SATURDAY, OCTOBER. 6, 1883.

Te Aroha News, Volume 1, Issue 18, 6 October 1883, Page 2

SATURDAY, OCTOBER. 6, 1883.

An amende I Act of material importance to all goldnVi Is was passe<l during thp last, fesMon, ;ind ;is it will be specially interesting he.ie, wuere speculation is sonvwluit brisk we subjoin a pretty full resume of its provisions. The title is u Tiic Mining Companies Act, 1872, Amendment Act, 1883." Sections 2b and 29 of the "Mining companies Act, 1872," are repealed, and the following enacted in their stead. Blank forma of transfer will not in future be valid. In every form of transfer there shall be written in ink the name of the transferee, whether a person or a company. Transfers may be made on a separate document instead of being endorsed on a scrip certificate. Notwithstanding any transfer of shares such transfer shall not cancel any liability of the transferor for a petiod of six months, who for that time is chargeable with any debt or lialiilit.v. Sections 31 and IM ot the Act of 1872 are also repealed. By tl,e sfch clause of the Amendment Act creditors and others may apply to the Court for a rectification of tne register. It is not neceseary in future that a final call shall be ma le before the capital of any company is ; increased. [Section 45 of th,' ol i Act is -u far amended as to n ad toward-* toe end '• and as the case may b •, of the inureas 'd amount of the shares " Tue 4th is repealed and another substi-

u'ed in its atvMil. No e»d!s upon "»hare-« in any company shad be mu le after I .c lirst oeann^ of a petition for wiudi iv up Section 5*2 of t/ie nil Act is-re-pea'ed, and in lieu thtM'eof it is enaete i t-hrtt tli» amount of any call which to. lit* I i m c* being may be unpaid Upon un\ *. iaro in a omp.iny Siiuil. on and from my day when tlie col! shall be made. le leeme I to bp u debt due from the lioldo* .»' suo.i s liiiv to the co npatiy, and bo reeo erable, with interests and costs, by the m mager iv any court f competent jurisdiction. The 10th clause 19 important, and will prevent future shirking o, liability, for by it it i- p ovi.lcd that, notwillistMid ni? any fo feiture of any share, t e toldiM* thereof at t ip time )t its foiteiture snail continue to be ehargeabh for twelvemonths thereafter with am de!>t or liability incurred prior lo sucu forfeiture, md in so far a^ respects am such debt or lia >ility, tue holder "'nil l>o deenvd to be a contributory mi ler ue sai ! Act, in cases whore it may be necessary to detenni.ie who .ire contribut "rios. Tue following 1 words are added to section 55 of fcho Act 1872, " ami ' should the s.iare not realise the amount of the calis ilue, to^eLluu 1 with the costs and expenses incurred, the balance shall i be recoverable on a debt due to the company." If "Hi application be made fo the lemovaf of a liquidator the Couri •nay require that security be given b\ the applicant to tlie Awe prosecution o! he application. Liquidators may recover cells made prior 10 the winding up of n company. Mi b- section 5 of section ;)4 of the old Act is repealed, and the olio viug is aided to the section: — Any person who may be chargeable with any 1 a i'uy incurred prior to transfer or t'orfeimii for, or in respect of a share, either transferred or forfeited in an} manner. Provided that no transferor s mil be liable to contribute to the assets of" tiie oo»np,my, unless the Court is satisfied that tue liquidator has used all reasonable means to compel -the contrit'Uiious ip]ii re 1 from t.ie siiarenolders under the >ai i Art." Liquidators are .t'ltiioi'so 1 <o jay current expenses of binding up or Inter mi dividends to parties entitled thereto, and the Court or a judge may order costs or expenses in connection therewith. A great absurdity in tlie old Act in corrected in reference to advertising notices of winding up and other mining matters. Heretofore these were necessarily published in a daily newspaper in the chief town of tlie province in which operations were cairied on, though it might be a hundred miles distant, and had not a single resident shareholder. This is repealed and such notices will of course in future be published in the local newspapers of the respective districts. The registration of certain companies in the Counties of Grey and Inangahua is validated by the IDth clause. The concluding clause, 20th, provi lesChat shares held in trust for any company shull be first ottered to the shareholders, and then j to the public, and "m> shares so held in trubt shall be disposed of by the directors by private sale. Tiiis is a full synopsis of tue new Act Some of its provisions will rather seriously affect a good many speculative holders, we imagine, and will greatly promote genuine enterprise whilst putting a material check on the wild and reckless share gambling and chicanery that hare too frequently charactised the promotion of mining ventures, both in New Zealand and other countries. We niay add that the Amended Act came into force on the tftii of last month. -

