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Waikato Argus, Volume XI, Issue 1098, 14 November 1901, Page 2

In the Hunt Club Cup run at the Auckland races yesterday, George Wilkinson, a returned trooper, who was riding Peter Simple, had his thigh broken through his mount falling at the sod wall. By an advertisement in this issue it is notified that the executors of the late Mr Graham Biuce will carry on the work at King’s College as hitherto, Mr G. Bigg-Wither, 8.A., acting us headmaster pro. tem. On the Antwerp steamer SaghaHen, unloading at Marseilles, four hundred and eighty rats, which had died of plague, were discovered in her holds. The authorities of the French ports are discussing the question of wholesale rat destruction. Says an exchonge ; —A Taranaki man says that Te Whiti had to go out of business as a prophet because the Maoris found, by sad experience, that he could not pick the winner t f a hack race. They won’t even take a ' tip ’ on a dog fight from him now. The potato is cooked. Although under the Commonwealth the fiscal barriers between the various States have been broken down, artificial methods are being resorted to by the tailw'ay authorities in some of the States to protect their trade. For instance, the freight from Sydney to Wagga Wagga on fencing wire has been reduced from £4 to £2 2s fid in order to prevent Melbourne merchants from capturing the trade. f A rather remarkable occurrence was reported at Gisborne from the Motu bush lately. Five bushmen were working at one contract. Ou one eventful Saturday the first by a slip of the axe cut his leg, the second his kneecap, the third was injured by a falling tree, the fourth had a had fall from where he was working, and to complete the quintette the fifth man cut his foot, and was laid up for some weeks. In the course of a case at the SM. Court at Eliham recently, it appeared from the evidence that a horse dealer had effected a sale of an animal on a Sunday. This, the S.M pointed out, was illegal. The point of the law is that a tradesman must not carry on his own business on Sunday. He may„oarry on some business other than his own, e.g., a horse-dealer may sell a plough or a draper n ay sell a horse.

Captain Richardson, of CamI ridge, has received information from Lieut.-Colonel Davies that sections 28 aud 29 of that Borough have been granted to No. 3 Company of the Waikato Mounted Rifles, as a site for a drill shed. We understand steps will at once be taken to try and get such a building erected. The sections above referred to are situated at the corner of Victoria and Fort-streets—the corner opposite Mr E. N. Souter’s residence.

Mr and Mrs A. A. Smith, of the National Hotel, Cambridge, were much amused yesterday at receiving an elaborate card of invitation from the Government, requesting the pleasure of their company at the presentation of medals made to the New Zealand contingents by the Duke of York on the 12th of last Juno in Auckland. This was the first intimation they received of the function ; somebody must have had the ‘ Government stroke 1 with a vengeance.

William Power, of Taotaoroa, was brought up again yesterday mornirg at Cambridge, charged with stealing a horse from David O’Donoghue of Napier in February last. Mr Swarbiick accused’s solicitor, wrote asking to have the accused remanded. Declive Hcrbe-t and Constable McGilp agreeing to the application, accused was remanded for eight dear days, namely till Friday the 22nd inst. Bail was enlarged to double the former amount. Mr Wells was the presiding Justice. The managing director of a manufacturing company in Melbourne employing a very large number of bands, in a letter to a friend in Dunedin, says : l As for federation, if a vote were taken to-day, the idea would lie sent into obscurity for ever; the cost of living here up 25 per cent; the cost to New South Wales you can imagine, sesiug that they had practically a free list before. Will wages go up ? Not a bit of it. lam completely cleansed of any taint of protection I ever had. Queensland will go to the verge of a civil war over the Kanaka injustice ; while Tasmania can squeak, and that is all.’

A meeting of the local branch of the Liberal Federation took place last evening in the Wesleyan Schoolroom, Hamilton. The principal business was the election of officers. Mr E. White

was elected president, Mr J. Bettley secretary, Mr Andrews treasurer, and Messrs J. S. Bond and Geo. Parr delegates. Several additional membets were enrolled, and it was decided to invite Sir J. G. Ward to give a political address when in Hamilton to open the new Post-office. Votes of thanks to the retiring president, Mr Bond, and the late secretary, Mr Young, were passed, and the meeting closed.—(Contributed.)

