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Waikato Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 2725, 31 December 1889, Page 2

All mails, at the Hamilton office usually despatched on Wednesday, close this evening at 7 o'clock. The banks in Waikato will he closed to-morrow end Thursday, for the New Yoar Holidays. The lonic took fire while in port in London, and was much injurod before the flames were extinguished. At the Catholic Church, Hamilton, to-tnorrow (New Year's Day), Mass will be celebrated at y a.m., and at Cambridge at 11 a.m. Several natives have been poisoned at the Bay of Island through eating honey. Twc men and two women are dead, and others lie in a dangerous stJte. A? is customary on New Year's live, the usual watch night service will be held at S. Peter's Church, Hamilton, tonight, commencing at 11.30 p.m. Work at Messrs Coates and Metcalie's flax-mill at Hamilton has been stopped until Thursday, ill order to allow the men to partake in the New Year holidays. The heat on Sunday last was the greatest we have felt this year, and although the theomater only registered 90' in the sun, the hot wind was the causo of the oppressiveness which prevailed. There doss not appear to be much interest taken at Te Awamutu in the Railway iieform League. At a meeting the other night the matter was disc.issed, but there was no practical result in the shape af names enrolled as mombers. Large numbers of mullet have lately been seen in the vicinity of No. 1 Bridge, and on Saturday morning last between forty and (ifty splendid fish were for several hours disporting themselves near the bank of the river at this place. Mr A. Le Que3ne, third son of Mr P. Le Que.sne lias successfully passed his examination for a pharmacist. Mr La Quesne has been apprenticed to Messrs Sharland and Co., Auckland. Mr W. Shut-land from the same firm has also bee.i successful in his examination. Some of the girls, we understand, who frequpnt the Hamilton West Baths, are remarkable for the scantiness of their bathing costumes. The caretaker has complained of this, and has been instructed to refuse admittance to any who are not provided with proper bathing costumes. A fire broke out in Sydney on Christmas morning, and destroyed a wharf, the Union Steamship Company's stores, and a large quantity of stores. The Waihora was at one time in danger, but she was saved by being hauled away from the wharf. The damage is estimated at £00,000. Mr Fitzroy Peacock and family arrived in Hamilton yesterday, and intend staying during the summer months at their farm, Weston Lea, near Hamilton. Mr H. J. Hawkins who has had this farm leased for some time back is leaving for Canterbury shortly, where he is going to manage a sheop run. Mr W. J. Hunter's annual Waikato sheep fair will take place at the Ghaupo yards about the third week in February. About 8000 hoad are already entered, comprising principally merino ewes, crossbred lambs, and Lincoln rams and ram lambs from the best flocks in the district. Yesterday morning there was a shipment of 120 cases of fruit, apples, gooseberries, peaches, and plums, made at the Hamilton West Station for Auckland. This fruit wis from the orchard of Messrs Karl Bros, of Ohaupo, and had to be brought to Hamilton, as there was no train from Ohaupo vesteiday. On Saturday afternoon the farzs at the back of the Hamilton Tennis Lawns was set on lire, and at one time it was thought that the shed on the courts would catcli fire, but owing to the exertions of those present tho danger was averted. Play had to be suspended owing to the dense smoke which covered the courts. We hear that caterpillars are more numerous in this district this year than has been remarked for many seasons past; in fact since the small birds have increased so largely. Mr D. Monro, of Te Rore, has been obliged to cut a paddock of oats green instead of leaving them to ripen from this cause, and we hear that Mr Dinsdale, of Frankton, has had a most promising crop almost entirely destroyed in the same way. Large search parties were out all day Sunday in quest of Mr Kellow's little son who is supposed to be lost in the ranges above Ngaruawahia, but they could find no trace of the missing lad. ' A number of Maoris passed through Ngaruawahia in a canoe on Sunday afternoon, in search of the boy, whom, they believed, they would find in the Waikato river. The alfair has cast quite a gloom over the township. On Saturday last Mr Exelby brought into Hamilton two boxes of splendid black currants. Tho berries were large and well formed and the flavour was splendid. The bushes on which the currants were grown are two years old and are not yet in full bearing. Mr Exelby also had a few bunches of red currants but these do not seem to thrive so well as the black variety on Mr Exelby's land, a good deal of which is reclaimed swamp. On Saturday a little girl, while bathing in the Hamilton West Baths, had a narrow escape from drowning. It appears that she was using a cork lite-belt, which is kept in the bath, when the belt slipped down, and her feet became entangled in it, causing her to become frightened, and to fall under the water. Luckily she was close to the edgo of the bath, and