MELBOURNE CUP MEETING.

LATEST BETTING.

(SPECIA Imessagk.) ' "'jjSS** October 31 . we attendance at latter. i* the following wove fttSfr* n the Melbourne Cup:- Italian Peer, 100 to loo.toß (off); Remus ■'S-SI^ P 100 to . 7 (taken): m&sti 6 ; (taken); Dunlop Pf.W t0 ; cftiken): Cranbrook, <ic!'f, on 'L 100 to 2 (taken); ■<W» - la ttfl} s Enfilade, 100 to 1 of business fee was ft . ™ \ e evening, Algerian, Sedaar.n|^ e or % nd sakleighre- P support The following ffitfe mOSt jZ f o r amounts named at &? SUPP £o and Pakeha, £6,000, ffi* W«£» £5,000 : Silvermine $* The Cup TiP : ■ : : u Australian Peer, or Tranter winner of the Cup, the

THE LATEST.

THE EACE TO-DAY. (SPECIAL.) ■ "jielbourne, this day. yniaht after the despatch of my Stookplace, and £6,000 was in tday afternoon Oakleigh fell l"et heels on the training ground walked away aUright. Iweather is fi»e and there is of a beautiful day. The !;Uversofull of visitors, and assemblage ever known is Aatad. ■ ' of horses were out feeing. All the Cup horses were exercising,, and there is amiss - with any of them. fe i last arrived,' put in appear as yesterday aftemoou; He; is in M condition, and is reported to trial at home. The field i probably number eighteen or L; T , Trident, Enfilade, Escut- Lr> ( id Jebusite are not likely i start. .1 believe the winner fcUto ba found among Mctoor, %hh Beraus, Silver Prince and tin; and. I prefer the chances ' I-, ■ horse. The three-year * hve little show this year. fek'bolt is the best outsider.

Auckland Tattersall's

ixi 'fpkts , intistered in full' force at I;- i Club for the !a«t night's busi |e fete-Melbourne Cup. Australian Iferaswell supported owing to his victory liatßerby.anJwaH quoted at 5 to I,while &%rian liowas backed at level money 11$ a place. £W0 was taken about Stent 100 to 6 and 7, while Niagara wWy for £300 at 100 to H. Recall, a bit of a tush, and h'nislied at 10 .fcL.Algenan and. Australian Peer, 5 to 1; fflgiand Meteor, 6 to 1 : and 100 to 8 Wtoijabdirt the other?. i&isttltrf the Cup will be in Auckland ifelyafterfl "d'cldck, and will aI; once be iespafe ty extras from the St.v:. i||aßßto^H.—Pßl.sS ASSOOfATIf'N.)

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1 CiiKisTonnriOH, Monday. I latest quotations :— Cup,—loo to 25 against I'- i- ! J t'« "0 against Kelson, 100 to I- "■ '-.(Jipi-y King, Lorraine, Maxim, to 12 Hermitage, 100 to 8 |;-)rf, ift) t0,6 St. Clair, 100 to 5 1 -'•' -CO to 4 Moana and Kuby, 100 to 3 I Dfjiiy.—Even ajjain.st M;ixim | { " ■ • SextJint, Zto 2 Cipsy King, 5

The New Zealand Cup.

I Chris'tchuech, this day. I Cruchiield galloped the ai^''" a,; S * 1OI1 « pace, the latter ■ ;!■ >!" !r " ' m^- ' Nfi'son and 'Torrent ii^^':' £r J well'a smart two rounds. - f -'(King .and Sextant finished B^t'I'"*"'1 '"*"' wiles at top speed, Sextant ■ ;■..,' ' 'intnt.. Moana wont 3 iS'j speed. Huby ■ -",.■' * couple of milo and |BHh|%! covering four mile* at ■_, ' ' "is hettiutr, but the following BPFrI"* ■" i: -' ! " ,cio ' is :—4 to 1, Lochiel"; 1: (iipsy King, Lor ftvteS^' 7tol/: Hermitage, 12 ■st?i'.'^ )<:0 " to 1'; Sk Clair, Retina, BF*»iief Vf ,^en,> and Artillery were 3 ■ Jt9 ..^eakfastthis morning.

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■ ffi en '' auriferous ores. m ' "-■ ,- -. .'-' *°ul(l have ample scope H • cottolrr." 1

THE TRUNK RAILWAY.

MR PEACOCK COLLECTS FACTS

AND FIGURES,

SUPERIORITY OF THE' STRATFORD

ROUTE

(BY TKLECIRAPH.—OWN RErORTER.)

