worth of candles were imported into New Zealand in 1882. Confectionery to the amount of £10,190 was imported,into the Colciny last year. There are thirty-seven hospitals in New Zealahd, which can accommodate only 1,244 patients at one time. During last year there were 177 twins born in New Zealand—four cases were in Taranaki. The number of illegitimate children born in New Zealand during last year was 546 Otago heads the list with 162. From the Registrar-General’s statistical papers we learn that a death occurred from small-pox in Auckland last year. Nothing was heard of it before. The coal imported into New Zealand during 1882 is stated to be 129,582 tons, valued at £168,177. Of this, 126,258 tons came from New South Wales. During 1882 the number of patients admitted into the hospitals in New Zealand was 5,433 ; and those discharged 4,900. The deaths in the hospitals were 524.