Untitled

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 1986, 17 May 1875, Page 2

The usual sitting of the District Court will be held in the Court House tomorrow at the usual hour.

We notice that the Alert will discontinue after to-day making her usual daily trip to Ohiuemuri, the proprietors having decided upon making certain alterations in her which, we believe, will make her a more comfortable as well as a better seagoing boat. The trips will probably bo resumed on Saturday.. ■ ' .

i A new lodero of Freemasons called tha Manoah, holding under the Grand Lodge of Scotland, was inaugurated in Sydney on the 12th April. During the address of the E.W.M., he referred to three characteristics in the principles of the lodge : (I.) The abolition of all dues. (2.) !N"o spirituous or intoxicating liquor whatever can form a portion of loirge refreshment, under any: pretence whatever, all the promoters of the lodge being known as teetotalers; and so strictly is this principle held by them that in tb« amendment of the Bye-laws, the. law embodying this point cannot be altered under any circumstances. (3.) There is to be a yearly settlement of the financial affairs of the lodge, and it is provided that no master will permit himself to be reinstalled or surrender the chair to a successor until the profits, (if any) have been distributed pro rcdd^ amongst the members who comply with a certain bye-law. The Australian Freemason, to which we are indebted for the above particulars, gives some further details of the constitution of the new lodge.

The Inangahua Herald of the 4th instant says:—"At the meeting of.the Directors of the Inangahua Crushing Company, held on Saturday last, the resignation of Mr Giles as manager of the works was accepted. The machine was reported to be in excellent working order, and all in connection with machine-house complete, with the exception of flooring and other trifling additions required. Mr B. W. Rathby, who has been appointed to; \ take eh arge, will arrive from Auckland about the 20th instant. Mr Giles proceeds to the Lyell on Wednesday, under engagement with the Alpine Company there. Accounts were passed for payment, and a call of sixpence per share made payable on the 10th instant." —Mr Bathby left for his new position last week. ' . ." ' ;

The following strange conduct on the part, of a cat belonging to an Otago clergyman is vouched for. The cat had fire kitten?, of t which four were. drowmed, and one preserved alive. Upon beingi thus bereaved, puss,went to an adjoining bush, searched for, arid discovered a rabbit's ,nest with young ones,. These, she killed and devoured, all but one, which she brought home and kept as a companion to the kitten, and suckles it the same as if it were her own flesh and blood. * The'three'live'inl perfect harmony aridcbrifidence together in the meantime, but what puss's ultimate intentions • may be with 1 reference to the little stranger-are not known,; she not having divulged the same., ' ■ , '■■■'[

"At the complimentary arid farewell banquet to Sir J. L. G. Richardson, on his leavings the, Clutha ;district,: the "Major" said during the course of his reply to the toast of his health, that when he came to Otago, he came as .an unfledged cockatoo to do the best he could for himself and his family; and, as they all very well knew, he had encountered the roughness of a bush life equally with;; themselves.';"; (Applause). Like many others in the early days, he had been compelled to go out over the hills and kill his wild pig, returning with it on his back, before he' had hi? dinner (applause). He had been for a long time engaged in unsuccessful farming, and, like many others who were romantically ' guilty of > turning their swords into ploughshares' and their spears into pruning hooks, had been equally unsuccessful. There were always occurring losses and bad seasons : and while he left his farming friends with very much regret, he did riot so part with his farming experiences. !

The special meeting of miners and subscribers to the Thames Mirers' Accident Eelief Fund will be held in the Warden's Court House this evening at half-past seven o'clock, for the-purpose of making arrangements to justify the managing committee in /carrying on the; affairs of the fund, or to pass resolutions to wind the association up. The miners who have experienced the. advantages of this fund should mske a point of being present. It wo*ld be a great pity to see the Miners' Accident Fund dissolved.

Some of the loafing fraternity in the Province of Otago have hit upon a newmode of obtaining free board and lodging while on their travels, by an abuse of the accommodation afforded by country hospitals. The Tuapeka Times says :—lt would seem that there is a class of creatures~they do not deserve ,the name of men—who make a practice of travelling between the various Hospitals in the province, and partaking of the hospitality so liberally provided by these institutions, having little or nothing the matter with them. Being tujj^ed out of the Dunedin Hospital, they find their way up-country^ and " sponge" on the various country Hospitals in their turn,until their presence becomes nauseous. They tell a woeful tale to, some subscriber, who is only too anxious to have the chance of recommending a patient, and, the requisite form is filled up, and their admission secured. One of these itinerant hospital paupers appeared a short time since at the door of our local institution with his ticket signed in due form and order, and as a matter of course obtained admittance. He was sungly housed, had a fine bath, a good tea, comfortable bed, and an excellent breakfast, after which he took his departure,! and was not heard of again for a fortnights when he appeared the other day, demand-; ing admission on the strength of his previous order. This seemed too much to! the compliant and obliging official of .the, hospital, and entrance was denied -him.^ Oh, he would soon get a ticket if that was; all that was wanted; ao off he goes, and: sure enough returns with a ticket— \ apparently after very little trouble —pro-; perly signed, and in accordance with the' rules and regulations of the hospital.' The wards man was then obliged to admit him at his peril. Well, what does this; importunate impostor do ? why he re-! ceives the same gratuitous benefits bestowed, upon him as on the former occasion, and decamps in a simliar mariner.

