The Gisborne Times MONDAY, JULY 8, 1907. SATURDAY, JULY 6, 1907.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2126, 8 July 1907, Page 2

The Gisborne Times MONDAY, JULY 8, 1907. SATURDAY, JULY 6, 1907.

Tho Ivanaekanae mail leit le Ivaraka at 10 o’clock on Friday morning.

The monthly j meeting of tlie No--I,ieen.se League will be held in tlie Wesley Schoolroom to-niglit.

The newly-formed class for voc; music at the Technical School wi meet for the first time to-night.

The polling-places in connection with the poll to be taken regarding the Pa'karae bridge are particularised in an advertisement in this issue.

A fortnightly assembly will bo held at the Ormond Hall fortnightly, commencing on the 17tli at 8 p.m. shaip, doors open Half x>ast 7.*

The Rost Office has received advice from Wairoa that the Gisborne mails via Morere are still blocked at M airoa, Stewart’s Crossing being uncrossable.

There was no meeting of the Gisborne branch of the Farmers* Union on Saturday, hut i n the absence of notification a number of members Oil tllC subject.

Bevenue received at the Customhouse last week totalled £976 9s sd. made up as follows: —Customs duties £B7l 10s 3d. beer duty £22 16s, light dues £l3 os 4d, shipping fees -‘3s, Harbor Board revenue £6B 14s Lod.

“Is Disarmament Possible?” is tliis evening's subject for the Literary and Debating Society. Messrs. Dawson and Bloore will lead the debate, which promises to be spirited and interesting. Each member should exercise liis privilege of bringing along two friends —tile more the merrier.

At the inquest on Saturday,, the Coroner had occasion to. complain ol the non-attendance of jurors—John Chambers and Herbert Gush. It was stated that they had been duly served. The Coroner imposed a fine of £2 each unless they could show a reasonable excuse-for not being present. He remarked that this was becoming too common altogether.

Theatrical people know from experience that Saturday night is always a poor “show” nhdit, nevertheless there was a fair- audience present at Mr. Val Vousden’s concluding entertainment, whilst the afternoon matinee for ladies and children passed off pleasantly. The popular VaL left last evening for Napier, where he is billed to appear.

Itinerant street-singers were in great vogue on Saturday. Taking a line from Val Vousden they introduced local allusions into their repertoire, gaining much kudos thereby. To-day the town will miss tlio harmonies and discords of the musicians, who have moved on to cheer up other centres. They reaped quite a ha rvest during raco week.

The roads up country are not improving under the torrential downpours to which they are subjected at intervals. The coaches have a hard struggle to >’ork their way through the ever-increasing coating of slush. The rivers are all in a very unfordable state, and the drivers of the various coaches will soon require to have a deep sea certificate before being allowed to undertake the various trips. The secretary of tile Farmers’ Union, Gisborne branch, has received communications from the Opotiki and Wairoa County Councils, broadly affirming the Union’s resolutions asking the Government to check the spread of rabbits. In acknowledging further representations on the matter, the Minister of Lands says: “As far as lies within our power every effort will be made to cope with the threatened invasion.”

The Minister has not yet come to a decision regarding the Farmers’ Union’s request that a grader be appointed for this port during the busy season of the year. September Ist to March 3lst. Mr. McNab intimates that data is being obtained, and he will decide when the necessary information is to hand. Mi'. Carroll is favorable to the. appointment of a grader, and states, in a recent letter to the secretary, that he will support the request. Tradespeople are warned by the experience of other towns to watch fui spurious coin. A couple of silver coins of large denomination tendered at a Government office were thought to have a suspicious ring. The local business man who tendered the silver got quite a shock when the legal penalties were jocularly pointed out. The visiting sporting fraternity have taken their departure. A number went to Auckland by the Mokoia, and the balance proceeded south last evening.

The unusually large crowd which I assembled to see the launch oil’ on Sunday afternoon were much amused by the badinage bandied about. There were some “good sorts” among the outgoing sporting fraternity, who in lightheartedness of spirit kept up a running fire of farewell re- ■ marks in great glee when any disparaging statement aroused rejoinders from their acquaintances ashore. “Good-bye; I’ll meet.you in Heaven,” finally called out one lmrd-vis-aged “horsey” man. The ironical laughter indicated, that his hopes of passing the celestial winning-post are at zero. “What about that two bob you owe me?” was a remark in a loud voice to one departing individual. The publicity given liis little financial transaction brought an annoyed blush to his cheek. There were a number of inanities from a group of girls clustered near the gangway, who might have spent their Sunday afternoon to better advantage.

According to the Bidler Miner, the Westport Coal Company pays Ll2,uuu per month in wagos.

Tho Bishop of Waiapu lias addressed a lottor to tho clergy of tho diocese, urging co-opcrntion m tlio 01forts that are boing made to do away with tho opium evil in China.

