LOCAL AND GENERAL

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume III, Issue 323, 11 July 1889, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The weather lately has been as changeable az our contemporary’s opinions. The annual meeting oi subscribers to the Public Library will be held on Monday evening next.

A special meeting of the County Council is called for to-morrow afternoon to coneider the position in regard to the Royal Oak Hotel, Matawhoro, which is now closed up because the license fee was not paid in time.

Some interesting points are likely to be brought out at tha special meeting of the County Council to-morrow, when the general question of hotel licenses is being considered. There is an impression that other hotels in the district, according to the strict letter of the law, are liable to the fate of the Royal Oak Hotel.

At McFarlane’s Hall to-night Mr W. L. Rees delivers a leoture giving his impressions during his recent visit to the old country. By a reference to the headings of the lecture it may ba observed that it will be a most interesting one, and Mr Rees' ability to handle his theme is certain to make it instructive and entertaining. Being in aid of the funds of the Hospital a large amount of patronage may be anticipated. The brigantine Clansman is having an unfortunate time of it, and the chances are that before she gets away from Gisborne her ownere will be much wiser man. The vessel has bad a general tossing, and has now torn off two or three of the piles on the breakwater pier. She is at present in a very leaky condition, and her prospect! of getting to Auckland are not as bright as the ownars could wish. If Mr McLeod had got the job in the first place, a good bargain would not have become a very dear one. The captain returned to Auckland by Monday's steamer. The selection committee appointed by the Hawke’s Bay Rugby Union have picked the following team to represent Hawke’s Bay against Gisborne on the 20th iastFullback, R. Le Quetne; three-quarters, Lowry, Take, and wi Hape; halves, Taiaroa, and Williams ; forwards, Morrison, Swan, Ross. Corbett, Trotter, Robson, Hawkina, Saunders, and Shaver. Emergencies—backs, Percy and M’Crae; forwards, Missen and Jno. Fleming. This tea n is not necessarily a dual selection.

The Wha'nnpoko Riad Board met on Tuesday afternoon, when all the members were present, Mr Knox wrote offering to supply Kaiti gravel on his non tract for Fox Street, which contract the Board allow to stand over till the fine weather set in, The Chairman and Mr Joyoe said the matter could stand over till the contractor resumed work, hut they also thought that the Board would be unable to make any any alteration in the specifications. Mr Hioks wrote applying for leave to suspend work on the Hapara Road for two months.--Granted. Mr O’Neil wrote asking for permission to stop work on Ballance and Clifford Streets, It was agreed to grant permission providing Mr O'Neil com. menoed work when ordered so to do by the Engineer, and that time and penalty should not count during the suspension of works. The Clerk reported several slips on ths river, side road, and that it would take sixteen days in clearing same. The Clerk was ordered to get tbs work done. It was decided that the Engineer arrange with Knox for the supply of some Kaiti gravel of gdoi qushlty for repairs of liivarp.idc Road, and the whole ex. penses not to exceed £l5. The road to bo I left in good order,

We have published a couple of letters referring in severe terms to a ease that was recently before the R.M. Court. Our e?perienoa is that it is sometimes better to allow oorrespondenta to have considerable freedom in the expression of tbeir opinions, and thus give full opportunity for contradiction, than to suppress ah that has been written. In this case there is no possibility of reply on the one aide, while the other is not accurate in its assertions. As we stated in tha footnote to the first letter the Magistrate is in no way to blame in the matter, and if he was at all lenient it was to tha advantage c,i the creditors. When a judgment summons comes before the Court it devolves upon the creditor to prove that the debtor is possessed of means to meet the liability, and if he fails io do so the Magistrate can at once dismiss the case. Instead of doing that he adjourned the cases to give the creditors an opportunity of proving that there was sufficient to meet their plirims, None of the creditors objected to an adjoiirpmsntj Indeed it was an advantage to thSMselw, for they Hers not prepared to prove what they had Undertaken to do, As to Mr M oDdn£ > !d ' who. no doubt has'been referred to, our own belief is that he was not master of his own actions, and that things have turned out for tha best, Imprisonment for debt is a thing of the past, and wa ate Mra go one would be gratified by keeping in the niw a ffi&n who was not in a position to discharge hie liabiiltise'-anfi whose only hope for a fresh start in the futtjrh was to take tha course that he did, and wc do not thffik, when all the fads'are known, that it will be found Mr McDonald did act in the dishonorable way that has been imputed to him, Besides it is hardly fair to attack a man so'bitterly behind his back. However, we do not wish 'to set up a defence on his aeoount; what we do wish to point cut is that the Magistrate faithfully discharged his functions, and so far from his action being adversely criticised, it ought to commend itself Mike to the good mom oi creditors and of jha community geueraliy<'

