LOCAL AND GENERAL

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume I, Issue 77, 8 December 1887, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

New Zealand four per cent inscribed stock has advanced £2.

News received from Kimberley speak very favourably of the gold diggings. A number of navvies employed on railways near Melbourne are out on strike. A notice re bankrupts, from the Official Assignee (Mr Croft), appears elsewhere. The annual examination of the pupi 1 teachers in this distiict lakes place on Thurs’ day next. » A telegram from New Plymouth states that a settler named Pearn, was tossed by a bull, and had two of his ribs broken. The Presbyterian and Anglican churches in Melbourne offered up prayers last Sunday tor the recovery of the Crown Prince of Germany. The Brisbane Observer terms the Salvation Army the “ The grandest phenomanen that has appeared in Christianity since the time of the Crusades.”

Entries and acceptances for the Waerenga-a-hika Jockey Club’s Boxing-day meeting close at 8 on Saturday evening next, at the Masonic Hotel.

A lady in London recently bought a pair of Jubilee stockings a the price of twelve gu nras, and next day forwarded a cheque for £ 144 for a dozen pairs. The Sydney News, referring to an accident to a young man, says he was a member of a Good Templars’ Lodge, and was perfectly sober at the time. This seems sarcastic. A former principal of the Te Aro Grammar School, intends petitioning Parliament for n quiry into injuries sustained by him through the passing of the Education Act. Our Patutahi readers are requested to notice the alteration in the hour of the service of the Presbyterian Church next Sunday. It will be held at 11 a.m. instead nf 2.30 p.m. It is expected that the Governments of New South Wales and Victoria will shortly issue an order prohibiting the importation of New Zealand sheep, owing to an outbreak of scab in this colony. It is said that there are over a thousand unoccupied houses in Dunedin city and suburbs, and in one formerly busy thoroughfare a public-house and pawn shop are the only tenanted buildings. In opening the shorthand Congre«s in London, Lord rt< sehury sai lhe hXtt lea-nt that from 1602 to 1838 there were 201 systems of shorthand invented, and from the latter date to the present day there had been 281 more. Messrs Q. Gray (Waimata Riding) and J. Coleman (Wnataupoko Riding) have been returned unopposed to a seat in the County Council. For the Gisborne Riding Messrs Wallace and King will contest the seat.

The M*Klhone of the N.Z P«rliament is Mr H S. Fish, member for Dunedin. It is a stock joke that in L mdon they go to Billingsgate for their fidh. while iu N.Z. they go to Fish for their Billingsgate.—Sydney Paper. There are estimated to be 822,215 paupers in Kugland and Wa'es. Pauperism however, has not increased with the population, and there are less now th in in any time prior to 1373. Ten years before that the numbers exceeded a million.

In four wards of New York city there &i® 15,000 children who cannot be accomm dated in schoo buildings at present. There are other wards where the children are almost • a much n glected by th < rich, prosperous, go-ahead city of New York. -

On Tuesday evening the Rev. J. and Mrs Mountain again met a large number of people in the Presbyterian Church, their text on this occasion being, “ What must I do to be saved.” List night a large number again assembled in the church, when the Rev. gentleman preached a very able sermon on “ How to be happy.”

The Governments of Western Australia and Tasmania have entered their protests against New South Wales assuming the name of Australia. Sir Henry Parkes is likely to receive a few plain opinions from the other colonies respecting his attempt to have himself addressed as the Premier of Australia.

At the Harbour Board meeting on Tuesday evening Major Porter again referred to the ca«e of the young man Hird. Ha thought if not be overlooked/ ’The 7Ehgiheer I *Baia l "(fiai in a month or six weeks, when they were making bags, there would be a chance for the young man.

The Directors of the Minerva Petroleum Company met on Monday last, when the Managing Director, Mr J. H. Stubbs, reported that boring had been commenced. Thia will be considered as eminently satisfactory by the shareholders, proving as it does that no time has been lost in carrying out the preliminary works.

A Sydney paper tells a pretty “ tall ” story of a Jeremiah Som-jbo ly, who daring the Maori war ” converted ” a Waikato chief, the latter willing him 50.000 acres of land. When the chieftain died a wooden tombstone was erected, with the deceased last words inscribed thereon — “Let Jeremiah remain on the land.”

A row is likely to take place between the Governor and Chief Justice of Western Australia. , His Excellency called upon the Chief Justice to appear before the Executive Council to show cause why ha should not be suspended. The Chief Justice asked whether the enquiry was to be open to the publia. His Excellency said “ No.” The Chief Justice declined to appear.

Speaking at Petone lately at the Wesleyan Anniversary meeting, the Rev. Mr laitt said . “ I have no hesitation in saying if there are blackguardly institutions in New Zealand tuey are the Working Men's Clubs, where men spend all their earnings white their children have no boots on their feet. A tradesman t>»ld me that all his bad marks belong to the Working Men’s Club.” The Hospital Sports Committee met on Tuesday night (Captain Winter in ths chair), and the various accounts were brought forward and pa«-el. The total outcome was found to be £4O 12s 6d, which is expected to be augmented by another pound or two. With the subsidy about £9O will be the net result to the Hospital. Votes of thanks were accorded to Mr Harris, the donors of prizes, and others who assisted to make the sports successful.

