LOCAL AND GENERAL

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume III, Issue 438, 8 April 1890, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Tenders for the labor in building a house at Awapuni are advertised for. Annual meeting St. Andrew's Literary Association, 7.30 this (Tuesday) evening.—Ad.

The Napier News considers that the new electoral boundaries for the East Coast will virtually disfranchise the northern portion of the district.

The Minister for Public Works has promised to see that a grant is made to facilitate communication by road between Tauranga and Opotiki.

Messrs Nelson Bros, telegraph us the following {report *of the London meat marketsßest mutton, 4Jd; beef—hinds, 4£d; fores, 4d.

A man in a menagerie at Vicenza has been in the habit of entering the den and thrashing the lions into fury, and then coaxing the animals until they licked his hand. The older lion the other day seized his tormentor and literally tore him to pieces in the presence of the horrified spectators. Gisborne people will be proud to learn that two Gisborne boys are making a name for themselves at Glasgow. Mr A. Graham’s two sons, Douglas and John, recently went Home, and in the last examination of the school they are attending, Douglas carried off first honors in a class of 40 boys, and John second in a class of 60 boys. During Easter there were special services at the Anglican and Boman Catholic Churches, both of which had been very prettily decorated. The services were most impressive. The number of those who partook of Holy Communion at Holy Trinity Church on the morning of Easter Sunday was more than »four times as many as had attended on either of the previous Easter Sundays. Messrs East and Somervell’s flaxmill at the Mahia was got into full working order on Saturday, and active operations begin this week. The proprietors intend to pay special attention to the quality of the article they produce, and thus hope they will not incur any great disadvantage through the carelessness and slovenliness that have done so much to reduce the price of flax.

A barque which arrived at Boston after a remarkable voyage had on board 40 parrots, a gorilla, an ouiang -outang, 12 snakes, two crocodiles, and a number of monkeys. The ship swarmed with rats, which devoured the corn provided for the parrots, leaving them to starve. The snakes and crocodiles, during the hurricane escaped, and for days fought with the rats and between themselves, while the monkeys took to the rigging.

An extraordinary case of death of misadventure was investigated by a coroner's jury at Southampton the other day. A party of men were employed in repairing the drain at the workhouse, when an inmate named Fry brought out a champagne bottle containing carbolic acid. Some one remarked, “ Fry has got a good thing,” and he replied, “ Who will have a drink?” An inmate named Heath snatched the bottle from behind, ran across the yard, and, before he could be stopped, drank a quantity of the acid from the bottle. Death ensued in about an hour. A verdict of “Poisoned by misadventure” was returned.

Dr Newman, in the course of an interview, said“ No person who is not personally acquainted with the interior of the country lying between Wellington and Te Awamuiu can have the faintest conception of the magnificent estate for the colony which the central route of the North Island Main Trunk Bailway, if completed, would open. If Auckland and Wellington were of one opinion in this matter, the completion of the line would be brought within prospect, but so sure as they continue to differ on the subject that work will be hung up. Contention between Auckland and Wellington has already defeated railway progress in the North Island, If continued, it will kill all progress in the future, and the rest of the colony will simply laugh at the folly with which two important provinces, through mutual jealousy, oppose the advancement of the whole of the North Island, leaving to the Southern provinces opportunities of getting advantages which are surely seized and developed for the purpose of future demands upon the public funds. The money borrowed ■ for the construction of this work has allowed of some progress being made, but it is now practically hung up, and so long as there is conflict between these provinces it will be indefinitely postponed, while the whole of the splended country of the interior will remain s terra incognita to those who would go and

Tenders are advertised for the building of new Wesleyan parsonage. Tenders are required for falling 125 acres bush at Waimata.

The Union Literary Society (Church of England) opens on the first of May, with a representation of the famous Bardell v. Pickwick trial. The principal characters are to be taken by persons well able to make the affair successful, though there is not much time for preparation. Mr Thomas Cook, of Leicester, the tourist agent, has signified, through the deacons of the Baptist Chapel at Melbourne, Derbyshire, his native place, that he has decided to build there thirteen cottages and a mission-room. The cottages are to be rent free for the use of aged and deserving poor of the town. Mr Cook desires that the work of building should commence at once, and that the cottages should be as near as possible to the house where he was born.

A party of young men, bent on having some fun, made Gladstone road ring with laughter on Friday afternoon. Two youthful horsemen, who felt proud of the steeds on which they were mounted, were induced to start a trotting match in the belief that a big wager had been arranged among the bystanders. They went at it in a very' excited way, and certainly each did his best to win the money for his backers, who meanwhile were laughing in an outrageous manner.

This is the season of great things in the gardening line, and among the best samples that we have yet seen in the way of fruit are some apples and grapes grown by Mr G. Schmidt, head gardener at Mr W. K. Chambers’ place. The apples are of the “ Bismarck ” specimen, and the larger one weighs nearly two pounds. But the grapes afford an even better proof of what can be done by an experienced gardener when soil and climate give him the opportunity. The grapes are of splendid quality, being of enormous size, but retaining the most delicious flavor. \

“ Laborer ” writes Sir,—Your report of the last Borough Council meeting, and paragraph in reference thereto, ought to give working men of this district an idea of how they run their own necks into the noose, and ruin their own prospects while benefiting no one. If the Corporation can get its work done at such cheap rates private employers will naturally expect to be in the same position. There appears to me to be a want of unity among the workmen of this district, for surely -things are not so desperate that men are compelled to cut each other down until they have got rates down to less than a filth of whjt they ought to be in the worst of times.

