INTERPROVINCIAL AND INTERCOLONIAL.

Dunstan Times, Issue 881, 7 March 1879, Page 3

INTERPROVINCIAL AND INTERCOLONIAL.

The Commercial, late Theatre Boyal, Westport, with spaeinus hall attached, was a day or two since sol I for L 251), the price covering not only the main Im Iding, but five sections and two cottages, A man named North, a carpenter and ferryman at Tola ra Biy, Gisborne, on the 25th nit., committed suicide by hanging himself Several infants have been buried by stealth in the Timaru cemetery lately, but as yet no clue has been obtained to thenidentity. There has been long continued drought in the Hawke’s Bay district, and it is now becoming alarming. Six guns for harbour defence, three of seven tons ami three 6 -1-pounders, ami the material for a drill shed, are on hoard the shin Lorraine, which arrived at Wellington last Fi iday. Nominator's for 78i statute adults were forwarded home from Southland la--t month. Mr Ca> i'l, tl ic celebrated swimmer, arrive 1 at Melh urne in the Somersetshire on her last trio, f >r the purpose of giving exhibitions of his swimming powers during ids. Slav in the Colonies. Thc-e are about a doz n miners engaged in washing 'he beach sand at Wilk'v.-a, Southland. Their earnings average from 12s to 20s a day. A woman named Ooodger, the wife of a cab proprietor, noisoned herself in Christchurch with strichnine last. week. She was seen by her little boy to throw something into her mouth, and on being asked what she had done, said'she had poisoned herRi if. She was at once conveyed to the hospital, and d ed there the next evening. It is found in Wellington country distric's that the cost of valuation tinder the Land Tax actually exceeds the receip‘B. The first prize in Came-on’s consultation on the Dune tin Cup has fallen to two Naseby citizens. Missis J. Eccles and B. Nixon are the fortunate ones. Mr Willi.amso", of Kyt-hurn. drew astar'e- (worth about T. 50) and Mr fr. Collett, of Nascby, drew a non-stirtvr (worth about L.'C).

It is intended to start a Juvenile Brass ”and in Na=eby, in place of the defunct adult one.

From e mherley to B'nff. in all denartmen's of the consfrnc'ed railways, there are em] 1 o-ed about 2000 men.

lu Patea the railway contractors are offering 12s a day for labourers—and can’t get the-n

per the week ending Saturday. February 22nd, the grain brought to Christchurch from Ashhurt n and intermediate stations amoun ted to 33.347 hags

A quarter-acre section in Oamnru town, with buildings thereon, was sold List week for 1.4 200. Mr J Bravley. of TTlnoh>n, a eorresnondent of the Smith Australian Advertiser, furnishes the following information as to a plan of rabbit des'rucion adopted by some farmers in tbe lla'lett district “ They (the farmers) have got about 2,0 r 0 yards of wire netting This is tint up against the fence on two sides of the paddock, and in the corner a yard is made about twenty yards square, and tbe rabbits are driven into this yard, and killed in numbers, and I think will astonish some of the Adelaideite=, who are hard to persuade that the rabbi's are so numerous. I will give you the result of six days’ work, th" number yarded and killed each ay First day, 835 off 1150 acres ; second da.v, 000 off the same ban 1 ; third day, 741 off 100 acres ; fourth day. 800 off 100 acres ; fifth day, 1,585 off 200. and 100 acres of this Oover"me"t land ; sixth day. 619 off 100 acres. The ot d number killed in six days. 5.371.” Thomas Pelican. stableman to Mr Quick, of Auckland, fell from aloft and broke his collar-bone on Saturday, and is not expected to recover Mr Bigg’s boat building shed at Lyttelton was destroyed by fire on "Sunday nudit It was insure 1 for LIOO in the New Zealand Company. Th" mine manager of the Dnrville Island Copner Company has had to stop work in the No. 1 tunnel on account of f nil air. A s'aek of straw, belonging to Has 1 well and M‘Arra, of Mas'erbm, and value' at 1,200. was destroyed by fire on Fnday last. Ineondiariain is suspected. Henry Stebbings was arrested on board the Loir ine on her arrival at Wellington last week. He is charged with forgerv and embezzlement in England, which probably amounts to several thousand pounds.

John Ford was sentenced to 48 hours’ imprisonment at Dune’in on Saturday, for playing “under and over” at th° races. There were 137 births, 33 marriages, and 47 deaths in Dunedin last month.

For the forthcoming Christchurch Ram and Ewe Eair there a c the enormous mini her of 1942 entries of rams, and 247 of ewe^.

Several publicans have been fined lately in Christchurch for using unstamped measures. although correct as to quantity. There are 1400 immigrants now on their way to New Zealand.

The Westland correspondent of the Lyttelton Times remarking on the action of the hanks, and chronic state of indebtedness which is driving Coast residents to the wall, says:—One good result of our poverty is that people leave the Const, sometimes at Fast, without having a testimonial presented them. Certainly the testmonial nuisance is less rampant here than many other part of the colony. We can produce a few people on this side, who have never committed murder, nor bur or any other felony, who did not habitually thrash their wives or starve their children, and who have lived an ordinary and decent life for some years, and yet have never received a testimonial. By-and-hy it will he a proud inscription to put on a decease 1 husband’s or father’s tombstone, ‘ he lived for ten years in New Zealand and yet never received a testimonial.’ Sergeant-Major Kerr, who was thrown from a buggy at Temuka on the 27th nit., died of concussion of the brain the following night.

A man named Michael Kelly has been drowned at Porter’s Pa=s. A curious discovery was made on board the nautical school-shi j Vernon in assumption of ma'e disguise by a girl who had worn it eight years. She had been arrested at Lambing Flat as a vagrant, and on conviction, consigned to the Vernon for a term of years. She was handed over to the boatswain for the nsn,a' routine of bathing, haircut,ting. and purification. A scene occurred when James Gould, aged 15. refused to strin. blushing and crying, to t.he amusement of the hoys around. The captain (XePenstein) ordered her to he stripped for punishment. It appears that, her mother died at Lambing Flat, and at her death-bed made her swear always to wear bov’s clothes. This she had done, and earned a nreearions livelihood about the diggings, till the girl knows no name but “ Jim ” It is interesting that she preserved her purity ot mind. She was sent to the I idustrial School.

A gang of four men, named Thomas Gorman, Cha-'es Jones. William Kav, and William Uoldis, stuck up the Hatfield store and pn’dic-hnnse, 00 miles from Bah ranald. armed with four revolvers and a revolving rifle and gun. They ordered the •■eople to hail up, saying they were the TCel I v gang, an 1 took goods to the value of f,50 They also took two horses, sad Iks. and hnHea from the District Court bailiff, and fir»d at Storeman Day, who escaped. Thev then left saying they would serve Balrnnnld the same ns Jerilderie was served. Early on Saturday they stuck up Fridahan, a hawker, near Till-Till, and took 1,400 from hj m, two rings off his lingers, and other jewellery and goods km his waggon. Thev stuck up the Till-Till Station and took arms, station saddles, and six fresh horses belonging to the station. Thev refused the station hands horses, and marchel all hands, numhe'ing 25. to the manager’s house, where they kept them a'l huled up. The police are in hot pursuit. In Balranald th-re is great excitement, only two regular nolice and one special constable being left, there. The gang are well mounted, hut all are novices. Thev are all very young except Gorman, who is the leader.