The Southern Cross. PUBLISHED WEEKLY. Invercargill, Saturday, Feb. 3. General News

Southern Cross, Volume 1, Issue 45, 3 February 1894, Page 8

The Southern Cross. PUBLISHED WEEKLY. Invercargill, Saturday, Feb. 3. General News

Mr Gladstone, says the Pall Mall Gazette, intends to resign immediately owing to age and disappointment at the failure of Home Rule. Mr Gladstone denies that he has any intention of resigning, but admits that the condition of his sight and hardness of his hearing have long rendered relief from public cares desirable. An interesting illustrated article on the electric light in Manchester is given in this issue. The facts and figures given will repay study. Gore is to be lighted with electricity shortly, and it may be taken for granted that it will ere long supersede gas in many colonial towns. A portrait and sketch ol the late Mr Milner Stephen, the faith healer, will be given next week. Many people will remember the excitement caused by his visit here some years ago. At the next meeting of the Invercargill borough Council Or. Hanan is to move for the appointment of a committee to report as to a site for, and the cost of, public baths. We are glad to note that our recent article has had the desired effect. At the Police Court on Wednesday Duncan Stewart, an elderly man, at one time an inmate of a lunatic asylum, was committed for trial for stabbing William Collie, landlord of the Criterion Hotel. The wounds are not dangerous. The man made himself offensive to the waitress, and Mr Collie turned him out. The business of the J, G. Ward Farmers’ Assocaiation is to be extended to the North Island. A five-storyed building is to be erected in Wellington for their use. North Canterbury was visited by a severe thunderstorm on Monday last. A number of trees were struck, windows broken, a calf killed, a horse stunned, and a quantity of fencing wire destroyed. Part of the last sitting of the District Court at Invercargill was occupied with the action P. S. Fulton v. R. B. Ross, a Dipton case, in which the plaintiff, a youth of 15, w'ho sued by his next friend, claimed Ll5O for slander. Defendant denied using the specific -words alleged, and after hearing evidence the jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff—damages, one farthing Mr Brodrick applied for an order for a new trial, and this will be argued to-day. Mr Macalister appeared for the defendant. The French anarchists are a desperate set. Their latest idea, recently discovered, was to dvmanite the headsman told off to guillotine Vaillant, the perpertrator of the outrage in the Chamber of Deputies. It costs a fraction under 5s 9d per head a week to keep the inmates of the Wellington Old Men’s Homo

The hearing of a charge of criminal assault upon a girl at Thornbury, preferred against a resident of the township, named J. P. Weir occupied the Police Court yesterday, and had not been concluded when we went to press. According to the Crown Solicitor, Dunedin, a married woman can only become the owner licensee, or lessee under parts 3,4, or 5, of the Land Act, 1892, of 320 acres of first-class land or of 1000 acres of second-class land, but she may be an applicant for 2000 acres of land inclusive of not more than 640 acres of first-class land Mr W. B. Scandrett begins business in Invercargill from Ist March, as a public, accountant, land, insurance, house, and commision agent.

ISTo contributions have come to hand this w eek from our Gaelic friends, but we hope to hear from them next week. Six tenders were received for the KisbeeWilson’s Diver Tramway. W. Miller gets the job at £555 Is 3d.

A pitiable sight was lately witnessed on the coast of Kerry, 25 persons on hoard the Scotch barque Port Tarrock perishing before the eyes of the people on shore. Mr Allan Hamilton, who piloted the Myra Kemble! Company through the colony, will strike Dunedin at Easter with a variety company 35 strong, with a ballet and full orchestra. They will probably visit Invercargill, Mr Hamilton being well satisfied with his pi’evious local experiences.

The Nelson Colonist of 23rd January, in a a report of a concert given for a charitable purpose, speaks in very complimentary terms of the instrumental selections given by Mr and Mrs Black and their daughter Nellie. Miss Black, it is stated, “ possesses musical ability of a high order,” and has been carefully taught. The little lady also gave a violin solo at Mr Bracken’s benefit concert inDunedin on Wednesday night.

A telephone office and bureau is now open at Brown’s, in the Forest Hill District. Hours of attendance —9 a.m. to 5 p.m. closed on Sundays and holidays; telegrams delivered regularly: An office is also open at Hokonui, the hours of attendance being the the same.

Ha mess and others, connected with the Medical Electric Company, have been discharged r n the ground of insufficient evidence of fraud.

The Bluff is to be included in the ports at which cool stores are to be erected for the receipt of jmxlucc for export.