An extraordinary riot of women occurred at Buffalo on February 22nd. Upwards of 2000 Bolish women assembled together and endeavored to mob a Roman Catholic priest who had been appointed to succeed a favorite pastor. A force of 200 policemen had to undertake the protection of the priest, and they were furiously assailed by the vindictive women, who threw salt and pepper into their eyes. Many civilians who were assisting the priest were also assaulted. One woman, who seized a policeman by the throat and attempted to strangle him, was arrested, but was afterwards rescued by her companions after a sharp struggle. The Melbourne Leader gives the following information under the heading “ Farm Topics ": —A question of considerable importance to the agricultural community was raised the other day at the opening of a butter and cheese factory in the Murrabit district. The point was this: To what extent are dairy farmers likely to ba benefited by the butter bonuses offered by Government? On the occasion referred to Mr Taverner, M.P., in a Stirring speech declared that the bonuses on batter would revert chiefly to a few of the Melbourne merchants, and maintained amidst interruption that so far as the dairying industry was concerned the bonus system was a perfect farce. These are strong statements, but we fear they are substantially correct. A bonus is offered to those who produce a certain quantity of butter, either individually or cooperatively as a company. The individual farmer will not participate to any extent because he cannot turn out a sufficient quantity of butter; the bonus goes, therefore, to benefit the factories only, and as a Jconsequenoe cooperative dairyinghas been greatly stimulated. Few people imagined, however, that a syndicate in Melbourne would be able to monopolise the dairy factory business over the whole country, and quietly scoop the bonuses into a pool. But such appears to be actually the case; and Mr Taverner was justified in stating that he would bring the matter before Parliament at the earliest opportunity. At the present time the Fresh Food and Frozen Storage Company have no fewer than 12 factories in course of erection throughout the colony—five of these are already at work and more are projected. The factories organised by this company are worked on unique lines. They purchase milk and separate the cream which is then forwarded to the depot at Melbourne, where the butter is made. And as the bonus is offered on butter only, not for milk or cream, it is evident that the farmers, unless shareholders, will get no benefit whatever.

The Star’s London correspondent writes :— One had hardly to be a “Zsdkiel” to foretell the result of the recently-arranged Mitchell v. Mace match ; but there were not wanting those who, throwing common sense to the winds, maintained that the old adage " Youth will be served” would in this case be upset. The majority of the cognoscenti were, however, sorry to hear that Mace had made the match, and some endeavoured to persuade the ex-champion to back out. But the old warhorse would not hear of it, and went into training, expressing great confidence of his ability to pnzzle the best of the latter day champions. The affair was brought off at the Gaiety Theatre, Glasgow, on Friday evening last. The contest, which did not last four rounds, owing to police interference, was from first to last in Mitchell’s favour, and he never boxed better in his life. A blow on the chin floored the veteran in the first round,, and even at this early stage Mace exhibited symptoms of distress. In the second bout he was again laid low, and wisely rested there as long as the rules permitted. The third round saw poor Jem the recipient of a perfect hurricane of blows, and ere. ths fourth was half way through the chief of the police, seeing how things stood, stopped the fight and the judges unhesitatingly credited Mitchell with the victory. Mace was not idle during the progress of the fight, but Charles was much too quick and clever for bis opponent to do him much harm.

Mr Edward Wakefield writes in the New York Herald a long article descriptive of the escape of Te Kooti and the Maoris from the Chatham Island, and the subsequent campaigns. At the commencement he says: —“ The war between the British and the Maoris, or native inhabitants of New Zealand, which lasted, with some short intervals, for more than twenty years, was one of the most remarkable conflicts on record, and is more interesting in some respects, as a military study, than many of the most famous wars in history. It shows what may be done by a handful of brave men who are ready to sacrifice everythjng else to one object of defending their political independence. It was clearly shown that there were never more than two thousand men in arms against the Queen at one time, and General Sir Duncan Cameron, who commanded the British forces, admitted that he had never had to deal with more than four hundred warriors in any single engagement. Yet an army of twenty thousand men—horse, foot, and artillery.— aided by a fleet of ten ships and unlimited supplies of money and stores, failed to suppress the rebellion, notwithstanding that both officers and men displayed a capacity and a heroism not surpassed in the annals of modern warfare. The truth is a Maori warrior is a fighting animal, while a British soldier is a fighting machine, which makes all the difference in the world. One fought by instinct, the other by rule; and for defensive purposes, at all events, one Maori was worth a whole picked oompany of a crack regiment of the line; while in a pa, which the Maoris built and fortified in a week, would defy the whole force of the Boyal Artillery for a month, aud after all be evacuated with flying colors only when provisions and water gave out. For bulldog courage, cat-like tenacity, and serpentine dexterity there were never any soldiers in the world to beat the Maoris who fought for King Potato, and afterwards for his degenerate son, Tawhaio, who still bears the royal title, though Ml authority has pasaed away from tort,”