The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. GISBORNE, JANUARY 31, 1902. TO-NIGHT’S MEETING.

Gisborne Times, Volume VII, Issue 328, 31 January 1902, Page 2

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. GISBORNE, JANUARY 31, 1902. TO-NIGHT’S MEETING.

There should be a large attendance at the public meeting to be held tonight in the Theatre Royal, to uiscuss the subject of the stoppage ol' the railway works. As the cessation of these public works has become general and Ministers have announced their determination to let the works remain idle for the present, it is clear that the action is not a special knock at this district; but there is plenty of proof that the Government policy of public works requires a radical reform, and the meeting to-night can at least again press forward the claims of this district. When the members wanted to increase their salaries they did not wait for authority from the people •- they promptly snatched the money out of the Treasury, but a penitent lit seems to have come over the Government when they have to deal with the ordinary wages man and the prosecution of public works th'at are necessary if the satisfactory progress of the colony is to be maintained. It may be that the stoppage of public works just now is to give a lever for further borrowing—Sir Joseph Ward said plainly enough at Greymouth that there must be more borrowing. Perhaps the Ormond section of our railway will be opened before election day. The meeting to-night should pass a resolution regretting that our railway work has been hung up at a time when idle people were led to expect that at least one section of it would have been open for traffic.

At the Magistrate's Court yesterday morning, before Mr Barton, S.M., Allan Campbell sued Joseph Price for £2l 10s for wages. Mr W. D. Lysnar appeared for plaintiff, and Mr Nolan for defendant. On the application of Mr Lysnar His Worship granted an acijourmpent to Thursday next.

An excursion around the Jriy is- to he held this evening, and there should be a full complement of excursionists. The fare has been fixed at 2s, and the proceeds are to be given to the Committee who have the arrangements in hand for the school treat. The ss. Waihi will leave the wharf at seven O El OCX

Mrs Barrington Waters is to be complimented on the task performed by her > at the recital last evening. Besides playi ing eight selections, and those of celebrated composers, she played all the accompaniments of the evening. Thus . she was engaged in every item, and none but one perfected in the art could have stood such a strain, There was a feelingpf much sorrow in Gisborne yesterday afternoon when it became known that Mrs John Coleman had passed away. The news at at any time would have been sad, but it was much more so owing to the fact that Mr Coleman, Miss Coleman, and Master Stanley Coleman are at present absent from Gisborne. Mrs Coleman had been suffering from asthma and an affection of the heart, but though within recent years she had had several severe attacks of illness, sil? always rallied wondertully. When a fort- I night ago Mr Coleman left Gisborne to j take part in' the bowling toufnament at Wellington she was in better health than usual. On Wednesday she was taken ill, and yesterday suffered a sudden collapse. Mr Allan Coleman and his aunts (Mesdatnes Ellis and T. Coleman) were with the patient at the last. Mrs Coleman was very much esteemed by a large circle of friends, and the deepest sympathy is felt for Mr Coleman and the family in their bereavement. Mr Coleman and Miss and Master Coleman arrive from Wellington to-morrow morning, the first opportunity, J

ifesa's Didgoty and Co. held their first .-ale at Mukaraka yards yesterday, Mr Eliott being the auctioneer. The sale was a very satisfactory one.

Mr E. A. Rees, who left with the Gisborne quota for the Eighth Contingent, telegraphs that he is leaving the contingent at Auckland to join the Ninth, in which he has been granted a commission.

The privileges in connection with tlw Gi 1 orne Racing Club’s forthr-omi-g meeting will be submitted by auction at l-oou to-morrow.

A meeting of the Committee ol the Ilcrt'cultural Society lu,;t-s place tomorrow evening in the hall over Mr Dalrymple’s shop. Tenders for the delivery of grav;l for the Taruheru Road Board close at the Board’s office at .11 a.m. to-mor-row.

Captain Edwin telegraphed at 12 1! p.m. yesterday : —“ Strong easterly winds .'glass fall: tides !..gh ; heavy easterly'swell ; indications of rain.” Mr Rowland Hill oilers a reword to anyone giving information as to the whereabouts of a roan heifer, lest from the Patutahi slangin', :r -yards on January lSlh.

The work of tarring the footpaths in Gladstone Road is proceeding apace, and the Borough Council workmen were busily engaged yesterday in attending to tbe footpaths in the business part of the town.

A public meeting is to be h-dd in tb- 1 Theatre Royal this evening to consider the action of tbe Government in connect! 11 with the discharging of hands on the local railway wor,s. H is to be hoped there will be a large attendance at. the meeting. 'Phi weather report yesterday showed NOl th-easterly and N.’-V. prevailing winds in tiie colony ; over last weather at Auckland, Napier, New Plymouth,

Wanganui, Wellington, and Invercargill (with rain) ; heavy sea at Tiritiri. moderate at Castlepoiut, Bluff, New Plymouth, and Greym mill. The shooting tournament to have been held by the Gisborne cadets yesterday afternoon did not eventuate, the range being occupied by the Gisborne Rifles practising. The cadets had some firing practice, yesterday morning, some good shooting being made. Mr W. Webb, the contractor for tbe Post Office, is obtaining a supply 01 Kaiteratahi shingle by means of tV raihvay, six truck loads 1-intr brought down yesterday. The metai is con sfidered by the contractor the best in the district for tbe work in connection with the building of the post office.

