Local and General.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume I, Issue 192, 25 July 1884, Page 2

Local and General.

U.S.S. Service,—The ManapouH will arrive to-morrow afternoon.

The Thomas Russell—The s.s. Thomas Russell left Auckland yesterday afeernoon, at three o’clock, for this port with a cargo of coals.

General Gordon.—Telegrams have beer, received from Souakim stating that General Gordon is safe, and is making constant sallies from the town with such effect that the rebels in the neighbourhood are completely terrorised.

The Southern Cross.—The Southern Cross will not leave Wellington before Tuesday. Declaration of the Poll.—The official declaration, of the poll for the East- Coast Electoral District will take place on Tuesday next, at 2 p.m.

Druids.—A meeting of this Society will be held at the Good Templar’s Hall to-night. The district president, Mr. Bishop, will attend on an official visit. There will be several additional candidates for initiation.

Amusements.—The Pritchard family will make their first appearance at McFarlane’s Hall early next week, of which further intimation will be given. Miss Kate Pritchard is reported to be an actress of great histrionic ability. Mr. McGuinness besides being a good actor is also a clever instrumentalist. “ Little Charlie,” a prodigy of seven years old, acts, sings, and plays the flute most admirably—altogether a capital evenings amusement may be anticipated.

A Good Haul.—A most daring robbery has just been committed at a place called Beaconsfield, near Launceston, Tasmania. It appears that the Manager of the Branch Bank of Tasmania was “stuck up” whilst proceeding home, and the keys of the bank taken from him. Shortly after the robbers entered the bank and abstracted cash to the amount of £2,500, with which they decamped. Auction.—At Messrs. Graham, Pitt & Bennett’s auction mart this afternoon, the furniture and household effects of Mr. T. E. R. Bloomfield, were offered for sale. There was a large attendance, though the bidding was not over brisk, many articles fetching only half their value. Beautiful sheepskin rugs brought from 7s. 6d. to 14s. each. Two handsome tablecovers Bs. and 275. each. Creton and lace curtains, 325. and 20s. and so on. The drawing-room suite was bought by Mr. W. Good for £l3 10s. The rest of the furniture will be offered at Tutoko on Thursday next. Miss Dargon.—We take the presence of so large and fashionable an audience as assembled last evening at Macfarlane’s Hall, as a sign that perhaps after all, Gisborne is not so bad as it is sometimes represented, and also that an audience can be found with a soul above the “ monkey and big stick ” business. We feel assured that the lady elocutionist, who has delighted our townspeople during the last two nights, has left an impression which will not speedily fade. A few Dargons could work a wonderful change in public morality, and make the stage what it should be. We commend the recitals to all whose reach they are placed within, and we have no fear of contradition when we say that Miss Augusta Dargon will leave Gisborne with the thanks and best wishes of all whom she has both pleased and instructed.

Local Industry.—Some months ago we gave a short notice of an entirely new industry which was then about to be started by the enterprising firm of Messrs Kennedy and Bennett in the shape of a bone-crushing business. For this purpose they have fitted up a suitable plant, consisting of a large boiler, horizontal engine, and all the necessary motive power for working the crusher, which consists of a drum upon which is a series of angle teeth, which work inside a very strong and powerful box. It is astonishing to see the ease with which this apparatus scrunches up the largest bones, which then falls through upon a sieve, the larger portions going out one way and the finer another. When com.pared with the Auckland article, this bonedust is if anything superior, on account of its absolute purity, and we have little doubt but what it will meet with a ready sale, and should command a good price. Messrs. Kennedy and Bennett deserve great praise for the enterprise they have shown in this matter, and fur steadily combating the many difficulties which have beset their efforts. To start anything of the sort in a place like this, where material and skilled labor is so costly and difficult to obtain, requires much courage and perseverance. We were sorry to hear that another drawback has again occurred by the breaking of a cog-wheel. This will necessitate the sending away for another one, and the works must stand still until its arrival. In spite of all these difficulties we are sure that Messrs. Kennedy and Bennett will ultimately reap a good reward, and meet with that amount of success which their efforts deserve.

The Guileless Savage. — Yesterday a Maori, well known in the district, visited various offices in town “ seeking a place,” not to build his home, but to get his life taken. Yes, the first instance on record, we believe, of a native wanting to insure his life. It is a well known fact that natives are exceedingly superstitious, and generally look upon life insurance as a tempting of providence and ill luck. Our native friend in question took a more practical view of the case, and when questioned as to why he should seek insurance, so uncommon with a Maori, he replied, “ Oh, I know it is a tikanga pakeha (European custom), and I have not been well for some time and will not live long. If I die I want to leave some money for my children.” On being informed that ill health would be a bar to his getting an insurance, he naively replied, “ Why, what is the use of insuring and paying premiums when well and likely to live long. I thought it was only for those likely to die.” Our friend the innocent Maori did not succeed in inducing a local office to do for him, but was advised to apply through Mr. Bryce to the paternal Government. Our friend’s last exclamation was, “ Pakeha, pakeha, your ways are perplexing.”

The Heathen Chinee.—Recently, in Bute, California, where Chinamen play at faro a good deal, a mild-mannered heathen joined a faro game, and, after losing a few dollars, pulled out a little bag cf gold-dust and laid it on the ace. The ace lost, and the dealer, picking up the package, unfolded it, weighing out the dust, which was fifty dollars’ worth. He was about to cast the paper aside, when the Celestial motioned and asked that it might be given back, as it had some accounts on it. The paper was returned. Next night he was there again, betting fifty dollars in gold-dust as before. He put his package carefully on the ace, and won. The dealer handed out fifty dollars; but the Chinaman shook his head. “ What’s the matter, John?” “ You payee allee I bet—one bundled fifty dollar.” The dealer laughed contemptuously"; but the heathen, unrolling the package, showed a hundred-dollar bill laid in between the double piece of paper with contained the .dust. The dealer looked “very cheap,” but the Chinaman never moved a muscle. He acted as it was the regular thing to keep a hundred-dollar greenback folded up in his gold-dust packages. “ Pay it,” said the lookout man. “ He’s got us dead.”

Labor and Capital.—ln his address to the Christchurch electors Sir Julius Vogel thus refers to the question of capital and labor “ Without vanity, I yiinkl may claim that I have been of some service to the colony during my present visit. I came out with no idea of entering into politics, I was induced to consent to do so by the hope that I might be useful. The prostration that existed appeared to me most lamentable and extraordinary. As I believed, and still believe, I traced this depression to its source in the utter want of confidence that prevailed, caused by the action of the governing men of the colony. Under the influence of this action property was ceasing to have a saleable value, and the doctrine was being preached from one end of the colony to the other that capital was the greatest foe the laboring classes had to dread. I spoke to the working classes, and told them that they unquestionably possessed the largest share of political power; that I thought such division of power was in the interest of the happiness of the community, and that they ought not to part with it. But I also pointed out that they could not do anything more idiotic than to drive capital away, because labor without capital would fare badly; in short, that labor without capital would fare as badly as capital without labor. Whether in consequence of my utterances or not, the prevailing tone appears to me to have changed most remarkably. No longer, except in rave cases, are appeals being made to the laboring classes to drive other classes away, and there is palpably a recovery from the hopeless depression which existed a short while back.”