LOCAL AND GENERAL

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume III, Issue 436, 1 April 1890, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Borough Council meets this evening, and it is to be hoped the Council will not delay in taking action to try and avert the electoral boundaries being definitely fixed as now proposed.

The resignation of Mr William Adair as a Justice of the Peace is gazetted The programme of the entertainment at Matawhero next Thursday evening is published morning. The night will be a moonlight one, the return town fare only a shilling, and both programme and object are good, so that a full house ought to be ensured.

The Rangitikei Fibre Company’s mill at Turakina, one of the largest concerns of the kind in the colony, will be shut down at the end of the present month, owing to the reduction in the price of dressed flix. The companv’s mill at Lake William was closed a few weeks ago. “ Puff ” writes :—I hear the Opposition are having a large plan prepared of the electoral district of Egmont, as it was and as it is now proposed to be! Very curious change, eh ? Very curious, indeed ; seems as if the Commissioners had hired a spider to run over the map and followed him I If they did, it was an Egmont spider that knew his way about, you bet! Captain Wheeler, of the steamer Wakatipu. has been appointed to the s.r. Rotomahana, as Caplin M. Carey has left the latter vessel to take charge of the Union Steamship Com nnnv’s new steamer Monowai on her arrival from horn”. Cap’ain Shepherd, chief officer nf the Wakatipu. took that vpprrl from Wellington to Sydney on tho Saturday. G-shorne can take a very good place in artistic matters. W** have had the pleasur*> of inspecting Bom? oil pamting on glass, done by Mr Ballantyne, bv a special process It is a very pretty piece of work, and it is gratifying to think that we have in Gisborne c.ne (though setting about it in a very unobtrusive way) capable of doing such artistic work. The. specimen shown us is intended for a photograph frame, but of course the glass can be used for any suitable purpose.

A scale of fees to be charged by Native interpreters is published. The majority of rhe interpreters* work is in the Native Laud Court, but the following are the principal fees affecting the other Courts, and which it is necessary should he known by tradesmen having dealings with natives. For interpeting in Court, not less than 10< 6d or more than £2 2s per day; attendance in Court as a witness, £1 Is per day; translating accounts, for each folio of 90 words (numerals not to count) 3s 45. No wonder our Wairoa friends are content at the new electoral divisions, and we congratulate them on the now hopes inspired. “ Touchstone,” in the Napier News, writes: — Captain Russell wires that instructions have been issued to proceed wi'h the survey of a new dray road between Napier and Wairna. Not before it was wanted. The Wairoa has been ehamefnlly treated bv half-a-dozen governments. Perhaps the Cap'ain’s newly found zeal is not altogether unconnected with the fact that the Wairoa is now in the electoral district of Hawke’s Bay.

A little boy named Charles Searle, of North Gisborne, me r . with a painful accident on Sunday moaning. An elder brother was taking two horses to a paddock, and on one of them (a vpiy quiet animal) the small boy was riding. This animal having been left a little way behind smartened up, with the result that the boy lost his balance and fell on the. road, snapping his thighbone by the fa 1. The little sufferer was immediately^tak'n home and medical aid procured. The limb was set and he is now progressing as well a a can be expected.

A very pleasing ceremony took place on Saturday week, on board the s s. Manapouri, at Melbourne, when Captain Logan, of that vessel, was presented with a bean ifully illuminated address by Mr Derbin Wilder, on behalf of the passengers who sailed with him in January last from New Zealand. Daring the voyage an accident to the machinery occurred, and both Captain Logan and his officers displayed great skill in the management of the vessel, which the passenger? desired to mark, and several of them spoke in high terms of Captain Logan’s seamanship on the occasion. In receiving the address. Captain Logan assured those present that he deeply appreciated the honour pud him, and would be proud to hand the testimonial down as an heirloom to his family.—Star. With reference to a letter, c complaint from Mr D. Courtoay, which appeared in our last issue, we have been informed by the Visiting Committee of the Gisborne Hospital (Messrs E. F. Harris and C. C. Lucas) that Mr Courtnay was, at his wife’s own request, refused permission to sse her. He was in the habit of going every day, and his constant visits had the effect of increasing the fever and delaying his wife’s recovery. In addition to this, on more than one occasion when he went to the Hospital he was, we are informed, ia too excited a state to be admitted. It is only fair to Miss Houldgate to state that although the Hospital has been unusually full for some weeks past, tho patients express themselves as satisfied with the treatment received.

