The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. MONDAY, APRIL 19, 1909.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2479, 19 April 1909, Page 4

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. MONDAY, APRIL 19, 1909.

At the Police Court on Saturday morning,. before Mr. \V. A. Barton, S.M., a first offender for drunkenness was convicted and fined 5s and 2s costs,'or 24 hours’ imprisonment.

Already 85 entries-have been received tor the singe-handed endive tuornament among themembers of the Cosmopolitan Club. It is expected that by the time the entries are to close, next Friday night, a total of at least, one hundred \Yi 1! have been received.

A meeting of the Hospital Trustees will 1)0 held on Tuesday afternoon to appoint a lady superintendent at the Gisborne Hospital. Two applications were submitted to Dr. Valintine, upon ■which, the Inspector-General ol Hospitals was asked to make a recommendation. II is report came to baud ou Saturday morning, and will bo considered ai ilu; meeting.

A general meeting of the East Coast Acclimatisation Society will bo held at the Masonic Hotel at 3.30 p.m. on Wednesday next.

The annual meeting of the Freezers’ Union will be held in Townley’s ITall this evening. It will be preceded by a special meeting, which is to begin at 7.30 p.m.

The Makauri troop of the East Coast Mounted Rifles parades at 7.30 to-night at Waerenga-a-hika, and the Gisborne troop at the Garrison Hall at 7.30 p.m. on Wednesday.

It is announced that the Waikoliu County Council has established a public pound on the Kanakanaia bridge reserve, and has appointed Mr. George F. Bell poivndkecper.

The revenue received at the Customs House, Gisborne, last week was:—Customs duties £875 Gs Id, beer duty £2l Od, light dues £8 IGs Bd, shipping fees 7s Gd, total £905 13s.

The Gisborne Gas Company notifies that the rule making the 20tli of each month the last day on which discount will ho allowed on customers’ accounts will be strictly adhered to.

A meeting of the Turanganui Bowling Club is to be held at the Royal Hotel tliis evening, at 8 o’clock, when a motion to alter the date of the annual meeting from September to July will be dealt with.

The Gisborne Rifle Corps now forming a physical drill squad, and the first practice under Sergeant McLaughlin will he held on Wednesday evening, ii the Garrison Hall. It is hoped that there will he a good muster of members of the corps.

A wood-chopping contest is to take place in Wbmray’s Bull on Friday next between H. Jones, of Tasmania, who is announced as the challenger, and IV. Trainer, .of New Zealand. The latter is to receive a handicap. Further particulars are advertised elsewhere in this, issue.

The ping-pong tournament in connection with the Y.M.C.A. is attracting much attention with the Association members, and the list for the names of those taking part is rapidly filling up. The tournament, for which" a small entrance fee iJS made, will commence next Saturday evening, and will . be continued on consecutive Saturday nights.

In the affiliation case of Lillian Ellis Edwards (Mr J. R. Kirk) v. Charles Benney (Mr Stock) Mr W. A. Barton, gave judgment on Saturday morning. After reviewing the evidence His Worship adjudged Benney the father or complainant’s child, and made an order for the payment of 7s Cd weekly until the child was 14 years old. Defendant was also ordered to pay £2s 2s costs.

The following have booked passages by Messrs J. It. Redstone and Sons’ coaches leaving town this morning:— For Tarewa, Air. Johnston, Air. Dodson ; for Alorere, Aliss Ryhan; for Wairoa, Alessrs Jay and T. W. Smith; for Tiniroto, Aliss Uren; for Te Roinga, Air. Wallace; for Orehau, Air. C. Wynyard and boy, Homipare Wahiue; for Tologa, Airs. Lynch, Messrs Aloore, Shelton, and two natives; for Waipiro, Alessrs Flint and F. Kemp.

The following telegram has been reeieved by the Alayor from Air. Widdon, District * Railway Engineer, Wellington: “Extension of siding at Kaitaratahi, to permit of grab being placed on Council’s siding, now in hand.” Given fine weather, it is anticipated that the first load of gravel should arrive early next week, and arrangements have been made by Air. Day, statiomnastcr, to have at least a dozen trucks bringing gravel in daily when the supply becomes available.

At His Alaiesty’s Theatre on Thursday next the Gisborne Juvenile Dramatic Club will present “The Down Express,” a drama of American life, full of excitement and humor irom start to finish. Special scenery has been painted for the occasion, a main feature of this being the Shrewsbury railway station by night, in which a great railway sensation is enacted. The orchestral . effects are in tlie hands of Air. AI. L. Foster. The box plan for the performance opens this morning at Air. Aliller’s.

At the next meeting of the Hawke’s Bay Land Board, Air. E. Lane will move —“That this Board, while approving of the proposed purchase of AJv. Alac-kerseys Tongoio property for close settlement, draws the atttention of the Government to the suitability of much of Hawke’s Bay province for closer settlement, and considers that money borrowed for close settlement constitutes a far better defence of these islands than the offer to Britain of empty Dreadnoughts, which a single bomb might send to the bottom.”

The Loyal Gisborne Lodge, 1.0.0. F.,, ALU., will hold an open meeting this evening for the entertainment of the members and their friends. The lodge will meet hailf-an-hour earlier than usual in order to allow of the visitors being admitted at a quarter past S o’clock. An highly attractive musical programme has been prepared for the entertainment of the company, and the gathering is to he what is known as a “pound night.” each' member being required to bring a pound of material for the general refreshment.

