LOCAL AND GENERAL
Mr R. Robh is making rapid progress with the erection of the new Wealevan parsonage in Palmerston road, Mr Robb rxpeots the work tn bs finished three weeks before the expiration of contract time.
The Union Literary Society invites visitors to the meeting this evening, when readinge will be given from “ Much Ado about Nothing,” and there will also be a discussion on the play.
Rinkomania is setting in again in Napier and other towns. Thera was some good fun at the Gisborne City Rink on Saturday night, wh=n some budding amateurs were spiritedly taking the ups and downs of a beginner in the fascinating pastime, It is proposed to try and revive the weekly half holiday in Gisborne. The principle of a weekly half holiday is being strongly urged in many of the larger towns, some of which have bean suocesetul in getting it estab'ishad. Wednesday is the day suggested for Gisborne. On Tuesday night the Social Quadrille Assembly commenced fla present winter season, with a very enjoyable gathering in the Theatre Royal. Mr O. Lewis acted as M.C., and the music was supplied by Messrs Spurdie, Sherrlff, and Hall. Mr A. Lewis makesan efficient Secretary, and MrO. Sandlent is included in ths committee. There were about 30 couples present at the opening dance.
The Gisborne correspondent of the Napier News soys that “if the Turanganui players do not improve greatly they will be simply brushed aside by the Napier Club. Still they have fine material, and a little genuine practice will work wonders." In reference to this there is good reason to state that the local Club will take care to go fully prepared. The members are doing fair practice now, and by the time they will be called upon to take steamer for Napier they ought to be pretty fit for a hard match. However, there is much steady work yet required before the team will show anything like the form it is capable of exhibiting ns its best.
The Borough Council calls for tenders for breaking about 100 yards of stone. The topsail schooner Awaroa arrived in Napier on Monday afternoon, from Gisborne. The cutter Venus is expected to arrive here from Napier on Friday. The ship Turakina, which left this port on March 14th, has arrived at Loudon.
The ordinary monthly meeting of the Harbor Board takes place this afternoon.
Mr G. L. Greenwood leaves for Nelson on Friday, having beau granted a three weeks’ holiday. A few days ago Mr Hansen, who is getting an accommodation house erected on the Motu road, go: his foot badly cut.
A fine mob cf cattle from Mr J. Clark’s run were driven to the freezing works before daylight on Tuesday morning. Still drifting away 1 The Monowai left Auckland for Sydney with 235 passengers, the largest number allowed by law.
There is a fine opportunity for the purchase of 45 acres in the prolific Makauri block. Applications should be made to Mr Aliroyd.
Mr Wethered invites tenders for the falling of 300 acres of bush. Tenders close at noon on Saturday, at Messrs Graham, Pitt and Bennett’s.
The Coptic is expected at Napier to day, when she loads 8000 or 9000 earcases of frozen mutton from the North British Freezing Co.’s works.
The fancy wager of £20,000 to £lOOO has been accepted by the owner of Titan that the trainer of that flyer trains the winning double of V.R.C. Derby and Cup. That means Titan and Prince Consort or Titan and Car bine.
At a meeting of the Whataupoko Road Board on Tuesday afternoon the following tenders were received for the erection of bridges on the Mangapapa block; —D. A. McLeod (accepted) £123, F. Hicks £133, M. Boland £lO9, and W. O. Sheet £149.
The infamous hypocrite Dudley Eyre is now the proprietor of a drinking saloon in the centre of San Francisco, and is eaid to be making money rapidly. Several other notorious emigrants from New Zealand are said to bs also doing well in San Franeisoo. The Rev. Mr Coffey, of Wellington, advocates early closing, and at the same time expresses the hope that it would result in more males attending church on Sunday mornings, morning congregations at present being mainly composed of wearers of bonnets. We have yet to learn what early closing has to do with church-going. An Auckland telegram in our last issue announced the sudden death of Grace Hunt, a widow. A strange fatality seems to surround this family. A Gisborne resident who knew Mr and Mrs Hunt informs us that the busband met bis death through a tree falling upon Dim, one daughter had both her legs broken below the knee, and her brother wss gored to death by an infuriated bull. There are other members of the family, and our informant believes that the unfortunate girl survived the accident. She proved herself to be of a very courageous nature. This latest infliction upon the family will be a very severe one. After our article on the Native Lund Court, the jovial Mr M.H.E. Sydney Tuiwhanga has withdrawn his powerful moral support from the Standard, which he now declares to bo the lending organ of a very influential political party which (so he testifies) recently distributed three thousand pounds, of which the editor received, as his share, one half—only a paltry eno half of ■630001 Sydney adds farther that he himself wears a fusty old coat to show that he won’t be bought. He says that u hen he gets together his combined Maori party of four they will completely sweep away the Native Land Court and its Judges. He intends to put up for every Maori seat himself unless the colored electors will accept nominees appointed by him, and this party of four will balance the power of the House, when the Europeans closely divide, as they nearly always do. Sydney adds a great deal of further information which is very interesting, and his departure from Gisborne will be quite a loss to the mirth loving portion of the community.
