Nelson Evening Mail. SATURDAY, JANUARY 3. 1885. THE POLICE OFFENCES ACT.

Our legislators in their wisdom thought fit to pass last session a measure which provides pains and penalties for so many acts which heretofore nobody has regarded as an offence against the law thafc we shall be doing good service in letting our readers know how very simple and easy a matter ifc is to forfeit a £5 note for tho benefifc of Her Majesty's revenue.

Clause 3 provides a penalty not exceeding £5 for any of the offences specified in the thirty sub-sections which follow. Wo cannot enumerate all these, but will mention a few : — Throwing auy rubbish in or upon a public place. ("Public place" includes every road, street, footpath, court, alley, and thoroughfare of a public nature, or open to be used by the public os a right, and to every place of public resort so open or used") Riding or driving or wheeling any truck, barrow, or carriage of any kind upon or along any public footpath. Mothers and nurse-girls beware, for a perambulator is a carriage, and henceforth, for the Act came into force last Thursday, you must wheel your •' carriage " in the street and not on tbe path ; Leaving standing or lying upon any I" ublic place a package or any other incumbrance ; Allowing the drippings of the eaves of any house to fall upon auy public footpath ; Exposing for sale any article whatsoever on or outside of any shop window, or doorway, or abutting on auy public place so as to eucroacb. thereon ; Exposing in auy public place any horse or other animal for show, hire, or sale. No more horse auctions in the streets ; Throwing any dead animal or offensive matter of any kind upon any public place, or iuto any river, creek, or stream ; Rolling any cask, beating any carpet, flying any kite, using any bows or arrows, or catapult or shanghai, or playing any game to the annoyance of any person iu any public place. All those naughty little boys who fly kifcss or play cricket iu any of the by streets must in future be prepared with £5 notes wherewith to pay for their amusement ; Wantonly or mischievously disturbing any inhabitant by ringing any door bell, knocking at any door, blowing any horn, beating any drum, or using any other Doisy instrument in any public place ; Writing, or painting, or otherwise defacing any building, wall, post, or gate ; Throwing any stone to the damage or danger of any person or property ; Disturbing any congregation assembled for public worship, or any public apeefcing, or- any meeting for any lecture, concert, or entertainment, or any audience at any theatre, or interfering with the orderly conduct of any religious service in any school, chapel, cemetery, burial ground, or other building or place. Those who may in future be inclined to " interfere with the orderly conduct of a religious service in a church " on New Year's Eve will do well to remember to what they are subjecting to themselves.

Ascending the scale of fines wft come to Clause 4, which provides for a penalty not exceeding £10 for a number of specified offences, amongst others being driving or riding on fche wrong side ; driving or allowing any vehicle to stand wifch fche curtain or coverings unfastened and liable to flap about ; driving any dog or goat harnessed to any vehicle ; permitting cattle to wander afc large ; setting a dog on to fight or worry any animal.

Clause 6 has a special interest for boys. Ifc provides for a penalty nofc exceeding JllO, or imprisonment for a period _ofc exceeding three months for :— Wilfully breaking a pane of glass ; extinguishing, injuring, or breaking a lamp ; defacing or removiug a door placo, knocker, sign board, or gate ; setting fire to fern, grass, scrub, or bush on another person's property.

Clause 7 provides for a penalty nofc exceeding £20, or imprisonment; for nofc more than two months, for acts of cruelty to animals.

Clause IG runs as follows : — Any person who on Sundoy, in or in view of an public place, trades, works afc bis trade or calling, deals, transacts business, or exposes goods for sale, or keeps open to public view any bouse, store, shop, bar, or other place for tbe purpose of transacting business, or ex posing goods for sale, shall be liable to a penalty not exceeding £1.

Part II of the Act deals with " drunkenness and riot," " obscenity," " idle and disorderly persons," " rogues and vagabonds," "incorrigible rogues," &c.

On the wholo it is an exceedingly interesting measure, and one which affects every day life in a very startling manner. It contains some useful provisions, but on the whole seems to point to a want of something better to do on the part of the the people's representatives. The Act, it is well to remember, came into force on the Ist inst.

