GENERAL NEWS.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 4 September 1901, Page 4

GENERAL NEWS.

The 41b loaf is selling at 8d at Mangaweka. , Branches of the New Zealand Farmers Dnion have been formed at Mataura and Balfour.

Captain Brown, of Nerang, was found drowned in a waterhole, near Southport (Queensland), on August 13. The Earl of Aberdeen is now a Presbyterian elder, having been ordained on Sunday, April 1, by the Rev. A, Ritchie, in the Established Church, in Methlick, Aberdeen.

The Hon. G. Jones, M.L.C., a pronounced Prohibitionist, and who had the the other day to withdraw the words, “a detestable traffic,” as applied to the liquor trade, declared that he intends to go round the hotels of Wellington and ascertain from the barmaids what is their opinion of the Hon. J. Jenkinson’s proposal to make barmaids’ hours of labjr cease at nine o’clock each evening.

An opinion expressed by Mr Niven, of Napier, before the Wellington Conciliation Board, and confirmed by other ironmasters, was that 10. years ago there were more steam engines made and more general manufacturing work done in the New Zealand engineering trade than at the present time. Trade is leaving the country.

An old man, who gave his name as John Porretie, was brought into Napier last week from Hastings by the police and taken to the hospital. For some days he had been living under a haystack, and when found was so emaciated that it, wadeemed advisable to send him where lie could receive medical treatment.

Large quantities of straw are being pressed in the Milton district at present (says the Bruce Herald.) Two strawpresaera have been working continuously for some time past, and their daily output amounts to several tons. The bulk of the straw is being sent to Dunedin.

The story is told in Christchurch in connection with the recent Zealandia Hotel fire that a jockey, returning from the races to find his lodgings gutted, commenced poking about among the ruins to recover, if possible, some of his effects. He came upon the charred remains of his portmanteau, was surprised to discover his watch ticking away as it nothing had happened. It was quite uninjured, and owed its escape to being wrapped up among some flannel shirts. While Mr M’Crae was searching for a sheep at Pukemiru (says the Huntly correspondent of the Auckland Star) -he came across a cavity in the ground leading to an immense cavern, estimated at about 500 yards in length and of considerable height. The country is limestone, and many specimens of staloctite and stalagmite formations of great beauty and of eiystalline appearance are visible. The entrance was known to a Mr Dingle, who has been in the cave, and penetrated it until want of light rendered further progress impossible. Peculiarly enough, a quartz reef, it is said, runs through its entire length.

A terrible burning accident happened at Gundagai (N.S.W.) to Elsie Gross, aged 14. She was standing in front of the fire at her parents’ home, when her cape fell on to the hearth. She picked the cape up not noticeing it was alight, and placed it on her shoulders. Her dress immediately caught fire. Her father enveloped his daughter in a blanket, and subdued tho flames, but was severely burnt on the hands The child is terribly burnt. “You are often told you are the backbone of tho country,” remarked Mr G. Witty at the meeting of farmers at Templeton the other night (says the Christchurch Press), “but what is the good of a backbone if the labour unions have sucked all the marrow out of it ? It is simply dry bones, and not worth a rap I” A nugget found a few days ago in Dead Horse Gully, Victoria, by Frederick Franzk, was exactly 71b in weight. The gully was famous for its nuggets in the early days, the largest weighing 281 b, being found by a miner named Sweetapple. Franzk is said to be well deserving of his success, as fortune has been unfavourable to him of late, and he is a hard-working miner.

During the stillness of a recent Sunday evening, advantage was taken by a number of Aucklanders, including a Gisbornitc, to indulge in conversation by telephone with Wellington, Napier, and Gisborne (telegraphs the Auckland correspondent of the Gisborne Times). At the first attempt difficulty was experienced, in being heard on the Wellington wires. Eventually, by talking loudly and remaining in a still position, the voices soon became audible, and many conversations from Auckland were indulged in with people in the Empire City.

The latest sensation in Dublin is the adoption by a number of society people of the “barefoot” fad for their children,. Considerable attention is aroused now and squares by the appearance of smartly clad children walking barelegged and barefooted, all but a slight scandal. The idea is the old one, that the children are made hardier and less likely to take cold by this exposure. Princess Louise of Bavaria, the consort of the heir-presumptive to the Bavarian throne, has formed a league for the curtailment of the skirts of ladies’ walking dresses. The league has already been joined by several prominent professof’si physicians, artists, etc., etc., and their wives.

The Dukinfield Town Council has formally protested against the “cartooning” of certain of its members by a Manchester weekly journal, on the grounds that it is “inimical to the public interest, and calculated to deter respectable men from taking part in the affairs of the borough”