i The Matawhero Poet Office has been temporarily closed.

) The children's Rinking Carnival in the Q»ty Rink commences at two o’clock on Saturday afternoon. ! Last night the Harbormaster received the ' following message from Captain Edwin; — . jNorth to west and southwest, gale; glass .further fall; indications rain. 1 A young man named Hill has been arrested in Wellington for obtaining goods under false pretences, from Mr J. Flalay, of the British Empire Hotel. The prisoner will be brought to Gisborne. Messrs Clark, Ferguson, Hills, Harris, Stewart, Sunderland, and Wells have been elected members of the Patutahi Road Board. Messrs J. W. Johnson and O’Dwyer were the only nominees for the Te Arai Board. Mr J. Somervell has commenced the work of bracing the parapet of Mr Adair’s building, vrhich suffered during the recent shock of earthquake. At its last meeting St. Andrew’s Literary Society debated the question whether trades unionism is beneficial. The affirmative and negative were opened by Messrs Smalll and J. Johnstone, respectively, and the question was decided in the negative. Proceedings have been instituted against one of the wealthiest citizens in Wanganui for making false Property Tax returns. The hearing of the case is fixed for Tuesday next. A Field Naturalists’ Society is being organised by Mr Hill, in connection with the Hawke’s Bay Philosophical Institute. Why do not some of the Gisborne people try and form a club to work in with the Napier one ? An Invercargill • telegram states that Rudolph Radka, the notorious gaol escapee, is now awaiting his trial on a charge of stealing money from his employer. It is stated that Te Kooti has instructed Mr Napier to take action against the Government for his having been wrongly arrested and imprisoned. A Wanganui telegram says the natives in the upper river district are becoming converted to Te Kooti’a religion. It is stated that in response to an invitation Te Kooti intends visiting that district shortly. We are informed that the workmen engaged on the Riverside road are shovelling tons of clay into ths Waimata river, the stuff having come down from slips on the hillside. If such is the case it is the duty of ths harbor authorities to st once take steps to prevent a continuance of the bar-silting process. Tha Riverside read is one cf the best advertised features in the district. Hokitika telegrams state Kelly's Terrace tributors washed up to-day for five days, 10 ; men, 21oz, value £5O, averaging 32a a man ' per day,—The Ross ratepayers carried by 143 i votes to 21 a proposition that the borough , should obtain a loan of £29,000 to drain Rose I Flat, and permit the Rosa Company to work the lower level.

The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Company have received the following cable from their London agents :—” Tallow is dull. Quotations are unchanged sines last telegram. Frozen meat—Stocks are increasing, and the market has a downward tendency. Canterbury and Wellington mutton are worth respectively 6|d and BJd per lb, Canterbury lamb is worth Bid per lb. For New Zealand beef there is rather a better demand, hindquarter* being worth 4d, and fore-quarters Sid per lb.’’ - A meeting to consider the advisableness cf forming a Chess Club in Gisborne was held last night in Holy Trinity Sundayschool room, There were present—Messrs Day, Witty, Sherriff, Pettie, Foster, Kenny, the Rev. J. E. Fox, and Dr Innes. After the matter had been discussed it was decided that a Club be formed, and the Rev. J, E. Fox was elected President and Mr Witty Secretary and Treasurer. The following provisional Committee was appointed:— Dr Innes and Messrs Sherriff and Kenny. In such hands the movement can hardly fail to be successful. Another meeting will be held, at 7-30 on Monday night.

