South Australian Register (Adelaide, SA : 1839 - 1900), Friday 7 December 1894, page 4


TBE CRIMINAL SESSIONS. .

The Jury system is a grand British institution, but it sometimes works with an exasperating impartiality when it takes a man away from his business perhaps at the very time out of the whole

year in which his presence at- office or shop can least be spared. Does a clerk fall ill or stocktaking season come round, that ia probably the very juncture chosen by the grim-visaged man of the law to make his appearance with the summons ; while all around, perhaps, there are dozens of men out of a job who would be only too glad to listen to evidonco and receive a small fee for doing go. The latest example of the perrerseness of fate iu this respect was seen the other day, when at the beginning of the Criminal Sessions now brought to a close after occupying only three days the newly elected Mayor of Adelaide, with all his blushing honours thick upon him, had to leave his multifarious duties at tho Town Hall during the busy beg:nning of hia term of office and respond to the roll-call. The law on the subject, it appears, is inexorable, but His Honor the Chief Justice mitigated its inconvenience by allowing the Mayor leave of absonco on the understanding that he would attend if called upon to do so. Surely when a man's time is so very full of public duties as that of the Mayor of a large city the law ought to alloT of an exemption in his1 case. Of course other busy men, have to make tha basb of the situation, as did an American, who, on being c.lled to serve afc an inconvenient juncture, philosophically declared that 'no one could expect the Jury system to work smoothly at all time9, any more than any other game of chance.' By a rather curious coincidence it / happened that, after having given ' the Mayor leave of absence, the/ Chief Justice found himself placed in, circumstances in which he considered i(t advisable to seek the same exerapt'o^i himself. His Honor ia FTeeidenfc of th^ Adelaide Children's Hospital, and whaln the case enme ou for hearing of a youwg man who had stolen one of the contribution boxes of that institution Mr. Justice Bundey was a6ked to pass sentence on the prisoner, who had pleaded gifilty.

The action of His Honor may perhaps to some seem to savour oE overpunctiliousneBS, and we question if any one, the prisoner not exeepted,.would have complained had His Honor soen fit to adjudicate upon the case. At the same time it is undoubtedly the wisest course for a Judge to scrupulously avoid even the appearance of acting in a matter in which he is personally or officially concerned. Thera is a moral attaching to this incident which he who runs may read, and ifa is that an occupant o£ the Bench must be chary abouc the extent and character of the public duties not connected with his office which he undertakes. For a Judge to act as President of a Children's Hospital and in other ways to serve bis fellow-citizens may be not only permissible but eminently praiseworthy. There is, however, a point beyond which he cannot prudaotly go in filling honorary positions, and that point is reached whenever there is anything like a Berious risk of the obligations of those positions clashing with his judicial responsibilities. It need hardly be added that the Judge himself, if he be fit for his position, should know better than any one else where to draw the line, and he may be excused for resenting any outside interference with the exercise of his discretion. Mr. Justice Bundey, who, though not officially associated with the Children's Hospital, has a warm affection for the suffering little ones, made quite as strong a comment on the contemptible nature of the theft as his colleague would havedone. Dickens, who had studied the heights and the depths of London criminology, describes the meanest class of the thieves of the great city as being those who were, as the profession expressed it, 'on the kinchin lay' — snatching small articles of value from little children in the streets or public parks. But even in the depths of meanness there is a still deeper degree of degradation, and that is reached by the man who not only steals from juveniles, but from the sick amongst their number. Though the amount stolen was small in the instance under notice the culprit richly deserved his sentence of twelve months' imprisonment with hard labour, in this connection we are bound to say that personal offences agiinst children are, either by reason of the state of the law or the leniency of Judges, sometimes dealt with in a manner which, is in marked contrast with the feeling of abhorrence which such crimes evoko. As a case in point reference may be made to the sentence of eighteen months' hard labour inflicted upon a man sixty- two years of age who, at Adelaide last month, indecently assaulted a little girl under twelve years old in a way which the presiding Judge characterised as 'simply shocking.' In some countries a criminal offence committed on a grown up woman, which therefore has not the unspeakable atrocity added to it of being an aasaulo upon a a helpless child, would involve sentence of death by hanging. Teb this offender, who committed an act which was a iisgraca to his species, and which has Inflicted life-long injury upon a defenceless little girl, will in all probability be oat of