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Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2159, 7 April 1908, Page 2

A sitting of the Assessment Court will bo held this morning to consider objections to tho recent Borough valuations.

The Railway Department lias applied to have tho Gisborne Railway Station connected by a 2in. main to tho Borough water supply. The half yearly mooting of the Gisborno City Band will bo held in tho band room to-night, when the officers for the half-year will be elected.

Tlie meetings of the committees of tho Gisborne Rowing Club and the Poverty Bay Rowing Club, called for last evening, were postponed on account of the weather.

A couple of beautifully marked pieces of rimu from the Motu district are on view in tho window of Messrs. Nicliolls and Griffiths, Gladstonoroad.

A private telegram was received in town yesterday afternoon from Mr. Frank Harris, who is at Rotorua, stating that he has definitely decided to contest the seat on tho Borough Council rendered vacant by tho resignation of Air. AY. Miller. The Lynda Soapmaking and Trading Co. are at present showing a very fine display of: soaps, medicated disinfectants, washing blue, etc., in the windows of Messrs. AY. J. Cox and Co., grocers, and as an exhibition of New Zealand manufactures it is probably unsurpassable.

Tlio following have been added to the Telephone Exchange:—4s9, A\ r . H. AVarner, Dominion Grocery; 4GI, A. A\ r . Hatherell, private residence, Ormoud-road; 462, AVnlter Miller (Inspector in charge Agricultural Department), xirivate residence, Childers-road.

Tho first religious service held in tho new hall at AA’aercnga-a-hiki was conducted on Sunday night, under tho auspices of tho Salvation Army, by Adjutant Dickens. Arrangements are being made by the Adjutant to bold regular services in the hall every second Sunday in each month.

After a short spell of fine weather rain again fell on Sunday night, and yesterday the downpour was fairly consistent throughout the day. It was accompanied by a blustering southerly, that kept "indoors all who were not compelled to bo out, and tho town wore a desolate, deserted appearance.

Mr. T. Holden, AVaimata, at tho request of a number of ratepayers, lias consented to nomination for tho vacant seat on the Cook County Council. Mr. J. C. Field, .Homobush, has also been asked to accept nomination, but has not yet given a definite answer.

The inability of the water channels to cope with storm water was most pronounced in Gisborne yesterday. Tho rain, though steady, was not heavy, and many of the gutters were in Hood. In front of tho Post Ollieo tho wafer was over tho footpath and cpiito twenty feet out oil the road. The crossing was quite impassable, ladies suffering much inconvenience.

A pleasing function took place at Messrs. Nelson Bros. Freezing Works yesterday, when the employees of the fell moil:’cry department made a presentation of a valuable clock to Mr. 11. Holmes. Mr. Ingram, in making the presentation, referred' to the esteem in which the recipient was held by his fellow-employees. Mr. Holmes suitably responded.

A correspondent writes drawing attention to tho inconvenience, and even danger, that exists at the approach to the Roebuck-road bridge. He states, that in comp my with two ladies he passed over - the bridge on Sunday night, and in trying to discover the footpath after leaving the bridge, the whole party camo to grief down one of the sharii slopes, and all wore smothered in mud. He suggests that lights should be placed at eieli end.

A first-class filter is at present on view in Mr. J. W. Petrie's premises, Peel-street. It is constructed in such a way that it can readily be fixed to any pipe leading from a high pressure supply, and its efficacy in thoroughly filtering ail water passing through is easily demonstrated. During the last few days the Te Arai supply lias been exceedingly discolored, but after flowing through tire filter in question it comes out perfectly clear.

•Good ploughmen aro very scarce in tho Ashburton County at present, and labor agents have been overtaxed with - enquiries. An agent states that during the past fortnight' ho has had' inquiries for twentythree ploughmen, and only nine havo been available. The services of the ladies are to bo requisitioned in connection with the Mayoral campaign, and Dr. Williams’ coniniiltco is arranging for a mooting of ladies willing to assist in promoting his candidature. It will take place this afternoon in Townley’s Hall at 2.30 p.m. “Aro you one of the cited farmers?” tho chairman of tho Conciliation Board asked a farmer who 'applied to bo heard just as tho Board was about to conclude its sitting at Darfielil, Canterbury. “Yes,”' replied tho farmer, “I’m one of tlio cited farmers, and also one of tho excited farmers; I have been hero sinco Monday morning waiting an oportunity to givo evidence.”