Wellington, this day.. There is an increasing feeling amongst the Southern members that it would bo ad. visable, in the interests of the colony, to re-open the question of the route of the North Island Trunk Railway. This view is strengthened by the fact that much of the land which three years ago was representedas good limestone 'country now proves to be pumice land, wholly useless for agricul tural purposes. No steps have yet been taken to call a meeting of Auckland and Taranaki members, bub this will be done and a petition from Auckland in favour of changing the route will be presented to day. Inquires which have been made into the question of the proposed diversion go to show that the money which has been spent on the engagements entered into at the North can be utilised without, any disadvantage or lose in connection with the altered .route, while experts give it as their opinion. that the 12 miles of line made from the Marton end will prove useful in settling that part of. the country, and will be a profitable branch line. Some in formation with respect to the present posi tion of the line should bo interesting to your readers at the present time, and I therefore append the following facts, for which lam indebted to Mr Peacock. The contracts entered into at the northern end since the beginning arc as follows : — Punui, 15 miles, £28,290; Te Kuiti, 10| miles, £17,273; Poro o Taioa tunnel, £46,849; Waititi, miles, £57,858 ; station buildings, £647 ; or in all £151,547. Between the Waititi and the tunnel con tracts there is a section not yet let—Mokau —estimated to cost about £60,000.

About fifteen miles south of the tunnel, and 60 miles from Te Awamutu, there is a point from which the junction can be made with the line s\irveyed via Stratford, by bending 11 miles to the vest, and there is reason to believe that there is a practical route without any engineering difficulties. The joining line would be at the upper part of theOhura River.

The contracts really let; at the southern end arc two—Pawera,"£27,3oo, and Hunter ville, £14,212. These sections open up good land for settlement, and the lino might be extended a few miles further with that object. The expenditure by the late Government of upwards of £39,000 in making roads to the central route and opening the Wan ganni River to traffic is charged to the main trunk railway, although it is open to question whether the expenditure is legally chargeable to that loan. It must also be borne in mind that more accurate surveys of the central route have shown that instead of a ruling grade of 1 in 70 which was made so much of at tho time the routes were discussed, the grade at one point, and that a lons one. "will be 1 in 50: Moreover, much of the country on the central route r which at a cursory glance was pronounced to be lime stono country, is now found to be a species of pumice stone, which _will entirely alter tho opinion entertained of ifcs value, and judging by a map issued by the Survey "Department and compiled by Messrs Skeetant) Cussen, show ing the class of land in tho vicinity of the central route, by' various colourings, the amount of land fit for agriculeural settle ment 'ft' 'very: -shoall;' indeed* ~On , the other hand, there are several blocks of land on the route of the Stratford UpeV notably Toko;- Hurakawa andPoha kura, wHcli lire 6n the Native Land Court, and over which Europeans have a right. Care would require to be exercised that private owners should nob beuelit to thedetrhncntoftheState by the enhanced value given by the railway. Of the whole amount of expenditure and liabilities charged to the North Island Trunk Loan; £318,884; the sum of £195,098 is for the construction of the railway proper, leaving £125,755 made up of expenditure on railway plant, on roads and river-clearing, etc. Then, on the pur chase of native land there was spent £70,000 out of the £100,000 unwisely set aside for the purchase of land by the Act of iBB6, much of which could not be justi fied as likely to be of advaatago foi Mum Trunk Railway purposes.

THE SAURIAN MONSTER.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ANIMAL CAJfTUBEt) AT RAGLAN.

HOW IT WAS KILLED.

(BY TEI.r.GRArH— OWS CORRESPONDENT.)

Hamilton, this day. Two photographers passed through Hamil ton from Cambridge yesterday afternoon, en route for Pwaglan, with a view to taking photos of the so-called " Saurian Monster. , - It appears that a native, whilst fishing in his canoe just off the South Spit of the Raglan Harbour on Friday, observed, on looking towards the shore, a large animal, apparently slumbering on the beach. He immediately gai-e thealarm,,and the natives assembled in numbers on the beach with guns. The monster, on being ap proached, opened its mouth grunting, barking and snapping its ugly jawe. Rawini fired at its head and hit him, the bullet taking no effect Another native then tired and wounded him it) the side. Upon approach- it, the animal put its arms, wmge or Dappers in* front of its head as a mode of defence, but being severely wounded could oiler no resistance. A rope was then fastened round its neck. About a dozen Maoris took'it in tow to the Raglan Wharf,, .on to which it was landed by means of a crane. After being killed it was found to be 11 feet in length, and six feet in circumference. It >as two large arms or flappers, Its tail con sisted of two large propellers opening out like the web-foot of a duck. It was covered with a'fine fur, and had no ears, bub open ings in its skin. It had 16 teeth in each jaw, four of them being- ; like tusks. Ihe head has been preserved. It is supposed to be a sea elephant. The skin is also pre served. It weighs between 6 and 7 ewfe.

BLAND HOLT'S DRAMATIC COMPANY.

(BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

.; ' Dukkdin, this day. Aftkr playing eight nights to splendid business, Bland Holt's " Alone in London " was supplanted, on Saturday evening, at the Princess Theatre, by " A Kun of Luck, which' drew v tremendous house, every available space being occupied. The drama went remarkably well, and the beautiful scenery was enthusiastically, applauded, as nothing approaching it has been seen here before. The novelty' of liy c horses and fox hounds introduced in. the racing and hunt- scene was heartily appreciated. The leading-members of tho Company met with a good reception. The eeaaon closed on the llch November, and ibe opto fl t

POLITICAL GOSSIP.

