General News.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume III, Issue 112, 8 October 1901, Page 3

General News.

A British Tobacco Trust, embracing (he leading manufacturers, is being formed, with a capital of £15,000,000. Wadh’s Tbkthino Powdjirs for babies are soothing, reduce fever and prevent blotches. Price, Is.' An influential petition is being signed in favour of dropping Czolgoaz’a body in the sea, in order to prevent the burial of his remains in American soil. The Antartio exploration ship Discovery ha« arrived at Capetown* all well. The ship behaved splendidly. After coaling, "the proceeds to Lyttelton, not calling at Melbourne* in order to save time? A meeting of the Ladies’ Benevolent Society was held q,n Wednesday last; present—Mrs - Btudh'olme. in the chair, Mesdames Adams, Wilson and Gibson Apologies were received from Mesdames Sino airan i Franklin. Three cases for relief were discussed and help granted in each cate' The v.sitors reported having investigated a case for relief and they bad grantees the help required.. After passing accounts -the meeting terminated.

Advice hM been received that the laying of the Rodriquez-Cocos section of the Cape cab « has b en com' leted, and tlut the section between Cocos and Free--1 mantle is expected to be completed by the S2od inat The WaimataCoOnty Farmer*’ Assoclation, affiliated with the N.Z. Farmers’ Union, having now a membership roll of over 200 is entitled to send two delegates to the Conference which take* place-at Ashburton to-day and to-morrow. Mr Corcoran therefore left with Mr Ward by ya»terda> ’• express. During a Chinese bankruptcy case in Sydney evidence was given that it was a common practice amongst Chinese'to interchange naturalisation papers in order to avoid the poll tax in travelling between the different States. Papers were also forwarded -to China, thus, enabling non-nsturalised Chinese to enter Australia.

The Premier on Thursday ..laid on the table a return givine the increase of the public debt under different Administrations since 1871. The total increase is stated to £41,436,004, distributed over t the different Administrations as follows : —Fox (1872 to 1873), £1,443:095; Vogel (1874 to 1876), £6,855,323; Atkinson (1877), £3. 434,3-50 ; Gey (1878 to 1879), £2,125 600; Hall (1880 to 1882), £6.450.500; Hall (1883), £965,900 - Atkinson (1884). £1,626,571; Stout-Vogel (1885 to 1887), 4-670,0711 Atkinson (1888 to 1891), 3,088,697; Ballance (1892 to' 1893). £427,490: Seddon (1894 to 1901), £10,333.605. It was stated in town on Saturday that one day last week a fish scaling 45h» was found stranded in a piece of backwater on the Waitaki above Rcdcliff No measurements of the fish were taken, but when placed on top of a large bucket it completely covered the opening. A fish of that size could not have been a trout, and it is to be regretted that the finder did not bring it to the officer of the Acclimatisation Society so that the vexed question of whether or not salmon will liv* in the Waitaki coiild have been settled. The Waitaki is unusually low just now and it is to be hoped that any othsf fish “found" will be brought into town.

A meeting of tha committee of the Waimate Amat-ur Athletic Club, was held on Saturday evening, Mr \V. H Hargreaves presiding. Af-er discussion it w is decided to reduce the subscription to the club for active memOers to sa. A programme of (■porta was drawn up, to be submitted to a general meeting on October 17th. The first sports meeting was fixed for November 28th, and the secretary was instructed to apply *o the Caledonian Society for the him of their hurdles and other thing*. A vote of thanks to the chair closed the meeting. The funeral of Mr James Pike, or as he was known among th* Natives, Paiki, on Saturday afternoon was very largely attended. About sixty Maoris from Kaiapoi, Temuka, Waitaki and Moeraki took part in tha funeral procession. The funeral left the hospital about two o’clock, and after service in the Wesleyan Church the coffin was taken to the Waimate oemetary. Here the Rev. J. Blight delivered an address, and the Bev. C. Wesley offered up a prayer. Deceased leans a widow and fourteen children.

A portrait of Queen Alexandra is to be painted for the Auckland Art Gallery by an eminent English artist. A letter had been received from Mr G. O, Anderson, artist, of the Oratory Studios, Fulham road, London, stating that be . had received an order from a New Zealand gentleman who did not at present wishhis name to be known, to paint a portrait of Queen Alexandra, in order to present it to the Auckland art gallery The writer said ho would be glad to hear that the offer was accepted by the Counc’l, so that he might set about procuring sitting* from the Queen. The Council decided to accept the gift, with thanks, and to inform the artist that the Council would prefer Her Majesty’s portrait painted iu her stats robes. •