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Gisborne Times, Volume IX, Issue 910, 8 June 1903, Page 2

A RIDICULOUS SENTENCE. At Invercargill a scoundrel iiamet John B. Bassuan, aged sb, was let off with ;] sentence of twelvemonths hard labor for indecently assaulting a little boy and a little girl. Judge Deunislon said that the ease was a bad one, the prisoner being guardian of the children. A few nays previously a judge in the .South obtained some notice —wo lccl like saying notoriety— lor Ins ingenious detenecs of dime of a revolting kind because of environment and so on. That was bad enough ; hut it is positively a shocking thing that a judge should take such a lenient view of the horrible crime mentioned. it is little wonder that agitation is raised m regard to sentences for defrauding a few business men when crime of a revolting kind is so lightly viewed in the South. The adverse critics of Judge Conolly certainly could never say against him that he took a lenient view ot abominable offences against women and children. A sentence such as that passed at Invercargill can surely not he expected to act as a deterrent to crime, It is

to be hoped i hat there are some j palliating circum.stuncos ;o account I f for what seems a most ridiculous : sentence. Tiie Veutura, with English mails, left Sun Francisco on June 4th. The funeral of the late William Webster w ! leave the Hospital tins afternoon at o Tii.- ,\..pn: Lorotigii Council has iiui.ied <1 ;,Y-iaW prohibit in- street be ; I ,ng, Ui.u.r a penally not cXcceiiHi; I ..i-iity pounds. Ai! ihe Newtown publicans arc prui ...i-ng si the Supreme Court lor a imtiiii..mils to compel the Licensing Comuiitice lo grant renewals oi 1 -Ifnst s. .Major ..i-irtiMiii, retired from the | Dunedin permanent garrison under I the retrenchment sciieme, was pre- | rented with a sold Watch and chant ; and an address. Air K N. -lours iuts received coitgra l nlitt ions from all parts of Ihe colony, in connection with his proposed appointment as iTesidelit. oi the East Aiaon Land Council and Judge of tiie Native Laud Court. At Auckland Albert Vaughan, suiK j inc; from delirium tremens, was jciuaiidcd for a week tor medical treatment,. lie. was a suspended clergyman who had arrived iront Sydney a fortnight ago. Owing to the demand For rctrigerator space, in the June subsidised .steamer Cornwall, the New Zealand and .South African Steamship Company will put. on an extra steamer to carry some of the general cargo, engaged for shipment by the Cornwall, particularly oats and potatoes. When the police wisiud to bring onwu tiiu Alaon Kureupa and his who to the I Wanganui Hospital, tue natives objected to the two being sent by tbe same train, tile source of uio objection being that it was not proper for Lie victim and Uic assailant to travel by me same train. The Wanganui Licensing Committee refused a license to Koux liinsum temporarily licensee of the Criterion Hotel, who was charged with permitting gambling, and the license reverts to tho former licensee. The Commit lee adjourned applicat ions for wholesale licenses pending a .Supreme Court decision, and granted all packet licenses.

Nominations ior the following events of tin; (Jisburno Racing Club’s Steeplechase meeting will be received by the Secretary’ tins evening at 0 : Handicap Hurdle Race, Hying Handicap, Gisborne i-Tuk Steeplechase Handicap, Winter Cats Handicap, Second Handicap Hurdie llace, Waikanae Handicap, Te Hapara Steeplechase Handicap, and Final Handicap. A daring robbery occurred the other afternoon m Bourke street, Melbourne. John Harry, a bookmaker, was standing on the footpath with notes to the value oi £57 in his hand, when suddenly a young man rushed up, snatched the notes, and dashed through toe Opera House into an adjuiumg iane, followed by a second man, who successfully blocked and jostled Harry during Ins pursuit. The Nelson Colonist states that Mr William Tyree has made application lor a license lor a water-race, tu oo used in the manufacture of carbide of calcium. The race is estimated to cost £IO,OUO, and will be one and a half miles long. It will comuieuce at a point called Mooniignt, on the Slate River at Oollingwoud, and extend to the junction of the Slate and Aorere rivers. The proposed term of tne license is 42 years.

It is feared that a man named John Shea, who was employed at the Ukoruiro Hotel, nas been drowned in the Waihou River. Ho has been missing sincu Tuesday, aud his doming has been found on tlie river bank. A careful search has been made, but nothing further has been discovered to clear up the mystery. The missing man belonged to Htmeum, aud letters m his pocket gave the address ot his sisters as Orchard Leigh, Caversham Rise, Dunedin.

A meeting oi the Avai Road Board was field on Saturday, in the absence of the chairman (Mr J. Clark) Mr Barker presided. Mr J. B. Fluod wrote stating that be thought lie was paying too much rates on his freehold property. The Chairman proposed that the matter be deferred until there was a full meeting. Mr It. fcihcrralt wrote stating that ho had repaired the bridge across the Bukowhai creek as he was instructed to do on account of the Aral Board. The cost of the repairs was £2. Accounts amounting to £2lO 15s bd were passed for payment. To the Kditor of the Times : Sir,— Dues flic closing of licensed houses at, fen o’clock apply to gentlemen’s clubs as well as hotels 7 Or is it only the working man that is to lie deprived of his drink after ten 7 1 can do without my beer under ordinary circumstances, but if one goes to a meeting and gels dry figures to worry bis brain alt the evening, it is hard lines if he cannot get a shandygaff to quench his thirst, while his wealthy friend can get all lie wants whenever lie likes to ask for it. —I am, etc., UNIONIST.

