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Thames Star, Volume XII, Issue 3845, 26 April 1881, Page 2

The men in several of the mines here are talking of holding a meeting to condemn the action of the directors of the -Moanatairi and Kuranui Hill mines for reducing the wagesA working man's association is spoken of.

Capiain DotraLAS, of the Thames Riie Rangers received a summons this morning at the instance of Volunteer McKee for the sum of £25, the value of the Ouampion Cup, and £5 for detaining the same. Another oli Thames identity has passed away, in the person of Mr Henry Vernon.' The deceased gentleman was.for many years secretary to-lhe Parawai Highway Board, and took a lively interest in educational matters, being a member of the Parawai School Committee. For some months, being in failing health, he has resided in ■ Auckland. He leaves a family, fortunately, however, able to provide for themselves. D. A. Tole, Esq., notifies in another column thet Peter Sweeney, of Te Aroha, lias applied to the Land Board to accept in his stead John Sweeney, as transferee of his interest in 100 acres' of land in that district taken up under the deferred payment system. . :;

We regret to hear of the demise of Mr F' Hewin, senior partner of the firm of Hewin and brother, carrying on business here and in Auckland.

A meeting of the officera of the various companies who took part in the Waikato encampment was held at the Pacific Hotel last evening. All matters relating to the expenses of the trip were satisfactorily settled up. Major Murray mentioned to the meeting that he had tendered to the Government his resignation of the command of the district. He was unable to give that time and attention to the duties that he had heretofore, and so felt he was taking tbe proper coursa in resigning the trust tootherhands. . It is probable representations will be made to the Government to appoint Captain Wildman to the command of the district.

A coBKESroNDENi of the Herald states thai n valedictory service was. held in the Presbyterian Church at tho Wade on °unday, the 17th mutant, it being the last Sabbath service at which their much respected pastor, the Eev W. H. O. Smeaton, would preside, h~e intending to resign and engage in. new sphere of literary work more suite! to his strength and health. We learn- that Mr Smeaton has accepted the post of master of the Wangarei High School.

By thi mail this morning we received from Madame Weigel a copy of her Journal of Fashions. It is a well got up paper, nicely printed, and containing a great deal of information interesting to the hdit-s. In another column will be also found an advertisement from Madame Wsigel notifying that paper patterns of dresses, initutles &c, cuf iv different sizes for ladies imd children, acuyat-

paniert by directions for mating up ca" be procured at prices varying from shpence to two shillings. The journal of fashions confeaias plates of all the newest designs of dresses, and is sold at a charge of seven pence. We shall be happy to place the copy sent us at the disposal of any lady calling for it. The Misseß Teutenberg, of Queen street, Auckland, are appointed the sole agents for tliis provincial district.

The bead of the Good Templar movement in this colony has issued a circular to the various lodges, calling on them to pea that every member is placed on the electoral roll, in view of expected legislation anenfc the liquor traffic.

Me Bennett,lips left at our office, a good specimen of^ilica, found in the'Tararu district. It is probable our local paint manufacturers will attempt to treat the mineral.

The Dunedin footballers are Baid to. be itching to wipe out their recent defeat by Wellington. The Saturday Advertiser suggests a scratch match as the best remedy.

People here are beginning to anxiously enquire'concerning Mr Hales, the District Engineer, and -tl>e Kdpu railway, -which we were given to understand would be constructed in such a hurry. We do not write from impatience, but because the winter is now drawing near, and if the starting of operations is postponed much longer, the work will be more expensive. While on this matter we would again express a hope that people owning property on the route of the line will be sensible, and not demand exorbitant compensation. In. doing so they will not only be standing in their own light, but also retarding the prosperity of the community, .it. being understood that the construction of the line depends in a great measure on the moderation of land owners in the compensation demands.

Db SkA3, the Colonial Inspector of Asylums, is likely to be relieved of his mponsibiliiies, and justly so. During the time the present chief of our insano institutions has had tbo almost unchecked power of dealing with these establishment he hap been gradually bringing .the Asylums more into the category of common gaols than places for the reception of poor demented persons requiring medic >1. care and careful treatment. Latterly a system baa been-established which necessitates the employment of almost every inmate in outdoor work, and no doubt in Borne instancei bogus returns would be forwarded by Dr Skae's immense staff showing the admirable resists obtained. The Christcburch Asylum has ■been cited as the model for those wonderful results, and as a consequence a'l other heads or medical superintendents have bean regularly wigged for not doinglikewiso. If Dr Skae had even the remotest idea of the classification ,of inmates, of asylums in the various centres of population in the colony he mUBt have at once come to the conclusion tbat to apply such a general and fixed rale throughout would simply be not only absurd but utterly impossible, and this, if for no other reason, is a blot against his control, and also one which would have almost, caused a mutiny throughout the whole of the medical profession employed in these important establishments. That the Government will.shield Doctor Skae if they can is generally -toSSi tejHo the Empire City owing to the " impressions" which he has created amongst Tito JBarnacles of the Pollen claes, as well as to that old humbug Lord Norman by having had something to do in connection wifh Whitelaw's appointment, but the public wiH insiit upon the big fry for once being gent to the jjLjtffr''ubout iifter the disclosures made inJpflOpgtion with the Wellington Lunatic --»|^lij|a.' In fioe Doctor Skae must go. * - <^

The bodies of ,fhe men drowned in the AucVland Harbor by tbo upsjUing of a boat on Sunday night have not jit been recovered. It appears tbe inon were returning from a fishing excursion, and when off the North Shore, a squall struck ,the boat, and the sheet of the sail being in some way fa3tened, the boat upset. Two of the men, named Allen and Danzey could swim, and they immediately Btruck out for shore, while D. O'Sullivun and Henry Drumniond, being unable to keep themselves afloat^sauk soon alter the accident. Daniel o'Sullivan is a young man, a labourer, residing at Parnell. He has not been long married, and we believe has no family. Henry Drummond ii also a young tunrriod man, and resided in Wakefield street, and was employed at the Union Saah and Door Company's works in Mechanics' Bay. He leaves a wife and three childrnn unprovided for. t

