The Telephone. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE POVERTY BAY STANDARD. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23. Local and General.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume I, Issue 242, 23 September 1884, Page 2

The Telephone. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE POVERTY BAY STANDARD. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23. Local and General.

Filed.—E. A. Pavitt has filed a petition of insolvency.

Borough Council.—The usual fortnightly meeting of the Borough Council will take place to-night. Cricket.—A general meeting of the Gisborne Cricket Club will take place at the Masonic Hotel to-night. Home Missions.—A very successful meeting was held last evening in connection with the Home Mission Fund of the Wesleyan Church.

Old Face.—Mr. Gough, who has plastered all the principal buildings in Gisborne, is now engaged on the N.Z.L. and M.A. Co.’s new buildings. W. M. P. Association.—A meeting of the Working Men’s Political Association is called for this evening. Members are reminded that quarterly subscriptions are now due.

General Gordon.—The Rev. J. J. Lewis is announced to lecture on General Gordon, under the auspices of the Mutual Improve, ment Society, on Thursday evening next. Admission free.

Life Insurance.—Mr. Alexander Kennedy, a gentleman well known in this and the Napier district, is now in Gisborne canvassing on behalf of the New Zealand Government Life Insurance Department,

Cheese Factory.—The Herald advocates the establishment of a dairy and cheese factory at Opotiki, and argues that if it will pay to send cattle away it must be equally profitable to keep them at home and only export the produce.

The Deputation.—Mr. W. K. Chambers one of the delegates returned from Wellington on Monday, He reports that all necessary evidence has been taken by the Select Committee of both Houses, who are to make a joint report, which is expected to be favorable. Mr. Chambers also brought with him several copies of the Native Land Act Amendment Bill, introduced by Mr. Locke. The Property Tax.—The Property Tax Commissioner recently sent a sharp note to a New Plymouth lawyer to know why he had not included certain sections in his return. The legal gentleman replied—“ I did not own them on that date; I did not own them before that date; and I have not owned them since. That is all I know about them.”

Patutahi.—The Cook County Council informedthe Board that they had taken a road through a deferred payment selection of Mr. Craille, and asked particulars as to whether the compensation money should be paid to the selector at once or whether it should be retained until he shall have been in possession of his Cro*. n grant. It was resolved to inform the County Council, that it is desirable they should retain the money till the grant is issued. W, Knights.—An adjourned meeting of creditors in the estate of Walter Knight’s took place this morning. Mr. Turton appearing for the debtor. It was found that the assets covered the liabilities, the former being made up of stock-in-trade, nearly one hundred beehives, and a lease of the Roseland property with four years to run. On the suggestion of Mr. Turton it was resolved to adjourn the meeting for one week to enable the official assignee to make inquiries regarding the bankrupt’s leasehold property or properties at Makaraka.

Hospital Ball.—A meeting of the Hospital Ball Committee was held last night at the Court-house. The committee considered the arrangements already made for the occasion were extremely satisfactory, the town ladies who were canvassed having responded in a most liberal manner, providing such luxuries as sucking pig, geese, fowls, &c. Mr. Sam Stevenson offered to send a trap round the town on the day of the ball to receive the various contributions., A final meeting will be held on Wednesday evening next.

Coach Accident.—The victim of the unfortunate coach accident near Akaroa on Saturday morning last, Mr. George Bishop, was one of the representatives to the Grand Lodge of Druids held in Melbourne in March last. His brother Mr. Walter K. Bishop, an enthusiastic advocate of Druidism, was the North Island representative of the Order at the same meeting, and he subsequently inaugurated the Gisborne Lodge. Not only will Druidism miss the deceased gentleman, but other local societies will do so as well, as he was ever ready to push their interests forward.

M. W. P. Bill.— The passing of the Married Women’s Property Bill will have a very beneficial effect in doing away with a system of blackmail which has hitherto prevailed. It has been the custom for husbands, who formerly held the power of preventing a sale of land belonging to their wives by withholding their consent, to demand considerable sums of money before they would attach their signatures to a deed, thereby adding to the cost of the land, and also opening the way for the perpetration of fraud. After the second reading, the Married Women’s Property Bill was recommitted, for the purpose of inserting a clause excluding the Native race from its operation in a permissive manner, when all kinds of half-digested nostrums on Maori customs were ventilated by hon. gentlemen, half of whom understood evidently but little of what they were trying to explain. As a natural sequence the clause fell to pieces, and its adoption was refused by a somewhat bewildered House. The Bill was eventually read a third time and passed.