Tho sneak thief has been busy in Whataupoko recently, with vegetables as his specialty. Olio householder who had raised a fine crop of pumpkins has been disgusted to find his number gradually reduced from about 30 to 'less than 10, whilst a number of melons lnve also vanished by night. This kind of thing, it may bo added, is distinctly discouraging to amateur gardeners.

A short sitting of the Juvenilo Court was held yesterday afternoon, when a boy named AVilliam Hedges appeared before tho ft. At. on remand on a "charge of having stolen a cheque for £1 os, the property of It. Emanuel. After giving the lad a few words of friendly admonition, tho S.M. said that be had decided to give the boy another chance, although lie had been very much inclined to commit him to tho Burnham Industrial School.

An accident of a rather serious nature occurred to tho engino of the train yesterday coining into Gisborne from i’ulia. just on leaving tho Makaruka station one of the piston rods snapped off at tho cotter-pin, and, working loose, smashed tho cylinder cover. Tho accident caused a delay of over an hour, and in the meantime the ballast engino was telephoned for, and arrived shortly afterwards, bringing the train into town, considerably overdue. Repairs will not bo effected for some few days, as tho parts to replace those which were damaged will havo to bo sent up from South. On,their arrival, however, it will only bo a matter of a few hours to set things right.

An area of GO acres in the Manawatu Gorge has been taken up by Air. R. C. Noed'l, under a prospecting license. It is Air. Noedl’s intention to form a syndicate to develop the property as soon as possible. Judging from the quality of tho .stones already grassed, Air. Noedl should not have any difficulty in forming an influential syndicate. A prominent gentleman in Wellington is anxious to havo an interest in the concern, lie having known that tho locality was rich in minerals for many years past. Three other claims are pegged •nit in the Gorge, so that tho chances aro that there may be u mining boom at no distant period.

The adjourned inquiry into tho charges of inconsistent play against one of the players in the present billiard championship was held last night. The*committee, after hearing evidence at great length, and also • lie explanation tendered by- the player in question, ’resolved that he be completely exonerated. It was also decided that in future the referee in the contests shall have absolute power to stop any game which he may consider is not being plaved on its merits, and any player thus affected shall be’liable to disqualification without any further proceedings being taken.

At a meeting of workers iii Tirnarti last week, Air Howard, secretary to the Christchurch General Laborers’ Union, said that the amount of funds possessed by the union should be kept a secret. He would not mention the figures in the presence of tho reporters, because some day the union might be fined, as tho Blackball miners had been. The latter had been fined £75, which was probably just about all the money they had in hand, and tho Workers’ Union in Christchurch might have all their funds similarly taken away from them, if it was known how much they actually had.

During the hearing of a claim for funeral expenses, Air H. AY. Bishop, S.AL, at Christchurch, made some strong comments on the public sentiment that seems to demand ostentation in connection with burials. People contracted debts that they could not pay in arranging funerals, and he was .afraid that this undesirable state of affairs would continuo until a Funeral Reform Association was formed to lead the public in these matters. Tlio case came before the Magistrate because a man objected to paying the funeral expenses of i woman with whom lie had been living. He thought that the husband should pay.

To-night His Majesty’s Theatre will bo occupied by a special Biorama display under tho auspices of the Salvation Army. A very attractive programme has been arranged, and over 10,000 feet of new films will be run off, including many humorous pictures. There will be various vocal and instrumental items given during the evening and two hours of real enjoyment for botli the young and okl is promised. There will also be a matinee performance in the afternoon to which tho children will bo admitted at a small chargo. Half the proceeds of both performances is to bo devoted to the funds of tho school swimming bath, and the promoters of the entertainment aro confident that such a worthy object, and the excellence of the pictures, will attract a large attendance of the public.

The Union S.S. Go. draw attention by special advertisement to the 1908 season of Island tours. Three specially equipped steamers leave Auckland every month for the different islands, and special round trip fares, including through to Sydney, are arranged. Another splendid steamer, the Tofua, larger than any yet in the trade, is nearing completion, and is expected to take up the running from Aydney on 23rd June. This vessel will steam 11 knots. Considerable misapprehension exists in the minds of many peoplo as to the season in the Islands. There appears to be a conviction that the heat is unbearable except in the months of June and July. This is not the caso. as with the" exception of the period from December to March, the weather conditions on these routes are more pleasant than the average Australian summer. The Islands can consequently bo visited with pleasure and comfort from April to November. During the months termed the dry season, the trade breeze blows steadily and even ashore, the tempefaturo rarely rises above 80 in the shade in Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, or Tahiti. The mean temperature .during this period is about 75 degrees in the daytime and 65 at night.

