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Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4374, 10 January 1883, Page 2

Tel/I&BAMB and other matter will bo found on our fourth page.

It will be seen by our Auckland telegrams that Priestly and Mrs. Hamilton have been committed to take their trial at the next Supreme Court sittings on "the charge of murdering Hugh Hamilton.

The number of Bhares actually applied for in the Thames Valley RailwayJCompany is 8750, and several Auckland residents • have notified their intention of applying for Beveral thousands. No reply has been received to the application made to the Government asking them to withdraw over 205,000 acres of land from sale. The allotment of shares has commenced.

Thebe was no business done in the Resi* dent Magistrate's Court to-day.

: The meeting of the directors of the Thames Valley Bailway Company, which was to have been held last evening, lapsed for want of a quorum. The decision in the Wakehatn ease, which was to have been given this morning, was adjourned until Saturday, when the Resident Magistrate, who heard the case, will bo here. New Year's Day is always a season of high festivity in Dunedin. There wero no less than 13 drunks afc the Police Court on Ne w Year's morning. Hogmanny did it.

The money collected by Mrs Payne and expended on a Christmas dinner for the inmates of the Hospital and Old Men's Refuge was as follows :—Rev. P. O'Reilly, 2s 6d ; S.S.M, s*; A Friend, 5s ; E. A. Workman, 5s ; Rev. S. J. Neiil, 2s 6d ;F. Chitty, 2s 6d ; F., 5s ; Mrs Bay Won, 5s ; MrsCalder,2s 6d ; E.T. W.,53; Mr Renshaw, 2s 6d ; Mr Marshall, 2s 6d ; Mr Culpitt, 3§| T. Wood, 2a 6d ; J. E. Hansen, 2e6d; Dr Payne, 8s; Total £3 f .ls. Mr Veale gave the ingredients for i pudding and Mr Townsend' presented a quarter of lamb.

The tender of P. Trainor for the formation and metalling of the first section of the Tbamcß-Tauranga road for the sum of £339 was yesterday accepted by the Board of Works of the Thames County. The unsuccessful tenderers were :—P. Sheehy, £383 19s ; R. Smith. £390 ; J. Quinlivan, £d 9 9; T. 0-illan, £418; J. Darrow, £432. Section second was let to the same party for £360, The following are the names of those whose figures were higher: P. Sheehy, £366 18; T. Gillan, £402; J. Darrovr, £447 ; J. Quinlivan, £478105. The successful tenders in both sectionß were considerably below the Engineer's estimates.

In our telegraphic mail news yesterday a few errors occurred. The copy received from the telegraph office w»8 wonierfully and mysteriously put together. Whether the operators conspired to damnge our conscientious scruples, by becoming profanity encouragers or not, it is bard to say, but they fetched up our Bmall stock of invectives when we read our issue carefully through.

Ik the Wellington Eeßident Magistrate's Court yesterday an important decision was given. ' The Basin reserve, a public recreation ground, had boen let by tbe City Council to the Foresters (of the purpose of holding sports. A person attempted to enter the grounds, without paying the fee demanded, and upon being resisted he assaulted the gate* keeper. Tbe reserve .was granted for public recreation purposes, but the Bench held that the Foresters had a right to charge an entrance fee, and fined the defendant £2.

It has been decided by the Government to invite tenders in .the colony for the direct steam service between Great Britain and New Zealand. The Agent-Q-eneral has advertised for tenders in the home country, which will be received up to the Ibl March next,

The returns from the Bank 3of the amount. of gold purchased by"t.hem during the month of November are as follows :— B*nk of New Zealand: From mines in the Borough, 52190zs ldwt; do. iq the County, 25560za 18dwts. Uoion Bank: Borough, sozs ; County, 2460z5. The total yield from the field for that month is thus 80260zs I9dwts gold. This.'however, includes the whole of the New Prince Imperial return for November.

