General News

Southern Cross, Volume 1, Issue 39, 23 December 1893, Page 13

General News

Our readers are in possession to-day of what . is, we believe, the first Christmas ■number oi -a penny paper published in hew Zealand. It is also, if we mistake not, ithe first Christmas number issued in Invercargill. The notion of a penny Christmas number has “caught on ” wonderfully, and orders for copies poured in at such a rate that the whole edition has been absorbed beforehand. A large number of extra co'pies go to our agents at the Bluff, Winton, dore, Mataura, Otautau. Orepnki, Woodlands, Lumaden and Balfour, (fee., and in town great eagerness has been shown to obtain the Christmas number of the Cross. Book out next week for interesting contributions from “ Aurora.” “ Will-o’ tbeWisp,” and W. H. Mathiesoo. In addition -4o a sketch of the famous Brooklyn bridge, W-H.M. will tell our young folks something about Buffalo Bill and circus life in America. Some important additions to’the bye-laws of the borough of CampbeHtmvn arepublished In this issue. The railway arrangements for the Christmas holidays are advertised in another column. Mr and Mrs P. L. GS-iikison have returned to Invercargill after a long and a very pleasant trip to the Old Country and the (Continent. The Southland Art Society held their annual meeting and first exhibition this week. We shall have something to say concerning the latter next week. No Gaelic column this week, but we have in hand for publication an excellent article by -our esteemed contributor “ Cabarfeidb.” Polling for the election of a Second Ward Councillor look place on Thursday. Result: -—J. S. Goldie, 136 ; W. Smith, 132 ; and J. iKingsland, 23. The South Australian Legislative Council lias struck out a clause in the Mining Sill which provided for an eight hours day, and prohibited the employment of women underground. At the Sydney wool sales greasy crossbred is fetching 6)d to lOd per lb, and scoured fleece 10 Jd to 17-id. At the Melbourne sales ;greasy merino is selling at up to OJd.

Thursday was the longest day, and scarcely :a glimpse of summer yet, but instead unkindly frosts, which have played sad havoc with the potato crops. Plenty of gold, no water is the position of ■matters at Coolgardie (W.A.) Many claims have had to be abandoned owing to want of water. At Ba.yley s Howard mine 1200 jounces of gold were taken out in ten hours. At the last meeting of Mr C. Gray’s Thursday Night Class he was the recipient of a tangible proof of their esteem in the shape of a handsome writing desk and -ilreasing case. The presentation was made ■on behalf ®f the Class by Miss Mabel Crofts, and was warmly acknowledged. . Mr G. S. Crouch, mayor of Hobart for the ■terra just closed, was a passenger by the steamer Mararoa from Hobart yesterday. Mr ■Crouch, who was formerly an esteemed citizen of this town, is on a holiday tour, and will .receive a warm welcome from many old friends. There will be a big attraction for holidaymakers at the El aft on Boxing Day, when Mr 32. Cavill, the champion swimmer of Australia, will give a scries of exhibitions in the harbour. Mr Cavil 1 appeared lately in Dunedin, and delighted a large number of onlookers by his fancy, ornamental, and speed, swimming, Mr Cavill, who is on his way to 32 n gland to compete for the world’s championship, will perform his ; great “ Monte -.Christo Act”—in other words, he will allow himself to be placed in a sack, and weighted with one hundred weight of shot, sewn up and thrown into twenty feet of water. An ■advertisement in regard to the event appears on page 14. Wc understand that Mr W. Deverill, the well-known draftsman, who was formerly in the Government'service here; and afterwards in Auckland and Wellington, will shortly return to Invercargill, having been re-trans-ferred to this town. There is every likelihood that the Southland Caledonian Society’s games on New Year’s Day will “ take the cake ” for interesting competitions. A number of our athletes have been hard at work training, •and some keen contests for supremacy may be looked for. It may be mentioned that in ■order to facilitate the work of receiving ■entries the secretary (Mr J. Matheson) will be in attendance at the Winton and Kennington sports. A capital photograph of the Garrison Band has been taken by Mr C. Campbell. It is of large size, and will doubtless be in request by admirers of the champion bandsmen. The band, it may be added, give a concert from the rotunda to-morrow night after ohurch hours. Dr Lemon has retired from the office of Superintendent of the Post and Telegraph Department. His successor is Mr J. K. Loj ;an, the popular inspector of telegraphs. The prizes to be won in Sfc. Mary’s Art Union have been on view during the week, and have been inspected and admired by a large number of people. In addition to the paintings already mentioned, a fine picture, .entitled “ The Crusaders,” has been put iu position. Tickets are going off rapidly.

The annual meeting of members of St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church was held on Wednesday evening. , A very pleasing feature of the occasion was an address by the Rev. J. G. Patterson, who is now on a visit to the district from Napier. Miss Henderson, who is no stranger to the ladies of Invercargill, calls attention in another column to the Anglo-Parisian system of dress-cutting. Mrs Napier, who has secured the New Zealand rights, has appointed Miss Henderson her local agent for giving instruction in the art, which has become quite the fashion wherever introduced, and received the attention of several members of the Royal .Family. On another page will be found the first of a series of articles on voice cultivation, written by Mr Geo. Barnes, a gentleman who has settled down in Invercargill as a voice trainer.- As the interest taken here in matters musical is steadily increasing it is hoped these articles will be found useful to vocalists. We owe an apology to our contributor “Vox” this week. The exigencies of “ makeup ” have compelled the appearance of his notes on another \ age than the one on which they are usually given, while the “ comp,”' lost doubtless in visions of the pudding and roast beef so graphically depicted by “ Vox,” forgot to put the usual signature. The City Guards’ Band will give a concert from the Rotunda this (Saturday) evening, when the following programme will be submitted : —Quickstep, “ G.R.U.” (German), overture, “ Morimo ” (Williams), waltz, “ Iris ” (Bucalossi), lancers, “ St. Andrew’s Day” (Wright), polka, “ Twinkling Tootsies ” (Watson), waltz, “ Love’s Dreamland ” (Reeder), quadrille, “ The Gipsy Queen ” (Robinson), galop, “Snowball” (Dodsworth). Reference to the advertisement in connection with the railway holiday arrangements will suffice to show that Her Majesty’s subjects in this part of the world will have ample facilities for enjoyment on Boxing Day. Among the fixtures announced the Whnton Caledonian games form one of the most popular country gatherings in the district, and will draw a large attendance, while the picnic of the City Guards’ Band at Mokotua is also certain to be well patronised.