was promptly pulled out by the caretaker. A dangerous habit prevails at present among tho young fellows in and around Hamilton, and that is galloping about the streets after dark, _ On Saturday evening one -ider, who was going at a good fast pace, seemingly had no control whatever ot his horse, which iust took him wherever it liked. We hope this will be taken as a hint by those who indulge in this practice, or they will, if they continue, be likely to have an interview from the man in blue. To morrow will be a gala day for the Cambridge children as it is the clay on which tho annual Sunday-school pic' : cs are held. The Anglicans goto Mr John sharp's on the Hamilton road ; the Wesleyans to Mr William Reynolds', Trecarne, Ptikeiuira, and the Presbyterians to a paddock of Mr Richard Reynolds, near Mr H. Fitzgerald's at Cambridge est. A good feeling evidently exists amongst the various denominations, for the Anglicans are entertained by a Presbyterian, the Presbyterians by a Wesleyan, and the Wesleyans by a member of the Church of li tgland, tiiis is as it should be, and looks as if there was a little brotherly love left in Cambridge. Nov/ that the Dog-tax collector will soon bo on the warpath, the annual slaughter of dogs, whose owners do not consider them worth a collar, has commenced. A favourite way of getting rid of these cannie pots, as practiced by many in and around Hamilton, is to drop them into tho river. During last summer a number of carcases were carried against the upper end of the Hamilton West Baths, where they remained until a fresh or some person, anxious for the health of the place, removed them. If the Hamilton Borough Council cannot afford to have the debris, which collects near the Baths, removed, perhaps they could make it a source of revenue, and farm it out to some enterprising gontleman, like the one in Cambridge who utilise? tho cats as manure.

A special daylight parade of the Hamilton Light Infantry Volunteers is called for this evening, at (1 o'clock. Mr Edmonds, of Claudelands, Hamilton, who has been down for a trip to Christcliurch, returned home yesterday, bringing with him a number of full-grown bumblebees, which it is hoped will become established thronghwut tho Waikato. In Canterbury where these bees are now plentiful, they have brought ab«ut excellent returns from the red clover hy fertilising the seed, and as large quantities of clover are grown throughout this district, bene fieiai results may be expected to follow Mr Edmonds' action. To-morrow, New Year's Day, there will be races at Kihikihi, and at Auckland, for which latter place a passenger traiu will leave Waikato stations, as follows :—Te Arnha, 545 a.m.; Morrinsvillo and Cambridge, at (>.30 i.m. ; Te A w.unutn, (j.25 a.m, ; Oliaupo, 0.45 a.m. ; Hamilton West, 7.20 a.m. ; Ngaruawahia, 8.5 a.m.; Muntly 8.35 a.m. ; Mercer, 1f.45 a.m., aniving at the. course about 12.30 p.m. Tho following trains will not run:—7.lo a.m. Te Aroha to Frank tun Junction, 8.20 a.m. Cambridge Junction, 8.35 a.m. TeA.wairiutn to Plankton Junction, 9.55 a.m. Fianklon Junction to Auckland, 9.-10 n.m. Mercer to Muntly, 2.15 p.m. bluntly to A-ickland. To morrow (Naw Year's Diy) the Hamilton Light iutantry (ire a match bathe champion belt, presented by the residents of Hamilton. In addition to this the following other prizes have been handed to Captain Reid for competition, as may lie arranged, viz, : A gold medal, by Mr .fas. Marker; six bottles of wine, by Mr von Stunner; two bottles of wine, by Mr Le Quesne; a bott'n of whisky, by Mr C. Li Qnosne, and a meir-chum pipe, ' y Mr Dev. After the firing for these piiz-.is his been concluded, the five highest scorers in the match for the helt have been challenged by tivo old resident shootists to a fiiendly competition, the conditions being that all strange lifl -s snail be used, and no trial shots allowed. Trade in Melbourne, says one who has been there, after the closing of the last exhioition held there, became gradually torpid, phlegmatic, inactive; rents came down, property decreased in value; tiio railway returns fell five figures at a time; the receipts of the Tramway Company took a downward leap. Shops and boarding houses, which before the opening day had been temporarily engaged at. enormous rentals, presented a desolate and forsaken appearance, the over - sanguine tetiants thereof having recently left to seek fields and past ures new in another colony, much to the disgust and discomfiture of landlords, whose last rent bills had not been liquidated. The reception rooms of palatial colfee palaces, whose capacity for accommodation had been taxed to the utmost for mouths past, now looked sombrous and melancholy, and bore no visible traces of those brightscenes and bygone festivities which but a mouth or so ago had lent their walls and environs so gay an appearance. Thousands of persons, of both sexes, were thrown mil of employment, and some were disagreeably compelled to seek for work up country or iu other colonies ; many of these were New Zoalanders, and they left Victoria in disgust to return to their much decried little colony.—Tho same writer says this will not be the result of the exhibition at D r. ued in.