A gigantic block of iron ore, weighing 96 tons, ordered from England by the Kure Arsenal, was taken to Kura (Japan) by the Awa Maru. It is said that much difficulty was experienced at Liverpool, there being no provision make for such a weight, The ease was otherwise when the block was unloaded at Kure, as the arsenal is equipped with a crane capable of raising 150 tons. Yesterday (says the W. C. Times) Lieut Northeroft of the Hokitika cadets was presented by his company, with a gold mounted greenstone pendant* ahd a short address. The latter acknowledged the pains and perseverance of the lieutenant; The children regretted his departure since the schoolboys would lose a good playfel'ow and the cadet company an attentive officer. The address was read by fcie' - - geant Crawford. It is only right to add that all through the Christchurch trip Lieutenant Northeroft was of great service, attending faithfully to all work under his charge, and has always been most pleasant and obliging to his senior officer. The Duke of Grafton, whose eightieth bir hday has just passed, although a man of di tinguished career, has been little in the public eye fot years past. His services in the Crimea won for him many distinctions, and also nearly cost him his life. It was while fighting in the trenches that he received a shot in the chin which caused his life to hang in a balance for many days. Luckily, however, the bul let passed through the body without touching the spine, and the young officer ultimately made a good recovery. The Duke’s many friends greatly hope that he may be spared to take part in the coronation of King Edward, whom he has known since childhood, for the King was but a child when the Duke was made equerry to Queen Victoria, who always numbered him among her trusted friends. He married a daughter of the "third Lord Ashburnham, and has been a widower for the long term of forty years. The Manchester Daily Despatch recently published a statement to which the London Daily News gave additional publicity on its contemporary’s authority alone. It claimed to have good grounds for saying:—“The King’s forthcoming visit to Scotland is likely to be followed by the announcement of a social event of a startling character. H.E.H. the Duchess of Albany will accompany the King on his visit to the North, and there is reason to believe that her betrothal to Lord Bose bery will be formally announced, either during the Boy al vist to Holyrood or immediately after.” The Duchess of Albany is the widow of Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, who died in 1884. She is the daughter of the late Prince George of Waldeck, and was born February 17th 1861. Lord Bosebery, who is a widower, is in his 54th year. The authorities predict that there will bo thirty thousand well-to-do homeless visitors in London on Coronation eve. Should the prediction be fulfilled the prices charged for lodgings and houses that week will be phenomenal. It must be borne in mind that many of the great hotels in the West-end will bo hired by the Government to accomodate Eoyal personages, their representatives, and their suites. It is believed that a small bed-room in the West-end will fetch fifty pounds for the seven days the festivities are to last. —Graphic.. A a meeting under the auspices of the Auckland Cycle Boads League recently, a resolution was carried expressing a strong sense of indignation at the conduct of the Premier in refusing to assist Sir Joseph Ward to make the Cycle Boads Bill law this session, especially in view of the fact that he is introducing legislation which the people are fighting against. The resolution further requested the Premier to take up the Bill and make it law this session, as he has been petitioned by many thousands to do so. Australia beats the world and New Zealand badly beats Australia. That is the position in regard to the volume of telei graphic business per head of population. In 1899 in New Zealand the telegrams lodged per head was 4.66 or more than double those lodged in Australia, whose average was 1.99 per head. The telegraph revenue in New Zealand was equal to 3s 2d per head, while in Australia it was 2s lid. On the other hand the average revenue per message was only B£d in New Zealand, while it was nearly Is 6d in Australia. The New Zealand figures exhibit in a striking light (says the Argus) the advantage to the public from a universal sixpenny telegram rate. The resulting benefit to trade to commerce can only be gussed at, not estimated. It has also to be noted that the figures given are those for the first year in which, in New Zealand, the charge for the transmission of a telegram was reduced from one shilling to sixpence; that the change resulted in an absolute increase of revenue from £97,000 to £110,000; and that for the year in question that Now Zealand department, showed a larger surplus of revenue over expenditure than that shown by any Australian colony. The Taranaki Herald says that after years of persistent labor and the expenditure of a large sum of money in the work of endeavouring to find a payable petroleum field at Moturoa, the local gentlemen who embarked their money in the venture have decided to discontinue operations. The last bore, at which work is still being carried on, has been drilled to a depth of 1060 feet, but no traces of oil have been mot with, although the bore is only 80 feet

from that in which at 950 feet oil was obtained in what was first considered to be payable quantity. In the present bore water was troublesome for some time, but this, after considerable labour and expense was effectually shut off, so that a good test of its oil bearing capacity was obtained. But the results from the bore have been disappointing. In a conversation with a Herald representative Mr Samuel, the managing director of the syndicate which has so pluckily stuck to the task, in face of great obstacles, of trying to find an oil field in Taranaki, stated that the funds with which the syndicate arranged to expend now being exhausted, steps are being taken to sell and realise on the plant and abandon the project. The position of the Wanganui Technical School, which has not been in a very flourishing condition, was considered by the Wanganui Education Board last week, and, after some discussion, it was decided to combine the technical and district High School classes. The head master of the Boys’ High School has been appointed rector of the school and the nominal head of the other Wanganui schools. Mr D. E. Hutton, who has been director of the technical school for some time, will in future occupy the position of art director only.

The United States ate showing as a good example in the vigour and determination with which they have recently set about the abatement of the spitting nuisance. Arrests are corrimon,- and New York Magistrates are beginning to deal seriously with tha offence. Mr Seiton, President of the Board of Health, nou long ago assigned 70 of the 100 policemen detailed for tenement house and other sanitary work to the tpecial duty oi riding about the town in surface and elevated railways, and‘arresting those whom they saw breaking the ordinance against expectorating on the floors of street and railrottd cars and o her public vehicles, ferry boats, and pitblic buildings. Out of an average annual loss to' the world’s shipping of 2172 vessels 94 are completely missing, and never heard ot again. Denmark’ and Sweden are the only European countries in which all the military conscripts ever read. The death is announced of Mr John Creasy, who attained the age oi 100 years. Mr Creasy died at Bayswatcr, London, on August 10. At the Sydney Police Court on August 16th Percy Griffiths was fined £SO, or months, and Alex Phillips was fined £25, or three months, on a charge of assisting to conduct a betting housd,