Advice has been received from His Lordship Bishop Leniban that the lioman Catholic parish of Gisborne has been divided, the country portion being made a separate parish. The Rev. Father Mulvibill, who is very popular throughout the district, will have cliargo of the Gisborne portion and a new minister will arrive from Auckland during tbo week to take over the country division, with his headquarters at Ormond. The Rev. Father McGinnis, in view of his departure, at St.

Mary's Church yesterday morning warmly thanked the Catholics of the district, especially the country people, for their kindness to him during his short stay here.

At the annual moctiug of the Yvaitemata Licensing Committee, heal in Auckland on Friday, applications were made to have Devonport hotels kept open until 11 o'clock as hitherto. Sub-Inspector Biack objected, holding that the hour fixed ior Aucklaud (10 o’clock) should hold good in the ease ot hotels in such close proximity to the city. He thought the extended time encouraged certain people to go across to these hotels irom town to obtain drink after the city houses had closed at night. The committee retired and considered the applications, which were refused. The Hotels in question will in future close at 10 p.m. Mr Barker, member for Newtown, on his return to Wellington from the Parliamentary tiip to tlie islands, denied the insinuation which he had heaid, that drink was supplied in plenty on board tlie steamer, la reply to tins he emphatically stated that he had never travelled with a

more temperate lot of people. No drink was supplied to anybody who did not choose to buy it at the bar, just us on any ordinary steamer, and he was perfectly certain that the bar trade on this ship was not any larger than would be the case with the same number of people on any other vessel.

Mr James Constable, plumber, from Napier, arrived by the Herald on Saturday morning, bringing with him his patent valveless, silent tiush and cistern for water closets. In view of our water and drainage scheme being carried out, Mr Constable will give an exhibition of the merits of his patent on Tuesday morning at 10 o'clock, at Mr Han's plumbing works, Bright street. The Mayor anu Councillors and plumbers of Gisborne will be in attendance. The public are cordiallyinvited. The patent has been approved pi' by Mr Kershaw, Governmeut.sanitary inspector. The cistern is now in general use in Napier, and is giving every satisfaction.

A mild case of honey poisoning is reported from Onehunga. It appears that three youDg lads named Davis, McLeod, and Schmidt went out shooting on Prince of Wales’ Birthday, and there found a hive of wild honey. The lad Schmidt undertook to smoke the bees out of the hive, after which the other two lads ate at the honey freely, No evil effects were felt until the following day, when both lads became ill, and were attacked, with violent convulsions. Dr. Pabst was called tn to administer to the lad McLeod, while Dr. Scott attended young Davis. On Thursday both lads were in a dangerous condition, but they are now showing signs of marked improvement.

A lighter caught fire in E;i ■ Basin (says : a Now Yu:k t:>iti;)• ring i -me i tie vicinity. Fortunately die tire was J While returning from a funeral at Laidley. Que-tamocl. a man n uue-i D-iViil his horse saying and th.ov.i; g him against a tree. At a meeting of the Auckland Branch j of the Farmers Cuiun, ou Fiiday, it was slated that the Auckland conference had vifened nu less timn it 7 subjects to die . omnia 1 Com rttwe. and . i-c was expitjseh in a s.ich i i >.;•_• i -- w ;i d impede lire business ut me cueierencv. \ com mittefc was appointed to reduce the list. Wulle three laborers were working on a scafloid of the new buildings in course of erection for the Bank of Australasia. Sydney, the scaffold collapsed, ami the men fell to the tlcor. a d-stance of 14ft. Fred, [loach, 22, sustained slight concuisioil of the Onun. and was taken to Syducy hospital, i’.ie two oti.-crs received in.nor inj-j-ios, but wore able to walk to

Sydney hospital ior treatment.. A well known Feilding resident who was unfortunate enough to hat e to appear before the Court on a charge of not sending nis boy to school, gave rather amusing evidence. It appeals lie had a vicious horse which only his buy ami himscil cgulj drive, and lie tliotig.it, in his own interest and the public safety of Fending, it was only right that his boy should drive it during his absence. The ease was dismissed. Alt American paper shows a cable to the effect that commenting ou the estnolishment of two American eoaiing stations lit the Pacific Ocean, the Kreuz Zeitung says :—" \Vilh the Panama Canal, the Hawaiian Islands, Tutuila and the Phi lippiuts, the United ofates holds tite most stiategic points in the Western iletuispm re, where some day her supremacy will ue indisputable.” The Commonwealth, the largest- battle ship atl.jar, wiiieh was munched at Uovan, on the Clyde, on Hay Id, is the firs* vessel of the British navy to have her 10 inch guns protected by an extended barbette, instead of casements. Her other anna meut consists of four 12 inch guns, torn f) 2 inch guns and twenty-four small guns The new battleship’s speed is to be IS L> knots per hour, and she will carry a crew of Too men. The Commonwealth is of IG.ouU tons displacement, and her engines are to be of 18,000 uorse power. The question of a preferential tariff was brought up at the meeting of the Auckland Provincial Executive of the Farmers’ Union on Friday afternoon by Mr Barugli. He said lie approved of the Premier’s firstsuggestion expressed in a speech at Napier about a year ago, that a rebate should be given on British manufactured goods carried to the colonies in British ships. When ho spoke at Hamilton the other week, however, the Premier spoke of a preferential tariff as meaning the putting of an additional impost ou foreigh articles and allowing the duty on British goods to remain as at present. This was not what they wanted. He moved, “ That the question bo brought before the Colonial Conference of the Union, with a view to n being supported on tho lines originally indicated by Mr Scddon.” Mr L. Pi. Phillips seconded the motion, and endorsed Mr Barugh’s remarks. The President (Mr J. S. Piutherford) also spoke to a similar effect, and said that Customs duties should bo imposed only for revenue, and not for pro tective purposes. Ttie motion was carried.