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Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 21 March 1901, Page 2

Mr Thomas Jones, who lias been on a visit to Hamnor Springs, ami Otago, returned to town overland from Christchurch yesterday, looking a good deal belter for his holiday. Tenders arc invited in our advertising columns for the manufacture of machinery for the Commissioners Flat Gold Dredging Coy, (Ltd). It is alleged says the Westport News, that four informations have been taken out for alleged criminal libel against the editor of the Charleston Herald. ScavlaMna is report; ;d in the “ Waiarapa Star ” to be prevalent in the Forty-Mile Bush. A further extension of iho refrigerating works at Port Chalmers of the Otago Dock Trust has just been completed. MrW. L. Rees is, through the local Press, urging a scheme for the completion, of an outer harbour at Gisborne. Last week there were three bankruptcies in the colony, a storekeeper at Cambridge, a labourer at Wanganui, and a driver at Gore. The interior fittings of Parliament House at Wellington are being partially renewed. The work is to be completed about the middle of May. A number of ferrets arc believed to be at largo in the city of Wellington.- Several cases of fowl -killing by those vermin arc reported there. Firewood is said to bo becoming very scarce in Taranaki, where a few years ago there was dense forest. The reason is that the country is being cleared rapidly and converted into grass land. The Railway Department is unable to supply the demand for trucks for the carriage of timber in the Hastings district, and the local paper reports that the industry is at a standstill.

Messrs H. D. Bell, Coates, Dais ton, H. W. Young and Dr Findlay, loft by special coach tins morning for Christchurch. Mr H. W. Young, civil engineer, has been engaged by ihc Midland Railway Commissioners to give evidence regarding the cost of construction of the railway.

Bernard’s circus gave their farewell performance last evening to a fair house. They leave for Eeeftou this afternoon, where they show 10-morrow evening. They then proceed to Westport,

The Corrick Family have booked the Opera House for the Easter holidays. Since their first visit to the West Coast they have added a Biograph and hells, to the show, which are highly spoken of by (ho Press throughout New Zealand. Groat efforts are being made to ensure great success at the concert which takes place this month—in aid of the Football Club. The Orchestra have been iunractice for the last month, and their well worth listening to, with Miss Mabel Easson acting as accompanist, speaks for itself of its efficiency, so that their reputation therefore will bo very creditably maintained. Of the total number of deaths in the colony daring .January, the males contributed 103, and the females 100. Sixty of the deaths were of children under five years of ago.

Twenty-two employees from the Mataura river and the Waimumuand Charlton dredges recently formed at Gore, states that the Southland “Daily News,” a branch of t]ie Otago and Southland Dredgemen’s Union. The Lyttelton Borough Council, in conjunction with the Harbor Board, are again waging war against the rats by laying poison on the wharves and in the grain stores. It may be mentioned that the price the Council pays for dead rats is threepence each.

It is not generally known that the Government have gone in for the production of wine from the juice of the grapes, but that is nevertheless a fact. They have established a vineyard at Wairangi, in the Auckland province, the area being three acres. Sheds are in the course of erection for the accommodation of necessary plant. A Hobart message states' that the barque Wild Wave has started loading a cargo of timber for Dunedin, after having undergone extensive overhaul, repairs, and painting. A new keelson has been fitted, together with 20 staple knees, and the vessel lias been refastened and caulked. She is now in first-class trim. Though some twenty-six years in the Australian and New Zealand trade, the Wild Wave is still apparently as sound as over.

The victims of the curious poisoning case in Tory street (Wellington)—Mrs Kutnor and her four children—arc all progressing favourably. It is now staled, though not on the authority of the Hospital doctors, that some soup, which had stood for a day and been warmed, of which the family had partaken, was the real cause of the mischief.

The Minister for Lands (Kon. T. Y, Duncan) has returned to Wellington. In the course of his tour he A’isited Mokau, and he describes the coal as of nice, dry quality, and capable of cheap working. The river requires attention in the way of improvement, for navigation. The Wanganui Settlers’ River Steamship Company is having a new steamer built for the river trade. The vessel will have a length of 70ft, 12ft beam, draw I*2 inches of water, and have a speed of 14 k ots. She is intended for the upper readies of tho river.

According to Mr G. F. Gilberd, secretary of the United Frie Brigades Association of New Zealand, tho worst equipped town of its size for fire prevention that ho has ever seen is Fielding. In his report on the Brigade’s plant, ho said that ho had noticed blocks of valuable and costly buildings, which it would bo impossible to save in case of fire with the present appliances.

An unusual discovery, reports the “New Zealand Herald, ” was made at Whangaroi the other day, when a small turtle measuring about 18in across the body, was found in the river close to the township. It was secured by some of the residents and given to Mr S. Rout, the chief steward of the s.s. Wellington, who now has the curiosity in his possession alive and well. Even the fish taken out of the water last year are to bo numbered, for, in addition to the forms for enumerating the the population of the colony, the census enumerators have been called upon to distribute forms in connection with the the fisheries. Details arc asked for respecting the number of each different kind of fi-h caught, the price obtained, the wages paid, the number of boats in use, and the value of the works connected with fisheries.