At the Salvation Army meeting on Tuesday the Captain, Miss Amy Podmore, made reference to the approaching departure from the district of Mr F. H. Barnard. The Captain is an accomplished speaker, and she made an impressive reference to the Christian work and the assistance that Mr Barnard had rendered. She said that while all religious institutions must regret that gentleman's departure from Gisborne their loss would be New Plymouth’s gain, which place they should congratulate, Mr Barnard made a fervent reply, remarking that when he had been instrumental in getting the Army to first make Gisborne one of its stations, many people had been averse to their coming, but experience hid only gone to convince him that the step had resulted in a large amount of good. He said there was a time when he used often to trouble himself with thequestion whether life was worth living, but since he had full communion with religion he had secured a happiness which had cast all doubts away.
A correspondent signing himself “ Cosmopolitan” writes to the H.B. Herald :—Sir,— From one end of New Zealand to the other the cry is “Times are bad; money scarce; produce low; people leaving; eto.” Some will say that we feel now the effects of the cash scattering policy of the Vogeliau era. This is no doubt quite true, but are we still to continue thia reckless extravagance? Should it not bo our duty to put our houses in thorough order and do without any unnecessary luxuries. I admit that the present Government has been a great improvement upon any previous ones, hut have they done enough ? Have they fulfilled the promises made during last session of the House as regards retrenchment in public service? Do we not still see this reckless extravagance of public money carried on? Take for instance the late case of Sergeant Bullen of Gisborne, A strong, healthy, active man, fit for another 20 years’ work, gets compensation for retiring from ths service. Compensation for simply doing what you or I are expected to do if we are well paid for it, This is not a solitary case. There are hundreds of others the same way who have retired on compensation, and than after n while get into another rosy billet. Can you call this anything else but sheer extravagance
Ths " Gisborne Phonographer," . a MS. shorthand journal, lias the following concerning the demise of " Zealandis ” " There will be a fee'ing of mixed regret concerning the demise of ‘Zealandia.’ Colonials will naturally feel concerned that this last attempt to found a magazine for colonials has been proved a failure, but on the other hind they could hardly feel satirfied at a periodical of the Zealandia stamp being taken as a standard of the literary abilities and tastes of New Zealanders. Being worked on the * mutual admiration principle’ a large amount .of success could not have been expected for it, though those who had ths direct control of the magazine might thus have deceived themselves. However, it ig much easier for a person to criticise than it is to conduct the practical management of a thing, and in the case of Zealandia there may have been many disadvantages concerning which the public remain in ignorance. One of the weakest points, to our mind, was the desire to split the literary work up into al! kinds of different departments instead of striving to secure the nearest approach to perfection In a limited branch of work. Ths humorous pages were about the drysst portions of the book, many of the alleged witticisms being miserably weak, and it was the height of nonsense for a monthly magazine to indulge in the different lines at which Zealandia seemed to aim, when there are so many high class weekly journals to compete against. Some of the literary productions might, however, take very high rank, and would do credit to any place, and perhaps if the continued existence of Zealandia were found possible, the experience gained would lead to its developing into a first class periodical. It is for that hope alone we regret the magazine’s demise, but we must confess that the self-opinionated style that affected its columns on its first appearance has imbued" us with a strong prejudice against the journal. It had a large circulation in this district, and the choice of Mr Drummond as agent showed uood business tact.”
