TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1486, 30 March 1886, Page 1

TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.

The Premier buying received a requisition to address the citiz“ns of Invercargill, will probably comply therewith. At the sitting of the Valuation Court, Newton (Auckland), an old man, living in George road, objected to the valuation of 22 acres at £B6OO, adjoining the Surrey Hills estate. He said he would take £IOO less. One of the reviewers, Win. Aitkin, said he would purchase the property at the official valuation and give cash. The bargain was closed in Court there and then. General complaints are made as to high valuation, property having fallen since the valuation in October. In the District Court, New Plymouth, Te Whiti was summoned for a debt of £135, due to John Stitt a storekeeper at Opunake. Te Whiti did not appear, and judgment was given for the c 'amount claimed. The evidence given in the case shows that Te Whiti evidently means to defy the laws, as lie has sufficient money to pay the debt, but refused point blank to do so. Some important development is looked for when the warrant of distress is issued against him. An important meeting of natives was held at Aramoho, Wanganui, at which the Native Minister was present. The meeting was held for the purpose of considering the .Native Lands Disposition Bill. During the past week the natives have been discussing the bill, and have made several amendments. Several speakers expressed a hope that the Native Lands Court would be discontinued pending a settlement of the bill. The annual report of the WellingtonManawatu Railway Company, to be presented at the annual meeting on March 31st, shows that the Company hope to have the line opened to OtikionJune Ist, and the whole line in eight months hence. The traffic returns since the line was opened show the revenue received to be £4297 15s 10J and the expenditure £1359 6s Hd. At the Appeal Court, Wellington, on Friday morning, the case Ward v National Bans, a case ret'eired from Tiraaru, all the issues applied for were refused, and the defendant was allowed costs. Leava was granted to appeal to the Privy Council, Four informations have been laid against Strike and Hamilton, brewers, Wellington, three for allowing beer to be sent from the brewery in barrels not bearing duty stamps, and a fourth for issuing barrels containing beer which did not bear on them the place at which the beer was brewed, and the number of gallons. An information has been laid against G. A. Strike, brewer, for having in his possession labels intended for use in bottling which do not be«r the imprint or words “ bottled in New Zealand.” At the inquest on the body of Richard Truman and his son Frederick, the victims of the fatal fire a Waikaricn Friday, the jury returned a verdict to the effect that deceased was accidenlal'y burned to death, but there was no evidence as to the cause of the fire. A public subscription list has been opened for the family of the deceased, and Mr Whitefoord said the case was one for much public sympathy, and he would personally receive donation*,

The only witness examined for the plaintiff on Friday in the case Stewart v. Roydhouse and another was Dr Fries. The Attorney-General then opened the defence. He said the issue was not whether Dr Stewart was guilty of manslaughter, but whether defendants in discussing the matter had made their comments reasonable and fair. The libel must be false and malicious, and he wou'cl ask the jury to say whether Mr Wakefield was guilty of any malice whatever in the case. Drs Coughtrey, Patrick, Mr Wakefield, Mr Baetham, and Dr Nedwiil gave evidence. On Friday morning, Howard, of “Severed Hand” notoriety, made a determined attempt to escape from custody in the Lyttelton Gaol, where he is detained awaiting trial, Howard, it appears, was taken outside the gaol to a plot of ground at the back of the building, and when something for an instant distracted the warder in whose charge he was, Howard bolted over a fence and got away. He gained a considerable start before the pursuit commenced, but was seen in the street by Mr Fleming, Clerk to the Resident Magistrate’s Court, who followed him and sent a message of the direction Howard had taken to the police. A few minutes later Howard was discovered ensconsed behind a but'rcss at the hack of the Presbyterian Church, where he was divesting himself of some of his clothing. It is said that be had a change of clothes planted with a view of obtaining a disguise. He was taken back to the gaol, and will be charged with attempting to escape from legal custody. Howard must have had some accomplices in bis attempt to escape, as a coat and hat were found concealed close to the Presbyterian Church where he was caught disrobing himself. The following occurs in the Wellington Harbor Examiner’s annual report The Board decided at the end of 1884 to have the whole of the under structure of Queen’s Wharf examined by a diver, This was done during the first few months of the year and the result was given to the Board in a memo, of 6th June. The investigation shows that the piles were in many cases stripped of copper, and that where heart of totara they remained untouched by toredo, although softened on the surface where in contact with the water, and nibbled at by small crab, and that the iron bark and red gum piles where exposed were much riddled by toredo, in one or two cases to a dangerous extent. Preventive measures were taken which £ trust will prerent any further spread of worm n the piles attacked. The Board during the year imported a diving dress and apparatus from Messrs Siebe, Gerimn and Co., of London, at a cost delivered of £l2l 18s lOd, Resulting from the examination of the work under water it has been determined by the Board not to copper the piles used in the inner tee. The extension of the breastwork to Waterloo Quay is built of iarrah, and is becoming yearly more and more delapidated by the ravagss of toredo. A Brigade parade of Volunteers was held at Auckland on Saturday. Over 1000 men were present, twenty-two corps being represented. At a meeting of the Auckland Liberal Association the following resolutions were passed “That eight hours should be fixed by statute as the extreme limit of a day’s work in this colony in any occupation, and all places of business should be compelled to close et 6 p.m.” “ That, in order to prevent industrial depression and provide abundance of reproductive works at fair wages for the unemployed, the Government should annually issue State Bank notes for a sura equal to half the estimated amount of taxation voted by Parliament, such notes to be a legal tender for all debts due and taxes, and convertible at pleasure into Government bonds bearing interest.'’ A woman named Mary Edwards was found dead in her at North Dunedin. At the inquest a verdict of death from natural causes was returned. Foul play was at first suspected. The body uf a laborer named Alexander McQueen was found hanging from a rafter in a new building in course of erection at Dunedin, and when cut down life was found to be extinct. McQueen bad been a patient in the Hospital, and was seen close to the building about two hours before the finding of the body, Ho was about fifty, unmarried, and is supposed to have no relatives in the colosy. It is almost ceitaiu that he committed suicide by throwing himself off the rafter after placing the rope round his neck. The Postmaster-General has succeeded in arranging with the Union Company on behalf of itself and the Oceanic Company to make the San Francisco service a through one permanently, without transhipment at Tlonol’Mn, Ho has acted with the authority also of the Postmaster General of New South Wales. The revised con'met, which like the original one Was dependent on 'he ratification of the New South Wales Parliament, will probably he submitted to that body on an early date. The Public Works Department hsvs received information from the West Coast re the strike of the unemployed. It appears the matter was much exaggerated. A few men left, being dissatisfied with the rate of wages. Seventy-five are still at work, and a few men have been had up for drunkenness. Of the 100 men originally sent, tweoty-five have preferred staying in Wellington, or Greymouth, or have left work. Mr William Best, who for upward* of twenty years has occupied the position of Paymaster of the Treasury, retires at the end of the month on his pension. At Paikakriki (Wellington), on Friday, Frank Potf, who bad previously been convicted for sly grog-selling, was fined £SO, or three months’ imprisonment. Hs was also charged with assaulting Mrs Burke, who was a witness against him, and he was sentenced to a month’s imprisonment with hard labor. Mrs Burke purchased the grog from Polf.