ATfcheeonrnpnce-nentof tne last session tno Government, amongst other tlrngs, promised to introduce a Bill for f ) reform, or rather reconstitution of the Legislative Council, by making it I elective instead of being, as at present, a nominee body. By this pledge the wind was completely taken out of the s ils of the Great Proconsul who had intended to introduce a sweeping measure having reference to the same body, towards which, a« is well known, he b i ars so little goodwill- The promised measure did nor m ike its appearance til! th • hist moment, ti-.e hon. tl\e Pivmiei infro lueing it a iVw days before the session ended, It was further explained tint it was merely b- ought* in formal!} in order that its proposals might be consi lered during the recess. It was also said that as an expiring- Parliament should hatdly deal wit'i so -large a question, it was not likely ihe Government would proceed with it next year a.s that would be tlie last session of the present P.vrliam i nt. In old days when mci. were hanged for offences that now would t iard)y be punished with tuiee months' mprisonnient, the condemned used to ask the Judge to give them a long day, in other words to appoint their execution at as distant a date as possible. Tne Legislative Council under the proposed treatment of the Bill respocting them, will have as long a day as its members could possibly desire, For according to what is now proposed their case will only come up for discussion in the year 1885, two years from the present time. Whether this will suit a majority of the' House of Kepre&entat.ivea remains to be seen; but fcWere will no doultt be fierce opposition fc> the delay, and should the Government hold on to their original datorminition it may be the most likely rock on which they will , be wrecked. The ivw Bill provides %\ lat the present Council, numbering 44, shn.ll ballot half of itn members out in IriBs, when twenty-two other m>m'ier!» shall be elected, an I in 18i)vi those w.io remained in shall go out. Tne Council s to be compose 1 of the sane n'im'wr of members (44) with three Aiaoi^ numbers, to be nominated by the •jrovernor. Wo can hardly fancy the *atres conscripti ballotting each other

I out of their scats in < lie Coit.icil, whie Ins so. new hut irreverently been. ehri c t, n» I tlie Political t Mil Men's Refu.^v" and .<Miionl'i siich mvi .operation ever bo performed there will be some inxioty oi tip part of nmny of the " honorahles" to some of wnom tue honorarium is o' nearly as sr oat importance as to impecuuiou? members of the other branch o' the Legislature, alf of the Counei it is proposed shall ivtire every h'\> years, the duration of the seats beinp for ten years. Members aiv to be electee on the Haro 9ystem, and the colony is to constitute only two electoral districts, each island bein * one and returning twenty-two members. Universal suffrage is i*iven. an I all persons over t'u» ai?e of 21 years will be qualifie] to vote Incase of vacanoi.)3 oenrring 1 t'irough deaths or resignation, the House of Representatives are authorised to fill them up, but any persons so elected wil only hold their seats- for the term taai their predecessors would have done. In case of disagreement between the two House, both Houses may sit jointly to discuss and decide upon any moasur.es> trnvt have given rise to the d (Terence of opinion, the Speaker of the Council presiding. A majority of the joint Houses will determine the fate of any measure, jml the *teoteUm arrived at by them is to bo final. The new Bill is simple enough in its provisions, but we mnc'i douSt whether it goes far enough to suil many, and whether " the long day " will not be objected to by a large proportion of the House of Representatives. There it is however for discussion, and during the eight months of the recess, membors, as well ' as the public, will havn ample opportunities of making up their minds as to the virtues on tue one hand, and the faults and failings or on the other, of the Bill which is the first attempt yet made to tinker up the Constitution in the direction of remodelling the Legislative Council.

