The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Resurrexi. TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 1883.

Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4444, 3 April 1883, Page 2

The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Resurrexi. TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 1883.

The deputation to' the Government on matters connected with the Thames Valley Railway hate not met with that success which could be wished for even by the coolest supporter of the project. Their reception in Wellington was of a most discouraging character, and Ministers showed the greatest disinclination to grant any assistance whatever to the scheme. After leaving the Empire City, .the deputation waited on the Hon. the Premier in Auckland, and that Minister, evidently carrying his somewhat convenient memory back to promises made by him when at the Thames, bent a little in the direction of according fair play to the Company. The telegram received from the deputation by the Town Clerk to-day says:— ' ' a "Had a long interview with Whitaker. He promises that whatever has been given to other railways will be,given to us. The Piako land is still unsettled, but the matter will come before the first Cabinet meeting held in Wellington, when the conditionswill.be fixed for the contract and the result sent you."

Thus we see that Mr Whitaker-although, as very probably is the case> desiring to gain time to confer with his colleagues, or think out a way of getting out of the obligation of the Government to do justice to. this district in the matter, and redeem certain 'promises made by its head—bas promised that "whatever has been given to other railways shall be given to us." Those, who have the matters of the company in their hands should lose no time in ascertaining the endowments, encouragements, and advantages given to' the various .railway companies South--1 wards. The Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company bad some very sub-

stantial concessions made to it; two lines in the Canterbury Province —one was certainly supposed to be a political one—cost the Country something in the matter of money or its equivalent, and Otago has not suffered much in respect to railways; and if these instances ( can be shown to the Government it cannot very well get past the very distinct promise made by the Premier. That rague answer that it will come before the Cabinet of course signifies nothing, and it certainly is not the duty of the railway promoters to sit down and wait until the Government are dispo«ed to consider their case. When the Ministry is pleased to go into the question they should have something before them which will show 1 that we ask no more than justice, nor do we require greater indulgences than hare been granted to similar undertakings. Knowing as they do what a tough fight has to be gone through before anything will be done by the present administration for the district; it behoves the directors of the company not to throw down their armour after this preliminary skirmish, but to continue the war into the enemy's camp, and by,refusing to yield an inch of vantage ground gained by them, compel justice to be done to the district in this matter at least.

Thb members of tue Athletic Club meet at their rooms, Rollcston street, this evening at 7.30 o'clock Bbarp^^ Thb position of the witness-box on District Court days is an extremely inconvenient one in cases heard before juries. In order to enable the jury to bear the evidence, witneseess are compelled to stand on the floor of the Court near the Bench instead of in the box. Me E. Bkownlow was relieved from acting on the jury in the case of Donnelly v Campbell this morning on the ground of being a member of a fire brigadoA few days ago three boys, while playing on the wht»rf managed to get into the | water. Two of them were able to swimi while the third was not, or had lost his presence of mind. A boshman named Steward Crawford statcß that the father of the third boy was present and made no attempt to save his ton. When the boy wa3 sinking the third time, the bushman plunged in to his assistance, and succeeded in rescuing him. When he got out of the water, he roundly abused the unnatural parent for not endeavoring to prevent his son drowning. Thb tolls on the Wanganui biidge were abolished at 12 o'clock on Saturday night. It is stated that the Hawea brought 600 casks of tallow to Lyttelton for shipment by the British King, but had to take them back to Wellington as she could not discharge on Sunday. What goody-goody people the Lytteltonians must be getting ! Gbeat amusement was caused in Dunedin by the manner in which many persons were "fooled" on the lit. On Saturday night a paragraph appeared in the Evening Star slating that a sperm whale, 70 feet long, had been washed on shore at Ocean Beach. Hun* dreds of people went out to see it on Sunday and returned remembeiing the day.

It is underat tod that Mr Justice Richmond has, on the application of Mr Bell, one of the counsel for"Sir Arthur Gordon, in Hunt V Gordon, postponed the day of tiial until the 7lh of May. This was rendered nece3eary by the absence from Wellington during this month of the leading counsel on either side.

At an inquest on the body of William Morrison, found dead in Auckland on Sunday movning, the jury returned a verdict of " Found dead without marks of violence."

A young- man, named Joseph Sheriff, is missing from Like Takapuna district. He was somewhat erratic. The Takapuna settlers are searching for him.

Mb Sam Mobbin, of Messrs T&S. Moirin. Auckland, has made a really wonderful recovery, and leaves for home, via Canada, very shortly. He has not quite decided upon the length of his etay in America, but. hopes to catch the P.M.s.s. Australia leaving Sat. Francisco on May sth aid due at Auckland on May 28th.