The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING GISBORNE, JANUARY 20, 1902.

Gisborne Times, Volume VII, Issue 318, 20 January 1902, Page 2

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING GISBORNE, JANUARY 20, 1902.

Mr W. A. Barton, S.M., leaves on his Wairoa circuit early this morning.

Yesterday was the warmest day of the present summer. At 1 this morning there was a denso fog.

Shearing throughout the district is now well advanced, and most of the sheds are now finishing their sheep. The Murewai Hotel has changed hands. Mr W. Hackett has transferred his interest and license in the hotel to Mr Hodge, who is woll known on the coast.

In local cricket on Saturday United defeated West End by seven wickets, and County defeatod City by 14 runs. Fuller reports will appear to-morrow. Some of the returned troopers arrived quiofcly at Gisborne yesterday. Sergt.Major T. Porter, son of Colonel Porter, passed through Gisborne, on his way to Wellington. Fish are at present very plentiful in the bay, large hauls of the finny tribe having been made during the past few days by the local fishermen. Boats from the Murewai havo also had good results. A large number of people visited Waihirere yesterday, the result, it is believed, being that some who previously favored the Waihirero scheme now intend to oppose it.

A second telephone line between Gisborne and Ormond is to he constructed to connect with Waiinata. This is the result of the endeavors of the Waimata Branch of the Farmers’ Union, who by petition and correspondence have kept the matter prominently before the Government.

The caterpillar, the Poverty Bay farmers’ worst enemy, has already worked mischief among some of the cereal crops of the district. We are glad to hear that in some parts of the district, “ the plague,” as a farmer jocosely puts it, has attacked the caterpillar, and not one of the pests are to bo seen anywhere. Their work of mischief being over, they have departed this life unwept, unhonored, and unsung. At the meeting of the Land Board on Saturday morning, Mr Matthewson spoke very strongly on the question of the accommodation provided for the holding of the Land Board meetings in Gisborne. Ho also considered the accommodation for the staff very inefficient, and with the increasing work of the office there should be provided increased accommodation. It >vas unanimously resolved that a strong protest against the inadequate accommodation be forwardc-d to the Minister, urging him to attend to the matter at once.

With the fine weather of the past two or three days, harvesting operations on the farms are again in full swing. Grassseeding is well advanced, and a number of farmers are just waiting for their cereal crops to ripen before gathering them in. The crops this year should be very heavy. There is an exceedingly large increase in the number of acres under linseed, as also in oats, barley, wheat, maize, and mustard. Last year about 700 acres were under linseed, whereas this year something lme 7000 acres are planted in linseed, The mustard crop is also large compared with last yea. The number of acres under agriculture in this district has been increasing from year to year, and when the results of this season’s harvest is known we have no doubt but that it will eclipse all previous soasons.

Mr A. T. Glass, organising secretary of the Farmers’ Union, arrived in Gisborne on Saturday morning.

A surveying party, who have been examining the trig stations as far as I’natae, returned to town on Saturday afternoon. Applications by G. 11. Korte for section 9, block 10, Motu, and J. Bulst for section 8, block 10, have been granted by the Land Board.

At a recent meeting of the Waimata Branch of the Farmers’ Union, Mr 11. Lysnar was elected delegate to represent the branch at the district council.

A sample of aqua pura from Waihirere was on tap at Mr \V. Miller’s on Saturday, and a large number of ratepayers sampled the water, pronouncing it good. Some declared that the cask should have had a “ stick ” in it.

A native named Apirana Tipuna, of Murewai, at the Police Court on Saturday, was committed for trial upon a charge of horse-stealing. Evidence was given by Maiha Taruke, A. F. McDonald, and Sergeant Siddells. A new microbe has been discovered. A writer in a South African paper recently made the assertion that frozen meat contains the “ microbe of inertia,” and gives an instance in which certain men who were fed on frozen meat at a boardinghouse were quite incapacitated from work for a considerable time afterwards. The Gisborne Ilitles, who have been in camp on the Haiti since last Monday, strike tents to-day. They have been favored with fine weather throughout, and a lot of useful work has been put in by the men while in camp. Yesterday morning, the Rifles, headed by their band, attended the Holy Trinity Church. In the afteroon, the camp was thrown open to visitors, who were regaled with the “ cup that cheers but not inebriates.” Music was provided by the Rifle Band, and a very pleasant time was spent. At St. Andrew’s Church last evening,

the Rev. -J. G. Pateron, in the course of his sermon, referred to the proposed water supply and drainage scheme, Ho dwelt on the bad name the place had received among outsiders, and he considered that many of the ills under which the town at present suffered could be remedied by a water-supply and drainage. He spoke strongly in favor of an abundant supply of water, the advantages of which would more than counterbalance any expense which a scheme might incur. 4 yellow tom cat —according to the American papers—was “ electrocuted ” one night recently, but not before it had plunged the western part of New York State in darkness, and stopped all the electric trams. The ingenious animal stood upon a feed-wire, and then touched with his tail the parallel wire carrying the current back to Niagara, with the result that he “short-circuited ” the whole sys-

tem, and cut off power in every direction 1 . Another cat made a similar attempt at Utica. It succeeded in tying up the entire systom of street cars, but escaped “ electrocution.”

