news of the Day.

Hawke's Bay Times, Issue 1553, 24 February 1874, Page 126

news of the Day.

The Leichhardt Expedition. Andrew Hume, who was dispatched by the Sydney Government in 1872 to search for the tracks of Leichhardt, and torecover some relics of Ins last expedition, arrived at Brisbane per js.s. Boomerang on the 4th February. He reports that he found Classan, Leichhardt's second in command, with the blacks at the head of the waters of Stewart's Creek. He says that Classan is getting very decrepid, and that he is anxious to leave the blacks and return to civilized life. He states that he attempted to bring him away, but warn prevented by the blacks. He reports that he remained with Classan for some time, during which he (Classan) wrote an account in German of the fate of the Leichhardt expedition. Hume says Classan told him that Leichhardt's party mutinied, and after a struggle with their leader they left him when pushing oh to the north-west coast. Classan at that time was away searching for water, and when he returned he found Leichhardt in- , sensible. The camp was broken up, and the horse and most of the equipment carried off by the men. Leichhardt, he \ says, died five days after the mutiny* Classan alleges'that he can point out where Leichhardt's remains are. The blacks says that Leichhardt's men made for the settled districts of South Australia, and that they were killed on their way by the natives. Hume alleges that he has in his possession Leichhardt's quadrant and watch, and about twentyfive pages of Leichhardt's records. Fatal Accidents at the Thames. : , , Our Auckland exchanges have lately re - i corded quite a number of fatal accidents on . the Thames goldfields. A shocking boiler explosion occurred at the Kuranui battery on the 24th ult., by which three men —Richard Watson, Alfred Cook, and Matthew Paul losttheirlives; The accident occurred a few minutes after midnight, . the men having just relieved the previous shift. They were all frightfully scalded, and died in hospital the same morning. They leave three widows and many orphans. The cause of the accident was a faulty and encrusted boiler.—On the 4th inst., a young man named Edward Clarke, employed in the Bright Smile claim, wish* ing to ascend, gave the signal; neglecting to get into the cage at the right moment, he was jammed;against the side of the shaft, and dragged up in that manner some distance. He was frightfully mutilated, and death must have been instantaneous*—On the 7thinsti, about noon, as the men ► were at work in the United Pumping Association's shaft, a slab of timber fell* All got out of the way except a young man named "William Dare, 26 years of age, who was struck by the timber and knocked backwards into the shaft, which was 210 feet deep and contained 100 feet of water, v