prison in little mure than a year. The man certainly seems to have deserved not only the strong expression of roprobation directed against him by the Judge, but also, whether the law as it at present stands allows it or not, a more severe punishment. A younger prisoner would probably have got the lash ; but the crime calls for a heavier penalty even in the case of an elderly man. In a leaser degree the same remarks apply to another prisoner, who seems to have had the will to commit the graver crime, but was happily prevented from doing so by the resistance of his victim. Indeed, the annals of the Sittings are sullied by no less than tour charges cf assaultB upon children, in two of which, however, verdicts of acquittal -Here returned. Turning 5o a very different class of offence, it will be noted that the case against the aged prisoner, Farrant, charged with a breach of the Electoral Acts at East Adelaide, resulted in a verdict of not guilty, largely, it would seem, on the ground that the accused was practically in his second childhood. The idea of a feeble old man, nearly ninety years of age, intimidating electors, or any one else, is more ludicrous than terrifying. The case was the first of its kind, and. very naturally so. No one bub a very escentric person would place himself within the grasp of the law in such a matter. That elocoral intimidation is sometimes practised, even in this free and enlightened land, will not be denied by those who have explored the by-ways of political life in South Australia. But those who are the principal aggressors in this respect take very good care to follow the acute lawyer's rule and avoid putting pen to paper. They talk a good deal and nod their heads significantly ; but they do nob commit themselves to writine. Thus they can eaiily convey to an obnoxious candidate or his friends quite as weighty a threat as did Farrant without sending a letter intimating to a supporter that unless he stops canvassing he will lose twenty of his customers. The clause under which proceedings were taken is a good specimen of a largo class of legislative enactments by which modern society is wont to deceive itself into the belief that it is adopting drastic measures to put down fraud and intimidation. Very young persons and feebleminded old people, like the 'helpless women and little boys that do no harm' of the comic opera, may get within their grip. But those who know how to keep outside of the law, and who are the real persons whose sinister influence is felt at almost every election, leave no evidence upon which it would bs possible for the Crown to secure their conviction. The only other case that calla for notice is that of the poor woman sent from a village settlement to Adelaide without being supplied with the means of meeting the expenses ot her confinement. That she should in her extremity have resorted to dishonest expedients to raise money was, of course, utterly inexcusable ; but much cf the blame for her misconduct rests on those who placed her in such straits, and the merciful view of her action taken by the Chief Justice will be generally endorsed. It seems inconceivable that no pains should have been taken by her husband or the autho

rities of the settlement to place her in communication with thoso - likely to give themselves a little trouble on her behalf. They could hardly have been ignorant of the fact that thsre are generous people who would willingly have put her in the way of finding accommodation. It is only right to say that Mr. Smeaton, in pleading the causa of the erring woman, whom he would gladly have befriended had he known of her situation, has strengthened the already powerful claim which his persistent and self-denying labours on behalf of the village settlers has established upon them, and through them upon the community at large. VEBinx-iNFEBTKn Country.— The Vermin Bill lately passed by Parliament is being taken advantage of by pastoraliats, and a petition has already been received by the Government praying tbat a tract) of badly infested ooontry north-east of the Burra may be declared a vermin distriot under the provisions of the new Act. The Blyth axd Gladstone Railway.— On Thursday the Chief Secretary iuroiihed the Legislative Council with a return to the order of the Hon. J. V. O'Loghlin. showing the coat of construction of the Blyth and Gladstone railway. For land and compensation the Parliamentary estimate for this railway was £3,333, while the aotual coat amounted to £13,981 10s. 5d. The Parliamentary estimate of the total oost of the line was £245,224, made up as follows :— Way-Ballast, £24,360 153.; sleepers, £20,775 &. 8d.; rails and fastening*, £33,732 2s. 10d.; platelaying &o., £8,297 13*. 6d. Works- Clearing and grabbing, £129 10a.; fencing, £13,092 19s.; earthworks, £25,052 19a. 3d.; bridges, culverts, crossings, and roads, £34,707 10s. 4d.; buildings, £15,250 8s.; machinery and plant, £3,493 7a. 3d.; provision of water and fuel, £4,107; general expanses and oontingenoiee, £30,225 18d.; maintenance for twelve months, £4,065 S-. 9d.; interest during construction, £14,000. The total estimated expend jlure upon all works tip to June 30, lS95r was £209,534 10s. 7d. The total actual ccwb wu £203,5S4 10a. 7d., aa follows -.