The Otunui road, .via the Kiuaeranga, though not yet passed by fcho County Engineer, ia so nearly completed aa to be ready tor hcree traffic. A lady..nqd gentleman on Saturday afternoon last rode fr )m Shortland up the Kauaerarga, Creek to Otunui, and down again by tho Hape Creek six-Toot track. The road from the mines to the Eureka battery site is atill incomplete for dray traffic, as the portion from the lower falls to the Mingakirikiri ia only a six-foot track. .*..-••

I . The following letter was sent by tbtfChairman of the County Council to the' Hon. the Minister for Puhlio Works on the 13th of last month :—" Sir,—l have the honor, in accordance with a resolution of the Council, to make the following submission of County roads, and estimates^ for re-formation and metalling, the same .bein& gazetted under the Roads and Bridges Construction Act, 1882 : GrahamstoWn to Oh'inemuri, £11,100; Ohinetowards TejAroha, £7432; Obinemuri towards Katiiafi, £14,960—-less Government grant of £1Q,9~50 ; Coroman'del fjoward Thames, £5760; Thames harbor to Thames road, Puriri, £6400; total, £41,682. The above mentioned roads constitute the' principal main roads in the .County, over which a large traffic passes. I earnestly j desire the attention of the G-overnment should be directed to the necessity for keeping theae roads open for winter traffic You are aware the Council ;has, excepting lhat portion of the Thames to Ohinemuvi road, constructed under the orders of the Government by Mr Kenny* laid off and formed nearly all the roads and goloTSelds tracts in the ■County, the total length exceeding 180 miles, an 6 this immense amount of work has been accomplished at an outly barely adequate to that necessary for the efficient construction of the Thames to Te Aroha rr>a<i The Council, has'labored also under this disadvantage; that apart from the restricted area of land liable to be rated, not one of these arterial -line* of communication has been adopted as a Government road, a fact which places us, wheneompared'with' the numerous and rosily - roads in the southern, counties at an. immeasurable" disadvantage.. But th» time lias now arrived when the growing importance of this 'district will not admit of further delay in the substantial execution of roads to accommodate the public traffic and the tranßtaiesion of Her Majesty's mails. On ber'alf. of the Council I therefore apply for a.grant to cover the estimated cost of re- • formation ; and metalling us stated, arid to nofcify*y'ou that by resolution of the Council the County rate and a special vote are pro-. posed to meet, the debentures (thekltlr/i/" neceseary);—l bave, ,&c, &isKX. ; BaimiE, County Chairman." '' " ':'.?,' ' ' : •

The Egyptian debt is /je98|308,020i.r of which £73,0C0,000 is held in England. ;„,., Thf question of mining under the foreshore cropped up at yesterday's meeting of the Harbor Board. It appears that although the grants to the foreshore are rested solely in the Harbor Board,"CHe"Ordwn'T§'ser kFe3 the right to all minerals under the surface, and the Government, by virtue of powers vested in it by the Gold Mining Districts Act, 1873, have consented to issue prospecting licenses. Three applications for leave to mine under the foreshore have been made during the last two months.

The barque Bella Mary, Captain Ord, is now nearly unloaded, and will sail again about the ond of the week, after taking in 90 tons of ballast.

The Taranaki News writes :—" The Waitara Jockey Club is the first in the colony, so far as we know, to made due provision for the representatives of the Press at their taee meeting. At the last meeting a snug box was provided for the reporters, from which a clear view of the course was obtained, and away from the bustle which generally prevails in the Grand Stand. To the energetic Secretary of the Club we tender our thanks for this boon."

The Adelaide Observer is informed that the wife of Mr Thomas, dairyman, of the Q-range Estate, was, on Monday night, October 30th, safely delivered of five children— four girls and one boy. Shortly after birth three of, the girls and the boy died, leaving one girl still living, with a reasonable prospect of continuing to do so. The children were all perfectly formed and weighed probably about, two pounds ach, Dr M&gu-ey was in attendance, and Mrs Thomas is progressing favorably. We have authenticated the information and can vouch for its aoouracy.

A Melbourne satirist aaya thai; some time ago the Minister of Education visited a country school, when the master regretted that the " curriculum was not higher." The good-natured minister replied, " Then get it made higher. There will be a carpenter up next week to make the curriculum higher,"

A PBACTiCAii contractor certifies that tramways can be constructed in South GHpps Land under £300 per mile, whilst roads will cost from £1,200 to £1,800. —Australasian.

It has been discovered that with 300,000 fewer sheep in Victoria there has been an increase of 60,000,G301b. of wool per annum. This ia all due to "improvements in the breed."