Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY, JULY 9, 1903.

Manawatu Herald, 9 July 1903, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY, JULY 9, 1903.

At the monthly meeting of the Wanganui Harbour Board last Friday the harbourmaster’s report “ showed that the channel over the bar was in the same position as during the previous month, bearing by compass from flagstaff S.W., with a depth of nft. 6in. at high water spring tides, and Bft. 6in. at high water neaps. The lower reaches of entrance to the river were fairly good. The upper flats were as usual. During the month 123 vessels crossed the bar, 57 of which crossed in the night.” According to the latest reports obtained from masters of vessels trading to Foxtou the depth of water on the Manawatu river bar was exactly the same as that reported on the Wanganui bar, both at high water spring and neap tide, which conclusively proves that the Manawatu is quite on a par with the Wanganui. The annual general meeting of the Foxton Racing Club will be held on Tuesday next at the Club's office at 8 o’clock. The statement filed by A. ,H. Arbon shows the total liabilities to be £220 14s 1 id, and the assets £92 7s 3d. Since the beginning of the year 29 Chinamen have arrived at Wellington and paid £2900 to the customs revenue as poll-tax. Fifty patients of Sunnyside Asylum embarked on board the Tutanekai at Lyttelton on Saturday afternoon in order to be sent to Hokitika Asylum. About a dozen of the party were women. The State Premier of Victoria (Mr Irvine) states that his estimates for the financial year 1903-04 reduce the expenditure by about £567,000, and effect permanent economies amounting to something like £294,000 per annum. Lord Cranborne stated in the House of Commons that negotiations which began in 1899 for the construction of a Yangtse railway were still proceeding. Meantime Russia can traverse Manchuria in two directions. There are also branch lines, and she is seeking concessions for more main tracks. To the bottom of a yacht which had been moored at Port Vincent Harbour South Australia, for a period of io| months, a small ‘sack of oysters had grown. The bivalves averaged about four inches in diameter, but it was doubted if they would be good for, eating, because they had been at-‘ tached to muntz metal, of which the bottom of the boat was formed.

The Vienna Society of Physicians have received reports that radium rays have cured a case o! cancer.. Mr P. Byrn, of West Wanganui, won the first prize of £"6ooo in Tattersall’s sweep on the Grand National Hurdles. Mr G. H. Grapes, of Paraparaumu, the well-known fruit expert, has decided to start a branch fruit farm at Tauranga. The Government has decided to cl jthe all the school cadet corps in the colony in a similar uniform —dark blue with glengarry cap. The dates of Government parades are advertised by Captain Walsh. AH company parades are cancelled until further notice, pending arrangements being made for a drill hall. A settler of Eketahana this year had his sheep frozen on his own account and sent Horae. He cleared just one shilling per head above what he would have obtained locally. The Standard’s Johannesburg correspondent states the loyal press unanimously condemn Botha’s speeches as mischevious. An impression is deepening that suspects in Cape Colony have prompted him. Miss Beatrice Yartha and her concert company will shortly -pay Foxton a visit. Miss Vartha is a pianiste of great merit, and she has been offered a long engagement in America, for which country she leaves at an early date. Mr J. Jarvis, of Rongotea, was successful with bis Wyandottes at the Wellington Poultry Show. Against the best birds of the colony in partridge cockerels, he obtained third prize, first in partridge pullets and first in the buff cookrel pullet class. An approximate return of the number of sheep in the Colony states they show a large decrease this year, the inference being over-exporting. Over one million and a quarter carcases of mutton and lamb were exported for the year ending March in excess of the previous year.. The policeman murderers, Grand and Jones, were executed at Darlinghurst gaol on Tuesday morning. The former went to the scaffold and smiled at the spectators, and nodded to an acquaintance, Jones was subdued, and apparently in a state of collapse, mentally. He died instantly, but Grand moved convulsively for some time after the drop, and was evidently strangled. A case which has been exercising considerable interest in Dunedin Volunteer circles has reached a definite stage. Private Hogg, of the Highland Rifles, having absented himself from parades, was fined £2 by his captain. He appealed against the decision to the military authorities, who confirmed the decision. The Magistrate was then applied to for a distress warrant, which is now issued, and it is understood the appellant has already incurred coats amounting to £ts. Colonel Gorton’s fine residence near Bulls was destroyed by fire early on Tuesday morning. Only two servant girls were in the house at the time, and they had a narrow escape. The Colonel and Mrs Gorton had left for Wellington the day previous as he was to sail for Monte Video on the loth. Nothing was saved. The servants cannot account for the fire. The insurances on the house were £1125, and furniture £3OO in the New Zealand office. The loss is estimated at £IBOO. Messrs Buchanan and Hogg, M;H.R’s., accompanied a deputation to interview the Minister for Railways last week, with reference to the dismissal of Guard Turner, for neglecting his instructions on the Thames railway some little while ago, the penalty for which was instant dismissal. The deputation asked for a mitigation of the punishment, but the Minister, while sharing with the deputation their sympathy for an old and faithful servant, said nothing could be done at present, as the mistake constituted , one of the highest offences in the service. According to the Times, one witness at the hearing of the opium cases went solemny through the Celestial form of oath, viz., the blowing out of a match; but another Chinaman took things more easily, and when approached as to which form of oath he preferred expressed supreme indifference, even treating the matter with apparent levity and when pressed by the interpreter to say in what manner he would be sworn, broke up the dignity of the Court by confidently affirming “ Me swear anything." Up Dannevirke way, not long ago the local medico was waited upon by an anxious-looking, farmer’s daughter who complained of a mysterious pain in her side v “ Two of your ribs are broken,” said the doctor. “ Oh, yes, I Tell off my bike last week.” The doctor pointed out the impossibility of the accident having occurred in such a manner. “ Well, it must have been the keg of butter that fell as I was lifting it down.” The doctor was "still unconvinced, and «aid the injury was plainly the result of a steady pressure, which had been applied in a circular manner. The girl blushed to the roots ot her hair, and then, smiling defiantly, said—“ Anyhow, we’re engaged." The third of the winter socials was held in the Methodist Schoolrom on Tuesday night, and was given by Mrs Hunter. There was a good attendance, and .Mr E. Osborne presided. The following ladies and gentlemen took part in the programmeMesdames Hunter and Currie, Misses Osborne, Spring, Furrie, F; Simpson, Hamer, M. Withers, Aldridge, and Messrs Spring, Hooker and Harris. After refreshments had been handed round, Mr Hunter gave an exhibition of character sketches and a short address on heads and faces. There was a button-sewing competition for the young men. and altogether a very enjoyable evening was spent. The Rev. W. Harris moved a vote of thanks to Mrs Hunter, and those ladies and gentlemen who had assisted, and announced that the next social would be held a month hence, and would be given by Messrs W. Bullard and A. R. | Osborne.