—Way— Ballast, £'22.250 lfe.; sleepers, £21,180 15a. 2d.; rails and fastenings, £29,4GS 13s. 5d.; platelayinar, &o., £5,576 8a. 7d.; siding to turntable, Brinkworth (material and labour), £217 13j. 9d. Works— Clearing and gruobmg, £13f! 143. 10d.; fencing, £10.64216s. 9d.; earthworks, £24,220 0s. 7d.; bridges, culverts, crossings, and roads, £29,110 15s. lid.; building, £3,580 0a. 5d.; machinery and plant, £3.821 4a. Id.; provision oE water aad fuel, £4,725 7s. lid.; general expenses and coacingencias, £18,284 16a. 3d.; maintenance for twelve months, £4,635 3s. 9d. (this is the estimated cost of mtintenance to June 33, 1S95) ; and interest during construction £11,691 12d. 9d. The Hon. Sir Jenkin Coles, K.C.M.G., and Mr. C. Wade.— With reference to Mr. C. Wade's letter in the Evening Journal of November 26 and the Remitter at November 27, we have been shown letters from thai gentleman to Messrs. Syraon, Bakewell, & Co., in which he disclaims any intention of imputing that Sir Jenkia Coles, whilst Commissioner of Crosrn Lands, favoured Mr. Allardyce improperly or at all. He aaye that he ' never intended to convey the meaning suggested.' We are glad to give publicity to this statement and we presume the incident is closed. The English Butter Market.— The Inspector of Bubcor and Produce (Mr. E. G. B. Ebdy) says that South Australian buttermakers need not be alarmed at the cablegram in Thursday's Register stating that the English butter market is demoralized. So long &b our producers maintain the present excellent quality of butter they can rely on having a ready sale for it The 38,000 boxes of butter left over from last season does not affect the market for this season's produoe. It consists largely of New South Wales batter, which was sent home too late last season and cannotoompe te with the presentseason'a butter. The stock batter is, however, likely to be all required for Christmas purposes. Mr. Ebdy says that until butter displaces the 60,000 tons of margarine which is annually sold in England, fetching lOd. per lb., Australian producers need not fear as to the prices their best butter will realize. The Colleges *Cbicket Match. — Theannual cricket matoh between representatives of St. Peter's and Prinoa Alfred Colleges was begun on the Adelaide Oval on Thursday afternoon in the presence of about 2,000 people, including a large number of ladies. The St. Peters boys, most of whom played last season, and who were the favourites, had to take the field, and they just managed oc the stroke of time to get the lass Prince Alfred lad out when the total was 232. No less than eight batsmen reached double Off urea, and chebsat scores were Darling 75 and Cragen 3S. The matoh will be continued this afternoon, wb.6n there should be a good set to. The; Medical Board.— At a meeting of the Medical Board ou Thursday, December 6, the following gentlemen were registered legally quahn'od medical practitioners of South Australia: — John Murray Gibbes, M.R.C.S., Eng., 1S65; M.B. and Ch.M., Aberdeen, and L.M., Enp., 1866; M.D., Aberdeen, 1883. Alexander Jamieson Meikle, M.B. andCb.M., Edin.,L.R.O.S. and L.R.C.P., Edin., 1892; L f.P. and S. and L.M., Glas., 1892 ; M.D., Edin., 1894. __ Departure of Sooth Australian Cricketebs.— Messrs. G. Giffen, J. J. Lyons, J. Reedmao, J. Darling, and E. Jones left Adelaide on Thureday afternoon, December 6, by the Melbourne express f --r Sydney, to join the other members of the team which ia to represent Australia in the first test match against Stoddart's English Eleven in Sydney next week. The first four men are picked, but for another day or two it will uot be known whether the fast bowler will be included. Many friends and leading cricketers had assembled on the platform, and good wishes were sent along with the South Australians. Three hearty oheers were given ''for our contingent.' Homewabd Bouhd. — The Orient Company's wharf at Circular Qua;, Sydney, was orowded on December 3 on the occasion of the departure of the R. M.S. Orizaba for London via ports. The vessel (says the Telegraph) oast off from the wharf at noon, and took away a good complement of passenger*. Miss Norman, daughter of the Governor of Queensland, left by the Orizaba en route for England, and Sir Henry Norman is accompanying her aa far &s Adelaide. Amongst the visitors on board to wiah them bon voyage was the Vice- Admiral. The Orizaba had both a large and valuable oargo, of whioh the principal lines were : — Six boxes of gold bullion, valued at £25,773, shipped by the Bank of New South Wales; 3,201 boxes of butter for the English market, 3,100 bales of wool for the January sales, and 4,562 cases o! preserved meats. The German mail steamer Karlsruhe, for Bremen via ports, also took her departure from Circular Quay, a big crowd being down to Bee her off. Sue had a number of passengers in all classes, and her cargo space was taken up with large lines of wool, silver and nickel ore, preserved meats, and other colonial products. A Sheep Farmer's Estate.— The Town and Country Journal for December 1 says :— The estate of theiate Charles Pile, of Adelaide, sheepf armer, was lodged laat week for probate duty. The net valua of the estate in this colony was sworn at £46,940, upon which stamp duty to the amount of £1,877 12i. has been paid. The deceased died intestate on July 9, 1891, and in the Supreme Court, Adelaide, letters of administration were granted toJobn Pile and William Pile, his brothers.