(BY TELEGRAPH—OWN REPORTER.)

Wellington, this day. Relief to Crown Tenants.

In the new Court of Law Rent Bill, which Sir George Grey proposes to introduce, is a principle of considerable importance to Crown tenants who are not satisfied with their rents. The bill has not yet been printed, but I ascertain from Sir George that it provides that in each land district shall be a court constituted of a Judge of the Supreme Court! and two Resident Magistrates of the district to sit at times and places the Governor may ap point. Power is given to any tenant of land under the Crown to apply for a fair rent. The Court shall consider the circumstances of the holding, the dis trict, average value , of produce over such period as may be deemed necessary, and then determine what is a fair rent, and the amount becomes the judicial rent for a number of years that may be fixed by the Court. At expiration of that period the tenant may apply again. ■' If the Court consider rent already too low they have power to raise it. Sir George says if the bill works well-he-"intends to have the same principle extended to tenants of private property. Catholic Cemetery at Pukekobo. Some trouble has arisen at Pukekohe lately in consequenceof the Roman Catholics of that place using as a cemetery a portion of land known as the "Recreation Ground." Major Hainlin and Mr Goldie have been looking into the matter, and find that the land in question, which is lot 22 of Section 1, was given to Catholics under the Special Powers and Contracts Bill of last session. A clause in the bill dealingwith the matter says that the grant, with about a dozen others of a similar nature, was made to give effect to. a promise made 1 o the Roman Catholic Bishop of Auckland that certain lands reserved in terms of the Auckland Waste Lands Act and the, New- Zealand Settlements Acts should be set apart for Roman Catholic Church purposes'. Mr Goklic now intends to ask in the House who made this promise, when it was made, and by whose authority. Now Land Legislation. Tho Land Bill which the M mister for Lands intends to introduce into the House provides for tho Abolition of Waste Lands Boards and throwing all lands in tho colony outside the limits of pastoral leases open for selection for cash, deferred pay ment, or perpetual lease, at the option of the selector. Power is also given to declare lands second-class, and to reduce the upset price of the same.

Bylaw Prosecutions.

Some unpleasantness appears to have arisen botween police and corporation officials in some of the larger towns res pecting the onus of instituting prosecutions for breaches of by-laws. Commissioner Gudgeon recently issued a circular drawing attention to a decision at Melbourno, where it was decided that a police constable has no power to prosecute for breach of the municipal or other bylaws without authority from the Council. Ho further instructed tho police not to take action, except in cases where the offence is provided for under the Police Offences Act or some other Acfc empowering the police to take proceedings. Inspector Shearman communicated this order to tho Auckland City Council, and tho Town Clerk of fcliafc corporation has written to Mr Goldie, member for Auckland West, representing the desirability of at once inserting .a olame in some act empowering or compelling the police to tako action in all e»«es of breaches of by-laws. He also suggested that the time has arrived when some of the police should be at the disposal bf the various. Councils &§ Mujiiciml, Police. Mr Ooldje ful place this letterbefore the although he does not by any means agree vviHi ifc. Fie considers that corporation oHidals should institute and conduct their own prosecutions lor breaches ol bye law ».

Charitable Aid.

Mrs Anderson thinks that each district should be compelled to support its own poor people, and to morrow will ask whether the Government will amend the Hospital and Charitable Aid Bill for that purpose.

Retrenchment

The Police, Justice and Prison Depart roents are to be completely reorganised im uicdiutcly.

GENERAL SCHAW.

His Humoured Appointment as Commander of the Forces.

General Schaw arrived from the North on Sunday having been sent for by Minis ters to consult on Defence matters. There is some talk of his being apppinted to the post of Commander of the Colonial Forces. judge Johnston has been granted a year's leave of absence, and -Judge Ward is ap pointed to temporary charge of Canterbury District. ■ In a later telegram our correspondent S ays:-~Tbe Minister for Defence informs me that Major-General Schaw, who has already reported on some of the Australian harbour.*., will be asked to inspect and re port on N T ew Zealand fortifications. There is no intention to appoint him to the com mand of the Colonial Forces. Tn place of making costly appointments in the Defence Department the expenditure on it will be reduced to the smallest limits consistent with the safety of our harbours' defences.

ANOTHER FIRE.