A prospecting syndicate lihb boon formed in Mnsterton. A representative' of tho syndicate, who is to proceed to tho Woodvillo district, has a high opinion of tho copper lodes existing in that locality. in the House of Representatives, j\lr, Sicley is to ask the Government whether they are aware that there is considerable importation of sweated goods of tho kind included ill the sweated industries exhibit, and what steps, if any, it proposes to take to prohibit such importation.

Mr. Witty lias given notice in the House of Representatives that ho will ask the Minister of Agriculture whether ho will this season amend the Small Birds Nuisance Act, so as to compel cities to pay a fair share towards the destruction of injurious birds.

Comment took place at the inquest on Saturday on the tact that the morgue was without a table of any description. There was an inquest on Saturday and also on the previous Saturday and the bodies wore laid on the floor and a sack put over them. The Borough Council dealt with tlie matter recently and allocated £25 for improvements m the way of concreting tlie floor, making a skylight and procuring a marble table* The two former wero completed, and the table is being constructed. In tlio meantime, however, the original wooden table liad been destroyed.

The results of tho examinations lor promotion in the Gisborne Rifles, conducted by Staff Sergt.-Major Williams are as follows, tlie marks being for rifle-firing, squad drill, skirmishing, questions and answers, and general fitness (possible in each ease 25): Private Hav, 25 , 22, 24, 15, 21 Corporal llait, 20, 10, 15, 25, 20—120; Private Nelson, 20, 20. 13, 17, 17, 19 —-108; Corporal Somervell. 15, 17, 15, 15, 24, 19—105; Corporal Lyford. 15, 10, 17, 15, 15, 17—89; Corporal Holmes, 12. 10, 12, 10, 9. 12—65. LiRobert Mitchell has passed Ins lieutenant’s examination, and will bo presented with bis certificate at Friday night’s parade.

At a special meeting of the Ashburton Retail Traders’ Association, the question of tlie desirability of a general halt-holiday throughout tlie colony . was discussed. After discussion, the following motion was unanimously carried: —“That this meeting of Ashburton retailers is of opinoin that all towns should be left to fix tlie dav of tlie week for their weekly lialf-holiday that is most suitable to them, and that factories connected with retail businesses should bo allowed to close on tlie same day. They are also of opinion that a universal lialf-lioliday amongst retailers is not desirable.”

Tlie cunning of the Maori lias become proverbial in tlie colony (says the Taranaki News), but his pakehaliko “greed for gold” sometimes overcomes his ’cuteness. For instance, the Maoris in this county have steadfastly declined to take delivery of rate-cards posted to them. When one of these demands arrived there was never a man known by the name of tho addressee, and tlie rate-cards never reached tlieir destination. But an envelope, with a bi<r blue cross, denotin'* registration, is always eagerly looked for, and seized with, tlie greatest avidity. Tlie other da— a batch of these landed at a post office down the coast, and there, was ill difficulty in disposing of them. When opened, they were found to contain demands for payment of rates! Mr. Ellis, the county clerk, had scored.

While lecturing at the Royal Society’s rooms in Sydney, l’rofessor MacCallum entered a plea for the recognition of the imagination in education. While much was done for tne special aptitudes, for the physical and even the moral side in modern education, comparatively little, he said, was done for tlie imagination. Xle had recently been much struck in his reading by a simile which compared the place of the imagination to the part played by a ship’s look-out. But its great function was to givo us great ideals. These we needed more and more in modern life. He valued highly for educational purposes poetry and stories, intelligently expounded and -Mdligently^:ead—above all, read

even the universally 'reprobated vice of loafing under his protection. Tlio human mind bad, after all, strong affinities with animal and vegetable life, and with what might be called the sub-mental. He advised parents not to exert too strict and puritan a supervision over cluldren’s spare hours. They sjiould bo allowed to loaf, to indulge tlieir reveries and apuarently aimless wanderings in tlie. mental sphere. They might really be then doing things wiser and more to tlieir purpose than any that could be devised-for them.

The Calliope Dock case recalls to mind another action in which the Shaw, Savill and Albion Company figured as plaintiffs. This Was an action against the Timaru Harbor Board in November, 1887, in which damages amounting to £32,502 16s 8d were claimed for the loss of a ship and her car-go, whilst under the control of and by the alleged negligence of a person alleged to be it servant of the Board. jir found a verdict for tlio company for £31,792 16s Bd. On a motion for a nonsuit or lor judgment for the Board, removed into the Court of Appeal, that Court in 1892 held that there would be no sufficient notice of action as required by the Harbor Act, and entered judgment for tlio Board on that ground, lam held that the Board was responsible for the negligence of the person named whilst it "ave the Board the general costs of the action. On appeal from this judgment to the Privy Council, the Privy Council gave no decision as to the sufficiency of the notice of action, but held that the Board was not responsible for the negligence, and dismissed the appeal cn that ground, and varied the judgment of the Court of Appeal bn- dircting that tile company should “pay the costs of the suit and of the appeal.”