Untitled

Thames Star, Volume XII, Issue 3918, 20 July 1881, Page 2

■ Mb HaIiEB, District Engineer of Auckland, arrived by the Eotomahaua last evening for the purpose of making a report upon the damage sustained by the local bodies from the late flood. Early this morning, accompanied by the County Chairman, County Engineer* the Town Clerk, and Foreman of Works, Mr. Hales proceeded to visit the locaHties damaged by the water. Upon Mr Hales' report the Government will make the advances of money to the authorities. The flood on Saturday filled up the pit of the water-wheel ab Bull's battery, and the fluming to Fisher's battery with sand, and also broke the fluming and carried away the dam which supplied the water, temprrarily stopping both mills. Tbe damage haa now been nearly put io right*, and the mills will be able to start ma day or two. Mesbbs Foy Brothers have succeeded in getting fourteen plates of places most injured by the flood, and copies may be bad at their photographic studio, Pollen street. :Theee appears a strange lark of interest in the matter of subscriptions for the families injured by the flood. This is quite a new feature on the Thames, and is almost unaccountable. Many persons appear to tvink that only the business people have met with losses, but many cases have been brought to our notice in which families have suffered who are without means to repair the damages sustained. If a fund be not collected from which all the sufferers might receive assistance, we cannot see why some cases of particular hardship should not at once be taken up, and sums of money collected. Mahy of our tradesmen have not even yet succeeded •in getting their places cleared of the water and mud left from the flood of Saturday night. Messrs Forgie, Grigg, Jefferson, Joslin, Mullinß, Keid, Grant, and others, have suffered to a great extent. Mr Grfgg found that many of his musical instruments have been injured, and all tbe persons mentioned have had more than sufficient reason to remember the downpour of rain of Saturday. Otib peripatetic reporter sends us the foi lowing incident re the late flood:— Locality, Hape Creek ; scene, Augusta street' Man collecting drift wood, to big biy across tbe creek (Parawai Bide) : I say, my lad, TninS ,t n,wt stack o{ -wood ftvr me -while I take a load home." —" All right, I'll lookout." Exit man with load of wood. Shortlj alter, enter on the scene, opposite sirle of stream, two women, also in search of wood, and wistfully eyeing the heap, one gaid to the other— "Shure, Biddy, that's a fine lot of wocd beyant."—"Yes," replied her companion, " but the gossoon's right in front of us, and shure the water is up to our kneeß And more, and it wouldn't be dacent anyhow, with that homadoun staring straight at you." And no more it would, and there sat the boy on a log eyeing them across, hnperturbably whistling a Pinafore tune- The original owner coming back put an end to the little comedy, the two dames beating a retreat, and no doubt wishing they had a chance of giving their late vis avis a hearty ducking in the creek. The Bruce Herald is of opinion that " the Bible-in-schools question " is a financial one. la Otagb there are ninety-three sects, and if conscience has its sway, every sect would want a subsidy for its own sectarian school. Mb Mldliab's " Lord Beaconsfield " has been quickly snapped up. It was even coin'peted for. Lord Roselfei-y, be it noted, married a Rothschild ; but Mr W. H. 8 nith has obtained it. A member of the Licencing Bench ut InvercargiU has beon lined £o for drunkenness in a railway carriage. SevJSHATj families up the Karaka suffered Beverely through the flood. A correspondent directs our attention to tha case of Mr For iester, through whoso hoube and girden the creek took its way at tbe time the greatest body of water was rushing down. Many other residents Buffered damage more or less in this locality. The time for receiving tenders for stripping the Queen of Beauty shaft has been extended to Friday next. We learn that informations have been lodged against our local brewers for alleged breaches of the Beer Duty Act. The matter comes before the Court on Friday next The first steps have been taken, we understand, by one County Councillor againßt another for a breach of the Counties' Act. The Magistrate wi 1 bo called upon to hear tbe facts of the case at an early date. A YOTJN& girl named Crawford sued in the Supreme Court, at Auckland, a person of the name of Johnston for slander, damages laid at £100. It appears that Johnston made some, ill-natured remarks about the young girl, which prevented her getting married to a young man to whom she was engaged. We isjiall: be,pleased to find tbe ease resulting in a ' jverdict; for .the, young girl, for it is time an s jexampte was made of vaya. who habitually malign and injure the r. putntioa of women by. making untruthful statements about them. i The^Affirmations in lieu of Oaths Extension [Bill was thrown out in the Legislative Council [yesterday, on the motion of Dr Pollen by 14 Ivotes to 12. For the Bill: H'6ns> Baillie, Brett, P. Buckley, Dignan, Fruser, Lahman, jMartin, Peacock, Reynolds, Scot la d, Whitaker Wilson.' Against: Hons. Chamberlain, •Grace, Hart, Holmes, G. Jjhnson, Mantell, IMenziei, Miller, Nurse, Peters, Pollen, Robineon, Williamson, aud Wood. ,

