The Southern Cross. PUBLISHED WEEKLY. Invercargill, Saturday, Oct. 21. General News

Southern Cross, Volume 1, Issue 29, 21 October 1893, Page 8

The Southern Cross. PUBLISHED WEEKLY. Invercargill, Saturday, Oct. 21. General News

A mail for the United Kingdom closes at Invercargill at 3.45 p.m. to-day. The main electoral roll for Invercargill contains 3784 names. The Hon J. G-. Ward will probably meet the Awarua electors at Winton on Monday evening, 30th inst. Marshal McMahon, a distinguished soldier and ex-President of France, and M. Gounod, the eminent musical composer, are included in the week’s obituaries. Mr R. McNab, who came out for Mataura last week, is prosecuting his candidature with characteristic energy, and has addressed a number of meetings, in each case with favourable results, since he opened fire at Gore. Hurry up, boys ! The time for receiving letters in our writing competition, the conditions of which were published last week, has been extended to Saturday next, 28th inst. A number of letters have come to hand, but more should be forthcoming. The steamer Miowera, from Australia to Yancouver, ran on the rocks at Honolulu on the 2nd inst., and it is feared that she will become a total wreck. Mr A. Raeside, who has served the town as a councillor for some years, is in the field for the mayoralty. His claims to the confidence of the ratepayers are set forth in an announcement in another column. Dawson, a resident of Glasgow, and member of the firm of Scott, Dawson, and Stewart, has bolted, having lost over £50,000. The firm declares that it is unaffected, Dawson having ceased to be a partner. Mr A. Prentice, the well-known provision merchant of the corner of Yarrow and Deveron streets, is extending his borders, and has opened a branch establishment in Dee street. He makes a specialty of hams and bacon, and will doubtless meet with the support that follows the purveying of first-class goods. The Southland County Council invite tenders on page 7 of this issue for a large number of works in various parts of the County. They were only decided upon at the last meeting, so that the officials have got the plans and specifications ready with commendable promptitude. Au ingenious advertising sell has lately victimised a good many Americans. Some charitable individual offered to supply a sewing machine for 2s in stamps, and the money poured in on him. He strictly fulfilled his engagement by sending a good sized needle.

A rote of thanks and confidence followed; the speech delivered at Otautau on Wcdcsday night by Mr Janies Mackintosh, who seeks, re-election for Wallace. It is rumoured that the laird of Strathearn, Mr J. Hamilton, will take the field, and others are also mentioned, but the veteran Mac will take a lot of" beating. ' Lord Salisbury, speaking at Preston, said, that if Home Rule does not reappear next session it might be considered to hare been abandoned. He added that denominational education was now becoming the burning question. The Home Secretary, speaking at. Glasgow, said there was no chance of Home Rule reappearing next session, which would be devoted to British legislation. M. Franeik, whose recent concert in Inver cargill will be pleasantly remembered, ha» decided to cast in his lot with us for a time’, and has opened a studio in the Crescent where he will undertake the instruction of pupils in violin playing. Himself a brilliant executant, and the holder of high-class-diplomas, M. Franeik will no doubt speedily enrol a good number of pupils. The City Band, under their conductor (MrPhilip H. Mohr), give a promenade concert on the rotunda, weather permitting, next Wednesday evening at 8 o’clock. The following programme will be submitted :—Quickstep, “ Agandab ” (Thompson) ; quadrille,. “Yien” (Mohr); selection, “Lyric Gems” (Round) ; waltz, “ Iris ” (Bucalossi) “ Hungarian Dance ” (Pariski); selection, “Luisa Millar” (Yerdi); waltz, “Naomi” (Mohr) ; grand march, “ Rough and Ready ’* (Hound); National Anthem. Death has been busy of late amongst our old colonists. Mr K. Rose, who was iu.busi-: ness as a bookseller in Invercargill a good many years ago, and who was for a time Mayor of North Invercargill, died in Victoria, on the 20th ult.—Mr W. S. Trotter, of Woodlands, who came to the colony in 1840, has passed away at the age of 78 years, and so has another venerable figure in the person of Mr J. A. Richter, who had attained, his 79th year. The deceased gentleman was. educated at the University of Berlin, and came to the colonies as a Moravian missionary. That was 53 years ago. About 30years since he took up his home in Waikiwi, and devoted himself to orchardry and to literary pursuits, his most important work being a translation of the New Testament. On Tuesday last the Registrar of Electorsfor Invercargill and Awarua (Mr J. Borne) sought the direction of Mr Rawson, R.M., on the construction of sub-section 2, section 6, of the Electoral Act. A man born in the colony, but who had been out of it from 1888 to May this year, had applied to the registrar to bo enrolled on a residential qualification, but tho registrar was of opinion that a year’s residence as defined.: in the Act must be the 13, months before the. statute came into force. Mr Rawson decided that 12 months’residence may have taken place at any period of life solong as the applicant was three months in the district in which he desired to register, and the applicant’s claim will therefore be accepted. This decision will meet a good number of cases. The Hon. J. G. Ward took the electors into his confidence at Mr Kelly’s meeting on Wednesday night. He was speaking incidentally of the appointment of young women as telephone cadets in the public office, and went on to say that soon after bis intentions on this subject were made public he received a most formidable communication. It was written in red ink on white paper, and declared in very emphatic terms that he (Mr Ward) should be extinguished from the face of the earth for what he had done. It stated that his action was calculated to prejudice the position of young men, and if he (Mr Ward) ever came to Auckland he could depend upon being shot. (Laughter.) Mr Ward added, amidst renewed laughter, that he had since visited Auckland, and had escaped unscathed. From evidence given before a Parliamentary Committee in Melbourne, it appears that there are ten factories in South Melbourne, and since 1890 there has been a decrease in the number of men employed at these factories of 2,300 and in the weekly wages paid of £6300. The number of men employed iby the Harbour Trust is less by 617; and the weekly wages by £2225. Under these two heads alone it is calculated that there is £415,003 per annum less paid in wages in South Melbourne than there was three years ago, while altogether he estimates that there are 4700 men out of employment in the district, causing suffering to 14,000 persons. A committee of gentlemen, of whom Messrs E. Woodward and George Searlc are joint secretaries, are tendering a complimentary benefit to the City Band prior to their departure for Christchurch to take part in the contest to be held there next month. The entertainment, the programme for which is an excellent one, takes the form of a concert, and is fixed for Nov. Ist, in the Theatre Royal. The band will perform the two test selections, their conductor (Mr Mohr) will play one of his much-admired solos, one or two of the bandsmen will play the solos they intend to perform at the contest, and several vocalists will make their first appearance before an Invercargill audience. The ready response tho committee have met with in their efforts to make the concert a success, and the fact of the tickets already going off very rapidly, testify to the growing popularily of the City Band, and there is every indication of a bumper house on the Ist.