Shortly before four o'clock this morning the city firebells rang out an alarm, a lire having been discovered at tho shop of Messrs Matthew and Cameron, grocers and provision merchants, in Grey street. .Th c fire was discovered by constable Howell, who, observing smoke coming through the shutters, arbused the neighbours, and whilst Constable Kowles rang the nearest fire-bell, Constable Howell pulled down the shutters of the shop, and entered the pie-, mises through the window. He found a fire raging underneath the counter, and assisted by several others kept it in check until the Fire Brigade arrived when all danger was speedily ended. A shelf under the counter was partly burned, the front of the counter was damaged by fare, and the fire had also caught the ceiling boards over the topmost shelf. Mr Cameron held a fiye vears'lease of the premises from Colonel feawron. Be had no insurance on stock or furniture. Mr \V. H. Jones, manager for Mr Cameron, who resided on the premises, states that he had been absent ,ab a ball and returned about 1.10 a.m.; He went into a room at the back of the shop and lit a candle there. Remained there for about 10 minutes, and then went to his bedroom. At 3 30 Mr Jones wasawakened bya suffocat ing smoke, and found the shop on fire as previously described. He cannot account for the origin except by the supposition that the mice had been interfering with some lpose matches under the counter. Hie building was not insured, f

The residents of Devonporfc are invited by' the Mayor to attend a ; meeting this evening in the Council Chamber, to promote, the formation of a Fire Brigade, Recent occurrence should have, furnished sufficient proof of the necessity for orTJEis** help »'• predcnting the split 9i W #d 4f-!W

WRECK Of THE STEAMER CHEVIOT.

THIRTY-FIVE LIVES LOST.

THE. VESSEL BROKEN UP,

HEARTRENDING SCENES.

Melbourne, September 21. The wreck of the steamer Cheviot at Port sea, which was briefly reported yesterday' was total, and disastrous to life. The Cheviot passed through the Heads on Wednesday evening at about 8 o'clock on

her way to Sydney, while a heavy south west gale wa3 blowing, which deterred the steamers Wairarapu and Southern Cross from leaving port, An hour afterwards her propeller was carried away by the sea or it dropped off—the stern rose out of the water, one account says, the engines "vacced," and all the blades of the pro peller were suddenly stripped off —and the vessel lay helpless on a lee shore with so heavy a gale blowing that her anchors, which were let go to try and save her, ware dragged, An attempt to handle the vessel under canvas also failed. She was tossed about helpless upon the water, and in about an hour the steamer stranded, and soon parted amidships. The fore part broke up, and all the steerage passengers and most of the crew and officers,, who were upon it, perished. A man managed to reach the shore, much cut and bruised by the rocks.

The stern half of the vessel remained just upon the rock until daylight, when the Queensclift' lifeboat crew, assisted by the artillery men at Point Nepean, and some men who were employed at the fort making pits for the new guns, effected the rescue of the saloon passengers and captain by means of the life-saving apparatus brought from the lighthouse at Point Nepean. A rocket attached to a line was fired on board, which made it a comparatively easy matter to employ a hawser to carry a "boatswain's chair ,! between the steamer and the shore. The women were landed first, and then the male passengers wero brought off. The captain, Richardson, was the last man to leave the ship. The ship wrecked people received every kindness at the Portsea quarantine station, which is close to the scene of the wreck, and after they hud been attended to by i)rs Brown ing and Griffiths they were sent on to Mcl bourne.

Thirty-five lives, chiefly those of sailors, firemen, engineer, and .steerage passengers, were lost, and 24 were saved, 19 being got ashore by the ellbrts of. the rescuers. The shore is thickly strewn with wreckage and cargo from the ill-fated vessel. The cargo seems to have largely consisted of produce. This afternoon when the flood-tide returned again the stern part of the vessel, which still held together resting on the rocks, was irresistibly swept by the south-west gale, which continued with unabated force. The ship was Founded by Breakers

on to a jagged reef, and was quickly split in two. Preparatory to going to pieces, she was for a timo in two parts, and the com pany on the fore part were divided by a gulf amidship from the passenger*. The captain was aft. Both portions were kept above water by resting on ■ the reef, but the ship, after stranding broad&ide on, had drifted round with herliead to pea, so that the forecastle received the full force of the sea. She began to break up. The fore deck was continually beinj? swept by breakers, which, to some extent, broke their force before they reached that part of the steamer. The sailors and steerage passengers we re locked in the deck house, and were un&bto to,venture on deck for fear of being swept overboard. They were unable, even hud they reached the deck, to gain the stern of the vessel, which Was ttie'"stffsfo iJoliMon. Every moment the fore half otthe vessel was parting into fragment?, and every moment approached nearer the inevitable, until one crowd, among whom where two women and a little girl, wave tossed into the boiling abyss,of Hurt, which was -grinding the broken vessel beneath their feet.

Toriiblo Suspense.

