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Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3293, 11 July 1879, Page 2

The prospect of re-starting the Thames big pump at present looks excessively gloomy, says the Herald. At a meeting of the directors of mining companies interested held yesterday, Mr C. J. Stone, one of the delegates appointed from a former meeting to confer with the County and Borough Councils of Thames, on a basis arranged, submitted his report It was not by any means, satisfactory, and several gentlemen present expressed their disapprobation of the line of action adopted by the Thames Borough Council. We do not anticipate that the last, effort, included in the resolution moved by, Mr Lennox will have more effect than previous offers, but it will at all events throw the onus of the continued stoppage of the pumps on the proper shoulders—those of the Thames County Council. The resolution referred to is as follows :—" That the associated companies represented at this meeting undertake to commence pumping operations from the 4.10-feet level, providing the Borough and County Council agree to contribute £50 each per month. The associated companies shall contribute £200 per mouth. The committee of management shall consist of five, three of whom shall be appointed by the associated companies, and one each by the County and Borough respectively."

We have been informed the reason the members of the Orange Lodge do not intend celebrating the anniversary of the Battle of the Boyne on the Thames this year is in consequence of many of the brethren having decided to go up to Auckland to assist the brethren there, who have.been at considerable trouble to make the celebration a success, in a way that will be gratifying to the members of the order. We have been informed the following programme has been arranged for: On Sunday two sermons are to be preached in the Choral Hall bj the Revs. Messrs Long and Dunn, assisted by the Rev. Wm. Morley. On Monday a procession will take place through the principal streets of Auckland, and in the evening a soiree and concert will be held at the Choral Hall, when several ministers will address the meeting.

The Waikato Times says that the Thames-Waikato Railway would appear likely to become as famous in: the next session of the Assembly, and with about as much show of reason, as the Piako Swamp became in a previous one.

The export of gold up to the 31st of March, 1879, was 9,034,1820z5, worth £35,302,766.

We regret to learn that Mr Rowe is still suffering from an affection of the throat and chest, which will deter his starting for Wellington till next week. He fears a sea voyage would be deleterious in his present state of health.

At the recent anti-Chiniquy riots at Hobart Town, Dr Hall, a prominent Roman Catholic, used every exertion to prevent his co-religionists acting in the above disorderly manner. ;He assured them that mob-tyranny and suppression of right of public assembly and liberty of speech would' only recoil on the heads of those who practised it, and that such men are really the enemies of the Church, rather than its friends. His appeal was made in vain.

At Auckland yesterday, the Harbour Board leased a number of allotments on re-claimed land for 21 years. The revenue from these leases will be £814 per annum. The Herald's Wellington correspondent telegraphs as follows:—The latest canard is that the hitherto unfilled port,folio of Mines having been given to Mr Gisborne, it is intended also to bestow the portfolio of Minister of Agriculture; and that as ploughing has lately assumed considerable political importance, the portfolio will be given to the Native Minister (Mr Sheehan).

Some insubordination occurred amongst the Maori prisoners at Wellington yesterday afternoon, which was at once promptly dealt with. Mr James Mackay was! up at the barracks inspecting the last lot of Maoris who arrived to-day, and after their meal he ordered some of them to

sweep up the place and make things clean, but Whakawirai, who wag so impudent in the Court when brought up at Patea, told Mr Mackay to sw^ep it up himself, or get the A.C. men; to do it, as it was their business to wait upon the Maoris; Mr Mackay had him lopked up at once^ He then took the broom and was gating a young Maori to sweep up, when'ta lot of the others interfered and Would not •' allow ': him to do it, "Baying, "Let the Europeans do the Tweeping/' Then the whole lot of insubordinate* were put into the cells, to pass) the night without any supper. Eleven prisoners are to arrive at Wellington to-morrow.—When being tried at Patea*Whakawirai said : I did, not come over to one settler but to the whole. lam quite '•tire that anything I might say now will not go against me on my trial.; My God will protect me. I am your lord, Tohu is your lord. I am sweeping my blanket. Do not think I am come to kill one. I have come to kill all, and you in this Court. This is the day of the breaking out. You must obey. This is the day I have been looking for. At a subsequent stage of the proceedings Whakawirai would insist on lighting his pipe, which had to be forcibly taken from him, and he was threatened to be dealt with for contempt of Court. When asked if he wished to question,one of the witnesses (Thompson), Whakawirai said:'..' " I say that Ot have no question to ask of Thompson. Ask questions of me, your, Lord., I did not do the ploughing to turn off JFinlayson alone, but all the settlers." , ■''•■">.

Mr Beeves, in the course of his address to the Dunedin electors yesterday, propounded the following novel scheme:

What he would go for would be a national secular system ; he would give his idea of, what course should be adopted as follows:—That a Commission should be appointed, representing as far as possible all denominations, who shall draw up a series of secular school books, which

shall be called the New Zealand National

School Books, and those only shall be used in the National Schools from the hours of 10 till 12 a.m., and from 1

till 3 p.m., allowing an hour interval;

that Bible classes be held, or other religious instructions may be given from the hours of 6 till 9.45 a.m., or from 3.15 till 4 p.m., allowing fifteen minutes :of clear interval between the religious and secular classes; that it shall be no part of the secular teachers' duty to read the Bible at suctfmorning or afternoon classes, or give any religious instruction what-

ever; that all schools other than State

schools which shall be open to Government instruction, and the teachers of which hold Government certificates, and which shall use the national school books, and those only for specified hours, and thus become for the time being purely secular schools, shall receive a fair proportion of state aid.

We think, judging from an exten ;|sre experience, that the Belfast papers 6ms7 off the prize for extraordinary adversements. Every week we are overwhelmed with cuttings from these journals, and icannot publish half we receive. Here is. a typical one from the Belfast Evening* Telegraph :■— : ■

To be let, with immediate possession, a two-storey house in Ballynafeigh, SUs^f a respectable family with neat gardens fijf^ont. and rere; situation healthy and open^'iv ' t moderate. : ,■ ■ -_ . KH/f^j Now, we hire heard of"a getE^ikn baring a "bow window," and ; <o<fc;.i of ladies making flower-beds of th"i:W* t «ads. but this family with neat gardens"^ tront and " rere " of it is a phenomenp^tjbuliar to Belfast. The snail is nowhey So^ot- the side of such a household, • fahs^Silt fisect only carries its house abo^|M^*en" .a; family thus literally standingc?®^lo^ iking in its own grounds would filpHiT"^i>th; a conrenient and inconTenient^il^,; r-tent. Thus, paterfamilias might famm'w* convenient to keep away button-hbiiiy^fcores by promptly shutting both his f^Kengates at their approach; but, on t^^Viei hand, it seems to us thati,i»-««jJ^B' ' of the house would find cohotPl| x difficulty in getting invited to a uau party, when it was known they would' have to bring a front and back garden with them. On the whole, indeed, we would sooner be altogether gardenle^, we .think, than have the grounds attached to our person, like the respectable family as Belfast that is advertised for.— Figaro.