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Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2189, 13 May 1908, Page 2

The latset addition to the telephone exchange is 474 J. C. Thomas, Owen Road, Kniti.

A Press Association telegram states that some of the mine managers in ,tho Auckland district are still complaining in their weekly reports about the difficulty in securing a sufficient number of competent gold miners to fully man the faces.

The championship billiard competition was continued in the Victoria Saloon last evening, when B. Lucas beat J. Nugent by 146, after a very fast game. The winner played extremely well and made several nice breaks. To-night W. Nickola and J. B. Rex meet at 7.30.

A man has just died in hospital at Chicago from a broken neck, caused from having a tooth extracted. The tooth was an obstinate one, and in trying to get a better grip, forced the unhappy patient’s head until he fractured the spinal colmn. The dentist, horror-stricken at what ho had done, hurried the man to the hospital, but from the first the case was hopeless.

A well-known (farmer hi. Manawatu, who is recognised as a good judge of horses, remarked recently that good weight-carrying Ihaeks under the present mode of (breeding would soon become a thing of the past. The class of hack now bred was not suitable for carrying weight. If a man wished to go in for breeding .good heavy hacks it would, in his opinion, take him nine years (before the desired kind of horse could be iprodtuced.

The King created a new precedent by paying a visit to Sir Henry Cam-pbell-Bannerman during his illness. No sovereign has ever entered No. 10, Downing Street since it became the official residence of the First Lord of the Treasury. It is also stated that on no previous occasion has the King left Britian without being awaited upon before his departure by his Prime Minister. On this occasion the King was going to Biarritz, and he reversed the usual order of things by visiting his Prime Minister.

Tho Cinderella Assembly had a successful dance in Whinray’s Hall last evening .when between .fifty and sixty couple were present. Excellent music was supplied by 'Mr A. F. AVootton’s orchestra and Messrs A. and V. Peterson discharged the onerous duties of iM.’s C. Ini order that the .next Assembly will not clash with the Fire Brigade Social it will he held next Tuesday, 19th inst., instead of Tuesday, 26th inst., .as originally arranged.

A cyclist and a cow were the chief actors in a rather amusing scene which occurred in Childers Road early yesterday morning. The animal, serenely unconscious of the existence of a ranger, was grazing on the edge of the footpath, while the cyclist, evidently looking on the path as his particular property, also claimed light of way. The result was inevitable ; a collision occurred, and judging by the subsequent actions of the two participators, it was hal'd to say which was the most indignant.

The annual meeting of the Hawke’s Bay Educational Institute will be fleJJl" on Saturday morning in the Gisborne School at 10.30 a.m. The Institute meets once every three years in Gisborne, and it is expected that, a number of teachers from the middle and southern wards will visit Gisborne for the purpose of attending the meeting. The members of the local branch propose to invite the visitors to a drive into the country on Sunday afternoon.

Duriiii.g a recent debate, in the House of Commons; Mr Birrell, .Chief Secretary for Ireland, was expressing some hope about a future Irish Parliament when Mr Leosdale interrupted with a /laugh. “Surely,” cried Mr 'Birrell, “I may be allowed a hope. The honorable members may have his hopes of Heaven, but 1 should' not complain of that.” “I only_.hcn.)e,” retorted Mr Lonsdale, raising his liat, “that 1 shall meet the night honorable gentleman there.” (Mr ißirreld, leaning on the despatch-box, looked across at the militant Irish Unionist and 1 remarked, doubtfully, “Well, it’s a big place. There’s every opportunity of not always knocking up against one’s acquaintances.” The House roared with laughter.

Tilio following pathetic letter was addressed to his wife by A. H. Penny, who committed suicide at Ashburton last week: —“My dear wife, —I am hopelessly involved in money troubles, and have been .for a Jong time. I have, been struggling and trying to swill through, but it’s no good, and I have tried to nut a good front to yon and the children and kept it from you till now. I feel I cannot stand it any hunger, and I think you will get on far better without me. Try .and think the hes/t you can of mo, for I love you and (them all. I do not think of anything that may come after hut whatever it may he it cannot be averse than whatI have had to bear and worry over this last twelve months. Good-bye to you all, for I cannot face yon.—Alt.”

Needless to remark when Euclid, one of the greatest mathematicians the world has ever seen, laid down as one of his axioms that the definition of a straight line was the shortest distance between two points, ho was not aware than this week it’s fifty feet clothes lines for eight pence at Parnell’s Popular Saturday Sale.

| Tlio recent municipal election was tlio most expensive yet held in Gisborne, costing over £6O.

Tllio salary of the. Mayor of (Dunedin, Mr J. M’.Do-nald, has beem fixed at £IOO. Councillor Scott, a member of the Dunedin City Council, said tlliat ho was sorry the Act fixed that amount, as the maximum,, because in the large cities cf Non" Zealand at was not sufficient. Councillors generally agreed with this remark.

Considerable dissatisfaction has been expressed recently at the fact that the street lamps in the upper end of Gladstone ltoad arc not lighted until long after dark. Residents going home after 0 o’clock complain that they repeatedly have to gropo their way home in the dark, stumbling over the kerbings, and suffering a certain amount ol inconvenience.

