NEWS AND NOTES.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 20 September 1901, Page 4

NEWS AND NOTES.

The New Plyqaouth Breakwater cost £1,550,0P0; the Thames Embankment £1,710.000. Ten pounds of hay are equal as forage to 221 b of potatoes, 301 b of carrots, or 501 b of green clover. Nearly 3000 fowls are used annually in the Wellington Hospital. The trustees have decided to replenish their stock from the Nelson and Marlborough districts. A man named Eichard McKay was sentenced at Taihaparto to one month’s imprisonment with hard labour for cruelty to dumb animals, he having left several sheep dogs tied up for a week without water and food, whilst he was away on the spree. An enormous male trout was found lying dead in water near the mouth of the Mimihau Stream, a tributary of the Mataura River, on Wednesday, by Mr R. G. Carson, It was 3ft lin in length, and although in very poor condition, weighed no less than 181 b. Death has claimed another Maori chief of note (says the Taurauga correspondent of the Auckland Star). Haus Topsell, who died at Makctu recently, was a prominent loyalist in the Maori wars, and always used his influence with his people on the side of law and order.

The party of southern prospectors who recently worked from Hikutaia along east of Thames and in a northerly direction, have reached Coromandel, and intend prospecting east over the Tokatee and on to Opitonvi. So far the results of their investigations have been “fairly satisfactory,” and that is all the head of the party will state.

In common with other districts, the difficulty of obtaining efficient service for farm and dairy work is being contemplated with feelings of uneasiness. Tho Wyndham Farmer states that a number of people arc going out dairying on that account, and . generally farmers will try to do with as little labor as possible. It has bean recommended by the New South Wales Inspector-general of Police that Lamport, who so gallantly defended tho Bank of New South Wales at Henty recently, shall receive a gold medal, and his assistant, Hazleton, who also distinguished himself a silver medal. In this recommendation the Premier fully 1 ’ concurs.

There is every probability that next season Hawke’s Bay will be able to put a stronger cricket team in the field than in any previous year. Acting on behalf of the association, Mr H. Lusk has cabled to Mr E, H. Williams, who is now in England, to secure the services of a professional coach, the requisite guarantee having been practically obtained. At a large meeting of settlers at Quarry Hill on Monday night a motion was passed (says the Southland Times) strongly protesting against the action of the Government in proceeding with the survey of another possible route for the extension Of the seaward Bush railway, via Waimahaka Valley, instead of commencing the work of construction via Tokonui, as promised some time ago. The Opotiki Herald says that a huge shark was caught by Mr James White last week near Whale Island. The monster measured 13ft. As Mr White was only in a small boat 14fc 6in in length, it was impossible to take the shark on I board, so he was “ exterminated and al- f lowed to'retire gracefully into the deep.” I

There is tribulation among the lowergrade employees of the post office at present) says the Wellitigton Times,’’ in consequence of eight shillings monthly id salaries paid to them. Foil dghtetiri months past there has been some occult arrangement whereby £5 extra per annum nas heen added to all salaries of £l2O and under, but this month it was found that extra money had been taken off without preliminary notice, wherefore there is a sound of lamentation among the lettersorters and sundry other postal officials, who are engaged in solving the problem of how to be happy though married, on £2 5s per week*. The King is to receive a present of it unique walking stick from Sir George Dibbs. From a shaggy, ragged, uncouth chunk of ringgidgi wood, a rare product of the arid west, Sir George has shaped a handsome walking stick. It is his own work, turned out with his lathe. The stick is a magnificent sample of Australian wood, and is a bizarre -and valuable present, even for a King. The wood is superbly ringed, delicately grained, and choicely hued. It hue is dark brown, and the rings ere of darker brown still. On the stick is a broad gold band, inscribed, “ The King, God bless him.” Out of 16,300 islands in the Indian Ocean, only 370 are inhabited. The police constable who was recently reported to have been murdered by blacks in the Kimberley district (W.A.) has arrived at Sturt’s Creek all well. The Americans are about to indulge in motor-car racing on the common roads. The Automobile Club in that country having already organised a sweepstakes, the first contest to take place in {September over a course between Buffalo and Erie. Some idea of the way in which the produce of New Zealand is traduced by those interested in the produce of compßting countries may be gained from the following incident. Speaking of the • fishy” flavour in butter a writer in the “Irish Home-lead” recently made the statement tha L “New Zealand butter was at all times particularly bad from this failing” (fishness), and the writer continued with the extraordinary statement that “It hasbien suggested as due to cows grazing near the seaside and consuming small fish of the nature of sprats, which may have been put on the land for the purpose of manuring it.” Constable Blackman, of the Broken Hill police force, committed suicide last week by cutting the arteries of his left wrist. The unfortunate man, was found on a run 14 miles from Broken Hill by a boundary rider. Ho had been to South Africa with one of the New South Wales contingents, add returned to Sydney last May, bat had only gone to Broken Hill a few days before his death. Mr Herbet Little, of Auckland, at present in South Africa, says in a letter to his parents that the New Zealanders at the front are keeping up their football reputation. A team from the writer’" company defeated an Australian team at Silverton by 16 points to nil. At Pretoria they defeated the Pretoria Football Club, who had hitherto an unbroken record, by 9 points to nil. In this match the Rev. Mullineaux took part. At Standerton the team in which Little played defeated Johannesburg Mounted Rifles by 26 points to nil. i