NEWS ITEMS

Gisborne Times, Volume IX, Issue 710, 5 January 1903, Page 4

NEWS ITEMS

Mr S. J. Payne, of Wombramurra sta' tion, Tainworth district, New South Wales, scratched his hand. No notice was taken of the matter for a few days, when he was taken to Tainworth Hospital, having developed signs of blood poisoning, but be gradually sank and died. Although the police provident fund was established only throe years ago, it has at the present time a credit balanco of about £17,600, the whole of which is invested in the Public Trust Oftice at 31- per cent. The nucleus of the fund was a sum of about £I6OO, made up of police rewards, fines, otc., and the balance of the money credited to tho fund has been in the shape of contributions by members of the force, each of whom has paid in a percentage of his salary. The expenditure just now is about half the receipts. Pensions are being paid to 29 ex-ofiicors, one widow, and “three orphans. The largest pensions avo drawn by ex-inspectors Pender and McGovern, each of whom receives £240 per annum. The interest earned by the fund during the past year has been nearly sufficient to pay the pensions of two out of the three inspectors who are now benefiting by the scheme. Vv'riting on station prospects, a North Canterbury correspondent of tho Christchurch Press states that flock-masters in North Ashley, Amuri, and Cheviot Counties are nearly driven crazy with the broken weather since early in November.. It is a rule to begin shearing on the stations referred to after the Christchurch show, which this year proved wet, and though there has been now aud then fine weather, yet on the stations they have not had a full week of shearing weather. In several instances the shearers are being kept waiting for the weather to brace up. These provoking delays have not been experienced for many years, and the shearing charges against some of the stations for this “season are fast becoming a serious item, while the chance of getting the clip away to early sales is remote. The rains are continuing beyond all reason, in the opinion of the farmers. Hot only is much of the grain on heavy land laid as though a heavy roller had passed over it, but doubts are expressed as to whether the wheat 'will get up again. The effect of the rain on potato crops is causing anxiety. The water filled the furrows on heavy land, and it is doubtful if it will.be relieved in time to save the crops, which a week since looked most promising. Bean and pea crops, after the rain, promise to be heavy, but as they are limited in area, only a few will reap any benefit. First crops of hay, which were cut, are quite spoiled, but there is some satisfaction in the fact that the rains will promote an almost phenomenal after math,