GENERAL NEWS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2130, 12 July 1907, Page 4

GENERAL NEWS.

A team of eric'kotors consisting of Now Soutli Wales teachers is to visit Now Zealand next summer. The sum of C 1 000 has been rofused for a quarter-acre section at North Clyde. An ex-sailor had his first ride at Nelson the other day. lie was subsequently charged with cruelty to animals, and was lined til and ~i Bs. costs.

it may not bo generally 'known (says ail exchange) that the carved posts in the Maori meeting-house at l'utiki (Wanganui) are believed to bo about 300 years old. They were ei-ought there from Rotorua, tlio cradle of the Maori carvers art, when the house was built some thirty years ago. and are looked upon as exceedingly valuable specimens, tlio late Sir Walter Buffer haying, so it is said, once offered 0500 tor them. Mr. Jennings lias given notice ill the House to move for a return showing the various areas sot apart in each land district as reserves lor educational. municipal, harbor board, scenic, aml other purposes, and also showing tlio amount received in revenue ill each district from such reserves as well as the areas of the portions of such lands not utilised in any way. The area of endowments not jiroducing any revenue are stated to bo of considerable extent.

Apparently the profits some pooplo believe are made out of broad-malc-in<’ are insignificant alongside the gi"antic harvest the sugar refiners reap. Dr. Macdonald, the wliitcAustralia lecturer, told nil audience of Wellington labor men and Socialist's that sugar which costs £8 10s in its raw state at the refinery, and a further 30s to refine, is sold ior £26 a ton.

Since the close of the Exhibition, Mr. Muiiro, says the Christchurch “Truth ” has lived in strict retirement. in t-lie modest building erected in the grounds as a creche, ruminating like Napoleon at St. Holona, on his former greatness, and resentin'' the intrusion of the rabble on his solitude. But, unfortunately tor his peace of mind, Flagley 1 ark happens to belong to the province of Canterbury ill general, and the citizens of Christchurch m particular, who see no particular reason why it should remain Mr. Munro’s private reserve anv longer, and the public is demanding in an angry tone why it should be denied access to its own property. We (“Ensign”) were shown tlie other day by Mr. F. Stewart meat inspector at the Gore Abatton, a striking example of bovine disease, in the form of a heart (taken from a three-vear-old lieifer) upon which had developed a large tumor. 1 his growth was a good deal larger than a hen’s egg, and the inspector was so struck liy its unusual size and posiiou that he had the diseased organ photographed. Mr. Stewart liitoinicd us that never in all his experience had a similar instance come under Ins notice.

An interesting relic from the bed of the ocean was recovered recently by a fishing party from Sydney. While off Long Reef, north of Manly a member of the party got Ins line foul of the bottom, and oil clearing it brought to the surface a saucer covered with marine growth. Ah examination of the saucer showed that it bore the crest ot the Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand. It was slightly cracked but otherwise in good order, and irom all eppearances luid been lying on the bottom of the ocean for many years. Ten years work a considerable change ill the New Zealand House ot Representatives, says tlio Manawatu Herald. Out of the seventy-tour members that' occupied the benches in 1897, there remain in the present House only thirty, oi the forty-rive “absentees” fourteen are dead, three have been elevated to tlie Council, and twenty-seven have defeated or relegated to private life. Of tho fourteen that have joined the great majority, three were Ministers ot the Crown —Messrs Seddon, McKenzie, and Cadinan—and three were exAlmisters —Messrs Larnach, Rolleston, and George Fisher. Pleasing evidence of the thoughtfulness on the part of tho Governor has been paid to Mr J. Paterson, ot Tiniroto, who, when other conveyancgs broke dowii } drove Lord 1 lunkct over a portion of his rough journey from Wairoa to Gisborne some weeks back. As a memento of tho occurrence tho Governor has forwarded to Mr Paterson a handsome silver inkstand, bearing tlie following inscription: —“To Mr. James Paterson, from FI.E., Lord Plunket, in grateful remembrance of assistance rendered 20tli May, 1907. Tiniroto-Waerenga-o-kuri.” Tho presentation was accompanied by a warm letter or thanks from His Excellency. Short, and very sweet was the letter lately received by the secretary of the Dunedin Benovolnt Trustees from a woman who had applied for aid and to whom a certain offer had been made regarding tlie welfare of her daughter:—“Sir —I wish to say to you re my girl, you can go to A daughter of mine ivill never submit to you or Gallawny

and another thing, if you or any of your dirt try to interfere with me I will take proceedings against you” The envelope was superscribed Mr. Cullee (Clulee), and in place of a stamp was the bald statement “Cullee will pay.” Cullee did, hut that 2d is the liiggest dip tho writer is likely to make into the Benevolent funds.

The discovery some months ago of the existence in Dunedin of a picture

which, in the opinion .of Mr. A. A. Longden (British Fine Arts representative), is tho work of Antonio Watteau, lias attracted attention in England. A copv of Lloyd’s Weekly just to hand lias a short article headed “Picture Romance,” detailing the unearthing of Mrs S. G. Smitlds now celebrated picture and its history. The picture has been traced to have belonged to Lo Due D’TTrlain. It was painted in Paris in 1711. The owner now has a cablegram from Mr Pierpont Morgan, of New York, asking lier to send full particulars and state tile bedrock price of tho Watteau. The answer is to the effect that it will not he sold for less than

£SOOO. Mr. Williamson’s ’Mother Goose’ Company (which is shortly to visit New Zealand) recently concluded its remarkably successful season in Sydney. 'When the curtain fell the audience declined to leave the theatre, and continued to upland, until alter some minutes Mr. Phydora came forward, and began as follows:—“Ladies and Gentlemen, —During the wonderful record-breaking run of this play I have often longed to speak to the audience just as goose to goose. (Laughter.) I find difficulty in addressing you to-night, for I am in the position of a young man, who, when called on for a speech, said: “When I left home only two people in the world knew what I was going to say. Now only father knows.” (Laughter.)

