News and Notes.

Southern Cross, Volume 2, Issue 23, 1 September 1894, Page 5

News and Notes.

Constable Burnett, late of Invercargill* bas gone to Ooolgardie. Owing to continuouss rain' the English harvest is being impaired. Mr Wright, evangelist, concluded a successful mission in Invercargill, last Monday. The Lands for Settlement Bill has been read a second time in the Legislative Council. The Kaikorai men are coming to Invercargill to play the local Pirates. Now then, Pirates I Disgraceful! In Dunedin some people were seen to go from grave to grave and rob them of the flowers. It is understood in Wellington that the proposed amalgamation of the N.Z. and Colonial Banks has failed. Mr W. Balfour, of Napier, shot himself while suffering from depression following an attack of influenza. Mr A. Kelpe, cabinetmaker’, of this town, has decided to try his fortune at Coolgardie. We wish him all success.

“ No bank south of the Equator is now stronger than the Bank of New Zealand,” declares Mr Gllyn, chairman of directors.

It is computed that there are now enough paupers in Great Britain to form four abreast, a procession considerably over 100 miles in length !

On the 30th of April last the number of sheep in the colony was estimated at 20,122,556, or an increase of 742,187 as compared with the previous year. One hundred and twenty-three of the unemployed presented themselves te Mr Earnie in Dunedin this week, he having been authorised to select 20 men to work on the Otago Central near Hyde. At Danevirke Miss Bessie Doyle, the violinist, who refused to respond to an encore on account of the small attendance, was hooted. People up that way evidently like quantity as well as quality. But to hoot a woman! Eie!

A night school for boys, which has been carried on in Hobart for a considerable time by a woman named Gordon, was lately raided by the police, and proved to be a gambling den. Nine youths, from 14 to 19 years of age, were arrested for gambling. Helson Bros, of London and N.Z., have patented a process for thawing frozen meat by means of which it is expected that the value of the meat will be increased from Id to Ifd per lb.

We learn from the Riverton Star that it has been decided to keep up the Band. As they lost all their music, stands, and some of their instruments, they were put in an awkward predicament, and they intend to appeal to the generosity of the Rivertonians shortly to give them assistance to start afresh. Lady Grant, who died at Melton Mowbray recently in her ninetieth year, had stayed with Scott at Abbotsford, and had many curious stories of ‘ Beau Brummell, whom she knew well. She was one of the few persons living whose parents had sat for portraits to Sir Joshua Reynolds.

The Woodville Examiner states that some of the settlers in the Mangatainoka village settlement have been very successful. Mr Chapman realised a return of £BO per acre for potatoes, the cost of putting in the crops being £ls. Mr Helps and his family from about 20 acres leasehold and 20 acres Village Settlement realised £l5O last season from cows and pigs. Many of the Village Settlers are now employers of labor. Surely this should act as an impetus to many of our unimployed and others, who are inclined to hang about the cities too much, and worry the labor bureaus and Government to find them work. ‘ Strike out for ourselves ’ should be their motto.

Columny in tlie Cathedral ! This is the heading to a vigorous article in the Christchurch Press, in which the writer takes to task the Rev. Mr Pascoe for having made a somewhat startling assertion. During his sermon last Sunday, the rev. gentleman is reported to have said that if the law were altered to give women the same facility as men for obtaining divorce it would leave half the marriages in that City open to dissolution.

A throne became vacant on Sunday last, King Tawhiao succumbing on that day to an attack of influenza. He long had been a king only in name, and it is unlikely that a successor will be set up. The death of kingism among the Maories, for as such it may be regarded, brings to pass a prediction made by Sir George Grey many years ago. Tawhiao was at one time in receipt of a pension, but gave it up at the request of his people, who have a finer sense of the fitness of things than many Europeans.

■ Mrs Robert Wilson, who is described as ‘ the wife of an engineer who is engaged in the construction of railways in B. H. Z.,’ has written a book in which she gives an account of her three years sojourn in the Colony. A reviewer of the book in the Dundee Advertiser makes merry at the expense of our railways thus : ‘ Railways have not yet attained perfection in HT. Z., the speed of an express train not exceeding 23 miles per hour, and the ordinary rate of progress being about 12 miles. On one line the engine was stopped to draw up on the slightest provocation, and had been known to stop so that the guard might give change to a pedestrian. One can therefore easily credit the tale of the old woman putting her luggage in the van, and remarking to the guard that she would walk that day as she was in a bit of a hurry.’ The Star football team upheld their reputation well in Dunedin against the Kaikorai, the crack team of Otago, losing only by six points. On their way home they tried conclusions with the Gore men, the game being a drawn one. The Ensign says the Gore meti played a most determined game, and pressed our boys very hard. In Dunedin, the Times rebresentative said that the passing, what little there was of it, was poor, being too slow and too high. At Gore this, was altered, the Ensign saying that there was some tine passing. Did the Star men do better at Gore than Dunedin, or does the Ensign man really' know what good passing is ? Speaking on the Factories Act, the Hon. Mr Jenkinson (Christchurch) said he thought the Inspector should have power to look after the Government Railway workshops, many of which were nothing but man-traps. He also thought that girls should be stopped from selling newspapers and matches, and this objection included the selling of War Crys by Hallelujah lassies, who went into hotels and questionable places to sell their particular paper. He also objected to the clause which prevented boys from working in foundries more than 45 hours a-week. If the clauses were passed they would prevent men from living, because boys must be employed, for instance, in boilers, to enable men to work. Re the Army, we think it would take a lot to keep the lassies from bombarding the ‘ pubs.’

Mr Mackintosh has had a tussle with his Harbor bill, but has stuck manfully to his guns, getting it read a third time. We fear, however, the Lords will ‘ sit on it.’ Be that as it may, the Riverton folk cannot accuse their member of any remissness. What a transformation would take place at the sleepy little western town were this much - talked-of harbor to be an actual fact! What bustle and excitement would succeed the dullness at present reigning, were the large ocean-going steamers to make Riverton their first port of call! But what about poor Bluff P Hot yet, Riverton!

An Irishman, wanting his hair cut, dropped into a saloon not 20 miles from Invercargill. A youth, commenced to operate on him. Hot liking the way he went about it, our friend enquired how long he had been in the business. Six weeks,’ said the lad. ‘ Oh, well,’ said the Irishman, ‘ I will look in again when you have been another six weeks at it. Good morning.’

Dunedin gossips have got something to talk about. A handsome young lady, well-known in the city, and especially in the Jewish section of it, met a distinguished-looking and apparently wealthy foreign gentleman. ’Twas a case of love at first sight, and a few days later they were married,unknown to the lady’s parents, at the registrar’s office, and left for Christchurch. Here the bridegroom stole a bicycle to raise enough to continue the honeymoon trip, but was detected, brought to book, and admitted to probation. It then appeared that he had been employed as a grocer’s assistant in Dunedin, and had married under a different name. Skim, milk had masqueraded as cream with, a vengeance.