It is said shat the method adopted to try and get another pnblic bouse at Waipukurau will be to start a Working Men’s Club. Dr Syme, of Stillwell (Vic.), before he parted with his interest in the Age, to David and Joe, was a diligent render 6f the “ad" columns of the paper— only. Now he doesn’t read it at all.
At Rockhampton a quack has been before the courts. His defence, though it was amusing, did not avail him. He argued that he had a perfect right to append initials to his name. His M D., for instance, merely meant “money down, ” and he explained all his other apparent degrees and diplomas on the same principle. Billy Murphy, the lightweight pugilist, is making a “ pile ” in America, and he writes saying he has also learned to keep money when he gets it. He has made a profitable speculation in the purchase of some land in San Francisco. He tells a tall yarn to the effect that Denver is full of cowboys, who shoot men like one would shoot rabbits in New Zealand.
“Touchstone” writes Have yon heard the latest suggestion about ‘ our lords,’ the Legislative Council. No, what is it? Well, you see Mr Waterhouse's resignation reduces the number of members of the Legislative Council to 39, and there’s some gossip as to whether any now appointments will bo made. One paper gravely snegosted that the Mayors of Dimodin and Wellington shou'd ba appointed. Surely, that would never do. To introduce political patronage into civil matters would be likely to lead to gross abuses. Both Mr Roberts and MrChae. Johnston are capital business men, and would doubtless be of far more use than a lot of the doddering old noodles who sleep on the scarlet leather benches, but the prinoip'e wou d be comp'etely wrong. The best thing to do with the Council would be to abolish it altoge'her. The following is claimed to be a veracious account of the history of ihe London Star:— The Star began its career not quite two years ago under the editorship of Mr T. P. O'Conn6r, tbe Irish member of Parliament: ‘ Tay Pay ’ — as he is jokingly called—began the paper in a little office on the top floor of a grim old building, just off Fleet street. His venture was received at first with derision, and its speedy collapse freely prophesied; but the indefatigable ‘Tay Pay’ kept at it with unflagging zeal; he emnloyed a lot of impecunious talent, giving them carte blanche to write what 1 hey felt they could do beat, which in a short lime imparted to the paper a tone of interesting originality. The descriptions of men, women, and things: the laces, gewgaws, and eccentricities of fashionable ladies ; the length of bair, color of eyes and weakness of prominent men, with many other departures from the typical London journalistic style, soon attracted attention, and people bought the paper to laugh over it. Then the wily ‘ Tay Pay ’ began gradually tn raise the tone of his paper, and with that success that in a short time the shabby little quarters of Fleet street were replaced by new and sumptuous offices in the heart 0! the newspaper emporium. The once ridiculed sheet has become a power in its own way.’ The Bulletin writes: —When the Maryborough (Vic.) rush broke out Julius Vogel was running a druggist's shop, or rather tent, on Ballarat. As in those days Julius was a tolerably sized rollingatone, he was for going off to the diggings at once, but could not for some days find a purchaser for hie pills, black draughts, and striking plaster. Ultimately he went to an Opposition chemist—S. B Clemea—who, as secretary to the mammoth Wimmers United Water Trust, now bosses half the Wimmera district—and offered the whole concern at a valuation. Clemea accepted the proposition, and proceeded to investigate the stock. He found it such a heterogeneous collection of compounds unknown to the pharmaeopceia that he said at last: ‘ Wherever did you get all this stuff. Vogel?' 'Bought it,’ laconically replied the future Premier. ‘No chemist,’ went on Clemes, with an emphasis on the word, ‘ would have purchased this rnbbish.’ ' Ju.st so,’ said Vogel, ‘ I don’tjthink any chemist would. But then nobody but a d d fool would ever take me for a chemist.’ Twenty odd years afterwards Clemes happened to be in Melbourne on municipal business bent, at a time when Vogel (then Sir Julius) took the Yarra village en route for tbe step-mother land. Sam called on Vogel at Menzies,’ and after a chat about old times asked the great man if he recollected the above little incident. Vogel’s memory was quite fresh about it, and he wound up his reminiscences by the inquiry : ‘By the way, Clemes, did the death rate diminish much when I left the oamp?’
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Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume IV, Issue 466, 12 June 1890, Page 2
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2,558LOCAL AND GENERAL Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume IV, Issue 466, 12 June 1890, Page 2
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