Tenders are invited by the Poverty Bav Park Company for the olearing, burning, and ploughing of 100 acreg of land, situate on the Matawhero B block, to be in by Tuesday, the 13 h mat. Specifications can h° seen at the office of Mr Piesoe, who has b’en aopoiuted secretary, pro tern., to the Company. In Mr Piesse the Company will have a guarantee that the office work will be satisfactorily performed. The persistent R.lS.v had two letters before the Harbour Board on Tuesday night in reference to the “ filched ” harbor plans. A suggestion to refer him back to the Government was replaced bv a resolution acknowledging the letters, hut admitting no claim. The R.E. hoped his claim would be recognized and thus prevent his entering upon litigation A big action is feared, and some of the most eminent colonial engineers are expected to ba called on to give evidence.

A return was tabled nn November 30 showing that of the Otago Central Railway contractors one firm, Messrs Meikle and Co., were 44 weeks behind hand in finishing their work, and incurred penalties to the amount of £BBO, yet none were exacted ; another firm, Messrs C. and W. Gore, were 42 weeks late, and became liable to £320 penalties, but were also let off scot free ; a third, Messrs Matheson Bros., being 36 weeks late, incurred £460 of penalties, but only £lOO penalty was infl’cted. A penalty of £2OO. however, was imposed on Messrs Black and Co., in connection with the Wingat'ui viaduct. In c nnection with the notices r c garding the death of Mr T. Routledge, 'he introducer of esparto grass for pa per-making. theeHtnr f the P aper Record writes :—“ The di - cov' ry, wrs greatly overshadowed by the astounding development during the past ten ye irs in the using of wood f r the same purpose. A growing tree is n w often cut down, •• ade intn naper, and turned nt as a new paper i » thirty-six hour®—a fea* I think hr worthy to be chronicled as any p rformed by the ancient necromancers, from Moses down to Michael Scot.”

O ? d B hies so’d lately in London at prices from £4O to £250.

Mr Robert Ward is appointed a Resident Magistrate for the district of Napier with jurisdiction to £lOO. Lojd Lyons, who has been ill for some time and was recently admitted into the Catholic Church, expired on Tuesday.

The Argus terms Parkes’ Bill to change the name of the colony of New South Wales to Australia, ” A Bill to filch a title.”

Mr Balfour the Irish Chief Secretary is one of the few men in this world that the Insurance agent does not outrageously bore. England oontirbutes 652,828 and America 921,412 gallons ot rum annually towards the Uhristianisation of Africa. The Suva arrives from Auckland this afternoon, and goes on South at seven o’clock. The Manapouri arrives from Auokland to-morrow afternoon, and the Australia from South to-morrow morning. The Harbor Board, at the last meeting, granted to its Secretary (Mr J. Bourke) three weeks’ leave of absence. Mr Bourke intends to take a well-earned holiday, the first fof five years, and will go South as far as Dunedin.

In every Southern State agricultural and mechanical schools have been established. Louisiana has twenty one industriaf schools in which 3126 boys are instructed In mechanical branches. There is a growing desire amo g the boys of the South to learn a mechanical trade.

Prince Bismarck kept hb Ministerial silver wedding lately. He has held office in the Prussian Cabinet for exactly twenty-Hve years. The anniversary will be duly celebrated in official circles. Th Prince is growing fat again. He found that he had considerably increased in weight when he w«s at Kisaingen this year. The large warships of the British Navy are to be ntted with communicators, operated by electricity between the deck aud the engine-room, as the mechanic 1 telegraphs at present in use are said to be unsatisfactory in working ; these will, however, be retained as a standby in case of a breakdown occurring in the electric anarfgements. In the Court of Appeal on Friday last Mr Gully gave notice that he intended, on behalf of the appellant, to take the case of Bennett v. Douglas, relative to the payment of £lOOO to the Karaitiana estate, to the Privy Council. The Court of Appeal it will be recollected, disallowed the appeal of Bebnett, one of the

Trustees of the Karaitiana estate. There was no objection raised to the case bneig taken to the Privy Council. The plaintiff is Mr C. D. Bftinett, of this town.

“ St, Andrew’s Day ” is informed that we see no necessity for carrying the subject further, and certainly such personal references cannot be allowed. Though we think it a matter for regret that the Literary Society —which need not necessarily be taken as representative of the Church—should have in any way clashed with a charitable institution, the matter can be moat easily settled by conference between the gentlemen directly interested. At the same time it may be mentioned that some tradespeople have stated they will not recognise the holiday next year unless it.is considered, as heretofore, a sole Hospital day. That might mean that many hard-worked employees would be deprived of the holiday, and the Hospital would lose a good source of revenue. If the Hospital is not supported in one way it must be supported by other means; failing other ways, by a rate. That is a course which it will not be to our credit if we caunot avoid, and it is a commendable plan if the two objects can always be hit with the one stone. There seems to be altogether too much fuss made over the late picnic, though, as has been said, the principle is the main consideration. It is not fair for our correspondent to single out Mr MeAra as he has done. The latter’s first duty is no doubt with the young people of the Church—if they decide on having a picnic on a certain day, even though the choice be not one that will meet with geneia’ favor, his best course is to join with them in carrying out their wishes. Next year anything of the kind will no doubt be avoided. Presbyterian Church country services next Sunday—Patutahi 11, Mr R. H. Scott; Matawhero 2.80, Rev. J. McAra.—(Advt.) AU accounts against the J Battery are requested to be sent in by Thursday, the Sth . IX Uy, nrOl D / priori. V

J Battery, N.Z.V,A. Attention ! A general parade of the J Battery will ba held on Thursday, the Bth December, 1887. No leave granted.—H. O. Boylan, Capt. J Battery.— (Advt.)