CnmiNAL Sittings'. — On Thursday the Criminal Sittings were continued before the Chief Justice and lasted all day, although nono of tha o&ses came much outside the commonplace. In the case of Sarah Hinei, charged with stealing, there ww a disohwge, tho prosecutor not appearing ; Wilhelm Hoffmeister, convicted of indecent assault, was sentenced to eight months' imprisonment; William John Rsddon Fnrraut, a man aged between eighty and ninety years, was acquitted ou a charge of intimidating a voter. This was the St. Paters Corporation caso, and, it being shown that) the defendant was an aged man whose eccentrio habits were known, the accused was acquitted at tbe suggestion of the Chief Justice, who remarked that, although he was most anxious to uphold the purity of elections, in this case the accused might have the bsnofit of the doubt on account of his age and peculiarities. Charles Wray was convicted of stealing, and was sentenced to three years' imprisonment ; Frederick Langstonwas convioted of borsestealing and sent to tbe Stockade for eighteen month*. This closed the sessions. Death or an Old Coloxist. — Mr. Charles Coltman, a colonist of forty-five yean, died at his reiidence, Alberton, early on Thursday morning. The demised wm seventy-two yean of age, baring been bora ?» Leicester, England, on November 14, 1822. He arrived at Port Adelaide in the ship Susannah in May, 1849, and settled at Edwardstown. He visited the Bendigo gold fields during the tush. Owing, however, to ill-health be wm obliged to return to South Australia. When the Wallaroo and Moonta copper mines were opened he removed with his family to Wallaroo, where he carried on the business of a builder. In 1891 he retired and returned to Adelaide, ultimately taking up his residence at Alberton. Atone time Sir. Goltman was ?Coun-cillor in the Wallaroo Corporation. He took a very prominent part in the work of Friendly Societies, and was one of the founders of the Manchester Unity Lodge at Wallaroo, of which he was a member np to the time of hit death. He was for many years a member and elder of the Presbyterian Cburoh at Wallaroo. The deoeased was twioe married. His first wife died in 1859, leaving one son, Mr. C. Coltman, of Snowtown, and three daughters. By the second marriage Mr. Goltmaa had three daughters, all of whom an living. His remains will be interred in the Woodville Cemetery this afternoon. Shipping Oranges to England.— Mr. W. Wadlow, of Exeter, who has interested himself in the question of shipping fruit to England, received by the English mail on Thursday advice of tbe safe arrival in London of a case of South Australian oranges, whioh he sent to the old country in the steamer Yarrawonga, of the Blue Anchor Line. Six dozen oranges were procured from Mr. A. E. Pitt, and after being wrapped in tissue paper were packed in corkdust. The captain of the Yarrawonga kindly took charge of the case, and had it placed in one of the cabins during tha voyage. The vessel left Port Adelaide on September 8 and reached London on October 24, and the fruit wu delivered the next day. It was in excellent condition, having stood the test of the voyage and tbe beat of the Red Sea. The experiment is interesting as showing that fresh fruit can be shipped to England by cargo steamers occupying nearly fifty days on the voyage. The Late Dr. W. J. Browne.