Summary of the Month.

Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4658, 8 December 1883, Page 4

Summary of the Month.

The most important political event of the month has been the Annexation Conference, which assembled at Sydney on the 20th November. New Zealand is represented on it by the Premier and the ex»Premier (the Hon. F. Whitaker). Several meetings have been held, and the

most perfect unanimity has prevailed amongst the members, Most important resolutions in favor of the annexation of a portion of New Guinea and New

Hebrides^ and the establishment of an Australasiasian Federal Council were carried. . . On the night of the 30th November, the large steamer Triumph, under charter fo Messrs Shaw, Saville and Co., which ..arrived at Auckland on the 26th Nov., with 322 immigrants, and 153 passengers, ran on a rock in the Auckland harbor,

under peculiar circumstances, as far as j can be learnt, while on her way from Auckland to Wellington. The Triumph had discharged the passengers and cargo shipped to Auckland and had taken a pilot on board. This^ officer, it appears, took her nearly vOUt of the harbor, and gave her her course to-clear it; which she could and should have done without any difficulty, yet by some means, at present inexplicable, the vessel grounded in a most"'.'.'out-6f-the.wav place. Various causes have been assigned for the mishap, but, pending an inquiry, it would be unfair to put too plain a complexion on what appears~afc present to be. a most mysterious case. Of course, many rough'things Jare said where so palpable a mistake—if mistake it be—is made ; : but certain it is that a grievous error in navigation, if not in any other, direction,; was committed in connection with this case. After several efforts were made to rescue the steamer from its perilous position,'the Captain abandoned it to the underwriters, and now scientific efforts are being made to get it off the rock on which it seems to be firmly embedded. The Orange Societies throughout the colony honored the sth November _in various quarters of the colony, displaying a desire to perpetuate old memories which would be better forgotten. Much comment was caused in Auckland recently by the decease of a Waterloo veteran in gaol—he was sent there because he was destitute. l If the New

Zealand Government cannot provide for •, those " old soldiers," the Imperial authorities should take some measures to see that their end ia not within a prison. The Te Aroha goldfield, which is one of the most promising—although only recently opened—fields of the Colony, has just been celebrating its first crushing by a monster banquet, given by the proprietors of the battery, and it is not saying too much to add the most enterprising men who have been connected with its development. The results produced from the first crushing have been in every way aatisfactory, and promise still further' successes. The Spring has been ushered in by boisterous weather, which with its undue severity has detrimentally affected our well-won reputation as a fruit growing, district ; the heavy and constant showers i coupled with the strong winds which have prevailed, have spoilt the district return of fruit very materially. The introduction of trout in the district has proved partially- successful. Over 1000 fish have been liberated in artificial and natural streams in the neighborhood, and they are reported as thriv- "£• ' . Since the inauguration of the existent volunteer regulations, things appertaining to the service do not appear to be satislorily carried on ; one company has collapsed through a deficiency of members nnders the new code, and another appears to be suffering'from the elements of strife in its midst. The Prince of Wales' birthday was observed as a holiday in the; town. The Thames Naval ArtUlerj fired the usual salute. ' -'- *:, ' "' The Government is offering bonuses for new industries. One of the most useful, i „ and one likely to develop, the mineral treasures of this part of the island, is for the production of iron from the native ore.' The result of the Melbourne Cup. race was received in this colony' 30 seconds j after the race .was won,—in, fact, half a minute before the winner pulled up. This is a telegraphic feat. ' £28,000 was put: through the totalisator , during three days of a Canterbury Race Meeting. In the majority of cases, arrivals by immigrant ships complain of. the food and accommodation provided'on vessels bringing them out. - The Salvation Army are still pushing their way on, although little is heard ofi them in comparison with the amount of cheap advertising they received from bard' up press, agents,when they commenced their operations in the colony. They are about to build barracks in Auckland, and, to keep the game going. perhaps* are producing converts, who are I confessing to all sorts of crimes, but who, i as a rule, are Hot found to be the delin- I quents they apparently wish to appear, as I Iqq prosecution has taken place yet. A capital idea of advertising this. - The Lutheran centenary has been celebrated in various degrees throughout the colony. - - . Baron Hiibner, the Austrian diplomatist, has visited the colony during the month, and congratulated its people on its progress and prosperity. Large shipments of timber continue to be.made from the district to Australia, principally to Queensland. . The Thames Choral Society gave a very successful concert on the. 15th November. Weber's Mass in G^formed a portion of the programme. -.-,,.- ; A branch of the Irish National League has been formed here, and; has .collected funds, for remittance to' the League at Hoide.* ■ ' - ■<*,•;

■ Four additions have been made to the already large list of civil servants of the colony in the appointments—newly: made —of official; assignee under, the , Bank* raptcjfeAct. Instead of reducing colonial expenditure by giving these easily-filled - positions to some of the ,men who are now in the service; and who could be well;, dispensed. :witb,.. ,the Government has selected outsiders for them; the cost to the County for their salaries is only £2200 per annum. . , ' GbVd discoveries hare been, agitating the" people in Canterbury, and prospecting licenses taken out in various districts in that province. Copper is being produced in the Nelson province. x r. Native land swindles are still spoken of, trod doubtless will be for some time to

come.. It will be long ere laws will be passed to prevent them, and longer ere such laws are enforced.

