INTERPROVINCIAL NEWS.

Westport Times, Volume VIII, Issue 1152, 20 February 1874, Page 2

INTERPROVINCIAL NEWS.

AUCKLAND. The Thames people have made the discovery that at least £1.2,500 must have beeti spent by the £2500 miners and others known to have come up in the steamers to spend their holidays in Auckland. The chief attractions to these visitors were the races, which, however, proved less satisfactory than they expected. At all events the discovery has excited interest at the Thames, and there will be a strong effort made next year to have a racing programme sufficiently good to attract the best horses, and keep their people spending their holidays and their money at home. The name of the Good Templar yacht lately launched at Auckland is the •' Sober Beauty." From this it is to be inferred that some of the beauties of Auckland are not sober, A Waikato correspondent of the Southern Mercury states that the thermometer at the place from which he writes has for a month been as high as 110 degrees in the shade every day.

WELLINGTON. The Wellington Post says ;-—Would the anticipation of vaccination be a preventive of drunkenness ? We fear even anticipated amputation scarcely would be efficacious, but we caution those gentlemen who are in the habit of receiving sentences of " ss, or 24 hours," that by the 91th clause of the Public Health Act, 18/2, which is to be strictly enforced, every person received into the prison must be vaccinated instanter. The clause says, " Every gaoler of a prison shall cause all inmates thereof to be vaccinated immediately on their entrance, unless they shall produce sufficient evidence of a previous successful vaccination within five years, and unless in the opinion of a duly qualified medical man the operation would be attended with danger to such person." ... Sharks of great size and boldness are reported to have been very numerous in Wellington harbour lately.

CANTERBURY. In a leading article on harvest prospects in Canterbury, the Press, refers to the oat and barley crops as follows : —'* The acreage (under oats) iast year was 37,173 acres, estimated to yield 897,544 bushels, and this year it is considered safe to calculate on 50,000 acres, as the increased breadth of land sown with oats wa» considerable. The estimated average is 28 bushels which will gave an aggregate yield of 1,400,000 bushels. Some think this estimate under the mark, as there are many splendid crops which are expected to yield from 50 to 60 bushels the acre. Whatever the yield may actually wove to be, it is most satisfactory to Know the crop is very far superior to last year's.

OTAGO. His Excellency the G-overnOr has roused the ire of the Otago people by reason that he has chosen to come and go amongst them as he liked, without waiting for or observing ceremony. The last wail of indignation comes from Invercargill, where the people are said to be quite disappointed at the manner in which the Governor left that town. It appears no one knew he was going on board his yacht; he bade no adieus ; his hotel-keeper Was not made aware till the last moment that he was going, and he was sailing away almost before he was missed* An instance of canine faithfulness and endurance has been told us ( Wakatip Mail— by Mr R. M'Moran. That gentleman was over the Lake superinteudiug his sheep-shearing, and had occasion to come back to Queens* towu. Ho left his dog,* collie, behind, and on returning to the shearing sheds next day was told the dog had not been seen since he left, Mr M'Morgan gave the animal (a valuable one) up for lost ; but on returning to town was astonished and pleased to find the dog greet him on hie arrival. The nearest point of laud in the direction

of Queenstowu from where the sheds' are situate is six miles or more, so that the collie must have had a loug and. hard swim for it, as the Lake was pretty rough. Twelve and a half millions of money 1 A goodly sum indeed, but Otago lira exported more than that amount in gold since 185?. Last year alone her export of gold was not far short of three quarters of a million, and Was a long Way ahead of the gold export of any other province in the colony. The North Otago Times expects people to believe the following:—•' We are credibly informed that a fashion-ably-dressed lady, whilst walking past a building in course of erection iri Princess street, Dunedin, a few days ago received on her head a hodful of bricks She merely cast aloft a Withering glance, muttered ' Awkward fellow,' adjusted her towering cranial upholstery, and Bailed grandly away, as if nothing had happened."

{For remainder of news see <kth pnr/e.') l