The recent experience of John Thomas Edwards in Northern Queensland is a remarkable instance of tough indurance. Edwards, on Decomber 12, left Blair Athol station to go to Alpha, a distance of 70 miles. There was no water on the route. He lost the track, and next day was found nearly mad for want of water and with deep gashes in his throat and wrist; he had opened his wrist to relieve his thirst with blood, and had afterwards cut his throat in despair. What could be, was done for Edwards, and he was then carried in a buggy to Pentland, 120 miles distant, the trip taking three days. He was fed on the journey with raw eggs and condensed milk. After a night at l’entland he was sent on to Charters Towors by train, and he is now recovering in the hospital there. The men who brought the patient on to Pentland lost a week’s work, besides undergoing a good deal of privation on the journey.—Bulletin, A gruesome and unusual spectacle was witnessd in Dannevirke the other morning, when an elderly man, about the age of three-score, attracted much attention as he wheeled through the main thoroughfare a hand-cart containing a partially-covered up coffin. As he wended his way along the street with the 11 black box,” one was forcibly reminded of the great London plague. History records the fact that on' that memorable occasion undertakers paraded the streets with carts and accompanied with the ringing of bells, cried out, “ Bring out your dead !” The whole tiling would have been complete had the Dannevirke undertaker provided himself with a hell, and history might then have been given a chance to repeat itself. Truly the progress of modern civilisation is marvellous ! After all, perhaps the “gruesome affair” was only an advertisement, dodge.—Lance. The service at a Southern church was interrupted a Sunday or two ago, by the strange conduct of a tall, nice-looking mezzo-soprano, a newcomer, who had been welcomed to the choir with open arms because of her beautiful voice. The young lady was seen to stop short in the middle of the hymn with her mouth wide open, and an expression of mute agony in her eyes. She signalled appealingly, and people stopped singing to stare at her, so that in less than a minute she wps the cynosure ot all eyes, and a great silenpe had fallen upon the startled congregation. The handsome songstress signalled" again, pointing helplessly towards her wide-open mouth, and making piteous noises in her throat, and at last an idea seized the clergyman, and he went to her rescue. It was all very simple. The singer wore a full set of false teeth hinged at the back, and the hinges had caught in some way whilst her mouth was wide open to make way for the top note, and they refused to work.

A correspondent of an American paper scores the college professor who told his students that they could make hens lay in winter by feeding them “ powdered red albumen mixed with an equal quantity of red pepper.” The correspondent says that “ what a hen needs in winter is plenty of good food, light, and exercise. A long walk before breakfast and a few sprints on

■ the golf links are better far than red pepper. There is no sense in making her disposition raw and 'irritable with i red pepper just to get an extra egg or two ” The Record Herald adds this dignified paragraph to the discussion : “ How to keep Chinamen out of the country and how to negotiate 'jughandle' reciprocity may seem like important matters to the statesmen at Washington. But of vastly greater importance to the human family is the question of keeping the hen contented and industrious in winter.” A church parade of the Gisborne Rifles, together with n Aw of the bluejackets and marines of H Ai.S. Penguin, tva« held at Holy Xiinity Chinch on Sunday morning, there being a good congregation. A number of Union Jacks adorned the interior of the church. The service was conducted by the Rev, Mr Welsh. He took as his text 1 Samuel xu., 19, and in his discourse made reference to the war in South Africa. He pointed out that the war was progressing as favorably as could be expected, and warmly denied the accusations made by the foreign press as to the conduct of the army in South Africa. He stated that prior to most of the engagements the men were addressed by their officers, and even by some privates, religious meetings being held. If

he had been a younger man he would have volunteered for this war to defend the flag'and the cause of liberty and freedom. The special prayers ordered by the Bishop were offered at both services yesterday, praying for the conclusion of the war. At the evening service the choir rendered Tours’ Service in F, and Calcott’s “ Hymn of Peace,” the solo in the latter being sung by Miss Patricia Telford, of Hastings. Miss Telford also sang the sacred aria “He was Despised,” from Handel’s Messiah,” and gave a sweet and sympathetic interpretation of this familiar gem of melody.