The Herald. Alexandra, Thursday, Oct. 29, 1903 THE ALEXANDRA BRIDGE.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 390, 29 October 1903, Page 4

The Herald. Alexandra, Thursday, Oct. 29, 1903 THE ALEXANDRA BRIDGE.

We have previously directed attention to the danger that threatens the safety of the Alexandra bridge owing to the encroachment of the river on the eastern side, and the result of the present flood only serves to accentuate the remarks previously given utterance to in these columns. Some little time since, the County Council made arrangements with the Clyde Dredging Company to allow the Moa dredge to stack a heap of tailings on the inside of the pier, on the town side of the river, it being thought that by this means, the whole of the current would be diverted to the outside of the pier. It turned out, however, that the dredge could not get sufficient debris to make a bank sufficiently high to have the desired effect; and, since the rise in the river, it has become apparent that, the dredging operations alluded to have only had the effect of making the position infinitely worse than it was before, owing to the bank immediately above the bridge having been partly undermined, and thus allowing the current to eat its way further into the soft layers of gravel, with the result that the bank is gradually collapsing. Viewing the present position of affairs, one does not need to be a prophet or the son of a prophet to venture the prediction that, if the current of the river is allowed to work according to its own sweet will, it is only a question of a very Bhort time when the foundations of the abutment on the town side of the river will be undermined to such an extent as to cause the collapse of the whole structure. It seems to us that this is a case in which the force of the well-known proverb, referring to a " stitch in time," particularly applies; and we urge upon the notice of the County authorities the necessity that exists for some immediate action in the direction of protecting the bridge from possible damage.

Dr Gregg returned to Alexandra last Saturday evening. Mr J C Coombs, dentist, will visit Ophir on Eriday October 30th, At Ashburtoa the other day a baker pleaded guilty to adulterating bread with alum, and was fined £2 with costs, Mb S Jeffegy has been appointed collector for the Dunstan District Hospital, and ' is now on his rounds. j An agitation is at present on foot in Alexandra to petition the Government to cut up & portion of the Galloway run for settlement. Mr J D Thomson inserts an ad in this issue, notifying the public that he has a large supply of £-inch galvanised water pipes and fittings on hand. The pelice, on Saturday night, made a raid on what is believed to be a " two up" school in Wellington, known as the Olympic Club. Thirty-five men were arrested. At the last meeting of the Otago Education Board, Mr Alexander Hoggans was appointed head-teacher of the Earnscleugh School, vioe Miss O'Shea (transferred). The " N.Z. Times " states that the meteor seen on Tuesday night of last week fell near Mr Mansfield's house, at Karori, and struck the earth with such force as to partly bury itself in the ground. Mr J Milne has disposed of the Bendigo Hotel, Alexandra, to Mr E Bellamy, of Dunedin. Mr Bellamy arrived in Alexandra on Tuesday evening, and has entered into possession of the property. A public picnic under the auspices of the Alexandra Court of Foresters will beheld on November 9th; The site of the picnic Has not been definitely fixed, but full particulars will appear in next issue. Ah Kew, a Chinese gardener at Cromwell, died on Sunday night after partaking of pig s trotters for tea the night before. Another Chinaman, who also partook of the trotters, was sick, but recovered. No doctor was in attendance. Mr James Symes will continue the auction sale of drapery on behalf of Mr T J Francis, in the town hall this afternoon. As this will be the last sale of the series, those desirous of securing cheap drapery should not fail to be present. The theft and mutilation of newspapers at the Melbourne Public Library has long been a source of annoyance, and an example was made recently of a man who had been detected mutilating a paper. He was charged at the City Police Court, and sentenced to seven days' imprisonment. A freak of nature was observed by Mr J. Heyward of Clarkville, on Friday (says the ■'Truth"). While looking at his sheep Hock he found a lamp with a pig's face and nose, and the eyes, instead of being in the usual position in the forehead, fully formed under the lower jaw of the animal. w lT ii S w , r fi m ? U / ed ( s& * s the "Taranaki Herald '} that during the past week or two intimation has come from the Treasury Department to several local bodies in this district that loans applied for cannqt be • entertained at present. These applications cover loans amounting to some £IO.OOO • 0r£12,000.

Another attempt is to be made by the grocers of Invercargill and suburbs to check the 'donation" drain on their stocks, by refusing to supply trophies to sports, shows or bazaars. . This step has often been mooted by retailers, and it remains to be seen whether the grocers can withstand the eloquent suppliant for their «• patronage."— " Times." °

Shootists will scarcely require to be reminded of the match to be held on Saturday, under the auspices of the Alexandra Gun Glub, for which handsome prizes are offered. The gold medal to be presented to the competitor who scores most points with the first barrel, is on view in Mr Thompson's window, and is a very handsome trophy. The Aden correspondent of the London " Daily Telegraph" is responsible for the following:—" Three chaplains-Church of England, Scottish and Roman Catholichave arrived, and proceeded to Berbera. It is said that Major-General Egerton wired Home for three Parson's pumps, and the above gentlemen weie sent in execution of the order!"