The weather has been very wet and changeable during the month, and not at all what should be expected at this time of the year. An old Waterloo veteran named Gor* don, 94 years of age, is living with two sons aged respectively 50 and 45 years, at Onehunga. Miss Crisp, a nurse in the Auckland Hospital has had the decoration, of the Order of the Red Cross conferred on her by Her Majesty Queen Victoria. Volcanic disturbances havebeen noticed at Lake Taupo, in which the water rapidly rose and fell without any apparent cause.

A girl in Wellington has permanently injured herself by excessive waltzing. The local Ladies Benevolent Society held a most successful Flower Show on the 21st November.

The late Judge Maning's body arrived by the ship Antares as ordinary cargo, the captain of the vessel did not even know the contents of the parcel.

The Mosgiel Woollen Factory, Otago, has declared a ten per cent dividend. In Dunedin a man named Young, a newly arrived watchmaker, committed suicide because he could not marry the girl of his choice. .4 v. The rabbits in the Lake County, Otago, are suffering from tubercolosis, and dying in large numbers. Mr Bryce is rapidly and peaceably disposing of the native difficulty. He is now interviewing the chiefs in the King Country. The Auckland Sunday School Union has just held a most successful industrial exhibition. :

Double the number of girls who arrived from Home by the Triumph could have found employment. . Sugar refining is about to be extensively carried out at Northcote, Auckland.

A Southern paper Bays! that'the Minister of Education has decided that plain cooking shall be taught to girls in the public schools.

At a recent meeting oi the Caledonian Society held in Otago, five Scotchmen were enrolled whose united ages regis* tered 366 years. Owing to the speed attainable by the new boats imported by the Union. S,S. Co., the Northern and Southern capitals of the colony are within three days' journey of each other. They are separated by— taking the shortest route---650 miles. The Auckland Harbour Board officials and the captains of ocean going steamers do not appear to "pull together'" as they should. The Board is going to proceed against Captain Webber of the mail steamer Zealandia, for interfering with a pilot while the latter was in. the discharge of his duty.

On the 30th November as a miner named Wood was at work in the stopes of the Prince Imperial mine, a candle which he-had ''stuck in the wall " fell, and igniting some powder in his hand inflicted some severe burns on his hands and one arm.

The first of a series of annual choral services in connection with the Church of England took place in Christchurch on the 29th of November. There were 325 voices in the choir.

The kauri gum market is inclined to rise. .

A large company, consisting of 100,000 shares of 5s each, is likely to be floated for the purpose of working the deep levels of certain mines at the Thames.

The Te Aroha Hot Springs are effecting expeditious cures in cases of asthma, paralysis, and rheumatism. Mr T. Hawdon, of the Thames, has just returned from there, arid after only a week's sojourn is wonderfully improved in health. He says he is better than he has been for years. Dr. Luck, the B.C. Bishop of Auckland, has 'refused the^use of : a schoolroom in his' diocese, after school hours, for the purpose of holding meetings of the Irish National League therein. A new monthly , publication entitled Land has made its appearance in Auckland, and Jtol devote itself to chronicling all and sundry. intelligence of interest concerning land and the landowners. . The New' Zealand Kefngerating Co. has added a Haslam's machine tbits plant, which enables it to freeze 375 sheep daily instead of 250 as before. :j The Company will ship about 12,000 sheep by the Tongariro, and expects to* send home over 800,000 next year. - ■- f\ Gold has been discovered;in the> Kakaia : Gorge, Canterbury. V" t - The Hamilton cheese-factory in this province uses 800 gallons of milk daily. £150 was placed on the foundation ■stone laid of the Salvation Army barraoks in Auckland. -

r Mr Bryce, Native Minister, thinks that when the King Country is opened, the Native Office may be abolished. ; , Religions education has attacked ministers of the iPresbyteriau body, thus the three churches are now affected by the question. The funeral of a native chief has just taken place. After the tangi the natives dragged the vehicle' containing the body over a mile and a half over a rough road to the cemetery—as a token of their respect for the deceased. - ■ - I A large number of unemployed in > Christchurch are clamouring for " work."