THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M Resurrexi. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12, 1878.

Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3424, 12 December 1879, Page 2

THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M Resurrexi. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12, 1878.

It appears Mr Hall opposed the bill intended to grant extended borrowing powers to the Thamei Harbor Board, and among other reasons said he inferred from conversations with the Mayor, Mr MeCullough, that the revenue was not sufficient to warrant such powers being granted. How Mr Hall arrived at such an impression seems -strange, as in the first place Mr McCulloujjh applied to him to introduce the Bill, and the only reason given by him for not doing so was, that such a measure would come better from a member for the district; accepting that advice, Mr MeCullough asked Sir Gr. Grey to introduce the bill which was drafted by Mr Sheehah. In support of the measure, the Major pointed out to the Premier tbat the harbour required improvement, and as plans had been received from Sir John Goode, it was absolutely necessary to have power to raise s large sum of money, the £12,000 authorised to be raised by the Act, -as at present, being too small to float in the money market. He also stated that the r«venue was sufficient to pay all working expenses, though not enough to enable tho Board to proceed with any expensive works. The following telegrams were received by the Mayor late yesterday from Sir George Grey:—

"Thames Harbor Bill—Premier opposed, alleging* he based his opposition on inferences drawn by him from official conversations with you when in Welling ton, it appearing to him that the Board's revenue was inadequate to justify such large borrowing powers."

Immediately' after the receipt of the above wire, the following was received, showing that the Premier as soon as he saw his statements would be questioned withdrew his opposition, leading to the belief thai be made the remarks with the object of burking the passage of the measure :—

" The Premier stopped the reading of the Bill; then after the telegram I sent to you, which he saw, he gave way and the Bill was read a third time.—G. Ghey."

The following reply was sent by the Mayor to Sir George Grey :—"Premier's statements very unkind. His inferences jffiute the opposite from my arguments. I asked his support to the Bill to enable Board to pay overdraft and construct works recommended by Coode; sent him memo, to that effect. Bevenue pays working expenses, and is slowly reducing overdraft, therefore I could nob say as he represented..

Mit McCullough telegraphed to Mr Tole asking for a reply to bis letter re blocks of land in Upper Thames open for selection, and suitable for small farms, and to day received the following reply:— "No time has been lost in preparing the information required by you. It will be lent by this day'a mail."

We are informed by a traveller that the beauty of one of the sights of the Lake district has disappeared, the celebrated white terrace having changed its alabaster hue for one of dirty brown, probably owing. to some change in the chemical components of the water.

BxpBESEKTATioirs have been made to Government and to members of the Assembly to urge upon the Ministry the want of a- sum of money to repair thts Naval gunboat. We shall be pleased to hear of a favorable reply from the Government. The cost would, we belie ye, b« about £70.

The cricket match commenced last Saturday will be continued to morrow afternoon, punctuality of players requested.

We hear that it is contemplated to hold an inquest on the late fire in Pollen street.

The Marine Department are about to light the French P«ss in rather a novel way. One fixed light will do the duty of two, and will appear as a red light on one side of the channel, and as a white on the other. This is managed by a very simple and ingenious contrivance. The actual lighthouse will be fixed on the mainland, which is high and precipitous, with a deep channel close in shore. It will show red to vessels approaching the Pass from either direction, but will project a brilliant white beam directly across the narrow part of the channel. This beam will fall on a powerful double reflector placed on the opposite side, where the beacon now stands, and set a suitable angles. Tbe reflector will catch the beam aud throw it in both directions, so that it will appear to approaching a bright white light on the passage opposite to she red light. A steamer will have no difficulty in discovering the channel between the two lights, even in comparatively thick weather, and this will save much of the detection or necessity for malting the stormy passage round the island now experienced by steamers in bad weather. , -

Thb utilisation of slag from iron fur naces forms the subject of »n interesting article published in the London Times, and republisned in the Scientific American. From this article it appears that the annual production of slag in Britain is three times the amount of iron manufactured, or 8.000,000 tons. This product, which was formerly considered to be so much rubbish, or was used for mending the roads, is now manufactured into most admirable bricks and paring blocks, into artificial stone, into mortar and cement, into glass bottles, railway sleepers, and into slag-wool. This latter is a singular and Tery beautiful production, and it used i for stalling beds and for other purposes ! to which fine fibre is usually applied. 1 Slag Cement is &n invention of Mr Jr. Eansome, and consists of slag reduced to sand by a Tery simple process and carbonate of lime, in the proportion of two parts of lime to one part of slag land, arc burnt together, and experiments -, 'l>*.iesult lo bo a cement possessing •now v.. «, fc cmtff strength than nearly 30 per d._ •*'?.-7 .. * Portland cement. - j

We learn from Mr A. Porter that several persons resident up the river are desirous of joining the Small Farm Association.—The Wait' kauri battery .is crushing for the Younii New Zealand, and quartz from the Kadieal is going through at the Smile of Fortune bat*ery.

The Paris correspondent of the Boston Courier, referring to his recovery from a dangerous illness caused by neuralgia says :—' I mention this illness that I may tell you how easily I was cured. I was bent doable. I could not breathe. My physician ordered me to take a flat iron and heat ifc as hot m I could bear, put a double fold of flannel on the painful part and more the iron to and fro on the flannel, I was cured as by enchantment. My doctor told me that some time since a professor in one of oar colleges, after suffering some days with neuralgia in the head, which he himself had tried to core, sent for the former, who prescribed a hot flat iron. The next time the doctor saw the professor, the latter exclaimed, " I had'no sooner applied the heated iron to my head than all pain vanished.'*