TELEGRAPHIC.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1793, 22 September 1888, Page 3

TELEGRAPHIC.

At slight shock of earthquake was felt at Wellington at 10.15 on Thursday evening. Alexander Buchanan, blacksmith, fell down dead in his forge at Burnside, near Dunedin, yesterday. McMillan’s hotel at Bonmore, Southland, was destroyed by fire. Insurance, £BOO in New Zealand, half reinsured in North German office.

At the Supreme Court, Wellington, yesterday, an injunction was issued restraining the use of the drill hall as a skating rink, it being found to be a nuisance to the neighbors. At the Invercargill Police Court yesterday, Donald Macintosh and George Lawrence were charged with having committed perjury in the evidence given at the hearing of an impounding case between R. B. Scunnell and Macintosh, in which they swore that a certain field was fenced with two ditches, sod bank, and three or four wires all round. Accused were remanded.

About 2 o’clock yesterday morning, William Cuddon’s oatmeal mill and roasting house at Fendalton, near Christchurch, were burned down. I hey were insured for £IOOO in the New Zealand office, half reinsured in the Standard and North German. The fire broke out near the boiler, under which a fire was left banked up at 6.20 on Thursday night. The stock was uninsured. Cuddon’s loss is £SOO. The Invercargill Town Council asked the Minister of Justice to allow prison labor to be employed free of charge to carry out certain municipal works, and in this way compensate the Corporation for the loss sustained through the Railway Department having taken one of the town reserves, the effect of which had been to render the public baths useless, At the same time it was explained that the Council intended to make a claim against the Department for their action. The Corporation had been paying 2s a day for prison labor, and were the first public body to do so. The Minister declined the request. He could only promise that if the labour were granted it would be at the bare cost of maintenance, but that would probably exceed 2s per day per man. Free prison labor was not allowed for municipal works in any part of the colony. An exception was made in favor of defence works, but these were of colonial importance. If the request were granted it would lead to a lot of trouble. Applications would pour in from all parts of the colony.