Local and General.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXX, Issue 3549, 13 June 1912, Page 4

Local and General.

An eld woman and a man were arrested for drunkenness last evening. Two first offenders for drunkenness were each fined ss. and costs (2s) at the Magistrate’s Court yesterday. ‘•'The English Pierrots” will arrive from the South this morning, and will give their opening performance at His Majesty’s Theatre to-night. Judging by the booking the success of their season) is assured.

To-morrow morning the local corps of the (Salvation Army will extend a welcome to Mr and Mrs Stein and family, who are arriving from Scotland To take up their , residence in New Zealand. Mr. Stein, who comes with a high reputation as a bandmaster, will take over the conductorship of tl/e hand of the local corps.

The Oamaru Mail has been informed that a farmer’ ini the district who had a crop of 60 acres cf potatoes endeavored the other daw to secure in Oamaru men to fallow the digger and gather and hag the crop, but that lie could not induce men to undertake the.ta.sk, though be offered to pay them 2s an hour and drive them cut to the ground. The Trades Council lias decided to again ask the ratepayers to meet the Council in regard to the cost cf sewerage connections. A reply has been received from tike Borough Council, and this will be submitted on Tuesday evening next to those ratepayers piesent. The meeting will probably be held in "Whinray’s Hall- Further particulars will lie advertised in a future issue.

i A big-built Scotsman, well, on in years, named Alexander McLellan, pleaded guilty to vagrancy before Mr. W. A. Barton, S-M.. at the Magistrate’s Court yesterday. Detective ’Mitchell explained that the accused had made himself a nuisance bv loitering about hotels and keeping company with intoxicated persons. He had ignored warnings to leave the town. His "Worship convicted the vagrant, and ordered him to enter into a bond of £'o to come up for sentence when called upon. A clever and pointed definition cf a Royal Commission was given bv Mr. W. D Stewart at a gathering of High School old boys at Dunedin, on Wednesday night (says the Otago Daily Times). He remarked that he would have to avoid displaying his ignorance of the subject of education lest he should be * summoned before the Royal Commission on Education: and lie added by way of information, that a Royal Commission was a body that collected the consolidated ignorance of the community at the expense of the consolidated revenue, and then published it in a bulky volume, which nobody read but everybody had to pay for- The sally was received with roars of laughter.

Not a few smiles were occasioned at Court yesterday by Native witnesses (giving evidence through an interpreter) making lapses into good King’s English, under the stress of cross-examination. One witness caught himself on the point of answering “Yes” or “No” on several occasions and, when pressed by counsel as to whether lie coukl speak English, replied. "I can't.” There were other equally amusing slips which call to mind a case of Celestial cuteness which occurred in a Southern Court. The clerk informed a Chinaman that he had been fined £l, but the wily Chinee, no matter how it was shown to him, responded blandly, “No savee. no savee.” An enterprising counsel came to the rescue. Leaning on the s:dc of the do'k, he said loudly: “Fined £o, John; £5.” “No —fear! One pound.” came the Easterner’s iotort as-soon as he noted the increase-

On Tuesday three gentlemen found themselves at Napier faced with the necessity of reaching Gisborne by Wednesday morning. The mail steamer was delayed, but a careful inquiry led to the chartering of the steamer Rum for the voyage, subject to the charterers being able' to find the engineer of the craft. Picture, then, a frantic search for the solution of the puzzle: Find the engineer! It Is not recorded exactly wliat places were visited, but finally the trio were reduced to desperation, until it was decided to search the picture theatres. These were visited, and the managers of the houses lending a sympathetic ear to the difficulty, patrons of the shows were somewhat astonished to behold on the screen a request for the engineer in such demand to disclose himself. He did so, and the Rum arrived at Gisborne yesterday in ample time for a wedding, which was the primary cause of all this ado.