On Monday next, the Bth inst., D. B. Gellion and Co., will sell at the Thames that flrst-olaaa property, the Waihi Sawmill, and situated as it is, no doubt there will be keen competition. With Te Aroha, and Waiorongomai expanding as they are, the demand for timber is very great, with every prospect of, it being greatly increased within a very few months. The ( Waihi Mill is admirably located to' supply this ' demand, and a splendid trade is ready, for the lucky purchaser. A schoolmaster at Greymouth named Plowden haß been sentenced to three months' ! imprisonment with hard labour, for obtaining money under false pretences. i The Jewish Now Year began on Tuesday last, the 2nd inst., and according to the Hebrew calendar the year 5614 then commenced, dating from the Creation. Tawhiao, who was at the bottom of the late destruction of the beacons at Kawhia, has taken nothing by his motion, and on the cona'ary haa the mortification of having a Constabulaiy station planted within his very boundary. Afr Bryce landed at Kawhia this weuk, and there are stationed there at present I a force of over yO of tho Armed Constabulary. I There is now every prospect of settlement at that place progressing rapidly. We would direct the attention of our readers to the sale at Waitoa by Mr J. S. Buckland on Thursday next. He will then offer 50 mixed cattle and six useful horses. The football match, Waitoa v. Aroha, will take place at Waitoa this afternoon, play will commence at 3 sharp. Bradley's coach leaves Quinlan's- Hotel at 2 o'clock, the moderate sum of 2s 6d being the charge. A coach will return at the finish of the evening's entertainment., The following Me the' names of the players who will do battle for the Aroha side: — Verity, MdDonnell^ ( McFarlane, Hinton, Burgess, Whitehouse, Brennkn, Moigm, liong Davy, Gordon, Shea, Coleman, Hotchin, Jeffrey, Mercer. We are glad to Bay that it is the intention of the newly appointed Cemetery Trustees to enclose the reserve with as little .loss of time as possible. They also intend 'ploughing it up and laying it down in grass, and a start in this direction has already been maJe. Messrs Woods, of this township, most generously lent two horses -and a plough to the Trustees for four days, and during that time a good .deal of ground was ploughed up, sown with grass seek and harrowe I, Thiskini example might with advantage be followed by others possessed of teams that they could spare for a day or two, for then in*a short time all the land would be laid down in gratis anJ thereby at least an instalment of improvements necessary in Te Aroha's God's Aore be accomplished. - - - The new Hot Springs Hotel is now completed, and will be handed over by the contractors without delay. It ia in every respect a creditable building to all concerned, and will go far to supply the nee I of increased hotel accommodation, which is sure to be required in a few weeks. A short description of the house in its finished state may be of interest to Imany of our readers. On thr ground floor is the bar, which is rather small for an hotel of this size, with a tap or barroom behind. The main entrance fronts Whitalcer-street, and there is a convenient commercial room on the right hand on entering. A wide passage leads to the diningloom, 30 x 16, and on the same floor is the kitohen, servants' room, and bath-room. The latter is only temporary, as Mr Coleman intends shortly to raise the roof of the kitchen and put up two large bedrooms an { a bathroom on the second floor. The staircase is broad, and on the second floor there ,is a large and convenient landing. On this there are sixteen bedrooms, two double and fourteen single ones, in addition to a very comfortable and commodious sitting-room. A balcony runs along two sides of the house, and ia a most agieeable feature of the establishment. It commands a most extensive and magnificent view of the surrounding country, Waitoa and Shaftesbury, as well as miles and miles of the plains and railway line — when finished. As yet there is no billiard-room, but this will very shortly be added and built at the back. There is an excellent cellar, 20ft. x 16ft., which will keap its contents cool in the hottest weather. The whole of the house is tastefully painted and papered, and the furniture will be new throughout. Altogether, this hotel promises to be moac comfortable, as well aa a great public convenience, and neither pains nor expense have been spared in its building. Mr Coleman expects to be ready to begin business in little more than a week> but wisely delays till he is thoroughly pcQPdred to do justice to his guests, which he wilrbe ia about that time. The wither on Saturday last, as our readers may, re.namber perhaps, was very wet Acid stormy, and the roa is speeiily became heavy, especially parts of the mud 'traok between here and Hamilton. The consequence was that it was as much as the coach howes couid do to pull their load through the slough,

