LOCAL AND GENERAL

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume IV, Issue 488, 2 August 1890, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The rules of tho Auckland Butchers’ Union come into force next Monday. Mr Lusk, solicitor, conducted his first case in Court on Thursday last, when a nonsuit was given against the plaintiff, Mr Lusk being for the defence.

A number of Devonport boys got marched to the Polich Court, for disturbing a public meeting. They were let off with a fine of a shilling and costs. The quarterly meeting of the Committee of the Tolago Special Native Licensing District will be held at Tolago Bay on Thursday, 4th September. Applications for transfers must be filed before Wednesday, 13rh August. By yesterday’s mail Mr F. J. Piesse, the local agent for the Norwich Union Insurance Company, received a cheque for £5OO, being amount of insurance on the Sea View Hotel, Tologa Bay, which was destroyed by fire about a fortnight ago. This is something like promptness.

Yesterday turned out to be a beautiful sunny day. We have had such a long spell of damp weather, that a pleasant day like yesterday was seems a rare change, and is doubly enjoyable to what it would have been had we had a continuity of beautiful days—as we often do have. The revenue of the Napier Harbor Board continues to increase. A return prepared for the Board showing the receipts for the six months ending on June 30th gives the revenue for that period as £9695 3s lOd, The income for the corresponding period last year was £8895 6s 2d, showing an increase at the rate of £l6OO a year. The Wairoa Guardian is terribly catting on the jovial Sydney Taiwhanga, and calls him a shallow-pated blatherskite. Our opinion of Sydney is that he knows a great deal too much—only unfortunately it is of the seamy side of politics. If Sydney’s brains and energy could only be directed into good channels, he would rise high above some of the pakeha members. Mr Thomas Parker, an old Wairoa settler, died last Saturday morning, from pulmonary consumption. He arrived in Wairoa in 1869, from Poverty Bay, and set up in business as a saddler. He subsequently married, his business increased, and he combined bootselling and storekeeping with his other business. For the past twelve months he had kept two stores going in the township. He was an indefatigable worker in the Wairoa County Council, Harbor Board, and other local institutions. He was 38 years of age. The Waimata settlers are very wrath Aout the state of the roads up that way—or what are by courtesy termed roads. The track is impassible for vehicles and dangerous to horsemen Were it not for Mr Field’s kindness in allowing upper settlers to cross his property they would be cut off from communication with town. It is suggested that the Engineer ehould go up there and do penance just io gain a knowlenge of the state of affairs. It is also asked how are the contractors to manage to fill in the holes when the cabbage trees, fern and manuka get scarce on the roadside. A large number of slips have taken place along the roadside.

A very enjoyable evening was spent at the Union Literary Society on Thursday, when there was a very fair attendance, the time of the meeting being devoted to a debate, “Is too much attention paid to athletics by Englishmen ?” The Rev. A. F. Gardiner led off in the affirmative, and was during the course of the evening supported by Mrs H. Williams, and Revs. H. Williams and Canon Fox. Mr Fred. Lysnar led off in the negative side, and was supported by Messrs F. T. Morgan, Greenwood, Crawford, Mann, L; Maude, and H. Watson. A show of hands gave a large majority in favor of the negative side of the question.

It is well known that the late Mr John Probert, whose interment took place on Monday afternoon, died a wealthy man, and the value of his property is set down by current rumour at something like £40,000. The exact terms of the will have not transpired, but it is understood that besides the apportionment of handsome amounts to his brother and several nephews, he has also made several large bequests to local institutions, The Wesleyan Church, to which the deceased gentleman belonged, has been especially fortunate, no less a sum than £20,000 having been left to that body. This money is not for the Auckland Wesleyans in particular, but has been bequeathed to what is known as the Wesleyan Building Fund, which is managed by a Board under the secretaryship of the Rev. W. Morley. The object of this building fund is to lend out without interest sums of money to churches and parsonages in difficulties, to be pail back in quarterly instalments under the security of the trustees to whom it is lent. Mr Probert remembered one very deserving object, having left £l,OOO to the Young Men’s Christian Association, This is a capital slice of good fortune for the Association, for financially it is burdened, and now wilh another big promise from a special friend, the debt may be tubbed out.—Auckland Star.

Church of England country services:—Te Arai 3, Patutabi 7. Mrs Kennedy, wife of Captain Kennedy, died on Wednesday night. The first sale held by Messrs Davies, Akroyd, and Porter, takes place at 11 this morning.

The body of the man Seers has not been recovered. He was drowned while attempting to ford the Kaiteratahi river. A clearing off sale, lasting for the period of a month, has commenced at Mr H. Lewis’ store. A list of some of the prices is giv en in our advertising columns. The Customs revenue collected at Gisborne last month was £741 5s 2d. Ou spirits there was paid £417 10s, and £122 18s 9d on tobacco. The lady plaintiff in a debt case in Court on Thursday went into tne reporters’ box by mistake, but soon discovered her error when the smiling clerk demonstrated that a Bible was not to be found iu that quarter. Four bushmen camped in the Waimata district got burnt out on Wednesday afternoon, the tent being destroyed and all the effects lost. The men were all away at work at the time, and a fire had been left alight.