King Solomon's Mines, that fabulous place Heaped up with precious stone. Poor Avarice even cannot trace. Or claim it for her own ; There's something wanting more than . wealth To happiness secure, Cure your cough, enjoy good health, TakeWoods' Great Peppermint Cure.

As an instance of what is being done in the Wellington district in the way of eggproducing it may be stated (says the " NZ. Times ") that there are now stored in the refrigerating rooms of the Meat Export Company no fewer than 100,000 dozen eggs. It has been found that to plice eggs in a refrigerating room in this way is an excellent method of preserving them. Some eggs which, having been in the cold store for nine months, were taken out and served at the breakfast table, were in such excellent condition that it was impossible to distinguish them from others which had been laid that day.

A few months ago Victor E C Ingram, a residence of Balclutha, was called upon by a man named George M 'Alpine, who offered to sell him three Wyandotte fowls, said to be imported from America. Ingram purchased the fowls at the price of £lO for the trio, but subsequently discovered that the fowls had been bought in the district at 12s each and had not been, as stated, imported from America. As a result a case was heard at the Magistrate's Court at Balclutha on Friday last in which Ingram made a claim on M'Alpine for £lO. the price given for the fowls. Several witnesses having indentified the fowls as having been in the district before, the magistrate gave judgment for £lO damages and costs against the defendant.

A novel experiment will shortly be made from Pike's Peak, Colorado, or some other lofty mountain. Mr Frederick Schoonmaker, of the Whitney Development Company, is arranging to transport a 13in cannon from which to fire a spherical magnet towards the sky. To the projectile will be attached a coil of wire 20 01 30 miles in length, Mr Whitney belieTes that once it is beyond the pale of the law of gravitation the magnet will be drawn into the electric sea surrounding the earth and held there. By means of the wire it is hoped that a limitless supply of electric power will be obtained which will revolutionise the running of machinery all-over the world. Mr Whitney formed a company last year for the purpose of developing this novel idea.

A Capetown cabte states that Mr Cresswell, manager of the Village Main Reef gold mine Johannesburg, recently engaged white unskilled labour at 10s per day. The experiment proved successful. Mr Creswell informed the Rand Labour Commission that the chairman of his London board bad privately written to him that Messrs Wernher Beit and others had been consulted on the matter, but they feared that to engage a large number of white labourers on the Rand would cause the same troubles which prevailed in Australia and w&uld enable a combination of labour to dictate wages and also cause trouble politically when responsible government was granted. The statement created a sensation. Sir George Ferrer failed to make Mr Cresewell admit that the letter was read for political purposes,

An American exchange says: That Lord Kitchener is entitled to all the honor he can derive from his connection'with the Boer war, all will concede, for he also bore the brunt of criticism administered by his own countrymen. A becoming indifference and a dignified attitude marked the generals conduct in the face of his censure. Many of the criticisms weie cruel, and one paragraph appearing in a magazine cut to the quick. The item read: ' Kitchener ia simply allowing a great modern army to wear itself put on the rocks and kopjes between Cape Town and Pretoria." " How fortunate that the soldiers are weaving, out those rocks," said Kitchener, cynically. "It prevents the patriotic stay-at-homes from coming down here to throw stones at us." That there will be a fierce fight in Par* liament over Mr Massey's promised amend* ment, to give Crown leasehold settlers the right to acquire the freehold of tljeir holdings now seems certain. It is impossible (remarks the " Wanganui Herald ") to foretell which party will win, though the "freetraders" are said to be confident' of commanding a majority in the House. We can only hope that a such a reversal of the land tenure policy of the country," of the system which has made New Zealand what it is to-day, will not receive the sanction of Parliament.. The leasehold is the coping stone of the whole wonderful fabric which was initiated by the late Sir John MKepzie, and has since been jarried into sucK happy effect by Mr Seddon's Government. Sake away that, once allow the present leaseholders to purchase their sections outright, and the colony will soon be faced with dificulties and complications innumerable. The concert to be given next Thursday evening under the auspices of the Alexandra Orchestral Society promises to be a great success. Over 30 reserved seats have been disposed of within the past two and those who desire to avail themselves'of the privilege should engage their seats at once, as the number is limited. Apart from the excellence of the programme which is to be submitted, it must be said that the Society are deserving of public support, as theyare ever ready to assist at every public function, their services being always given willingly and gratuitously. A feature of the entertainment will be the appearance of Mr J Parker, New Zealand's champion cornet soloist, who for a number of years was the paid cornet soloist for the Wellington Garrison Band, and who now oocupies a similar position in the Kaikorai Band; and those who can appreciate a musical treat—and who can not?—shoald not fail to be present at the town hall next Thursday evening.