Mr and Mrs Hendrick Svensson, of this district, have bought the Criterion Hotel, Albert street, Auckland, and take possession in about a fortnight hence. Under the management of Mr and Mrs Svensson the Criterion should occupy a prominent place among the leading bouses, for it could hardly be in better hands.

At the conclusion of the concert last evening, Mrs Barrington Waters was waited upon b,y several ladies and gentlemen from the audience, who expressed their great appreciation of her playing, and strongly urged her, if time permitted, to give them another opportunity of hearing her play before leaving Gisborne. A matinee has been suggested, and will probably be arranged for Tuesday next. A meeting of the Star of New Zealand Tent, No. 6,1.0. R., S.U., was held in the Tent-room last evening, Sister Hickey, Deputy Ruler, presiding. Sister C. A. Nasmith tendered her resignation as Assistant Secretary, which was accepted with regret, and Sister E. Gray was elected to fill the office. Two new members were proposed, and a lot of routine business transacted.

Some enthusiastic citizens bad an athletio carnival last evening, on a small scale. The main event was a hundred yards sprint between Mr Plimmer, the advance agent.for the Waldorf Company, and a speedy local amateur, both running in their ordinary attire, A fine start was eneccea, ana a splendid race resulted m Mr Plimmer winning by a foot. Another match in proper running shoes is mooted. At the meeting of the Patutahi branch of the Farmers’ Union held at the Patutahi Hall the other night, Mr D, Lougher presided. A Canvassing Committee was elected, consisting of Messrs J. Faulkner, J. McKenzie, A. H. Giilman, W. J. Mossman, and D. Lougher. Mr T. W. Bilham was elected to the Provisional Executive. Four new members were enrolled, making the total forty-three members.

A movement is on foot to obtain funds to erect a pavilion on the Victoria Domain. At present the Domain has no shelter of any kind, and accommodation for lady visitors to the grounds is urgently needed. Mr W. D. Lysnar and Mr C. P. Davies have made donations of £1 Is and 10s 6d respectively for the purpose proposed. Mr H. E. Hill, the secretary of the United Cricket Club, is willing to receive donations towards the erection of a pavilion. Mr Harcus Plimmer, advance agent for Miss Janet Waldorf, lias been advised that the Company are doing very heavy business in Napier, and that both press and public were delighted with the production of “ Ingomar ’’ on Wednesday night. It will be seen elsewhere that tiie Gisborne season has been reduced to four nights,, as the Company have to catch Wednesday’s steamer after the play. “ The Merchant of Venice ” is now to be played on Wednesday evening instead of “ The Lady of Lyons.” At the Magistrate’s Court yesterday morning, Mr Barton, S.ivL, gave judgment on tiie non-suit point raised by defendant in the case of Arthur J. Cooper (Mr Nolan) v. George Herbert Adams (Mr DeLautour, with Mr R. N. Jones). The case was a ciaim of £lO damages sustained through defendant assaulting plaintiff some time ago Defendant- claimed that by retaining the money paid to him by W. Gault the action on plaintiff’s part amounted to a ratification of the agreement that no further claim would be made. His Worship now held that plaintiff was not bound by the agreement, as it was proved by the evidence that Gault was not authorised to enter into any agreement on his behalf. For the reason given the non-suit must be relused. On the application of Mr DeLautour, further hearing was adjourned till Thursday next. Mr C. P. W. Longdill writes as follows “ To the Editor of the Times. Sir,—As r think of offering my services for the Ninth Contingent for South Alrica, I think it a fair question to ask what, in the event of my services being accepted, I, with other members of the army in the field would be fighting for '! Would it be

simply to induce the Boers to federate with us, and thus do away with the necessity of our having to arm against them, and they against us in the future, and then to grant them as much independence as we in New Zealand, for example, have in relation to the rest of the British Empire. Or would we be fighting with'the determination of those in authority to sue for unconditional surrender ? If the former I would gladly offer my services and risk my life in the cause. If the latter my feeling is that I would rather fight for the Boers for it per week than the English for £2, and fight harder." Mr Longdill then proceeds to argiie that the Boers are right in holding out for their independence, and concludes : “ Vie know the evil effects of class hatred, race hatred is as great or a worse evil, and the only way to overcome it in the case of the Boers is by cultivating a kindly feeling towards them: and ‘ doing unto them as we would be done by.’ ”