LOCAL AND GENERAL

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume IV, Issue 568, 10 February 1891, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

A meeting of the Harbor Board takes place to-night. The Whataupoko Road Board meets this afternoon. Mr James Johnstone, of Matawhero, a popular young man of splendid pbyrique, left Gisborne on Sunday, on his way to Born o. Signor Crispi, lately Prime Minister of Italy, is atdl|and distinguished looking man, with snowy-white hair and moustache. He has the reput ition of being the best-hated man in the kingdom. Mr W. E. Kenny, who has received a good appointment in the department of the Marine Engineer, baa arrived in Gisborne wilh the object of making the survey of the bay. Mr Kenny was formerly engaged on this work.

Mr J. W. Smith, of Gisborne, won the challenge cup and £l6 at the Wairoa Gun Club's meeting on Saturday. There were sixteen competitors, including crack shots from Napier. The cup is a handsome one, purchased from Mr Good’s establishment. The Native Land Court opened yesterday under Chief Judge Seth-Smith. Mr Finn made an application in regard to the Paremata block, for the insertion of certain names in the order. Messrs DeLautour and Sievwright, representing the Land Company, objecte 1 to the application. Mr Al F. Kennedy, who comes to Gisborne on behalf of Messrs Kettle and Williams, of Napier, had a great "send off” from that town on Friday night. He ia a most popular man in athletic circles, and is already well known and esteemed by many Gisborne people. Tbe Trust Commissioner, Mr Booth, yesterday morning granted certificates to tbe following deeds :—Transfer from Mere Whakaanga to Silas James Stevenson, of Kaiti section 101; transfer from Hemi Whakarau to Assets Company, of Koutu No. 9 ; transfer from Atarata Patau to Kenneth Campbell, of Kaiti section 100, A curious mistake crept into a paragraph (concerning the Salvation Army) in our last issue, the name Booth anpeanng in place of Bishop. It bad the effect of proving hnw widely the Standard is read, tor within a few hours the editor was no longer able tn keep a reasonable tally of the large number of people who informed him of the mistake. Last month a hundred persons took up 37.892 acres of land in various parts of the colony, viz. 19,003 acres in Canterbury, 489" acres in Wellington, 468* acres In Auckland, 2421 acres in Otago, 3307 acres in Taranaki, 2118 acres in Nelson, 867 acres in H iwke's Bay. Tnirteen persons took up 13,150 acres for cash, the result of the sales being £13,865, There wore 1888 acres taken up on deferred payments, and 22,852 acres under perpetual lease.

A new line of business in Gisborne is to be opened to-morrow, by the Messrs Veale, trading under the style of O Veale and Son. The new business is a pork butchery, the premi-es known as the Central Butchery having been taken. The partners have long been resident in Gisborne, have had good experience, and in their respective capacities earned tbe esteem of the public. They are well deserving of encouragement, and they are likely to give such satisfaction as will entitle them to an extensive patronage. It is pleasing to notice that there appears to be a revival in the old horse trade which eonie years ago existed between Poverty Bay and Auckland. Yesterday Messrs W. C. and J. Campbell started overland with about forty head of selected animals, and the prices obtained should be satisfactory. The horses are mostly young. Messrs Backland and Son, it is understood, intend to dispose of them by auction shortly after arrival. It is to be hoped the venture will be a profitable one. At the last meeting of the Wanganui Education Board, the chairman of a committee, wrote—“So far as my jurisdiction extends I would faithfully exercise the function of controlling and supervising * the regulation period of company keeping on the part of young lady teachers,’ if such a regulation be adopted by the board.” He suggested that one month should be the limit wilh one beau, but forget to limit the number of beaux.

An English practitioner, Dr Curveqgen, recently discovered a method of treating scarlet fever by means of eucalyptus oi, which obtained results quite as promising i i their way as Dr Koch's vaunted remedy [for tubercular disease. Although no secret, however, has been made of the preparation, some twelve months have gone by without the English medical profession making any general use of the remedy. This is a striking illustration of a recent remark in Truth on the obstinate reluctance of English doctors to depart by a hair's breadth from the traditions of the profession. A radical Sydney paper delights in poking fan at all Governors. It thus describes Governor Jersey’s arrival at Melbourne :— His Excellency wore a pair of speckled pants and a bat that had seen better and brighter days, and his coat was bulky at the back as it be had frequently carried sausages home in the bind pocket. He proved to be small and somewhat baggy, and ha had a baby smile partially disguised at intervals by his eye glass; and also ha had seven whiskers oa one side and nine and a small one on the other. His hair is tbe same colour as a brown dog seen indistinctly in the dusk, and bo stutters badly with both lege. A London correspondent wrote by laet mailDr Parker, of the City Temple, has for the past fortnight been raving with characteristic intemperance concerning Mr Parnell’s moral fall and the fatal consequences thereof fo Home Bute. He suggested that Australia should be called upon to express her opinion, and back up " our grand old leader” in Baying “Fie fie! O’She-ame!” to Mr Parnell. The Doctor’s acrimony has naturally lessened since Mr Parnell’s polite references to the' " howling hypocrites of non-conformity" and “ your Presbytyrants!” Unfortunately, though, the hejrarche of his own church have now spoken. Truth writes a rhyme of the time, on the London fog Four days of darkness, dank and drear, Four days of choky atmosphere, Four days of smoke-beclouded skies, Four days of aching heads and eyes, Four days of gae-polluted air, Four days of hazard and of scare, Four days of parlous ambulation, Four days of constant irritation, Four days of miserable misgiving, Four days of life net worth ths living, Four days unfit for or dog, In short— Four days of London Foo I