| The Manawatu County Council did I not hold their meeting yesterday. It j was postponed till next week. ! Applications for a mandamus against the Newtown Licensing Committee is being heard by the full Court. *Miss Nellie Stewart has donated twenty guineas to the Wellington Hospital. At a bazaar in aid of the Victoria College for Maori Girls, held at New Plymouth last week, about £l4O was taken. A writ for £2OO has been issued against the Patea County Council by Mr H. Aves, late of Wanganui, who met with an accident at a bridge. The auxiliary schooner Toroa is de- . tained in port through being unable to • obtain a competent engineer. The new sugar mill at Lautoka, Fiji commenced crushing on June 10. This is the latest venture of the Colonial Sugar Refining Company of Sydney. The New South Wales Department of Agriculture has decided to send a fruit expert to Windsor district to give practical instruction in pruning, iumigating, etc., where required by orchardists. It is rumoured that cholera of a mild type has broken out amongst the coolies in the Lautoka district, Fiji, ■ and that several deaths have been put down to this cause, eight having ' occurred in one day. Before Messrs Westwood and Fraser this morning Charles Robinson and William Hill were each fined 5s for ! drunkenness. A previoasly convicted ; offender, Peter Tahnna, for the same ■ offence, was fined tos, and Thomas Robb, for disorderly conduct, was fined 40s with costs 7s. So far nothing has been heard in the House with regard to the table of precedence and the correspondence with • Sir R. Stout. Ministers have not yet made the correspondence available, but Mr Duthie has given notice to move that copies of all the correspondence on the question be laid on the table. Mrs Mackie, in another column, an* noundes a sale for one month of sta» 1 tionery, &c„ at greatly reduced prices. 1 Mrs Mackie has lately purchased Mr 1 A. Cook’s stock, and .she will continue* • the business of stationer together with '/her former occupation as a maker of ■ all knitted and other goods. Whilst 1 thanking her customers for past favors, she invites an inspection of her new stock. Bishop Nelgan spoke plainly at Waihi. Addressing the congregation : there on a recent evening he said 1 It was not the clergyman's place to 1 say what people liked because they ‘ gave him a beggaly pittance of £l5O [ or £2OO a year, but to declare the ' whole Gospel of God. If the people 1 did not like this, and refused to pay the stipend, then he would take the parsoh away and lock up the church.” 1 : , 1 • i ' ' ; , • ,