and another 100, feet of suffocating gas. The brother of deceased, William Dare, caught at him as he fell, but failed to save him. Deceased was on the eve of being married, had acted as " best man" at the wedding of his brother William a few. days before, and the two brothers were the support of an invalid mother. These accidents, by which five lives were lost within a fortnight, have cast a gloom over the community. The Auokland Harvest. The Southern Cross says:—The harvest is now over, and very favorable weather has been experienced. We cannot offer any reliable statistics as to the crops, until the Government returns are sent in; but presuming that the increase of acreage is in the same proportion this year as last W 3 may venture a guess that the wheat crop in this province will amount to about 80,000 bushels, being an increase of nearly 20,000 bushels over last year. Should this approximate calculation prove correct, we shall have about enough to supply the population of this province for nearly two months. Not much to boast of; but indicating some progress towards becoming self-supporting at no. distant date. Acoident to Tawhiao. The Aotea correspondent of the Southern Cross writes:—The King arrived in Kawhia from Mokau on the 30th ult., accompanied by about 300 natives, mostly NgatihauasHe is suffetng severely, being unable to move without pain from an.accident—a fall from a horse, at Kaipiha. His right arm is disabled, and his side much excoriated. He is, however, recovering. On his arrival Hone te One was sent for, and he, with Te Wharero, a Ngatiaho kupapa chief, visited Tawhiao at Pouewe. On their return, on the 4th, Hone informed me that the King said " nothing but tena koe. h Both the visitors wero disgusted at being taken away from their work (reaping wheat) for a mere interchange of compliments. I have heard since, though from Kereopa, that Hone Wetere, who occupies Pouewe, wrote the letter, requesting Hone te One's attendance with Tawhiao's authority. The King,. however, not to lose an opportunity, desired his kupapa friends to get him some spirits, and Hone te One, like a good fellow, or like a fool (as the reader's ideas on the liquor question may color the view) came down to the tune of £2 10s. Tawhiao purposes shortly to test his credit at our new store. On his Majesty's name alone the transaction won't eventuate. Most of the people in his train are in Aotea, living on the fat of the land. A meeting takes place to-day (6th) in Raglan, among the natives, to discuss a proposed request that his Excellency the Governor should visit Raglan to meet the King; also, to talk about the intended road works here. Sporting in Wanganui. The Wanganui races came off on tho 11th inst., and were not very largely attended. The events were as follow t Produce Stakes, £6O; entrance £3 3s; open to all horses that have never run for public money; distance, H miles; single event; weight for age; second horse to save his stakes. Mr Browns's oil g. Flatcatcher ... 1 Mr Moore's ch m Fortuna 2 Mr Jackson's b m Flora 3 Mr Freeth's g s Magnet; Mr Burke's ch m Polly: Mr Kilgour's b c Monarch (late Fly) ; Mr Richards' Miss Peter 0 Stock Horse Race, £ls, added to a sweepstake of £1 Is. Mr Steven's Whitefoot 1 Mr Daniel's Prophet 2 Mr Wilson's Wild Brier 3 Falcon, Policy* Bully for You, Escape, and Happy Joe 0 Wanganui Stakes, £4O; entrance, £2 2s» distance, two miles, second horse to save his stakes. Mr Brown's Locbinvar 1 Mr Harrison's Zillah ... 2 Mr Robinson's Magenta .... 3 Hack Race, sweepstakes of ss, catch weights, once round. Mr Patterson's Flirt 1 Mr Watt's Michael O'Shannassey ... 2 Ladies' Purse, £2O, added to sweepstakes of £2 2s ; once round and a distance. Mr Brown's The Peer 1 MrKilgour'sFiretail 2 Mr Vincent's Woman in White ... 3 Old Mother Bunch and St. Peter ... 0 —The Wanganui Chronicle, in its report, says:—" Tho pleasure of the day was, we regret to state, marred by one of the Stewards, P. J. Richardson, Esq., being twice seized with epilepsy. He was, in both cases, instantly attended by Dr. Tripe and several other medical gentlemen who fortunately happened to be at hand, and who, we are glad to say, succeeded in bringing him safely round." A cricket match between drapers and clerks was played on the same day, the latter winning with 121 runtito 116, and three wickets to f aIL The Government Stroke* A correspondent of the Southern Cross writes to that journal as follows i—As one interested in the Waikato, I should be glad of information as to who is responsible for the due performance of the railway works now in process of construction between Mercer and Ngaruawahia. While in Waikato during the past month, I was informed by men who were not likely to give me false information, that the men employed by Government in the construction of this work were simply idling away their time, for which they were receiving good wages. In consequence of this information I was anxious to see for myself, and the following is the result of my observa* tion i-« About 10.30 a.m. on the 30 ult. I came in sight of the first party of five " workers," about four miles below Nga. ruawha. None of these made the slightest . pretence of work during the time I saw them, although I approached at a slow walk, and did not increase the pace until I left them out of sight in the distance. The next party consisted of seventeen (there may have been more who I could not see in consequence of their recumbent positions). Thirteen out of the number were absolutely idle. Two of the workers put three or four spadefuls of earth into a barrow, which, a third wheeled off U'dm-

tanco of some Bix yards; on his return the three joined in a comfortable pipe; a fourth gave two feeble picks into the earth, and then relapsed into a sitting position ; the fifth worker was carefully paring thin shavings off a bank while he conversed with ..the other "workers." The above facts I vouch for, and they simply bear out statements which I had previously heard on reliable authority. The work these men are engaged upon is of the simplest and most easily formed nature) making a great show for very little workIt does not, however, need a prophet to foretell the result of the Government scheme of employing direct labor, if better supervision is not exercised to compel the men to do a fair day's work. Strikes, and their Consequences. The Court Journal says:—The numerous strikes that have been continued amongst the workmen in Britain for some time past are beginning to have their effect; that is, driving the trade of the country into the hands of foreigners. The following is only but one instance that might be cited:—A firm of perhaps the largest wine merchants in the world, using bottles enough to keep busy a large manufactory in the North of England, found consequent upon strikes, dear coals, &c. that bottles got five, ten, twenty, thirty per cent, dearer. It began to get rather serious, and at last they wrote to the manufacturer to say that, as far as they were ooncerned, they had gone to the end of their tether.—" Come down and speak to the men| yourself," the manufacturers wrote. So down went one of the firm, and talked in a friendly way to the men, and showed them what would be the end of it. The next week they sent in a demand for a freshjadvancein wages, and the price of bottles was up five per cent. The firm went immediately over to Belgium, looked about them, and being able to give a pretty big order, made a contract for bottles which will be delivered here at considerably less than the North of England will sell. "We have got a piece of ground," says one of the firm, " that cost us £20,000, and in the sheds run up on this we mean to store a few dozen shiploads of foreign bottles, which we shall keep in stock, and then we shall be able to snap our fingers at the English bottle-makers who, knowing our daily necessities, have hitherto had us on the hip. We shall have our first delivery in before the end of this month, after which date the men in the North must look out customers and earn their wages out of somebody else's purse." Scarlet Fever at Oamaru.—We (Timaru Herald) regret to learn that scarlet fever has made its appearance amongst the pupils at the public school at Oamaru. Four Lads have been fined £1 each for plajing cricket* on a Sunday afternoon at Otahuhu, Auckland. " A Catholic" is much troubled thereat, "and, writing to the N. Z. Herald, makes the original and striking remark that you cannot " make people good by Act of Parliament" 1