Local and General.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 3771, 5 March 1913, Page 4

Local and General.

Next iveek three Gisborne licensees will bo prosecuted on charges of having employed unregistered barmaids. At last evening’s meeting of the Gisborne Borough Council the poundkeeper (Mr. E. Wilkinson) submitted his monthly report. This stated that during that period 19 horses and 10 head of cattle had been impounded. A meeting of the East Coast 'Acclimatisation Society will be held at. an early date, when several matters of interest will crop up for discussion. The following accounts were passed for payment at the Borough Council meeting last evening:—General account, £1373 11s; sewerage and other miscellaneous works’ loan, £lllß 9s 6d; supplementary loans, £540 18s 3d.

) Inspector York, of the Gisborne I Hospital Board staff, is confined ter ] bed with tno mumps. ! The Public Works Department ex- ! pects to be able to run a railway ser- ! vice to Matawai before the winter sets in. In the Ormond district,, the dry spell of weather is being keenly felt, and most of the settlers in the locality are under the necessity of carting water. Contraction work on the Gisborne .end of the Napier Railway is proceeding clowly, no great effort apparently being made to expedite operations. Some fine trout were landed at Motu last week, a local resident reporting the capture, among others, of a sleek 12-pounder. Areas of land on the line of the new railway near .Matawai recently changed hands at- £l2 per acre. Ten years ago the same Tand was purchased at 7s 6d per acre. It is estimated by Mr W. D. S. MacDonald, M.P., that there is more timber in sight in the Motu district than can be got out, even under most favorable conditions, during the next 15 [rears. ‘■Bcdiind the Mask/’ an impressive story sweetly told, will be the star drama in the mid-week change of programme which Pathe Pictures will present at His Majesty’s Theatre tonight. The tender of Messrs Graham and Krebs (£23 15s) was accepted by the I Borough Council last evening for the painting and decorating of No. 2 tramcar, the onlv other tender being from J. Ormond (£35). Settlers in Waerenga-a-hika in the river district are obtaining expert legal advice on the matter of clearing their river frontages to the flood line, as requisitioned by the Board, and intend to hold a meeting to consider their position in the matter. Settlers alj over the district are already taking advantage of "good burns” on their properties, and after the recent short rainfall, are sowing grass seed on the blackened spaces. Mom settlers state that the"recent hush fires did not cause an immense amount of damage in their district, with the exception of the destruction of a few fences and old whares. They are unanimous that the fires, as far as they are concerned, will prove an unmixed blessing. The following are the latest amounts received from the country in connection with the Hospital Saturday fund collection:—Additional 17s 63 from Matawhero: Mrs Patrick. Quirk. .Motu. £7 Os 9d: A. M. Lewi . Te Karaka, £1 3s 6d: Tologa B&v, £4 10s; Tologa Bay Hotel, 10e lOd.

•'‘They complained during feet session of these carriages,” said Hon. K. W. Herries in the train which conveyed him to Otoko yesterday, "but I don’t see much the matter with them.” There was general laughter when one of the aprty rejoined that the Minister should see the cars in wetweather.

Mr J. B. Clark, of Matawai, who was a heavy loser as a result of ti:e recent bush fires about his property, in C9urse of conversation with a “Gisborne Times” reporter, stated that in the long run he thought he would be a gainer, not a loser. The fires had done valuable work in clearing off old stumps and legs, and the benefit would be felt chortle.

