LOCAL AND GENERAL

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume II, Issue 179, 7 August 1888, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

‘ Hans the Boatman,’ is from the pen of the author of ‘ Struck Oil.’ It was written expressly for Mr Arnold. Mr R. O. Clark, junr., of Hobsonville, Auckland, inserts an advertisement in another column, announcing that he manufactures all kinds of bricks, tiles, drain pipes, etc. All his manufactures can be obtained at wholesale prices from Messrs Wingate, Burns and Co., Auckland or Gisborne. There will be a race for Volunteers at the Theatre Royal Bink to-morrow evening. The race should be an exciting one as most of the best skaters in the town are members of one or the other of tbe local corps. On Friday evening there will be a race, bicycle v. skates, in which the bicyclist will endeavor to outrun the man on rollers.

In Masterton an action of considerable interest is expected to be taken by the owner of a restaurant adjoining the Drillshed, it being sought to recover damages for losses sustained through frequent band practices and the noise made by linking, the aggrieved party alleging that he is unable to keep lodgers owing to these alleged nuisances. Mr Levi, optician, arrived from Napier on Sunday morning, and will remain in Gisborne for a short time. Persons wishing to do so, may consult him at the Masonic Hotel. The visits of a specialist in this important branch of the profession being so rare, it will be a good opportunity for those who are in need of wise counsel. A notification which should be of interest to lovers of literature, or those requiring stationery, appears this morning in our advertising columns. Mr T. Adams announces that in order to reduce his large stock before taking account of the goods, he has decided to allow a very large discount to cash purchasers, and some of the lines mentioned show a reduction of nearly 50 per cent. The opportunity is one that is not often available.

Sergt. Ryan, who is shortly to take over the Tologa Bay station, said rather a smart thing in reply to a remark from the counsel for the accused in the Waipawa sly-grog case. When the Sergt. asked and received permission to destroy the liquor, Mr Dick said, “But the grog now belongs to the Queen 1” The Sergt. replied, “ Quite so ; and Hir Majesty can do as she likes with it.” The Sergt. beamed, Mr Dick grasped the idea, and sniggered at the thought of the Sergeant rejoicing in his might of being “ Her Majesty ” for the nonce.

Another William Smith has sprung into prominence, but this William’s redeeming feature is that he is the very opposite of some who have taught the Gisborne people a few wrinkles. This William is a Chinaman, and he has addressed a letter to a Wellington paper urging the severe repression of gambling at fan-tan and other similar games, which, he regrets to say, prevails so largely amongst his countrymen. Several of them, he says, have lost all they possessed, and have almost been driven mad. If a portion of the letter were printed it would run the newspaper into the law courts. The usual monthly meeting of the Gisborne Library Committee was held last evening at the Library room.—Present: Messrs Kenny in the chair, Featon, Bourke, Watson, Cole, man, and Lucas (Secretary). Donations to the Reading-room and Museum were aoknowlodged (with thanks from the Hon. G. R, Johnson, Mr DeLiutour, and Mr Trimmer, junr. A resolution was passed that the Reading-room shall be opened in future at 7 o’clock on Saturdays for the convenience of country subscribers. The Flower Show and Exhibition is to be held in November next; particulars of which will bs advertised n due ooui sa.

The office-bearers of the Gisborne Wesleyan Chnroh held their quarterly meeting last week. The number of members was reported to be 44, an increase of 7, and one (the late Mr Dunn) had died. The flourishing condition ot the Sunday-schools was noted, and the financial report was considered satisfactory. In order to assist the Circuit funds, it was agreed that a Christmas tree and sale of goods (as a preliminary to which sewing meetings are now being held at Mrs Parnell’s house) should take place in December. The Rev. Mr Ward’s building scheme was heartily endorsed, the total gathering so far, in promises and cash, being £265, including £125 from Auckland. During the ensuing quarter Foreign and Home mission services are to be held, and a series of fortnightly entertainments is to be arranged for in connection with the ladies' sewing bee, the first entertainment being set down for Tuesday next. Playing it low. Agentleman had rather an Unpleasant experience yesterday. He was Bitting in front of Mr Burnand’a coach, at the sajna time leading a mare with foal at foot. The mare wanted to get home sooner than the slow progress of the eoaoh-horses would admit, and off she went at a brisk pace. The person who had charge came down too, at a rate which surpassed the mare's velocity, but fortunately he brought a sack of something soft down at the same time. It is believed that, though the mud was sot er on the surface, the sack was preferable. When last seen ths unlucky individual had taken the beach route, on a chase after the obstinate quadrupeds. Mr Burnand bad one reserved seat during the journey. Another unfortunate had a vexatious mishap oa Saturday afternoon. His horse took a sharp turn round the corner of Roebuck and Palmerston roads, (and the horseman was given the “straight tip ” into a pool of muddy water that was the most unpleasant of any mud to wallow in,

A monster shark was caught in some fishermen’s nets at Wellington the other day. The fish was nearly 17ft long, and its teeth were very formidable weapons, being about ljin wide and 2in long. Ten thousand pounds have been offered and refused for the black trotting stallion Wilton, in San Francisco. Eight thousanp pounds were also tendered for Pallas without bringing a deal. The ship Balaklava has just distinguished herself by making the longest trip on record from London to San Francisco, occupying 439 days—one year and seventy-four day 3 . She was five months from Valparaiso to Port. The Government have renewed for twelve months the contract entered into some time ago with Captain Whitney, of the New Zealand Cartridge Factory, for the supply of ammunition for the colnial forces. The following weather forecast was received by Captain Bennett from Wellington at 4 p.m. yesterday :—“ East to west and northwest. Gale with ra,in and heavy sea after twelve hours from now. Glass further fall again scon.