ftn f l one of them droppe 1 dead from its exei--fciona when a few yar Is from its stable, aflGi' performing the journey. The animal was a very good one, and its gameness is attested by its pulling till it dropped. The Auckland conespondent of the Ofcago Daily Times writes: — " Ia connection with the vicHflitu les of goll-mining and mining speculation, il may be noted that a day ov two a>o Mr W. A. Hunt— one of the pioneer ■ lirtcoverers of the Thames goldfields, and a ahrrehol in tho famous Shotover, or Hunt's claim, which yiel led nearly a quarter of a million sterling m gold to its four shareholders — fil d his schedule. He has lptterly been prospering and speculating in the Coroman lei district, and has been ' down on his luck.' It is a singular circumstance that not one of the original shareholders was able to stan I the sudden access of wealth which was poured into their laps, unasked and almost unsought. It w«i4 e^ay come, easy go, and it was believed that, like our first thvee million loan, the perennial golden stream would never cease to flow. Clarkson was not long ago p. pitman in a Newcastle colliery (N.3.W.), and Colley and White aw both now living in Auckland in a small way, far removed from the palatial style in which they started, afier the Shotover yielded up her treasures at their pleasure. The only man who came well out of the affah was a shrew I bank clerk in the Union Bank of Australia, who bought an intere3t — a small one — from Hunt in his fourth share of the claim. Such are the whirligigs of fortune that to-day the ex-bank clerk, Joe Howard, is a ' bloated capitalist,' while the pioneer goldfinder, on whose face Joe was wont most assiduously to watch the sunshine and the shadow, has — filed his schedule. But such is life i" The " Taranaki Herald " has the following : — The railway charges are fixed on \a scale which puzzlo3 most people, and not unfrequently there ia an utter absence of anything like reasonableness in them, A case has come under our notice which gives a specimen of the absurd charges made under the present railway tariff, but fortunately in this case the public get the benefit, and not the railway department. A quantity of furniture was landed from a steam jr in the roadstead, and the bill of lading shovved that it measured nine tons. The railway charge for conveying the goods, however, being by dead weight, tho nine tons of freight by the steamer passed for 15c\vt. on tho'train, whioh was a considerable saving io iho owner of the furniture. A correspondent sent the "Evening Post " the following, for the truth of which he vouches, remarking that it may be interesting as showing the hardships of child-life, even in Wellington :—" The otjier morning a bright little chap of six summers called kh a house in Te Aro, when-the following dialogue took place between him and the good lady : — Quoth the child — ' Give me a bottle, please.' 't have none to' give away,' said the lady. 'I see i one under the house; may I get it?' Permission being given him ! he said — • I*BB got no mother ; she's . dead.' ' Have you a father? 1 'Yes. Lao hungry; have not had any breakfast ; have to get enough bottles before before breakfast.' The child was hungry, and a blackened eye showed that he was no stranger to ill-usage." The usual fortnightly sitting of the R.M. and Warden's Courts will be held oh Tuesday next. The business of the former will be light, but we understand that there will be a good deal in the latter, of one kind and another. The Tokatea Goldmining Company (Coromandel) announce in another column that they have an American air compressor and two rock drills for sale, guaranteed to pierce the hardest stone in the district. These are stated ■to be in good working order, and should find a roa ly sale here. Tenders are called for additions' and improvements to the Premier- Hotel, Waiorongomai. These