— Through the death of Dr. William James Browne, which has occurred in England, South Aus-tralia has lost another of her pioneers. Dr. Browne, son of a country gentleman in the West of England, was born in the year 1815, and was educated for the medical profession at the schools of Paris and Edinburgh. He arrived in South Australia in the ship Buckinghamshire on December 5, 1838. Amongst his fellow - passengers were the late Mr. Joseph Gilbert, Mr. John Ellis, Captain Allen, and many other well-known settlers who are no longer with us. Shortly after his arrival in South Australia Dr. Browne purchased land and entered into agricultural and pastoral pursuits, with which he continued to be connected, both as a sheepfarmer on his own land and as a squatter on Crown lands. For some years be resided on his beautiful estate, Moorak, Mount Gambier, of which district he was a pioneer. Among other station properties which Dr. Browne held is Booboorowie, in the North. He sat in one Parlia-ment for the Flinders district in the early sixties, and introduced a Bill pro-posing to abolish the sale of Crown lands, and to let them instead on long or perpetual leases as is now done; but the Bill was thrown out, and a good deal of obloquy was cast upon the introducer. In 1866 Dr. Browne took his family to Europe for their education, and they have since resided there, Dr. Browne making occasional visits to South Australia. During one of those visits, in 1878 his wife died. In 1880 in company with Lord Kintore, then Lord Inverurie, he contested the Borough of Chelsea in opposi-tion to Sir C. W. Dilke and Mr. Frith, Liberals, but the two latter candidates were elected. For some years Dr. Browne had resided on his estate in Devonshire, called Buckland Filleigh, and had put to good use the practical knowledge acquired in South Australia. He leaves three daughters, all married, and three sons. The eldest is Mr. L G. Browne, owner of Buckland Park, Port Gawler. His second son, a lieutenant in the 14th Lancers, went through the Nile campaign for the relief of Gordon, and died from fever whilst on the way home. His two younger sons— Mr. Percy Browne, the owner of Moorak Station, Mount Gambier, who a few months ago visited South Australia, and Mr. Scott Browne — have also been in the army, but have lately retired from it. Dr. J. Harris Browne, of Adelaide, is a brother of the de-ceased. Death op an Old Colonist.— Mr. Charles Coltman, a colonist of tif ty -four years, died at his residence, Port Adelaide, early on Thursday morning. The deceased was seventy-two yeara of age, and was for many years a resident of Wallaroo. The Accident to Mr. H. E. Gullt.— On enquiry at his residence in Halifax-street on Thursday morning we learned that this cyolist bad not yet reoovered consciousness. A severe concussion of the brain resulted from the fall through colliding with Davis on the Adelaide Oval oa Monday evening, and at one time it was feared inflammation hod set in. Through unremitting attention, however, this has been averted, and Dr. Campbell now has hopes of Mr. Gully's recovery. Boat Accident.— On Wednesday evening a boat acoident occurred on the Port River, but was happi'y attended with bo serious con?equences. The launch Ariel was towing the ketch Lurline down the river, when Mr. Valentine, jun., 6on of the Chief Inspector of Stock, who was in an open boat, made his craft fast to the ketch and was being towed down the river. On casting the line off the bows his little vessel went under and was swamped, Mr. Valentine being thrown into the water. The launch was put about, and Mr. Valentine recued in an exhausted condition. The boat was righted and taken back to the Port. Woman's Suffrage at a Village Settlement.— Speaking at Kapunda recently, Mr. Donald Thayne, one of tbe trustees of the Lyrup Village Settlement, made the following statement, which is given in the report in the Kapunda Herald:— 'They adopted the principle of adult suffrage, giving women the right to vote, whioh they tried for about six weeks. It may have been satisfactory to some women, but the majority wanted educating up so it. The principle led to division in families, and threats and foroe were used by some men to make their wives go over to their side.'

