LOCAL AND GENERAL

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume II, Issue 186, 23 August 1888, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

News has been received of a terrible eruption having occurred among the islands of Japan, but no reliable information is yet to hand. A meeting of ratepayers in the Whataupoko Road District will be held at 7 p.m. on Saturday next to consider the proposal to obtain a grant of £2300 under the Government Loans to Local Bodies Act, 1886. Mr Lohr, the genial business manager of the Hans the Boatman Company, broke a small bone of his elbow, through a fall sustained just after returning from a fishing excursion on Tuesday, in the Snark. There was a very large attendance at the Theatre Royal Kink last night, when a diversion was caused by the performances of two local skaters got up in nigger costume, but many people were much disappointed at not seeing what they had anticipated. The following tenders were received yesterday afternoon for forming the lawn, terrace, saddling paddock, etc., for the Park Company : S. Doleman £139, A. Weston £lO7, D. Malone £lO6, P. McLoughlin (accepted) £97 16s, R. Knox £134 15s, Jones and O’Donnell £l4O. Owing to statements that have been mads in reference to the recent Patutahi School trouble, in justice to the members of the Committee we must state that none of the letters which recently appeared in our colums were written by any of those gentlemen. It is only in common fairness that we make this known, A statement has been current to the effect that it is or was intended by the late harbor employees to burn in effigy a person who has made himself unpopular in connection with the harbor trouble. We hope that the report is false, but if not, then all we need say is that we had thought better of the men. It is not true, as asserted, that Mr Mickey Mullooly intends taking action against us for placing on record a certain dinner table conversation; but this much is admitted, that we breathed more freely when it was made known that Mr M. had returned to Tologa Bay. He was quite delighted with Mr Arnold’s dog. By reference to our advertising columns i* will be noted that there has been a considerable reduction in the prices of admission to the performance of Hans the Boatman this evening, and liberal terms have been arranged for the benefit of children. To-night’s will be the farewell performance, and those wishing to be present will be wise it they make it a point to be in good time.

■ Under the heading “Re-Member,” a correspondent writes : —Sir, —How comes it that whilst we in Gisborne knew on Thursday or by Friday at latest that the Government was to take the Harbor Bill in hand ocr sleepy member only found out that such was the case on Monday ’ Would it not be advisable to send round the hat and send the chairman down to waken him up ’—Quiz At the last meeting of the Borough Council the Clerk said he had noticed from Hansard a reference to the Salvation Army case, which implied that the information had been laid under the borough bye-laws. He thought they should inform the Premier that the information had been laid under the Police Offences Act. It was decided to take no action in the matter.

Some people are fond of putting their foot in it. A young- man walked into a grocery store in town yesterday, and called for some butter. While this was being made up, anxious to show his superior knowledge, he called attention to the way in which the butter had been prepared for the market, in anything but complimentary terms. The storekeeper demurred to the remarks, when the young man, not to ba beaten, turned to one standing by and said, “ What do you think Mr ?” Mr smiled and replied, “ Well, I hardly like to say, seeing that it is my own making, and I have just brought it in.” Tableau 1 A good story is told by some of the passengers on board of a Union Company’s steamer during a recent trip between Wellington and Lyttelton. The weather happened to be very rough, there was a head wind, and a Bishop, who shall be nameless tried to appease the elements by offering up a demonstrative and effusive prayer. He had hardly finished when down comes the captain into the cabin. “ How goes it, captain?’ asked his Lordship. 1 Well I’ve battened down the hatches and made everything snug, and there’s nothing for us now but to trust to Providence’ was the frank reply. ‘Good God, has it come to that!’ was the prompt ejaculation of the Bishop in tones of alarm. The climate on the Whataupoko side of the river must have an invigorating tendency, and the activity induced seems to make it impossible for some of the residents to restrain themselves within reasonable bounds. It was only a few days ago there was a “ bit of a shindy” and yesterday there was another ease on. It is a great pity that the Whataupokian energy is thus wasted, when it might be far better employed in the production of cabbages and other vegetables. A kind of half and half feeling seems to pervade certain quarters of the rustic northern community. There is enough of the city in them to give them a little of “ Jeffie’s ” spirit, but there is still retained a countrified simplicity which permits of their going to law. Tom Harris is a first-class example of the free and independent judging by his evidence yesterday. Active preparations are being made to render the ball to be given by the Tennis Club a great success. The members of the Club intend to nicely decorate the new rink for the occasion, and will be assisted by the committee of the Cadet Carnival Benefit, all the decorations coming in again for the following evening. A very large number of ball tickets have been sold, the price being such that brings it within the reach of all, and the Club intends its patrons to have a good evening’s dancing, to good music. The refreshments will be provided by Mr Craig. We commend the committee for wisely avoiding a heavy supper—people go to dance and not dine, and side refreshment tables have been adopted at all popular dances. Great curiosity is evinced as to what each person is going to wear, and many are keeping that as a surprise, but from all that can be gleaned, the dresses will fairly eclipse all previous efforts that Gisborne has known. About forty fancy costumes have been imported from Auckland. At the last meeting of the Borough Council Cr Joyce asked if it was on the instruction of the Council or Corporation that the information was laid against one of the proprietors of a newspaper. He was asked the question himself, and he could not answer ; and then he asked the person specified in the information ; and referred to in a newspaper paragraph, that was Mr Baldwin. Another parly had asked him if it was the Corporation who laid the information, He thought it was the Council. It was like prosecuting Ingoldsby for writing "The Jackdaw of Rheims.” The Mayor said he could answer that himself. The Corporation had not taken any action. An information of this kind would not have been laid by the Corporation, in fact it could not, without being authorised by a meeting of the Council. Cr Joyce had attended the last meeting and knew it was not authorised then. Cr Joyce then asked whether the Council were of opinion that they were referred to in the writings complained of. The Mayor said he did not know who was going to answer that. The matter then dropped.