The suspense, according to a survivor, was the cruellest torture, but) it extorted no unmanly cry. Even women behaved themselves with the utmost firmness. There were more than enough life-belts, but the passengers and sailors did not seek to obtain them while they were waiting for the end. The sailors were smoking and quietly dis cussing the chances of petting to shore alive; and one of the women asked Frederick Campbell, the- donkeyman, if she was sure to die. " 1 told her," said the man, " while there was life there was hope, as I wished to cheer her, but my heart sank within me while I spoke." The poor woman's body was found stark and cold on the rocks at high water mark today, and she had no lifebelt on. Beside her was the corpse of an able-bodied sailor wearing a lifebelt. At last, after lingering in agony, those who were crowded in the fore-cabin knew the-worst, and most of them were sacrificed, while their shipmates in sac stem were reserved for further eiif pense and ultimate salvation. The stem bad been breaking up piece by piece with every succeeding wave, and waves followed each other almost continuously. Then came the final catastrophe, and the battered wreck was lifted up and listed: civet before it disappeared. There was a rush to open the door of the for,e-eabin, behind which shelter had been sought from the pitiless force of the tempest. The sailors leaped out to make an attempt to reach the land, and some of them did so, while others, almost within touch of land, were cruelly beaten to death by the wreck age and agajnsit jagged rocks. The pas sengers went down into the fore-cabin, and it they were passive and untiiuch ing. A Half-naliod, Battered Lamp trimmer named Calcraft was the first to put himself out of the reach of the waves. He crawled up the cliff, and seeing the telegraph line, followed, it to the fort at Port Nepean. The artillery men were sQon groping their way down the rough mountain path leading to the scene of the wreck. One man was found clinging in the last stage of exhaus tion to the edge of the rocks. He was lifted in a dying state on the shoulders of four gunners, Who carried 'him to the barracks. Another heartbroken cry came from the island rock, which was separated by only a few feet of water from the coast. Two sailors had been washed to this spot, They were told to be of good cheer until daylight, when they would be rescued. Meanwhile the efforts of the artillery men were devoted to any who came near the shore. Fires were lighted with the debris of the ship in order \ to , assist the survivors in their work. This also guided the Queenscliff lifeboat crew, who were followed by their comrades in fishing boats.' All the crews could do was to search the coast; but, the night being very dark, little could be seen. When day light broke, the hull, which was. stent indis tinctly at first, .soon stood out clearly enough from its surroundings to show there was a cluster of men and women on 1 her quarter then. The Life - Saving Apparatus, There was opportunity for the life .saving apparatus to do good service, for the life boat could not go outside the Heads in such weather, much less take people off with the hurricane which was blowing. The craft was dead on the lee shore, and ■the lifeboat could not have lived in such a sea for five minutes, so that her crew must —as tbey hurriedly decided to do—work in uhotbe' , Avd better way, by throwing' a

were stored at Point Nepeari, close by, and the, artillerymen and lifeboat crew promptly started to get the tackle. Within an hour the carriers returned with load, and their re-appearance gave the liveliest satisfaction to the devoted band clinging to the quarter, and who manifested their, joy by a round of cheers. A great shout went up from the shore and from the ship simultaneously as the rocket was fired, for its aim was true, and the line which it carried went right over the vessel sideways. The wind caught it as it fell and threw it into the outstretched hands of the captain, who was the tirst man to lead in saving life. The captain hauled on the line until the hawser was aboard, and then he at tached it firmly to the tanrail. Next was despatched to the vessel a cradle or boat swain's chair. When all preparations w&re complete, the captain placed in the chair an elderly lady, after which he held up his arms as a signal to haul, and the trawlers who composed the lifeboat's crew, the gunners, and contractors' men waded deep into the surf, and hauled with a will. The distance of the ship was so great that ifc was impossible fco support the hawser in the middle. The tirst effort, how ever, was successful. All the . women were removed in the same way, each in order of seniority of years, their landing being cheered by the ship and by the rescuers on shore. Then followed the saloon passengers, whose places were de termined by the captain, without the slightest scrambling upon the same basis of .'preferment as the ladies. After this followed such members of the ship's company as Were present. The captain himself,when the cradle was returning for the last time for him, went below and brought up a small case, supposed to contain his sextant, and then dropping into the chair, he was pulled inwards amid quite as loud an ovation as it was possible to raise. The captain, says an eye-witness, was over come ; he raised his hat and dropped his head, while a tear stole into his eye. Then, after shaking bands with each of his crew who were saved, he went to where one of the dend sailors was lying and looked sorrowfully at his face. He could nob stand it, and hastily covering his features, ho turned away silently, deeply moved at the awful sight. The Scene After the Wreck. By the time the captain—who was the last man to leave the wreck—had come to land, and the work of rescue had been successfully consummated, it was broad day light, and the havoo which the catastrophe had wrought stood fully disclosed. The beach was strewn thickly with pieces of every portion of the woodwork of the vessel and flotsam and jetsam of all kinds. Hor cargo, broken boats, broken spars, pieces of deck-houses, harness casks, life-buoys, and fragments of the rigging, sails, stores, and cases, also hundreds of bags of chaff filled up the space between water at ebb tide and high water mark. As soon as the task of saving the living had been achieved searchers were sent up and down the beach for a mile. They found — without much trouble in searching — corpses, upon which crush ing against the rocks had wrought terri ble effect. They all had lifebelts on, and their staring eyes showed that they had not been drowned, but had been suddenly rendered unconscious by being driven against the rocks, or being struck on the head by wreckage while swimming for land. The line about" the strong swimmer in his agony " was strongly impressed upon the observer by the expression of the faces, the position of the arms was that of a man endeavouring to gain the shore, when sud denly his Skull was Stove in by the Boiling Sea driving him against the rooks, and the expression petrilied in death. The eyes were open and bloodshot, quite unlike the closed eyes and peaceful aspect o$ peifcons who have sunk into insensibility by drown ing. One man, whose arms were extended in tbfi attijtiicje Q,f mftkjng a was naked to tlio waist, snowing that he hod cast off everything likely to impede the free action of Ins limbs in strug gling for dear life, while all the bodies were very sparsely clothed. The injuries, too, were all upon the head; and that abrasions, if not fractures, of the skull, nose and cheekbone were inflicted during life, was proved by the appearance of the wounds. On the sand, on a little hillock, were the bodies of a young seaman and an elderly woman placed full length, together. The man had on a lifebelt, and it was evident from his attitude that he had been a lusty swimmer, full of life and muscular energy, to reach the land. The last bodies found up to late in the afternoon were those of a young man (who had the figure of a woman gaudily tattooed on his left arm, and wore a silver ring on the marriage finger of the left hand) and that of a little girl about 5 years of age. All the bodies were conveyed to the Quarantine Station, and subsequently conveyed to Melbourne. The Cheviot was valued by the owners at from £20,000 to £2.~),000, and was insured for only about £10,000. The value of the cargo was about £8,000, believed to be almost entirely covered by insurance.

