LOCAL AND GENERAL

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume II, Issue 269, 5 March 1889, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Peter Niven is the latest addition to the bankruptcy list. A column of interesting reading matter appears on our fourth page. Few people are aware that during the recent scare the Volunteer Fire Brigade had two men told off every night to not as watchmen, and even ths Sqperintendenl took his turn with the rest, This is the sort of unostentatious patriotism that everyone must admire, and the public out to know bow to appreciate it. We should have been none the wiser of it ourselves had not our reporters observed it in the ordinary course, though it was thought beat to make no mention ot the matter at the time, In consequence of the late meeting of South Pacific Shareholders at Christchurch, and their request to the shareholders here to assist them, a meeting will take place at the Masonio Hotel on Thursday at 7-30, to consider the resolutions passed at the Christchurch meeting, We trust there may be a full attendance. The Permanent Artillery and Torpedo Corps desire us to express their thanks to those who arranged the orioket match for them yesterday, and to the people of Gisborne generally for the kind manner in which they] have been retreated. For out part we would »*y 11 Your heartily triUome, my boy*. ” I

_At the Mutual Improvement Society last night Mr E. S. Goldsmith read some extracts from a work on “ ventriloquism.” Some practical illustrations were given by Mr Goldsmith.

A well attended meeting was held in the Argyll Hotel last evening, Mr W. Adair being in the chair. Mr Carroll addressed the meeting, and stated the object proposed, which was to get up a smoke concert and invite al[ those who had gone to the front, to arrest Te Kooti. Mr Dickson moved that a smoke concert be got up, to be held on Wednesday evening, the motion being unanimously carried. The following Committees were then appointed Decoration Committee: Messrs W. O. Skeet, S. Stevenson, and W. F. Crawford ; Catering Committee: Messrs H. Lewis W. Parnell, H. E. Johnston, and W. Maude ; Finance Committse : Messrs T. J. Dickson, J. Carroll, H. Maunsel, J. Townley, J. Maynard, H. Cannon, G. Matthewson, A. Graham, W. H. Tucker, and V. Hugo. Messrs Lucas and Ratcliffe were appoined joint secretaries. The Finance Committee meet at Mr W. Adair’s office at 9.30 this morning.

At the close of the Tent meeting on Sunday night, Mr Hare gave a few interesting statistics respecting the Adventists and their work. There were but few of them iu 1848, but they now number over 50,000. Their schools .and colleges are conducted on the principal of labor and study, and in them young men and women are educated for the Ministry and Missionary work. They are a strictly temperance people, using neither spirits nor tobacco. They hold that the ten commandments are binding upon Christians, and hence keep the seventh day. About two years a°-o a mission was started in New Zealand, ’and there are now some 300 who have taken up the observance of the Sabbath. The subject advertised for this evening is “ The state of the dead: De wicked men go to hell when they die ?”

The Official Assignee has accepted the tender of W. M’Arthur and Co., £2730, or nearly 12s in the £l, for the stock of E. and A. Isaacs, Auckland,

When the machinery for boring artesian wells was on Saturday being carted to its destination at the western end of Roebuck Road it was first brought round the main street. It caught the ground wire leading from the telegraph office to the river and tore it down ; then when turning to go a long Roebuck Road the other wire was caught. The post srapped off and crashed down on the corner of the fence at Miss Doran’s residence. The post was soon replaced by Mr Ford, and the wires put in order, but the contractor may expect a few pounds lopped off hi* profits owing to this carelessness. The total area of Crown Lands *old since March last is 90,754 acres. Quarterly returns of Crown land* disposed of show an amount of 6872 acres.

The Maori football team played the Benicorn Club, Cheshire, on Saturday last, and won easily by two goals and two tries to a goal.

