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Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2010, 20 February 1907, Page 2

Tho steamer Mokoia left Auckland for Gisborne at 6.30 last evening. The Matawliero stock sales take place to-morrow. To-day is tho last discount day for Gisborne Gas Co.’s accounts. Mr R. U. Burke, solicitor, lias money to lend oil freehold security at 41 por cent. Mails despatched from Melbourne, via Naples, 17th January, arrived in London, 17tli February. Messre Evans, Nield, and Co. will shortly have to band ex lima 400 tons of. screened Newcastle coal,which may be purchased cheap from the ship’s side when discharging. Last evening a meeting of tlio Borough Council By-law Committee was hold to continue tho revision of the by-laws. Present: The Mayor (in the chair), Councillors A\ 7 ebb, AVliinray, and Lysnar. No matter of public interest arose during the proceedings. Attention is directed to the dates of nominations, weights, and acceptances for the AVaiapu Racing Chib’s meeting. By ail oversight tho dates were omitted from the advertised programme.

Owing to a mistake on the “double” machine, the AVellington Racing Club had to pay £2Ol 2s to an investor. Messrs Miller and Craig will hold a sale of household furniture and musical instruments at 2 this afternoon at the residence of Mr Liclitwark, Customhouse street. Mr C. Coulter, of Hawkosburv (Marlborough), won first, second, and third prizes in tho wool-scouring competition at Christchurch, thus winning the coveted Gold Cup. The fears expressed a short time ago that there would be a potato famine in this district have so Improved groundless, as may he judged by the fact that this morning 60 sacks of potatoes arc being despatched by the AVailcare for Auckland.

Mr. Barkell is a conductor of the strenuous order. One minute he will he shaking an infuriated baton under the nose of the B flat bass, and then, with one kangaroo-like bound, he is across the rotunda, and apparently cajoling the cornets to better work.” —Description going the rounds concerning the Newcastle Band conductor.

During the course o£ his address at the Native Appellate Court at AAhiiroa, Mr A. L. D. Fraser was interrupted several times by natives who showed visible signs of intoxication. Ho at length declared that if lie noticed drinking among the Maoris continue in the same way as since his arrival in AVairoa, lie would apply to the Court for jurisdiction under the Act of 1894, whereby tlie Judge of the Native Land Court can close nil licensed premises to natives iii tho locality whore the Court is sitting.

A meeting of chess players and those desirous of learning the game is called for Friday evening next at tho Library rooms. A club of this sort should not lack interest in a place like Gisborne, particularly as the promised membership will include three gentlemen who have taken part in championship tourneys with success, and one of whom won the championship of the colony in 1606. It is intended to put a team into practice for a telegraphic match with some outside club during the coming winter. There was a scone of excitement last evening at the intersection of Kaliut-ia and Peel streets. Two industrious workmen had become involved in trouble owing to the allegation that one had made disparaging remarks about the work of the other. A desire to be brought face to face to have the-matter out was duly given effect to, hut instead of a pacific explanation words ran high, blows were struck, and tho combatants were soon rolling in the dust. As the passengers by the train were arriving at the time a large crowd quickly gathered,and Constable Wales was soon on the scene, and quickly settled the trouble. At a meeting of tho Eltliam School Committee, on the subject of tho dairy classes, a memorandum was received from the Education Board notifying the appointment of Mr Robert Browne as instructor in dairving and stating that he would take” up his ‘duties in a few weeks. It was not intended that the dairying school should supersede the class in°agriculture. The dairying classes would be organised at the factories as well as at the schools. In a course of a long discussion on this subject, the headmaster said ho was of opinion, that these classes would be most useful for tbe majority of boys in the South Taranaki district and he would be glad to encourage it ill every reasonable way, but at the same time, be thought the Board should allow more latitude, so as not to interfere with tbe ordinary-school instruction which all the pupils needed. The chairman, Mr bun, and others, -while recognising the importance of the subject, feared that the overloading of tho syllabus, would result in the pupils having only a smattering in many i subjects without a thorough knowledge in any subject. It was a matter m which tlic parents ought- to have all opportunity of expressing their wishes. Ultimately, it was decided to grant leave of absence for one day to the headmaster, who will interview the Inspector at Haw’era on the, general question of the instruction in dairying

