GENERAL ITEMS

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume VI, Issue 586, 24 February 1882, Page 2

GENERAL ITEMS

The cricket match between Shaw's All England Eleven and the Combined Ausimlnii team was concluded on Feb. 21, and resulted in a victory for the latter hy fiv« wickets. The Australians in their second innings scored 109 runs for five wickets. Honin ni.vle 12, McDonell 25. Murdoch 49, G.irrett (not out) 21, Jones (not out) 12.

Mr Barclay (says the Press) who accompanied Mr Green and party to the Mackenzie Country, has returned to I imam. He reports that the tourist had gone 15 miles np the Tasman, and had every hope of succeeding in accomplishing the ascent of Mt Cook. The Swiss guides say that the difficulties already experienced 'wuass any to he met with in Switzerland.

The Election Petitions Court which sat at Kakaia on Tuesday, and partially heard the petition of Mr Joseph Ivess against the return of Mr J. C. Wason for Wakaniii, gave judgment on an important point of law involved in ;he case, and one which is also raised in the Lyttnlton petition. It decided that the objection in respect to the voting of aliens and infants could not be supported.

Steady reductions are heing quietly made in the Armed Constabulary force on the West Coast in view of the complete peacetulneas and order now established there. There is to be no sudden or alarming decrease, but those men who are desirous of leaving the force for other employment are permitted to go, and in this way the numbers have been lessened by over 100 men since Christmas.

There has been a remaikable spurt in the railway receipts. It was thought that the splendid return (£77.000) for the four weeks enrted 7th ult. was mainly clue to the exceptional traffic during the holidays, but subsequent returns are evenjfmore favorable, proportionally. It is now believed that the gross receipts for the year will exceed £890,000, if indeed they do not very nearly reacli £900,000, and three months ago nobody anticipated more than £875,000 would be totalled. The working expenses show a steady decrease in the rate, and, so far as can be calculated at pre.sent, the year's net profit will be quite £400,000.

A kike broke out in a small wooden house in Smith street, near the corner of Dowling street, Dunedin, shortly after four o'clock on Tuesday morning, by which four children were burned to death. The house was occupied by Julius Bischefski. h's wife and four children, who all slept up stairs. The fire appears to have broken out on the giound floor, and the family were not aroused till it broke through the upper floor. The names of the four children burnt were :—Francis Bischefski, aged eight years ; Minnie Bischefski, aged sis years ; Martha Bischefski, aged_ four years ; and Tlios. Crofts, aged _ thirteen years, a nephew of Bischefski. The bodies of the four children have been recovered. There were live children in the family of Bischefski, who is a in the employment of the Speight family. The floor of the bedroom fell into the kitchen below, where the four bodies were found. The mother and father and one child escaped by the window, sustaining injuries in doing so. Both made desperate efforts to save the children and the former on realising the position of things became quite frantic in her cries for her little ones, and, but that her husband kept her back, would in her frenzy have dashed into the burning building.