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Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 29 January 1901, Page 2

Kirwan’s Reward reports a return of lOozs 18dwt of amalgan from 191 tons. This is from the top plates only. J. W. Easson and Co beg to notify to intending patrons that their sale of stock and property to be held at Taylorvllle, on Saturday, has been postponed till Monday February 4th at one o’clock ; on account of the funeral of her late Majesty the Queen. A message received this morning states that the Batavia-Singapore cable has been restored. There is a great amount of work to overtake and it will be some days before the wires are cleared of accumulated messages. The funeral of the late Queen is to take place on Saturday. Mr. Ward, the acting-Premier has determined to declare the day a government holiday in all parts of the colony and will ask that all business be suspended during the day. A meeting of the Committee of the Greymouth Jockey Club was held at the Albion Hotel last evening. Present — Messrs Petrie (chair), Walton, Smith, Gieseking, Yarrall, Blair, M’Kay, and Bignell. After some accounts were passed for payment, the question of days for racing by the Hokitika and Kumara Racing Clubs came up for discussionAfter an interchange of views the matter was left in the hands of the Chairman to communicate with the Chairman of the Conference. Applications for Jockeys’ licenses by Messrs M’Taggart and M’Laughlin were postponed till the next meeting. The action of the sub-commit-tee in regard to the appointment of a starter was endorsed. This was all the business.

Tho following telegram has been forwarded to all Members of Parliament, Mayors, and Chairman of Local Bodies in tho Colony:—“I have received official advice from London to-night that the funeral of Her late Majesty the Queen will take place on Saturday, tho second day of February, and in consequence that day will be observed throughout the Colony as a day of mourning. Public offices throughout tho Colony will be closed. Sunday hours will bo observed by all Post and Telegraph Offices. Banks, mercantile houses, business people, and all classes are invited, out of respect to the memory of her late Majesty, to suspend business for the whole day. It may be of interest for you to know that His Royal Highness, the Duke of York, takes the title of Duke of Cornwall.

As will be seen by an advertisement in this issue, the firm of Harley and Coy. have admitted Mr Fred W. Shallcrass into business partnership. Mr Shallcrass is a Nelsonian and from what wo gather, one who is well and very favourably known. Wo trust the partnership may prove a happy and prosperous one. It is understood (says the Press) that there is shortly to bo a substantial rise in the price of timber in Southland Already the West Coast mills have advanced their rates, and Dunedin manufacturers have also adopted a now and increased price list for sashes and doors. Higher wages and increased cost of production generally are the reasons given, but no doubt the activity in the building trade of the Colony also is a factor. Mills aro about two months behind with their orders and there is no sign of a falling off of trade.

In a letter to a Christchurch resident, Mr Coleridge Farr states that it is hoped to establish the proposed magnetic observatory in Christchurch shortly. It is unfortunate that it has not already been established, because the Antarctic expedition, which is shortly to leave London, would probably have made New Zealand its base of operations, whereas it is now the intention to proceed from Melbourne.

It has been placed on record that considerably more than half the human race is ruled by women. Two women—the Empress Dowager of China and the Queen of England—alone govern half the entire population of the world. The third in importance is young Queen Wilhelmina, of Holland, whose home land numbers less than .*>,009,000 souls, but whose colonies have 00,000,000. Spain is ruled by a woman, Queen Regent Christina, in the minority of her son. It is expected that the Queen Mother Marghcrita will have great influence over her son’s kingdom, but her case is not needed to establish the preponderance of woman-ruled races. Mr Seddon when addressing the Kokatahi settlers on the occasion of the opening of the Kokatahi Dairy Factory premised to send to their district some of the pure-bred stock to be selected by Mr Qilruth in England. Mr Seddon said he would feel proud if they christened one of the promised animals after him. A Sydney paper says: —“Mr Seddon will go back to bis Parliament a better Federalist than he came. The spirit of the ceremonies and celebrations imnrossed him strongly. He proposes a Federal steam service between Australia and his State. When spoken to in Sydney last week Mr Seddon intimated that before New Zealand could bo brought into close contact with Australia steamers like the Lucania and Campania —the mammoth Atlantic liners—would have to be running between the two. The first through train from Burnie arrived at Zeehan (Tasmania) recently. The line cost with rolling stock £450,000. There aro tour large steel bridges, and one tunnel 30 chains in length, which cost £30,000.

The Gisborne “Telephone” has been converted into a morning daily with full Press Association rights and has taken the nsw name of the “Gisborne Times.” Our contemporary is meeting with very hearty support and wo wish it every success.

The Sydney newspapers have had an enormous circulation during the Federal celebrations. By 4 o'clock on the afternoon of the day of publication no less than 120,000 copies of the Daily Telegraph Commonwealth Commemoration issue had been sold.

Mr Cockrane, the starter of the Beefton Club, having resigned, Mr Archer, a member of the Club, has been appointed to the office.

Tbo Headmaster of the Greymouth School writes Mr Bignell, Chairman of the Committee, to-day us follows: —“The school was rc-opened at the usual hour this morning. The attendance was 400, 19 now pupils were admitted. All. the teachers were present, except Miss Dora Ziegler and Miss Batchelor (ill) whoso place is being temporarily filled by Mias Bradshaw.

The coach in which, the late Prince of Saxe-Coburg, when Duke of Edinburgh, was convoyed from Wellington to the Butt over JO years ago, is still preserved at Muster ton.

