LOCAL AND GENERAL

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume I, Issue 35, 1 September 1887, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

A torpedo corps is to be formed at Napier composed solely of Irishmen by birth or extraction.

The Hastings drainage must be somewhat defective. At the annual examination of the school the other day, over seventy children were absent, suffering from diptheria ! Working men, don’t go to Greymouth expecting to get work on the Midland line. The list is full, and over 200 men were camped there recently waiting to be taken on.

The Christchurch Press, one of the most ably conducted of our New Zealand journals, now appears a penny eight-paged daily and claims to be the cheapest, best, snd largest daily paper in the colony.

The Salvation Army boasts 512 stations in Australia and New Zealand, and every Sun day evening more than 130,000 people are found assembled in its barracks.

The constant abuse of Sir Julius Vogel by some uuthinking newspaper men is bringing about a strong re-action in his favour. Vogel has been more sinned against than sinning and mistaken as he may have been at times, is head and shoulders above any other N.Z. politician as to ability.

Professor W. N. Blair in his lecture on New Zealand “ A senator waxes eloquent over the benefits that are to accrue from the establishment of native industries, to keep the money in the country ; but when he retires to Bellamy’s, to refresh the inner man after his exertions, he will not touch what he calls the ‘ beastly colonial.’ ” v/e are sorry to hear that Mr Richard Winter, editor of the Marlborough Times, has died from the mortification of the burns he received at the recent hotel fire at Blenheim. Vfe knew poor Winter well, and there was no better fellow going. A bright lively writer, an old Rugbeian, and a goodhearted man who was willing to do a fellow journalist a goad turn if he could. Requiescat in pace.

The Hawke’s Bay-Otago football thatch has resulted in a most unexpected victory for the Dunedin men by 8 pdifits to 8. Ths absence of Warbriok, Taiaroa and McCausland had no doubt itiuc'a to do with such a result.

The Port Darwin line being still interrupted our supply of cablegrams this morning is somewhat limited. Several letters and other items arc held over owing to presdilre on our space.

Mr Andrew Graham speaks at Patutahi tonight,

A concert will be held at Ormond on Tuesday night, in aid of the Ormond Library. Several Gisborne ladies, and gentlemen are to assist. The full programme will be published in Saturday's issue. The net proceeds of the late concert in aid of the Garrison Band Fund are £l2 15s, the expenses being £ll th 6d>

The most wonderful sight of the whole Jubilee was the Queen of Hawaii trying to set her watch by the automatic weighing machine In a London railway-station,

A Chiistehurdh fishmonger exposed for sale a few days ago English bloaters, haddocks, turbots, and soles, which had been conveyed in the freezing ohauber of the s. s. Tongariro.

The usual weekly meeting of the Presbyterian Literary Society was held last night, when Mr W. Armstrong delivered a very interesting essay on the ‘‘Life and Works of Robert Burns,” The essay, which was interspersed with pieces illustrative of the character of the poet, was most favourably received by the members present. Readings and recitations were given by Miss Evins, and Messrs Smaiil, Scott; and Johnstone.

The Wellington Post denounces the ent ployment of private secretaries by Ministers,

The Native Land Board has decided to set apart 1000 acres for special settlement in sections of not less than fifty acres each. Of the 95 memhprs of the last Parliament only 20, according to the Wanganui Chronicle; pay Property tax.

The memorial sent to Mr Gladstone by his admirers in the United States was presented to him nt a garden party given by Mrs Gladstone at Dallis Hill on July 9. The preaen. tation was made by the Hon. Joseph Pulitzer, of the New York World. The majority of those with him were newspaper men. Mr Gladstone spoke of the irrepressible interest in the Irish cause felt in America. The London Tory Press comment on the affair in the bitterest terms. They sneer at the bust as a “ graven image”—a portion of the design is a bust of Mr Gladstone—and those who presented it as “ obscure and irresponsible persons, ” who do not represent ths feeling of the American people on the Irish question. Civil servants having a vote for this district kindly paste this in your hats and look at it on the polling day: Mr Graham at the Wairoa in answer to Mr Poyzer said 1 He was in favour of disenfranchising the Civil Service.’ ” That is to say that Mr Graham is wishful of preventing some thousands of men of exercising their political birthright. Remember that, you gentlemen of ths Civil Service. _ .

