The Southland Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. Lvceo Non Uro. TUESDAY, 19th MAY, 1891.

Cable News. — The Italian Consul at New Orleans, who asserted that there was no Mafia society of assassins there is now asserted to have been a member of the unholy union himself. The Englishwoman, Sister Rose Gertrude,about whose mission to the leper settlement at Molokai so much fuss was made, has married a German doctor there. Part of a city has been destroyed by the forest fires in Michigan. A severe battle has been fought in Chili, and as the Government troops were defeated it is expected that they will join the insurgents. The crew of the Esmeralda are anxious for a trial of strength with the U.S. cruiser Charleston. The President of the Republic has pardoned the French rioters on May Day. Wilson, the labour secretary, who has been released from gaol had a great reception in London. He has laid informations for perjury against some of the witnesses at his trial. There is a prospect of a re-union of the Home Rule party with Parnell an outsider. Tay Pay O'Connor says the great leader must disappear from politics. The death sentence has been carried out on Johnston, the Ballarat murderer. There is something horrible in the wheeling of a man to the scaffold in a Christian country, no matter what his crime might be. It appears probable that the young Bear got that " nick in his skull " through being a bad boy. Wintry weather has returned to Europe. Snow has fallen and in the south of France the thermometer was at zero, which is pretty cold for mid-May. On View. — We have been requested to intimate that Mr A. L. Wilson's furniture will be on view from two to six this afternoon, so that intending buyers may have an opportunity of seeing it before the sale. When Will We Benin ?— Great preparations have been made for an Arbor Day in Wellington 1700 holes having been dug for trees to be planted, and arrangements made for fencing, &c. About 250 pupils from the schools have been selected to do the planting. Mixing Enterprise. — Mr R. Cockerell will have one of his latest inventions — the " dividend bucket dredge"— at work near the jetty to-day and to-morrow at noon. All interested in the development of gold dredging, who have not already seen the machine at work, should not miss this opportunity of doing so. Better.— Mr Quintin McKinnon intends to make the journey to the Sutherland fall much easier for tourists next season. He proposes to have stores, rugs and cookiug utensils placed at various stages of the overland journey from Lake Te Anau to the fall. This will make a vast difference to tourists and sightseers, as they will only require to carry a change of clothing. Admibajjlb Composition.— A Tasmanian paper, interpreting the skeleton cable message referring to the destruction of the Chilian rebel ship Blanco Eucalada, said that " a torpedo catcher recently built in England fired two Whiteheads, and 500 aboard were half drowned. " This is not half so bad as the other papers made it. They stated that of 500 on board of the Blanco one half were drowned. Bylaw Cases. — At the R.M. Court yesterday, his Worship C. E. Rawson, Esq. , presiding, the Inspector of Nuisances for North Invercargill, Mr \V. Warnock, proceeded against several burgesses for breaches of the bylaws. James Jamieson, charged with allowing three horses to wander, der.osed that it had not been proved that the animals belonged to him, but the Inspector pointed out that when he took them to defendant's place the latter's son put them in the stable and began to feed them. A fine of os for each horse, with 7s costs, was imposed. The defendant was further charged with allowing a bull to be at large. He pleaded that the bull belonged to a man who paid him for grazing it. His Worship said that in that case the defendant must keep his fences in repair or bear the responsibility. Fined LI, with costs 7s. — James Humphries, in answer to a charge of allowing two horses to stray, stated that they got out of a paddock accidentally. He was fined ss, with costs 7s ; and a similar penalty was imposed on Albert Howell in respect of one horse. — Peter Lawson, in a case of like nature, replied that the Corporation had failed to provide proper rights-of-way, but that the matter was being attended to. Case dismissed. The Chief End. — A writer in the Dunedin Evening Star puts his linger upon a pernicious practice in connection with the game of football as played in that city, and — it may be added—in other places. He says :— " The old friendly, enjoyable, harmless game has now, as regards our town clubs, degenerated into a professional, unprofitable one. and to most of the members a source of either losing or making money. The members throughout the winter months waste their spare time, and some of them have reached a good ripe age, in doing nothing but hardening their muscles, so as to enable them, when Saturday afternoon comes, to win their matches, and above that, their wagers. It is not on week nights only that this constant training goes on, but Sunday (by one of the clubs) is used a3 a day of football training in place of a day of rest. A run to Blueskin and back is sometimes their accomplishment. Now, sir, if this is what football has come to, which undoubtedly it has, it is time it was checked, and some other game started whereby proper exercise can be bad, and free from the evil of betting. I have met with various people who attended the Caledonian match on Saturday, and they have all asserted that betting among both epectatort w*4 plMf«a )IM MWHWI ft MriQUI Mffltit

