OUR NEWS LETTER

Wairoa Bell, Volume V, Issue 200, 2 June 1893, Page 3

OUR NEWS LETTER

Professor Aldis has not yet received official intimation of his dismissal. Gerald L. Peacoeke has been appointed a member of the University College Council (in place of Colonel Haultain), and Rev. W. J. Williams takes Rev. W. Morley’s place in the Council. Both these are Government nominations. Constable McCoy last week escorted John I homas King to Auckland and introduced him to Gaoler Reston of Mount Eden. He is to be provided with board and lodging for one month for the larceny of a sheet from Corcoran’s hotel at Dargaville. A man named Barr died suddenly in the Oneliunga lock-up on Saturday ; he.Jhad been arrested for drunkenness

Hr R Thompson, M.H.It., after addressing a large meeting of electors and ladies in the Yolunteer Hall, "Whangarei, received a unanimous vote of thanks and confidence. Mr Matthew?, ex-Home Secretary, speaking of Mew Zealand and Australia says,— ‘ They are delightful countries, and I enjoyed my stay in them immensely. Of the two New Zealand is perhaps the more like England, and it was on thia_ account, I suppose, I preferred it to Australia. In fact it is astonishing to me that more people do not go to New Zealand. It is a charming country ; the climate is good and the scenery is beautiful.’ A list of American millionaires recently published bj the A 7 ew York Pribtme fills a hundred pages and contains 4,047 names. An enquiry into the characters of those men shewed that a very small proportion of them could be termed liberal givers. Frederick Selous, the most famous hunter of the present day. never tasted alcoholic liquors from his youth up, neither does he use the cigar, cigarette or pipe. He has, however, been a heavy tea drinker. He was only nineteen when he first obtained permission to hunt from the King of Matebeleland ; he counts his victims, in the form of elephants, lions, &c., by the scores. An inquest was held recently at Rawene, near Ilokianga, upon a skeleton that had been washed up on the beach. Mr Webster, J.P., officiated as coroner. After hearing the evidence the jury returned the verdict that they believed the remains to be those of George Wyatt, who was drowned in August, 1889, by the capsizing of a boat, a man named Alfred Jervis and a Maori were also drowned on the same occasion, but their bodies were subsequently recovered. From a return prepared by the Collector of Customs at the request of the late Premier, it appears there has been a remarkable decrease in the consumption of liquor of late years. Since 1878 the amount of spirits used per head has decreased 48 per cent ; imported ale and beer 64 per cent ; wine, 61 per cent ; and New Zeall and ale and beer, 22 per cent. Tea has remained nearly the same ; coffee, cocoa, etc., have decreased nearly one half, but Mr Glasgow explains that the chicory used is all made in the colony, and some cocoa also, while strong Indian teas have partly supplanted the Chinese and lessened the necessaz’y consumption. There has been a decrease of 40 per cent in convictions for drunkennees, almost coinciding with the decreased percentage in spirits. The Auckland University College students are strongly averse to the dismissal of Professor Aldis, and they are not backward in laying the blame of the agitation on the shoulders of Sir Maurice O’Rorke. The students evidently intend to fight for the retention of their tutor. A nugget of solid gold, weighing 53cz, has been found at Talbot, in the Maryborough district, Victoria.

A Sydney merchant was arrested on Saturday in Wellington, suffering from delirium tremens. He had a loaded revolver in his hand when arrested, some fifty pounds in his pocket, and a through ticket for Chicago. He accounted for having the first named in his possession by saying that he was bound for Chicago, and as he had heard that it was a pretty hot place, he had resolved to bo prepared for any contingency. Speaking at Helensville Mr Tennyson Smith said it was no wonder the ' trade’ was angry and tried to frustrate his work, when he had such letters as the following;—‘Dear Sir,— Since your visit hero the publicans can scarcely get a living. Thank God I’ He then appealed to the audience to sign the pledge, and spoke of the numbers who had joined in other towns. A man in the audience shouted, ‘ I bet you, you don’t get one man here.’ Mr Tennyson Smith then urged those present to prove the speaker was in error, aud presently two young ladies stepped forward to the pledge-table amidst loud applause. ‘ Ah,’ shouted the irrepressible individual, 1 I said, one man.’ ‘ Very well,’ said the lecturer, 1 Wait a moment,’ and immediately a young man stepped forward amid laughter and applause, which effectually crushed the lecturer’s opponent, and shouts were raised, ‘ Down with your sixpence,’ etc. Subsequently a number more men and women signed the pledge. THE FATAL PRIZE FIGHT. Mr Justice Conolly in his charge to the Grand Jury on Monday said in referring to the charge of manslaughter,— 1 The law is perfectly clear that prize fights and public boxing - matches for the sake of gain are not lawful sports. The reason is that the intention of the parties is not ir.noceut in itself ; the object of each is to exhaust or disable his antagonist, and each is therefore indifferent as to what injury he inflicts short of death, so that he may obtain the sum fought for. If death were intended it would be murder, hut if it ensues where the intention is only to exhaust or disable, it is manslaughter. Even in a friendly sparring match, not conducted for gain, if the parties fight on until the sport becomes dangerous, and death ensues, it will be manslaughter. There is evidence in the present case that blows were inflicted by the accused, Nicholson, on the deceased, after he was so far exhausted as to be unable to defend himself, and consequently when there was danger to him from a continuance of the contest ; therefore, if death ensued from these blows it would be manslaughter, even if the contest had not been for gain. Prize fights not being lawful sports, are breaches of the peace, and if death ensues subjects all who are concerned in them to conviction for manslaughter, aud every fight for pecuniary gain to the winner, that is, for a prize to be received by him, is a prize fight, whether fought with gloves, or with bare hands, or with weapons We read continually of complaints that legislative interference is required with respect to glove fights, whereas in my opinion of the law, if properly put in force, is quite strong enough as it is to put down these exhibitions. Even in the present case it appears that several of the police were present, and yet were under the impression that they could not interfere until the deceased could fight no longer, and that they have allowed and been present at other similar fights,