At the meeting of the new Dunedin Licensing Committee, the chairman, Mr Stanford, said the committee intended carrying out the law to its entirety. They were convinced there were too many hotels in Dunedin, and would be glad to see a number of them closed, but they must have regard for the vested rights of proporty-holders, and they were unwilling to intefere with those rights unless some serious offence gave occasion for dealing with offending publicans. Mr A Hamilton, veterinary surgeon, Invercargill, who was deputed by the Government to investigate a mysterious cattle disease by which stock in the Winton district to the value of £6OO were known to have died, gives as his opinion that it is an undoubted case of poisoning by phosphorous, the appearances pointing to phosphorised grain as the agent.

Four Chinese, charged with mutilating two cows, appeared at the Auckland Police Court on Thursday, and were remanded for a week. Bail was allowed of £lOO each. The police objected to bail on the ground of the difficulty of identifying the prisoners and the possibility of their tampering with the witnesses. The Bench said that Chinamen were entitled to the same chances as Europeans.

A reward of £lOO has been offered by the Queensland Government for the arrest of two suspected murderers, named James Cameron and George Carline. They were staying at a hotel at Vergsmont Creek, near Jundah, and there saw a Kanaka with a large sum of money in his possession. They endeavored to induce the Kanaka to try a new acid drink, but the Kanaka thought he saw the man put the contents of a paper into the glass, and declined to drink unless an aboriginal standing by took first drink. The latter did so, and died in convulsions in a few moments. The Kanaka, alarmed, ran into the bush, followed by Carline and Cameron. The Kanaka then made for the nearest police station, and gave information. It is believed the men decamped across the border into South Australia, The drink contained strychnine. Patrick Fahey was charged at Invercargill with endeavouring to impose on Joseph Metzler, by means of false verbal representation, with a view to obtain money. Accused represented that he was collecting money for the Roman Catholic Church on the authority of Father Walsh, and so received a number of promised contributions, the names being inserted in a pocket-book. He endeavoured to collect the money, but had not sucoecded in this when arrested. Accused stated that he had collected money in a similar manner for the Dunedin Cathedral and the list of subscribers wee published in the Tablet. He had also done the same thing on other occasions for churches. If he had received any money at all he would have handed it over to Father Walsh. Father Walsh deposed that accused was not authorised by him, and two persons whose names appeared on accused’s list said they had given no authority to put their names down. His Worship said he had no doubt accused had endeavoured to impose upon people, and sentenced him to two months' imprisonment with hard labour.

A suit involving the title to one of the largest estates in the neighbourhood of Liverpool is at present pending iu the Liverpool courts. The property in dispute is known as the Allerton Hall estato, and is now in the possession of several well-known Liverpool families, Sir Thomas Earle being one of the principal holders. The value of the property is stated to be about a million and a half sterling. The claimant is Samuel Hazlehurst, a local shopkeeper. His case has been taken up by several wealthy shipowners, and various wills and other documents have been placed in the hands of a firm of solicitors, iazlehurst claims to be descended from Mr John Hardman, M.P. for Liverpool aboqt 1745, and who owned the entire estate. The question raised is in reference to the right of Hardman’s sister to have taken possession of the property on the death of her brother. The present olaimant contends that by the will the property should have passed to Hardman’s niece, and so come down to himself. A similar claim was brought in the Chancery Court 15 years ago, but after a long hearing was lost through insufficiency of evidence?’

Sir,—l see by to-night's Herald a meeting called to consider what reception should be accorded to our troop* qn their return, and a smoke concert is suggested. ' Now, sir, I think such a thing would be totally unsuited for men returning from a march suoh as they have h*d. I am quite sure that the men themselves will be most anxious to get to their home* on the earliest possible moment. I think it would be a much more suitable reception to get the Garrison Band along with as many of our townspeople, men, women and children, as can turn out to meet them on their arrival at the Borough boundary. Jf the time be made known I am sure a large number tj’ill endeavor to join in the reception. I tljink this will be much more suited to the occasion than a concert which could only be attended by a limited tew'.—l am, &0., Welcome Back.—(Monday, March 4.)

If the opinion of the people of this district is worth anything, New Zealand has reason to be proud of her Permanent Forces, The men are a splendid lot of fellows so far as physique is concerned, and their comportment and behavior ought to make them the admiration of their friends.