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Gisborne Times, Volume VII, Issue 304, 3 January 1902, Page 2

A meeting of the Gisborne Tent, 1.Q.R., will be held in Towney’s Hall this evening.

Mr Llewellyn Smith has left for Weilington to take up the position of Inspecting District Surveyor and Chief Draughtsman.

At an early date the Gisborne Cooperative Building Society will dispose ol two more sums of £3OO, one by ballot, and the other by tender.

A meeting of sheep -farmers of the three counties is to be held thiß afternoon to consider the question of the acquirement and immediate re-opening of the Gisborne Freezing Works, Our Toiago Bay correspondent wired yesterday : The Uawa athletic sports were held on the Toiago Bay racecourse on New Year’s Day. The weather was all that could he desired, and the attendance was well up to the average of previous years. The principal running event was won by B. Smith, of Tokoinaru. The hack race went to Miss H. Spence’s Violet, and the pony race to Mr Aislabie’s Tonic. The time handicap trot was won by Mr Martin’s Toby 11. in an easy manner. Mr Boland acted as starter, and gave every satisfaction, whilst Messrs Morris, Moore, and McNeil were most successful in regard to handicapping. The duties of secretary were ably discharged by Mr C. E. Smith. The meeting was an extremely satisfactory one, all the events feeing keenly cgnteeted.

-Major Winter and a number of the East Conn Mounted Rifles, leave for Wairon to day to be present at the encampment of the Huniiiiua Corps. A church parade, in which the local representatives of the Eighth Contingent will take pan*, will be held at the Holy Trinity Church on Sunday morning. Captain Edwin forecasted at noon yesterday : — 11 South-east to east and north-east gaie ; glass fall ; indications rain ; tides good ; sea heavy outside after 16 hours from now.”

A limelight exhibition, interspersed with musical items, was given by Mr E. H. Buckingham, at Tolago Bay, on Wednesday evening, and attracted a large attendance.

Captain Tucker has left for the Bluff, where he joins the Tutanekai, upon which Lord and Lady Ranfurly are travelling to the outlying islands. Captain Tucker proceeds by the steamer to his property at Campbell Island. Yesterday Mr C. Butler, of Port Awanui, telephoned : —“ f caught a pigeon at 10.30 this morning, bearing a message : —‘ Let go Jauuary Ist, 1902, 9 a.in., line weather.’ The message is signed H.M»"

The picnic committee of the Loyal Star of Gisborne Lodge, 1.0.0. F., desire us to state that the thanks of the committee aro heartily tendered to Bro. Walter White for his timely assistance at the ferry, with his waggon and horses, thus relieving the congestion in a few trips. Mr Sampson, Chief Postmaster, informs us that the Christmas business at the Gisborne office for the four days ending 24th inst., showed that the number of articles dealt with was 16,734 as. compared with 13,508 for the same four days of 1900. The number of telegrams despatched and received was 2000 an increase of 246. The Harbor Board has received from the commander of H.M.S. Penguin a letter stating that, under instructions from His Excellency the Governor, the vessel will arrive at Gisborne on January 9th for the purpose of conducting a complete survey of Poverty Bay. Two officers and thirteen men will be landed, for whom the Harbor Board will find accommodation.

A Gcmbrook grower sent one caso of prime four-crown apples to Melbourne, and received in payment from the middleman sixpennyworth of stamps. He sent the stamps back to a Melbourne friend to buy sixpence-worth of the same apples, and the friend went to a city shop and got just one pound for the sixpence. This was a particularly shameful case, but tho same evil makes fruit-growing a lieartAt tho Police Court yesterday, Mr M. Stopford, J.P., presided. Robert Moody Henderson, on a charge of refusing to leave the licensed premises of the Masonic Hotel, was remanded until the 10th inst. John Thomson Carr, who was charged with drunkenness, was fined 5s and costs, and, on a further charge that being a prohibited person ho was found on licensed premises, accused was remanded until the 10th inst. Tho Auckland Star has tho following suggestive paragraph. A picnic held on Christmas Day at Mokoia Island, Rotorua, was attended by 400 sightseers. Among the visitors were a number of Australasian athletes who competed at tho recent sports at Auckland. Somo races were run, in which the Commonwealth candidates were severely defeated. It should be stated, however, that prior to tho races tho Maoris had entertained their white brethren at a magnificent dinner. The gambling spirit prevails : —The Melbourne Age says: 11 Despite the strenuous battle fought in Parliament over the clause in the Postal Bill which enables the Postmaster-General to stop the correspondence linked with Tattersall’s sweeps, the Government has allowed it to become known that it has no present intention of taking advantage of the powers conferred. The clause is not mandatory, but merely permissive. When tho Gonecal puts his draft postal regulations before the Cabinet next month a fresh conference amongst Ministers on the subject will probably take place, but meanwhile Tattersall will not bo interfered with.”