During the last few years there have (says the Canterbury Times) been several horses, ill various parts of the colony, that have earned unsavoury reputations by their waywarcl habits at tho starting post. Aot to go far back, names that recur readily are Canteen. Vladimir, Happy Home, and Starslioot, all of whom coukl he relied on to give trouble at the start of any race in which they took part. They appear to have a pretty good performer in this line in Auckland just now in Landlock, but probably the champion honors rest with Signalman, whose vagaries have made him one of the most discussed animals of tho day. Apart from the notoriety lie has gained with the general public, it is the popular belief that Signalman lias been responsible for two special regulations adopted by the committee of the Canterbury Jockey Club to meet the case of fractious animals. The first of these regulations, passed just prior to last Easter, was to the effect that no attendants would bo allowed at the post to assist in getting horses away. The second, agreed to last week, aimed at preventing lengthy delays at the post, as it stated that in tho event of an unruly horse delaying the start of a race beyond a reasonable time tho starter should ho directed to start the race without such horse, • \

In tlio ladies’ hunters’ competitions at tlio Foildiiig Show, Miss Briggs, who rode astride without a saddle, •vas awarded the gold modal for tlio host lady rider. This young lady is an entrant in the Ladies’ Hunters’ competition at tho Masterlon Show, whore it is probable she will ride under the same conditions.

A correspondent writes to the Farmers ’Advocate as follows: —“1 have reaped a twenty-four acre paddock of Italian ryegrass three years in succession, the third year yielding sixty bushels per acre. In the first year 1 rouped it twice. I have thus had lour crops in threo years, the average yield being forty-live bushels per acre. 1 have also grazed it for six mouths ill the year, and have neither ploughed* nor re-sown.” During the journey from Victoria Falls to Kimberley, says tho South African Railway Magazine, a big, brawny, sun-browned man boarded the Zambesi express, minus his coat, shirt sleeves rolled up, displaying arms the color of mahogany. Ho took a scat at dinner, and the chief steward remarked to him that ns there were ladies present perhaps lie would have no .objection to putting his coat on. “Great Scott!” the man replied,

“I haven’t worn a coat for nineteen years. You will have to wait, my friend, until I can buy one at Kimberley.”

Auriferous reefs occur In a variety of rocks in New Zealand, and gold is now found in so many forms, free or associated with other minerals, that it is difficult to say where it may not bo found, says Mr. R. Mclntosh in his essay oil “New Zealand’s Mineral Resources.” In tho North Island the reefs occur in rocks of igneous origin, as andesite, tuffs, rhyolite, etc., wliilo in tlio South Island they occur in aqueous rocks, as slates, schists, and metnmorphie schists, with probably tho one exception of a .reef on Otago Peninsula occurring in volcanic rock. Reefs have been discovered and worked at all altitudes; they have boon followed hundreds of feet below sea-level, as at tlio Tlinmos; wliilo tho most elevated goldfield ill tho Australasian colonies was opened in 1878, at Advaice Peak, Macotown, Otago, 7400 ft above sealevel.

Mr. Hogg wired the Minister of Education, submitting that tho school excursion from the AVairarapa would bo an assured success if the girls wore allowed to travel with their teachers on the same terms as tho boys. Tho reply of tho lion. G. Fowlds, which comes from Christchurch, is:—“AVe cannot possibly undertake responsibility taking girls to Exhibition.” Mr. Hogg has despatched, posto-haste, the following letter: —“Dear Mr. Fowlds, —As olio who has always sympathised with Women’s Rights, I trust you will reconsider your decision ro allowing our school girls to go to the Exhibition. Tho AVuirarapa schoolgirls in l>ast years have travelled with the hoys oil various occasions, to the City of Wellington and elsewhere and nothing lias befallen them. Tlioir teachers declare they can stand the fatigue of a trip to Christchurch just as well as tho boys, and if you will supply them with uniforms they will dress as cadets. Now I trust you will treat them like the boys as regards expenses and allow them to go.” In the meantime this wire has been despatched to the Minister: —- “The teachers will cheerfully undertake full responsibility if senior girls are allowed to travel on same terms as cadets.”

