Poverty Bay Standard. Published Every Evening. GISBORNE : MONDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 1882.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume X, Issue 1200, 13 November 1882, Page 2

Poverty Bay Standard. Published Every Evening. GISBORNE : MONDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 1882.

Mr Robert Dobson, the general manager of the Mutual Fire and Murine Insurance Company of New Zealand, notifies that the allotment call is due to-morrow at the Union Bank of Australia. At Waerenga-a-hika to-morrew, Messrs Graham, Pitt and Bennett will hold a sale of cattle, some of which are choice store stock. Most of the old residents in Auckland will remember the Prince of Wales Hotel in Hobson street. As will be seen elsewhere, it has now been rebuilt, and under the able management of Mr W. A. Crombie, will no doubt become one of the leading hostelries in the city. The best turn-out we have seen in Gisborne passed up the Gladstone road yesterday, it was a handsome open carriage drawn by four greys. We must certainly compliment Mr S. M. Wilson on being able to send from his stable so attractive and stylish an equipage. On, and after to-morrow (Tuesday), the public are requested to make use of the side entrance at the Post and Telegraphic Office, instead of the main corridor, which is now closed up. For Napier and Wellington, per Southern Cross, on Tuesday, 14th November, at 7 p.m.

Almost opposite Mr J. East’s premises there remained yesterday a quantity of water in the water-table, which was stagnant and anything but pleasant to pass by. We have on two or three occasions called attention to the state of this water-table, and as summer approaches it will be found that our remarks are not uncalled for.

The following letter has been received from Mr C. T. Lenyon, the assistant Secretary of Public Works, Wellington, of date Nov. Bth, 1832, with reference to County matters : —To the Chairman of the Cook County Council, Gisborne.—Sir : With reference to your letter of the 29th Sept., addressed to the Colonial Treasurer, requesting the Government to hand over to County revenue the sum voted by Parliament for damages caused by floods. lam directed by the Minister of Public Works to inform you that on receipt of a statement received from the Council, dated 16th June, with the estimated amount requested to repair certain works set forth therein the sum of £l,BOO was placed upon the Estimates in order to assist local bodies in making good the damage. Subsequent to this, however, the roads and bridges mentioned in the above statement were declared main roads under the Roads and Bridges Construction Act, 1882, and as, therefore, three-fourths of the estimated amount of the cost of repairs, or about the sum voted by Parliament is available by law there appears to be no longer any necessity for the grant in aid and an application will, no doubt, be made by the Council on the Ist of January, for what it may require. But with regard to the request that the grant-in-aid for repairs of damages by floods should be transferred into a subsidy to the County revenue to enable the Council to repay a debt to the Bank, 1 am instructed to state that it is quite out of the power of the Minister to make such an alteration in the object of a grant, which, moreover, the Auditor-General would not allow.

The following written verdict was recently , handed in by the foreman of a coroner’s jury, in New South Wales :—“ We are of A Pinion that the decert mot her death from violent infirmation in the arm produest from Unoan Caws.” The Paris milkmen are in trouble. The police have made a successful raid on their headquarters. The cans are all unloaded in a large warehouse in the city, and twentyfive policemen were posted outside, loopholes having been made in the wall to enable them to see what was going on inside. Just when the milkmen had brought in the water and were beginning to make their customary mixture, the police rushed in and caught them. They were found to have a large quantity of carbonate of lime, and also a contrivance for removing the sealed covers. The French milkman is evidently a dishonest person of a very dangerous character. To dilute the milk is bad enough, but in doctoring it with bicarbonate of lime the decoction is made hurtful to babies, children, and invalids. In the Chinese township, on a certain famous Queensland river, fan-tan and other forms of gambling are in full swing. About once a week each den is visited in turn by the resident constable, when something like the following occurs Look here, John, this is contrary to law, don’tcher know z I think you cheat.” John; “No fear. All lite ; welly good. Youtly’em?” Constable stalks pompously to table, and places half-a-sovereign on the mark 4. The manipulation of the brass counters follows, and 4 wins. Constable pockets his half sov., with three more, and adjourns to the next den, and by the time he has inspected every gam-bling-house his little gold piece has trans-

ferred itself into a ten pound note. This is * gospel. It is not improbable that the Tambour | I Major Company may visit Gisborne for one , night, and should they do so will afford us a i treat never before equalled in Gisborne. • There are sixty members of the troupe, and | the praise given by the Auckland Press proves that they are excellent performers. The “Auckland Star” says Abbott’s Opera House was again filled last night with a fashionable and appreciative audience, to witness the third production of “Tambour Major” by this efficient company now occupying this place of amusement. The opera gains in favor upon repetition, its airs impressing themselves upon the popular ear, while the spectacular scenes, with their amazing variety of brilliant colors, have, perhaps, never been equalled in Auckland. The dressing and pageantry of the opera are magnificent, yet the enormous expense the management has incurred to make the production perfect is likely to be handsomely recouped by the public appreciation which has already made itself manifest. There were several encores last night, and the leading situations drew forth rapturous applause.