H. M. S. Cuiucoa. — H. M. S. Curaooa arrived in Pore Jackson on the evening of December 3 from Samoa via Auckland, and anchored in Watson's Bay. Oa the run across from New Zealand on Saturday last she met with a violent southerly gale, during which she carried away her jibboom. The Caraooa (says the Sydney Telegraph) has been, absent from Sydney for about nine months, and during tha interim has bad a stay of some seven months on the Samoan Station. The Curacoa was to have been relieved at Apia ?bout two months ago, but owing tirsb to the stranding of the Ringarooma, and next to the accident to the machinery of the Wallaroo, she was not relieved till three weeks ago. She left Samoa on November 13, and on the sixth day out a sad incident occurred, Mr. A. Woolward (staff paymaster) dying suddenly from an attack of apoplexy. Deceased was buried at sea the next day. The Curacoa called in at Auckland en route, arriving there on the 23rd and- leaving again on the 27th. Affairs at Samoa were quiet when the Curaooa left. The Wallaroo had arrived at) Apia to tako tbe CuracoVs place on that station. Juab before leaving Samoa, Petty-Officer Preston fell upon the point of bis ewordblade, whioh went through his body and tome inches' beyond bia book. His life was it first despaired of, bat he is now regaining his health. The affair is said to have bean accidental. The Curaooa is 'homeward bound,' and her stay in port will ba but of abort duration. H. M.S. Pylades has beea commissioned 4o replaoe the Curacoa on the Australian Station, and is now en route to Sydney from England. A Casb op Drowning at Henley Beach.— Tha body of Mrs. Jane Hall, aged seventy yean, was found at Henley Beach on Thursday evening about a quarter of a mile south of the looal hotel. The body had been in the water for half an hour only when it was discovered, and eome of the clothing was found neatly folded np on the eandhills. Mrs. Hall left her residence, near the Burnside tramaheds, on the same afternoon with the intention of going to her son-in-law's house. She went, however, to Henley Beach, where she was last seen alive at 5 o'clock. For a long time post she had been UL A medicine bottle was found among her clothing. 'Fbeb Labour' v, Tbade Unionism. — The Some News writes that at the second annnal congress of the National Free Labour Association, held in London on October 30 and 31, seventy delegates attended. The report stated that the great bulk of the working classes were 'sick of the meddlesomeness and tyranny' whioh characterized the Trades Union officials. The body, it was stated, bad been joined by 11,540 men dunna the year, bringing its total strength to 51,249. The Chairman said he believed that nine out of ten strikes were needless, and urged that workmen should endeavour to re-establish the frieudly relations which formerly existed between oapital and labour. Resolutions were passed deoloring that strikes were largely responsible for the present stagnation in the labour market, deprecating picketing when it bad tbe effect of terrorizing chose who were willing to work, and calling for restrictions on the immigration of alien paupers. By advertisement in other column it will be noticed that Messrs. King, Engel, and MoCallagh, Limited, lateLange &, Tboneman, the well-known Merchants and Importers, of William-street, Melbourne, have opened a Branch Office at the Royal Exchange, Adelaide, under the management of Mr. Th»o. Vogea. The firm is one of the largest holders of Tea, and its export from 1889 to 1893. acoordingto the ' Australian Trade Review,' reached the large total of 2,605,743 lb. They also make the hop trade a specialty. Bohemians, 'Saazer Siegelwaare,' Bavarian 'Grown Spali,' besides Kent, Californian extra packing, Tasmacian, New Zealand, and Victorian. Samples of above, as well aa all kinds of General Merchandise, Wines, Spirit?, &c, will boalweys open for inspection. 311,4 Ware's Exchange Hotel. — With a view of providing patrons with better accommodation Mrs. Ware has been to considerable expense in having the Trades Exchange immediately at the rear of the Exchange Hotel renovated aad converted into a lounge. The big room has been nicely decorated, and is fitted up with almost; every comfort. At one end is situated a- lavatory and tbe telephone, while communication with the inside bar is made by means of electrio bells. The room, whioh is lofty and coo], will no doubt be much appreciated by frequenters of the Exchange during the summer mouths. A Perilous Position. — Mr. Benjamin Spencer, of Frewville, had a narrow eaoape from a poisonous snakebite on Wednesday. He was working near a porthole on Mr. Turner's estate, Myrtls Bank, when he noticed a brown snake inserting its head inside the lower part of his trousers. Darting away he aimed a blow at the reptile with a spade and out off a portion of the tail. The snake eluded search for awhile, but it was discovered again and out m two. It measured 4 ft. in leng th. Mcnicipal Elections at Edithbubgh.— Mr. W. H. Dare, Resuming Officer, Edithburgh Corporation, writes: — ''1 notice in your report of the election of Mayor and Councillors for Edith burgh Corporation tbe votes stated are incorrect. Mr. W. V. Cornish polled only 6 votes, not 16 as stated in your report.' Picnic Parties.— By an advertisement ia another column it will be seen that orders for return tickets at single fare for distances of not less than twelve miles (including Blackwood) and available for day of issue only oan be obtained from the General Traffic Manager. Received. — Our Hera'd for December, the organ of the Adelaide Y.M.C. A.