Tlio Dunedin Star understands that the report to Lloyd’s by Captain A. E. Hollingwortli, of the steamer Indragbiri, now in port, at Dunedin, concerning ice in the Southern Ocean, will be something out of the ordinary this trip. The report' reads:—“At 11 a.m. on December 29th, in latitude 55dog. 41min.' S., longitude BGdcg. 21miu. E., passed two largo icebergs, each about a quarter of a mile long and 200 ft. high. Both were flattopped and perpendicular at the ends, End were sen: aheut fiie miles south of the steamer. On the same day, at 7 p.m., passed, an iceberg a quarter of a mile long and 250 ft.. high, pinnacled on top. It was three miles south of the steamer’s track. On December 31st, from 1.30 to about 6 p.m., passed eight large icebergs and a large number of small pieces of ice on both sides of the steamer. From 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. on the same day passed in all fourteen large icebergs, from 100 ft; to 400 ft. high, also many smaller bergs and pieces of ice. Noticed many sperm whales iil-tlie vicinity. At' 4 p.m. on January 3rd passed an icebery three miles long and 150 ft high, flat-topped, in latitude 54deg. 12min. S., longitude 120 deg. 54mm. F. Captain Hollingwortli adds that the appearance of the bergs was very striking, all being white on the weather side, and varying from light ’to dark blue on the lee side. The North Otago Times states:— “It has been said that the untoward accident that occasioned the death of Mr. W. 11. Hutcheson at Moeraki beach last' week was the result of a bite from a large shark. This is obviously an error. Air. Hutcheson was standing oil the beach, with the water up to his chest, and a shark, before it can seize its prey, has to turn over on its back. Tlio dorsal fin and tlio long tail fin would have prevented a large shark biting so low down as the calf of a person’s leg, standing upright., as these two fins would have struck the ground and caused the fish to swing round. A small shark only could have bitten so low down. Wo mention this to show that there is great danger even from sharks whose small size may load to the belief that they are harmless. We had evidence of the force of this remark in a circumstance that occurred in tlio Oamaru Harbor some years ago. A large shark followed the carcase of a cow that had fallen over the cliffs into the harbor. The carcase had floated into comparatively shallow water, and the shark made about a dozen attempts to reach its prey, but every time it turned on its back the two long fins struck the ground, and in endeavouring to extricate itself from danger, exposed about half its body out of the water. In t'ho months of January and February sharks swarm along the coast, and are peculiarly ferocious, and there is danger from large and small.’ At the Marton Court, a case of interest to horseowners and trainers was decided. T. W. Coleman, horsetrainer, was charged with wilfully making a false declaration to the Railway Department with the object of obtaining a concession in freight, Mr. Hutton (Wanganui) appeared for the Department, and Mr. Collins l’ov defendant. Tlio evidence showed that Coleman consigned a horse ho was training and another horse entrusted to his charge by Mr. J. Green, to the Opaki (Mast or ton) spring meeting, and that on the return journey ho signed a certificate that) lie was entitled to their free return. For tlio defence Mr. Collins contended that the certificate was signed in ignorance of the "by-laws, and that there was no evidence of mens rea, Coleman, n his evidence, said it was a practice for liovso trainers to sign certificates on. behalf of tlio owners of the horses they were training, The magistrate said the offence was sufficiently proved, and fined the defendant 10s and costs (9s). A .solicitor’s fee of £1 Is was allowed. His Worship said defendant might have been ignorant of the by-laws, as they stood in a slightly different position from the statutes. It could not be presumed that everyone should know the railway by-laws. Defend-, ant had simply been following an unfortunate precedent of getting at the Government by a breach of the by-laws by signing a certificate which was inaccurate. A concession, says the Advocate, is made to the owner who sends two horses, and this cannot bo claimed by a trainer who sends two horses belonging to different owners.

“Well, sir?” said the great lawyer. Tlie visitor spoke tremulously. “I am a defaulter,” he said, “and I vant you to defend me.” The other shook him by the hand. “Certainly I will defend you, my friend,” ho murmured kindly. “And how many hundred thousand did von say—” Hundred thousand?” tho client interrupted. “Oh, sir, don’t think me worse than I am. It is only 490 dollars in all, and I expect to pay back every cent, before I die.” “George,” he said to the office boy, “show this dishonest rascal out.”—Kansass City Journal.

Christchurch is just now invaded with English tourists, who bring English customs with them, sometimes with embarrassing results. A somewhat amusing occurrence took place last week in connection with one of the public buildings. The secretary of the company owning the building, seeing several ladies making investigations, asked if they would like to look over it. They replied that they would, and he courteously showed them all over it, explaining tiie various arrangements connected with it. When saying good-bye in his office one of the ladies slipped a shilling into his hand, at the same time expressing regret that it was not more. The gentleman is preserving that shilling. The best thing for nervous, pale young girls is Stearns’ Wine, for it increases their strength, renews and enriches the blood ajid sharpens the appetite. It is a matchless tonic.— Advtt