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Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2103, 31 January 1908, Page 2

Tlio local milkmen have raised the price of milk to 2d per pint, 4d per mart and Is 2d per gallon, all net prices. f ->

II is expected that the John Townlev, which his been on the slip for some time for the purpose or'being litted with a timber deck, will come >lf to-day. .

The Hawora County Council on tlio JS.h iust. had its bank account overdrawn £7600, and accounts amounting lo £2OOO to be passed for payment. To add to its difficulties the main roads require a very large expenditure.

It is reported that bad half-sove-reigns are in circulation in Hamilton. 'The counterfeit is an exact representation of the genuine one, but Ling made of brass, is light in weighl, and lacks the ring of the genuine article. Butter exported by tlito Dairy Union from the Manawatu and Ekelaliuna districts during the last throe months amounted tosß32boxes, equ d to 14G tons. In October the amount was 937, in November 1213, and last month 3682 boxes. There was a thunderstorm in the Alotu district on Monday night. There is no scarcity of water and there is plenty of green feed, although the grass is beginning to dry up. Logs are still burning but there is no d inger now from bush tires.

A la men table > fatality occurred at Black Range (Victoria) late last Tuesday. Airs •Brown, ail aged woman, had a child, Charles Ridding, tw'o years of age, boarded out to her. Presumably while Airs Brown was a short distance away from the bouse the building was set on lire by the child. The old woman evidently commenced running to the house, when she fell, and died from heart lailure. The building was destroyed. The body of the child was subsequently found burnt to cinders beneath an iron stretcher.

At a fruitgrowers’ meeting in Hobart last week it was decided to export to England and Germany 421,0(J0 cases of apples, pier 23 steamers, commencing in the middle of February. Five shipments will be sent to and' Bremen. The largest shipment will be 80,000 cases, and it is to bo ill Durham at the end of Alarcb. The Federal Government officers at Hobart have notified the growers that this season the Commerce Act will be stringentl- enforced as to the shipment of fruit for export. The bushel measure of eases will bo enforced, _ and wrong descriptions as to quantity and quality w ill moan penalties and confiscations. The growers are indignant.

Bowling is a game in which nv nkind may take their pleasure placidly. There are no scorching* or scrums or risk to neck and limb. To watch a number of amiable gentle-, men blissfully' trundling bowls Mays the “Otago Dally Times”), it seemed strange that Omar Khayyam, bad not made the ancient game the subject of a Rubayat sketch. The line: “A loaf of bread, a game of bowls, and Thou” would have sounded remarkably well. Perhaps the gamo was out of fashion in Persia in those days, or the technical parlance thereof too obscure. “A toucher’” and “in the ditch” are certainly suggestive, and Jack and Kitty carry with them a possible savor of romance. If this omission is not an oversight, it seems the old Persian poet was too placid even to play bowls.

Air Just, Palmerston North, writes :o the “New Zealand Herald”:

‘'The question is often asked by people about to plant out an orchard what variety of fruit trees pays the bet. so I send, you the weights of fruit borne by one plum tx - ee for the l ist three years. This season we ha.o picked 5201 b, which realised £7 7s Od wholesale. Last year the weight was 4411 b, and the year before last 5821 b, which shows that this tree is .a. continuous bearer, .and which I think is a record for New Zealand, if not the world. The var iety is a new Japanese plum that I raised from seed 10 years ago, and have called it Lord Kitchener. The tree is now 20ft high, and 25ft in diameter, so is a very strong grower, which makes the tree capable- of bearing the great load of plums. I think this variety should be widely known amongst your readers, as the fruit ripens about Christmas time, when plums are scarce and are sure to command a good price.”

Referring to tlio reported decision of “Tattereall’s.” of sweep fame, to contest tlio legality of their exclusion from New Zealand, Dr Findlay, At-torney-General, said that it was impossible, under the existing law, .‘or Tattersall’s to sell tickets in New Zealand legally. As to the practico of sending letters out of New Zealand, the Postmaster-General had power to arrest any letters addressed to a lottery promoter. The dsoretion of the Postmaster-General in this respect was, he said, absolutely uncontrolled by the Courts. This statement was confirmed by the Post-master-General ((Sir Joseph ..ard). He stated that the person to \ Iwm a suspected letter was addressed could be required to open the letter' in the presence of an officer of ’he Department. If the contents • i-ro such as to be contrary to the law, the letter would not be delivered. “The sacredness of the Post Cilice to the ordinary user is inviolate,” said Sir Joseph, “and to sav that it is not so is absolute nonsense.''