At a meeting at Dunedin on Saturday in reference to sweating it was announced that a “ log ’’ had been agreed to, and received the support of nearly all the manufactures in town. Up to date 563 have joined the union. It was stated that according to the log ” submitted the rate oi wages would vary from 18s to 265.

Rather an unusual scene was witnessed at Farndon on Saturday on the occasion of the Pirates-Heretaung* football match. There was a ‘ maul ’ in which several players were concerned, and the spectators got very excited as they rolled over and over on the ground. There was a great deal of tumbling about, and a constable who was present rushed round and wanted to know whether this rough work was allowed in the game. He appealed to the referee on the matter, and only wanted to be given the word and he would separata them or run them in I The constable in question evidently does not entertain a very high opinion of the gentle game of football as regards the keeping of Her Majesty’s peace.-—News. A Dunedin telegram states A breach of promise of marriage case, in which £5OO damages were claimed, was heard at the Supreme Court. The plaintiff was a Mrs Roberts, a widow, with a son 22 years of age. The defendant was Mr Liddell, a farmer at Akatore. The case for the plaintiff was that in 1881, and on subsequent occasions, the parties mutually agreed to marry, but in August last the defendant married Agnes Campbell. There were no letters read, as those which had passed had been burned by the plaintiff's sister, the plaintiff herself being unable to write. The plaintiff had been a servant at defendant's house, and after leaving it was alleged that the defendant induced her to go back, and while there the second time a child was born, of which the defendant was the father. It was stated in the evidence that some time after she left the second time the defendant assaulted her with a stockwhip on one occasion, and on another occasion knocked h«r down. Liddell afterwards married his servant, one who had replaced Mrs Roberts, having first been intimate with her. The jury returned a verdict for £lOO damages. The following explanation is given by the Post Office authorities in regard to a paragraph which appeared in out last issue, complaining of tha refusal of telegraph messages on Saturday, 6th inst,, during the interruption of communication “ The regulation is that when communication is totally obstructed, as was the ease on Saturday, all messages

are to be refused and nothing accepted till the restoration of the circuit. It will therefore be perceived that the clerk's refusal to accept messages was simply a performance of his duty and nothing more. The reason for this rule is, to prevent the aooumulation of work, at any office, during the break in tha circuit, and at an office like Gisborne where the wire is made so much use of it is absolutely necessary to strictly adhere to the letter of this rule. The complaint appears to emanate from one person only, and as nearly a hundred messages were tendered on that date it would have been obviously unfair, besides being a breach of the regulations, for the clerk to have accepted that one message and refused all others.’’ The explanation entirely exonerates the Clerk, but n 6 one that we are aware of necessarily laid any blame on his shoulders, What we abject to is tha redtapeism that enforces such regulations. In a large city office it would be all yery well, but in a little place like Gisborne thsapelng of city manners Is as much cut of place as a stiffnecked dqde would be among a lot of oily and honest farm boys. We are glad to fcuqw that there was such a rush of business on Saturday, hut of tha htindred messages that were tendered how many offered to leave the message to take its chance? If the whole number did so we do not sec what was to prevent tha messages being put into a pigeon-hole until their turn oarae—beyond, of course, tha “ citified ” regulations. The local officials did perfectly tight, as the explanation shows, but the regulation which guided them cannot ba defended in a placa like Gisborne, Fortunately these breaks are not of frequent occurrence, and while we are on the subject we cannot overlook the capable manner in which tha lineman carries out hie duties. His work is not only most unpleasant, but at times very dangerous, yet through every condition of weather Mr Ford has carried out his work with surprising expedition and reliability. 'Buch efficient setviaep are too often ignored; or regarded aa a metd fulfilment of duty,