THE (wo boilers which were formerly used at the old Queen of Beauty shaft, on the Waio-Karaka flit, are being pur in position near fcl c engine-house of the Queen of Beauty pump, and preparations are being made for driving the pump by steam power. The bricking-in of the boilers is in the bnnds of Mr Ginn, and will be finished in lees than a week. Men are also busy getting the steam pipes, &c, into working order, and the cylinder (a 20-inch one) is also being got ready. All these arrangements will be finished in a fortnight, and then the company will be able to work the pump either by steam or water, which will be a great advantage. The Te Aroha co-respondent of the Wai* koto Times gives the following as the simple facts of the case of Beatty : —The man had been ill for some five or six weeks, and was living in utter destitution by himspl A storekeeper here had found him the means of living, and a working woman had charitably hoursed him. As he got weaker Dr Harvey was asked to see him, and finding that he was, though still suffering from the after effects of scarlet fever, in more danger from want of nourishment and nursing than from the illness, he said merely in a spirit of humanity that the best thing to do would bo to try and get into the hospital. Dr Harvey bad nothing whatever to do with the case as a medical man, and merely offend an opinion that the man wanted nourishment arid care and that he would be better in the hospital than in a dirty old wbare nil alone in a stale of existence that would have very soon ended in death. At the Police Court this morning, one person was chargad with being drunk and incapable. As it was his first offence, he was dismissed with a caution. T. L. Murrny, Esq., J.P., occupied the Bench. It appears that Coromandel experienced a flood, for a late telegram pays:—The flood carried away a portion of the Bismarck tr mway, which will be repaired in a few days. The Foreman of Works" of the County Council reporfß a great deal of damage done to roads ai d bridges over the District. Huge land slips hare fnten plnce. It is many years since therr was purh an inundaticn, and as the dnmage done veil] necessitate a great outlay, it. is to bo liored t'e Government will grant a sum of money to thiß district, as the demands tin the Council's funds are greater than they ?nn bear. One of Blackmore's paddocks of quartz was carried down the hill by a slip of earth, and men tire engaged digging out »he crushing stuff, which appears to be eaeil? recoverable. I "Amobg the miners who have suffered from the rain-fall of Saturday, we learn that Mr D. Tookey und mates, of the Otinui, have had a pile of quartz, the result of twelve months work, swept away. Thfir stack of picked stone, the result of prospecting in Ihe Otinui, haj bren carried away by the overflowing of a cretk. The men had just got up a berdan and morlar to the claim, and were about commencing to reduce the stone when the flood swept it all away. The Evidence Bill introduced by Mr Hutchison provides that any person charged with any offence shall bo competent, but not eompellable, to give evidence in any criminal proceedings arising therefrom, and whether for or against himself, and the husband of any such person, if such person be a woman, and the wife of any such person, if such person be a man, shall also be competent, but not compellable, to give evidence in such proceedings, and whether for against his wife or her husband, as the case may be, provided that if such person so charged shall have voluntarily givon evidence in initiative proceedings, or have voluntarily submitted himself to^croEß-examination in Buch proceedings, he shall be not only competent but compellable to give evidence in all further pro cecding*, and whether for or against himself or herself, provided that iv cases where persons on trial si'all be examined on all questions to be asied in. examination, shall be I pvopoaed otiYj t\\YOV\g\\ Vtae pvesx&vng Judge.