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Waikato Times, Volume XXX, Issue 2463, 24 April 1888, Page 2

Warm and pleasant rains fell throughout the district yesterday. We are pleased to hear that Capt. Powell was slightly better yesterday. Mr Wallnutt, of the Bank of Australia, is progressing favourably. The various musical societies of Australasia are invited to combine for a grand musical festival in connection with the Centennial Exhibition. Mr John Knox will hold a sale of grocery, ironmongery and other surplus stock in Mr Tucker's store, Victoria-street, to-morrow at 2 o'clock. This will alford housekeepers an opportunity of making some cheap bargains. A new weapon of warfare with tremendous power, of velocity is announced. A telegram states that a trial was made at Klswick, England, of a wire gun, which threw ,i projectile weighing .'lliOlbs., a distance of 21,000yd5., or 12 miles. Gasperini, one of the two French convicts who escaped from .New Caledonia and were picked up at sea by the bargue Howard, turns out to bo another desperate housebreaker like Seriac. After committing several robberies in Auckland, ho was captured by the police on Friday, in an unoccupied house at Kingsland,

Messrs W. J. Hunter and Oo's usual fortnightly Cambridge sale:, will take place on Thursday next, instead of Saturday, in consequence of the South Auckland Racing Club's meeting at Hamilton on tho latter day. As will be seen by the announcement in this issue, Mr McNicol will have a large number of cattle and horses to be offered for sale on the opening day of tho new Hamilton salcyards. This will be certain to attract a large gathering of settlers. Mr Patterson's concert comes off on Friday next in the Kihikihi Town Hall. Misses Allen and Finch, Mr Clark and other ladies and gentlemen will assist. The music for the dance will be by piano, violin and 'cello. Lovers of both music and dancing have a treat in store for them. A general meeting of the Taupiri Cricket Club was held on Saturday, the 21st inst. The treasurer presented the balance-sheet, which showed a small amount to be carried forward, and the usual vote of thanks was passed to the officers of the past season. It was resolved to apply for lots SO to 87 in the township of Taupiri, for tho purpose of a cricket and general recreation ground. It was also resolved to hold athletic sports in Taupiri on the (Queen's Birthday. We have been told the following goodstory : During Mr McNicol'srecenttrip to Napier, he and his party passed the night at the Ruanui station, and whilst there, one of the stockmen visited the cook of a neighbouring station, who began to boast of the " distinguished " visitors then stopping at tho place, Air Bruce, M.H.R., and others, who were inspecting the route of the Central Railway. The stockman thereupon said they could beat that at his station, as they had four Cabinet Ministers visiting them, these, in the fertile imagination of the stockman, being represented by Mr McNicol and his friends. Recently one of oar country reporters (says the Ghristchurcli Press) met a man who at Christmas timo was complaining of being out of work and running into debt for stores for his family, but who now came to express his thanks for a suggestion mado'to him by which he had paid off his Bcores and had employment for some time at a price over 10s per day. The hint given iiim was that if he could do no better, he might pick cocksfoot seed from tho ' long paddock '—the roads and lanes of the district. He has been industrious enough to collect l,8(i51lw of splendid seed, and had receired a cheque for £27 4s ltd for the same. A method of teaching farmers how to improve the quality of their cheese is practised in souk; of the dairy counties of England, and might be of service here also. It is done by employing an expert moving from one central farm to another, and gathering around him the fanner's family and their immediate friends and neighbours, who may not only listen to tho viva voce instructions of the demonstrator, but each in turn take a share in tho manipulation. A great point is that they are working with the very plant to which they have always been accustomed. This system has been practised in some dairy counties for years with the happiest results. Referring to a recent cablegram, "■Puff" says " Germany is purchasing: largo quantities of gold !—lt's part of the commercial and financial war that's being waged between Germany and Russia ! Germany is using her sound credit to drain Russia of gold, and leave her helpless, whether for trade or war, with nothing but paper money, depreciated 50 per cent, or more? But Germany must give paper money for the gold she is buying ?—Quite so, but her paper money is worth only a little less than gold, because everybody knows she will pay gold when called upon ! Russia's paper money, on the other lund, is not worth half as much as gold !—So all the gold flows out of Russia when Germany calls for it, and sends Russian paper down lower than ever?— Yes, that's tho idea! Didn't I tell you Germany would find a way to pay Russia out for her raid on German landed proprietors."

The Westporfc correspondent of a Wellington paper telegraphs There is promise of a "boom" in the local coal oxport trade. The bar maintains a depth of 18ft.. with the tides taking off, and the output and lowering arrangements at the mine are working splendidly. The recoid was broken yesterday, when 130 trucks (503 tons ijewt.) were lowered in two hours. The shipping is plentiful. The s.s. Gerda is to be placed m the trade regularly, and the Ohau will take two cargoes next week —one to Wellington and the next to Dunedin. The demand for coal is brisk, 2000 tons of steam coal being required in Wellington during the next ten daya, and a similar quantity at Southern ports. The Harbour Works have made such improvement in the port that the aidvisableness of the commencement of a foreign export is discussed by the public. Taking for its text the telegram that the other day Sir Harry Atkinson and Sir Robert Stout had a long interview in Dunedin. the Wellington Post elaborates a scheme under which Sir Robert is to re-enter Parliament under the wing of Sir Harry Atkinson ; that the latter is to retire from Parliament into the Agent-Generalship, and the former is to become Premier. We believe we know as much about this as the Post, and our knowledge amounts to—nothing. Of course, it may bo all true, and then again it may not be, and looking at the matter from the point of view of probabilities, we should say the " may not be " has all the best of it. In the first place, the marked publicity of the interview is against the truth of the story. These arrangements are generally made quietly. Again, we cmiiot quite make up our minds as to which is the most improbable, that Sir Harry Atkinson would dare to barter his party away to Sir Itobert Stout, or that Sir Robert would make a bargain of the character imputed to him to secure the lead of a party he has always denounced. —llawera Star. " The freezing works at Burnside and Oaniaru are now closed, owing to want of support from sheep farmers. As a consequence, the price of fat sheep in the local markets has fallen from Is to 2s per head, and there is no chance of improvement till the export trade is resumed. In order to remedy this unsatisfactory state of things, the company are prepared to open their works at any time provided that sufficient sheep are guaranteed to keep them going ; and can book applications for space now for shipment per s.s. Doric in May, and s.s. Eifeshire in June, Should this space not be applied for here it will be taken up at other ports, and this market will remain in its present stagnant state for some months longer. Prices for frozen meat in London have somewhat improved of late, and are now quoted at 4jd per lb. It is pointed out that at this price a (iOlu wether, with present price of skin and fat, ought to net the shipper 12s (id here, and even at 4d per lb he should get 10s. Roughly speaking, -Id nor lb should leave l'/d per lb for the carcase net here, and Id per lb The skin for April-May freezing should bring at least 3s, and the fat Is, so that the calculation can bo easily made. Compared with local prices these results may be considered good, and there can be no doubt that it will pay all holders of fat sheep to ship at least a portion of their Hock, even should thoy lose money by so doing."—Otago Daily Times. __________