General News.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume IV, Issue 152, 14 January 1902, Page 2

General News.

The longest pigeon race ever tried in the colony—Napier to Timaru—was to have been flown yesterday morning. The Prince 33 of Wales has decided that all her dresses shall be of BritisTi make, and as far as possible of British material. The Tartar general commanding the Kunsu province has imprisoned Tung--fuh-siang. The Dowager has repeated her ordor to decapitate him. The weather seems to have clear* d thoroughly. Although a shower a. week would not hurt anything, still farmers can do with moderate heat lit * a month. In view of the hardships involved, a substantial money grant has been ' made to LilJywhite, who waa deported from New Zealand in connection with -" the Colchester murder.

The Wellington Socialistic Society has, by eighteen votes to three, endorsed the Wellington Tradrs Council's resolution that the war in South Africa is unjust and unholy. The Englishmen in their first innings against Ballarat eighteen made 4G9. . The match was drawn. A telegram from Adelaide announced that the third test match will commence on the 17th inst., not the 16th. The Waimats County Farmers' Union advertise a very importont lecture' on Saturday next. Dr Lilico is coming to fulfil his promise of a lecture at great personal incouvenk ence, and it is hoped a large number will attend. The Canadian Manufacturers' Association have requested Sir Wilfred , Laurier to invite Mr Barton Canada after the Coronation, ss" they . wish personally to represent to him the injury the OomrjJOnwealth tariff is doing the Ganadiaji'.Australian trade. The birds eggs purchased by the -W&itnate County Council on Saturdays is 25,000. Last Saturday the total reached 31.725. At the Eakaia, Road Board laat week the sum of i£2ll6s Id was paid out for a total of 21,703 eggs and heads of small birds.

T?he renultß of the "B" course of examination in the military School 61 Instruction show that Captain EL. C, Barclay, of the Waimate Bifles, obtained " special mention " in the ten subjects taken, and also "distinguished" in topography, fortification and duties.

A report in the Daily Despatch, East Loqdon, South Africa, giving the, particulars of the sale of: a herd of> thirty-seven cows, shows that the prices ren,lised ranged!'from -G24 10s to £B6 per head, the average being J&JI 3a. Fifteen of the cows were in milk, twelve of them, had not calved, and the remainder were dry. Several letters have appeared in the>. Diinedin, papers urging the oommunity and all loyal communities to take up the movement originated in Oamaru; for boycotting German goods. The' Press correspondent telegraphs that the matter may yet be taken up, the calumny of the German Press teiog as keenly felt in that city as in Oamaru and elsa where.

The losses reported at L'oyd'e for the week ending November 20, v 1901, were no less than 87 British and 82 foreign Bailing vessels, with 10 British and 10 foreign steamers, making a total of 89 rebels of all classes—an \ exceptionally heavy number. The number of losses for the corresponding week in 1900 was 15 sailing and 14 steam \essels, or a total of 29 vessels. The 30owager gave an audience to high foreign officials at Pekin, and decorated several British,, American i and Japanese officers. She commanded the Tartar general in Kansu, tJk the instance of Ynanshi-kai, Governor of Chili and the -Yangtze, .and the Viceroy* liakun-yi and Chang-khi-tung, to decapitate before he rebels orjnvolves China with foreigners. The Dowager's influence -

The Sydney Daily Telegraph, commenting on Mr Seddon's disclaimer in reference to the Governorship of 'Orange Colojjy, pays a tribute go Mr Seddon's statesmanship, and asks who is better qualiied to educate a Crown colony in an intelligent appreciation of full government than one who has hf.J so many years' experience of the' representative system in its farther known development. More than that, Mr Seddou is a man specially needed to work ahead of the Imperial Government in South AfricaIt is probable that Lg would have been a signal success. j Yesterday, bafore Messrs J. Man-I Chester and W. Colt nan, J.'sP., Ben Coatea was charged with disorderly behaviour while drunk in Queen street on Saturdap nighc. guilty and was fined £1 or in default three days' imprisonment. j'he fine was paid.—John Brown, alias Jas. Brown, alias James Smith, was fined £1 or in •default three days' imprisonment for •drunkenness on Saturday On a secondrhurge of using ob-vr- language he was fined £3 or in defn 'V. M (lays i in Lyttelton gaol,

A general sottlingup of the Waimate Caledonian Society wa<j held on Saturday ovening in trie Criterion Hotel, Mr Mathias presiding over a rv.uall attendance! The balance-short in connection with the sports ano. ■concert showed an expenditure of •£283. Accounts to that amount were ■jj'iHsed. A letter was received from iho Affiliated Caledonian Societies of New Zealand, with reference to the society allying itself with that body. It was decided to write and ask further particulars. It was decided to pay prizes to Crowe, against whom a protest had baen lodged. The usual honorarium was passed to the secretary,

THE TASKER EPISODEAt a meeting to aarango a farewell ■demonstration to the North Island battalion of the Eighth Contingent, Mrs Tasker said as tliey were sending these men away it was thoie duty to find out where they were eeut to. Sua was pleased to learn that Colonel Davies had accepted the command, as lie seemed a popular man and a frtvourito with the officers. The Mayor bad spoken of the Silent Sixth. The Sixth had been attached to a column ■which had simply been rased all over Africa. Mrs Tasker spoke of the Imperial officers being saturated with the pipeclay of barraok room discipline. In fact, she said the joke nuiong the men of a oertain New Zealand contingent was, who is going to be oourtmartialled today ? She was not going to speak on the question whether her son deserved his punishment or not. Perhaps he did, perhaps -lie did not; but she said, and others said also, that if that boy had been m another contingent than the Sixth the matter wculd never have gone past his own officer. Indeed, she added, it never should have gone. They did not want military martinets and a standing army here. The men were volunteers and should be treated a volunteers. She asked any of thoso present whether, if they had to go for, aiy. six mouths racing about on horse b-ick without proper food or a decent wash, and then had to sleep in tueir •clothes, and often, having been without slee'p ior two days and nights, hud been ordered to keep guard and not to let tbair noses show above the cri-ans, they would have boea aolo to do u ? would not, and they knew *hoy would net. They would have been in gaol, every one of them. lnc man were not wanting in iiritwh pluck, but it was General So-and-bo who got the credit, It sometimes happened that whan an officer gave an 'order an Imperial officer came and countermanded it. lne result was that men did not knGw what to do. In one case a man was cvilored to follow on foot a mounted oobnm. yet because he lagged behind, not having a horse, he got twelve mouths' imprisonment.