The Customs receipts afc the Port of Nelson for the month of December were £3676 12 6d. For the quarter they were £9064, against £10,823 for the corresponding period of 1883. The principal falling off was in the ad valorem duties whicli had decreased from £2437 to £1568. Tea had also fallen from £713 to £343, and sugar from £1601 to £1393, while tobacco showed an increase of £160. The value of imports for the quarter was £37.281. For the corresponding quarter of 1883 it was £55,973. *

We learn from Messrs Lock Brothers that the demand for their bone dust duriug this season has been much larger than they anticipated, and they have experienced the greatest difficulty in obtaining a sufficient supply of bones, tbe scarcity being attributed by some people to the export of frozen meat, and aleo to the Auckland Sugar Company using a large quantity for refining sugar. In order to secure a good supply for next season's requirements, Mr W. Lock recently visited Blenhpim r.nd purchased several good parcels including the bones from 15,000 sheep from Messrs Foster, Gosling, and Co.'s meat preserving works. The West Coast will also be laid under contribution during the next few months.

The ranks of lawyers and cricketers in Nelson have been recruited by the arrival of Mr Frank Herbert Cooke, barrister and solicitor, who purposes practising his profession here, aud will also no doubt give a good account of himself in the cricket field. In the South he ha^ been famous for his curious slow left hand bowling, which has done serious execution in more than one interprovincial match. Mr Cooke is a nephew of two of the earliest Nelson settlers, Messrs Henry and John Cooke, who arrived here in 1843, bringing a number of laborers and a large quantity of farming implements with them. The Messrs Cooke did not remain very long in this province, brighter prospects having offered in Australia. We wish Mr < ooko every success in his profession, aud hope he will be as fortunate in the legal as he has been, and no doubt will continue to be, in the cricketing arena.

A TRIAL of Howard's Improved Simplex Reaper and Binder was made yesterday afternoon in a field of semi-ripe oats belonging to Mr T. R. Hodder, at Richmond. There was a large number of farmers and otheis present, and very general approval was expressed of the work done by the machine, which is entirely free from needless complications, and travels and cuts as well on hilly or uneven ground as on a perfectly flat surface. A most ingenious contrivance for remedying a break in the twine prevents the necessity for stoppage ou this account, nnd is not one of the leastof the recommendations provided by this almostperfect machine. After cutting threeacrea Mr Mole, who was conducting the operations, thanked Mr Hodder for his kindness in allowing the experiment to be mado on his crop, and then proceeded to explain the construction and working of the machine, his pleasaut little lecture enabling everyone to understand the mechanism, and inducing many to seriously think of giving orders without delay, Mr J. Satherley at once becoming the purchaser of the machine on the ground. Howard's Reaper and Binder has gained the first prize in England against all comers from America and elsewhere, and is obtain,->i»le in Nelson from Messrs Wilkins nnd Fteld, wbo, however, have a very few left- A photograph was taken on the field of the machine at work, and will no _oubt form a very interesting picture. The privileges iu connection with the race nice tin? to be held at B righ 1 water on Thursday next, when some capital sport is expected, wore disp <se& of to-day by Messrs Sharp aud Sons, thc following prices being realised :— Gates, £2o ; Booth No. 1, .£8 15?; Refreshment Stall, £3 5s ; Kight of Games, £3; Kight of Cards, £1 ss; total, £41 5«. Mr Fusch was the purchaser cf the gates, and Mr Martin of the booth.

Thr Australasian of the 20th December reports as follows oa the bop mnrkct:-A little better inquiry has been experienced for hops ; good sales of 3avarian have been making at current rates, and we learn of fche quittance of 30 bales prime 1881 Victorian at a full price; Messrs Tabrum and

Son, writing under -date Londou, Srd November, report as follows of the market: — " Tha pnst week has been characterised by extreme dulness of trade and drooping prices; several Mid and East Kent growers recognising the state of affairs have lowered their original demand?, and bavo consequently disposed of their growths ; continental hops are to be had at lowest prices, aud Americans are offering more freely: the total imports since September 1, 188*1, now amount to 18,201 packages ;'' the quotations in this market may be quoted as follows: — Victorians 9J to ls 3d; Tasmanians from 9d to ls in bond; Bavarians up to 2s -Id duty paid; Kents up to 2s 4d duty paid for new.

Mr Full arrived from Totaranui in his yacht last night and will proceed to Christchurch in the Wanaka this evening.

Notices regarding the services in severa' churches. &c, will be found in our adver tising columns.

Good for Babies. — " We aro pleased to say that baby was permanently cured of a serious protracted irregularity of the bowels by the use of Hop Bitters by its mother, which at the same time restored her to perfect health and strength." — The Parents. See.