LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hastings Standard, Issue 512, 29 December 1897, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

By an unfortunate error in our leading article on Tuesday the special train which ran on Christmas Eve was stated to have run on " New Year's Eve." Hawke's Bay trains are a bit previous, but not quite as previous as this. Volunteer news, a number of interesting telegrams, etc., appear upon our fourth page to-day. Constable Hay has been transferred from Napier to Dannevirke. The 440 yards swimming championship of N.S.W. at Bathurst was won by Lane, who beat Percy Cavill by four yards. Time, 6min 12 l-ssec.

A cable received from Melbourne on Tuesday evening stated that Mr Mossop, Inspector of the Board of Works, and three workmen descended the shaft into the South Yarra tunnel. One of the men returned, stating that his companions were in danger from gas. Relief parties were sent down, but were driven back. The following is the amount'of postage work at the "Chief Post Office, Christchurch, for the five days between 20th and 24th December, both inclusive :—56,266 letters, 77,048 books, 29,947 newspapers. The extra correspondence received during the same period would be about 120,000 over the ayerage. The N.Z. Times understands that a Royal Commission is to be appointed to investigate the condition of the kauri gum industry north of Auckland, and especially the subject of contract labor. The commissioners will be Mr Mueller, Commissioner of Crown Lands, Auckland, and Mr Tregear, Secretary of the Labor Department. The extent and character of the settlement that has been going on of late years in the North Island as compared with the South Island is shown by the following figures : —Number of sheep in the North Island ip JBB6 5,285,907, in 1897 9,540,717; increase, 4,254,810. Number of sheep in the South Island in 1896 9,878,356, in 1897 10,147,237 ; increase, 258,881. A very enjoyable " social " was held in connection with the Hastings Wesleyan Sunday School last evening at the Oddfellows' Hall. A Jarge number of children were present, and the manner in which the good-things disappeared was a criterion that the company were enjoyingthemselves. During the evening games of all descriptions were indulged in. The gathering came to a close about 10 o'clock, everybody declaring that they had spent a jolly evening. Mr W. Symonds' coach factory in Hastings is in full swing at present, and the different departments are busy fulfilling the many orders the firm has on hand. Amongst these may be mentioned a fourwheeled dog-cart, being made to the order of Hamilton Russell, Esq., which bids fair to supersede the buggy in the popular estimation. This vehicle is ii'.. \ulix j, reversible back seat, and i - " "■ or carrying a large amount oflu r _-age, 1 f-id;-E which its construction admits .;f it» being turned into its own length. Tut ,n- u Has just finished and turned out v du _s and other conveyances, under jii.-tructiOL* from various clients, who have lis instances written expressing tl.*- * * <*- tion. Mr Symonds has in st •'. a .'fnvh imported lot of English ham a very low figure, which woulc 1 4 i inspection from people requi -

A gold brooch is advertised as lost. The last copies of Hansard for the past session have just reached us. The Mariposa, with, the 'Frisco mail, was signalled at Auckland this afternoon. The express train from Wellington was very nearly up to time in its arrival at Hastings on Tuesday evening. Mr T. E. Donne, Traffic Manager, was a passenger. Constable Siddells, of Ormondville, has been promoted to the rank of third-class sergeant, and takes charge of the Dannevirke district.

Mr W. Conway, bootmaker, notifies that Mr W. F. Reid is no longer authorised to collect accounts on his behalf. Mr \V. Y. Dennett advertises an auction sale of fruit and poultry for Friday next.

Hastings residents will be interested to learn from a cable received last evening that Captain Russell, M.H.R., and Miss Russell, passed through Sydney yesterday en route for England. We hear that the employees in the railway workshops in both the North and South Islands of New Zealand are at present working night and day to provide the rolling stock required by the increased traffic.

About 36 compositors have been thrown upon their resources, stick in hand, through a reduction in the Government Printing Office, consequent upon the session having closed.