Alteration of Date.— The Orchestral ' Society's concert, originally fixed for the 26th inst. has been postponed till 3rd June, the promoters desiring to avoid clashing with other entertainments to be given during the preceding week. Whether earlier or later, the public can rely on a thoroughly good programme being given. Shooting. — We mentioned a few days ago that Mr Crowther was creating a shooting range in the Zealand ia Hall. The necessary alterations are now almost complete and the range will be opened to-morrow at two o'clock, and thereafter on Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays. The targets are on the most approved system and the gallery will afford a comfortable, convenient, and suitable place for volunteers and others perfecting themselves as marksmen. Practical Joking. — The Picturesque Atlas man hired a horse and buggy on Wednesday from Mr C. D. Moore, Winton, to take him to Drummond. He put up at Mr Lampert's hotel there. On Thursday night or early on Friday morning some one removed the buggy from the yard, and placed it where it can not be found. The " book fiend" returned to Winton with the horse on Friday. He is a persecuted man. — Own correspondent. Mr Buick's Hobby.— A mounted constable who has been making inquiry as to the shearers' accommodation on large stations in Marlborough, says he was refused admittance by several large station owners. Shearing being over, only a few men were employed at this season, which was not the best for judging what is the condition of affairs when numbers are engaged. So far as he could see the men might easily improve matters by keeping their places cleaner. Football.— The firist match this season between the I.F.C. and Star Clubs will be played on the Union ground to-morrow,com-mencing at 3 p.m. The following will represent the Star : — Cockroft, Bain, Donaldson (captain), De Joux, Jenkins, Hawthorn, Murphy (2), Planks, Hanna, Kane, Bras 9, Ramsay, Knucky, and Hoff. The following team will represent the Pirates Club at Winton tomorrow : — J. Manson, V. Ekensteen, H. Rodgers, E. Glennie, J. Tapper, D. Bain, A. Galbraith (captain), D. Mentiplay, H. Anthony, J. Taylor, Mussen (2), E. McKay, G. Stevens, and W. Saogster. Good Move. — At a meeting of the Marlborough Rugby Union a resolution was passed unanimously to the effect that, in the opinion of this Union, smoke concerts after football matches are in many respects undesirable, and in no way advantageous to football, and that the members be requested to refrain from taking part in any festival of the kind whenever it can be avoided. The Union are Bending this to the other Unions of the colony in the hope that it will be adopted. Improving the Locomotive. — Messrs Tynan and W. F. Dixon, representing the Improved Valve Link Motion Company, have waited on the Victorian Commissioner of Railways to ask that a trial of their patent gear should be made on one of the locomotives of the Railway Department. As a proof of the value of the invention a letter was read from the superintendent of the Metropolitan Railways Company, London, to the effect that the results of a lengthened trial of the patent had been most satisfactory as regards lessened coal consumption, and that in the general working of the engine it entirely did away with the need of reversing when starting. Mr Speight, in reply, said that the locomotive superintendent (Mr Alison Smith) entertained a very favourable opinion of the improvement, and promised that a trial should be made as early as possible. Wyndilam. — The Mutual Improvement Society had a most successful opening meeting on Thursday evening. The hall was crowded to the doors, the ladies turning out in great force. The president (Mr I. W. Raymond), after giving a short address, introduced those who were to take part in the programme. The evening was essentially a musical one, and the performers acquitted themselves in a manner that met with the hearty approbation of those present. It was intimated that at the next meeting a debate would take place, the subject probably being Trade Unions. Votes of thanks having been accorded the meeting dispersed. — The Draughts Club have met and elected their office-bearers for the season. They formally open on Friday evening, and I expect to see them shortly donning their " war paint" and issuing challenges to all those clubs that " hae a quid conceit o' theirsels." The local club ostab'ished a reputation last season through annihilating all who tried conclusions with them. They have some strong players in their ranks, and will take some rubbing out. — Own correspondent. The New Ministerial Style.— At the Wellington Land Board on Thursday a discussion took place relative to letters received by the Board from the Minister of Lands regarding the recent dummyism cases, in which he referred to the " new born zeal" of the Board. The following resolution, moved by Mr D. H. Macarthur, M.H.R., was carried — "That this Board receives with regret the letter of the Minister of Lands, in which the Wellington Land Board is charged with neglect of its duty in detecting evasions of the Land Act, and its action in asking for more rangers is termed 'new born zeal.' The Board resolves that the Commissioner be requested to draw up and forward to the Minister of Lands, and also to the Press, a precis of the action taken by the Board in the matter of detecting and punishing evasions of the Land Act." The members of the Board are confident that the record of their proceedings, commencing in 1889, will show that the Minister's strictures are not borne out by the facts of the case, and that so far from the Board's zeal being new born, it has been foremost among the land boards of the colony in striving to prevent and detect breaches of the Land Act, and has only been prevented from carrying out its wishes to their fullest extent by the insufficient staff of surveyors and limited powers given to the Board by the present Land Act. A further letter was read from the Minister, in which he said there evidently had been great negligence or indifference ou the part of the Board as to the manner in which the settlement conditions had been carried out. The Board considered that Mr Macarthur's resolution sufficiently answered both letters. Why bue a mna 1 bottle of L-a aud PerrinS Pane* w en you c»n br.y a I%ree Vwtl*- u» G ws .'d WoucKßTßifHrriii Baucb, of eqn 1 qual ty, a .6 nearly double the quantity for a ont half the price ? In Sbabon-Just Op shed direct from the makers, a case of Men's Waterproof goats, best make, ventilated arms, siwn and taped, guaranteed good ; also a case of Ladies' Umbrellas, from 3a to 21s, special value. A full range of Winter Goods are also being opened.— A. M«ia a»d 00. Pubbh Arrivals.— Thirty trunks of nnw and seasonable goods just arrived br direct steamer and now being openad up. Contents comprise Ladies and Gents Boots, Shoes and SliDpari from the best makers, and will be offered for a lew days at Ba is Paio ■ for o»sh only — Sloak Bros., Oity Boot Palace.