Messrs Goldsbrough Mort and Co. Limited, Under date, December 12th, re-port:—-Wool: Since tho issue of our last monthly report the market has further developed, and the daily catalogues have comprised substantial totals, embracing thoroughly representative clips of Victorian Wool, and from the adjacent colonies. The state of the market up to tlia close of last week continued satisfactory ; the advance quoted in our earlier reports of the season was well maintained, and coinpetion continued keen from both Homo and Continental buyers for all descriptions of wool. Rites of freight to L mdon per sailing vessel are i}d per lb. for greasy, an I per lb for washed, and per steamer „'l per lb. for greasy and ipl for washed. In consequence of the recent strikes in Lmdon, the warehouse-keepers have increased the charges upon wool.—Grain : During the past month harvesting has been commenced in most of the wheat-growing districts, but as yet litttle of the new crop has found its way to market. So far tile quality of this season's wheat is good, though in some districts rust has done considerable damage, and, owing t» the rank growth of vegetation, a large proportion will require ele intog to be tit for shipment. Whe.t his fallen in value during the month, about 2-; per bushe/, and, notwithstanding the opinion which was held in soma quarters that there would be a deficiency, we v.iil close the year with a surplus of 10,000 t,o 15,000 tons, which will, in all likelihood, have to be carried on to next season. At present we c mnofc tjuote over 3s lid to 3s 8d for all prime mihiog, with a limited demand. Oats, owing to large stocks on hand, are dull of sale at from 2s to 2s (id for O'alcuttas, lip to os 3J for stout New Zealand.

Io is, comparatively speaking within recent years that, large as have been our impoi ts, the attention of colonists has beon intelligently directed to the advantages of blending teas. To tho firm of Mes.sis Nelson, Moate, and Co., we owe the introduction into the colony of the system of hleuding. Nine years ago this fit-in became established in business in Christchureh. Soon their success warranted them in extending their operations, and at the present day substantial warehouses, at which their teas are exposed for sale, ate to he seen in all tiie leading towns in the colony, as well as in Tasmania. They have agencies in every town in New Zealand, East and West, from Russell to the Biulf. The way t i which their business has expanded has been little short of wonderful, and all'ords sulticient proof that their goods have met with tho appreciat'on of the public. As an additional indication of the growth of their trade, it may be mentioned that last year Messrs Nelson, Moate, ami Co. were the importers of over a fourth of the total quantity of tea that was landed in New Zealand, oven when the imports of the large mercantile firms are taken into consideration. Of India, China, and Ceylon teas they are the largest importers. The firm has so firmly established it.self in the colony that an exhibition in New Zealand would hardly be complete did it not include a display of their blended teas; and an exhibit of theirs can fairly claim to come under the category of a local exhibit, inasmuch as the blending is done in the colony. Messrs Nelson, Moate, and Co. claim to be the only tea experts in New Zealand. Tiie blending of tea is said to be a special gift, which cannot be acquired, even with the greatest amount o£ experience, unless the would-be blender has the taster's palate. Mr Nelson is the tea expert of tho firm, and was specially trained as a tea-blender. At the Exhibition in Dunedin the exhibits of Messrs Nelson, Moate, and Co. are contained in throe show cases, which are placed in a row in the avenue between the British and foreign exhibits. The show cases are large and handsome, and are connected with arches. At the apex of each aich thero is in open woodwork a well-executed imitation of the firm's familiar triangular-shaped trade mark, with it pyramidal design in the interior. The exhibits are neatly arrangod in p ickets and boxes, but open samples ot different varieties ara shown. They comprise the four standard blends of Messrs Nelson, M0..t0 and Co.—tiie teas that are sold everywhere, and that have been tried by neatly everybody, at the prices of 2-, 2s ■} I, 2s Sd and 3s per lb. Then there are the "Jumbo " blends, which are of pure ludi m teas, and are quoted at 2s and 2s J.i. The " Cingalese " blends are pure Ceylon teas, and an assortment of China teas are also included. Thero are some special lines in sun-dried flower Pekoes, the price of which ranges from 21s a lb ; sun-dried Oolongs, which fetch from ISs alb. ;and a variety of Congous of all grades. The firm also show ten samples of Ceylon Pekoes, which are ail said to be-teas of excellent quality. Another exhioit consists of ten samples of Indian Pekoes, which include some of the choicest grown this season—one of them a golden Pokoe, costing 4s in India. Among the several exhibits of teas that are made in the Exhibition, Messrs Nelson, Moate, and Co. c.n certainly claim a foremost place for theirs. —Extract from tho Otago Daiiy Times.