are rather extensive ; the plans and, specifications have been prepared by Mr Pavitt, architect. -We are sorry to find that the race committee have not yet filled up their programme, ,and that to-day the skeleton .one of Jasjb w&ek re-appears. The aoon^ the complete programme appears, the n ore ready will people oe ; to subscribe \ and there- is -Kttl6* danger in allotting tolerably liberal prizes, as the* meet* ing, if carried) out in a spirited manner, Jias every prospect of being a great success. Owing to a small portion of the Thames road being still in an impassable state, Bradley and Co. have been obliged to postpone running their coaches for a week, but will certainly- make -a start on Thursday next. On Wednesday list a coach, intended to be .be put on between here and Paeroa, stuck, in the Rotokohau swamp, and had to be temporarily abandoned. Mr Bradley forthwith couiinunictvtfv} with the o.Ticera of the Coiinty Council, and'we" are glad to say the nee lad temporary repairs were at v o.x\ce s.et jaboutj so that the dangerous spotwillWon be m \iS.k all right. In connection with the mails between here and the Thames, we hear that! the postal authorities will offer no objection to changing the time of closing, so as to suilj the coach hours,. A« we ha.y.e said on a previous occasion,^ this -will 'greatly convenience the geueral public." ' \ < It is a most unusual, but at the sam,a time great satisfaction to be able once in a way to compliment a public body, and especially • the Thames County Council. That ' somewhat' somnolent local institution has within the last few days given some signs of yita^ty, and has actually set to work to repair the chief roads in its district. We are told by a traveller from the Thames that on Wedneslay last, whilst on his journey to Te Aroha, he saw no less than sixteen men at work on different parts of the road. The Council have recently receive I £11,800, the first instalment o? the sum granted under the lloads and Bridges Construction Act for certain works in the County, and have £5000 more to get. It is a matter for thankfulness that included in these is the road from Paeroa to Te Aroha. If the same fit of energy recently shown continues, before next winter a good and substantial road will connect, the two places. By that,time, too, these will be equal facilities for travelling to Shaftesbury and other places, whilst the railway will probably be almost if not quite completed, and communication with Auckland thereby be most materially facilitated. Amongst other recent visitors to Te Aroha may be mentioned Lieut. Home, formerly in command of one of the Imperial schooners commissioned for special service in the Pacific and amongst the Islands. This gentleman has abandoned the blue water of the ocean for the Btorms of the House 6f Bepresontatives, of which he is Sergfc.-afc-Anns, to be a terror to evil doers of that branch of the Legislature, and the bodyguard of the Speaker. He, like every one else who has been here lately, is muoh impressed i with the prospects of the district, and its j great natural resources. Some changes have taken place in tteh c teaching staff at the Te Aroha school. Mis? Truscott has been removed to the Ksiuevan^a school, and Miss Aahm in has been appointe I in her place. This yo-mg lady is from the Thames, and evidently won the regar.l of her fellow-teachera and pupils, ior on her leaving they presented her with a handsome silver bracelet its a souvenir. Mr Newton alao haß been added to the teaching staff, and he, too, hails from the Thames. , We desire to ©all the attention of the authorities (save the Wairarapa Standard) to the houdble manuef \n whioh a clog was dose

to ileath a few days ago on the train betWeei! Kuitoko an I Upper Hutfc. A passongei having a dog with him joined the train at Kaitoke. The guard told him that" he musi book the do? and have it put in 4 the dog b^x. The man would not do this. While the attention of the guard was called to something olse, the man got a piece of rope, an 1 creeping under the guard's van, tied the dog to some of the ironwork on the carriage — the rope being attached to the dog's collar, and giving him room to move about. The train started, and at once there were heard howl-* of agony, but nobody could ni:ike out where they came from, as the man had not been wen to tie the dog under the van. At the Upper Hutt a search was made to ascertain the cauße