BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.

Westport Times, Volume VIII, Issue 1195, 21 July 1874, Page 2

BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.

[FROM OVU OWxV COIUtESPOKVDENT.] CHARLESTON. July 20. Mr John Euright, miner, was found dead yesterday morniug on the road at the Sis Mile. Ho probably died from the elFects of drink and exposure. An inquest will be hold at three o'clock. [Per Anglo-Australian Telegraph Agency.] GRES MOUTH. July 20. Captain "Walters, of the schooner Alma, was fined £5 and costs, on Saturday, for neglecting to give ships articles to tho shipping master of this port, according to the Merchant Shipping Act. Tho articles were left behind in Melbourne. WELLINGTON. July IS. The "Waikato has arrived. She left London on March 21th,. and is the first of the new line of immigrant ships built for the New Zealand ShippingCoin pany. She has 'IOO souls on board, all well. ROTORTJA. July 20. Tho natives have concluded the sale of twenty-two thousand acres of forest land, on the west shore of the Lake Rotorua to the Government. The natives are anxious to deal with several other large blocks of land on the uuLlh and west shores of tho Lake. AUCKLAND. July 18. Charles Dyer has bceu brought down from Pukiri, charged with the murder of Eliza Patterson, a woman he was living with. Ho wag jealous of her, and constantly quarrelling. It is

alleged that on Wednesday last he, beat her in a brutal manner, then poured kerosene on her clothes and set fire to them. He thou put a sack round her, carried hor to tho river, and threw her in. A man named Watson seeing hor there, lifted her out with Dyer's assistance. All her hair was burnt off her head, her clothes were burnt to the waist, and tho whole of the upper- part of tho body was half roasted. Sho lingered two days in great agony and died. Dyer alleges that sho spilt kerosene over herself, which accidentally ignited. Mr Blackall, chief officer of the barque Pet, has died from a fracture of the skull, caused by an accident on board. An inquiry iuto tho origin of the fire at G. W. Owen's store, showed that the fire commenced in a cask of matches. An open verdict was returned. Owen estimates his loss in excess of insurance at .£OOOO. The inquiry into the alleged murder at Fukiri has been adjourned for a week.

GEAIIAMSTOWN. July 20. A petition has been prepared and signed by nearly all the engineers and engine drivers praying tho House of Eeprcsentatives to insert clause in the Kill for Prevention of Mining Accidents, limiting the hours of labor for drivers to eight hours. It is stated such clause is actually necessary to prevent accidents occurring from the fatigue and exhaustion of drivers working long hours. The present timo being twelve hours shifts in many batteries.

PAHLIAMENTABY NEWS. (BY ELECTRIC THLEGRAPII.) WELLINGTON. On the 15th instant, in reply to Mr Harrison, the Government said, rill correspondence relating to the reduction of Wardens on Nelson South-West Goldfields, and Westland Warden's salaries, should be laid on the table. A bill to consolidate the Waste lands laws of Nelson, has been read a fiist time. Mr O'Neill asked why the Government did not cause a Gold-mining Bill to'be prepared and circulated throughout the Colony three months before the commencement of the session, in terms of & resolution of this House ? Mr Vogel replied that the Government, in considering the matter, found themselves placed in an awkward position, because of tho difficulty to know what members representing the gold-fields really desired. It was very difficult to propose any uniform legislation that would please all, and tho uniform course the Government adopted under the circumstances was to take the Bill, which was the subject of so much discussion, and with which so little progress was made last session, and send it down to the different Superintendents inviting their opinions upon the subject, and the only replies yet received were not favorable to the urgent necessity for fresh legislation. They therefore came to the conclusion that it would not be desirable on the part of the Government to propose any legislation on the subject this session. . He saw by the Order .Paper that an lion, member had taken charge of the Goldfields Bill which was before the House last. While the Government had no intehtiou of taking charge of the Bill, he hoped tho session would be long enough to enable the hon. gentleman to take the opinion of the House upon the measure. The Colonial Government have intimated that they do not propose to introduce any amendment of the insolvency laws during the present session.

On the subject of tho changes in the constitution of the Legislative Council, which will be proposed by tho Ministry, the Otago Guardian, whoso editor is not unlikely to have received a hint, says " the Government measure, in all likelihood, will be an adaptation of the Norwegian plan, whereby the two Chambers" aifc together and decide, by a majority of votes, in cases where there is a conflict of opinion between the llouse3, and also for the consideration of Money Bills. That is tho proposal, in brief, submitted to tho Victorian Legislature ; but however well it may work in the Melbourne Parliament, it would be fatal to the Superintendental party in New Zealand. For this reason, amongst many others, it would have our cordial support." The Melbourne Argus characterises tho measure of the Victorian Government as a " Scandinavian Mongrel." July If. The Legislative Council this afternoon was occupied in discussing Machinery Bill. On clause 11, that persons possessing machinery must send notice to Inspector, a divsion took place. Ayes, 9 ; Noes, 9, The Chairman gave his casting vote with Ayes. Clause retained. The Westland Loan Acts and Canterbury Domains Act, read a first time. July 18. In tho Houso of Representatives, fourteen days' leave hag been given Mr "Webster. The principal business yesterday afternoou was discussion of proposed alterations in E.-cias by Commissioner of Customs, namely, that after lot July, 1575, seven shillings shall bo charged on colonial distilled soirits; after Ist July, 11)77, eight shillings; after I'afc July, 1879, nina 6H)lirs£a.

