GENERAL NEWS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2448, 12 March 1909, Page 3

GENERAL NEWS.

The spell of dry weather now being experienced in Auckland lias lasted -for just over five weeks. TV hue the present dry weather has not been sufficiently prolonged to entitle it to be called a drought, the pastures have fallen off very considerably, and a. good refreshing rain would be welcomed in the country.

Says the Napier “Telegraph”:There is more than a suspicion of regret at leaving sunny Napier in the acldrese on a letter which a resident has just received from one who some months ago loft to try his fortunes in Rhodesia. The envelope bears the superscription, “Bright, breezy, beautiful Napier, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand.”

The Minister of Railways Gays • Jus ideal of. a railway station is one that gives facilities to the men working on it., and plenty of good platform ■accommodation. He did not approve of the erection of palatial buildings simply for people to look at. This (.says the Dunedin “Star”) was in answer to a suggestion made to the Hon. Mr. Millar that when lie next visited Invercargill ho would come fortified with plane for a new station.

The bleeding methods of the- Valuation Department were a subject of comment at the Wanganui County Council’s last meeting. One councillor considered that, the Department was worse than any leech, and said that it the total amount paid each year by rhe local bodies was published it would open the eyes of ratepayers. Another councillor.'while commenting on the charges made by the Department, said that valuers were not paid sufficiently to allow them to do their work properly. The kauri timber trade in the south of New Zealand will probably meet with more competition as a result of the importation of the 1,000,000 ft of Baltic pine brought by the barque Ophelia. One hundred and twenty-five thousand foot have gone to Southland, 350/OOGit will go to Lyttelton, and the rest has been discharged at Dunedin. Whether the importations of Baltic pine will become regular cannot be said yet, but it is being sold as cheap as kauri. A good deal will depend on whether Auckland sellers will be satisfied with a fair price.

“There are some peop’e in this borrough,” said the Mayor of Grey Lynn at last Council meeting, “who keep their lawns beautifully green, and yet have no meter, and therefore no right to use a hose. The ratepayer who has the audacity to use a hose at a time like the present, when there is such a scarcity of water, should he punished with the utmost rigour of the law. If our inspectors can catch them, we will show no quarter. TV hen you can isee the. water running outside the fences across the footpath, this dry weather, it is time action was taken.” The Council decided that action be taken -against all offenders. A few weeks ago (says the “Lyttelton Times”) is tore cheep were selling at a very high rate when compared with the price of “'fats.’*" As an instance, a line of fat lambs was put up and passed in at 12s at a South. Canterbury sale. The owner took them out of their yard and mixed them up with a large lot of “store lambs,” and for the mixed lot an hour or less later on he got 12s 4d a head. During the. past week there has been a big drop, at least two shillings a head, in store sheep. One line of stores bought at 8s Gd a head less than a fortnight ago was"'sold this week at 3s Gd to 4s Gd a head, and two-tooth ewers bought at 15b were resold a few days later at 13s 2d.

An exciting incident occurred at Howiek last week, on the occasion of the picnic of the inmates of the Blind Institution, one of the girls having a narrow escape from drowning, bhe was playing with some companions, who were riding on a trolley which ran along the. wharf, when she stepped ever the edge of the wharf and fell into the water. Fortunately Mr Wyatt was close at hand, and at once jumped in alter the girl. The advantage cf Mrs Tighe having taught the girls how to swim and float was borne out in this instance, for the girl contrived to keep her head above water till rescued by Mr Wyatt. Other places than Gisborne appear to be careless in regard to sanitation. Writing in regard to nuisances Dr Russell says in the “Lyttelton Times”: “There must he an awakening and a shaking up of the dry bones of the Health Department ol the city, or we may hod ourselves face to face with an epidemic we are powerless to control.” (Dr Russell enclosed a letter he had received from one of his correspondents complaining that the City Council allows “one of its members to have a huge piggery in the heart of the city, where scores of pigs are penned and eokl every Saturday.” The correspondent goes on to say: “This piggery consists of some forty pens, rudely constructed without any regard to sanitation. There being no drainage, tho filth and liquid refuse is simply absorbed in the earth below, and all this is surrounded by a flint-rate hotel, shops, offices, refreshment rooms and work-rooms. I would ask, what is the City Council doing to allow such a state of things to ex : st within a stone’s throw of Cathedral Square.”)