LOCAL AND GENERAL

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume I, Issue 8, 28 June 1887, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Some interesting anecdotes of sport and sportsmen, reprinted from the Licensed Victuallers’ Gazette, will be found on our fourth page,

The usual fortnightly meeting of the Borough Council will be held to-night,

It is said that Tom Bracken will not offer himself for re-election in the Dunedin City North electorate.

John Bryce has got yet another opponent for the Waitotora seat, in the person of Mr John Haualey a popular local settler.

We heard a rumour in town yesterday oi yet another libel case likely to come off shortly against our unfortunate eontemporary.

The action of Baldwin v, Graham and others is, we hear, likely to crop up again shortly in a new form.

The Post Office at Puhatikotiko (Tiffen’s) will be closed on and after the Ist July. Letters, newspapers, &0., will be sent to Te Karaka Office.

Where are the rangers ? The Lowe Street goats were promenading the streets yesterday to their hearts’ content. Why not impound goats as well aa horses ? .

In the charge against P. Maher, for rape, heard at the Supreme Court, yesterday, Messrs C. P. Davies and L. Humphries were challenged by the accused.

Robbie Stout is to have a hard fight for Dunedin East. His opponent, Mr James Allen, is both popular and wealthy, and has met with a good reception from the electors.

At the last sale of lands by the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company, the total amount realized was £11,030. Purchasers hailed from Canterbury, Nelson, Wairarapa and Palmerston North.

On the opening of the Supreme Court yesterday Mr Rees asked His Honor whether he could say how the business would bo taken. His Honor said he could not say how the order would be until the criminal cases were disposed of.

The Borough Council have done some very needful work in Lowe and Kahuatia streets. Two drains have been cut to carry off the surface water. Other parts of the borough would be greatly improved by similar works. Mr Ballance, speaking at Wanganui the other day, said “ it was strange that nearly all the newspapers in the Colony were against the present Ministry. ” It would be " strange ” indeed ii they were not, seeing what a bungling botch the Stout—Vogel lot have made of the Colony's affairs, The electoral boundaries of the East Coast Electorate will be somewhat changed, it appears, by the new Representation Bill. According to information received in town, yesterday, the extremities of the newly constituted district are likely to be the East Cape and the Waihua River, between Napier and the Wairoa.

The Jubilee Fair, in aid of the Holy Trinity Church Fund, commences this afternoon at Parnell’s Hall. Great preparations have been made by the management, and although the weather, at the time of writing, is very unpropitious, we trust there will be a large attendance. A capital series of entertainments has been arranged for, and everything possible done to make the affair a complete success.

It was a matter for comment at the opening of the Supreme Court sittings yesterday, that no outside legal talent was engaged so far, The fact is our own legal Scions are quite equal, both in number and capacity, to the requirements of the district. It is probable, however, that some of the Southern professional men will be present at the hearing of civil oases next week. Messrs McLean and Matthews are the successful tenderers for the new buildings of the Loan and Mercantile Agency in Gisborne. The amount is £6,200. Qpperations will be commenced at once, and as the hotel is in a fair course for completion, the lower end of Gladstone Road will soon recover its old appearance.

We dip the following from the Blackpool Herald, After describing the sparseness of the population of New Zealand, the writer winds up by saying ” When a New Zealand census-taker wants to get a count of the inhabitants of a town, he doesn't go chasing round after folk; he just starts a dog fight in a square, and then climbs a telegraph pole anu counts the heads,” Published share lists show some odd readings sometimes, The Wellington Trade Review of the 18th inst. quotes New Zealand Shipping Company shares, £7 per share paid up, at 255, no latest dividend. Union Company shares are popular, £lO shares are worth £lllos. Napier Gas £lO shares are quoted at £l2 15s, at which price the last dividend is equal to £7 16s 6d per cent. Thanks again I More favourable opinions from outside. Says the Dunstan Times:— !' We have to hand the opening number of a new venture in the newspaper world—* Tub Gisbobnb Stand;id ’ and judging by appear, antes it will prove a sharp thorn in the side of the other papers published in Gisborne. It is remarkably well advertised whilst the writing is incisive, and we should imagine that whilst ill doers will fare badly at the i ?.nds of the editor virtue will reap its reward.