A winsome little Maori boy, of. say, eleven summers, displayed remarkable intelligence as a witness at Court yesterday, and liis repartee to purposely “catchy” questions was refreshing! v smart. After the neatly-clad little fellow, with only his smiling -face peeping over the box, had denied that lie had been influenced in his evidence or even spoken to, counsel asked him who told him to conie to Court, the question apparently being a “feeler” as to whether the party he had been called by had spoken to him. The interpreter laughingly said that the boy answered, “A. policeman told me.* He gave me a blue paper-” Then bow did you know what- to say? he was asked. * “I knew what I would have to say, because I knew what I had seen,”*came the terse and tolling answer. At another time the boy ignored the interpreter, and replied to a question by the Magistrate, with a decisive “Yes.” “English this time, eh?” smilingly noted His Worship.

An Interesting Show.—Lovely broad-end flowing silk ties, the very latest fashions, in gent.’s wear, and of lovely quality- You cap see them in Melbourne Cash side window, and have your pick for Is. There are hundreds more inside, and it is one of the cheapest lines ever offered in Gisborne. Many designs are also suitable for ladies’ wear.*

Most ladies who go sliopp'ng appreciate a bargain—that is if it’s a genuine bargain. During the last four days scores of ladies have taken advantage of C. Rosie and Co.’s special offer of dress tweeds and costume skirts, and every buyer has been thoroughly satisfied—some, in fact, com'ing back for a second supply. These goods have arrived at the wrong time through an error, and must be cleared out at once.*

It is probable that some charges of perjury will arise out of evidence given in a case before the Court at Gisborne recently.

The Union Company has purchased the steamer Harmony, to be re-named the Kauroa, to replace the Kotuxu. Her tonnage is 2883 gross and her dead-weight capacity 5050 tons. She was built in 1905. It is stated that to court observation is the best way to avoid it. Maybe. but at least the Dog Show is not a safe place for the owners of unregi stored v dogo to test that principle of strategy in (says the Dunedin Star). They say that the inspector found some 20 animals there which should be aiid are not, registered citizens of Dunedin’s dog world. A od. catalogue gave him all the further information he needed for his end.

On July 1 a. new declaration for ad valorem goods will have to -be made by importers (telegraphs our Dunedin correspondent). In the new declaration the importer of such goods will have to declare, inter alia, the failmarket value of the goods, that the invoice produced in verification of such value is the genuine and original invoice from the manufacturer, merchant or person from whom the goods were purchased, and that the invoice contains true statements of the quantity and 'kind of goods, the prices charged for, and the total amount paid, or to be paid, for the goods by the importer.

In the passenger list of the steamer Tain’ui may lie noticed a "whole family b-r the name of Ash—twelve souls in all—who are to grace the Dominion henceforth. Probably the heads of this family never stopped to consider the importance of the Christian names of their children when represented by the initial letter only. The most uny fortunate in the family is probably Miss R. Ash, but Miss M. Ash is to be commiserated with! Miss L. Ash is probably very cutting in her remarks about the hash which has been made of the whole business. Other members of the family are T. Ash, E. Ash, J. Ash, A. Ash, i. Ash, £. Ash, senr., and Mrs Ash. whose Christian name might. easily commence with a “C.” Truly can it be said that England has lost the “Ashes”! A bomb by the Defence Department was thrown* amongst the Territorials on Thursday (says the North Otago Times) in the form of a demand for 10s each as a fine for not being on pa-

rade on Monday morning last (King’s Birthday). There being only 2-5 out of about 400 that answered to the roll ‘call a fine sum is expected to be collected. The document .states that all

tho--e who have not paid the demand within seven days will, in due course, have to present themselves before the HM.. who has been appointed to adjudicate in the matter. " On this occasion rifles, "uniform, side arms, and kit will -be dispensed with, and it will not even count as a drill.

