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Waikato Argus, Volume IV, Issue 249, 19 February 1898, Page 2

Madame Albani has arrived at Adelaide. Sir R. Stout's resignation of his seat for Wellington City is gazetted. Members of the Waipa Amateur Athletic Club are reminded that the annual meeting takes place this evening. A man named Hession engaged on the railway formation works beyond the l'oro-otorao tunnel dropped dead when at work on Wednesday morning. Mr Hall, who is in the Auckland Hospital in consequence of an attempt to commit suicide at Pirongia, shows little improvement since his admission. Mr Thomas Bracken, well-known as a journal.st end poet, died in the Duncdin Hospital on Wednesday from the effects of goitre. He was 55 years of oge. The Bijou Comedy Company played two nights in the Ohaupo Hall on their return from the King Country, and, being sheep-fair time, had good houses. A break will leave (weather permitting) Mr Sutton's stables, Hamilton, at 10 o'clock this morning to take the Hamilton cricket team to Ohaupo to play the local club. During a considerable part of yesterday and last night a warm gentle rain fell in most parts of the district, and the effects will be most beneficial on all crops and pastures. Mr W. H. Wallis, who has been appointed Distiict Valuer under the Government Valuation of Lands Act, 1896, liai come to Hamilton to reside and will enter on the duties of his new office at once. The Hey. I\. Somerville will pt each at Ohaupo to-morrow morning; To Awaniutu in the afternoon and at Kihikihi io the evening. At the latter p'acc the Sacrament of the Lord's Stopper will be celebrated. At the Hamilton Presbyterian Church to morrow, the Rev. W. Smith will preach in the morning, and the Rev. J. M. Mitchell in the evci.iiig. Mr Smith will preach at the service at Tamahere in the afternoon. Mr E. de C. Drury, surveyor, of Hamilton, will proceed to Waihoti on Monday next to meet Mr L. Cussen, District Surveyor, in connection with the final sub-divisions of the Rangiatea Estate. This estate has been taken over by the Government, and it ia intended to have it cut up and thrown open for selection by Ist April. The Auckland branch of the Women's Liberal League had a most enjoyable evening of wrangle and recrimination on Thursday. The ladies appear to love tath other much. They succeeded at last in electing an executive, the purpose for which they appear to have met. It would have been much better for all if thry had stayed nt home and attended to th-ir household duties, in place of making theniselvos ridiculous in public,

We have received from Messrs ! Williamson and Musgrove a very lengthy notice of the " Sign of the Cross," which they are about to stage in Auckland. They offer us free tickets if we publish it. Our space is much too valuable to allow of the iiucrtion of puffs at the price. When we attend theatres solely for our own aimrement we pay for our tickets and take advertisements on the same terms. Last Sunday the Vicar of a certain parish (not 100 miles from Cambridge) haMiig the afternoon free elected to take charge of the small-boys' class in the Sabbath school During the course of the lesson the followitig dialogue took place :—Vicar : " Now cm any of you litt'e nieu tell me what fin Adam committed ? " No response. Vicar (encouragingly).: "What sin did he committ ? " Precocious small boy (eagerly) : " Suicide Sir ! " The Vicar-General of (he Roman Catholic Diocese of Christchurch has asked the Board of Education to authorise the inspection of the Roman Catholic Schools in Canterbury by the inspectors of the Board, lie points out that Roman Catholics, as taxpayers, have a right that their schools shall be so inspected, and also that the want ot such inspection debars their children from obtaining positious ill the Civil Service. The Board has deferred the consideration of the matter until next meet'n?, A new tent h.vs been erected in Cambridge next to Mr Riley's tailor's shop, and opposite the Post-office. The tent, which is well lighted and comfortably seated, looks quite cheerful with one of Bell's organs. It is Pastor Steed's intention to give Bible lectures each night in the week, except on Friday. The subject of healthful living and how to avoid diseases will also receive attention. The first service will be held tomorrow evening, when Mr Steed, who is a devout believer in the Divinity of Jesus Christ, will deal with the questions asked in our advertising columns. The attention of the philatelic authorities in London having been called to the issue of the New South Wales and Victoria hospital stamps, it has been declared that " inasmuch as these were entirely unnecessary for postal purposes, and were only made available in order to induce collectors to buy at cnhar.ccd prices," the latter are informed that the stamps in question will not be recognised as such by the society. This declaration has the effect of rendering the stamps as so much waste paper from the collectors' point of view. Stamp collecting has reached such lengths that collectors alone—or dealers acting for them, which is the same thLg—are capable of absorbing from £IO,OOO to £20,000 worth ot a bona fide issue. An Order-in Council revokes previous regulations with regard to members of Parliament sending telegrams, and provides that members may send telegrams prepaid at the following rates:---For the first 36 words, or any fraction thereof, including address and signature, 6d ; for every four words or fraction of four words after the first 36 words--, Id. Such telegrams shall be restricted to domestic, public, or Parliamentary business during th? session of Parliament and a period of fcurteen days immediately before and fourteen days immediately after the sess - on of Parliament, During the remainder of the recess they shall be restricted to public or Parliamentary business entirely. Any disregard of thtse conditions will reuder the telegrams presented liable to be treated ami charged for as ordinary telegrams, or refused acceptance. We have to acknowledge receipt from the Department of Agriculture of a copy of the report of the proceedings of the Conference of Australasian Fruitgrowers, held in the International Exhibition Bui dings, Bowen Park, Queensland, in June last. The report extends over 160 pages and, as may be inferred, from the representative nature of the gathering, a large fund of useful information has been collected, dealing with every branch of horticulture. The New Zealand representatives who attended the Conference were :—Messrs T. VV. Kirk, Biologist Department of Agriculture ;M, Campbell, South Island ; and Messrs G. H. Grapes and E. Morrison, Nortli Island. Two New Zealand papers were read at the Conference, one prepared by Mr Joseph Mayo, on "Nut Culture," and the other prepared by Mr J. C. Biackmore on " Fighting Insects and Insect Pests." Sir Robert Stout could not have chosen a more fitting occasion for announcing in person h ; s own withdrawal from politics than the unveiling of the statue erected to the statesman at whose dying rrquest he had re-entered public life. The touching description of his relations with Mr Billance will explain much in his recent political career which has been misunderstood and miireprc* sentecl. The deceased leader undoubtedly wished Sir Robert to carry on the work of reform he had himself begun, but naturally would never have desired to tie his parry to any particular man. The party choae another leader, and whatever one may think of the means employed by that leader to gain his election one must admit that the party only exercised its right of choice. The promise given to Mr Ballance that he would fight for the cause of " pure Government and those Liberal principles which the deceased desired so much to see accomplished " compelled Sir Robert Stout to oppose a man who was masquerading in Ins predecessor's mantle, and converting the latter's principles into an empty jargon to cover his own interested aims. This is what many so-called " Liberals " have been pleased to rail Sir Robert's " desertion c.f his party," and so on. Probably the future will prove even more oomph tely than the past has where the " desertion '' comes in, ar.d who should be rightly charged with it.—Post.