NEWS OF THE DAY.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2731, 21 December 1881, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

The s.s, Kingarooma left Melbourne for the .Bluff on Monday. John Mclntyre, a settler at Coromandel, fell down a precipice, and smashed his skull.

Government have decided to give facilities for holding a Native Lands Court at Mokau, the Natives in that district and Kawhia being anxious to pass their lands through the Court.

At the Supreme Court, Invercargill, yesterday, Thomas Lloyd, aged 15, for stealing £5 got two months ; John Crobbe, stealing a trunk and a large quantity of jewellery belong to Mr Bachelder (of Bent and Bachelder) six months ; J. P. Holmes, for embezzlement of public moneys, three years.

A new fourteen roomed house at Auckland, unoccupied, belonging to Captain Elliott, was burnt down last night. Pooley, the builder, had a builders risk on it in the Colonial office for £IOOO, half of which is re-insured. Elliott’s previous new residence was burnt down a few years ago under similar circumstances. In a letter to the “ South Australian Register,” a resident in the Albert (western) district of New South Wales recommends the settlers to make a united demand tor separation, with a view to a federal alliance with South Australia, He states that while the public money is squandered in making railways, the districts already possess navigable rivers* Purely in the interests of Sydney merchants, the western half of the colony is u terly neglected. He urges South Australia to make a railway to the nearest point of the border, and thence along the New South Wales boundary to the southwest angle of Queensland, when, he believes, all the produce from and supplies to the Albert district will be sent to and received from Adelaide,

An auriferous reef 4ft thick has been struck in the Golden Fleece cl aim, Reef ton.

The rain of yesterday morning and the previous night fell over a large area. Rain fell heavily in the Wellington district* causing a flood in the Hutt River. Mr Fitzgerald, a solicitor of Hawkes Bay, recently went down to the Manawatu river from the Upper Ferry to Foxton in a paper Rob Roy canoe. He passed through the Manawatu Gorge, where rapids and eddies made the navigation very dangerous, but he got safely through, perhaps with less danger, certainly with greater speed, because the river was in flood. At the R.M. Court this morning, before the Resident Magistrate, a drunkard was fined ss, and ordered to pay 2s cab hire. Two men named Cudlip and Grey, were fined 10s each with the alternative of 48 hours imprisonment for .fighting in the street. An orphan lad, IB| years of age, named Arthur Webster was charged with stealing half a crown from a house which he was temporarily left in charge, and generally with being a bad boy. He was sent to the Industrial School for 18 months.

At a meeting convened by Mr Vincent Fyke at Dunedin yesterday, to consider the land question, fourteen members of the House of Representatives were present. The following resolutions were passed, twelve of the fourteen voting for them, Messrs Fish and Green refusing to do so : —‘‘That, in view of the magnitude of interests involved, it is, in the opinion of this meeting, highly desirable that all action in relation to dealing with pastoral leases which terminate in March, 1883, should be suspended until the newly-elected Parliament have had an opportunity of considering the best mode of disposing of the lands affected.” “ That to prevent any injury accruing to the present lessees by reason of such suspension, they should be offered a renewal of their leases for a further period of one year on existing terms, subject to the condition that any land required for sale or settlement on deferred payments, agricultural lease, or deferred payment pastoral blocks, may be taken for such purposes after March, 1882, without compensation.” On and after the 2nd January next, money orders will be exchanged between the United States of America and New Zealand, and will be issued at all Money Order Offices in the colony upon the United states at the following rates of commission :—For sums not exceeding £2, Is 6d ; sums from £2 to £4, 2s 6d; from £4 to £6, 3b 6d ; from £6 to £B,4s 6d ; and from £8 to £lO, 5s 6d. The orders will be issued for English money for payment at any office named in lists to be seen at any Money Order Office in the colony and will be paid at the rate of 4 dollars 87 cents to the pound sterling. The usual particulars of names and addresses will be required to be given.

Christmas Holidays.—H. Coxhead, having secured the services for the Xmas holidays, of Mr Gamble, for many years head operator with Mr Cherrill, Photographer, Christchurch, is now perpared to execute with despatch, first-class photographs at from 12s fid per doz. A large assortment on hand of Photographic Views and Frames suitable for Christmas presents.—[Advt.]