OUR NEWS LETTER.

Wairoa Bell, Volume V, Issue 228, 15 December 1893, Page 5

OUR NEWS LETTER.

IN OTHER LANDS. A curious case is reported from Dubbo. The Secretary and Manager of the Refrigerating Works were charged with slaughtering sheep without a license. The Bench had no option but to impose the full penalty of £lO for every sheep killed, consequently fined the defendants £16,870. Under the Act the fine must be paid within three days, failing which the defendants will have to go to gaol. The Premier intimated in the South Australian Legislative Assembly that the Imperial authorities had informed the Gov - eminent that the Governor’s salary in future would be L 4,000 per annum with L 1,500 allowances. The Hawaiian ‘ Gazette ’ of November“l3, says : After being on the reef for forty-one days the Canadian-Australian steam-ship Miowera was floated yesterday at 7.45 in the morning. She now lies safe in the harbour, in good condition considering the battles she has fought with wind and wave, and the hard knocks that she has receiv ■- am all sides. Captain Metcalfe, to whom to m tch praise for his method of handling the wreck cannot be given, has not been very talkative in regard te his methods, bat he has accomplished his object quietly and unostentatiously, but in a manner highly creditable t@ his reputation. An examination by divers disclosed the fact that she lay on an incline and that in the first attempts the slope of the ground was against success. In the

\ successful attempt the vessel was pulled » dowu hill. - ! t is reported in the Roman Catholic papers 5 that the Paulist Fathers are planning a new > aggressive campaign for converting 5 Protestants to Roman Catholicism. They i say that hitherto the chief effort of the 1 Church has been to make Catholics more catholic. Now they must go direct to Protestants and put before them *tke claims of i the Church and the need of membership in Speaking before a recent meeting of the Adelaide Anglican Synod, on the subject of religious education Archdeacon Dove said * ‘ It was often insisted that the foundation of the British character was the open Bible. It was 3 nothing of the sort. The foundation of the British character was the Church Catechism !’ The first sea going vessel to reach Manchester passed through the Canal between that city and the river Mersey ©n December 7th. Mr Harrison, the much respected Mayor of Chicago, has been assassinated in his own house by a lunatic who fired three shots at him. In an inter-collegiate cricket match at Adelaide a player yarned Hill retired after making 360, which is the highest individual score ever recorded in Australia. The innings closed tor 621, only six below the record of the colony. Professor Tyndall’s wife administered chloral in mistake for magnesia. His body will be cremated. It is reported th at the Ad miralty will build immediately one first-class cruiser, four battle ships, and fourteen torpedo catchers of the Havoc type. The New South Wales parliament has been, prorogued till January 16th. The Government of Sir Geo. Dibbs was defeated on a motion resulting from the action of Messrs Barton and O’Connor, two members of the Ministry, in accepting briefs in the case of Proudfoot v. the Railway Commissioners, a case which might involve that Celony in the expenditure of nearly a million sterling. The defeat was a substantial one of 69 to 48 and the Government are now considering their position. OUR OWN DOINGS. At the Supreme Court, on the application of Mr Campbell, the action Moss Davis v. Michael O’Connor for damages and for writ of injunction was adjourned sine die. Ah Foy, a Chinaman residing at the Thames was last week fined £IOO for smuggling opium, about £25 worth without the duty, and in default of payment he was committed to Mount Edeu. Elieu Blake, charged with attempting t® poison her husband at Wellington, was found guilty by the jury but recommended to mercy. His Honor, the Chief Justice said he saw no reason for the recommendation and sentenced the prisoner to imprisonment for life. Premier Seddon, speaking at a banquet in Mastertom, said that the Government had been informed by the highest legal authorities that they could appoint whom they pleased when the present Railway Commissioners’ term expired. He would not say whom the Government would appoint, but in his opinion, one of the members ®f the Board should occupy a seat in the House, and the railway lines should be used in aiding settlement. He never abused or found fault with people, but wished to say that the Commissioners had mistaken the intention of the public works policy of the Government. Workmen in the lower grades had been unduly dominated by the higher officers. The press had never noticed that since the appointment of the Railway Commissioners three inner circles had grown up apart from the Government ; Ist, a separate audit system of railways, apart from the audit system of the Colony ; 2nd, a locomotive branch ; 3rd, a traffic department. Th® elections showed that the. country wanted a change, and the Government would try to carry out the wishes of the Colony. He was not prepared to say what the Government intended to do with respect to the Legislative Council appointments, but did not mind telling them it was recognised by the Government that the farming community was not sufficiently represented, also that they had the anomally of men sitting side by side some for a period and some for life. The only fair course was to say life members should be put on the same level as others who are there for seven years. When the Premier was at Masterton a deputation urged him to make an alteration in the charitable aid law which would enable localities to devote their own money to their own poor. In the case of/Wairarapa, it was stated they paid much more to the uuited Board than they received. Mr Seddon expressed an opinion unfavorable to the Act, but said the Legislature was opposed ta any decrease in the size of districts. He promised, however, to look further into the matter. Mr H. D. Bell, M.H.R., has instructed Messrs Morrison and Atkinson to take proceedings for libel against the publishers of ‘ Fair Play,’ a Wellington weekly paper, for reflections upon his sobriety on election night. The amount of damages claimed h £SOO.