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Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2404, 20 January 1909, Page 4

To-day is the last day on which the Gas Company will allow discount on customers’ accounts.

In the pigeon match in connection with the Wairoa Clirnival on Monday. Xvitto (scratch) won the possible. Falconer being second. There are 'large entries for to-morrow’s match.

Mr. Watson Heine, ophthalmic optician, announces that his stay in Gisborne has been extended till Saturday next, January 23. He may be consulted, at Mr. Harold Kane’s pharmacy.

A Press Association telegram received last night states that a large meeting of storekeepers at Feilding yesterday resolved to keep a holiday on Friday, the anniversary of the Wellington province.

It .is announced that the Alpha SJxwmills, Timber and Shipping Go., having decided to relinquish business, are desirous of quitting their stock of kauri, totara*. and rinm, together with a stock of mouldings and a largo quantity of* fruit cases, at- reduced prices. »

Mr. IT. Lough or has forwarded to the Cook County Women’s. Guild £6 proceeds from the Waerenga-a-liika sports, which with other sums totals £25, half of the sum required to obtain the £SO promised by a local philanthropist towards the funds of the Maternity Home on condition that a similar sum was raised by subscriptions.

Eai'.y one morning last week the attention of a passer-by in Paten, Taranaki, iwas directed to the unusual behavior of a half-naked man on the parapet of the town bridge. A crowd of astonished spectators soon gathered. The unfortunate man, who appeared to be somewhat under the influence of liquor, walked along the parapet, throwing his arms about and gesticulating wildly, saying that ho was going to dive into the river below. His conduct was causing some alarm to the onlookers, as he several times nonrly overbalanced himself. Many inducements were held out to him to come down from his perilous position, hat he would not heed them. A wit in the crowd, wishing to draw him, asked if he was “looking for fight." because he could accommodate him. He scornfully refused to ho drawn. Even the tempting offer to “como and have a drink,’ was declined with a sneer. At last the Mayor, who was present, hit upon the happy idea of telling him that lie wns getting up a subscription for his benefit. The Mayor acted as if ho was really* doing so, and the man at once scrambled down to receive the money. Ho w ; as immediately seized by two able-bodied men. handcuffed by a constable, land sent to the lock-up m an express.

According to the Otaki correspondent Of the “Evening Post" great indignation is being expressed by the natives there over the continued excavations for the proposed hoarding; school in connection with the Maori College, owing to the skeletons of several bodies—two adults anti three infants —having been unearthed. Ill© natives further state that should their old burial ground be built on, they will refuse to send their children to the college. On Tuesday several of them met together and decided to l acquaint the trustees of the fact, and to make representation to have the school erected on -the vacant section at the, foot of the cemetery. Mr. T. Beven, senr., is working hard on the natives’ behalf. It is understood that a meeting of the trustees is to be held to consider the position.

Our short serial stories, by an unknown author, will bo continued as usual every Saturday, and wo feel confident they will create as much excitement as,heretofore. This week is a stirring tale of interest entitled “Dover Egg Boaters for sixpence each,", at Parnell’s*Popular Saturday Sales, 23rd inst. only. . *

The following is the final selection of the team to. represent the Gisborne Fire Brigade at the united Fire Brigade’s Association tournament to ibe. held in Auckland early in (March: G. Lapidge (eapt.), 3. McLachlan, N. Kink, H. D-avoy, D. Ferguson. Emergency: A. Ituseell.

The following passengers arrived in Gisborne yesterday afternoon by Messrs Redstone and Sons’ coaches: — From Waipiro nMiss Walt, Wilson, Henderson, Gordon and two children, Messrs Wilson, Busby, Feather, Scobby, Wren, Wilkinson, and’ Sipencer. From Tologa Bay: Mrs. Born's, Mr. Oarmody. From ,Hdkawai: Mr. Rush. From Pakarae :Mr. Summers. From Tatapouri: Mr. Williams.

Mr. Harold Ashton, manager of Mr. J, C. Williamson’s Musical Comcdy (Company, desires to give his absolute assurance to theatregoers th'at "The Prince of P/ilsen” will be presented to-night in . its entirety. He is.afraid that in view of the company, leaving per the Manuka after the ! performance it might be imagined that tlie entertainment would be curtailed. This will not be so,.hut the production will in every way be precisely the same as in Auckland, where this famous musical play met with such ‘.favor.

Apropos the prodigiously long orations of the Maoris, writes a correspondent to the London "Daily Chronicle,”- it may amuse your readers to know that only a little over twenty years rago my uncle, a judge in New Zealand, was obliged to issue an order to the effect that "in -future singing would not he taken as evidence in his court.” it was the constant habit of the Maoris when pleading a cause to sing'long and quite poetic sagas. As these generally begun with legends of their remote ancestors, sometimes many hours, even days, - would be spent before the point (possibly a trivial one) was reached. There is something Gilbertian in this idea, hut any ' old'New Zealander could vouch for the facts.

A very fine specimen of a Cornishwoman, " who recently . arrived from England, escorted two of her daughters to the Labor Bureau the other day with the object of getting them a start in life in their new country. She was. greatly terrified and ultimately astonished at the apparent black magic of the telephone, which she had never seen before, and which was requisitioned in the quest for a job, hut when she found that the instrument was offering her daughter 12s Gd a week as a domestic she became reconciled to the still small voice. "Do you mean to say you are talking about my daughter?” she exclaimed. "Twelve and six, that’s a power of money,” and she left with visions of great savings in days to come and a very keen appreciation of the functions of the telephone.