The Commissioner quoted lot of statistics, showing the quantity of barley grown and gallons of liquor distilled since the Act passod in 18G8, the result of which was that the revenue had lost £80,006, and that for every bushel of barley grown in the colony thediffereutial duty lost in this way was nearly 2s per bushel. That instead of distilling promoting agriculture it did injury to revenue, nor did the business employ labor to any great extent. The permanent hands employed at Auckland brewery being only five, aud in Dunedin twenty-three. Mr V. Pyke opposed going into committee. Mr Sheehan wanted, to see the matter placed in hands of select committee before going into committee of ways and means, and defended the interest of Auckland brewers. Mr Dillon supported the Government view. If proposed changes seriously interfered with any interest it was the business of select committee to deal with that. Subsequently other members suggested that they should do away with distilleries in the Colony, since the revenue suffered so much. Mr M'Glashan opposed that as absurd. ii --' |' • Mr Reid thought the country lost much in a mistaken attempt to foster distillation, andtHy should devise some means of recouping themselves from industry they spent money on. Mr Header Wood said this was their first attempt at protection, and was a great failure. All future ones would be so also. Mr Murray thought that they ought to rather exclude imported spirits than interfere so as to check colonial distillation. At request of Mr Tohnie, petitions from Dunedin distillers were read to the house. The house then rose.

July 18. In the House of Bepreaentatives, on the debate on excise duty being resumed, Mr Pyke opposed the proposal strongly, but expressed himself in favor of the amendment of which Mr Macandrew had given notice. He would move its adoption, as meeting the exigencies of tiio case completely, by at once securing the colony from further loss while protecting those engaged in distillation from any sudden change in excise duty. Mr M'GiUivray opposed the proposal. Mr Thomson warmly supported the position assumed by Mr Cawkwell in his pamphlet, as being the host side of the question. He considered much of the hue and cry was due to importers who wers naturally jealous of the success of the colonial article. On the question being put to roport progress it was negatived by 25 to "6. The resolution was then passed ar.d reported to the House. The Post Office Savings Bank Bill was passed without amendment. .. Mr Vogel moved the second reading of the Government Insurnncs Annuities Bill, and explained its provisions. The first being to consolidate laws regulating Government insurance office, and introducing provisions providing for an independent actuary valuation every five years, and division of profits amongst the policy holders. A long and sharp discussion ensued upon Civil Service Act Ame::dment Bill, Messrs Eeacier Wood, Swanson, and others, vehemently opposed the allowing the Governor in Council to

have discretionary power to grant pensions in excess of the annual fund of £9OOO.

The House rose at ono o'clock this morning.

LAMENTABLE DEATH.

The town was startled on Saturday evening by the report that some one had committed suicide by drowning. A son of Mr Martin having reported that while lighting the lamp over the door of his father's hotel he had heard a cry from the river and had seen a man with long hair disappearing in the water. Enquiries were instantly made to find who the missing person could be, and at last it was found that no man was missing but that the wife of Mr Q-eorge Carruthers, Town Clerk, had a short time before declared her intention of drowning herself. The unfortunate woman, who under ordinary circumstances was most quiet and respectably conducted, could not at times control an inclination to inordinate indulgence in strong liquor, and during the past week she had been some days absent from home. It appears on Saturday evening she left the houseof an acquaintance, then being under the influence of liquor, and went to another house where she partook of more drink. At the first place it is said she declared her intention of drowning herself, and on leaving the latter place, she asked a young lad residing there to take her to the middle of the street, he did so,and shortly afterwards returned to his parents in tears, and stated that Mis Carruthcrs had said she " would die the same death as Captain Parr." It does not appear that any particular notice of this wild remark was taken until shortly after the cry was raised that some one was drowned. The precise incidents will, no doubt be elicited at the inquest, supposing the body should be recovered. The first presentiment of the circumstance that the unfortunate husband received was given by the strange behaviour of a little pet dog, the constant companion of its mistress. The dog had been away with her during her prolonged absence, buS on Saturday

night it returned home and lying down upon some garments of. its mistress's would not stir, but continued whining as if in distress. ( Up to 8 p.m. last evening no trace had been found of the missing body, although search parties had been out along the beach during the day in the expectationthat it might be washed up by the tide. There is very little doubt that the poor demented woman deliberately made preparations for committing the rash act. On Sunday morning a shawl which she had worn was found folded at the foot of a tree on the river bank, near Cobden street, and a little farther away the hat also which she had worn. ' ' A report in circulation yesterday that the body had been found opposite, (jibson's Hotel, at tte Orawaiti, was without foundation. The general supposition is that the body is entangled in the snags in the deep eddy below the Nelson street Grroin. As an experiment, a charge of dynamite was exploded under water at the groin last evening, in the hope that the body, if there, might be shaken adrift from any entanglement. The concussion was powerful, shaking the ground all aroundj for some distance,' but was. ineffectual for the intended purpose..