SHOCKING SUICIDES

A YOUTH SHOOTS HIMSELF.

(EV TELEGRAPH.— PRKSS ASSOCIATION".)

Wellington, Monday. A paixful case of suicide occurred just be fore six o'clock this evening. Late in the afternoon Mr Clapham received a note a fc Government Buildings from Charles Taylor Upham, a youth of 21 employed as a clerk in the A. 11. P. Society's office, saying his life was a reproach to him and a burden to others, and he was going to shoot himelf on the hills. Clapham obtained Detective Walker's help, and the two scoured the hills beyond Tinakori Road, where he lived, without finding any trace, of the young fellow. The search party returned .towards the house after their vain search, and caught sight of the lad' going in at a gate. They set off at a run, but immediately after a report showed that they were too late, and the de* tective arrived in time to find that Upham had blown off the side, of his face with a carbine. He died at once. The carbine had been borrowed from a neighbour. On the body was a sheet of paper with several notes in pencil, one of which showed that he had actually been on the hilis. Another said, "I have killed myself owing to money troubles." The letter addressed to Clapham was lying in his buildings two hours before he received it, or probably the sad affair would have been prevented.

. Fielding, this day. Suicide by Hanging.

Arthur Marshall, storeman to McMillan and Hunt, of Gwalmri, hanged himself on Sunday night or early on Monday morn ing. No cause has been assigned for the acfe. The inquest takes place to-day.

About, dusk last night Mr Garrard at tached himself to a large unregistered specimen of the Newfoundland type. Usu ally the dogs do not. like Garrard, bub in the present instance the attrac tion appears to have been mutual for no sooner had Mr Garrad;got a 6rm bold than the dog proceeded to make him self secure also. The result was thai the 'dog.was run in, arid Oarrad has one more honourable scar to ehoV what a man may sutler in thie eisy tt fat «k»« bin dmy fw-

THE FINANCIAL STATEMENT.

FORECAST OF ITS PROPOSALS

TARIFF REVISION POSTPONED.

FREE TRADE IN NATIVE LANDS,

DRASTIC RETRENCHMENT.

REDUCTION OF GOVERNOR'S AND

MINISTERIAL SALARIES,

NON-POLITICAL RAILWAY BOARD.

JLoau of a Million

PROPERTY TAX ONE PENNY.

(BY TELEGRAPH. — PARLIAMENTARY

REPORTER.)

Welmngtox, this day.

Many rumours have been sent out during the past fortnight of the probable nature ol the financial proposals of the Government but theee are for the most part pure conjee ture, and in every instance it might l e truthfully said that a minimum of fact has been associated with a maximum ol baseless rumour. Ministers have kept j- ; heir secret so well that their in* tentions in the matter of iinancial policy are unknown even to their warmest »up-

porter?. Circumstances have, !ow sc far favoured me that I am in a \ oaitivu. *o supply your readers with the following r» liable forecast.

.It may be anticipated that the Treasurer attheoutsetwillinformthecommitteethaton no previous occasion had his task of making the Budget caused; him to feel a greater sense of responsibility of the difficulties be setting him ; but he Mill express his con viction that since the colony has determined on rigid retrenchment, these difficulties will be overcome.

The. Statement will announce the deter mination of the Government to repeal the Crown and Native Lands Rating Act, Ministers thinking that there large districts in the colony where the same laws can be applied with advantage to natives and Europeans alike. In those declared districts Maoris will be liable i'x> pay rates and taxes and will be permitted to' deal with their lands as freely as Europeans; after the Crown title haa been obtained save that they will be compelled to retain suffi cient lands for the maintenance of them selves and families. In unproclaimed dis tricts, which will not be subject to taxation, Maoris wiil not be> permitted to part with their lands to anyone but the Crown, except under more striiigfcnt conditions. Before final legislation on"this subject is proposed, the natives will W consulted with in the re cess, but it is the/ intention of the Govern ment to immediately introduce a bill re medying certain pressing evils. -..