During his rounds of the town a few -weeks ago, Mr. O. Ferris, aetingBorough Inspector, called at on old and dilapidated building in Gladstone Road. On making investigation the inspector found in a small, dirty, and foul-smelling room, only Bft square, a woman of 82 years of age in a stage of advanced cancer lying on bed. The left side of her face and neck to the shoulder was a mass of sores, nauseating in the extreme. The windows and door were closed, whilst a young man was endeavoring to cook some feed on a range a few feet away from the woman’s -bed. The -atmosphere, owing to the heat and lack of sanitary ventilation, was vitiated in the extreme. " The woman was shifted and tendered medical comfort, but expired three days ago. The room has since been thoroughly disinfected, but the question of demolishing the building will probably be brought under the notice of tlio District Health Officer. The balance-sheet of the Loyal Gisborne Lodge, No. GOS 7, 1.0.0. F.. ALU., for the year ending December 31, 190 S, lias been issued to members. Sick pay to members during the year totalled £TI9 os. The amount received towards the hospital and relief fund was £ll, and £l7 os 6d had been paid in hospita-l fees, £5 os towards the Maternity Home, and the fund shows a balance of £lB ISs 6d. The surplus fund account showed that the interest on invsetments in connection with the fund amounted to £43 9s 9d. Additional sick puy of 10s per week to members from this fund (amounted to £lO os. The present value of the fund was £915 13s 9d. The values of the other funds stood as follows: Sick and funeral, £4IBB 3s 7d; management fund, £l2O 9s sd. The funds nre invested as follows: £3258 15s Od at 5 -percent., £1686 os at o-i per cent-., £125 in a freehold section, £599 Os 3d in the Post Office Savings Bank. The cash in the' treasurer’s hands is £73 2s 2d. The total funds of the Lodge (amount to £5779 19s 3d. The number of members is 207, of whom 115.-are married. The number reported sick during the year was 32.

“She Stoops to Conquer’’.—Goldsmith declared in his haste that he would write no more plays. But the increasing pressure of his debts induced him to try Ills fortune once more in this field, in the hope of realising a large sum in a short time. Ho wrote the admirably humorous comedy “She Stoops to Conquer” founding the plot on that long-past escapade of his youth, when he had mistaken a gentleman’s house' for an inn, and ordered a- supper and a bottle of Wine with the air of a young Croesus. The piece proved a brilliant success land filled the author’s purse with guineas. Wm. Pettic and Co. have not written ia play, hut they have issued a Sale Catalogue in this edition, the like of which has not boon seen in Gisborne, and which will without doubt prove as successful, and as attractive, and draw as many people as any play that was ever staged. There arc bargains for men and for women, for boys and for girls, for rich and for poor. When the reporter was having a peep as the. display was been got ready, the universal saying of the assistants was: 'A regular feast of bargains. How long will the sale last? A fortnight, probably throe weeks. There is aßremeudous lot of goods to bo sold, that was tho answer to the question by one of the heads of a department. Wo have to congratulate 'Messrs- Petti© .and Co. onxtheir enterprise, and wish them as great success with their sale .as Goldsmith achieved with his comedy.*

; A serious accident happened to a girl namcd'Norman, at Matapouri the other day. She was sitting on a jog when it overbalanced and pinned Ijgpr to the ground by her face. Mrs. .\»- man went to her daughter’s assistance and pushed away the log. The girl was much cut about the mouth, and a stick must have entered, her mouth, for the jaw was badly broken. The child was taken to Whangarei in a serious state to receive medical attention. Some of the city tramcars leak electricity, and the trouble seems to bo worse when the weather is wet, says the Christchurch "Press.” Passengers receive shocks when treading on the iron footplates or when touching i lie metal bars, and some have had the experience of executing an involuntary jump jvben the pennies touched the fingers of the guard. The shocks are not severe and are not at all dangerous, but they are disconcerting to persons who possess "nerves.” Voting at a general election is simple enough in -New Zealand-' and yet hundreds or electors make mistakes in the straightforward easy way of pencilling. The method here is the merest child’s play compared with the complicated method in some of the American States at a Presidential election, ns a -glance at a sample Californian ballot-paper, displayed at the Wellington Public Library, shows. The issues are many, and the use of the voting machine makes the procedure more formidable than it really ’ is. After the method of voting "a straight ticket” is explained, the ek-e----tor is told how to vote a split ticket, ten candidates for the College of Electors,- thus: "First—move the operating lever to the. right as far as it will .go. This will open the machine for voting. Second —depress bv pushing down each numbered key opposite, and to the right of each candidate’s name appearing on the machine, and for whom you wish to vote. When the numbered key is down, a cross will be exposed showing your choice. Third—lf you desire to retract or correct a mistake, raise a numbered key that is down, and depress the numbered key for the can-* dictate you desire to change for. Exa---mine each key and see that a cross appears opposite each candidate's name. If you have made your choice _ move the operating lever to the left as -far as it- will go. This wid count your vote and set the machine for the next voter.” Then there is "groun voting.’’ when two or more persons are to be elected to the same office, such as presidential electors or superior judges, and there is voting the referendum, on sixteen or seventeen legislative questions. After perusing the bewildering ballot-paper, the elector reads: "No voter will be allowed to remain in the machine longer thp.n two minutes.''