General News.

Southern Cross, Volume 2, Issue 26, 22 September 1894, Page 8

General News.

Our prize coupon in connection -with theband contest will be published next week. A miner has been murdered at Coolgardie. At the Police Court yesterday Chas. Bates was charged on the information of Charles Mclntosh (secretary of the Shearers’ Amalgamated Union) with having embezzled 10s, the value of two members’ tickets sold by him. and the proceeds of which had not been accounted for. After hearing evidence the case was dismissed, the Court holding that while there had been negligence on the part of the defendant in not accounting, there was no criminal intent. Mr Wade appeared for the prosecution, and Mr Macalister for the defendant. An entertainment will be held in St. Joseph’s schoolroom next Friday evening,, 28th September. A good programme has been arranged for the occasion. Mr Gladstone has expressed himself in favour of the State selling alcohol for public profit as against local option. The opening run of the Invercargill Cycling Club, which takes place next Wednesday afternoon, promises to be a big affair. The Club now numbers some 120 members, and it is fully anticipated that, given good weather, close on 200 riders, including a number of ladies, will take part. The wheelmen will start from the post office, and after going through some manoeuvres, will have a. “run ” into the country. People in search of a compact little property in the West Plains, where the land is of exceptionally good quality, would do well to note that Messrs J. N. Simon offer 18 acres there to-day on easy terms The Supreme Court Hotel, which was closed in June last, has been reopened as a Temperance Hotel by Mrs Henderson (late of Dunedin). She intends running it upon the same lines as Mrs Silk’s.placein Dunedin,, paying special attention to the table. The establishment is well fitted up with every convenience, and should be well patronised during the coming months. Gore and Tapanui are suffering from outbreaks of misdirected energy in the shape of larrikinism. The Japanese have gained a decisive victory over the Chinese at Pingyang, and as a. consequence Li Hung Chang, one of the celestial Governor-Generals, has been deprived of his last peacock’s feather, and there are signs of panic amongst some sections of China’s 886,000,000 inhabitants over a pqssible invasion by the Japanese. Dyeino, up to date. Your Clothes scoured, dyed, repaired, pressed by practical men on the premises. Pounds may be saved by consulting GEO. BOSS & CO., opposite the Supreme Court, Tay street, where they have commenced business as above. A long experience gained in Hew Zealand, Melbourne,, and London gives them every .confidence in asking your support.— Advt.

The Assembly of New South Wales has approved of the principle of women’s suffrage.

We mentioned last week that some large estates were about to be subdivided for settlement purposes and placed in the The Taieri Advocate states that they include the Merrivale, and Five Rivers proprties.

It is stated that when the recommendations of the Parliamentary Committee re the Midland Railway are agreed to, some big contracts, furnishing work for a thousand men, will be put in hand. * The gorse in Tokomairiro is being ravaged by a blight very similar to that which has attacked the plant in Canterbury. It is stated in the North that gorse can be made to feed 15 sheep to the acre. The Rev. G. Smith, of Dunedin, has accepted a call to the First Presbyterian Church, Invercargill.

Early last month a boy' of elevep years named John Hayward disappeared from his home near Wallacetown, and as some of his clothes were found near a channel used for drainage purposes it was feared that he had been drowned. All doubt as to the poor fellow’s fate was set at rest on Wednesday, when his remains were found in the channel.

There is a good attendance and brisk competition at the London wool sales. Scoured wool is unchanged as compared with last sales, but other sorts are from par to five per cent, above July rates. Good crossbreds show the greatest rise.

The s.s. Maori King’s shipment of N.S.W. bullocks of second quality brought 4d to 4Jd per lb. It is estimated that it cost £l6 each to land the cattle from Kew South Wales, exclusive of insurance, while they only realised £l6 14s. To make the traffic pay it would be necessary to send five to eight hundred in order to reduce the freight and cost of fodder.

At a sitting of the Police Court on Monday last the licensee of the Gladstone was fined £2 and costs, and had his license endorsed, for supplying liquor to an intoxicated person, J. C. Howie. The defendant pleaded that he had only given him a glass of lemonade with a spoonful of beer in it in order to get him away quietly, as he was quarrelsome.

“ Farmer ” in the Tapanui Courier has discovered a panacea for all our troubi'es. If bis idea were adopted “ It would save millions to the country in a few years. Instead of sinking rapidly we should soon rise, taxes wonld diminish, farmers would be able to employ labor, free trade would flourish, swaggers lessen in number, and the present miserable depression would yield to the prosperity of long ago. ” Can readers guess what is “ Farmer’s ” remedy ? Simply to abolish Government for a few years and give the country a rest. k

Warning is given by our Mosgiel contemporary of the presence in that district of a young woman named Amy Bock, whose achievements in the false pretences line occupied the attention of the police in Dunedin several years ago. She called the other evening at the house of the Eev. Mr McKerrow, and stated that she was on her way to Fortrose, and had lost her railway ticket. Assistance was given her, but later suspicions were aroused, and she was advised to depart. This she did. She is thus described :■ —•“ About sft. in height, is of dark complexion, wijh dark brown hair and brown eyes. She has a small and not unprepossessing face, and has short curly hair. She is a good conversationalist, and is said to be very well educated. She is a splendid pianist, and is altogether the last sort of young lady that one would expect to be a most expert swindler,”