of the howling, and there was foun 1 attache! to the underpart of the guard's van, a piece of rope, a dog collar, an 1 some part of the mangled remains oi a dog, squeeze 1 into a masa of hair, pulp and blood. The poor dog tried to keep up with the train while ii> was at speed, but being tied up was knocked in and out of culverts and against bridges till he was battered into a shapeless mass. The man who was capable of tying up a dog in that way, with the dead certainty that it would meet with an awfully painful death, must be a fiend in human shape. The act could not have been committed through simple stupidity. The settlers at Waitoa ara negociating with with the Government for a subsidy in oHer to open up Johnston's Greek, by constructing an efficient drain for the purpose. There is a sum of £260 available in the hands of the Government, and Mr J. B. Whyte, M.H.R., is now in communication with the Government in order to get the amount handed over. The Wellington Post says : — " Apropos of till robberies it iB worthy of mention that a patent till for the prevention of this kind of crime has been in use for some days at the establishment of Mr, Aldous, the tobbacconist, Lambton Quay. Whenever the till is opened a bell is set ringing, the loudne33 of which may be regulated according io the,' wish of the owner. Moreover, the tiU can only be opened by those in possession of the secret,- and the mode is capable of as many as 25 variations, all equally effeotual. Those who know the secret can open the till in a couple of seconds, the " modus o)ierandi " being of the simplest character." ' >' . Mr Napper, of Sandea and Napper, engineers to the Waitoa Hoad Board, is now in the district making arrangements for" opening a drain by Mace's, so an to allow access io Murphy's Landing at Waiovongomai. Through the kindness of Sub-Inspector Coleman, of the A.C. Force, we ha\o been permitted to examine ,a most ingenious contrivance for the use of marksmen. We refer to the wonisrful little tubes irivented by Mr Morris, of Birmingham, for insertion in the barrels of rifles and carbines, and. which ajre attracting a considerable amount of attention all over the World, on account of their extreme simplicity and great utility. The tube we have been shown was imported from England by Sub-Inspebtor Doleman, through Mr. Jno. Young, of Cuba-street, and consists of a small barrel fitting in an ordinary Snider carbine. ' At the breach end there is a brass boss that fits the bore above the cone. Beyond this the barrel is screwed into a piece of larger calibre, which forms the chamber, in'whioh there ia an extractor. The rim of this enlargement entirely fits the counter-sink for the rim of the cartridge; and the ordinary extractor in its turn. works the extractor on the tube. The whole arrangement is very simple, and the veriest duffer cannot fail to adjust the barrel in a few seconds. By inserting one of these tubes into a<n ordinary shot gun the latter is at once concerted into an effective small-bore rifle. The cigtridges used are about a fourth of the size of those required by Snider carbines, and are more than 300 per cent cheaper. The great object claimed by the inventor is that, hy the use \ of these tubes, rifle practice can be carried on in an ordinary building just as well, as in the open air. A set of ingeniously constructed targets accompanies each tube, and by fmng'thein up at one end of a room the 600 yards sight can be employed at" a'aisj^nce of 40 or 50 feet. The invention promises' to be one of the most useful patented for some time past.— Wellington Post. < We have to acknowledge with thanks ]the receipt of printed copies of> the. Acts .pasped last session, some eighty in number, including private or semi-private , Acts. ' These hava been' got out in an extraordinary short space of time, and great credit in <hie to the Government Printing Office, for $he promptitude shown in the matter.. , MrW. A. Murray, when Ije was M.H.B. for Bruce, says the Otpjgo Daily TimespTised to devote his talents to "the task of inventing new constitution for the colony, -and new schemes of' finance. «one ( of those, hbweyer, startled the country by their originality or adaptability to thef purposes 'intended, Mr. Murray's new ideas were Votei flat, stiale, arid 'unprofitable.