Mr J. P. Thomson calls attention to his recent shipments of ladies; kid gloves, new dress materials, and children's and ladies' millinery.

Inspectors Walter Miller and W. R. Rutherfurd, and Mr Evett, all of the Agricultural Department, passed through Hastings for Napier by the express on Tuesday evening. The Maori and European before the Court in Hastings this morning on a charge of fighting in a public place, having failed to find sureties for their good behavour were sent to gaol for three months.

The Government has decided to issue full railway passes to Volunteers taking part in rifle matches if -the officer commanding the district recommends this issue.

It is rumoured that it is finally decided that Mr C. F. Hill, stationmaster at Hawera will be appointed stationmaster in Hastings and will arrive here in the course of a week or two. To-day there was a movement on foot amongst some of the Hastings storekeepers to open until 12 o'clock on New Year's Day and again at 6 in the evening. As New Year's Day is a statutory holiday this is a direct breach of the Act, which leaves the offenders open to prosecution. The country between Hastings and Napier presents a remarkable appearance at the present time. The earth, which was covered with silt at the late floods, displays great crevices. The silt is cut up into regular squares, as if the work had been done by a mason, the blocks being about Sin. by Sin. in dimensions. This morning at the Magistrates Court, Hastings, before Messrs Beilby and McLeod, J'sP., William Goldsmith, a youth of about 17 years, was charged with having, on or about the 23rd inst., indecently assaulted a female named Ruth Evelyn Maxwell, under seven years of age. On the application of the police the case was adjourned till January sth, bail being allowed. The great inconvenience which the Justices and the S.M. Court authorities are under in dealing with Maori cases was illustrated to-day, when the Court had to adjourn in order to hunt the town for a licensed interpreter, who acted gratuitously. In many instances cases against Maoris have to be abandoned owing to the accused's limited knowledge or total ignorance of English. In a town like Hastings where the Maori population is so large, the Government should appoint a resident interpreter and save the police the trouble and delay occasioned by having to send to Napier for the Government interpreter there. The Temuka Leader says that a lightrain on Wednesday night, followed by dull days, has had the effect of slightly improving the appearance of the crops, which had shown signs of flagging. Although there can be no doubt that many crops will be comparative failures, yet there are plenty that retain a healthy colour, and should, with an occasional shower, give good returns. Harvest will be early this season, some early oat crops already showing signs of hardening off. Mangolds that got a reasonable start look very well, and there are some good crops of rape and turnips. The sharp frost experienced the other night lias left the marks pretty well all over the district. Acres upon acres of the late crops of potatoes have been cut to the ground, and even those of stronger growth have been scorched. Singularly enough in some places there appears to have been scarcely a trace of this frost. A Maori named Peti and a European named James Saddler were charged in the Magistrate's Court at Hastings this morning with fighting in Heretaunga street. The Maori pleaded guilty, but Saddler stated he merely acted in selfdefence. Some difficulty was experienced in procuring an interpreter to act foi Peti, and the Court had to be adjourned pending the arrival of Mr J. Taiaroa, who acted voluntarily. Constable Butler's evidence was to the effect that he saw both men fighting and in a bleeding condition. Saddler stated that he was assaulted by the Maori without giving him provocation and he merely struck out in selfdefence, whilst Peti said that Saddler called him a black (adjective) Maori, and used other language unfit for publication, whereupon he (Peti) lost his temper and struck him. Both accused were bound over to keep the peace for 3 months in two sureties *of each and themselves ill a further surety of £lO each. A party who had been celebrating the holiday not wisely but too well was discharged with a caution. The Justices were Messrs Beilby and M'Leod. Why pay a big price for your suits when you can get as good material with a superior cut and style at two-thirds of the sum from Dodds' the popular Tailor, Heretaunga road. —Advt. I STOPPED THAT CODGH AND CUBED A very bad cold by a single bottle of Dr Pascal! s Cough Mixture. Signed, E. McDawall. 4s 6d and 2s 6d. Eccles chemist, Napier and Hastings.—Ajdvt