The sinking of the Austral, the latest of the magnificent Orient line fleet an account of which appears in our cablegrams will be read with regret by many of our readers. This splendid specimen of naval archilecture is 5250 tons register and 1,100 horse power. There will be but few difficulties to overcome in raising her as she is only in 45 feet of water, but to refit her will cost a large sum of money.

The nominations for the Mayoralty is announced by the Returning Officer for the 20th inst., and the polling, if necessary, for the 29th.

Mr Dufaur, the secretary of the Acclimatisation Society, received by the Wairarapa yesterday, a quanty of young brown-trout, and without losing time proceeded up the Taraheru river and placed them in the built cases on the banks of the river. It may not be generally known, but it is stated that in a miniature lake between Gisborne and the Island there is an enormous number of these delicious fish, A novel invasion of the steamship Hansa, in Sydney harbor, took place on the 24th ult., in the form of a swarm of bees, which settleq on the vessel in three companies. Accepting it, possibly, as a felicitous omen, the crew immediately engaged in the enterprise of business of honey-makers. The presence o f beehives on board an ocean steamer is a “ new departure” in maritime experiences, though how the bees are to exist during the voyage is a mystery, unless they are put on regular sugar ration?, Messrs. Carlaw Smith and Co. sold today 3,900 shares in the Southern Cross Petroleum Company, the prices ranging from Is 5d to 2s Id, giving an average of about Is 9d. The original list advertised was about 11,000, but the calls were very promptly paid up. This shows that confidence is being restored, notwithstanding the attempts which have been made to damage the Company in the eyes of the public. In the interest of those who so liberally subscribed towards the fund to purchase the Steam Fire Engine, we have been requested to ask why it is that so valuable a property has been allowed to stand outside the shed since the last practice? We are unable to state the reason, but some of our friends in the Fire Brigade will supply us with the information.

In our notice of the recent concert in aid ! of the Hospital we omitted to mention the I excellent performance of little May and 1 Daisy Thornton. These clever lict'e juvenile songstresses delighted the audience, and had Ito respond to an encore. We also neglected i to mention that the scenery from the brush , of Mr Thornton was loudly applauded as it j certainly deserved to be. ; Mr W. G. Motley has (says the Napier : Telegraph) received the Southern Cross 1 Petroleum Company’s exhibits at the Christchurch exhibition, and they certainly form a j grand collection of the products of the comj pany’s mineral oil deposits. Mr Motley will I show them at the ai t exhibition at the Adiej meum, together with an explanatory card, and : they are certain to attract much attention. A * very large interest is held in Napier in the j East Coast Petroleum Compenies, and the j evidence of the richness of the mineral oil deposits on the Southern Cross estate will be I gratifying to the Shareholders. | Pollard’s Juvenile Opera Company will | revisit New Zealand at an early date, commencing their tour of the colony at Christchurch. The “ Wairoa Guardian ” of the 4th inst., says A mob of 1,400 merino wethers, in charge of Mr C. Davis, crossed the Wuiroa ferry yesterday morning eu route for Messrs Hutchinsons’ property, Poverty Bay. The sheep, which looked in good condition, were from Mr W. Shrimpton’s run, Tangoio. A four-handed game of billiards was played at one cf the principal Sydney rooms recently with rather remarkable results in the closeness of the play. The scores were level at 10, 20, 30, 49, 50*, GO, 70, 80, 90, and 95. One of the players then made two cannons, bringing his score up to 99, and then at his third shot, he failed to score, leaving the balls close together behind the baulk-line. His opponent then made a cannon, potted the white, and in the next stroke gently hit the red, 1 \iving both, balls in baulk. The next player went up and down the table, but failed to hit ■ either ball, thus giving a mis 3 and the game to his oponents. The players were a wellknown professional basso and an organist, 1 against an amateur tonor and a son of a lately deceased District Court Judge. The latter I won.