TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1524, 11 December 1886, Page 3

TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.

Mrs Jones, wife of Mr W. Jones, one of the oldest Wellington settlers, was yesterday found dead in a creek at Paikakariki. Sir R. Stout leaves Christchurch today for Dunedin. Mr Ballanco inspected the defence works at Lyttelton yesterday and leaves for the south on Monday. The property stolen from Mills’ tailor’s shop at Christchurch last Wednesday night was recovered, buried in the garden of a man named Payne, who, with his wife has been arrested. Yesterday morning Alexander Gascoigne, with several aliases, got six months at the Chistchurch S.M. Court for stealing clothing from the Salvation Army Captain at Lyttelton. He attended their meetings and professed conversion, pleaded poverty, and the Captain took him to his bouse. After being sheltered there for a week he levanted with most of his benefactor’s clothes.

At a meeting at Oamaru on Thursday night the proposal of the Oamaru Harbor Board to borrow £30,000 to repair and strengthen their breakwater was almost unanimously approved of. Colonel Whitmore has made a lengthy explanation re the Auckland ammunition. He holds that that now issued is perfect and says the recent accidents must have resulted from the faulty ammunition at first issued and which should have been returned.

A carter named David Nelson was nr rested at Auckland on Thursday on a charge of indecently assaulting a girl seven years of age. He was remanded for eight days. At the inquest on the Dunedin goods shed fire the jury returned a verdict to the effect that there was no evidence to show how the fire originated. Some boys, said they saw two men running away very fast, and some more boys said a boy named McNab did it.

During the twelve months ended 31st October, 76,365 bales of wool, sheep and rabbit skins wore exported from Port Chalmers and Oamaru, being an increase of 4713 for the former, and 3731 for the latter, compared with the previous year. The net total of wool n as 72,741; sheepskins, 1270 ; rabbit skins, 2354, or a total of seven million skins, being an increase of 35 bales. A boy named John Oonden, 9 years of age, was killed at West Plains Station, Southland, It is not known how it happened, but it is supposed he was playing on a siding, and a waggon struck him on the nape of the neck. There were no marks, but the neck was dislocated. He had just got off the train returning from school. The Westport Coal Company’s s.s, Kawatita struck on RangPoto Island, near D’Urville Island, on Tuesday. She was towed off by the Orowaiti on Wednesday, It was found that she was leaking and *he will go on the slip at Wellington. One of the unemployed on the Auckland defence works fell into a gum pit and broke tea of bis ribs. Colonel Whitmore’s appointment as Major-General of the New Zealand Militia and Defence Forces is gazetted. A Urge number of Volunteer officers met Colonel Bailey, President of the Board of Military Education, at the drill shed, Auckland. Colonel Bailey said his otject in ashing them to meet him was to take the opportunity of explaining to them the objects of the School of Military Examination, and give any information they might desire as to the examination which officers would have to undergo, jibe date of vyhich was not yet fjxed, |le to draw their attention particularly to musketry instruction, which bad been placed under his control, and said that next year full instructions would be issued as t° the mode of bring and scoring necessary to oualify for capitation, government did not desire the' mere raising of shooting in the colony, but general efficiency. He showed an illustration of the new target now in use in England, in which the round bull’s-eye gives place to the %ure of a man. This is to be introduced tjere. He also stated that district' prizes 'were being abolished, tyfqney wpipd pe given to companies who made the highest aggregate firing throughout the colony.

Four chi Id re named Lett, belonging to tV Anck!- ' Industral Hom n , Vvp been, left £4f>' 0 oa the death of a gia.uj aunt nam d Mordaff, in England. The children are to have equal shares when 21 years of age. The officers of the Prison Departments throughout the colony intend presenting Mr J. P. Macalister, of Wellington, with a purse of sovereigns (70 guineas), on the occasion of his retirement from the position of chief clerk of the department, to accept the Deputy-Hegistrarship of the Supreme Court at Dunedin. Ministers have under consideration a scheme of retrenchment, but nothing definite has yet been settled. It is not intended to make any addition to the Justice of the Peace list till January next, when a new commission will be issned.

The dispute between the Government and the shareholders of the Rotorua Hailway Company as to the amount of purchase money has been settled, «nd the money paid, except a very trifling balance left to bo determined as may be decided. Government have decided to offer a reward of £250 to any person giving information that will lead to the conviction of the person or persons who set fire to the Dunedin Railway goods-shed on Sunday night. In the event of anyone giving information, being an accomplice, a free pardon will be granted. The Aorangi brought several skilled workmen from England for the Endeavor Inlet Antimony Company. The property tax is coming in exceedingly well, and though there is nearly a week to run, a large proportion has already been received. The Dunedin Benevolent Institution Committee has passed a resolution that where married people apply for relief the attendance of the husband should be insisted on. At a meeting of tbe Otago Charitable Aid Board a letter was received from the Premier re the refusal of tbe Roslyn Council to pay its contribution, and intimating that, as it would be some time before the subsidies became payable, it would be as well t'l sue for contribution instead of waiting for Government to stop it. The Board resolved to take proceedings in fourteen days unless the amount was sooner paid. William Carter, one of the lads at the Kohimarama Industrial School, Auckland, while bird-nesting fell over the cliffs by the sea. He was sent to the hospital. His skull is believed to be fractured. On Thursday morning the bank of the new Ponsonby (Auckland) reservoir partly collapsed, having cracked in the centre for 153 feet. It seems to have slipped off tbe solid in tbe centre and followed the stone wall.

The descriptions of the uniforms which colonels, lieutenant-colonels, majors, captains, adjutants, and lieutenants in the New Zealand Militia are to wear on ceremonial and state occasions, and also at reviews and parades, appear In Thurs* day evening’s Gazette. The claim of J. 0. Crawford for £31,000 compensation for land taken for the Wellington defence works on tha Peninsula was heard before the Compensation Court on Thursday morning. The land comprised about 245 acres, and the claim was £29,000 for land and £2OOO for damages to neighboring lands. Various experts called valued the land at from £8 to £IOO per acre, and after hearing evidence the Court reserved judgment. A man named John Anderson was killed at Waukapuaka, Nelson, on Thurs* day"by the overturning of a dray in which he and Absolam Lyford were riding. Lyford was unhurt be falling beside a log which prevented the dray falling on him, but Anderson’s head was smashed. Mr Martin, the Crown Prosecutor, Christchurch, states that the Auckland cartridge which burnt in his rifle was one of the old issue of July last. The Presbytery of Dunedin strongly object to pay the property tax on the Widows and Orphans’ Fund.