GENERAL INTELLIGENCE.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VII, Issue 367, 24 June 1874, Page 6

GENERAL INTELLIGENCE.

It is proposed by the Auckland Provincial Executive to increase the pay of tbe police by the economical amount of 6d per day. Tbe men work seven days in the week, and for that they are now to receive 45s 6J.

We ('Bruce [Herald') understand that a gentleman wh(T has recently visited the wreck of the Surat (and has some experience in these matters) is confident that sbe can yet be raised, and intends to -make an effort in that direction if possible.

The accident which, a few days ago, befel the boy Grey, while feeding a flax scutching machine at Glenqmaru, proved too severe .to yield to the skilful treatment adopted with a view to saving the limb. On Saturday, Drs Smith and Manning performed the operationof amputation ; the arm being severed be* tween the shoulder and the elbow.

Larrikism appears to thrive at such an out of the way place as Akatore. Some young hopefuls, not content with besmearing the school doer with clay, have lately taken to throwing stones through the windows of the schoolmaster's residence. The schoolmaster thinks things are going rather too far ; and police protection is not vouchsafed to Akatpre. Warden Carew, of Lawrence, has been allowed twelve months' leave of 'absence, and Mr Warden Robinson will have charge of tbe Tuapeka district until his return.

The 'Southland Times' has been informed by a gentleman who has recently returned from a business tour in the Wakatip district, that there are thousands of bushels of grain which the farmers cannot dispose of even at the low prices ruling, viz , 3s per bushel for wheat, and the same for oats of good quality. The difficulty is the absence of, eonomical means of transport to the seaboard Tne inhabitants of the district, therefore, look anxiously', for ward to the time when the line. of railway will be completed to Kingston. '.'■••.

The 'Southland Times,' in noticing the death of the late Mr Fielder, says : — "Mr Fielder was ft native of Tasmania, and came over to New Zealand about the year 1858. He was appointed' Sheep Inspector for the Province of Southland in August, 1861, and continued to hold that office until his death. Mr Fielder was recognised by all. interested in pastoral pursuits as a most careful and efficient inspector, and to the assiduous and painstaking performance of his duties may be attributed the complete immunity from the disease of ' scab ' which the Southland tuns. have enjoyed for many years."

More libel cases. The Auckland ' Evening Star ' publishes the following telegram from its Coromandel correspondent ?— *■*. Messrs Hesketh and Richmond have been instructed by Captain Hargreaves to write to the proprietors of the Thames ' Star,' demanding theanthor of the telegram published in that journal last Thursday, characterising Captain Hargreaves the most uncivil captain m the Province, otherwise he will' proceed against the * Star ' tor libel, damages L 5 0. It is also rumored that Captain Hargreaves will proceed against the ' Coromandel News ' for articles appearing in the last three issues." - The following analysis of the business of Session XXXIJL, 1874, was read by the Speaker : — Length of session, 48 days ; number of days oa which, the Council sat, 31 ; average length of sittings, 6£ hours ; messages received from his Honor the Superintendent, 21 ; Addresses and resolutiosj passed and forwarded to his Honor

and* the Government, 183 ; Bills introduced, 39 ; Bills passed, 39 ; petitions presented to the Council, 112 ; paoers laid oo the tab!e80; notices of question giren by members' 72 ; answers to questions inserted in th ■ journals, 68 ; notices of motioni: given, 303 ; committees appointed, 9 ; reports brought.np from committees, 55 ; division's recorded, 89 ; entries in jouraals, 760. (Signed) W". "SO. Sessions, Clerk of the Council.- [

Cricket appears to be becoming; quite a fash* ionable game with the ladies in Victoria, and we are pleased to see that those who play it in public, do so in order to further a go.od object. On the Qaeen's birthday the ladies of Geelong pi lyed a match at Hteigiotz, whes a good sum was gathered to be given to an infirm and aged couple in tbe district who much needed charitable aid. The report adds: ' The young ladies thoroughly un lerstood the game, and played with good judgment and gr>»at skill. . There was not a discordant word uttered, or any hitch in tbe proceediHgs, or the least confusion throughout the whole play. The ladies of North Steigletz won the victory, and with most modest dignity received the applause of the assemblage.' The winning team made 102 runs in one innings, and their opponents 56 in two innings.

A man named Hawthorne died "suddenly," at Beech worth, Victoria, a few days since. According to the landlady of the hotel where he wa* staying, " deceased had called at the house on his way to England ten weeks and three days previously, having received some money to take him there, and having had I 4.000 left him at Tome." It was arranged that he should remain in the house, pay in w LI a. week for his board, the ucconbt to be settled when he left, the score for drinks to be paid "as he went along." The landlord assurred the jury that he refused the man liquor " scores of times," but from the account rendered by Mrs Bently, it appears that exactly 200 drinks a week were paid for, which establishes within a fraction his average of 30 a day for the whole time he was drinking himself to death.

There were only three prisoners for trial at the criminal session at luvereargill on Friday. Alex. Davidson was sentenced to eighteen months' imprisonment for housebreaking;"* and Frank Golding to a year's hard labor for larceny. Henry Diamond, "a new chum," indicted for assault with intent to rob, was acquitted. In the insolvency jurisdiction ene Fryer's discharge was opposed by creditors at Queenßtown. who contended that as bis debts had been contracted there he should be sent there for examination. The allegations were admitted, but i he .insolvent's solicitor said his client bad been obliged to leave Queenstown to find employment ; that he wa3 now at work here ; that a journey to Queenstown and loss of time there were more- than he had tbe means, to meet, and that the creditors could have conducted their examinations here, through counsel, as well as in Queenstown. His Honor said he had always discountenanced tbe practice of bringing bankruptcy cases into the central Courts, and encouraged their being transacted in the local ones, he petitioner had' been relieved from attendance at preliminary "examinations, and although it might be some hardship to him, he would have to impose upon him in this instance the trouble of a journey to Queenstown. He accordingly made the order as prayed.

