General News.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume III, Issue 142, 17 December 1901, Page 2

General News.

The Transvaal's revenue now nearly equals the expenditure. } The Studholme Junction creamery commenced operations yesterday. Asocial will be held at the Fire Brigade station to night, when the medals and bars will be presented to the fireman entitled to them. The Premier hasreceived information from the chairman of the Pacific Board, London, that he expects the cable to reach New Zealand by the middle’of March. .!. ? The Melbourne Lender estimates the wheat crop at 18,600,000 bushels, an average »f 9| bushels an acre. The new grain coming forward is, contrary to espectatious, irregular in quality. In spite of the rain on Saturday good business was done by Mr F. ,A. Butterfield in his sale of drapery, etc., in the Oddfellows* Hath The sale will be continued to day and to-morrow! Ping pong, or table tennis, a game tb&t is spreading its fascinations all over the English speaking world, can only be described as “ raging" in England. As an evidence of this it is stated thas there are 250 entrants for the forthcoming ping-pong matches a# the London Aquarium. >

fr- Mr Cadman and Mr E. M. Smith liave arranged to form a company with a capital of half a million "to develop the New Zealand ironsand •deposits.

Mr Hepburn’s Bill to provide funds for the construction of tho Nicaraguan ’Canal has been favourably reported on by a committee of the United States House of Representatives.

A bye-law making it an offence punishable by a fine not exceeding £5 to expectorate upon the footways was passed by the Wellington City Conn cil at its last meeting, and will come up for confirmation at a subsequent 'meeting.

A large area of native land in Hawkos Bay is infested with noxious weeds. The Agricultural Department has called upon tho Maoris to clear the weeds, but owing to the multiplicity of owners finds it difficult to enforce the law.

The rain is having a good effect on the crops in the 'A.itkukani and Waikiki districts. There are. sonic 'very gooff crops of wheal near A mowbridge, and near Knpaa there am some fair crops, though shore, nut smut shows badly in several.

Extraordinary interest was displayed in a speech which was to b« delivered 'by Lord Rosebery at C!i«.sLcriicid yesdefining Ins political pn-vi Fifteen thousand apphemi lr-n:: ad parts of tho United Kingdom nave - boon made for 1200 seats.

A message from Auckland s 1 ai.es that Mr Sprockets has cabled accepting "the San Francisco mail c-mdifione •proposed by New Zealand, provided are not insisted on which may bo found to conflict with the terms of his contract with me United States.

Particulars of the estates of G 5 deceased persons which were placed under the charge of the Public Trnstm.' •for management during last ninth appeared in last week's Cu:e‘te. ! he estates of 18 members ot •f'> w •Zealand’s South African contingents are included in the return gazetted.

The New Zealand Government has •offered 1000 mounted tinu fur sorvic; in South Africa. The olf ;r his bean accepted and recruiting wul start shortly. The physical stand ml 'between the height- of s;t 6in and olt lOin, cheat measurement (expanded) -■SJin, and weight not to exceed 12st.

Rain, instead of being at a premium is now at a discount, the downpour of the hist few days morn than meeting the demand, However there is still evidence of considerable holdings near •by, and it is probable that all possible avenues will be over filled. There ts

not half the enquiry for water sunn bos of late, but the shrinking of tho present glut may bring them again into -favour.

In order to give increased mobility Lord Kitchener has forbidden oxwaggons to accompany mobile columns. As the ox can only travel about thirteen miles a day the mounted infantry will not be sorry. If all that is said 'about officers having pianos carried with tho columns is true, these g-unkmen will be sufferers. They will only have each music us tho mournful male carries with him. and a little of that ’lmind goes a long way.

We have to acknowledge, with thanks to the Government IV.liter, the receipt of a eonv of the Statutes for 1901. It is a volume of 395 pag«s, and as it contains IUB Acts, public, local and private, these average less than four pages each. Tim Local Bodies Loans Act, 27 pages, is tno longest; and the Factories Act, 26, and Military Pensions Act. 26, come •next. T’ne last num dis one page of Taw, and 25 pages of lists of names of ■members of tbs Sixth and Seventh ’Contingents.

On Friday evening, a number of members of the Waimate Am.item Dramatic Club met at the r.sidwic.i or Mr W. Evans for tho purpose of pm■'senting Miss Clarice with a token of -esteem on her leaving the Society, of which she has been an enthusiastic member Mr A. J. Cox made the presentr-tion, which took the form of a 'diamond ring, and when doing so referred to the valuable aid Miss Clarke had given the Society, and the ■regret they experienced at losing her ■services in the future. After the ■presentation a number of songs and recitations ware given and an hour or two passed very pleasantly.

At the Waimata Magistrate’s Court, ; before-Messrs E. J. Atwiil and W. • Petit, J.’sP., a settler was charged with ‘being drunk in a railway carriage between Glenavy and Oamaru. Dcteud■>ant pleaded guilty but stated that he ’had unfortunately been sick and bad ■thereby drawn more attention to himself would have been the case other ■wise. The Bench reminded accused ’that he was liable to a fine of £lO, or fin default two months’ imprisonment, ■the penalty being severe in order to mvoid the nuisance of having intoxicated persons, who were also in danger ■of their own lives by accident, travelling on the train. Accused would bo ifiued £2 with costs ss.

A public meeting was held in Lawrence on Monday evening for the "purpose of considering a proposal from the Balclutha Water-gas Co. to light the town with gas as a private undertaking. The proceedings were somewhat demonstrative at times, and the ■merits and demerits of electric lighting •as to be seen at Gore and water-gas as ■at Balcutha were freely discussed. Eventually the following amendment, against a motion that Mr'Watt's .offer be accepted, was carried : — il That •it be a recommendation to the Boriugh Council, before dealing with the Watergas Co.’s offer, to call for applications from parties or companies willing to provide estimates of lighting for the • Borough of Lawrence,” —Lawrence, it •may be remembered, some time ago -decided to go in for a scheme of ■«lectric lighting, but the borough were -unable to get anyone to advance the required loan of JEoOOO, although the ratepayers had given theis sanction to the same.” —Free Press.

Synopsis of Hew Advertisements.

Phil Richards—Has bagatelle board and new guns for shooting saloon. National Mortgage and Agency Com - pany—Good feed o*ts for sale. Z. T. Cousins —Raspberries for sale. Mr and Mrs Tavendale— Return thanks ior sympathy. Lodge St. Augustine—Monthly meeting on Thursday. National Mortgage and Agency Com-pany-Entries for Studholme sale.