TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1523, 9 December 1886, Page 4

TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.

The natives of Kawhia have asked Mr Ballance to allow the Native Lands Court meeting to be held there,'instead of at Alexandria,, m order: to remove Maoris from the influence of drink. Government have appointed the Hon., W. Shephard,iM.L.O., and Mr Mont-, gomery, M.H.R., as commissioners to enquire into the condition of secondary; education in North Otago. Colonel Sir Geo. Whitmore is to be promoted to the rank of Major-General. > Nearly £SOO ;btlve;• been subscribed;in Christchurch to give a picnic on Anniversary Dly to the men employed on the relief works. ■ About 280 men with their wives and families will be present. At the inquest at Christchurch ,on Monday evening on Letitia Beechey a verdict of ““died from drink” was returned, with a rider—“ That Government bn requested to give us larger powers of *• Legislation re liquor traffic, so that when cases of determined self-poisoning exist we may prevent it by some easy method of prohibition.” , Af Hokitika the Bank of New Zealand ha? shipped 2910 ounces of gold and bullion, valued at £11,640, being tbe mar id’s purchase. At Dunedin ninety-five candidates have entered for matriculation in the medical preliminary and junior scholarship examinations. * The question of peaches and whiskey, which the Dunedin City Councillors had to regale their friends and councillors with at the Botanic Gardens, but which the city auditors refused to pass, came up at the City Council on Monday night, when it was decided to bold the matter over till the visit of the ControllerGeneral. The Jewish Bazaar at Dunedin which was open for a fortnight, closed on Monday evening. It is expected that £2OOO will have been realised. At the nomination for the W.aßemata (Auckland) election on Monday Bichard Monk and H. W. Farnall were nominated, A yriung mao named Thomas Behrens, only a few months in the colony, blew out bis brain* with a pistol in a boardinghouse at Auckland on Monday morning, in a fit of depression, il is supposed. Among : .bis effects were found a letter to Lady;.Vincent, in France,- and a-will, in which be left his money, £BO in the bank, to bis three friends, Messrs Bay, Claude , Young, and W. H. Cooper. It finished up by “ damning this confounded country.” He is said to have been formerly an officer in the Royal Navy. He came out second class in the Ruapehu, and has been forest planting at Rangiriri. At the annual meeting of the Charitable Aid Board at Dunedin the chairman stated that tbe expenditure had been within the income, and there was reason to believe every deserving case had been relieved. The female refuge had been managed satisfactorily by a committee of ladies. It was decided to interview tbe Premier, and ask for tbe immigration barracks for a Benevolent Institution. No castaways were found at the Snares by the A.warua, despatched from the Bluff. The Dunedin Chamber of Commerce are taking steps to defeat the raising of a loan of £75,000 to construct, a dock at ; /Port Chalmere. Tbe Chamber holds that it is unnecessary and that it would not pay. The Radical Reform League, A uckland, passed a resolution calling on the Government to limit appointments and stop payment to members of tbe Legislative Council, besides otherwise reducing the expenses of Government. They also draw attention to the fact that imported cement is being used for public works at Auckland instead of the local article, which is far so parlor. Mr and Mrs George Beetham returned to Rotorua from Rotomahana and Tarawera on Monday. Mr Hutchinson, the engineer, who accompanied them, considers that the White Terrace is merely ' buried. The party ascended Mount Tarawera, aud had a full view of the craler. They state that tbe scene of desolation is indescribable. At Halcombe, near Feilding, on Monday Robert Vale committed suicide by cutting his throat. He was suffering from melancholia. It is understood that the Hon. J. W. Fortesque is on his way to New Zealand to take up the appointment of A.D.C. to to the Governor. The appointment is now temporarily held by Captain Medley, R.N. A private telegram received in Christchurch from London states that the frozen meat market is very dull, the stocks being so heavy that they cannot be reduced to within a reasonable limit till after tbe New Year. Tbe hull of tbe New Kiver Harbor Board’s dredger, Alpha, was launched from Kincaid and McQueen’s yards, Dunedin, ou Tuesday. She is to be capable of lifting 75 tons per hour, and dredging to a depth of 18 feet. Some, schulite, from which yery good proapebtk-have : been obtained, has been discovered on ibe.Otago Peninsula, Mr Allan Scdtt arrived at Wellington yesterday and with Mr Brodie Hoare, chairman of tbo, Midland Railway Company, interviewed! the Minister of Public Wbrks, on'mattera connected with ; the' cbntract.’ l Meißrs Hoare and Scott will shortly journey over the country to be travailed by the line. Judge Mackay is now travelling in the South -Island', esquiring into Native matter vand it is expected that’the questions which have been in abeyance for the. last: thirty, or forty years will be finally settled. ‘ His mission is principally in connection, with the subdivision of lands, clearing and issuing titles, appointing successors and ; deciding ’ claims of half-castes. As thb 'work includes the whole of tbe South Island, it is not expected he Will not complete his task ranch before next session. If necessary, legislation will be introduced to give effect to his decision. Tlie South Island Purchase Commissioners promised the natives that certain reserves \yould be set aside for them tp'Jive.oni arid; Judge Mackay has been requested jo make enquiries and report on the quantity of land required to satisfy these c'aims. MrPrice Williams; who was sent from England on behalf of a Company, forming a capital of filteen thousand pounds, to inspect the coal lease in Oollingwood, Nelson, expresses himself satisfied with the appearance. He had coal removed from the; face and tried it in steamers coming to Nelson, and also in a locomotiye railway engine. He is well pleased with the result.

The Minister of Public W orks expresses the opinion that tbs fire at the goods shed, Dunedin, was the result of incendiarism, and probably the Cabinet will be asked to give a free pardon to accomplicn or person or persons connected with its destruction. The Education Board has declined to accept the report of the. Blenheim'Sihool Committee to the off ct that certain charges of tampering : with the scholars’ work during the standard examination and other irregularities bad been proved against Mr Limns the head-master. The charges were orig ; ii--i! ! y brought by Miss Tiarding, assistant mistress, whose brain gave way just as the enquiry concluded, and who now is in the Wellington Asylum. It is a painful affair and has produced much public agitation at Blenheim. Two young ladies saved the life of a little girl who fell into the lake in the Recreation Grounds at New Plymouth on Saturday. The little girl, who is about 6 years old, was playing on the Spring road near the bathing house, when she fell off into the deep water. Miss Thompson, daughter of the Collector of Customs, and Miss Todd, her cousin, who were bathing near at hand saw the accident, and being expert swimmers swam to the rescue of the child, who was struggling, and seized her as she was going down the third time. Miss Thompson supported the child till Mias Todd reached her, and the two managed to bring the child safely ashore. Miss Thompson is only fourteen years of age and Miss Todd about seventeen. The water where tbe child fell in is about 20 feet deep. Isaiah Pointer, a moat important chief of the Ngatiawa tribe, is dead, aged 69, Deceased, who was a firm friend and ally of the early, colonists, was a cousin of Te .Whiti, and for many years a Native Assessor.