A destructive explosion of gas. took plac at about half-past nine o'clock this morn ing at Balmerino House-, Ma.itla.ncl street, thef residence of Mr J. Edmond, ship chandler. It appears that as tbe family were sitting down to breakfast a smell of gas was noticed, and Mr Edmond went with a lighted candle into tbe room in, which the escape took place in order to discover it. The gas, of which the room must have been filled, immediately ignited and went off with tremendous force, completely shattering' the ono room, ' blowing the door off the opposite one, and seriously damaging moat of the others. The roof and sides of the room in which the explosion occurred were blown out, and on Captain Fox (who is residing ar. Mr Edmond's), of the Scimitar, going to Mr Edmond's assistance, the latter gentleman was found standing near the middle of the room surrounded by the wreck of pictures, furniture, and lath and plaster. He was very severely burnt about the head and hands; but is, we believe,, progressing favorably under the care of Dr Alexander, who was in attendance directly after the' accident. The shock of the explosion was felt a long distance, and the, fire-bell was rung ;" but the services of the Brigade were not required, as tbe woodwork that caught fire was easily extinguished by the neighbors.

The discovery of a quantity of what was supposed to be stolen gold lately caused considerable speculation^' at the Thames. The gold is now claimed by Mr William Buckland, the circumstances, whieb are rather remarkable, being thus described by the ' Advertiser' :— Some years ago a ma'iman broke into' the safe of the Una battery, then the property of Messrs Buckland aiid- Gibbons, -md took away a quantity of amalgam, which be retorted on a shovel, and then broke up the gold, and sowed it in little bits, under the confident belief that it would bring forth ' ' some fifty and some a hundred fold. " The madman's theory .of how gold could be produced proved as baseless as that of several 'savana who have attempted to instruct the world on the same subject. The argument? to prove the identity of the gold are— that' the stuff found at the Hape Creek had been coarsely re or ted, as if on a shovel, and that in some cases it was b dded into the ground in a way that looked as if it had lain for some- time. On the other band, we have been informed that the amalgam taken by the lunatic from the Una baitery could not possibly have produced so large a' quantity of gold as that found. The loss of the gol.i has likewise been accounted for by some from the fact that early in January last a parcel belonging to one of the companies, which bad been lodged in what was thought safe custeidy for the holidays, was found to be missing when' it was next looked for, and has not since been recovered. The quantity of this last parcel is also, said to have corresponded pretty accurately with that recently recovered, which makes the circumstance the more mysterious.

The Canterbury, Jockey Club have removed the diaaualificationfromWm. M'Kay, imposed upon him at the Club's last annual meeting, for throwing, away some lead while riding Medora ia the Hurdle Kace. > - The Oamaru paper records the sudden deatK 6f Mr Robert W. Adair, watchmaker, of Oamara, and .one of the members of the local Municipal Council.' Deceased had ,been ailing vince Tuesday, but no serious results were- anticipated.' tie expired suddenly on Saturday. Disease of the heart is understood to have been the cause.

In the course of his Financial Statement, Mr Jollie; Provincial Treasurer of Canterbury,' made the' following reference to the Waitaki bridge :— " I wißh to call attention to the proposal to construct a bridge" across the Waitaki, at the joint expense of the two Provinces of Canterbury and Otago. Tbe Superintendent of Otago has advised Bis Honor the Superintendent here that a similar appropriation has been sent~down to the Provincial Legislature of Otago, n«w in session. The engineers belonging to the Provinces have met upon the ground and ! decided all tbe preliminaries that can be settled without a further survey. They.have fixed upon the locality, and have estimated that a sum of L 15.000 will be required as the total cost of the bridge.' > On the Can» terbnry side, this bridge will be in the- main

line of a most important traffic, leading from tbe r Waimate Gorge? road-— novr in, comae of construction -^-through the country of, tbe Waihou, and thence to the cutting on the Waitaki, which is fixed upon as. the facility of the' bridge; tbe river here being extremely favorable for constructing a bridge.' The site is about fifteen tniles.abdve the present ferry." ' The Canterbury Provincial Government intend to Bpend L 50.000 on Harbor Works at Timaru. Mr- Jollie ia referring to tbe vote, said : — " It is thought this sum will be sufficient to initiate works, provided that the engineer shortly expected from England reports upon their practicability, and that < his estimates are in any way within such limits as may be reaspntble when compared with the advantages to be gained. The question is — Can the work be dene? .and what will be the cost? Ihese two pointssatisfactorily determined, the financial part of the buainesd is a matter of arrangement. Whether any further sum- than -L 50.000 should be allocated- from the land fund of the district, or the balance of what is required to carry out what may promise to be a successful work should be raised by loan, secured on the harbor dues, is a matter for consideration. If grant is required from the land f nnd r then so much the less will there remain to expend upon the country roads and bridges around Timaru. At all events, if the engineer's report' is of so favorable a nature as to justify the expenditure of the grant at present allocated, that expenditure should, so far as it wil: go, create a property upon which money could be borrowed to enable the works to be 1 extended in accordance with the plans that may be decided upon, I may? hero state tbat tbe engineer expected from tigland to report upon the feasibility of constructing harbor works, has been advised as about to leave England by the July Suez mail- "