The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Resurrexi. FRIDAY, JUNE 15, 1883.

Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4507, 15 June 1883, Page 2

The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Resurrexi. FRIDAY, JUNE 15, 1883.

The subject of street lighting is one which should engage the early attention of the Borough Council. The Cimmerian darkness to which our streets are relegated after nightfall is a state'in which we ahould not exist, nor in there much reason why the present order of things should continue. Not having full information on the subject, we do not positively make the assertion, but we venture to express a very strong opinion, that there is not another ' town of our importance and population in the colony in which the way is not lightened after night" fall by the municipal authorities. Of course we don't mean to say the leading local lights only shed, their lustre on the benighted beings who elevate them to offioe, but local bodies take steps to illuminate their thoroughfares in a proper manner. . Objection has been made in the past to any steps in this direction, owing to the fear that supervening rates would be too great, and a very necessary work has been, from time to time, put oft owing to the moral courage of Councillors not being sufficiently strong to enable them to strike a paltry rate. From inquiries made, we learn that the expense attendant upon lighting the principal streets of the Borough would be under £200 as a first cost, and the maintenance of lighting afterwards would not be at all alarming. The Gas Company is advertising a reduction in its charges, which should remove some of tbe nervous scruples of those previously opposed to such a necessary work being undertaken. The charge for gas in the case of street lamps would of course not be so much as for domestic use, and we are in a position to state that for the number of lamps requisite to illuminate the main streets, the cost of gas, lighting, and repairs would not exceed £250 prr annum if the lamps wore kept alight all night, or £159 if extinguished; at. midnight, which course, we would recommend the adoption of. There, is little necessity to keep the lamps alight later than 12 o'clock, and tbe expense attendant upon such a boon being granted to residents, would be met by a very small rate indeed. The Gas Co. are, we are assured, willing , to do all that is required in the way of connection with mains, lighting, and extinguishing; consequently the only expense required on the part of the Borough is that connected with providing lamps, and tbe uubsequeut consumption of gas. We would therefore suggest that steps be immediately taken by tbe Borough to have this most necessary work carried out, and not cause the mingling of our mud with profanity induced by the want of light where there should be light.

There must be Bomethins wrorg ■with th* liquor supply somewhere about the Borough. This morning, shortly after twelve o'clock a miner, who felt unwell, Ind two drinks, and was shortly afterwards locked upon a charge of drunkenness. .The man has always b me the reputation of being steady and sober. He was fined ss, or imprisonment until the rising of the Court. His detention was only for a brief period.

The sale in connection with the dissolution of partnership between Messrs IVaser and Lipsey, at Paeroa, on « uesday, was very fully attended. Twenty-five aores of bu«h land at Pirua^ahi were purchased by Mr W. Fraser for £3 10s per acre, and the freehold lot of 14£ acres fell to Mr W. Shaw for £9 per acre. Tbe prices realised for stock were very fair. It has been decided that Mr A. Brodie shall take a letter from the Hospital Com- ' mittee to the meeting of members of the sur rounding districts, to be held in Auckland < next week, urging the erection of a new surgical ward to the Hospital. At the meeting of the sub-committee of tbe Hospital this morning the following tenders for upplies were decided upon to be wornmended for acceptance :—Grocery, A. Balcke'; washing, Mrs Keilor ; meat, Mrs Dalziel, as per schedule rates ; bread, Scott 5f d ; milk, Williams, 3£d ; and funerals, j. Cocks, £2. The Begiatrarof Electors for tbe Thames District called upon A. Philips, H. Gidleigh, 0. G. Ahier, C. Whisker, G. Rowe, J. Hickey, J. Enko, T. Fyfe, A. O'Keeffe, T. Aitken, W. Donnelly, J. Farrel, T. Quigley, A. Russell. S. J. Ambury, E. Louis, J. McCarthy, W, Hearn, D. B. Wallace, C. Sexton, J. A. Droney, B. Kennan, B. Poole, W. W. Gudgeon, J. J. Graham H. Bush, F. Bailey, and T. Baldwin, to shew cauae why their names should not be struck off the roll on the ground of \ non-residence in the electoral didtrio'. After hearing the Registrar the names were removed from the list.