A meeting of the East Coast Trades and Labor Council was hold on Saturday night, Air. AL G. Nasmith, junr, presiding. At the Council’s request, Air VV. I). Lysnar was in attendance and addressed the meeting in reference to the mayoral election. The address occupied an hour, in which the speaker touched on the outstanding features of tin* campaign. Air. Lysnar received an attentive hearing, and after a number of questions had boon put ami answered, a hearty vote of thanks was accorded him for Lis' address. The Council then went into committee, and arranged matters in connection with the municipal election.

Information was received in Gisborne oil Saturday that although the negotiations. between the Government and Air Sydney AVillianison for the purchase of Niagara station, Ngatapa, had boon suspended for some days, the Government lias decided to acquire the property for the purpose of closer settlement. The price of the property has not boon disclosed. The Niagara, estate comprises 10,097 acres, several hundred of which is good Hat country, and is considered tv land experts to he second to none in the whole district. In all probability this portion will be cut up into small allotments suitable for dairy farms. wliih\the remainder will be subdivided for runs*

Of all tho Wairarapa townships, Carteuton is the only one m winch no-dog tax is collected, consequently the town is swarmed with useless canines.

A movement vs on foc« in Feu Idm for tho formation of a Defence luile Club. Already close upon thirty .business and professional men have signified their willingness to join the club.

“Royal” stag head, .exhibited at the Franco-Biitieh Exhibition by Mr ■ field, private secretary to Lord i-un-ket, has been awarded a gold medal. The head came from the Mairaiapa.

The Wanganui Municipal Opera House made “a profit of £250 for the Council during'tho yeai ended Ma 31st. The Council has decided not to reinsure the building, preferung carry its- own risk.

The Tairawhitii District Maori Land Board announces that three sections in Waipaoa No. 5 block, and a scction in Ohinepoutea block, will ho \ rc^£ Gl ,‘;“ for lease by public tender at greatly reduced rentals. I articulais 2s area, cite., are advertised elsewhere m this issue.

“You have been an unfortunate man,” said cross-examining counsel to a witness in If-ho Court at "Wanganui. “I don’t consider myself unfortunate. “'Well,” continued the legal one, you have had considerable litigation lately, with large interests involved, and lost your cases, and have been unfortunate. “Oh, yes,” philosophically and smning!v replied witness, “but I have bad other litigiLion before, and always been on the aight side of the .once, don’t take anything badly, not eveii your smile at me.”

A humorous incident occurred in connection with tho lecture delivered uy Lieut. -Shackleton in Christchurch. A gentleman telephoned to his office directing hhe office boy to obtain two tickets for the Shackleton lecture, taking considerable pains to bo sure the boy understood the message. . To his surprise, however, on reaching his office, he found that no tickets had been obtained. and on questioning the hoy he ascertained tbtfb he had gone to the tobacconist’s where tho were being sold, and asked for “two sticks of Shackleton mixture.”

At tho last meeting of the Hokitika Harbor Board (says the “Grey River Argus”) the chairman, after pointing out the various schemes for improving the harbor, including two from Mr Leslie Reynolds and one from Mr Thompson (of the Grey Board), said that it lias now been considered advisable to procure a further report. After consideration, the board resolved unanimously that the chairman be empowered to "arrange- for a vis/D from Mr Arthur Dillon Bell, of Auckland, to Jjilvise on a scheme lor the improvement of the Hokitika harbor.

“You can easily get work if you are willing to take the first job that offers,” remarked a member of the Benevolent Trustees to a rather young man who was applying for aid. “It is no use your going down to the wharf,” he continued; “that’s a lazy man’s job. They just- stand round and smoke and talk.” The applicant had come over from Australia, obviously with the intention of having a good look at the country. His “look at the country” eventually included a look into the board-room of the Benevolent Trustees in quest of charitable aid. The trustees granted him an order for bed and breakfast at the Army Home.

The "New Zealand Herald” suggests that Zoological Gardens should be established in Auckland. It says that a site in Cornwall Park could be obtained for the purpose, and Hhat a zoological collection could be added to, from time to time, by both gift and purchase, until it became one of the most notable of the local attractions. “The climate of Auckland,” it says, “is exceptionally favorable for both botanical and zoological collections, and the generosity that is so marked a feature of our civic life would hardly be found wanting for the future expansion and development of a zoological garden in a manner worthy of the city of Auckland were the initial difficulties overcome.”

The flaxmills in Southland are not governed hv an award of the Arbitration Court. That being so the following communication from the Invercargill correspondent of the “Otago Daily Times” is of interest: —The fiaxmill industry is in a bad way, and the mills that are going are doing very little for export, their principal work being to fill New Zealand orders for twine. Several mills have c'oscd down owing to the poor prospects of the market, and millers all over the. d’strict are waiting for a rise in the market before restarting. A local labor agent, asked about the market this morning, said that the whole troub’e lay in the royalties flaxmillors were called upon to pay. These were always about the top figure that could he demanded, and when the market fell the royalties were not reduced, and so millers had to close their mills. The wages had gone down to 6s a day, and they could not go much lower than that. In his opinion the only solution of the difficulty, other than a rise in the market: lay in the Government considering the question of royalties.