DUNEDIN.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 27, 26 October 1907, Page 8

DUNEDIN.

, ' • • ' . . . October 25. An asbestos, curtnin is to bo fitted in His Majesty's' Theatre. Tiles- .aro to be laid in. the entrances to the pit and and the .building,, generally, is to be made absolutely firo-prnofv .• . Messrs. .Wright, Stephenson and Co; aro about-to' hui|d!a bjg store on the only piece of the 1889 i Exhibition site now uncccunied in Crawford: Street. . ■ . ' • In an Otago country township, the other day two. jredtliiiM took place, in which both brides were widows, and each married the . other's son. ■ Dr. F. Ogston, Health Officer, is arranging . fpr (: . a house to house inspection of tl?e wholo of ;his Otago district. Patrons of. FuHerls show at the. Princess Theatre had a/real- sensation on'.'Monday night.; It was literally a hair-raising experience, : Two brothers named Barnard are ; nightly appearing as phenomenal, marksmen In. one ; of their acts tho plder brother fires ■frcim jliis shoulder at tho. triggers' of three rifles. that arc . lixed. in a vice,, thus dis,ch;irging these three rifles of .bullets . that pierce targets, one of : which, is on his head and the other two on his shoulders. Last night Barnard miscalculated by a triflo, and the upper bullet scraped the top of his''head ploughing tho scalp from forehead to crown' The injury was not sovere, but it necessitated prompt attention, and Mr. G. Hoskihs, the imanager," has determined to stop this' nart-' of the pet iu future. . KrcsK batchos of-immigrants to arrive from' Great .Britain next-month, and . also in Decomber, will include farm labourers, enginedrivers, tailors, carpenters, and butchers. •

■The first assistants of tho local jvubjfc schools are sending a representative (Mr. G. C.' Smeaton) to Wellington to appear beforo

the Education Committee of the House when their petition for an increase in salary comes up for consideration.' Messrs. Murray, Roberts and Co. are introducing to the Dominion a" Australian machino which is intended to'provide a rapid and convenient method of cutting off and soaring iambs' tails. The iambs-are -dealt with rapidly and almost painlessly two at a time, and as the knife, which does the practical part of the business, is red-hot no bleeding follows the operation..' Thus the-.treat-ment does' not atfeet the condition "of •■the lamb, a sine qua noil in the rapid fattening of sheep for ..export.

■ "The University Review," in an apprecia-, tive notios of the professor- •who <has just re r . tired, says:—lt will bo a long tirao before another master of classics is obtained v.'ho - ill any way approximately fills the position so honourably occupied by Professor Sale'. ; ; Tables prepared by tho chairman .''of- tljp Finance Committee for submission';to-.the City Council' giro" some satisfactory; inform?.-, tion. The; three chief undertakings the'city has under its management are 'those' of water, gas, andr't'ramways, and on-each of thoso there is a respectable balance to the good,' during tlio past, six months. Oh the" water''department. a : profit of £2455 was made;- on- the gas department, £30-53; and. on tile tramways, £2819, making a total of £8357./ '

• The charge against a tobacconist, of'solliiig to. a boy was dismissed, the magistrate'holding that the boy was merely a messenger. An applicant' for relief told the benevolent trustees some facts about the "washing" business and liow.it pays. She said:, "l'ou get a fortnight's washing to do in the one day, or you may be. kept till half past tw6-for a half day's work, ;and.-rece : re an extra 6d, making 2s. 6d.!t, ' Another, applicant, said that she had been offered,2s.'.to au two, days' cleaning.' 1' ~ The .employees at the railway workshops have petitioned tlio Government ,in reference to their long hours of work.. They, pre working twelve hours a day with half an hour oif for dinner, and a quarter of an hour for toa.Thoy'would sooner bo'-without;, the. overtime, so.'they: tell the.-' Government.A reply has'been received to the'effect- that-the overtime will be discontinued ; 'on November' "26.- -■■■•, • - -' /: ' Recently the police submitted to' Professor Black, for analysis, 15;" samples of . tea obtained from various sho'plceepors' in' tlje city, and the analysis proved that iii almost every instance the sample' w-as ' good : and fair. There",was nothing to disclose any sor,t of adulteration. ••• ■ HASTINGS. ; .. October 25. ; At tlio present timo Hastings appears to be the most thriving inland town in -New Zealand. Tho place secmg'to have suddenly overgrown itself. Side by-sido with unpretentious wooden shops, which,did duty during,some of tlio; Dominion's most , dismal periods, 'aro the foundations and walls of fcrro-concrete business places, .which are soou to be reared stories,, high, ..overlooking the willow metropblis. The biggest hotel in. Hastings has-,162 rooms, and is not yet finished. , The ferro■concrete and brick buildings now'in courso of erc'ction run into over £80,000. An estimate has been prepared for tho erection of an' Opera Housoand 'Arcade, to cosv another £80,000. Several business' men, ; wjio'-'havo n'.ade their money during the past few years,' intend to erect substantial warehouses. and factories, which will -cost .-thousands'"; of pounds.■■ Some timo ago,a quarter .of)an acre, of land,! a corner, section, was sold South Island firm for £1000; and owners aro asking £100 an acre for land two -miles away from the Post .Office.,' Two years ago, a land agent',wont;'through'' New.'Zealand,, and.'de-' cided to camp',ih Hastings.. ". To-day,-.he', is Woi'tlra' fortune. ( There, has been a.boom in 'town'properties, and this is likely to continue into the' country, farms.'i-: Tlio Hastings'man,,has, a dream, of a .harbour.at Kidnappers, 'and, if this decani.can only, become a reality, ho has no doubt wliatcvter of very sop,n r settiing.'fdr'.over,Palmerston - North's pretensions to-:becomehthojfifth', city of the Dominion. Hastings, however, lias one rift within the" lute—its Government offices. Those comprise a railway station and a post office, and they .plainly belong to a past age! The railway station is' nothing more than a woll-set-up loan-to, which has fallen into decay. It is' dusty and dirty, and it smells.' The buil.ding> absolutely, gasps for a coat of " paint'.- The post office is a respectable pack-ing-case-oil a ground floor, where tile -space is so: congested that at times the citizens', have,to-fight their way through> their fellow- 1 creatures in order to hand, their telegrams overrthe counter." While it is on!the boom Hastings, .might - as;weH "petition, Parliament .for.ial.'iiew-railway station And a new' post, office.!:'. Then,',if, thpy, are smart, .and things' :appeir' to, bp going well, the Government ■njigh't forward plans for the .new structures 'by the time of the next election.