The Star of Gisborne Lodge, No. 61, of tho 1.0.0. E., held their regular meeting last night, at tho Lodge room, Masonic Hall. Bro. J. H. Colebourne, Noble Grand, presided. Bros. W. and P. Taylor, esteemed membors of tho Lodge, being about to proceed to the Transvaal as members of the Eighth Contingent, were farewelled enthusiastically by the Noble Grand on behalf of the membors, and granted visiting cards to onablo them to receive tho benefits conferred on travelling Oddfellows. A very hearty vote of thanks was passed do Bros. White, Rice, and Harrison, for valuable assistance at the picnic, and also to the ladies who assisted in such a successful manner ; and it was decided to entertain them and members' wives at a social evening at an early date. The installation of offices takes place next meeting, when it is

hoped that Past Grand Master Bro. Jno. Burchell, from Auckland, will be present. An emergency meeting to confer degrees will be held this evening at 9 o’clock. The Press says:—ln connection with" the magnetic work of tho Discovery expedition, it may be mentioned that the readings taken daily between Simon’s

Bay and Lyttelton reveal westerly errors in the Admiralty chart, supplied to marinors, amounting in some places to 4 degrees. That is to say, that along a curve marked “ 30 degrees west ” variation, the true variation was found to bo perhaps 34 degrees, so that a navigator relying on the chart would be steering moro than a third of a point off his course. It

is to be remembered, though, that the Discovery’s officers have only worked out these items approximately, and the results will not be definitely known until the hydrographer in London, to whom the observations have been forwarded, calculates the wholo matter accurately. As the last magnetic work in the area in question was done in 1842, and the curves on the chart were merely figured out from the known northern movement of the south magnetic pole, it was quite expected that readings of good instruments, by the competent men on tho Discovery, would show certain errors.

, A most enjoyable picnic and sports j meeting was held at Te Horo, Port 1 Awauui, on Boxing Day. A large num- • ber of the residents of the surrounding . district freely giving contributions toward the sports. The principal promoters were ; Messrs Hansen, Beacky, Kirk, McDonald : and others. Invitations were sent to ; Messrs Ngata and Wi Peperc, as well as i to all the Native schools, the result being ; a very la-go gathering of both Europeans and Maoris. At a well-provided dinner , Mr Ngata, on behalf of the Natives, > thanked the committee for all they had i done. It gave him great pleasure to see both races mixing so freely together. He then tendered to the committee and all present- an invitation from the Natives to attend a similar gathering next Boxing Day. A dance and musical evening in Mr Butler’s hall wound up one of the most pleasant gatherings ever held in Port Awanui. A sumptuous sit down supper was provided by Mr and Mrs Butler. Songs were given by Mrs McDonald, Misses Taylor, Milner, and Ryan (Auckland), also by Messrs A. T. Ngata and W. Kelly. An Irish jig was danced by Mr D. McDonald. There was a large attendance of bowlers at the Gisborne Club’s green during the holidays, and the following matches were played : Rosie, Willock, Pettie, and Witty (skip) 21, v. Nicholas, Morgan, Robertson, and McGowan (skip) 24; Score, F. Pettie, Quigley, and Simson (skip) 19, v. Lewis, Harris, Matthewson, and Ilennessy (skip) 1G; Martin, Nicholas, Ambridge, and Dixon (skip) 33, v. Willock, Quiglej-, Wallace, and Witty (skip) 11; Lewis, Pettie, Hennessy, and Simson (skip) 22, v. Orr, Robertson, Matthewson, and McGowan (skip) 16. Witty’s team played a game of 14 heads against the side skipped by McGowan, winning by 23 to 9. Simson’s side also played 14 heads with Dixon’s, winning by 20 to 9. The representative teams had a bad time of it yesterday, Ponsford’s rink being defeated by Nicholas, Quigley, Witty and Dixon, after a close game, by 22 to 19, whilst Coleman’s team were beaten by Massey, McGowan, Hennessy, and Simson (skip) by 50 to 25. Ambridge, Morgan, F. Pettie, and Simson (skip) also defeated f Lewis, Harris, Orr, and Hennessy by 21 ( to 17,

A Timaru school girl of fifteen has not misso-d a single school day in ten years.

In a Southern Court, a witness said that one shilling an hour overtime was enough for any one—“ You, too,” lie said, looking at the counsel. According to a weekly trade journal, a Sunday selling expert sergeant has beeu using a skeleton key in his eff *s to catch a licensee. If it is true, ho s' aid be dealt with the same as any oil. . burglar.— Sydney Truth.

A contempt of Court • .re recently decided in Chicago prose ‘ s sr : le phases of unusual interest. The Chicago American, owned by William 11. Ilearst, has been making a long-continued tight, more or loss spectacular, upon ihe People’s Gas Company. The case having reached a stage where au application for the forfeiture of the charter of the Gas Company was asked, it became tho duty of Judge Hanecy to investigate the claims and deal out justice. The judge sustained the Gas Company. Not agreeing with tho Judge in the position ho took, the American suggested, without-the accustomed newspaper dexterity, that, if. his decision were not actually bought, at least it was inspired by hidden motives. Whereupon, the editor of the American, and one reporter were sentenced to a brief imprisonment in gaol for contempt of Court. The American demanded a trial by jury, claiming the right of the freedom of the press. Here was a unique situation—one great freedom institution arrayed against another; News v. Law and Government. Ex-Governor Altgeld, defending the newspaper, argued that whether the article published was really' intended as a contempt of justice or not, was a matter for a jury to decide. The counsel for the Court based his claim on the ground that tho Court cannot suffer injurious affront or allow its processes to be neglected or its purposes to fail. Self-protection is its power; summary processes its expedient. If such attacks were allowed to go unpunished, the judicial department could not long survive. A complicated case sure enough. To the freedom of speech pitted against the dignity of the Court was added the right of a judge, as opposed to that of a jury. The decision was rendered in favor of Judge Hanecy. The gaol has been robbed of its distinguished guests by habeas corpus proceedings granted before another Judge.