MISCELLANEOUS.

Auckland Star, Volume XVII, Issue 286, 4 December 1886, Page 5

MISCELLANEOUS.

It is proposed to change the name of the Poverty Bay District. Mosgiel Woollon Co., Otago, have declared a dividend of 10 per cent, Branches of the Auckland Savings Bank wero opened at Newmarket and Onehunga on Ist inst. The Government have granted the Australian cricket team free passes over the railways of the colony. The Dunedin Finance Company, at their meeting on November 15, declared a dividend of five per cent. Hon. Mr Larnach, Minister of Miae.'i, expects to be in Auckland about the Hew Year.

Major Bodham has been appointed to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in the New Zealand Militia.

The Wellington Woollen Company are sending to London a bale of blankets as a sample of their goods. Mr Beetham, the Christchurch R.M., thinks that the legalisation of the totalisator has increased betting. A Boys' Refuge is to be started at Christchurch, and it is expected that the first two years' work will cost £2,51!0. Forest conservation proceeds apace. An area of 1850 acres iv Rangariri survey district is proclaimed a forest reserve. Captain Fairchild has been unsuccessful in finding a good deep sea fishing ground to the northward of Godley Heads. Messrs F. J. Hammond and Robert McVeogh, of Auckland, have passed the solicitor's general knowledge examination. It is catenated that fully 4,000 nersona are now on the Teetulpa goldfields," South Australia, . ■

There are 280 private schools in the colony, employing 645 teachers, with 11,989 scholars aud an average attendance of

Hon. Mr Buckley says that the Government ore quite resolved to goo n at once with the construction of the Kotorua Kailway.

Christchurch Charitable Aid Board spends £16,500 p'ei- annum, while the Otago Board spends £12,000. Canterbury folks say that Otagans neglect the poor. A Californian salmon weighing 61bs., and measuring 26 inches, in length, waa caught in Timaru harbour on Wednesday night November 17, with a landing net. Pirongia Mineral Association is to be wound up. This Company was formed some tiu.e ago for the purpose of prospecting the King Country for gold. M.c Murray, wife of the school teacher at Kohekohe, was on Sunday, November 28, tound dead in" bed. Deceased, who was 5.6 years of age, suffered from heart disease. A young man named Thos. B. Adamson ■was drowned at Invercargill on November 24, while bathing in Waihopai Creek. Ha was employed in the Loan and Mercantile Co. s office.

Sir Robert Stout, in reply to the President of the Grosvenor Art Gallery, suggosts that an exhibition of pictures should take place at various centres of population in Hew Zealand.

Mr Adam Cairns, of the Star .Hotel, haa been presented with a handsome photographic shield, with portraits of members of the Crimean Veterans' Association, photographed by Mr J. R. Hanna. At Ohaupo, near Hamilton, the other day, a ferret attacked a bullock that wan being driven along the road, and showed tight to a cattle dbg. The vicious little thing wsr finally killed by the doo-. The President of the ftrosvenor'Art Gallery ha 3 written to the Premier of New Zealand, offering to send a number of their best pictures for exhibition here, if suitable arrangements are made for displaying them. Lieutenant Andrews, of Christcnurch, who was recently appointed to tho second battalion of the Easex Regiment, stationed in Egypt, has received instructions from the Horse Guards to proceed to London at) once.

Blenheim Corporation have purchased the gaa works for £12,000, poseeei?ioD..to bo given by the owuer, Mr Pritchard, on Ist March. The Corporation will pay the money out of the Government Insurance Loan.

Two fires occurred in Canterbuty on l6t inst., the saddler's shop of J. F. Finn, at Lincoln, and Mrs Smith's seven-roomed house at Springston, being destroyed. Insurances : £250 Phoenix, £200. Equitable, £275 Royal. '

A reciprocity treaty will probably be concluded between Fiji and Victoria on the baeis of-Victoria protecting Fiji Buear imports, tmd admitting bananas free of duty, while Fiji will admit goods at half the present duty. ■ The contract for supplying the Government with IO.OOOIbs of sealing-wax was secured by Mr Charles Williams, of Albertstreet, Auckland. He is now busily engaged supplying the article made on his premises, which is givjug every satisfaction. At the conference of Oddfellows ab Ohnetchurch on Nov. 11 resolutions were passed approving of a uniform scale of contnbutions giving full privileges to visiting members towards popularising the order in the colony, encouraging the formation of juvenile lodges, and affirming the 'advisability of an annual movable committee for New Zealand.