A lady witness at an inquest held by Dr McArthur, S.M., at Wellington, said in evidence that the conductor of a. certain car was “a young man.” The Coroner remarked that all the tram conductors were young men. Said the lady: “Yes, but some are older than—young.” “And what would you call mo then?” asked the Coroner. “Young, of course, your Worship!” was the ready reply. Even a' Scotch juryman laughed.

Conversing with a “Times” reporter yesterday, the Mayor (Mr. W. D. Lysnar) said ho thought the Borough Council should take the questions of drainage and road formation into consideration before undertaking any larger schemes. “When these matters are settled,” added Mr. Lysnar, “I think the question of the municipalisation of the gas-works or an electric power supply could bo dis-' cussed with advantage.”

It is stated that a Wellington firm of bookmakers lost £SOO 'in connection with a recent absconding incident. It was represented to the firm that a ihousc, worth about £2OOO, was for sale. The vendor showed them the house, ibut excused, himself from showing them over it. The price, he said, was £IOOO, £SOO down and the -balance on (mortgage. The money was deposited, and interest 'paid' on the mortgage before the fraud was discovered. Then it was too late to recover.

There was a fair attendance at. jibe Baptist Tabernacle last night when ..ho Rev. J. IT. Spencer, Colonial agent for the British and Foreign Bible Society, delivered a lecture entitled “Cape to Cairo.” (Rev. F. W. Chatterton presided. A number of interesting limelight pictures were shown, illustrating the work done by the Society amongst the different laces of natives and tile power of Christianity to reform and civilize. The gathering concluded- with a vote of thanks to the lecturer and to the chairman.

A telegram to Mr T. Corson, local agent of ,tlie N.Z. F'.ourmillers Association, intimates that the price of flour has advanced £1 per ton, and brant and pollard each 10s per toil. Flour is now £l3 10s per ton and a meeting of the master bakers of Gisborne will be held on Thursday afternoon to consider the question of raising the price of bread as a consequence of the rise. This advance in flour is not unexpected iby those who watch the markets and in our issue of -Mond'ay last- we predicted, in our commercial notes, that a rise in this commodity would probably soon take place.

The Hawke’s Bay Presbytery meets in St. Andrew’s Schoolroom this forenoon at 10.30 to transact ordinary, business. During the next lew days the members of the Presbytery will make the usual triennial visitation of the congregations ill the Bay. Tonight at St. Andrew’s they meet with, the office-bearers at 7.30 sharp, and address a public meeting of the congregation at 8 o’clock. The programme will consist of short addresses by tlio Revs. P. Ramsay (Moderator), J. A. Asher, M.A., and A. Whyte, M.A., 8.D., interspersed with musical items. Refreshments will be dispensed at the close. A large gathering is anticipated.

The “.New Zealand Times” -says that timber traffic on the Main Trunk Railway will go- ahead with a hound when the line is taken over by tlie Railway ••Department as far at Ohakuno. The -Public 'Works ■Department- does not encourage traffic over new railways under its charge for they are not regarded as complete until handed over to the Railway Department. This accounts for the prohibitive rate of 5s 6d a hundred feet being charged- for the conveyance of timber from Oliakiinc to 'Wellington. Mr. Field- M.P., wlio interviewed the Minister -for Public Works recently, was assured that tlie line as far as Oh-ak-iuie will he thrown open for traffic on tlie ordinary condition® in June, and this is good news to timber-millers, tho “Times” says, as tho timber -freight will probably drop to Hie e-xten of Is 5d a hundred feet.

Deep ploughing for winter varieties of wheat is .going on apace in the Ashburton district, _ the saturated condition of the soy rendering the operation .much easier than ,it was last year, when deep ..ploughing was carried out under ■ much difficulty. A fairly large area'of wheat lias l already, been sown, and this has been done in first-class order. As- showing the rapid growth vegetation has been making during the past few weeks in the district, in may be mentioned that oats sown early in the season are, in many instances, fully a foot in height. Grass seed that lay dormant in tlie soil for several months has also germinated, and the prospects of farmers l at the present time are very encouraging. Stock, however, despite the abundance of feed, are not improving 'in condition so quickly as owners would desire.

A secretaire, which is almost ready for despatching to Mrs Keir Hardie, has been made entirely of New Zealand woods by Mr J. Griffiths, of Johnsoiwille, near Wellington. Mr Griffiths is a Socialist, and an admirer of Mr Keir Hardio. ,Ho has put himself into his' work. It is all hand-work, too. The small drawers are faced, with rowarewa, the large drawers with exquisitely-figured kauri, and the ibodly is of red mine of a very beautiful grain. The "front panel, which falls down to form a writ-ing-table, is beautifully carved, and over -the top* of the secretaire is deeply cut rthe word “Franternity." A large copper plate is being prepared for the embellishment of the front. It will contain a legend l stating that the secretaire, is the gift of Wellington admirers of Airs KenHa rdie and. of her husband. Agreeably to his wishes, the gift to Mr Keir Hardie himself will be of a humbler kind, hut nevertheless one that he will doubtless prize. It takes the form of a beautifiilly-houndi album of photographs of New Zealand scenery.