NEW ZEALAND. [BY TELEGRAPH.-PRESS ASSOCIATION.]

Waikato Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2140, 27 March 1886, Page 2

NEW ZEALAND. [BY TELEGRAPH.-PRESS ASSOCIATION.]

WELLINGTON, Thuisday. The :innnal report of the Wellington* Miiiiawatu Railway Company, to be pre---.liiitcd at its annual meeting on March 31, bhowt, that the company hope to have the line opened to Ot'akl on June 1, and the whole; in eight months' hence. The" traffic Mums s\nce the line" Wu opi-ned shows the revenue received to have been £4297 I.l* lOd, and the expenditure £1359 b'3 lid. " The i'ostm.istei -General haa received a cable message to the effect that the $.». Mdiipoba, with tlm English mails to the 2.~>th February, left ban Franciico for nd on the 14th ins'ant, being oue day lator than the time table date. The I •«. Maraioa, with the < oloninl mails of the 2nd instant, arrived .it Sau Francisco from Auckland on the 23rd instant, one day later than tune table date. Dr Lemon, by instructions of the Pottma^tei -Goaei.t], Ins intimated to Mr Ponder that tlio G<n eimiifUt having conbi<lere»l his piupoaais th.it Mew Zealand ahould join in a subsidy to the Aim-tr.ilian-Eiighsh cable lines, in considerstioii ot cci tain i eductions he proposes to nr.ake, nave come to ' the conclu«ion : to ilpcline his offers. The Government, he added, consider the reductions trifling, and that the rated should be reduced to a traction of tjicir present scale. , The Postmaster General lias also cabled to the Postinastei 1 General of New South Wales and Queensland; asking them if they are willing t/\ j'tiu gin layingjdown. & cable between' 'AiislraHa 'and' Wow Zealand, w^th the object of charging, rates not »x> coedin«.threeDsMce,a yord. j Sir J. Vogel tiso added tSh*tjihe> Government were of •jpiuiou t&e colonies fchpuld join together with tlic (Object of getting, cheap cabling from Europe, and suggesting.* conference of Postmaster-Generals to be held in New Zcalftnd in the sprint; ; asking them also, it' they entertained the idea, .to com* auiuicate with the Postmaster-General of Victoria. Negotiations are proceeding- ; between the Postinastei s-General of this .colony ami New South Wales, formally settling the terms of the >Ban Francisco mau service. is proposed to abolish the break at Honolulu provided in the contract. ' When these negotiations are concluded the subject will be brought before the Parliament of New South Wales. '" No* 'further telegrams have been J re« ceived with reference 8 to the construction of the'N«l*son-§pringfield Railway. The Government haVe for some 1 time "been in communication • with the Agent-General 'a'nd the syndicate on this supject, '»nd it is "considered' probable that the whole question Arill btf discussed at a meeting of the Qabiudt this afternoon.' The contract erilered into between the syndicate aud the,'Jfe."# Zealand Government, Wnier which the iorinet- had to pay a' deposit of £5000 within twelve' months, etpfreft in January,' and the contract hasj therefore, been formally broken, but as it is optional for either party to break the agreement thtf Government will take^no action.-} Dr. Macgregor.'s appbihtmeut a) Trrfpector of Lunatic Asylums, Hospitals, and .Charitable Institutions is gazetted, and iWo take etfectfrom'the Ist of April. Mr J. C. Wilson is gazetted Judge of the Native Land Court. Nti successor will be appointed to Mr Habens as Inspector-General. He will discharge the duties both of his old office and secretary to" the department! - * HAWESA, Thursday. At a meeting held last ni^ht to consider the cpustructipn of a bruilkwajfer, and raising a loan of £160,000, the. resolution against it. was negatived.'aii^ an amendment in favour carried by a majority of three. " The borQjiglx,. and county are to be jointly liable. ' ' DUNEDIN, Thwsday. . ,Ai young in^n named M«t<?»lferr,Tva» fiued 10s, with £2 16s costs, for Ul-t««t-inc* a horse by beating it and attaching another horse to its neck by a chain to make it go. He elected to take the alternative of four days' imprisonment. Friday. Tbeonly witness examined fo rtbe plaintiff today in the case Steward v. Roydbouse aud another was Dr. Prins. The Attorney-General then opened the defence. He said the issue was not whether Dr, Steward was guilty of manslaughter but whether the defendants, in discussing the matter, had made their comments reasonable and fair. The libel most be false and malicious, and he asked the jury to say whether Mr Wakefield, wm guilty of any malice whatever in this; case~' Dr* Coughtrey, Pack, Mr Wakefield*. .'Mr Beetham R M., and Dr. Nedwill gave evidence. Dr. Nedwill will be > crossexamined to-morrow, and .he 4k expected to be last witness. .j PORT CHALMERS, IJriday. The Rimotoka from Xondon, pajledFthQ Nuggete 10 a.m, , Jf _ ; ,