The Few Zealand Shipping Company's Aorangi has made another clipper record on' her voyage just completed. She arrived at Port Chalmere about 8 30a.m.on2udinsf,, although she was not due there till Tuesday next, and haa therefore made a remarkable run, probably the fastest.on" record. She' left Plymouth on October 23rd, and called at Madeira and Cape Town. This makes the -fourth occasion in which the. Aorangi has mads the run from Plymouth to New Zealand under 39 days 17' factors, including.all stoppages. _ Several earth tremors, accompanied by underground rumblings, were felt at ' Botorua at 5.30 o'el6ok on Monday night, 29th November. Shortly afterward* i Mount Tarawera threw up a'denee volume of Bteam. It lasted about 20 minutes. The -.' Wahanga peak appeared to be the most . active. There was no fire visible. Some — springs at Ohinemutu showed incrnfteed activity immediately afterward";.. By 7.30 everything had settled down to its normal condition. .. ■ ■ •, ,: ,

•Mr T. Peacock, M.H.R., telegraphed to the Minister for Public Works some days ago, urging that a commencement should be made at once with the new Customhouse at Auckland, for which a vote of £2,000, out of a total of £12,000, was taken last session. Mr O'C6nnor, " the Under, Secretary, replied that the Minister was absent in the Soatb, but on his return the erection of the Auckland Custom-house v?ould be immediately considered. >•

The choir of St.JPaul'e mat at-the parsonage on Ist inst. for the purpose of welcomin the new organist, Mr J. T. Knigbt 3 ' and also to present to, Captain Skinner, as an old and valued member of the choii', a i handsome salver as a wedding present from his fellow members. The presentation was made by the incumbent, and was suitably' - acknowledged by Mr-Skinner. . A Very pleasant musical eveniDg was afterwards spent, interrupted by an interval duting which the choir wero entertained at supperby Mrs Nelson.

On Friday, Nov. 11, aa interesting little ceremony was psrfoimet* at. the warehouse of Messrs. Sargood,'Kwen, -and Co., Vic-toria-sfc. Mr Kwen, tfit- resident partner of the firm in London, who has been on, a visit to Auckland, was presented by the employes of the firm with a handsome collection of New Zealand ferns. Mr Rosa, tho Auckland managing partner, tcade the presentation in a felicitous speoob, and Mr Ewen suitably responded. The same evening, Mr Bwen Jeft to join the Kaikoura, by which steamer'ho proceeds Home.

The Sf lection Committee have chcecn the following to represent Auckland in tho forthcoming match with the Australian eleven on the first three days or next week -s -W. Meldrum, A. L. Meldrum, it. I. Killing. T. M. Morraby, J. W. Ryburn, R. J. Yates, J. Testro, D. Lynch, R, Ma Pherson, Arntil, W.. E. Barton. A. E. ; Dewes, A. O'Brien, R. Crowe, A. D. Me* I Cormick, C. Gardner, W. W. Robinson, C* H, Gould, B. Mills, W. Harvie. Emergencies: O. Walker, J. R. Reed, Rev. J, * Kiehards, C. F. Reid

Tlie heaviest and most disastrous flood which has taken plaae during the past five years was experienced at the Thames on Sunday night, November 2S, and the damage ip likely to be as great as the great flood of 18S2. For some days the-weather was very broken, with cccasionoUhbwers. faunday morningl there was every" ap- : pearance of a etorm. The clouds wero gathering all day, and at about 5 'o'clock rain, which had threatened, commenced to fall, and continued throughout tho night. Grahamsl own escaped, but sevorst Fhopkeepers in Pol.'eu-stre.et,. Shor land, lost concidcrably, owing to the Karakr* creek overflowing. Tho street and 'shops , he-e were covered with water for & de pth pT: I two feet, and when this had subsided t» layer of slimo and muti six inchoa -deep ie- ! maiodd. A man naiised Jblin Wall, care-tak-er of the water-race, ia raiesing It ivna hip'du%'i to;ceept}{O gratitg clear at tho hea;i ox Kauoranga, eomo tea musß from Thame.'-, ■which, it is Burmised he was engaged dointf , when he, by soaie tccans, eliprjed into tho. river and, via*), caniod away. ' „.■ . " * ,•.■■.■,■