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Gisborne Times, Volume V, Issue 59, 11 March 1901, Page 2

A meeting of the Chamber of Commerce will be held to-morrow evening. The silver-grey rabbit is said to bo clos-' ing in on Rotorua. The New Zealand Drug Company pay a dividend of 7 per cent, for the year ending January 81. The Motu Settlers’ Association has re-, ceived Mr Prouse’s report, the pith of which was telegraphed to the Times a week ago. " Switzerland, Italy, Egypt, Portugal, Costa Rica, and Mexico have now been added to the list of countries to which penny post applies. We understand that an agitation is about to bo commenced for the reopening of the question of a harbor based on Sir John Coode’s scheme.

At Ormond to-day the Wairoa cricket team commences its tour with a match against the 'Ormond Chib, and local players will have an opportunity of judging the calibre, of the ..visitors. The Secretary of the LiberabAssociation has received word that the Minister of Lands will be in Gisborne in a week or two to make himself fully informed in regard to the timber at the Motu. Mr C. Smith offers a reward of ten pounds to anyone giving information that will lead to the conviction of the person or persons who stole his cash box on Friday evening last. Letters received on Saturday from some of the Gisborne troopers at the front state that when they are relieved by the fresh contingents they intend paying a visit to the old country before returning to Gisborne.

The Union Steamship Company and Huddart-Parker Company have received advices from their respective head offices that an extra charge of one shilling per ton will be made on all cargo arriving from infected ports. This charge is to cover the cost of fumigation. Mr W. King has erected his timber mill at the Buangarehu bush, and notifies customers that he is now in a position to supply them with building timber of first-class quality in the rough or dressed. Orders addressed to Makauri, will reeeive,prompt despatch. At Auckland on Saturday at the meeting of creditors in the estate of P. B. Steward, storekeeper, of Tokomaru, adjourned from Gisborne by the Official Assignee, the stock sheets from Gisborne showed a value of .£268 9s lid, and effects £25.’ Two tenders at 5s 7d and 8s in the £ had been received for the stock. The book debts were good for £7O. The total liabilities were £525. It was decided that fresh tenders be called for the stock, and that debtor be employed to collect the. book debts.

At the bowling green on Saturday several several matches were played. In the handicap singles F. Petrie, receiving 20 points, met Birss, scr. The latter gained on his opponent in the first few heads, but falling . away towards the middle portion of the game, gftve Pettic p.n advantage which he was not slow to avail himself of, and settling down in good style the young Kaiti player won by 35 to 23. Other matches played were ; McMillan, Jackson, Batham, Witty(skip), 17, Quigley, Willock, Sideboitom, Ponsford (skip), 22; Boxendill, Colebroo!:,--Dixon, Hookey, (skip), 25, v. Massey, Lewis, McGowan, Price (skip),’ 24. Afternoon tea was provided by Mrs Matthewson, who was assisted by Misses Mattkewson, Skeet, and other young ladies. There was a large attendance of visitors.

At the meeting of the Gisborne Women’s Political Association, Mrs Somervell called attention to the fact that the Executive of the Association had long felt that the interest of members in the work they had undertaken was not enough. Members of an Association like this, she considered, ought at least to be prepared to attend meetings, and give their Executive the support of their votes on one side or another. With a membership over 30 they could scarcely average an attendance of a dozen. She gave notice of the following motion for Saturday next;— *• The Gisborne Women’s Political Association be dissolved, and that the secretary be requested duly to notify the National Council of the Women of New Zealand of

the same.” Mrs Scott offered a few remarks on the desirability of keeping the Association alive, and the meeting closed. The Aral Road Board meeting on Saturday was attended by Messrs Parker (in the chair), Jes-Rlalce, Lucas, C. 'White, U’Ren. Some discussion took place with regard to the -Tokonui road deviation. Balneavis submitted an estimate of the cost of the two routes. The total distanee of the surveyed road to be formed was 101 chains 28 links, and the total distance of the proposed deviation was 84 chains. The cost of forming 98 cnains 55 links, including the. deviation would be .£l6O, and the total cost would therefore be .£3ll 4s, The cost of the surveyed route would be £195, ahd the' difference between the two routes £ll6 4s. Mr White expressed expressed the opinion that to fence the routes would cost more than £6O per mile, as the price of wore had risen considerably. He moved that the settlers concerned be ■written to to the effect that if they were prepared to pay the difference mentioned (which would probably be greater than the estimate), the Board would be prepared to carry out their -wishes. He and Mr JexBlake had visited and examined the place thoroughly. This was agreed to, and thereply will be sent to Mr Morris,

According to advices received by ft leading firm of ship-owners in Melbourne, the shipment of coal in Newcastle is now proceeding at an enormous rate, but' .the demand is still greater than the supply. The Age states that previous to the holidays the fleet of vessels retained there for cargo was reduced to under 70, but recent arrivals have brought the list up to 100, comprising some. of the largest vessels afloat. Some of the smaller coal companies have talcen advantage of the pinch to demand 12s per ton for their staple, which, in some cases, has been paid to secure despatch. ■ Now that the winter is coming on there should be a great demand for horse covers. The McFarlane patent horse cover, manufactured by Messrs Archibald Clark and Sons, is recognised by experts as being far in advauce of anything of the land ever offered to the public. It has three advantages; first, the cover does away with the annoyance usually caused by the ordinary covers becoming displaced, as in the case of the horse rolling ; secondly, there is no crupper used, consequently the horse does not suffer from chafing or cutting into the tail, which often causes lockjaw ; thirdly, the mode of attachment is simplicity in itself, namely, the straps for fastening going round each hind leg. It is to be obtained from all storekeepers and saddlers.

Writing under date of January 6tli to a lady in 'Gisborne, Trooper Parker gives an interesting account of his travels. Ho says : “ We stayed in Mafeking two hours. After seeing the place, I am firmly convinced that the Boers are cowards, for the little town could easily have been taken with the force they had. I'saw ono of the Long Tom shells, which the Boers fired, but did not explode. It weighs lOOlbs, and stands 2ft 6in high. Baden-Powell worked some very cunning tricks with the Boers. For instance, when the enemy’s guns were firing on the town, he had a number of men with shovels, who, when the gun fired, threw up. a largo quantity of sand, which at a distance would look like a shell exploding. This, of course, they did in the centre of the town, when the enemy were firing perhaps 300 yards wide of the mark, and, of course, thinking they had the range, would keep on firing. Hundreds of shells were fired in this way to no advantage. We are all tired of the war, and shall be glad to get away.”