- He is owtof^nnlitics dow, and has something else to think of than new constitutions and financial nostrums. Still his mind runs in the inventive groove, j fle is before Government jusjti now 1 with a grand scheme for preventing the possibility eof railway collisions, and 'wSfi^jes to have facilities granted to him for a test"bf his plan! 1 What Mr. Murray claims for his latest invention is that no train, - whether under control, or otherwise, may come within a less distance unchecked pf any other traijior place tfjan, the railway management may determine, j It dispenses, with all existing signals afcfd provides &Q<gnplete automatic block system. It gives an alarm signal, stops the locomotive, turns on fee brakes, and, being entirely selfacting, is not liable to accident from forgetfulness, colour blindness, or neglect of railway servants ; %nd, while thus vastly increasing the public safety, the saving of signalmen •and present expenses on the imperfect system hitherto in force would more than cover the cost of construction and annual maintenance. It will cost only £.100 per mile to apply it and £1 per mile pet annum to work it. The Resident Magistrate's Court here is still in an unfinished state, and it seems as though it was fated never to be finished. When the building was erected tenders were called for neoessary fittings, and the "lowest was duly accepted. Owing* as is alleged to some, furtier conditions being attached, the tenderers whose offer had been accepted refused to sign the contract, and the matter has since been mng up with the. most perfeot indifference by the Government to the very great iuoonvenience pi the publio. On the next Court day, Tuesday, there will be the table, ohairs, and forms that have heretofore done duty as ' furniture, and it appears as though these are to remain in active service for an indefinite time. Surely the Inspector of Works might wake up and bring the matter under the notice of the proper official, and thereby have the scandal put an end to. Hie Wauganui OinroniolG says : Mr. P. Russell, manager of the Bank of New Zealand in this town, had two sons oh board Captain Tod's fine vessel, the St. Leonard's, whenshef sundered and sank in a collision in the English Channel. The younger of the two, a boy of 15, was on hiswjay out to New Zealand in charge of the-skipper of the ship. His brother, four years older, who is studying medicine in England, was taking a trip with him down the Channel, intending to leave in the pilot boat. Both young fellows ! were expert swimmers, and the elder of the , two was the winner of a silver cup at Clinton ' College for nils prowess in the water. As our readers are aware, all the St. Leonards' passengers were .rescued, but everyone will appreciate tnd sympathise with the feslin^ of anxiety jmd al»rm whiok filled the hearts'

of the parants whan the news of the collision reachel Wanganui, |Vlr. RuMeU's sou will have a thrilling tale or an exciiintf escape " to tell when he reaches Wan#»umi.\ At the monthly meeting" of the Auckland. Acclimatisation Society on Tuesday last a letler was real from Mr Wight, of Ohinemmi, stating that a strange fish was plentiful there. The flesh ia pink in colour, and it was suggested by the chairman, Mv Hobba. M.H.R., that these fish may be the first fruits of the salmon ova which Mr Firth many years ago deposited in the rivers of the Upper Owing to a dissolution of partnership, that well-known screw steamer Waifcoa, that has long Ueen a favorite in the river trade, will bo submitted to auction by Gellion arid Co.' at • their rooms, Thames, on Wednesday, the 17th rost. The penny postage on delayed telegrams has been abolished, the charge taking, placa on Tuesday last. In future, delayed tetegrama will be simply half the cost of day telegrams that is sixpence for ten words, and a halfpenny a word for all additional. The alteration will be a welcome one. The subdivision of section 13, High School ' endowment at Wiiiorongomai, into building allotments is likely to prove highly profitable to the lessee, as well as of great advantage to the public needing site 3 for business or residence purposes in the above rising township. The leases to be sold will run for 19 years at a peppercorn rent, and the situation of the allotments to be offered is all that can be desired. Messrs Gellion and Co. are the auctioneers, from whom all particular*, plans, &c. can be obtained. The sale will take place on Friday next, the 12th inst., and will be held in the Public Hall, in this township.