Local and General.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXXV, Issue 3804, 15 April 1913, Page 4

Local and General.

One first offender for drunkenness appeared before Mr W. A. Barton. S.M., yesterday and was lined 8s ana costs (2s) or 48* hours’ imprisonment.

To-night will positively ne foe last chance for patrons to see the line programme now being screened by me Opera House management. The rios include two thrilling star dramas “The Fire at Sea’ 'and “The Equine Spy.”

At the lock-up last night there were two occupants—one drunk and a man arrested -bv Detective McLeod and Constable Moore for having allegedly procured money at Ormond by false pretences.

As showing the commendable speedy methods adopted by the postal officials at Auckland, it mav be mentioned that the local portion of the damaged mails on the s.s. Makura were sorted to enable them to reach here by Sunday’s boat. A letter which reached this office was burnt away at one corner, but the contents wore not damaged in the slightest degree. Upon the face of the letter was a rubber stamp itnnression: “Damaged bv fire on the s.s. Makura.”

It is not generally known that a fihildren’s department has been instituted in connection with the Gisborne Public Library. For the small nibs'nvption of one shilling per year a child'may join the library and have the privl'gc of taking out some of the beautiful hooks belonging to the children’s section. At a meeting of the committee held yesterday afternoon it ww decided to add a considerable number of new books to the children’s section,. and to make the advantages of the library known to as large a circle of children as possible.

Coun%&l, who was appearing in support- of an a indication for transfer, was just beginning to wax eloquent in the interests of his clients at the meetiivr of ilia Land Board yesterday. “Thev are ver- desirable settlers, and just the class of men we want on the land.” he proceeded. ‘No doubt,” retorted a member of *the Board, “but will you give ns a guarantee that they will not conti-ct housemaid’s knee, or some other dread malady before 12 months have flown, and come asking us for another transfer?” Couiisel smiliuglv said ho thought ho could safely give that .assurance.

Tho Borough Council moots this evening.

The annua 1 meeting of the Refore:s ! Association will be held to-night Aveek.

.The ‘‘Red Dandies” have booked the Opera House for a five-night season Loin May 26.

At His Majesty’s Theatre to-night there Avili be shown the big film which depicts the stiirmg story of the life of Shawms O’Brien, the Irish hero of tho rebellions of 108.

While a father was pleading before tho Land Board yesterday for the transfer of a section from one of his sons to another, a member asked: “Were both of your boys in the ballot for this section Y” “Yes,” was the reply. “Aikl the Avrong one got it, I suppose,” proceeded the member.

It was decided at the Drivers’ Conference at Christchurch to recommend the members affiliated to the unions to refuse to work with non-unionists, and to purchase goods only from those firms who employ unionists in the manufacture and distribution of their goods.—P.A. message.

A correspondent Avrites to the “Daily Mail” : The mention in a recent issue of an hotel-keeper’s largo family reminds me of a tombstone in tho churchyard of Monks Kirby, near Rugby. The inscription reads: “In memory of Eliz. Mott, wife of John Mott, avlio died October 24, 1726. Married 44 years, and the mother of 42 children. A loving Avife, a tender mother, Scarce left behind her such another.” I enclose a photograph which I took-of this quaint horizontal stone.

Speaking at the reception tendered in Sydney to the Empire Trade Commissioners, Sir Rider Haggard sounded an emphatic note of Avarning in regard to Australia’s \*ast empty spaces. “Vast as may he your cities,” he said, “splendid as may he yolir commercial resources, it is to the land you must look for your Avealth and strength. If you do not nurture and people your land, then tho country must decay as the Phoenicians, Avho depended upon trade alone, decayed. People your land ; bring people to your land, and so groAv great and worthy of the destiny which this vast country offers, and be a prop of the Empire, of which you are one of the brigtost stars."

A ie vel method of punishment Avas re curly meted out to fifty young women who wire arrested in an antivice pru-ade in Cineiuatti. When they were found guilty, the Magistrate, instead of levying fines or sending them to detention homes, sentenced them to four Awek.-d oonseeut-ve church attendance, in the hope that a spark of womanhood might be raised in them. They were given a free eboie . of churches, the only simulation being that they nnpt repart themselves to the minister in charge. At the end <f the month, a stif ment sinned by the minister, to the effect that the eulpiits have been regular in church attendance is to In? piesented to the Court, and anyone found guilty of evasion Avi'l then he -sentenced to a period in a detention fr me.

A Wellington correspondent writes: —An interesting story or a Christchurch astronomer in humble circumstances .was mentioned to your correspondent by Miss Proctor, who is touring the Dominion in the interests of Hie New Zealand Solar Physics Observatory. She received a telephone message one da v in Christchurch to hurry out to Durham Street, and on getting to the little cottage occupied by Mr. Hi tellings, a bricklayer, was shown through hi? telescope some new sun spots which the artisan astronomer had just discovered. One was 6<KMi miles in diameter, the other 10.O<K) miles, or enough, as he put it, to roll the earth into. Miss Proctor found the little ohesrvatcrv equipped with a good refractor and reflector, and she has a great respect for avoik which can be done by enthusiastic amateurs of this description. It was a German mill hand who patiently chared sun spots for 11) years, and thus gave to the A\-orl<l the km.Aviedge of the sun's cycle of 11 years.

No man is infallible, but some get a little c'oer to it than others.—A. W. J. Mann, Chemist and Optician.*