LOCAL AND GENERAL

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume V, Issue 644, 8 August 1891, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

An Oamaru constable bowled out an oat stealer by putting small scraps of paper, with his own writing on, in a bag of oats, and finding these scraps among oats on the thief’s premises. At a sale by auction near Rangiora lately a line of 200 tons of potatoes was sold at £52, which would about cover the price of digging and sacks, and leave nothing for seed, planting, and rent of the land. Forest, one of the footballers selected to represent Gisborne against Hawke's Bay, walked a distance of about 35 miles, into town, to be in time to leave for Napier by the steamer on Thursday night. He only made a stoppage of a few minutes on the road. The Glasgow Weekly Herald in a recent issue had the following extraordinary paragraph There are two prosperous irrigation settlements on the banks of the river Murray, New Zealand—Mildura in Victoria, and Renmark in South Australia. A Melbourne paper says that the latest attempt at suicide in New South Wales was that of a man who threw himself off the South head at Watson’s [Bay, because his friends reported that they were drawing up a requisition to induce him to enter Parliament.

Mr Joseph Heywood, a well-known Wairarapa settler, took over to Sydney recently 15 carriage horses selected principally in the Rangitikei district. Mr Heywood lately returned from Sydney, and it is believed that ha has a market already assured for the horses.

A debate on the subject of Spelling Reform took place at the Union Literary Society on Thursday night, Mr DeLsutour being in the chair. The debate proved very interesting, the negative side (led by Mt Bridgwater) having a majority 0! one. The Rev, H, Williams, Canon Fox, and Messrs Crawford, Jones, and Greenwood also took part in the discussion. Next Thursday night the popular lecturer Mr Hugo will deal with the subject of Colloquial Slang, the Society extending a general invitation to all persons who wish to be present,

The numerous Gisborne wage have been waxing merry over the great eea serpents dodging about off the eoast—not -of course that the narratives are disbelieved, but [here are people who would make fun oat of the most sacred things. Among other sensational stories going the rounds on Thursday was that gome natives who had gone out whaling from the Mahia had succeeded jn capturing the monster of monsters. An excursion across ths bay in the launch Snark was even talked of. A gorgeous sketch of the monster was exhibited*, and actually found its way into the sacred precincts of the B.M. Court, Another elaborate sketch had the different points duly labelled, such as • This is the head,’ • This is the back,’ ' This is the tail,’ so that there could be no mistake about it. Indeed the wags of Gisborne had not had such rare fun slucn ths night when the notorious f Tom Collins ” mat bls doom,

A Melbourne contemporary sM long ago wrote“ Captain Thor. W. Lockyer, al the steamer Victorian, which arrived on June 2nd from Sydney, reports that yesterday afternoon while the sea was as smooth as the proverbial mill pond, he saw a monster a short distance away from the ship, which l;ad all the appearance of the long sought sea serpen);, Thg monster was about 80 feet jn length and six feet In elrcumfe ten(le > n its thickest part, and it was jet black ffpm end to end, In gfiapg it was like the monsters often described as sea serpents. '4U“ the saloon passengers were on deck st the time, and witnessed the gambols of tho decidedly unprepossessing stranger, and had no wish to make a olossr acquaintance with it. Captain Lockyer adds that he and the passengers on the steamer Adelaide, of which he then had command, saw the same or a similar monster two years ago eighty miles further south than the one'which tyrned e 0 unexpectedly yesterday, '*

At Napier this week a youth got mulct in £4 8s 9d for striking a Chinaman—in default 21 days’ imprisonment. According to the Wairarapa Daily sheepstealing is lojked upon as one of the fine arts in Timaru.

Mr Gibson preaches at Wesley Church tomorrow morning and evening. Evening subject: “As thy days, so shall thy strength be.”

A great amount of interest is centred in the football match which is to be played at Napier this afternoon, between teams representing Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay. The Auckland Liberal Association has passed resolutions approving of the financial proposals of the Government. A Manawatu settler who sent Home 1000 sheep received a return of 9s 9d per head. He was offered 12s 6d in Plamerston for them before shipping.

