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South Canterbury Times, Issue 2347, 24 September 1880, Page 3

Captain Lack-son Barry, since bis reception in Timavu, bas been endeavouring to get rid of the aroma of bad eggs, by rusticating on the Geraldine race course, where he bas been an object of great curiosity. Last evening -the Captain lectured at Geraldine to a rowdy house, Mr Hammcrsly presiding. A man named Thomas Johnston was arrested at Duntroon on "Wednesday, under a warrant issued by live Tiiuaru Bench, charging him with neglecting to provide for the maintenance of his illegitimate child of whom Mary Ann Crawford is the mother. At the instance of the Oamaiu Bench, Johnstone was transferred in custody to Timavu this afternoon, and he will appear to answer for his alleged offence to-morrow. Retrenchment in New Zealand and Victoria seem to be two very different things. In this colony wages have been reduced from the railway crossing keeper to the hospital charwoman. In Victoria salaries under £2OO a year arc to be left untouched, while the pay of the upper crust is to be subjected to a graduated scale of reduction, increasing as it goes upwards. A prison inspector, at a cost of £UOO a year, irrespective of travelling allowances, has just been appointed for this colony, while in Victoria that oflicc is about to be abolished as useless.

There was no business of any kind, at the Resident Magestrates’ Court tins morning. The trial of the native prisoners has been concluded, and has resulted in their being each sentenced to two years’ imprisoement in Lyttelton gaol. Sir H. Robinson at the banquet given to him at Sydney recently made an able speech in responding to the toast of his health. Referring to the progress of the colonies, he said he was convinced that, in 70 or 80 years, the population of the Australian group would not be less than 30 millions of people, and that with this increase of numbers, many difficult political aud social problems would arise, the solution of which would rest with themselves. Chief among these problems would be the relations which these colonies would bear to each other in the future, and the close political association with the mother country, which would permit many millions of selfgoverning Anglo-Australians to advance in national life, while at the same time they might remain an integral portion of that empire which it was now their pride and privilege to form a part.