The great carnival week at Christchurcn is again approaching, and very soon visitors from all parts of the colony will be pouring into the City of the Plains for the races, the agricultural show, and of course the band contest. An announcement of interest to all going from Southland is inserted by the Railway Department, who notify that excursion tickets will be issued from the 2nd of November. Since the Carcoar tragedy in New South Wales, Mr C. W. Jenkins, road superintendent at Inverell, has kept a cocked revolver under his pillow. On retiring to bed one night, the revolver slipped from beneath the pillow and exploded, shooting his wife in the skull at the back of the ear. The bullet penetrated an inch and a half, and Mrs Jenkins we learn from the Melbourne correspondent of the Otago Daily Times) is in a most precarious condition. They had been married only three months. Before leaving for the contest in Christchurch, the members of the Garrison Baud will give the public here an opportunity of judging their chances of success. At a concert to be held in the Theatre Royal on Friday, 3rd November, they will play the two test pieces, and a number of instrumental solos will also be given. We understand that among the vocalists who will take part in the programme will be two gentlemen who have not hitherto been heard in Invercargill. _ A feature of the proceedings will be the playing by the band of “ Lead, Kindly Light,” which excited great admiration when given here prior to the baud leaving for the last contest. The prices for admission are on a very popular scale, and there is sure so be a crowded house to listen to what will without doubt prove a musical treat. Mr Georgeson, the well known baker and confectioner of the Bluff, is preparing to meet the flowing tide of excursionists who will visit the port now that the period of cheap fares is once more upon us. liis advertisement in regard to his arrangements appears in this issue. They include comfortable waiting rooms, which will be appreciated by heads of families and others with halfan-hour to spare before train time. Incidentally it may be mentioned that he has been successful for the second time in securing the contract for supplying the Union Co’s, steamers with bread, produce, etc., and has lately carried out a number of improvements on his freehold premises. II is faith in the future of the port is evidently of the strongest, Reverting to the steamer contract it may be added Uial the produce item alone is something consider able. A big supply of fowls has to be kept, and Mr Georgeson also makes heavy drafts on several of our leading butter-makers. For sometime past (states the Dunedin correspondent of the Tuapeka Times) the discontent among the shopkeepers has been steadily ripening into revolt on the Saturday half-holiday question. I have from the outset of this movement maintained that the shopkeepers would be compelled to resist openly the tyranny under which alone they ever agreed,* however unwillingly, to submit to the dictation of their employes. I know as a fact that the losses of some of those traders have been very heavy. They have seen week after week their custom fall away and their receipts diminish, while their expenses were as heavy as formerly, and yet in the face of these experiences they found themselves compelled to submit to this unexampled piece of tyranny. Among the small traders the consequences have been, of course, much worse. Many of these struggling people have been absolutely ruined. Their sole dependence was on their Saturday-night trade; but they were compelled to forfeit this, and bring ruin on themselves and their families because the shop assistants in the city objected to a half-holiday on any other day of the week but Saturday. The action of the Legislative Council in throwing out the compulsory measure has inspired the shopkeepers with fresh courage, and a large number of them have decided on closing on Thursday afternoon for the future and keeping open on Saturdays as heretofore.