There is some talk of the Auckland Racing Club doing away with Mr Evitt’s services as handicapper for the next season and reverting to the Committee who performed the work in an honorary capacity before Mr Evitt’s appointment. Mr Fish, M.H.R., hits hard sometimes. Being continually interrupted in one of his lengthy harangues the other night, he turned round, laced the offending member with his eye, and expressed regret that he was so harassed by • bibulous interjections.’ Lasj month 1500 persons left the colony in excess of arrivals. A writer in a Wellington paper blames the Premier for not trying to prevent this exodus, and says the best service Sir H. Atkinson could render the colony now —if he really has sufficient love for his country to wish to assist it—is to retire from politics altogether, and remove his essentially bad leadership from the House. A strike of priests is horrifying all devout Roman Catholics in the Argentine Republic. The Government issued an order lowering the fees for masses, marriages, burials and other functions. The priests determined to resist this, and they refused to officiate. So all the churches tre closed. A Wellington writer considers that the reported failure of the Otago Dock Trust loan is the best news we have heard for some time. It is the beginning of the end of the borrowing, and it’s much better that it should come in the form of the loans failing to float than in the form of repudiation. The amount of beer duty collected in New Zealand last month was £2960 Gs lid, as against £418512a 2d in June of this year, and £3454 4s lid in July of last year. The four principal ports contributed as follows : —Auckland, £741 0s Id; Lyttelton and Christchurch, £6BO 2« 9d; Wellington, £390 7s 8d; Dunedin, £Bl3 Is lOd.

When Mr McCullum, the dairy expert visited Masterton, he explained that the cost of a small engine and boiler to work a dairy factory would be about £l5O. ‘Does that include the new ad valorem duty ?’ asked a settler. ‘ Oh, no !' was the brisk reply. ‘ Then how would you avoid it!’ * Get the engine and boiler made in the colony,’ was the ready answer. Some excitement was caused shortly before ten last night, by the ringing of the upper firebell. Mr East’s chimney had caught fire, and a large number were soon on the ecene. Though alarming, the fire was not serious, and was soon suppressed by willing hands. The danger was not without its ludicrous incidents, one gentleman's endeavors with a hand engine being more willing than prudent. Had not one person ascended the lower stand, prepared to give double force to the alarm, several jokers had intended to ring the lower bell, so as to bring out the tinkers with their skates on.

The Wellington Harbor Board Engineer is a firm believer in cremation. In the course of a letter to the Mayor on the rnbbish destructor question, he suggested that a special chamber and furnace should be added to the works, in order that dead human bodies might be burnt. The cost of such an addition, he pointed out, would be small if carried out as a portion of the scheme, and although the use at first might be limited, public opinion would, in his opinon, soon turn, and “ the present abominably unsanitary system ” of burying the bodies would become a thing of the past. If that engineer was in Gisborne he would get so much “ hot water ” about him that these infernal ideas would be knocked out of his head. ’ The Wellington Press tries to enlighten its readers on the egg puzzle in this exasperating style:—This beautifully simple little puzzle is creating an extraordinary sensation, but nobody seems to be able to get the grip of it at all. When we first published it, at the suggestion of an ingenious friend, we never dreamt it would give our readers any trouble at all. We thought the correct answer would be sent us from ever so many places, as the auctioneers say, during the first week; and we were quite astonished to find how people tied themselves up in knots over it. Really, the difficulties are all of their own making, for the problem is as easy as sin, if you only begin at the right end, and go through with it properly. Many of the answers we have received are expressive of extreme exasperations. Some of them contain very bad language. Several threaten us with personal violence. We open them with fear and trembling, lest they should contain dynamite. Quite a number of correspondents insist that the answer they have saverally sent in must be right, and we have received two lawyers' letters demanding the prize for their clients. Luckily all these positive ones differ in their calculation and in the result, and we are not afraid of an action at law, besause in such an event, it would be for the plaintiff to prove that his answer was correct and everybody else's was incorrect, and the Judge and Jury would all go mad before the case was finished. A few of our correspondents entreat us to withdraw the riddle immediately, because it is the bane of their existence. We don’t care. The fame of the riddle is spreading and spreading and we shall keep it going until wo receive the correct answer, which may happen any day, or until everybody in New Zealand has had a shot at it.