Considerable anxiety has existed for some time in shipping circles about the safety of the ship Derwent, which left Sydney on October 7th, for London. All fears, were, however, set at rest a few days ago by the receipt of a cable to the agents, Messrs Gilchrist, Watt, and Sanderson, announcing the arrival of the ship in London, after a protracted voyage of 144 days. A mooting of dredge employees was held at Gore on Friday last for the purpose of suggesting necessary amendments in tho Act regulating tho certificates of dredge engineers. The Act requires three firstclass engineers on each dredge, but a resolution carried by tho meeting was to tho effect that tho Act be amended by making it compulsory to have only one first-class engineer on each dredge, the other two to hold second-class certificates.

The question of setting apart land for New Zealand troopers returning from the South African war is to be introduced to the notice of Cabinet by the Hon. Mr Duncan, as indicated in a speech which ho delivered while in Auckland. No scheme has been drafted oa the subject, as the matter has not yet been considered by Ministers. The Sydney “ Daily Telegraph ” says : That New Zealand failed to join the Federated States is hardly sufficient reason that she should be excommunicated at the General Post Office. There is now no letter-box to receive letters for Now Zealand. The inscriptions on the various boxes now read as follows 1. Country and suburban letters. 2. City letters. 3. Letters to other “ States.” 4. Letters to the United Kingdon and for.-ign letters. Now, to post a letter to New Zealand in the box labelled to other “States" is positively incorrect, and it certainly seems just as wrong to consign your epistle for New Zealand in the box which boars the inscription of “ United Kingdom or foreign letters.” With regard to newspapers this difficulty is overcome by the fact that there is a box for such missives bearing the inscription of “ Papers beyond the State.” The following euro for sheep worrying, says the Pastoralist’s Review, is said to have been tried on a dog with such success that lie never again showed the slightest disposition to worry sheep. Being muzzled two stout straps were att:iifl%d to the collar, and the free ends fastened round the necks of two well grown sbeop. The party were then released and the sheep, terrified by their inability to escape raced about in all directions, giving the dog a terrible doing. When fairly tired out, the sheep were caught, and the dog was released in a state of complete exhaustion. It should be added that the dog was a valuable one, and the experiment was tried as an alternative to shooting him.

The steamer which is being built at Home for tho New Zealand Defence Department is expected to arrive in the colony before the end of the year. She will bo a vessel of about 150 tons, capable of steaming 12 knots an hour, and will bo employed exclusively in "Wellington waters, in running between the city and the forts, laying and taking up submarine mines and like works. The steamer Ellen Balance is much too small for tho purpose, and the Defence Department has frequently found it necessary to charter tho Duco. The now steamer is being built in accordance with Admiralty specifications, and will be able to work the harbour in all weathers. Captain L. Fraser, who is to bring her out from Home and will probably have the permanent command, is an othcer of tho Eoyal Naval Deserve and was for many years in tho New Zealand Shipping Com-

pany’s service. > A recent number of the “loi Karanga, ’ ** published at Rarotonga, contains an arcle attacking tho methods of dealing with tho trade of the Cook group. Tho article concludes “It is indeed tune that we came under tho Jurisdiction of the Eight Hon. K.J. Sodden, who will probably find means to prevent a subsidised line of steamers from playing ducks and drakes with the trade of tho group.” Replying to a deputation which urged tho acquisition of an estate near Waipawa for close settlement, Mr Seddon said the machinery of the Act was detective, and ho intended to remedy U. There had boon unnecessary delay in acquiring an estate in the vicinity. The Land Purchase Board should fix the price which it was prepared to pay for estates in tho market, and the Government should appoint an officer to attend land sales and bid on its behalf.

After paying five per cent, for three years, tho Wellington Manawatau Rail way Company will distribute to its shareholders six percent, for the year just closed. Bix per cent, was paid in the four years between 1891 and 1897. The directors consider the result for the year very gratifying, in view of the strong and unequal competition of tho Government railways. The company’s land transactions last year were especially lucrative. It is stated that tho Government has offered a seat on tho Education Commission to Mr A. W. Hogg, M.H.E., and that the member for Masterton will probably accept tho position. Mr Hogg, says the Wellington Times, has taken up a very pronounced attitude in regard to recent educational developments, and has not hesitated to condemn in unequivocal terms the attitude assumed of late by the officers of the Educational Department towards the Boards.

While the Scarborough Post has been diving into the future, the Dundee Advertiser lias gone back into the past to resurrect its issue of 16th Januery, 1801, and reproduce it in facsimile. The issue is an interesting relic, full of wrecks and capture's, the doings of Buonaparte and Nelson, and numerous interesting items quaintly detailed. The editor indulges in a mild flourish of trumpets on the ground tluit sit this particular tiiuc he was beating all the rest ot* the Scotch press by’one day in his publication of the Mark-lane quotations.

The Capetown correspondent ot the London Daily Mail learns that the authorities hive prohibited the sale of three London publications —Reynolds’ Newspaper, Truth, and The Review of Reviews—in South Africa, it having been found that they wore being widely circulated among'the disloyal Dutch,

(ho Union Store, is to be had a very fine assortment of all kinds of fruit for jam making ; also a large assortment of jam jars. Order early to savp disappointment. Griflien and Smith. Advt.