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Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3197, 19 May 1879, Page 2

The list of objections to persons whose right to electoral privileges have lapsed, and to those whose names appear twice on the roll, will be published shortly by Major Keddell, the Eegistration Officer for the Electoral District of Thames. The list is a very long one, and Major Keddell requests us to state that in any case where a mistake is made by him, if pointed out, he will take steps to have the error remedied, so that no one will be disfranchised through any fault of his.

The Anniversary Services of the Tararu Wesloyan Sunday School were held yesterday in the Schoolroom, Tararu, Road. Notwithstanding the steady downpour of rain there was a large attendance at each service which went off very successfully. To-night the annual meeting will be held and addresses will be given by the Eev. W. J. Watkin and other friends. The Shortland Wesleyan choir will also be in attendance and give assistance in the rendering of a number of anthems and other pieces of a sacred character,

About midday to-day, it was rumoured that a man had attempted to curtail his existence on this mundane sphere at Shortland by cutting his throat. On enquiry at the Shortland Police Station, however, our reportor was informed that nothing had been heard of it there. Our reporter says if he could find who circulated the hoax he would " go for " him, as its no joke walking to Shortland in the pelting rain, especially when its on a fool's errand.

The first anniversary of the Thames Young Men's Christian Association, which was postponed ajshort time ago, owing to tbe inclemency of the weather, is advertised to take place to-morrow evening at the Congregational Church, Mary street. In addition to. the usual routine business, addresses will be given by the various Thames Ministers on the work and objects of the Association, and the musical arrangements will.be in the hands of Mr T. A. Bell, and his talented Grahamstown Wesleyan Choir. We hope to see a large attendance of the friends of the association on the occasion.

At the E.M. Court to-day before Colonel Eraser, 8.M., one person was punished for drunkenness. This was all the business.

" Ignobamus," writing in the Waikato Times of a recent date, Bays:—•" Sir,— Will you kindly tell me, in your next issue, when the law was passed, which enables storekeepers to supply powder to natives on the order of a J.P.

It is hard for professional pride to remain silent when a good old tradition of the craft is outraged. One night when " The New Babylon "• was produced at the Duke's Theatre in Holborn, the gallery was crowded, and the gods were pleased to approve of the piece generally until the burglary scene. But when the burglar was seen doing the piece with all the blinds up, so that he could be Been "at work" from the street, an expert present could bear it no longer, but yelled out, " Why don't you pull your blinds down? "

We understand that Mr Gough, of the Mount Pleasant Vineyard, intends sending some samples of various kinds, of wines manufactured from grapes of Thames growth to the Sydney Exhibition.

An article in the Australasian on last year's New Zealand Statistics concludes as follow! :—Altogether, the returns give an account which can only be regarded as very satisfactory of the rapidly-expanding prosperity and growth of New Zealand, and of the results of the daring policy the colony adopted on the recommendation of Sir Julius Vogel.

Nbws from New York states that the Indians in Alaska had threatened to sack Sitka, but hostilities were averted by the presence of Her Majesty's sloop Osprey, and the United States frigate Walcott. For the permanent protection of the Alaska territory, a United States corvette has been ordered to proceed from San Francisco to Sitka. The American correspondent of the Times says that in all probability the prompt sailing of the Osprey from Vancouver to Sitka saved the American settlers from annihilation. While the settlers able to bear arms number only sixty-eight, the Indians have 500 warriors in an adjacent village, with several thousands within two days' journey. The Osprey will remain at Sitka until the Alaska arrives. The American press warmly praises the promptness of the British aid.

Sweeping strictures are made upon the Victorian police (says iEgleß) because they have failed to arrest the perpetrators of the Mansfield murders. Now, a fair way of testing this matter is to compare their hitherto failure with failures in other countries. It is just a year since the Earl of Leitrim and his cardriver were shot in broad daylight, and up to this time, there has been no trial or conviction of the murderers. The last two of the five originally arrested in connexion with this crime have just been released on trifling bail. So that the Irish police, in a more populous and a little less wild country, have not done any better than our own peace officers. In both cases lam afraid that a sympathy with the offenders, and the dread of becoming iEtformers, is the real cause of the delay in the law being vindicated.

On reading about the Isandula disaster an Otago poet bursts into four eight-line stanzas, breathing blood and blue fire. Here is the last verse :— Strike! Chelmsford! The eyea of a nation Are on you;—avenge o,ur brave dead! And GHyn! fight with death-desperation : And soldiers! forge swiftly ahead! Vcsvictis! No quarter waa given, Give none in return:—a short shrift To the devils by whom we were driven Through the Valley of Death at Rorke's Drift! If this sucking Tennyson feels so badly about it, we would recommend him to go off to the Cape at once. They are giving volunteers 5s per day there just now, but as he is a poet he might get a little more. The Secretary of St. James Presbyterian Church, Auckland, was fined for holding an Art Union at the church bazaar. '

Br telegraph from Wellington we learn the subjoined railway working accounts for the four weeks ending the sth April, 1879 s-

The Sydney Exhibition Committee of Dunedin presented a, long report to His Excellency the Governor during his late visit, showing the progress made in having that city represented. With the report is a list of exhibits already expected, numbering over 300, and representing every industry in Otaqo. We have already called upon our Thames manufacturers to forward exhibits, and we trust that our local committee will have something to show for their labors. We believe Mr Murray is procuring a good assortment of gold and other ore specimens, but. are afraid the collection will go to swell that intended to be exhibited by the Bank of New Zealand.

