LOCAL AND GENERAL

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume II, Issue 275, 19 March 1889, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Mr Townley notifies the arrival of a new shipment oi Roods, including two Waldzmar pianos. On our fourth page there is an interesting extract from the London Standard, bearing on Oourt intrigues in Germany. The Borough Council meets to-night, Among other matters the Pound question will.be brought on again, and various tenders will be opened, A msn named Thomas Johnson, alias Jerome, in Wellington last week got a month’s hard labor, on a oharge of obtaining money on false pretences. He imposed upon certain citizens by getting money to pay his passage to Wanganui ana then spending it in publio houses, There was a list produced of previous convictions against the aooused. He got a lawyer named Morah to defend him,

A native named Rena Waipani, who was remanded from Wairoa, on a charge of assaulting Katarina Hape, by which the compl aintant's arm wa, broken, was brought before Mr Booth yesterday, when the information was withdrawn, being substituted by an indictable information,

The Government have undertaken to give the guarantors of the Jubilee Exhibition a subsidy of £lO,OOO, in lieu of erecting the buildings and making the collection promised under their former agreement.

Over 450 Masons took part in the funeral ceremony on the body of Dr Deamer, who was buried at Christchurch on Sunday, A new Weileyan Church is to be built at Nelson, at a cost of £lBOO. The design of Mr Dugleby, of Napier, was accepted, There was a large attendance at the City Bink on Saturday night, when a few hours’ skating was indulged in, One noticeable feature was the number of novices on the floor (in both senses of the word), and the onlookers had many a hearty laugh at other people’s expense, The master bakers of Christchurch have increased the price of bread to stores to s}d per loaf after Monday next. Roller made flour is quoted at £l4 in Melbourne and Sydney. There was a good attendance at the Ten meetinge|on Sunday. The subject last night lookup "The Seven Last Plagues." Tonight Mr Hare proposes dealing with the Bible plan of supporting Gospel labor, or Who pays tne preacher ? He proposes to contrast some of the American plans with God's plan. The Aorangi, " with the first batch of Mr Bees’ settlers,” should arrive in the colony next week. Can anyone tell us how many immigrants there are coming—what number does the batch comprise ? As Mr and Mrs Whitfield were out for a drive on Sunday, near Matawhero, the horse shied at a cow on the road, and the little boy who was in the trap was thrown out before he could be caught. The little fellow had a miraculous escape ; he came down on his head and got between the two wheels, but though stunned and bruised, prompt attention soon brought him round and he is now out of all danger. The ketch Zillah sails for Auckland thi morning. She takes a full cargo of produce. On arrival at Auckland Captain Page will resign his position, he having been appointed to take command of the schooner Awaroa. The Timaru Borough Valuations were reduced by £llO, that amount being principally on hotel properties, the owners or lessees in which declared there was a vast depreciation of their businesses.

Some bad cases of diphtheria are reported as existing in Greymoutb, attributable to bad drainage. At the B. M. Court on Saturday Panapa Waihopi charged Wi Wharikino, with assault. Both parties had been drinking pretty freely on the day of the assault, and consequently they bad a slight disagreement, which ended in the complaintant laying gn information, Mr Booth considered it was a very trifling affair and dismissed the charge without costs.

The Maori footballers came off victorious in tha matches played with the Walden Club, St. Helen’s (Lancashire) Club, and also with Taliord Club.

In the recent appointments of Justices of the Peace we do not notice one made in Giaborne. For such blessings may we be thankful. Up to Saturday not a single declaration of insolvency had been filed in Dunedin, This is considered a cheerful item of news. Whether it is on account 0! the bottom having been knocked out of the Times-Parnell business, or the hard times, or. some other reason, the local Irishmen are a very mild lot: no one, for any outward proof, would be the wiser that St. Patrick's Day had just been passed over, except for seeing a few pieces. oL green ribbon worn by a small number of individuals, There was a movement in the direction of getting a holiday proclaimed on Monday, but the effort was too weak or else the opposition was too strong, to be of any avail, After the reeult of the Times Commission, we may be sure that St. Patrick’s Day of 1989 will be the occasion for exceptional festivities in Ireland.

A party of four—comprising Messrs Watson, Smith, Suff and Waring—want out on Sunday morning bent on having a pleasant day of it, but alas for the hopes of frail humanity, their experience was the very reverse, The party procured a bout and went out in)o the bay, They had three valuable sporting guns aboard, and a jolly time of it was spent in bringing down sasbirda that chanced to come within range. All went well until (he boot had neared the mouth of the Walpaea river, where the breakers caused the boat to capsize. Thia happened, fortunately, at a place where the water was not beyond the depth of the occupants of the boat, but as the waves washed in they completely enveloped the urifuolty sporternen. Messrs Suff and Waring got beneath tfid boat end they were in a most dangerous predicament until &e Release had been effected. After much trouble, attended with no small amount of danger, the party got safely landed, but not without losing their guns, and damaging their watches and clothes. They had then, their clothes eaturated and themselves in the worst of temper, to walk home from the Murewai, not reaching town until between eight end nine p.m. To add to' their other mis-' fortunes they then had to submit to the banter of their irieuda, co that none of the party are likely t# loiifet their Bunday experience!« a bag iiM« W WMip

Matters are assuming a new phase in connection with the Times-Parnell Commission. Mr John Morley proposes to arraign the proprietors of the Times for the charges made by that paper against the Irish members. The Shaw, Savill, and Albion Company have reduced freight on wool by the mail steamers Jd per lb, the reduction coming into force at once.