The Turanganui football fifteen left for Napier last night, and this afternoon they play a match with the second fifteen of the Napier Pirates Club. E. O'Meara was unable to go down to play, owing to an injury his leg sustained while he was playing in the match on Tuesday. At the usual weekly committee meeting of the Harbor Board on Thursday last there were present: Members Chambers (in the chair), Townley, and Shelton, Accounts were passed as follows A Thompson £8 3s 2d, Wharfinger £l6 13s 4d, Secretary £8 6s Bd, J. Thomson £233 6s Bd. Mr Gladstone lately said: The main purpose of education is to deal with the mind, not as a repository that is to be tided with goods like a shop, and then the goods to be taken out and handed over the counter, the shop remaining exactly as it was while the goods passed through it, but that the main purpose of education is to make the human mind a supple, effective, s.rong, available instrument for whatever purposes it may be required to be applied to. At the Resident Magistrate’s Court on Thursday morning the Mayor and Captain Tucker occupied the Bench, when the following civil cases were heard:—R. Williams v. J. Cresswell, claim £4 for value of saddle ; Mr Lusk for defendant; plaintiff nonsuited, with costs £1 16(?. A. Mclntosh v. A. Klee, claim £6 14s for board and residence ; judgment by default, costs £2 Is. A. J. Cooper v. W. Brassey, claim £3 Is 6d; judgment by default, costs 7s. Judgment summonses:—G. R. Moore v. E. A. Pavitt, claim £8 3s; an order •for immediate payment was made, or in default 9 days’ imprisonment. The oass J. East v. W. Maude, claim £3 10s 3d, opened an old dispute between the parties, and it was eventually decided to adjourn tjxe case, so that it could come before Mr Booth, who had given a previous decision regarding disputes between the parties. Mr Chrisp appeared for defendant.

The Melbourne Leader writes:—Fresh developments of the mysterious horse disease at Redesdale have occurred during past week. Two valuable animals, the property of Mr A. C. Rowan, have caught the contagion and died. Mr M. Grady has also been a sufferer, having lost a. splendid draught mare on Saturday last. This epidemic, if such it may be termed, has been peculiar to the Redesdale district for many years, and, when contracted, appears to be irrepressible in its course, its victim usually dying in from 20 to 30 hours. The fact that stable fed horses never become affected leads to the belief that the fatality is due to some poisonous weed, and this supposition appears to be strengthened by the fact that its developments are most predominant during the winters which are noted for a luxuriance of growth. An American reporter belonging to the St. Louis Globe-Democrat newspaper on June 11th got away with a nice little yarn, purposing to be an interview with one Father Lawrence, who lately returned from missionary labors in New Zealand. The alleged Father Lawrence told of Maoris tearing the children limb from limb, of their having tortured him by pulling off his toenails, and of other remarkable occurrences too good to be true. Whether Father Lawrence was an impostor or the reporter evolved him out of his own brain it is hard for us in New Zealand to tell; but some very steady going people have accepted the reporter’s story as true, and boiled over with indignation that any missionary should tell such lies about the colony. It appears, however, that no such person as Father Lawrence was ever engaged in missionary work in this country, as anyone reading the newspaper story might have seen at a glance. The wrath wasted-on him should have been reserved for the impostor or the inventive reporter. It is possible that some one in America is trying to errry on the Clampett8u Hi van game.—Telegraph. The Rev. Mr Beecroft left for Napier again by last night’s steamer. On Thursday evening his lecture on London life was delivered in Gisborne, and was greatly enjoyed, being deeply interesting to those who were acquainted with many of the scenes described, but of still greater interest to young colonials, many of whom were present. For two hours, with a musical interlude, there was the closest attention paid to the lecturer, and the time seemed all too short. The dark side of London life, the bitter distress and struggle for bread, were described so vividly, that it was quite a relief when these grim truths gave way to happier pictures. The description of the miserable life of the dock laborers, forcibly impressed one as to the terrible privations those men and their families have to undergo. Nor could he offer a solution of the great problem that was presented—that could only be hoped for by an adherence to the Divine laws. The Molloch of competition, he said, was the great cause of most of this misery, and each one of us was partially to blame. Somo people would walk twp or three miles to get an article a penny cheaper. The serious thread of the subject dealt with was relieved by many bright stories, told in a very enjoyable way, and a great deal of information was conveyed m a most entertaining style. Mr J. Bourke occupied the chair, and the Rev. J. Ward having, at the opening, made reference to the work *of the late Rev, Buller (Mr Bourke’s father-in-law), the Chairman paid a tribute to the memory of that notable Wesleyan, a tribute that was much applauded. At the conclusion of the lecture Mr J. T. Evans, in a very complimentary address, moved a vote of thanks to the lecturer; this was seconded by Mr Campbell Thompson (who alsoj made some thoughtful and complimentary remarks?, and was carried with enthusiastic applause. The Chairman, too, spoke very highly of the lecture, and expressed a hope that before long Mr Beecroft would pay another visit to Gisborne, a remark which was warmly reciprocated by the audience. Mr Beecroft briefly replied, making a further reference to Mr Ward’s work; and votes of thanks were cordially tendered to the Chairman, and to the musicians.