For some time past the Oddfellows of Cambridge have considering the advisability of selling their Hall in that town. We are told that during the past year they have received several offers for the premises, and they have finally agreed to part with the property, if a reasonable offer for it is forthcoming. At a meeting of the members held on Monday, evening the trustees were authorised to sell, by 35 votes to 1, so there is every probability that is will soon pass into other bauds. We learn it will most likely be converted in a hnge shop and show room j and a good one it will make. We think the members of the Lodge are acting wisely, for wooden buildings are expensive to keep in order and seldom pay interest on the outlay. The Borough should also bensfit by the transaction, for the Public Hall, which has been a white elephant for years, will come into use again. Those who induced the Oddfellows to purchase the Baptist Tabernacle and run it in opposition to the Public Hall, were no friends to the ratepayers. The Western Pacific Herald, of September 28th, published at Fiji, contains the following paragraph, which may interest many of our readers: — ‘ Death has again been visiting the residents of Fiji, and on this occasion Mrs Margaret Gaspard, wife of Mr E. M. Gaspard, of Dayui Levu, has gone to her lust home. The deceased lady had been suffeiiog for some time past, and two months back proceeded to Auckland, hoping that the change would benefit her. No immediate danger was anticipated, and therefore the news to hand by the Rotokino that she had died on the 10th instant must have come as a terrible shock to her bereaved husband. He had intended to join his wife in New Zealand by the last steamer, but at the last moment business engagements prevented him. The cause of death is stated to have been consumption. Mrs Gaspard was a daughter of Mr B. Murray, of Hamilton, and was quite young, being only about 2G years of age. She married Mr Gaspard, who is one of our largest banana and cane planters on the Rena, about six years ago, and leaves two children (twins) about five years of age. Much sympathy has been expressed tor Mr Gaspard, as his wife was well liked by everyone who kuew her in Fiji, and during her comparatively short life here she had made many friends. 1 Members of Local Bodies are in a position to form a good opinion as to the circulation of a newspaper. All, thk Local Bodies in the Waikato, Waipa, Raglan, and I’iako Counties advertise in The Aegub. Verb. sap.

A meeting of No. 3 Company Waiba‘o Mounted Rillea will be held after the parade on Saturday next, to consider important business. The Daily Express states that the Oceanic Steamship Company is urging' Great Britain to abandon the Suez Canal route for the Australian mails in favour of the five days quicker ’Frisco route. The Sydney Morning Herald dealing with the New Zealand Government proposal to establish a direct line of steamers to South Africa, states that it i < I, formed by a prominent New Zealander, identified with oversea shipping, that the response on the part of shippers to a recent announcement of a larger steamer intending loading direct for Africa proved veiy meagre and disappointing, and the outlook for such a Service or profitable lines is gloomy.

A rather amusing incident took place shortly after Major General Sir Hector Macdonald’s depar u e from Wanganui. The train was stopped at St. John’s by a solitary female who signalled with her parasol to the guard. Tire amusement of the General end other passengers, and the disgust of the train officials can better.be imagined than described, when it was discovered tint the supposed passenger was an autograph hunter waylaying the General for his much coveted signature. Her persistent importunity prevailed, the ferra’e’s heart was gladdened, and His Majesty's express resumed it journey northwards.S In 1890 a great horror took possession of the minds of the American people. The negro population seemed to be increasing quickly, and visions of the ‘Stars and Snipes’ buried by negroes bewildered the national mind. Negroes and whites, despite Republican freedom, have never been able to mingle freely in America. Lynch law has shown there is cm rule for the black and another for the white, and there has been little or no inter-marriage. According to the recent census returns, however, this danger is now past. V herers 1890 the negroes numbered 11.93 per ceut, of the population, they new number only 11.58 per cent. So America breathes a little more freely.