Accoeding to political economists, periods of depression in Britain and elsewhere are invariably accompanied by a relative decrease in the number of marriages contracted. Dunedin, it seems, is an exception to this rule, for notwithstanding all we hear and have heard in relation to the scarcity of money, the matrimonially inclined appear to have faith in the future. According to the Registrar's returns for the last month the number of marriages during that period is more numerous than in any other month during the last five years. The true explanation however, may be that the commercial depression which has been to marked both at Home and in the colonies has not been very severely felt in Dunedin. The fact that so far the scarcity of money has caused no serious commercial failure in this City, while many such have taken place in other towns of the Colony, rather favors this view of the matter.—Morning Herald.

A whiter in a London papar saya :— "I am by no means satisfied at being made to pay taxes for the subjugation of Cetewayo. Amongst other demands made on him in the ultimatum of Sir Bartle Frere are that he should allow missionaries to convert his subjects, that he should allow these same subjects to marry before their term of their military conscription is over, and that he should ensure to them when they commit offences a fair legal trial. However desirable these civil and religious reforms may be, I do not care to be taxed in order to carry a reform bill in Zululand by fire and sword." ■

In the Gisborne Police Court John Eoughan, publican, was charged with having permitted a game of chance to be played in his licensed house; the game known as " a shilling in, and the winner shouts." Through Mr M'Coy, he pleaded guilty.—Mr M'Coy said Mr Eoughan had held a license for many years, and this was the first time he had been before the Court for any breach of the Ordinance— whereas, nearly every hdtelkeeper in the town had been before the Court (he-did not say the present proprietors). He knew that in the eyes of the Court this would not clear Mr Eoughan from the charge now brought against him. The game, Mr M'Coy explained, was known as " a shilling in, and the winner shouts.." —a game by which a man never loses more than 6d; and although it is a game of chance, still nothing serious is involved. A man could not lose much ; on the contrary, he could cheaply protect his character from a charge of meanness, without losing more than a shilling. So far from its being a game by which a man might be ruined, it is one by which he may be saved a deal of money. Although it is no doubt a breach of the Ordinance, he submitted that.it was not one calling for any very severe penalty. Fined 20s.

At the time the mail left London, Parliament was engaged in debating a series of resolutions for amending its proceedings. The first resolution was discussed for four nights previous to its adoption. Of those resolutions which then remained for consideration, that which was certain to provoke the most determined hostility was the second resolution. This proposes that in committee of the whole House no member shall have power to move more than once during a debate on the same question, either that the Chairman report progress or that the Chairman leave the chair, or to speak more than once to each separate motion. This ii aimed more particularly at -Obstruction. The combative phaianx against which it is directed will recognise and reseut its intentions.

Mk Guildford Onslow, accompanied by three other gentlemen and the eldest son of the " Claimant," went to Portsmouth Gaol recently to visit the convict. The son waited outside. On learning that he was present, the Claimant expressed a desire to see him, but as the time allowed for the visit had expired his wish was not granted. The Claimant told his visitors that he felt in better health, and weighed 15st 81b. He had no complaint to make, but urged the Tichborne Release Association to continue their efforts on his behalf.

A sottthebn paper has the following in its colums: —Mr Justice Gillies is an unfortunate Judge, and a good Judge too., Some days ago when sentencing a man named Sheldon, the latter spat in hii Honor's face. Since, when a man named: Hill was being put through, a woman in: court unexpectedly belabored prisoner with a parasol, meanwhile deriding the decision of the Judge. -

The story of the morose custodian of a certain colonial goal, who threatened to lock his lodgers out if they did not come; home by 10 p.m., is pretty well known. But the north Canterbury News says it was approached the other day by a party who threatened that if he got more than a certain number of police summonses per week, for stray horses, &c, he would keep all his stock in his paddocks, and " then, said he, " how will your blessed borough do for funds ? " That is the question,

The residents in the various southern townships appear to have been doing their best to entertain the Governor on the occasion of his first visit. At Invercargill a public ball was projected, and in a telegram to a Dunedin paper it was stated that the committee, "in order to make the ball a thoroughly popular one,

had decided to exclude intoxicating liquors." From what I know of the habits of the New Zealand public, I should have thought that the course alluded to above would have had the effect of making the ball intensely unpopular. The committee appear to have thought so too, for they rescinded the resolution, and thus Sir Hercules leaves Invercargill under a more correct impression of the habits of its inhabitants than might have been expected, N.B. — I observe neither Timaru nor Christchurch introduced the temperance idea. This was, perhaps, as well.—Loafer in the Street.

The monthly church parade of the Thames Scottish Battalion was to have taken place yesterday morning, but owing to the nasty aspect of the weather only a few turned out, and the parade did not eventuate.

A fop at a ball, who had stepped on a lady's train, said, " I beg your pardon, but why don't you have a cow-catcher on your train ? " " Because then I should oatch so many calves," sweetly replied the lady.

Charles Eeade, the novelist, in a letter to an English exchange, suggest the use of balloons by the British as a meant of oircumventing Zulu ambuscades.

At the meeting of the Waste Lands Board held in Auckland on Thursday, Mr T. G. Boyle, of Shortland, applied to be put on the list of applicants for Te Aroha lands. His request was complied with.

Per-centage Section. Four-weekly ofoxpcndireceipts. ture to re- & ■ a. d. ceipts. Kaipara 433 911 94 48 Auckland 4,568 11 11 8089 Napier 2,543 12 8 65-19 WellingtDn ... 3,827 16 4 6801 Wanganui 3,222 110 6420 New Plymouth ... 588 9 0 86 95 Greymouth ... 752 11 10 5440 Westport 204 16 3 129*94 Nelson 673 13 11 8179 Picfcon 447 7 0 9087 Chriafcchuroh-Dunedin and Invercargill 58,465 16 2 6799 Totals £74,919 7 0 6930