Summary of the Month.

Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4532, 14 July 1883, Page 3

Summary of the Month.

.' ! Si»<^;W:l«it W.I left, the gen**! * atmosphere <>£ tb» 't&wf iA*%etn some^, wh*.t disturbed—from a political v well ta/i'social Roint of view. In the matter of' commerce we are to. congratulate oarselves- .. The prodqctiuof. the ..colony fhO|»]dfbow (iattifsctbrjr returm. From a ■ ■" * ' -political ' j>pint of view things ace not in as completej- "*., state of order at coftld be wished.- The Ministry appear to be ! afraid to boldly- state. , their intention^. [ Where there is the least reason to fear any \ strong opposition, a vacillating, policy '•( it? ; •ppiwotty-. followed,-i and Meads ! "of/-.their"' oppoaertts -*%b '-bo far as to ; "ljii&fa . that this: swwion will 'see ' a e^atiKe of goTerament, • bat such ii ,Bftt highly. proliaWe; there seema to 1 beanjaji)nty in the House who, though I not much enamoured of the present oe^wrf^'of^tke'Tiieiinity -Benches,'are ' not desirous ,tk»t those seats should be' ! &kd by the men »t present in opposition. ' Bhort|y after the opening of parliament, [ ]jir George Grey in a division bn-jujs. 4ct ,' to repeal, so far as it relates to New i Zealand, the Constitution Act, managed X tofecurf a;MJority against the Ministry, \ £3 the leadefof the Oppo.ition, and the , 1 .party generally, werei of coarse,-rery i iabilant over it, b«t their victory has not • been followed JSHF by any forther defeats s of the vGoTprSment. The fact is, the I Opposition .is in a most disorganized . state, owing to its consisting of three r parties, viz, .the' followers of Sir Oeo. Grey-—than whom no other leader is more 1 likely t0 succeed with the party, or rather 1 parties—the adherents of -Mr Mont- ! tomery, and a small independent band Vof opponents to the present Government. iThe Treasurer produced his Financial [Statement on the 37th Jrine, and the folilowing week, the Minister in charge' of Jthe JDJepartioent brought down his Pnblic . -Works Statement 1. ■ Soth deliverances ,' were disappointing in the extreme. The k. Treafurer said the deficit he predicted 1 last year, he has turned into a surplus, - i but $a is his wfrnt, he says be will have a ■l^efifit post year, which he will doubtless, 'T'if'tfey let him remain in ofiee, also make '» surplus of. The Public Works State- \ waaa very^bald affair,. The only iprovosal omie in it—of any moment— iviz' the appoitttmeut by the Cabinet ''of a Minister of Kailways, has since y ■ been abandoned by the Cabinet There ia a rumor current that Sir Dillon Bell will be rebelled and the Hon. B. Oliver, a !*Punedin ironmonger, seat Home iv hit Splice. Hie only gaalifications -po«es»ed \>j the latter individual are a most pro- : bounced ability to snub people whoae 'views differ from his, and a habit of .. W keepwg things steadily in view" instead Irfifctoodiniatoneetothem. A Native , t j~A HoMDaaT » 3iU bm been introduced So^be House of Bepreaeatatives, and

read ajirst time.. The measure gives most extraordinary power to the Company, bat being countenanced by the GoTernment it is likely .to be passed. On the 9th Bir George Grey endeavored to get his Law Practitioners Bill through the House; the object of the measure was to free the admission of barristers and solicitors from many of the conventional ; trammels,liucfa asiVerring, time. which has now to be undergone by candidate Q The veteran got bis bill through a third reading, but upon a motion that it should be passed,! it was thrown out by . the casting vote of the Speaker, It is •xpepted;that a strong effort will,be made this session id' remove the "seat; of Govern* ment. In matters

..... ... SOCIAL the eploaj.hasi jus^been excited by several tragical occurrences, the most serious of whiehwai theinurder, m Dunedin, of a wife by^etlmsband, and his suicide. The parties were named 'Stephenson, and had been living uabanpily^ together, when the wife, ibttte years ago, obtained a protection order afiinst he* bttsband, and since then earned her own living and -kept her two children by working as a milliner. On the evening of thesthinst.,the deceased, wife was proceeding home, when she was Of ertaken by her husband, who discharged j a dynamite eartifidge close to her head,: .wim.the&eßult that the heads of both were completely blown off their bodies, and the' mans trunk hung across! a neighboring* " fence. Alexander Stuart, boh of the wellknows iDjr I Stuart, of the Presbyterian Chnreh was found dead in his bed! through having accidentally taken cyanide of potassium instead of borax for a sore • 'throat..' The following week a youth named Smith; Raiding alt Blenheim, while j ,< tttijit^f *ifl?t accidentally shot his brother * /Sn|ffi'aijuniber of lesser accidents have oedumd,. Affairs . M "". 'COMMERCIAL wear a healthy aspect; the number of hftakruptaiesvfor, which we were, almost becoming faiaous, has considerably fallen off, and labor is not going begging, as it Wlte fO/me.few. months agp The, market; opened qp at Home for colonial meat has caused the employment of many hands througbotVtke colony, but if the industry contiAu^s'to extend, it will have the effect* $f?<inoVea»ing the price of meat amongst us, which, as far as this part of New "Zealand is concerned, is high enough,at present. The following are the principal ?G - <.-*O