On the.ques'cion of the tariff we shall be told that till this question is settled trade will contimVß to be disturbed. The Minis ters have the question under consideration, but in viev/ of other important matters the work of revising the tariff cannot be satis factorily attempted this session.

As the chief difficulties in the past have arisen from a too lavish expenditure, more especially of borrowed money, the Govern ment will refer to the for the cessation of borrowing and the taking of all possible means tc* prevent the waste of ordinary revenue and of money borrowed for public works.

Stress -will be laid on the necessity of prompting <the settlement and occupation of lands by persons of means, and of ren dering t&ts form of settlement attractive to persons, willing to cultivate and develop land. The (government hope in due course to get an increased revenue without increase of taxation or the same revenue with less taxation; The intro duction of considerable numbers of persons possessed of sufficient means and knowledge to cultivate the land profitably is absolutely required and the establishment of Pen sioners' Settlements is also strongly ad vocated as an essential to the settlement of the country.

The land laws will be sdmended and isim plified where possible, anc'l made uniform, so as to remove all unnecessary restrictions and difficulties. Full freedom of choic eas to tenure will also be allowed selectors, and legislation is promised to enable a bona Jfide settler to get possession, of and title to jhis land with the least possible delay and. 1 ex pense. ; ;

On the t]uestit)n of mining a more «om plete teclinicar education will be affouded with a view to avoiding waste, and that lodes and oces which are not now knowni, or are not payable, shall be worked wifch profit.

As to railways, the fact is admitted thai; the public has been long dissatisfied with their management, and in view of the suc cess attending the non-political Board of Management in Victoria, leave will be asked, to introduce an Act constituting a similar Board for New Zealand railways. From this change the Government anticipate a large increase in the net proifits from rail-, ways. .'..'■• :

With a view to effecting the large reduc- i tion to be proposed in the public service, ! alterations will be made in the salaries of' those receiving Upwards of £150 a year. A beginning will be made at the top of the ladder, and it is proposed to recfupe the salary of future Governors to £5,000, including, the cost of his staffand allowances, a saving of £2,500 a year being tbus effected. The Premier's salary will be reduced from £1,750 to 1,000, and other Ministers'from. £1,250 to £800.. The number of paid Min isters is to be reduced, from seven to, six, simultaneously with a reduction of the number of members of the House. Ministers' travelling allowances will be limited to 30s a day, while actually travelling on tiie public service, but the total in no ca«s must exceed£l,ooo for whole Cabinet during the financial year.

As to residences it is suggested that the Tinakori Road residence be sold as being too costly, and of the other two that one be retained for the Premier and the other sold, and that Ministers now resident in ton shall receive a house allowance of £210. ■

Dealing with legislative expenditure, the honorarium will claim first attention. The Legislative Council will be invited to accept £100 and members of the Lower House £150, and payment of Chairmen qrr Select Committees will be discontinued.

An important proposal involving economy will be furnished in the introduction of a'oill reducing the number of members to seventy, including the Maori representa tives, and a reduction of the number of paid Ministers to six.

In" connection with education moderate savings will be shown, without weakening the system. The principal-proposal twill be a reduction of the capitation grants, from £3 19s to £3 15s. per head, and not to pay capi tation on any child under six -years, care being taken that no country school be closed in consequence of this chtange. The question of higher education and its coet will be gone into thoroughly at a later stage of tbt »ea»km. The** proposals, if *S**A ♦% *fil r«J*CK*I»» *»i«r~ *.TB!)Un6 Of

departmental appropriations to '£251,500, while the total reduction chargeable for the year oh the revenue of the colony is £292,000. Of the latter amount i<71.000 can be saved during the remainder of the current financial year. In reference to grants to local bodies tfao fact is recognised that if the assistance now being given to them is to continue, our taxation must be increased to a propor tionate amount.

Allusion is made to the fact that; wiieo the Crown and Native Lauds i< atiutj; Act was passed it was estimated tliafc there would. be a sufficient surplus in. the land fund to pay the rates on Crown lands. That esti mate proved incorrect. The foot is also ■recognised that; the advantages conferred by the Act have operated unequally hi various parts of the colony. Consent to its repeal is given with regret,the Treasurer admitting the fairness of the principle that all lands, by whomsoever owned, should contribute to the maintenance of roads in the districts in which they are situated; t but as money must be found for opening up new lands for settlement, and we cannot} continue borrowing for that purpose, io seems better In the interests of the colony to use the money at the disposal of the Go vernment for that purpose than apply it to the relief of local taxation. The repeal means a saving of £34,000 to the land fund, as well as the amount paid in rates on native lands.

