GENERAL NEWS.

Westport Times, Volume VI, Issue 913, 13 January 1872, Page 2

GENERAL NEWS.

The " Wellington Independent" explains the delay in completing the publication of " Hansard," by attributing it to the neglect of hon. members iu not having corrected their MS report before leaving Wellington. In some cases members in the hurry of departure took the uncorrected reports of their speeches with them, and did not forward them to the chief reporter for some time. It was impossible to print simply those speeches which had been corrected, because in most cases they referred to the remarks of other members who had not furnished the chief reporter with their corrected reports, and without them would have appeared stupid and irrelevant. The Auckland Volunteers are about to start a weekly paper for themselves. The " Southern Cross " states that " the new candidate for public favour is to be called ' The New Zealand Volunteer Gazette and Colonial Force Record.' The first number is to appear on Saturdav, the 6th January, 1872. It will be "chiefly devoted to Volunteer matters in connection with the colony, but will include extracts from the home military, naval, and volunteer journals, an epitome of sporting intelligence from the intercolonial and European publications in connection with the turf, aquatic, sporting news, &c."

The " Brisbane Courier " of Dec. 9 says : —" With this day will conclude the twelfth year of the existence of Queensland, as a colony having selfgovernment. Since separation the population has increased, in round numbers, from 28,000 to 120,000, and the revenue from £178,589 to an amount that has not been over-esti-mated at £753,500." The " Nokotnai Herald " is a curiosity in New Zealand journalism, being written. It consists of four pages post folio, four columns in a page, and is published at one shilling. A somewhat singular case was heard recently at the Auckland Police Court, which, however, broke down on a point of law before the evidence for the defence had been taken. The statement of the complainant, Henry Schildt, was to the effect that his wife had deserted him and taken up with the defendant, in whose possession he found a quantity of his property, which had been conveyed away by his wife. The charge was that Millan had stolen them. Mr. Joy, for the defendant, contended that no criminal intercourse had been proved, and, that being the case, the defendant was at liberty, if he thought proper, to allow the woman to bring her boxes to his house. Mr Beveridge, who appeared for the complainant, was prepared, ho said, to prove that an improper intimacy had existed between the complainant's wife and the defendant; but this was met by Mr Joy arguing that that charge could only be preferred and substantiated in the Divorce Court. The Bench dismissed the case. —" Cross."

Standard flags Lave been manufactured in Sydney for the Eijian Government. The Royal Standard ia of the usual size—l7i feet by 20£ feet. It has a white field, the shield and the crown occupying the centre. The shield is red, charged with a white dove flying and beariug an olive branch. The shield is surmounted by a Eoyal Crown, with four arches, issuing at their respective bases from as many escalop shells, set alternately above the rim of the crown with ferns. The

crown is surmounted by an orb, on which there is a cross crosslet fitchee. There are six ensigns 12 feet by 6 feet, of the same design, except that the ground is blue and white in equal parts, and the crowns are gilt. Those will be for use on Government vesselß and establishments.