The members of the Turanganui Football Cub set ths ball rolling on Saturday afternoon. There was a good muster of players, but the afternoon sat ia warin and the want of training was a-on felt. The play, however, gave promise of a vigorous season directly the “cobwebs” have worn off. A fine run by L. Maude was the mast striking feature oi Saturday afternoon’s game. A matter of interest to local footballers is tho question of how to count pointe, which was considered last week by the Wellington Union. The Secretary stated that he had received from-the E <gli«h Rugby Union the .rules for the doming season, and iu diem it was set down that a goal from a try would count 3 points, a gaol from a penalty kick or potted goal 2 points, and a try 1 point. Latest numbers of the English sporing papers, however, Stated that the scoring this season was to be as follows Gaal from try 4 points, potted goal 3 points, try 2 points, goal from penalty kick 1 point. After several delegates had spoken to the question, it was decided that the Secretary should write to the different Rugby Unions asking them what their intentions were with regard to the matter.

The Wanganui Herald gives the following paragraph “ With respect to the Giaborne Standard’s remarks on the Fire Brigade team from that locality we may say that the information supplied us came from a source such as we considered reliable, but if the Standard says it is not A fact that two of the members of the team were maintained for some time before the competition, we accept the assurance, and express regret that anything against ths team should have appeared, but our statement emanated from a Gisborne man, and was general talk among the fire, men.” Our contemporary acts charitably in not giving the name of the man who made such a slanderous statement, or he might get baptised in a manner not in keeping with the tenets of any religious sect. The tale probably originated through some silly pernon trying to take a “ rise ” out of some of the other firemen, because anyone who knew the ; circumstances would think such a lie woigjd I be rendered harmless by its very outrageousness. Though curiosity inspires us with a I desire to know the name of the liar we are glad to think there was no ill feeling, The I fact Is the Gisborne men were engaged at their ordinary cocqpationa almost until the hour < of their dapirtto, j

The steamer Rotomahana does not arrive until Monday morning on her next trip.

The Rev. J. B. Finlay, of Rangitikei, preached at the Presbyterian Church on Sunday.

Captain Preece, of Napier, says that the Women’s property Act should have been called the Married Men's Frauds Facilitation Act,

It is said a coal seam has been struck at the Mahia, hut since our friends in that direction puffed forth the goldfields bubble, sheep and * dead marines ’ (stranded), and an occasional whale are all wo expect to hear of being discovered Mahia way.

To-day is All Fools’ Day, when every simpleton who may not be generally known as such, is privileged to run rampant and, by misleading other given the opportunity of proving his own kinship with the ape.

Messrs Currie and Hogan’s racehorse Darnley was on board the Australia, on Saturday last, on his way to Auckland to fulfil his engagements at the forthcoming steeplechase meeting. The horse was in charge of R. Marshal!.

A glass ball shooting club has been started in Wanganui. We are glad to see the sports men of that town set 1 ing themselves against ;he cruel slaughter of pigeons that goes on in ;’ome other parts of the colony—Gisborne not excepted. I?, is hard to imagine anything so wanton as tho releasing of pigeons from what are called trap?, and then shooting them down for “ sport.” If each pigeon released was killed outright,; the “ sport ” would not be so bad, but many wounded pigeons escape, to die a lingering death, or suffer a slow and painful recovery, at some place distant from where they were allowed to flutter into the open air.

A little excitement was caused in Gladstone road on Sunday afternoon at the sight of Constable Pardy speeling up the road at a pace which would put Tom Malone in the shade. It appears that the sedulous constable had received information that a horse was being ridden which was not in a fit state to Le used. Theconstable caught his man near the Settlers’ Hotel just as the horse was breaking into a canter, with the result that the rider dismounted and led his horse ba«*k to town, and it is not unlikely that the matter will be ventilated in Court.

The affiliation case, J. Gordon v. T. Smith, was again before the Court yesterday afternoon, when evidence corroborative of the plaintiff’s evidence was given. The defendant went into the box and denied the plaintiff's material statement, but admitted undue intimacy at a subsequent period which Jwould free him from responsibility. The Magistrate, however, plainly intimated that at present he did not believe the defendant’s evidence, but granted an adjjurntnent until to-morrow in order that evidence might be brought which it was alleged, would shake the plaintiff's testimony. Mr DeLautour appeared for the plaintiff, and Mr Day for defendant.