An interesting, though perhaps not edifying controversy, has been going on in England as to whether reporters are sceptics, The President of the so-called Christian Association a strong attack upon the profession, accusing them of beeng extremely partial to Agnostics. The Reporters' Magesine then heaps coals of fire on this President, and first accuses him of cowardly insinuation and jnuendo, and then in another place it points out that on large papers tbe reporters always get told off for their work by the sub-editor or manager. The Magazine adds that it would be as reasonable for it to state that the Presidents of Christian Associations arc given habitually to deliberate lying as it was reason* able for him to found acouMticas upon the information ba hail.

A Saturday half-holiday has been initiated by the leading ironmongers in Napier. In Finland not only are Salvationists prevented worshipping in public, but their private meeting are raided by lhe police. The total weight of the bullets fired at the targets during the late New Zealand Rifle Association meeting was 2 tons 2 cwt lOlbs.

Mr George Aldridge, a well known lecturer on Scriptural subjects, speaks in lhe Theatre Royal on Sunday next. He was for several years editor of the Bible Standard. Tim Healy on Parnell—“ He is, in my judgment, an abler man in respect of relicence, determination, and unscrupulnusness, than any member of his party.” On Saturday morning Mr Bright (manager of the N Z.L. and M.A. Co.), on behalf of the Matawhero Literary Society presented Mr G. Johnstone (whn has recently been married) with a handsame clock.

Messrs Graham. Pitt, and Bennett’s old premises were closed yesterday. This gave lhe corner quite a dreary appearance, but the closing of the premises will bi a welcome event tn other business people. A Wairarapa journal, in a recent biographical sketch, made the startling assertion that Mr Ward, M.H.R , wan a young New* Zealander, born at E-nerald HiV, Victoria. He also wished his readers to believe that Mr Ward “ commenced life in boyhood.” The Tauwhareparae block, the harbor endowment, has had tn answer fnr a lot in its day, and if tbe phonograph could have been utilised to store up all that has been Raid there would be miles of talk available. Now it is said there is a supply of natural gas on lhe block itself. It would be a pity to have any more wasted. There have been crowded congregations at the Salvation Army meetings during the visit of Adjutant and Mrs Bishop, lhe remarkable feature about the visitors is their youthful appearance, but that only makes them the more highly appreciated when their qualifications are made known. They are both good speakers, and their uttetances are to the point, while there is an indication of intense earnestness in all that they say and do. Thia evening there is to be a big welcome tea, when there is certain to be a very large attendance. On Thursday evening the meeting will be held in the City Rink, when tbe Adjutant promises to touch on General Booth's scheme, which is now occupying so much attention among thoughtful people. The Wairarapa Daily writes:—We read the other day how the honorable member for New Plymouth had contracted to light up ihe lamps of his native town for twenty-five shillings a week, but what are we to say of lhe same honorable gentleman drawing one hundred and fifty pounds for illuminating the House of Representatives for eight daysl Still he and hie fellow representatives have got the money, more perhaps than they ever had before In their lives, and with their pockets full of ooin will laugh at their constituents who sent them to Wellington on a retrenching expedition. They have had a good time. Ten days ago they went to the Empire City with possibly a small handful of silver, and now they return in triumph with a big handful of gold. They could not have done better even if they had drawn the winning number in a big sweep.

According to the London correspondent of the New Zealand Times, Sir Ch >rki Clifford has burnt his fingere to a pretty tune over an Am-riean mining company, of which he was one of the directors. A dieappoin'ed shareholder sued him on the ground that there were misstatements in the prospectus, and recovered the entire price he paid for his shares (£2000), together with interest and damages, which will be assessed Of coarse all the otner disappointed shareholders are now going for Sir Charles and Mr Nelson, of Nelson Bros., who are, it seems, the only wealthy men on the board. At present it looks as though they would have to return between £40,000 and £50,000 The erratum in the prospectus which brought about this catastrophe was that the document stated that the mine had been reported on by Mr So-and-so, and discovered to be a most valuable property. It omitted, however, 10 add that the report was made for the vendors and not for the company, as everybody reading the prospectus naturally supposed.