The Lake Wakatipu. Mail states that when the application for the renewal of the license of the Mandeville Hotel cam? on at the annual meeting cf the Licensing Committee last Satur-

day the applicant's solicitor asked for a reduction of the license fee because lie only did_a whisky business, i.e., he sold most'of his whisky by the case to people living in the nc-lieense district

of Mataura. He, therefore, could not. it was contended, expect to make as much as the publican who got equal to twenty nips out of a bottle and retailed it at 6d per glass. The Committee were not. however, influenced, by such reasoning, and declined to reduce the fee. Probably they were of tli? same opinion as many others—that this house, being near the border of a no-license district, did a roaring trade in whisky—by the case. The lawmen have a standing toast “To the jolly testator who makes his own. will,” says the Press. It seems to the reporters who attend the Magistrate’s Court that the medical profession might raise some similar idea, judging from the woebegone appearance of the gentlemen and ladies who tell the Bench that their appearance is due solely to a mistaken belief that alcohol in some form er other would meet their symptoms. Recently a man who had taken schnapps “for his back” said that he had lost his cycle: and in addition he was fined also for drunkenness and breach cf the peace. Humor was added to the ease by the fact that the youth, with whom he was alleged to have brawled referred to himself, the witnesses, and all others concerned as “gentlemen.” The mere man, of any other synonym appeared to have no place at all in his vocabulary.

Rev. Father O’Connor, preaching at the 9.30 a.in. Mass at St. Patrick’s Church, Napier, on a recent Sunday, rather startled some cf his grewingup young friends (says the Herald*). In. announcing certain banns for the third time, he said he regretted net having a fresh couple to announce, and he wanted to know the reason for the backwardness of the young men. j He said there were young men in the parish earning good wages—aye, far : more than their fathers earned when they got married and set up housekeeping—and lie wanted to know why they were so long “company-keep-ing.” He warned his young friends that if they did not come and requestthe bauns to be published, he would publish them himself! Such a threat coining; from a. pastor so loved and revered has caused considerable consternation among certain young people. Some of the Sydney papers have been busy choosing a name for the new 13,000-ton liner now being builton the Clyde for the Union Company. According to one journal the new vessel will probably be named the “Ottawa.” The choice of names was “Ottawa,” “Mohawk,” and “Alberta,” As a matter of fact, however, all three are (says the Otago Daily Times), simply guesses. A number of names have been submitted to Sir James Mills from which to make selection, but they do not include those mentioned, because they are already appropriated by other vessels, and would therefore be ruled out by the Board ’of Trade. Similarly, the “Pakeha” was ruled out as a suitable one for the present ferry flyer, and for that reason’ she was christened

“Maori” instead. The management at* headquarters states that there has been no indication whatever from Sir James Mills as to what the name of the new vessel will be.

Yen Arx, “tbe man of mystery,” astounded everyone by the ease with which he picked half-crowns out of the atmosphere. Gishomeites. by dealing at tbe People’s Emporium,* the new shop next the Kimpton-Cycle Co-, can pick up pennies, threepenny-bits, sixpences, shillings, half-crowns —aye, and even pounds—every day of the week. Call and see if this is not a fact.*

For Children's Hacking Cough at night, Woods’ Great Peppermint Cure. Ls fid, 2s 6d.— Advt.

“Gentleman at large,” was the “occupation” given by a- Maori witness at Court yesterday. “It reminds me,” said Mr. Finn, “of the witness, when asked what he was, said, “A true Irishman, begdrra,.’ ” “And a witness, in reply to- the usual question,” said Mr. Barton, “told me lie was a. Roman Catholic.”

Adjutant Marshall, officer in charge of the local corps of the Salvation Army, left for Wellington last, night to take part in the welcome to <jommisioner Richards, of England, who “will arrive at Wellington to-day, to assume command of the Army in'New Zealand. The appointment of Commissioner Richards severs the Dominion from Australia, from which county operations have hitherto been directed. Lieut.-Colonel Fisher has been appointed chief secretary in New Zealand-