NEW ZEALAND TELEGRAMS.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume IV, Issue 598, 23 April 1891, Page 2

NEW ZEALAND TELEGRAMS.

« AUCKLAND. , Last night. • Sir Walter Buller is canvassing the Te . Aroha electorate. ! The Prohibition question is to be fought ’ out in Auckland and Ponsonby, ' Mr Seddon leaves Wellington on Tuesday ’ to open tbe first battery at the Pubipuhi , silver field. Tbe Governor and Lady Onslow are touring tbe Bay of Islands districts. They are being ' well received by the natives. Tbe bootmakers’ dispute is developing into ' a fierce newspaper warfare, but there appear ; to be no indications of a settlement. At the Volunteers’ sham fight last night a naval discharged his carbine, at two paces distance, fqll in tbe face of Sergeant Taylor, ; of the City Guards, and destroyed the sight in one of the eyes of the latter. SOUTHERN NEWS, Last night. The enquiry at Dunedin into tbe cause of the supposed wreck of the Kskanui resulted in a finding that the vessel was caught in a terrible gale, and the probability is that she foundered, The evidence showed that the men and women on the Macquarriea Suffered some hardships, but were never in absolute want, On the Ruapehu’s voyage out John Alfsnette, a fireman, died of heat apoplexy. The Native Land Laws Commission is now sitting on the West Coast. At Blenheim jthe bankrupt Charles Earp had his diccharge suspended for six months, on general'grounds. >' The Temperance and Moderate parties are generally gaining ground in the licensing elections. At Roslyn, Dunedin, the prohibitionists had five nominees elected, and at least three hotels are to be closed. Greymouth decided in favor of the Moderates, while qt Christchurch the prohibitionists lacked a majority. It was decided in Cabinet to.day that Parliament be called together on the 11th June. Tbe jury in the Shelly Bay torpedo explosion case returned a verdict that ths two deceased men died from injuries received from an explosion of gun cotton, but mere is no evidence to show what caused tbs explosion. Ths jury expressed tfie opinion that no blame attached to Captain Falconer. Thig morning, however, an information was laid, on behalf of tfie widow of the deceased hJ’-UuH- against Captain Falconer, for « of her husband, , Government have refused to pass vouchor for Judge Edwards' salary since March diet, on the ground that no money has been appropriated for the purpose. One result of the conference of frozen , meat companies is that the shipping companies have agred to reduce the freight after 1 the end of tbe year to Id per lb. This | means a reduction of 16100,000. All existing , contracts will be completed on the present 1 basis. ’

For shooting quail out of season a man was fined, in the B.M. Court, Napier, £lO and £3 10s costs, The Canterbury Employers' Association have telegraphed to the Employers’ Association in Auckland, requesting them to use their influence to obtain an amicable settlement of tbe difficulty in ths boot trade by persuading the manufacturers to accept the statement agreed on al the Wellington Conference,

A number of Maori chiefs now in Wellington held a meeting yesterday for lha purpose of drawing up a petition to Government not to retire those Judges of the Native Laud Court who know Maori language and understand Maori customs and usages. They consider that the services of Judges Mair, Puckey, andClendon should be retained. Three of the native chiefs at the meeting were from Waikato district; others were from Wairarapa, Westland, and East Coast.

Reductions in the Justice Department include placing District Courts in the South Island under one Judge instead of two. The second Judge will be employed in another capacity. There will be some rearrangement, and one or two reductions in the Magistracy. The total saving in salaries will be £3OOO. About £2OOO will be on extraneous expenses. The Minister believes a still further saving can eventually be made without dismissing or reducing anyone. There will be no retrenchment in Education, but by the exercise of prudence it is hoped to keep the vote under that of last year, after allowing for the annual increase of children. The expenditure on native schools will be kept witbin limits, and the Minister proposes to introduce a Bill giving the Education Department power to hand their schools over to Education Boards from time to time, on such terms as may be agreed upon. The Minister considers the time has arrived when Maoris ought to make reserves for echoo'a as Europeans have done. Judgu Ward will have charge of the District Courts in tbe South Island. Judge Broad's services will be retained in other capacities in the Nelson district.