A CHAA&E of malicious injury to property was laid against a man named Thomas Williams in the R.M. Court to-day. It appeared that the. defendant and the informant were not on the best of terms, and the latter, Mr H. Woods, had, with the permission of the County Council, planted some trees on the street outside his property at Parawai, which the worthy Williams seemed to delight in rooting up. On the night of the 2nd June the planter was aroused by his dog, and proceeding out of his house, caught the defendant in the act of pulling one of the trees he had planted out of the ground, and an altercation ensued, during which some profanity was indulged in. After hearing the evidence, the Bench held tbe charge proved, and pointed out to the spoiler that he rendered himself liable to imprisonment, but as this was tbe first offence he would be fined £2 and Ss, the value of the 'tree, with 38* costs. A seooni offence would not allow a fine to be imposed ; imprisonment must be inflicted.

Mb Underwood, agent for Messrs Stanfield and Dark, who are at present performing at the Opera House, Auckland, armed by the Rotomahana this afternoon, to make arrange* merits for the appearance of that company at the Thames next week. The entertainment presented comprises a variety of light sketches, commediettas, &o.,and has been highly spoken ; of by the Press in Auckland. Thh American turbine in use at the amalgamated company's battery at Waihi is evi> dently the right motor in the right place, as it works on uninterruptedly through difficulty which would conquer any of the motors in use here. »On a recent occasion the river rose bank high, and covered it to a depth of Bft, but it drove the 20 stamper battery at the usual speed, with a little more water than was generally uted. ■ : A BtriOHRB at &on met with a serious accident yesterday. He was riding, and in stooping from his saddle to open a gate a butcher's knife ran four inches into bin side. It is not known whether the injury will prove fatal.

At the Dunedin Harbor Board yesterday. Messrs Kincaid, McQueen and Co., local founders, w ote offering to take the whole responsibility of altering by dredge, and of dredging the bar 200 feet wide to a depth of 24 feet at low water for £18*500. The offer was ordered to be considered by the Works Committee. The Engineer reported unfavo aMy o- the proposal to build a bridge aoross the Harbor to Waverley.

The Orient steamer Austral was signalled at Auckland ,yesterday afternoon. She anchored off Rangitoto reef, and was supposed to be disabled. The Tongariro steamer was despatched. The Austral puroses doing some necessary refitting. Her engines have worked splendidly since leaving Sydney.

Mb Httbsthoubb has discovered a practical route for a railway line from the mouth of Mokau. ■ . T. \fr- BtTSH, theatrical agent, said to be tbe husband of Madame Cora, the illusionist, wa» found dead in bed yesterday morning at the Governor Brown Hotel, Auckland. He is said to have been of intemperate habits. A. rerdiot of death from appoplexy was returned; He had arrived by the Wsihora from Sydney. Ybstibday's Lyttelton Times eaystbc Collector of Customs, a coi p» ied by the Linding Surveyor, has been mating Seizures of fancy goods at certain premises fn Christchurch and Lyttelton. This action has been taken in oonsequence of apparently fraudulent invoioes being tendered to the Custom?) authorities. We understand, on inquiry, that tbe consignees are in no way implicated, and are exonerated by the officials from any suspicion of connivance. The alleged fraud lies tit the door of a firm outside the colony. TJnfortunately, under the provisions of the Act, the firm in question cannot bo proceeded agiiinsr, at law, and will only snflbr. the lois o' their goods. , THK Rev. H. Ball, Mr Brodie. and the See. have been authorised by the sub committee o the Hospital to wait upon Sir Fleming re the purchase of his properly by the Institution, and they have ascertained that the proprietor of tbe allotment requires £600 for it. •