A decision of importance, in that it was practically an into:pretation which affects all employers of labor, was given in 'Wellington a few days ago by the Arbitration Court-. A bricklayer was charged with having employed a laborer tty do bricklaying work. This, the Union submitted, was a bre tell of the award, which stipulated that only bricklayers and apprentices should he employed. It. was shown that the man has been nakl the wages stipulated bv the award. The Court held tint tiie position taken up by the Union was untenable. Any man working under any award could emply any person he liked so long as the wages as provided in the award under which lie was working were paid. A blacksmith, could bo employed as a butcher, a . milkman as a baker, whether the men were competent or incompetent, provided the stipulated wages were paid,

The newly asphalted block in olad stone IJoad was opened ior ti.aflic yesterday, and earned away the fetorm water quickly and cleanly. Tho annual meeting of the Poverty Bay Golf Club, which was arranged to he hold last evening, was postponed 'until this afternoon on account 01 the heavy rain. The vicious Ilawk is generally regarded as the settlor’s enemy, but it is now suggested that he might bo used to good purpose in the destruction of small birds. A Manawatu farmer, who is .growing a small quantity of Oipo barley, tho other day noticed small birds hard at work pulling up tho crop. Ho varied their diet with sumo poisoned wheat, which he scattered around tho field. Next day dead birds were lying in all directions, and hawks wore preying upon them. Tho farmer is delighted with the result, becauso other small birds were frightoned to encroach upon tho territory thus taken possession of by the hawks. Ho says lie formerly looked upon tho hawk as a useless member of tho feathered tribe, but ho lias now changed his opinion.

Light is thrown on the obscure problem of the -single desk in school (says tho “Evening Post”), by a memorandum from Mr Geo. liog ben, Inspector-General of Schools, read at a recoilt meeting of tho Wellington Education Board. The chief difficulty that stood in tho wav of tho introduction, of the single desk into schools, ho said, was the question of floor space. When single desks were used, fifteen square feet of floor space was necessary: tho present allowance was twelve square feet. With classes averaging sixty pupils, tho use of singlo desks would involve difficulties as regards light and distance from tho blackboard calculated to result in eye-strain. This factor had apparently prevented their adoption in Germany. In Now York, where single desks were in use ,it had been observed by Dr Gulick that the proportion of cases of imperfect vision increased threefold during the period of school life. It was evident, therefore, that reduction in classes and single desks wore inseparably connected. Mr 11. Parrett, of the Tai Tapu Apiary, read a paper on honey production before a recent meeting of the Canterbury Bee-keepers’ Association. Having explained the conversion of the original sucrose of the fresh honey, by processes of inversion into the invert sugars, dextrose and levuloso, ho said that care must be taken by proper storing, to retain tho flavor and aroma, and that could be obtained by storing in a thick-walled kauri vat, wherein impurities would have time to rise and be skimmed off. By careful

mixing tho levuloso and dextrose should then be thoroughly blended, making a uniform honey. This was then to be tinned and sealed, and stored in a regular temperature of fifty of sixtv degrees. Before apiarists could hope to enter into serious competition in tho world’s markets, the local demand must bo satisfactorily filled. Christchurch- alone, with as small an annual consumption as 31b per head, would need about rightly tons per year; and that amount <V>uld, ho thought, easily ho doubled with a little attention

to quality rather than quantity o output.

The Christchurch Press states, in connection with the strike on the West Coast, that the Blackball Company has not been a very profitable venture to- the shareholders. Although formed many years ago. it has been in active operation for some Jo years only. During that period the sum of £245,000 has been paid in wages at tho mine, and some £I9OO has been contributed by the company to the Miners’ Sick and Accident. Fund. During tho same period tho shareholders have received only four dividends, amounting to £6450. But this is not all. The capital originally subscribed by the shareholders was £44,907, and some years ago tho position of the company was so unsatisfactory that no less than £29.308 was written olf owing to losses in opening up the mine, thus leaving only £ 14,969. Subsequently additional shares were issued amounting to £13,360. In other words the shareholders received £6450 in dividends and lost £29,000 of their capital. The mine-workers, on the other hand, have. received nearlv a-quarter of a million sterling. Workers generally seem to envy the capitalists, but it is easy to see which side in this case has had the most cause to complain.

The Assouan dam across the river Nile is one of the greatest -engineering feats of our generation. Suppose it were filled with kerosene instead of water, it is a mathematical problem to calculate how long. it would take to pump it dry. This week it’s Kerosene Pumps, at 7d each, at Parnell’s Popular Stau ling Sale.