Oob Auckland correspondent writes :—Mr Murray, tbe now representative member for Bruce in the General Assembly, I notice, has addressed a letter to the New Zeethn 1 Herald in connection with one of the crazes which occasionally agitate his political mind, and, as -is usual with his letters and spenches, one cannot discover a new idea. The hon member ■was elected to support Sir George Grey, and to get a new druinage measure through Parliament; but we are all well aware that he did not do one or the other. Mr Murray is a settler in the Piako, and was one of the land sharks charged by tJir George Grey with baring written to the late Native Minister with a view of securing an additional area on the favors to come principle, but the matter got wind, and- the negotiations came to nothing. Mr I. A. Whitaker, M.H.R. for Waip», it is said, utilised the servioes of Mr Murray to call for some returns in the Assembly which young Whitaker thought judicious nob to have his name mixed up, and wbicb must have puined the "high" minded political Murray when he found he had been "hud." The member fjr Bruce knows he is now on the eve of a dissolution of Parliament, emerging out of his shell with a view of carrying a little cheap popularity, which might te id, us in the case ef Mr Richard Hobbs, to bring him out foe an .Auckland Provincial District constituency Mr Murray shou'd coasulb the directors of the Bank of New Zealand and the New Zealand Loan Company, and in all probability he might fins, as in the case of Captain Colbeck, that he would be sent on a prospecting tour into some one or other of the electorates which are nob what is termed " sound.on the goose," and which might in time be securely wooed over by the holding out of acceptable inducements.

Sib WitLUM: Pox bad a protege—a Maori lad whom he educated and articled to a Wellington solicitor. Quite recently, the youth tiring of Blackstone and Coke, went'to Parihaka, where lie has been coming out strong, as will be seen from the following extract from Public Opinion :—" The joung man said, addressing the assembled niggers—' I will tell you, as I too am a Ro'a", and hare found the Pakoha out. Listen, when you receive kindness fnm Roias and Pt.kohas are loving to you, be on your guard ; that love is but a bait to entice litle fish; they are kind to little fish, as by their nieana they will catch a big whapuku (cod fish) for their eating, and so the two fishes are used up for the stomach of the kind and affectionate Pakeha (great cheera and shouting), and if they could catch a tohura (whale) by impaling the whapuku on a. hook, that would be gulped down too. (Renewed cheeving.) Oh jes, I know, but "No whin koke. (Frantic yells of applause.)" For the information of my reudsrs who have ths misfortune to be iguoraut yf the Maori

tongue, I may state that ■■*' No whia koke " may be translated -" Not for Joseph." and when the youthful orator uttered the oracular phrase, I am credibly informed that he placed his thumb on the tip of bis nasal protuberance and extended his four digits in the shape of a fan, while he gav,e a mystic wink with his left peeper.'" This smart; young man likewise told his hearers that, he had taken Pox to be a rata tree of 100 ;years growth, but when he was stripped of l>is bark, he discovered he was only a cabbage tree.

At a meeting of the Auckland Acclimatisation Society, the following resolution was carried :—"That, in the opinion of this Council any measures for protecting pheasants or other game should come from farmers or settlers through the County Councils of the district where protection is required, and that this Council deprecates the action of the Q-overn-meat in protecting hen pheasants in the Province of Auckland, excepting in the Whakatane and Tauranga Counties for the coming season, in opposition to the expressed desire of the Council.

The case of the Eev. Chas. Strong^of Melbourne is not yet settled, and will not be until the 19th inst. The report of the committee will then be laid before the Presbytery. Meanwhile the gentleman charged with unorthodox doctrines is uneasj, and is reported to have said "He had no wish to force himself upon a church which thought his views no longer wilhin the limits of its toleration, and he only desired a decision bo that he might know how to shape his future movement."

The following table—extracted from the Eegistrar General's report on tha vital Btatistics of the undermentioned Boroughs for the month of March, 1881 —gives the population, number of births and deaths, and proportion of deaths to the 1000 of population of each borough :—

In seeking re-election for Northampton Mr Bradlaugh announced that on this occasion he would refrain from entering any- protest to the oath to be administered, bufc; would •Hfetnand to be sworn in the ordinary maimer. Neat little cottages and wejl stllfced gardens are a distinguishing feature of "this district, and visitors are surprised at heaving in'every street tho sound of pianos and harmoniums. The explanation is simple, a local importer supplies these instruments at a small profit on first cost, and accepts payments by easy instalments. A large stock may be inspected, and further particulars obtained of J. &BIGG-, at hie musis warehouse, Pollen street.— [Adtx.]

Auckland .. Wellington.. Christchurch Dunedin.... Thames .... Napier. Wongatuii .. Nelson .... Sydenham .. Lyttelton .. Timaru Oaniaru .... Hokitika .. Caversham.. Invercargill.. Borough. Estimated Population. 15,022 21,582 15,150 23,959 5,814 0,650 4,703 6,804 7,796 3,653 3,701 5,093 2.60S 3,786 4.283 Total Births. 55 73 44 80 i 13 24 14 19 32 18 17 ' 24 9 14 18 Total Deaths. 23 26 24 39 .10 6 3 6 10 8 9 11 4 3 Proportion of Deathsto . 1000 of population. 1-53 1-20 ' 1-58 1-25 1-72 0-90 0-72 O'BS 2-05 219 2-37 2-16 1-50 1-79 1-93 T0ta1.... 430' 183 ■ •• -