The question of subsidies to local bodies is dealt with. They are referred to as a precarious source of revenue. The late Government proposed last year to reduce the subsidies by one-half, and the Colonial Treasurer now has a similar proposal on behalf of the present Government with great regret, and hopes to be in a position to continue them at the same rate next year. The necessity for local works is admitted, and also the fact that large sums of money could be profitably spent by local bodies, bufc the answer is, "We have nob gos iiinnev to spend : we have been spending too lively, and now must stay our hand from evow useful AvorUs—raise money for them .ocaily. " It is proposed to raise a loan of one mil lion, and a promise is made that there will be no more borrowing for three years. The property tax is to be increased from thirteen-sixteenths of a penny to a full penny. In summarising the reductions the Treasurer will place them at f£300,000, in cluding members' allowances, £10,000 ; de partmental appropriations, £251,500, _ in cluding Ministers' residences ; reductions in rates on Crown lands are £34,000.

The amount to be gained during the cur rent financial year from these reductions is £71,000. The] proposals for the current year are thus stated : The expenditure is expected to exceed the revenue for the year ending March next by £389,305 if expenditure proceeds on the present basis, and further taxation is not imposed. The saving ot iVI,OOO already referred to is, however, ex pected. The Government propose to still fui ther reduce it by increasing the property tax from thirteen-sixteenths,of a penny to a full .oenny. The■Sβ reductions will bare a deficit of £250,0 90 still to be provided for. This with deficit Of last year amounting to £92,293 on the ordiuwy revenue account, and £54,263 on tne La tid Fund account, makes a grand totalofabwit £395,500. \ It will iilso be necessary to meet, the amount reil l " re( * for compensation for loss of ofh cc whiph will . probably be considerable. I" making proposals for the current year t he Colonial Treasurer says thp proceeds of deb «nture*mnountmg to £48,000 per year, and increasing yearly will be swept into the* consolidated fund,* and with such an amount as is saved from revenue before March next, should he set apart- to redeem yearly a corres. pondinc- portion . s>f the deficit and it* the meantime it is proposed that shorf, rates debentures payable in the colony shxrald be iesued.tovcoverjibe deficiency, In conclusion, iVhe Treasurer frill an nounce, that circnn istanc.es compel him to ask for sanction for H million loan tins year; its purposes to.be distinctly denned, and.»i> undertaking being gi Yen not to borrow tor three years from Mardi next. . , _ This loan will alloKv the annual expendi ture of £690,923 available for all ctesw* . ot the Public Fund as against ±1,381,86b ex pended during the three years ao a reduction of- exacxtly fifty percent. This may be regarded.Sk3 the "tapei'ing oil policy, which the colony has so clamorously demanded. t

BURNED TO DEATH.

THREE MEN AND A WOMAN KILLED. *

{BY TELEGKArH—PKE&S ASSOCIATION.)

Dunedix , Monday. Information has been received in town that three men and one woman have been burned t o death at Deep Stream, on the Otago Central Eailway line. No particulars are to hand, and even their names are as yeo unknown. The coroner leaves in theimorn ing to hold an inquest. ; Xater.- ;■■■■ ■■■ a .; Edward and Jane Sutton (husband and wife) and Christopher Elliott and Edward Ure have been burned to death in a sod hut belonging to Sutton.

ASSAULT ON THE HIGH SEAS.

At the Police Court to-day, Alexander

Eamsay was charged with having, on the 31st of October, on the high seas, and aboard the as., Wairarapa, unlawfully and maliciously assaulting one Thomas .leisler with an instrument called a shovel. Mr Whitaker appeared for complainantj and Mr i O'Meagher for defendant. Counsel stated that the parties in this case had settled their differences 1 outside of the Court, and that the defendant had agreed to pay the costs. Sergeant Pratt stated that the matter had been reported to the police in. the first instance, and they had got together the necessary witnesses. Hβ had, however, no objection to the charge being withdra\y«, and the dispute was settled by arrangement with counsel.

COMING EVENTS.

Meetings, &c, To-night.

Abbott's Opera House—" Oliver Twist," 8, Agricultural Hall—Mobawk Minstrels, 8. Art Gallery—Auckland Society of Arts' Exhibi tion. 7.30. • Foresters' Hall, Newton—Musical and' Eloc utionary Contest, 7.30. " St. James's Hall—Cantata,'.' Britannia and Her Daughters," 8. . , Lake Seboolhoaser-Meeting of Ratepayers re Representation at County Council. 7.30. L Masonic Hall, Newton-Newton Lodge of Mart Master Masons, E.C., 7.30.. „ Holy Trinity School-room, Devonport—Devon port Lawn Tennis Club, 8. St. John's Church, Ponsonby—Wesleyan: Home Missions, 7.30. Newton Congregational Sunday School—Publio Soiree, 6.30. ~ ,

Rota of Justices at Police Court.

November 2-Tho R.M.

Auction Sales To-morrow.

B. Tonka and Co.—Privileges of Ann-irtnnS Rae ing Club's Spring Meeting. 12; .Kdut. e&», 11. s'Wi Gnrrett-Property, etc.,..12. .Arthur and iinidi α-iiou ta*te t

•ME , AUCKLAND EVESitfGr STAR, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER I. 1837,

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