At the Supreme Court to-day His Honor the Chief Justice informed the Grand Jury that the indictment against the four natives for the murder of Nuku and his wife would be amended. The indictment set forth the murder of both persons. This was not correct, as it included two separate offences. The indictment, as amended, would only set forth the killing of Nuku. Says the Napier Telegraph: " With the exception perhaps of Gisborne, where no metal can be found, we doubt whether there is a town in New Zealand of a thousand inhabitants which can show a worse approach to it than Napier can, with a population of over eight thousand.” “ With the exception of Gisborne" is all humbug. Our approach is by sea, with a safe anchorage and no disasters ; our country roads are good, and our town ditto, but the approaches to Napier are unsavoury all rouud. Comparisons are “ odorous,” especially that lagoon !

On the conclusion of the duties of th Grand Jury yesterday, His Honor thanked the gentlemen who had given their services. Mr Townley, foreman, again drew attention to the inconvenience caused by the insufficient accommodation, and requested His Honor to strongly lay the matter before the Government. His Honor said he would again do so, but seemed to think it would be of little use. Mr Townley remarked that there was no harm in persevering to obtain proper Court accommodation.

Mr. Witty, wharfinger, applied to be excused from serving on the j ury at the Supreme Court on the ground that his absence from his duties would probably cause considerable public inconvenience. He stated that the delivery of about 120 tons of general cargo claimed his attention, and the Harbour Board by-laws made it imperative that no goods should be delivered without his signature. His Honor was at first disinclined to grant the request as being beyond his power, but ultimately did so. Four other jurors were excused on the plea of illness, Dr, Bollen being present to make the requests.

The Fisk Singers are in Adelaide doing good biz. as usual, Thames people joolibated by a grand Masonic Ball. Vogel is out for Christchurch North, and will get in.

It is eaid,that Mr Grace will not again contest the Tauranga Electorate.

Mr Locke arrived yesterday, and was congratulated during the day by his many friends upon his greatly improved state oi health,

Canterbury and Otago Football Unions have forwarded letters of condolence to the widow of the late Mr Millton,

The Christchurch Press publishes a special Jubilee number, the special feature of which is an excellently written account of Her Majesty's reign, Great efforts are being made in the South Island to promote the successful establishment of the Queen's Fund lot women in distress.

It is now estimated that the Otago Protection League is fully 1000 strong and it is intended to run a candidate for every seat in and around Dunedin by the League. Te Kooti passed through Tauranga the other day, on his way to a religious meeting at Whakatane. The Native settlements in the vicinity refused to have anything to do with him.

A great deal of house and land property is changing hands in Wellington just now, and good prices prevail. What with its increased railway and port accommodation, the Empire City is going ahead fast.

The Leitch Combination are going to make another New Zealand tour with a first-class company. “ Harbor Lights and Human Nature,” two big London successes, will be played. We trust they may give Gisborne a turn, Wo want a good company badly. The following is from a feuilleton publishing in the Temps:—"A great tumult was heard near them, Umma was Seized with emotion, and her heart throbbed within her. Mdme. Bauge had thrown herself into t u e arms of a negro, who kissed her ardently. He was as pale as death I " The best of the many street illuminations in Auckland, is said to have been that displayed outside the Auckland Savings Bank. It was 20ft high. 25,000 people were estimated as being the number “ doing ” the town, and although the pubs were well patronised, there was hardly any drunkenness, What newspaper enterprise in the older days of the colony was like may be judged from the following extract from the Otago Witness of the 21st December, 1854. “We shall be unable to furnish our readers with a paper next week as we have in hand some other printing that must be attended to.” Says the Evening Press :—" The three planks of Mr Ballance’s platform appear to be the maintenance of the extravagant expenditure of the last three years, the nationalization of the land and Protection. They are all three as rotten as a medlar, and if the Ministry are going to take their stand upon them, they will assuredly fall into the nether depths. Count de Lesseps, memoirs, which, it is said, will appear in April, will be published in two volumes. They will cover the period of his diplomatic career, his ministries at Madrid and Borne, and public events between 1840 and 1850. They will contain a great deal about Spanish affairs, much late political history, and many anecdotes about celebrities, When asked if it wii be amusing the author replies ; " Vous verrez ” (You shall see). The Mataura Ensign (Gore) editor has got them very bad. He closes an article on the Parliament just closed in this sulphur and brimstone style :—" Let the day perish in which it was born, and the night in which it was said: 1 The House has met.’ Let darkness and the shadow of death stain it. Let no joyful voice come therein. Let it not be joined unto the days of the year, let it not come into the number of the months; because it shut not up the doors of the House, nor hid contempt from our eyes. For then it should have been where the wicked cease from troubling, and we where the weary are at rest.”

