The municipal elections are occupying more than ordinary interest. Eight can didates go to the poll for three seats. There is a determination of the rate payers to improve the ‘personnel of the Council. OHEI3TCHUE.CII, Sept. 7. At the Hospital Board meeting to-day, Dr Guy Porter resigned the position of house surgeon, and Mr Thos. Bancroft, M.R.0.5., was appointed to the post. At the Resident Magistrate’s Court, Alice O’Neill appeared on remand charged with committing a breach of the peace on Monday. The police now stated that, both Mrs O’Neill and her daughter, whose age was considerably over fourteen years, had been in the habit of visiting Wagschall for improper purposes, and that Wagschall had from time to time given the daughter money. In the wit ness box Wagschall admitted the truth fulness of this, and confessed that he had for some time been improperly intimat t with the accused and her daughter. Mrs O’Neill was very excited, and declared herself unable to question the witness. Mr Beetham said that the case assumed a very different aspect to what had ap peared at the first blush. He took Mrs O’Neill’s silence as proof of truthfulness of what had been stated. The whole story was beastly in the extreme. The accused was ordered to find one surety of £2O to keep the peace for three months. At the Lyttelton Resident Magistrate’s Court a man, belonging to the barque Estrella, was fined £ll 2s fid and costs for smuggling cigars from that vessel. Thomas Cooper, mate of the s.s, Akaroa, was charged with smuggling 383 cigars and 22|lbs tobacco on September 6th. Mr Rose, Collector of Customs, said that the goods were valued at £lO 4s 3d. Ho decided to sue for £IOO instead of for threo times the value of the goods. After hearing evidence the case was dis missed.