The ladies attending one of the Timaru churches on a recent Sunday indulged in an unanimous titter at a statement made by the minister. He was describing the needs of the natives of a certain Northern Island in the way of apparel, and stated that the con tributions were solicited to provide a thousand ladies with one costume apiece. When he explained that each dress would only require a yard and a half of stuff, the mental picture of the result was too much for the gravity of feminine auditors.

The recent experiment in shipping New Zealand cattle to Melbourne is not likely to be soon repeated, and we must shut our eyes for the time being to this market which once looked so promising. A Melbourne paper says A shipment of 116 head of fat oatrte, brought to Melbourne from New Zealand, the owners being Messrs Stevens Brothers, of St. Kilda, were sold at the railway cattle yards, Newmarket. The average price realised was £8 12s 6d. As the cost of bringing the cattle over amounted to about £6 per head, it is not likely that the experiment of entering New Zealand stock for the Melbourne market will be repeated, the owners in this instance having sustained the loss. " Gunner ” writes Sin, —Some time ago I communicated with you in regard to the affairs of the J Battery, and it appeared to have a very desirable effect, for information was soon forthcoming. I now notice by the Standard that the Battery has been disbanded, but I think it would be well if the members of the corps were taken into confidence and given official information on this point—not, sir, that I wish to doubt the accuracy of your statement, but if only as a matter of form I think it should be so. The Battery having aciually been disbanded would >t not be well that some progress should be made towards settlement or that at any rate members should be acquainted with what is being done ? A miraculous escape from a terrible accident occurred at Claredcn (Otago) recently. Mr William Hare was cutting his crop with a reaper and binder when his four-year old son, who had followed his father unknown to the latter, got amongst the corn and fell asleep. Mr Hare, by the purest accident, noticed the boy when the machine was nearly on top of him, and pulled up his horses, Before he could stop the machine, however, his knife caught his son on the leg below the knee, cutting it to the bone, but luckily going no further.

A curious complication has arisen at Hokitika over the Kumara racecourse. The Kutnara Borough Council expended £l2OO of the borough funds for making a racecourse on a reserve not their property. It was simply gazetted' withdrawn from goldfields.’ They also leased the reserve to the Jockey Club for 21 years, and gave various rights over it. The matter was brought before the Auditor-General, who has already passed £lOOO of the expenditure, but is now instituting a searching enquiry, It seems that the Auditor.Oeneral was a little careless in passing the firat £lOOO. He will probably subcharge the councillors.

At a meeting of the Wairarapa County Council lately, a letter was read from the solicitors of the Wellington Benevolent 'Trustees, stating that they had obtained judgment against the Council for £485 Us 6d, and threatening distraint if the claim was not settled within one week. Great indignation prevailed amongst the members, the Chairman (Mr H. R. Bunny) stating that it was the grossest swindle ever perpetrate 1, and Councillor Booth said that if a special rate were levie I he would let the bailiffs seize hie household furniture before he would pay a farthing. Ultimately the delegate to the meeting of local bodies to he held at Mssterton on the Tuesday was instructed to resist the claim to the last extremity. The Council are at present short of funds, and even if the Government subsidies already impounded are appropriated, there will etill be a deficiency of over £2OO. Throughout the district the greatest excitement exists, and publio feeling is dead against paying the imposts, which are alleged to be unjust.

On the Saturday before last it was blow ing a strong nor’-westerly gale at New Ply. mouth, and if it had not been for the breakwater, no communioation pould have been possible between the shore and the vessels in in the roadstead. But as it was no less than four steamers entered the harbour, landed cargo and passengers, and reloaded with produce. The Taranaki Herald says : The Wanaka, Penguin, Gairloch, and Glenelg met with quick despatch, and took away between them 86 head of cattle, 630 sheep. 216 sacks grass seed, 702 kegs of butter, 24 cases of cheese, 159 bales of flax, 30 bales of tow, 2 bales of wool, end 10 packages of leather ; which at a rough estimate may be valued at £3OOO. If with the unfinished structure we now have so much can be accomplished, it is very evident that had £350,000 been borrowed instead of £200,000, we should have been able to complete a very snug and usetul little harbour. It is to be hoped when Parliament meets that the House will aid the Harbor Board in the matter, for the district is certainly entitled to some compensation for th? breach of faith on the part of the Government of 1876 in not carrying out the agreement entered into with the authorities to build the breakwater by means of prison labour, the province handingover its endowment of land.”