We (Otago Daily Times) understand that the Gore Gas Company, which has been established to provide gas under contract with the c rporation of Gore, and for which a concession of 14 years has been granted to Mr Watt (the patentee of the hydro carbon process), has been successfully floated. Should the gas fulfil a>l that is anticipated from it on a large scale it will create quite a revolution in gas lighting, and doubtless will be found ere long in many other towns in the colony, as it is expected the cost of production will be considerably less than that of coal gas. All that existing gas companies or corporations will have to do in order to avail themselves of the gas produced by this patent will simply be to alter their rerorts, as the same pipes, gasometers, etc,, will answer just as in the case of coal gas. It ia probable that the town of Gore will bo lit up by Mr Watt’s patent by the end of May next.

George Gould, Jay Gould’s eldest son, is a mixture “of the financier, the society man, and the husband.” He is a handsome young fellow of thirty; has keen, dark eyes, a playful moustache, a firm chin, and exquisite white teeth. He is a good musician, fond of the opera and the theatre, and devoted to his wife and babies. Mrs George Gould was the beautiful actress Miss Edith Kingdon, who left the stage to become the wife of the millionaire, and is the most domestic of young matrons. She seems to have entirely lost her love for the s’age. and wou'd rather stay at home with her babies than go to the theatre. Although she has lost none of her beauty, Mrs Gould has grown decidedly stout during the last two years. Her home is exquisitely furnished, and a half dozen servants suffice for its needs. The best room in the house is the nursery.

The grandmotherly Hawke’s Bay Herald, which has always been of great service tn the landed party, by the consistent way in which it. fires off their squibs, has b=:en giving some of the East Coast representatives of its own class a rapping on the knuckles. After complimenting Mr Rees by calling him a funny man, the Herald chips in this sweet paragraph at the expense of Mr Arthur’s supporters :— “ We hear that it has been settled that Mr ArthuV (aic) and Mr Rees will be the only two candidates for the East Coast at the next election. Those who have arranged so nicely no doubt look upon themselves as possessing the power the late John Sheehan used to boast of—that of holding, this or that electorate ‘in the hollow of his hand.’ ” Those people whom the Herald so severely hits thought last time they would manage to get Mr Arthur iu without a contest, and one inemb r of the parly boasted that if they put up anyone he must go in. Mr Arthur however only got in by the famous block vote of the coast.

Referring to the South African Goldfl -Ids a Reefron D ippp s iys:—Letters have reached here from Mr F. Thnmas, as also from Mr Isaiah Willia ns, both of whom have bettered their prnspec s by leaving Reef ton. Williams fills the place temporarily of a manager who has gono to England, and receives £35 per month, house and conveyance free Th ums does not state what rate of pay he is getting, but is employed at a mine, while his son, who accompanied him from here, is employed engine driving at 25s per day. Everything is amazingly d^ar—-butter 5a per lb, groceries generally very high, firewood £lO per load. Hotel board £l4 per month, but thit probably refers to leading house?, which, however, are chiefly distinguishable by their all-prevaling dirt and discomfort. All the mining timber is imported, but this will be remehie i probably by railway construction, though immense tracts of country are parsed through on the way to Johannesburg, which are absolutely void of timber. This necessarily is a great drawback having regard to the economic working of the mines,

There was a remarkable scene in the lobby of the House of Commons, where the report of the Parnell Commission was issued to members at 10 o’clock in the evening. From half-past 9 a rapidly growing crowd of members and journalists gathered around the door of the vote office, which is entered from the lobby, eager to secure the vary first copy, and the throng at length proved so dense that Ministers left the House to watch the unaccustomed sight, and the portal had to be locked to nrevenr, the office bsing ’carried by storm, The more wary persons had guessed that the report would be available at the sale office department in another portion of the building, and it was there indeed that ths first copies were to be bad. Punctually as Big Ben boomed, a huse bundle of volumes was brought on the back of a messenger from the vote ?~* oS *_P ur ' to the door being looked

tnerG was a momentary delay, during which the bundle was snatched from his shoulders and copies seized by the struggling crowd, which had temporarily lost all sense and dignity. While the members were struggling round the vote office, the Irish members pot satisfied with tbeir position, for a number of Conservatives were in front and would get the first copies, devised a ruse which left them masters of the situation. The House being at the moment practically empty, the Irish members movea-a count out, and at the sound of the bell the Conservatives reluctantly retired from their points of vantage, flocking into the House to avoid the collapse of the sitting, Thus the Irish members got into the first flight, and secured lhe tarltest copies of the reports