More railway vagaries I Last week—says the Tuapeka Times—a well-known Tuapeka farmer sent 38 prime sheep to Burnside. Upon this small consignment he paid 85s, railage, or nearly Is per head. The sheep when sold brought 6s 3d each; but, after railage, commission, and other expenses were deducted, the net return was only 5s a head. A few years ago these same sheep would have brought double the money. It is simply monstrous that the public railways should be allowed to go on robbing settlers in this barefaced manner, for any profit in produce nowadays is mainly eaten up in freight,

With the death of Mr, Lytton Sothern the house of Dundreary has passed away, and the famous peerage will be chronicled by theatrical Debretts as extinct. Mr Sothern was only thirty five, but he had a tolerably eventful career. He began life in America with his father, went to Ungland, travelled through New Zealand, and returned once more to London. By years of practice he at last produced an imitation of his father’s renowned creation, which was very remarkable. Mr Sothern was in harness until Saturday, March 3rd. He died on March 10 from peritonitis, Says Mr Hawkins a would ba member for Wairarapa North 7—not longer degrade your member to crawl up the backstairs of the public office of Wellington, to sneak about the lobbies of the House to get a billet for one, pension for another, a gratuity for a third ; to obtain public money for one township, or a public building for another, to go from member to member to haggle, to bargain for corrupt support to Corrupt expenditure, till all politics are degraded to the level of the publio bar, and may be summoned up in 'Shout for me, and I will shout for you.’’ You can take it as a moral that Mr Hawkins will not get Into the House. Stopping at a certain hotel, a commercial traveller, having retired to rest, became unpleasantly concious that his bed-clothing was anything but properly aired. He jumped up in a rage, stuffed the offending sheets up the chimney, and rolled himself in the blankets Some 12 months afterwards his travels brought him to the same hotel. Wnen shown up to his room, the chambermaid scrutinised him rather closely, and then said, “ Dear me, sir, you are the same gentleman ! Do you know, a most curious thing happened wnen you were here last." “ What was that,” he asked. “ why,” she said, “ the sheets disappeared, and we could not tiunk what became of them.” ” Oh, indeed,” he replied. “ Then get me my bill directly; you’ve not uad a fire in this room since, or you would nave found the sheets—where all damp linen ought to be—up the chimney.” Puff on Stout; Yes, I know one has to be careful I Stout says Europe’s done for and of course that settles it ! Did you ever know such a beggar as he for being cocksure of everything J Ah,l heard rather a severe thing said about that the other day ! Did you ? Oh, do tell us what it was ! Ido so like severe things 1 At other people’s expense, eh! Well, this was pretty smart! Who said it 1 Oh, I must'nt tell! That’s a dead secret ! AU I can say is that he’s a pensioner for life, as Sir George Grey calls ’em, and his initials are W. B. D. M. ! I c. 't think who that can possibly be ! But wuat’s the joke ? It’s no joke ! Quite the ’tother way ! He said there’s only one thing Stout has any doubt about, and that fs whether God made him or he made God !

The editor of the Auckland Bell is nothing if not frank, fearless, and fiery. In a late issue the following plain words occur: The members of the House of Representatives should not exceed 50. Apart from the fact that it was quite sufficient in numbers for a wise deliberative assembly, the decrease of numbers would improve the qur’ity. See the difficulty there is in getting the full number of representatives in suitable men at every election, and see the rubbish that is shovelled into Wellington to make up the requisite number. It is fair to say that there are fifty good men in the present House, and the remainder might without irreverence be described as muck. F'fty good men could be found, and they would be better than the eighty or ninety that we have; there would be less jawing and more work, and the sessions would be half the length.

The Wellington Woollen Manufacturing Company show a profit of £B6 odd on the first year’s operations.