A resident of Gisborne some few weeks back obtained a prohibition order against his wife, and about a week later a policeman saw the same man hand some liquor to his prohibited wife. _As a result the wife will appear before the Court this morning on a charge of procuring liquor, and the husband for supplying liquor to a prohibited person. The fact that on tne Bay of Plenty side of the Motu watershed, although large areas have been recently cleared, land slips such as are common on this side are practically unknown, was remarked on by members of the party tvnich visited the rail head yesterday. Experienced settlers replied'that once ui roots of the burned out bush rotted away the slopes would slip away just as readily as on the Poverty Bay side. The special Public Works Department train which conveyed Hon. W. H. Herries and party from UfoEo to the rail head yesterday passed through some of the country devastated by fire a few days ago, and fallen trees were observed here and there still smouldering. Contrary to general expectations the fire has not —in these parts at any rate —burned up all the vegetation, but the black ugly sears are confined for the main part to the vicinity of trees and logs, the interspaces still presenting a rich green appearance. This is striking evidence of the difference in- climatic conditions on the Poverty Bav flats and the Motu plateau. *As is well known, the grass is quite dry and highly inflammable, in the vicinity of the town. A letter was received from some residents by the Borough Council last 1 evening, objecting to the proposed erection of stables in Palmerston Road, next to the school grounds, in the interests of good health. The Engineer, in reply to the Mayor, said plans- for the building had not been received by the Inspector vet. Or Smith said it would be a brick building, at least 56 feet from the school. It would be a purely coaching stable, with a coach-building factory attached and being of brick would'not be a great- menace. Cr Colilns said the principal points to be considered were whether the stables would comply with the by-laws and whether they would be a serious menace to health. He would move that- the letter should be “received’’ pending the reception of the plans. Cr. Wade seconded the motion. Cr Bright approved of Cruebb s suggestion that a report from the Health Department should be obtained on the matter. It was necessary that a school should be situated m the purest possible atmosphere. Cr M ehb moved as an amendment' that the Health Department should be asked to report on the matter,-and Cr Bright seconded!. Cr Collins said it was necessary to have plans and full details before asking the Health Department for a report. The Mayor said he rather favored this suggestion. The amendment was put and lost, and Cr Collins’ motion carried.

-Barge numbers of people have already been attracted to our store to view the contents of great- numbers of oases just received from Home. Perhaps something more attractive will be the to turn of the popular Buver and' Milliner of Melbourne Cash with great purchases of millinery, etc., tastefullv selected from the best fashion centres. We oordially invite an early inspection.*

On the motion of Mr J. R. Kirk, in Chambers at the Supreme Court yesterday, probate was granted in the will of Margaret Fnaser, deceased. An enterprising little girl at Rakauroa yesterday bearded the Minister for Railways and his party with a subscription list, and obtained a gcod return towards the expenses of the local school outing. the action which was set down for hearing at the Supreme Court this week ill which the late William Leo Rees appeared as the plaintiff and the East Coast Timber and Trading Co. and Frederick Hall apepared as the defendants, a motion in respect of securities and the repayment of moneys, has been discontinued.

A man named James Power was prohibited on February 11, and on being discharged from his employment at the Hospital on February 22nd he came to Gisborne and stayed at an hotel. The police discovered the fact and at the Magistrate’-s Court yesterday, before Mr Barton, S.M., he was called upon to answer a charge of being on licensed premises. Defendant. who did not appear, was fined £3 and 13s costs, or 7 days.

. A movement is afoot with the object of calling upon all Devonshire people in the Poverty Bay district to contribute towards the Auckland Devonshire Society’s Scott Memorial fund. The proposal is to establish a monument to Captain Scott, who was a Devonshire man, in Devonshire and probably on Plymouth Hoe.

The patch of asphalt outside the Makaraka cemetery has still another victim to its discredit, the third within 10 days. Dr. Coker seme days ago was driving in a gig past the'cemetetry when the horse slipped sideways and the doctor was thrown out, having a narrow escape from being struck by the horse’s hoofs.

In reply to Cr. Collins at the Borough Council meeting last evening, the Engineer said it would not be necessary to raise a further sewerage loan during the coming borough year. The Works’ Committee reported to the Borough Council last evening that it. had been agreed to let the 14 top windows of the new cars to firms for approved advertising for 12 months, the Mayor to arrange for the receipt of the tenders.

The case of Arthur Dawson Chrisp, of Gisborne, master mariner, retired (Mr. Coleman) v. John Casey, o’f Hastings, bootmaker (Mr. Burnard), claim for £6BO damages for alleged breach of contract in respect of sale of land, which was set down for hearing at the Supreme Court, has been amicably settled.

A quantity of timber at present stacked in the Raukaroa yard, including a line of 70,000 feet of picked timber from Mr F. Hall’s mill, will be shipped to Napier to-morrow by the Amelia Sims. This is the first shipment of local timber to the outside market, and is probably the beginning of a large .and lucrative trade, making the opening up of the huge timber areas of the Motu district. Last year some 8,000,000 feet of imported timber came into the district. What will next year brine forth ?