The “ big gooseberry season ” is upon ns. The Dannevirke paper has earthed potatoes weighing lib each,wßd a lib stick of rhubard ; and a Waitara journalist tells his readers of a potato plant that yielded 16 tubers, weighing all 131bs. The Postmaster-General has declined to pay the New Plymouth Borough Council £4,000 for a site for a post office, or exchange for it land to that value as an endowment, and the Council subsequently considers itself aggrieved. Mount Egmont is not yet fit for climbing. Two young men undertook the ascent a few days ago, and when one, who was in advance, was within about a

hundred yards of the top the snow gave way beneath him. His companion caught Ids hand as he slid past and probably saved bis life. They had difficulty in getting down the mountain again. It is understood that there is shortly to be a substantial rise in the price of timber in Southland. Already the West Coast mills, have advanced their rates, and Dunedin manufacturers have also adopted a new and increased price list for sashes and doors. Higher wages and increased cost of production generally are the reasons given, but no doubt the activity in the building trade of the colony has something to do with the change. The mills are about two months behind with their orders, and there is no sign of a falling off of trade.

The likelihood of Invercargill being one day lighted with electricity generated by the falls at Mataura. is mentioned by the “Mataura Ensign” Already it is becoming evident that the Invercargill Corporation gasworks are nearing the employment of their full capacity of lighting medium, and the question will soon have to be faced as to whether tho plant shall be extended or gas ousted by electricity. Tho Southland Frozen Meat Company has already collected sufficient data to enable them to say at what price it is prepared to supply Invercargill with electric light, the energy to bo generated at Mataura.

We remind our readers of the sale of furniture and freehold property at tho residence of Mr A. Johnson to-morrow afternoon. Any person desirous ofobtaining a substantial well built cottage should not miss this sale, which will commence punctual to time, as notified in our advertising columns.

Judgje Kettle expressed an opinion in the Wanganui Court tho other day that perjury in our Law Courts has become a fine art. It was, ho said, high time severe sentences were imposed when it was clearly proved that perjury had been committed.

The death is reported, in his 72nd year, at Hartford, Connecticut, of Mr. Charles Dudley Warner, novelist and essayist, author of “My Summer in a Garden,” ‘■Back-log Studies,” etc- In 1884 ho became editor of Harper’s Magazine, from which he retired two years ago. Tho number of troops passing through Durban from September, 1899 to October 30, 1900, comprised 2,400 officers, 68,374 men, 26,719 horses, and 117 guns. In addition the port has sent to the troops 106,239 tons of supplies, 32,000 tons of forage, and had also embarked the largo number of 81,935 wounded and invalided officers and men.

Five Judges constituting the court for Crown cases reserved, decided that a newspaper competition, in which the purchasers of the paper guessed the winner of a horse race, was an infringement of the Betting Act of 1353, and confirmed the conviction of the proprieties of the “Sporting Luck." It was shown that in one week she had paid nearly £ 50,000 into her bank, so it must have boon a very profitable thing. A gallant act was recognised a few days ago by the Royal Humane Society of Australasia in awarding a silver medal to John Maddern, of Ballarat, a miner, aged 20 years. The plucky fellow had risked his life in bringing assistance to his injured mate, John Warned, who was bleeding to death in the Star of the East mine on 6th September last. Maddern and Warned were frightfully injured by an explosion of gelignite in the mine. Maddern had his eyes blown out, and Warned had his arm blown off. Maddern, though blind, climbed a 22ft swinging ladder and got through a truck road 22in wide to the level. He then proceeded 300 ft along the main drive, then IBoft along the crosscut to the shaft, where, by pulling the signal lever, he brought assistance. The whole of the steel shelving for the new Parliamentary Library has arrived in the colony, and the work of placing it in position will be completed by the end of the week. The removal of the books from their old quarters will then be commenced, and ample time will thus be available for getting everything in readiness for the next session of Parliament.

The Postmaster-General has promised to make enquiries as to the possibility of adopting the system in vogue in Franco and Germany, under which tradesmen can mail parcels and have the value collected by the Post Office from the persons to whom they are addressed.

The unconscious humour of the festive compositor Is proverbial, but his finest efforts are strangled in the proof-room and survive only as printing-office traditions. Some, however, are worthy of record, as in a recent case, where a reference to “Tact No. 90” underwent a strange metamorphosis. “At this time,” ran the compositor’s version, “Dr Newman wrote the famous tract ‘No Go,’ for which he was censured by his bishop.” A well-known military member of Parliament (the‘Daily News says) is tolling a remarkable story concerning the miraculous escape from death in South Africa of a very nerr relative. This gallant young officer was first of all shot, the bullet, which went within an inch of the vital part, passing clean through the body. “So little was ho inconvenienced by the mishap that ho persisted in riding on horseback to the nearest tal to get the wound dressed, and absolutely refused to take a place in the am- * bulanco wagon, which avas badly required for more urgent cases. On the road to the hospital this clumsy vehicle and its human burden toppled over into the river and all were drowned. Mr. E. M. Smith, New Plymouth’s energetic member of Parliament, is busy getting tsgether samples of ' coal, and limestone deposits, and' other* products of Taranaki, in view of an early visit to the old country in connection with the proposed company to work these valuvable deposits. The Waipawa correspondent of the Hawke’s Bay Herald writes“l hoar that the Government Geologist has returned from exploring the ranges behind Maharahara, in the vicinity of the copper mine, having thoroughly tested the latter. Ho found arsenic with the copper, and of the latter the specimens showed 40 per cent. Mon arc now testing other portions in this vicinity to find a vein of metal. White metal cystals were found in the same locality.