At the inquest held on June 9 at New Castle (N.S.W.), on the body of Annie Taylor, who died suddenly, the evident showed that the deceased was a strong and healthy girl of 28 years of age, and a domestic servant. While she was in the shop of Mr Peacock, her employer, just after eating a hearty dinner, a diseased cat crawled into the shop, groaning horribly, The deceased was frightened and ran upstairs into her bedroom, when she became unconscious. Medicr l aid was unavailing, and death ensued in less than three hours. A verdict was returned of death from paralysis oi the brain, caused by sanguineous apoplexy, induced by fright. A Brisbane telegram says: Captain M'Kay harbor master of Cooktown, who recently went out In the Government schooner In search of the gtine thrown overboard by Captain Cook from the Endeavour, has returned to port, He reports having found the place, but says that much labour will be necessary to free the guns from the coral, wuich is very thick there,

E, B. Holt, of the Bank of New Zealand notoriety, who continues an inmate of Darlinghurst Gaol, is stated to be in areally exceedingly bad state of health. In appearance he is so much changed as to be hardly recognisable by persons who saw him on the morning sentence was passed on him in the Central Criminal Court, and his nervous system appears to be completely shattered He is employed at clerical work in the gaol hospital, and is allowed liberal medicj . .mforts, but notwithstanding he loses flesh, and is now but the shadow of his former self, Since his arrival in Sydney he has been kept under the most careful surveillance, and the opinion of the prison officials is that there is no malingering in his case. Holt is most reticent, and converses with no one, ualasj it is absolutely unavoidable, At i 'ght time be is extremely restless, waking with the slightest noise made by any of the companions in misfortune who occupy the sr. ue ward with him.

A discovery of a strange character Was made lately on the Burwood wharf. Paramatta river. A constable noticed some articles of male attire lying on the wharf, and on raising the hat, found a slip of paper, upon which was written in pencil the following announcement:—" I am tired of life; I can’t get no work, and got no money, and no drink, so I leave my wife to my friends, and I have finished with life for ever, Goodbye, (Signed) George Weeden.”

The Court Journal states that considerable surprise is expressed at the small amount of money which Lord Iddesleigh has left behind him. That notwithstanding all the years he served his country he should only have been able to save a sum of £25,000 shows that Ministers of the Crown in England are not overpaid. Lord Iddesleigh might, it is calculateu, have trebled the amount of his personalty if he had devoted himself to literature.

Says the Sydney Bulletin : —The church in which a recent N.Z, wedding took place, was wooden and aged and rickety, and when the lovely bride accompanied by her consi’mmate ma entered the building it shook beneath them, Things went on smoothly enough, however, until the clergyman inquired, “ Do you take this man—? ” and then before he could finish the sentence the floor opened and the whole happy squad went down together into the cellars. The bride led the way headforemost, with the baptismal font, the altar, and a spectator’s baby close behind, and after them came the bridegroom with the bulk of the wedding party on top of h' n, his collar burst, his hat flying loose, and a black eye. The parson, however remained above, clinging to the pulpit-rail, and the last th;' rg he heard was the voice of the bride calling out, 11 1 will," as she was half-way down. She was under the' upression that the bridegroom was beneath her, and as he was a wealthy man she had resolved with great presence of mind to get through the service and get a claim on his assets before she ’1 on him and squashed him, flat,

The present term of office of the members of the Grey and Westport Harbour Boards on the West Coast expires at the end of the present month, and there is some speculation afloat as to the future. It has (says the Westport Times) been asserted by one making claim to special knowledge that it is the intention of the Government to introduce legislation to entirely abolish the Greymouth Board, placing the works under the charge of the Public Works department; while the constitution of the Westport Board will be altered ao as to provide for the admission of the elective element to a large extent.

A cynic might indeed say that the complaint that people are growing weak-kneed is singularly prevelant over Europe just now. England longs to finish with Irish disaffection, but dares not, Germany longs to cripple France for a generation, but dares not. Russia longs to annex Bulgaria, but dares not.—Saturday Review. At the Thames Licensing Court an accommodation house was described aa " swarming with bugs and fleas, and the bedrooms unfit for anyone to live in. A liquor is sold there called hop beer which has become such a popular drink that it was largely consumed, and the bar bad to be enlarged.” Witness said there was plenty of drink about—it was supposed to be hop beer, out it o-ten made the men fightable and noisy.