LAST NIGHT’S WIRES.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume I, Issue 35, 9 January 1884, Page 2

LAST NIGHT’S WIRES.

[Per United Press Association.] Auckland, Jan. 7. Captain John McKenzie has resigned his position as Deputy Harbour-master. The residence of Christopher Nolaji has been destroyed by fire at Puohi. It is reported that the insurance on the building, with the contents, amounts to £2OO in the Imperial. At the settling on the Auckland Summer Meeting this afternoon, the following amounts were paid away :—R. Vallance, £714 8s; J. Pilbrow, £517 155.; Major George, £429 Bs.; W. Belbett, £422 15s. ; P. Butler, £2BO 55.; J. Lennard, £214 145.; W. Somerville, £190; W. Robertson, £l4B 45.; B. Thompson, £ll2 25.; W. Potter, £lO3 Ils.; J. Marshall, £95 ; Foster, £5O 75.; Houghton and Shee. nan, £3B; W. Barr Brown, £l5 55.; D. McKinnon, £ll Bs. Total, £3,343 2s. At the Criminal Sessions, John Fitzgerald, for larceny, was sentenced to two years; and Peter Harper, unlawfully wounding, to four months. William G°°d, for malicious wou n ding of cattle, was dis c h&rged. In the case of Joseph Antonio, larceny, the

prosecutor showed that the watch »nd duiin wero stolen in Melbourne, from the steamer Waihora; consequently, his Honor said this Court had no jurisdiction. He directed the jury to find a verdict oi not guilty, and the prisoner was discharged. Before tenders for the Calliope Dock were opened to-day, the Engineer of the Harbor Board submitted a report, dated to-day, in which it was stated that when he gave the opinion that the work could be completed for £120,000, the estimate was a general one, in the absence of full quantities of materials and labor required for the dock. As the dock was now to have 33 feet of water on the sill, instead of 26 feet, and as he had now the full quantities before him, he estimated the total loss at £176,700 for the whole work. He had erred in making the work of such quantity, that its cost far exceeds the sum available. He advised modifications of the plans, by using timber to face the work, in place of a portion of the heavy retaining walls. The local Hydraulic lime, for Portland cement, as a substitution of a less expensive concrete ; and free and judicious use of local productions, by which £46,000 could be saved and the works brought within the means of the Board, The report was considered by the Harbor Board at its meeting this afternoon. A short, but sultry discussion, took piece, In which the Engineer was censured all round for his great miscalculation of the cost of the dock, and hischangeof opinion at the eleventh hour. Only Messrs Mays, McKenzie, Lamb, and Aitkin spoke in favor of opening tenders, and on Mr May's motion, they were accordingly opened, as he said, so that the saddle forth*blunder might be put on the right horse. There were—Hunt and White, £123,486 ; Cameron, Britton, A Co., £179,108 Daniel Fallow, £157,000 ; and John Taylor, £190,976. The Engineer's report and tenders were referred to the Dock Committee to re. port to the next meeting of the Board. : Wellington, Jan. 8.

The cricket match Canterbury v, Wellington was concluded this afternoon, and resulted in a win for the former by 15 rune. The following are the concluding scores :— Canterbury, 2nd innings—Dudney, b Holmes, 7; Buchanan, b Woods, 27; Edser, b Ronaldson, 18 | Harman, a Holmes b Woods, 0; Secretan, o Holmes b Bonaldson, 161 Code, b Roberts, 2; Longden, run out, 42 *, Stevens, b Roberts, 17 *, Pocock, not out, 16; Cotterell, b Roberts, 1 j Malet, run out, 0; extras, 16: total, 157. Wellington, 2nd innings—Woods, b Edser, 4; Roberts, b Edser, 7) Alps, b Edser, 28; Twist, b Edser, 6; Lynch, b Pocock, 0; Heenan, b Edser, 411 Nicholls, b Pocock, 25; Bonaldson, c Buchanan, 6; Lawson, uot out, 7; Evans, 9 ; total, 147. In the Supreme Court this morning, George Gage pleaded guilty to the charge of horsestealing, and was remanded for sentence. The case of child-murder against Kate Boyle occupied the Court the whole day. At six o’clock the jury returned with a verdict of " Guilty,” but while in a state of insanity. His Honor Baid this was tantamount to intimating that the jury did not wish to entirely exonerate the prisoner, and they again retired to further consider their verdict, and have not yet returned. Westport, Jan. 8.

Carron and party, who have been prospecting in the Upper Mokinui district for some months past, arrived in town to-day with 17oz. of alluvial gold, the result of twelve days’ work, including nuggets ranging from 4oz. to sdwt. downwards, also fine gold. The locality where the gold was got is equal distant from Mokinui and Beefs, and Lyell is within easy walking distance. The gold was got at the edge of a creek. Thirty men are now on the ground. No work has yet been done in any claims, but the prospectors say the value of the discovery cannot be stated. Ohbistchvbch, Jan. 8. The Grand Jury made a presentment relative to the prevalence of indictable assaults on children, recommending parents and guardians to exercise more caution in exposing their children to danger. Henry Walmer, for an unnatural offence, was sentenced to five year’s penal servitude *, John Kelly, for larceny, to two years: and Henry Ferris, for forgery, to two years. New Plymouta, Jan. 8. Mr. Carkeek, who has been surveying the Wakau route, has returned with the balance of his party. One man strained himself, and had to be sent for medical aid, and another is sick with fever. This and the swollen rivers, through constant rain, has impeded the progress of the survey. There are no great engineering difficulties met with. There is no foundation in fact for the report from Auckland that the party was within a few miles of Mr. Rochfort, and would have gone through but for the accident and sickness.