Sir Hebcules Eobhtson, in liis recom-;j mendations to the Imperial Government on the subject of Fiji, says that the bank charter of the Sank of Fiji contains provisions which are inadmissible in a British colony, such as a monopoly of : banking for fourteen years, and exemption \ from taxation for a similar period. He \ goes on to say—l venture to recommend therefore that this charter should not be recognised by Her Majesty's Government, i The company might, however,-be allowed; to retain so much of the 10,000 acres promised to them as they have actually \ been placed in possession of, and a charter might be given to them such as is usually granted to banking companies in Crown' colonies on their complying with the ordinary conditions. The Kcefton Hospital Committee have passed resolutions as follows :•—" That yearly tickets be issued to subscribers of

£1 and upwards, such tickets to entitle holders thereof, not being destitute, to admission to the hospital subject for the weekly payment of 15 s for maintenance, andjthat non-holders of tickets be charged* 30s per week. The substance of this resolution to be printed on the tickets." "That the.• Warder be empowered in all cases where a patient is destitute, or has :not the available funds to pay^the;maintenance fees as above, to take his promissory note for same." " That all out-door patients pay for their medicines, having the medical onlcer's professional services gratis ; except in cases of destitution, and then only on. the recommendation of the surgeon, or of two of the visiting committee.";

The Bendigo Advertiser has been informed that Robert Gordon, a young man engaged in .one of the printing-offices of Sandhurst, has received information from Home to the effect that an estate, the value of which is said to be over £50,000, is likely to come into his hands through the death of a relative. '■

The Melbourne Age thinks there is work in the House of Commons for Dr Kehealy; In an article oh the doctor's election the Age says t—- There is - decidedly room; in the house of Commons for an outspoken, not too mealy-mouthed, denouncer ,of abuse ; ;and it will,be Dr Kenealy's own fault if he does not acquire fame in a legitimate way by playing such a part, and perhaps he will have sense enough to see that the less he; says about the Tichborne case the better. There are always new adventures in store for an active .knight-errant, and if he takes them as they come he will have enough to do. He haa courage, and he may acquire discretion. i

The Queensland Government has, it is said, applied to the Commissioner of Annuities here, for full particulars relative to the working of Life Assurance in this Colony,.jwithj ajtievyvrbf introducing a sirniler system in Queensland.

'' The topographical knowledge of some of the postal officials must be very limited, as an instance brought under our (Cromwell Argus) notice will show. MiSolomon, -.-merchant* of ?this town, recently received a letter from a mercantile.firm in Christchurchi the'postal mark showing that it left/that place -ottO March 23rd. The address is legibly written, and could riot, one would think, be mistaken by, the merest schoolboy, ;" Crbmwell.^Otago,';' being particularly distinct. The letteras endorsed " missent to Auckland," '••' misserit tb-CorOmaridel," " missent to Kapanga," and as a climax, "This letter has been missent to Cbromandel three times !';' Comment on such stupid blundering is unnecessary^ - '• ;

Heee is a sample "of journalistic amenities ion the Westr Coast; ■ 'VV re;-extract from the Charleston -Herald : —'The JBuller News in its issue of 29th April, lets out at hs with both 1 its; cloven- heels, arid from the amount of mud lifting in the air by its 'uriwieldly props diftuses more soiling matter on itself than us. However, we owe them an apology, for having attacked themwhile 5 in a defenceless position, as we hear they 1 are running the organ without an^Editor. Yet, since it assumes the liberty of predicting our future,' we may be^pardoned in dividing their past and future more methodically into six periods :—l. Experienced editor carrying it creditably through a hotly jßoritested^ Superintendericy election^ 'f-2. Semi-ruffianly. 3. Negative. 4. Drunken, insane, raying.: 5; Three times skimmed sky blue milky period, now and then combined,with a dash of No. %, ,6. Andlasf, Alone on its beam-ends without a captain or. a mate with two O. S. taking lunars with instruments resembling goats' horns filled with tar—Dissolution is at hand. ;

All the counterfeit, coin , which ; has come into the possession of the London police during the last fourteen years is to be melted down in the Royal Laboratory at Woolwich.- It weights ;4cwt., and represents several hundreds of pounds of current coin. The great bulk consists of half-crowns and florins.