Thirty.one passengers left for Sydney from Wellington by the Tekapo on Saturday; the vessel also took about 1500 tons of general cargo and 21 horses.

The Radicals in France are wildly furious at the proposed visit of the French fleet to English waters, and censure the Government, for sanctioning the visit. There were fourteen civil cases and one judgment summons set down for hearing at the Court on Thursday, but they were all either confessed or settled out of Court.

Letters addressed to W. Embury and A. Moylyne are lying unclaimed at the Ormond Post Office. A copy of the Londe n Daily Telegraph has been received at the Gisborne Post Office without an address.

Ah Wong, the Chinese gardener at Marton, says the Advocate, is saved, and testifies on the Salvation Army platform. “No molee sellee cabbagee on Sunday,” John announced an evening or so ago. A party of Salvation Army Officers have started a “ trek ” of 1000 miles by bullock waggon to Mashonaland. They are armed with rifles for the purpose of killing game to provide food for the journey.

Definition of “ stonewallers,” according to Mr Saunders—“ Men who have traineei themselves to use their tongues and not their brains.” Such members, says the hon. gentleman, can prevent any Bill from passing into law, no matter how desirable it may be.

A very ridiculous lunatic has been sent to Sunnyside from Ashburton. He imagined himself crossed in love, and that the lady had taken away the last vestiges of his humanity by means of an electric machine. Ho threw off all his clothes and took to the paddocks, and when chased led the way straight across the country. By the time he was caught his feet were badly out by stones, and his legs full of gorse prickles. Football is a very invigorating game as played iu Palmerston North. The Standard says that during the progress of a game there last Saturday one man beoame so excited that he fell down in a fit and had to be conveyed home in a cab. Another, who was encroaching on the line, received a severe kick on the shins, and at once struggled away to a place of safety, A lady who was standing in close proximity to the latter, was also knocked down, and it was thought at first she was severely injured, but after a few minutes recovered sufficiently to be able to walk home.

To the Editor: Sir,—l hear that Mr D. McLeod is still in love with the harbor work which has so imperishab’y recorded the name of Thomson. He says he does not compare the work to a watch, but says the effect is the same as taking a watch from the tradesman’s skilled hands before the repairs have been completed—l think that is how he puts it. Does he forget that Mr Thomson told us the work could be made use of as it went out 1 and that the training wall was an unheard of thing when the £40,000 proposal was before the ratepayers ?—I am, <fcc., £0 Oi 01. A correspondent has written to the Rev Father Laverty, of Lyttelton, suggesting the formation of an Association of not less than sixty able bodied young Irishmen—•“ men with some grit in them, and, if possible, a few pounds”—to take up land in the North Island, the Government to be requested to set aside a block of 7000 acres of land, 6000 to be open land and 1000 acres bush. Each member of the Association to take up 100 acres of the open land on the perpetual leasing system, and to pay £1 a year for the right to cut timber from the bush reserve. He suggests Poverty Bay as a suitable scShe of operations. The following is the Hawke's Bay football representative team selected to meet Gisborne this afternoon, at Napier :—Fullback, Le Quesne ; threequarters, Stuart, M’Rae, and James ; halves, Smiler, Friday, and Paul; forwards, Morrison, Boss, Swan, Maicon, Wilson, Fleming, Tipene, and Hiros. Emergencies—threequarter, Prentice ; half, Pani; forwards, M'Dowell and Matiu. The News remarks As the passing in our own town team will probably stop at the centre threequarters, Poverty Bay should about win it they bring their best team and play as well on our ground as they did last year on their own. The change of ground, however, may make a difference.

Mr David Christie Murray, who has just returned to London from Australia, has an article in the Contemporary Review on the Antipodean press, which he {asserts is the best and noblest in the world. The leading journals of Melbourne and Sydney, he says, are perfect models, unsurpassed ip extent and variety of news, liberality, enterprize, sound adhesion to principal, excellence of sub-editorial management, and force, justice, and pioturesqueness in the expression of opinions. The principal newspapers published in Adelaide, Brisbane, and New Zealand are journals which Mr Murray considers no city in the world need be ashamed of.