At the Teinuka Magistrate’s Court recently, before Captain Wray, S.M., John and Edward Erisby were charged with violent and offensive behavior in a railway carrjago between Timaru and Temuka on April 10th, The evidence showed that tho defendants had entered a carriage where some men were playing “two-up” on an overcoat spread on their knees, and wished to pass along the carriage, bid the men with the overcoat refused to make way for them, and a quarrel followed, in which Edward Kris by had bis head cut. The Magistrate dismissed the charge, and SubInspector Green said that procceings would he taken against other persons mentioned in the evidence. A speaker at a recent anti-Chinese meeting in Wellington, referred to a suggestion that vigilance committees should be appointed, with the object of getting Chinese dens swept away, declared that more good would lie done if vigilance committees were set up to take the names of persons who patronise Chinese shops. Ho had seen the “degrading spectacle” of politicians—men who called themselves democrats, and were prominent leaders of trade unionism—entering Chinese fruit shops and laundries.. He submitted that if the Chinese trader was not supported by the whites who condemmed him so warmly, the Chinaman would have to go. If the people were only loyal to themselves, there would be no Chinese problem.

A clergyman in Hastings is fraternising with the turf followers, and in a very practical way providing harmless evening amusement for them. “A right royal welcome (says the “Standard”) was extended by the Rev J. Hobbs to his young friends of the turf and their companions at St. Matthew’s schoolroom lost night. On a previous occasion the vicar invited the youths to the hall to witness a private theatrical entertainment and his endeavours to please at that time met with such success and approbation that lie felt encouraged to inaugurate a social evening for the boys on the recurrence of the meeting. That there was an opening for his enterprise in this direction was evidenced by the manner in which the youths responded to his invitation, and the easy way his vititors made themselves at home in the club room. It was u treat to witnes the cheerfulness which prevailed, and the interest that was displayed in the games, which comprised bagatelle (two tables) and cards.

Aii innovation in educational methods has been decided ui«m in connection with tho Touchors’ .Truinujg, Collgo by tjio organising of a .Winter School for foachors from. small schools in outlying country districts. Mr. Ayson has boon fairly successful with the fish stripping this your, but tho water in the river lias; boon so low that tho lisli did not come ui) very well. Ho had already, however scoured f ,000,000 eggs, which

lie had forwarded to the Ha'kateramoa hatcheries. (.“Timaru Post ). Shippers and consignees complain of the petty pilfering which goes on daily at , the coal stacks at Jj.uiicdm wharves. A pathetic feature is the fact that the culprits arc chiefly neglected ill-clad littlo boys, and sometimes little girls also, whose combined activities aro responsible for the

disappearance of a goodly amount of coal during the course of a year. Iho practice lias been going on for a long time, the youngsters apparently being under the impression that they have a perscrii>tiye right to unconsidered trifles lying round promiscuously. Most of tlio youngsters carrv it away in small bags upon their shoulders, while others are the x )r oud possessors of small carts of about a “two-boy’’ carrying capacity. tno nuisance lias latterly become so pronounced that those concerned are taking steps to have it stopped.

With regard to the nows reported | by cable that an engineer has been j engaged to roport on the eloctnfication of the Victorian railways, recently published reports of the Railways and Public Works Department go to show that the subject lias not by any means been lost sight of in New /lealand. In the Public Works Statement of 1905 it was stated that the total amount of water-power readily available in New Zealqpd might be put down at 550,000 liorse-power in tlio North Island and 3,460,000 m tlio Sduth Island, and since then tlio officials of tho Railway Department: liavo boon keeping abreast of tlio subioct in every possible way. So far, however, it 'is gathered that tile department is not in a liosition to make definite proposals on the subject and that nothing will he done in the matter untl a fuller investigation is made into the question of the utilisation of water-power generally. A section of tlio community that walks instead of eyries, (says the “Kvoning—Post”) has a grievance because the Hutt Borough Council is making tracks for the exclusive use ol' cyclists. Tlio point is raised by a correspondent, who uskes "if the Hutt Borough Council has the power to use the rates for making bicvle

tracks, ami prohibit the public from walking on them?” Enquiries gi to show that the council lias thal

power, ami aggrieved pedestrians must apparently accept their fate. The legal position is that the cycle tracks at Lower Mutt are being made under the a-utliority of section IS of the Municipal Corporation Act, 1903 which reads, “The council may on any existing street or in any street hereafter' made construct a public cycle track for the use of cyclists only, and may make bye-laws regulating ami controlling tlio use of such cycle track.” The money for the purpose is being defrayed out of a loa.n raised for the purposes of street improvement, and the rate is struck as the security for the loan.

Gisborne cyclists are not the only cyclists in the colony who are inconvenienced by bad roads. At Palmerston North cyclists are also in trouble through the same as evidenced by the following discussion at a recent meeting of the Palmerston North Borough Council: —“Or. Luxford moved—That owing to the deplorable state of the roadways of the boiough, clause 1 of tho Cycle By-law be inoperative outside tho Square during tho months of June, July and August, 1907, between sunrise and sunset. Secodned by Cr. Bennett pro forma. Cr. Luxford said he knew a certain number of the councillors looked at the proposition askance. but he pointed out the deplorable state of the roads at present and he thought it was a cruel thing to see ratepayers hauled up before the S.M. and fined for riding on the paths. If it was in Tailiapo matters could not bo worse than this —a propressive town. His heart bled for young girls who had to plough through the mud. (Laughter.) Seriously, he thought the Council should think over the matter. The Mayor saic. he could not put the motion, which was in defiance of the existing by-laws.”