The latest social sensation is recorded from Vienna, where an orchestra composed of women who all play on brass instruments has made its debut, and is considerably run after in aristocratic circles. It would probably interest those who think a brass band composed of ladies a very extraordinary thing, to know that in the Wairarapa a musical family containing several daughters formed itself into a brass band, and the lady members of it were excellent performers.

Mr Eden George, a candidate for Christchurch South, is a very young man. At the conclusion of his address the other night some one handed him up a cardboard box which he opened and found therein-a child's feeding bottle, which caused a roar of laughtea. He said his youth was taken as a crime, but ho would go to the poll eveu though his opponent was Sir Julius Vogel or Methusalum.

A “ Good ” joke was perpetrated at Mr McDonald’s meeting on Tuesday night. When the redoubtable Thompson, B.E. ascended the platform he deposited his hat carefully behind him on the platform. In the midst of the eloquence with which he bored the candidate for a quarter of an hour or so, a gentleman stepped on te the platform and disappeared through the door at the side of the proscenium. To the vast amusement of the meeting a hand was seen to stealthily appear from behind the wings and seize the hat which covers theß.E.'s gigantic brains. When the B.E. finished his speech his handwent unsuspectingly down in search of the oranium-coverer and the yells of laughter which greeted his blank dismay on finding it had disappeared, simply shook the hall. Ultimately the Chairman discovered the missing hat behind the scenes and the BE. descended the steps with his customary smile of self-satisfaction.

On Tuesday night we had the pleasure of hearing a number of the Ormond School children playing in what, we presume, would be .termed a Flute Band. The youngsters are under the superintendence of Mr Harper, schoolmaster, and judging from their per. formance, they appear to be in good hands. The playing on Tuesday night bore evidence of careful tuition.

Mr Gannon's meeting at Ormond on Tuesday night was one of ths largest and most orderly ever held thera, During the whole course of his address there was the greatest possible order kept, the frequent bursts of applause being tha only interruption, In replying to two of the electors Mr Gannon caused a great deal of amusement by his ready repartee. In relation to the question granting women the franchise, Mr Gannon said that eminent statesmen were in favor of. the proposal. There was no earthly reason why they should not have a vote. They, in many instances, held property and had a stake in the district, One of the audience caused a laugh by remarking that they (the women) had a good deal too much property.

Mr F. J. Piesse met with a nasty accident yesterday afternoon, He was cutting oft a branch of a willow tree when the ladder slipped precipitating him to the ground with great violence, and badly spraining his ankle, The accident will incapacitate Mr Piesse from attending to his duties for a few days. It is rumoured that a lad named Dick met with a painful accident yesterday afternoon. It is stated that while playing at “ haughey.” he had one eye knocked out. We have been unable to obtain any authentic information as to the rumour.

The schooner Reliance when going out of the river yesterday afternoon was forced by the waves on to the beach at the same spot as where the Onward went ashore. It is expected that she will float off at high tide.

In response to a numerously signed petition from the Matawhero district a post office is to be opened at Mr Judd’s new store, Matawhero .

Anyone who will compare the Herald’s report last night of Mr Gannon's speech at Ormond witn that given by the Standard today will see how horribly unfair our contemporary is to its political opponents. News received from the South Pacific Petroleum Company’s works is of a very promising nature. The gentlemen who went up to visit the works were Messrs Fleming, Weaver, Stubbs, G. Stubbs, J. R. Scott, A. Devery, Ross, C. Smith, Dougherty, F. Arthur. Muir, and Captain Winter. There was a very fair attendance at the Theatre Royal last night to witness the entertainment given by the members of the Wesleyan Mutual Improvement Society, A capital programme of songs, recitations, etc., was given, some of the items being deservedly honoured. Pressure on our space does not admit of a full report.

To show the extravagance in the colony, we may state that Lord Wolseley only gets £2OOO a year, the German Adjutant-General £lOOO a year, and the French ditto £BOO a year. And yet that miserable mingle of conceit and bad-manners, “ our only general,” gets £BOO out of this small colony of New Zealand. “Retrench him out of existence ” should be the reformed Parliament’s first cry.

It was a Hibernian guardian of the peace who, charging a man at the Wellington Police Court with being illegally on premies, described the place as “an empty shed with a lot of kerosene in it, your Worship.”