Evoats of tho Month. — The Blue Ribbon Army has estab- ."'■ .' lished a branch at the Thames, aud numbers oTer 250, members. < —On ihe -20th June a man named .J,a)sfefWataoflt; had his leg broken, and ' sustained several severe bruises in the bash,.about 20 miles from town, and was , carried .io^F^h great' difficulty' by, his - fellow workmtn to the Hospital. , ; —- Several Auckland publicans have been victimised by buying what was alleged ' ■ toffee saquggbd spirits,; which upon, examination turned out to I>e aqua pura: — Great* satisfaction is i expressed at Sir Julias Vogel's success re the liTPffolliugton^Mapftwatu Railway Loan, ._ sins'ia placing the Company'sjihares onJthg_ .XwdoDuXOarket. - ;i ' ' ■ -,/-.;*- The Auckland City Council is, raising . - ,£900,000 for street far/ttaiion, drmimkge; and oxtenson of water, supply. x™ mm Tiro deaths from jumping off steamer^ ttlong^ihe^ebast hare occurred during thejaqath, in both,cases jexcesiuve rirink- ' lh« origin. 1 'J ' .. — 3>be system of perpetual ■ leasing protro Lands has proved most successful • V' :'• -■':/.',/' , . \ — "The* electric light is 'working very '' successfully in the Government printing t O o|Bpe^Wemngtoß. , : >, - X — The Directors of, the Thames Valley Kailway Co. are still pushing their claims; upon thi^Sovejriiment, butit would appear" " that ourdistriit is being mad« to suffer for continntUly returning Opposition mem-}-vbers to th"c Legislature. ■ r —■> The Auckland Education Board has decided to keep a roll of the teafebfi? under Us: conitrolf showing the rtlijutai denomioati^jto which e^ah btilong|i)'--.^fi^|J the spirit ofthe>Xtt^-i ing secular mroation law^ • ■ ,' i&Vi j,_ '] * '' — A> robbery ipf jewellery to the «xte«fc of £1800 took pUpe in Aucitlapd «H June , ;25th f .Within tweWe hours of the owrarreoce the det^ctivw bad woven a net for ■• the captUiije of {the burglars, who have smee been eonvicte4 and sentenced. ■ The wkjlq, .of the. propertjjr stolen was recovered. '11. i — A screw it«amer, &5 feetlong^puilt at th%Thames b; r-Messrs i Price B/ofi, and recently UunoprarVs% been bwiog erery.r thjag on thf I >ivW in' tS^t^^f of fpeed. - fooAaULwitcl| " &%J&filClss and ataani«itiativei|>under -^"3o^Vy Union rules.? After a close struggle " theTßoropeaas won % ; poipts. — The cultivation* of English flax is abjoul to ba uadertaken in the Wellington r>-frov»nof.- Chiufs^ f; U|»Qnjt__win_j)ro- "/ onblj fee used in the.inMistry.'. "^. — An enquiry^ into >me past managemeiilof ihe"l),anedin gaol is.now pending. The retired gaoler has Had several charges made against jbimbj the gaol chaplain, wardens, irscharjpsd [ prisoners, and otht&ayiK. toosf unsatiifactory state of things has^appat«fct]y;been in existence in the Anton (for yearjpjpast'. , — TbV Thftnm; Harbor Board have acquired a dredge capable of lifting sil^at ..' thb nearly sixty rasper hour — During, the monthj-Jwb of ,ihe oldest ' yeir Zealand .missionaries; 'the' Bern. Thos. Buddie and Jrtin Hobbs, *bave ; -dwa.":' .---L-- ; •■■• ■■■'"■' ■ — The Hop. J. Bryi e,Native Minister, ' is gradually coming to the conclusion that the slanders published him by Mr. ' G. W. Busde'u are hardly .worth noticing.' Theihftely pardoned murderer, Te Kooti, has~been making some attempts to hold a- le^ee in the obuntry districts. The, reception expenses doj not .seem to be -, liquidated with grjtat alacrity. — The JRomap CathiiUcs of the district are joiqing-their brethren in the colony in a petition to Parliament, asking for jastice : "in the matter of ©^uca^io^ vote, 4 — Gold is being »ti Canterbury. ...,■} --,Mrßt}rl^)|in%Loligßb.ore Potts has applied to be ito'tledas a medical practi tWft^J»iAe colony, j v ,;; . — The 4th of July *as duly reco^imed in Auckland by the Amerioan.residents. - -—Beasehold land in Ajackland has , be,eo let at,a. rental of £15" per foot per '•'' aqnub. .' ;'v"' '"■ "■■ Jl.'' s ''l.' ",'■'■. — Boman Catholic Missionary work is being - *i»Moed, amon^T the Waikato natives. The Mormons <aM also laboring in the same direction. t ,;—s'^jnp-iollowipg - eoloniil- I^suraoe offio«H^ad ri*M on the, VYaitara. <|iu>k iv 11 be English ChansW :rrNew Zealand, £7,400: ITationttl,£3,4nO; South British, j63,400;«tt4 Colonial £I^oo. ' *

'. — A youug man named M. Harris was killed in Auckland on the 9th inst., when trying to stop a runaway horse and cart. — Sidney Taiwhanga is trying to fool people into sending him for another holiday trip to Europe. His wife says she .doesn't see the force of putting in her time gum digging while he is on the "galivant." — Two fashionable marriages took i place this week. Miss Shodes, only child •of the late Hon. W. B. Khodes. who is reported to be worth £500.000, wag married to Mr E Moorhouse; *nd Miss Baldwin, daughter of Captain Baldwin, of Dunedin, married the Hon. K. Parker, son of the Karl of Macclesfield.

— The Salvation Army is very quiet; the movement appeals to be dying out. — r A; football tournament between teams from tie various New Zealand cities, takes place about the end of the month. :

—•Another surveyor has , been turned back by the natives in the King country. — A Mr W. V. Stevens was prooeeded against by the authorities for attempting to bribe a. civil .servant, but he was acquitted on an informality.