LOCAL AND GENERAL

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume V, Issue 651, 25 August 1891, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

On our fourth page thia morning there is a column devoted to alleged humor. An ordinary meeting of the Harbor Board takes place to-night. Mr Booth left yesterday morning for the Wairoa, where he holds the usual sitting of the RM. Court.

The steamer Ohau will not be able to get away from Napier till this evening, and will therefore mt reaih here till Wednesday morning. Ths last boat is fixed to leave at 8.

Captain Blackwell, of ths schooner Opotiki, informs us that he saw the sup posed sea serpent nearly about the same time as it would be seen from the steamer Rotomahana, and he is convinced that a thrasher and a whale were the cause of the unusual sight. It is c-xpected that the Church of England Sunday-school room will be crowded this evening by the large number of people who who attend to witness the " waxworks,” and enjoy the musical entertainment. Those who go are sura to be well pleased at the entertainment provided. The petition sent down to Wellington on Saturday by the Cook County Liberal Association, urging ths necessity of native lands legislation, was signed by 501 people, A couple more copies of the same petition have yet to be sent down. Mr Power, who it will be remembered was employed as assistant bailiff in tho R M. Court here a little over a year ago, and became heir to a legacy of (it is said) £6OOO, died in England shortly after receiving the money Mr Power is rotated to Mr J, Maynard of this town. At the Mutual Improvement Society lest night, the Rev. S, J. Gibson delivered an interesting and humorous lecture on Peter Cartwright,' the . American backwoods preacher. There was a good attendance. The announcement concerning the social and dance to be held in the City Rink appeared in our advertising columns erroneously as Thursday, August 25th, whereas, as it will no doubt have been at once observed, the 25. h is on a Tuesday, to-dav, and the affair comes off in the Rink to-night. All of lhesa gatherings have bean a success, and tonight's entertainment should prove no exception,

Wednesday’s Auckland Herald states ‘—Mr Scott, of Gisborne, is at present in town in connection with an invention of his for gold saving which appears to bs dissimilar to any. thing yet brought into use, but as patent rights have not vet been secured he Is of course re'lornt as to the nature of the machine. It is, we gather, however, an amalgami’ing and grinding process on the gravitation principle, and he has for several years been engaged in experimenting, until at length he has worked out a process which he thinks will be superior to others. Mr Sooti it not only an engineer, but he is also a very old minor and prospector at the Thames, and in the South.

Some public-spirited persons have deter, mined to have the Garrison Band placed on a creditable financial footing, and a big entertainment is fixed for about the first of October. Mr W. Miller is the energetic secretary, the Rev. Father Kehoe will arrange the musical portion of the programme, and Mr A. F. Kennedy (who is a splendid amateur actor) will have the management of a portion of the programme. The affair is bound to “ catch on,” from its own merit, apart from other reasons. Already a largo number of reserved seats have been bespoken.

Cook County Liberal Association—Meeting Wednesday evening at 7.3o.—Advt

At a meeting of the Committee of the Gisborno Racing Club held on Friday evening, the proposed programmes for the Spring and Summer meetings were submitted by the Committee appointed, and approved of. The amounts offered are liberal, and should ensure three days’ excellent racing. The offer of Messrs Barry and Cooper to supp'y a totalisator for the meetings of 1891 2 was accepted. Several new members were elected.

Quite a wave of duck-stealing appears Io have come over the Gisborne Plain, extending from Wainui to the upper end of the town, and including Wbataupoko. Over 7o ducks are reported to have been stolen, tho thieves in each case making the best selection, and in soma instances not being content with one raid. What can have been done with so many ducks is a mystery, and there must be accomplices who will render themselves liable to heavy punishment. Several traps have been laid for the thieves, and thy miy com ' to a warm ending if they continue their evil work.

Mr Wall, J.P., sat on the Bench at the Police Court yesterday morning. An individual named Chute sorrowfully admitted that he had taken two glasses of rum, which acting on an empty stomach, had apparently changed the location of the Taruheru bridge, but, he strongly asseverated that he was guilty of no such thing as disorderly conduct—ho never did that sort of thing, and as for fight ing, he never indulged in playful moods of that kind, Sergeant Oarlyon then toll Constable Pardy to go into the box, but the defendant said it was not necessary to go to such trouble, and he managed to plead guilty. The Sergeant said the disorderliuess was not of a pronounced type, but could not be brought under the heading of drunkenness. A fine of 10s was inflicted. Another " drunk” forfeited his pound bail, and made no appearance. In the case of the boy Lawrence, or Hart, the Sergeant said that the boy had admitted having stolen chickens a considerable time previovsly, but it could not be ascertained to whom the chickens belonged, and in the circumstances he did not press the charge. After a leoture from the Bench the lad was released.