The following from tlio Auckland Herald, is of local interest:- —Mr I*. Galvin, of tlio Mines Department, who lias been visiting Taranaki, states that near AVaipuku, which is the highest point- of the .railway lino between Wellington and New Plymouth. the Government has installed a very large stone-crusher to prepare supplies oi' road metal, a very scarce commodity in most parts of that province. The crusher is driven by two Poitou waterwheels, and has a revoh ing screen which sizes the metal as it comes out. .It takes Inigo lumps of -stone, 127 ; n in diameter, and breaks them in its immense jaws. The mot ive power for I lie n heels is .obtained from the Waimiku River. The plant is not yet in full operation. but if sufficient metal can be got there at i reasonable rate —and :t is Imped to get it at a cost of Is fid a yard—the Government will he able, after supplying its o-.vu nerds lor ballasting its railways to sell stone to local bodies for purposes of road formation. There appears to bo any quintity of metal at the place, and the power supply is very strong, so that if present promises are realised other crushers will probably be installed. The burnt papa surface on the East Road, which leads to Auckland. lias now been formed for a distance of seven or eight miles-

Oiling J’oo, /regarding, whom a caso ol' assault is pending in the Police Court, was reported lust night to bo progressing as well as could be expected.

Arrangements were made yesterday by Mr Malcom McLeod, chairman of the Mangupapa School Committee, for the .school to have the use of a marquee for an extra classroom, in view of the lack of accommodation.

The Tunica left on a fishing excursion at noon yesterday, and returned at eight o’clock. There wore only about 15 on board, and they proceeded round Nick’s Head. Tlio fishermen had a poor day, only 40, hapuka and sclinnppcr, being caught. The half-holiday for the County was fixed at the meeting of the Cook County Council yesterday. The Chairman, the Hon. Captain Tucker, proposed, with the exception of Poverty Bay, that Wednesday .bo the statutory half-holiday for.the’ County. —Carried.

The touring manager for Pollard’s Opera Company is finding considerable difficulty in providing the 75 members of tlio company with .suitable accommodation, and will be pleased if any families who have rooms to spare will communicate with him. Messages can be left with Mr. Miller.

The Mangapapa School picnic will bo held ill Thursday next. 'The ladies met to make necessary arrangements, end tlio matter was gone into thoroughly, and with their usual enthusiasm. 'J'lio school re-opens on Monday with two new teachers. Miss Brownlee lakes up the position of mistress, relieving Miss Morgan, and Miss Burgess will be assistant mistress temporarily. ’ • !

The second road race for Mr. J. Townley’s cup, to Ormond and back, was run yesterday, and resulted as follows: ltangipai, lhr llmiu, 1; Casey, lhr 12niin 20see, 2; Saunders, lhr llmin 20 l-ssec, 3; Aston, lhr 13min lOsec, 4; A. Wilkinson, lhr oinin 59scc, 5. Fastest time, L. Wilkinson, lhr 9min 34sec. H. Davis and H. Anderson were delayed several, minutes owing to mishaps to their machines. The judges were Messrs W. Howard and R. 11. Clark. The Graccfield Company has now been successfully floated, and the position is described as being very satisfactory. The bafauce of the shares, after yesterday’s sales, have been taken up by a Hawke’s Bay syndicate. More than half the shares are held in Poverty Bay. Mr. W. Lissant Clayton received a telegram yesterday stating that all the local bodies concerned had signed the agreement. With respect to the bridge over the Hutt river, .its construction is to bo undertaken forthwith.

A cleric in a commercial 1 house in Wellington earned' £4OOO some time ago in a A r ery easy manner. While on a visit to England, he ascertained the name of an absentee who was flic fortunate owner of a fine block of buildings in Wellington, and subsequently learning of the latter’s death placed tlio matter before a small syndicate of speculators, wlio made an offer to tlio executors in England, and obtained the property on splendid terms. The clerk was well rewarded for his trouble, the- .syndicate banding him a cheque for £4OOO. The property is in one of the busiest parts of Wellington, and the syndicate made a good investment. The Executive Committee of the Canadian Manufacturers’ Association has communicated with Sir Joseph Ward, inviting him to visit Canada, in order that the Association might show its goodwill towards him fo,r the kindly interest he has always shown, and the efforts he lias made towards bringing about a closer union of the various parts of the British Empire. The Association’s president, Mr. James P. Murray, states that the visit would be most opportune, and would do a great deal of good, while Sir Joseph could rely upon a very i'ordial reception from end to end of the Dominion. The visit would help forward the All-Red mail service, and be of benefit to commerce generally. The Premier has replied, thanking tlio Canadian manufacturers for their cordial and courteous invitation, but expressing regret that he cannot accept- it.

Mr. Carnegie lias emphatically refused to subsidise the Palmerston North Library, and the Manawatu “Standard” congratulates the citizens of the town upon having escaped an indignity which it feels some members of the Borough Council wished to thrust upon them. The following is the millionaire’s : letter :—“Yours of 11th September received. An expenditure of £IO,OOO for a building with four frontages is altogether out of the question. If what is wanted is a building for use instead of for ornament, it could very well be on a site where it would bo less of an architectural land mark. Your present building gives very good library accommmqdatiou, and if not large enough for library purposes one would think the last tiling would he to start a museum in it. Should like to know what is to be done with the building after it is discarded as a library.” The.“ Standard” says that although Palmerston North has been humiliated, there is some consolation in the fact'that the majority of residents were self-reli-ant enough to dissociate themselves from the appeal to Mr. Carnegie’s charity.