TABLE TALK.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIX, Issue 21, 26 January 1898, Page 1

TABLE TALK.

Good regatta entries. ' Casey inquest at the Thames to-night. The Premier left Westport for Reefton to-day.

Cargo-steamer Morayshire arrived from Waitara.

"Straight From the Heart" again at the.O.pera House to-night. The Hon. A. J. Cadman returned from Kapngahake to Paeroa to-day. The New Zealand Cyclists Touring Club now numbers over a thousand members.

Some nice views of "Waiwera, the wellknown watering place, appear in the " Grapnic" this week.

About sixty entries in all were received last night for the various races at the Auckland A riniversary Regatta. "A Buddhist Hell" is the title of a deeply interesting and profusely illustrated article in .the " Graphic " this week. A verdict of "death from natura causes " was returned yesterday at the inquest on the body of the boarded out infant Koland Allan Piggott at Morningside. His Excellency the Governor, and Lady Ranfurly. with their two daughters arid suite, arrived in Christclinrch. last night, and will he in residence at Ehmvoodfor some Biouths.

The usual drill of the College Rifle Volunteer Corps was held last evening in the Drill Shed, Lieutenant Mackie being in charge. The Victoria Rifles also'met for drill under Lieutenant Skinner, and had a good muster. ".■.'-■'•V '

One of the two up-to-date earthquakerecording instruments which the Government has ordered from Home, and which will arrive in the colony in a few months, will probably be fitted' up at Wellington, and the other at Timaru. .

The Acclimatisation Society of Otago has decided on the following dates tor the shooting season: —Red deer, April Ist to the end of May ; fallow deer, March 15th to the end of April; native and imported game, May Ist to July 3lst. A party of girl students attending the Elam School of Art classes are at present spending a sketching holiday at Waiwera, and make daily trips to suitable localities for sketching from nature, under the supervision of their teacher, Mr E. W. Payton. At Dunedin yesterday a nurse named Dorothy King was committed for trial on a charge of picking £22 from the pocket of another woman. The offence was alleged to have been committed in a crowded theatre at the performance of " The Sign of the Cross." ■

Messrs G. Blake, W. A. Teague, and H. Wilcox, who have been for the last six months prospecting the Hauhangaroa range of hills, about twenty miles from Tokaanu, Lake Taupo, have come to the conclusion that they have found a "great alluvial goldtield."

The native owners of the special settlement sections in the Opuatia Block, Lower Waikato, have disposed of all the sections under the perpetual lease tenure, and some of the settlers are now burning their fallen bush. There are still about 3,(300 acres available apart from thespecial settlement scheme.

Various alterations and improvements have been made at the railway workshops at Newmarket.' In the fitting section of the workshops the roof has been raised about eight; .feet .h\\. round' to niake rQO|)£ for VoHdnifa ttttversrmj cranef -^Tii^flroSrs.have been tarred and sanded1 throughout, ami all the walls and surroundings have been whitewashed.

Akaroa is .rapidly becoming the most popular seaside resort in the South. It has been crowded with visitors ever since the beginning of the season, and those who have spent a holiday there are loud in its praise. Some six or seven photographic views of the town and surrounding scenery appear in the " Graphic " this w^eek. They are worth inspecting. At a meeting of Railway Department employees held last evening at the Auckland station it was decided to hold a picnic on Good Friday at Pine Island. The Committee appointed to carry out the details consists of. Messrs Ashhy, Simpson, Nelnies, Hill, Kelly, Williams, Tait, Smethurst, Buchanan, Frost, C. Smith, Sheriff, Moffatt, Pearce and Hickson.

A meeting of the; Devonport Borough Council was held last evenijig, Mr J. C. Macky (Mayor) presiding. An amount of routine business was transacted. The Finance and Legal Committee reported that the general account was debit £855 6s 9d. The following accounts were reported as in credit:—lnterest, £476 Is Id ; water supply, £385 7s 4d ;' sinking fund, £366 18» 10d; deposit, £31.

During the month of December the quantity of water raised from Lake Takapuna by the Devonport Borough's pump was 5,575,500 gallons. ' From March Ist last to December 31st the daily consumption, of .Takapuna water per head of population (taken at 3,050) averaged 277 gallons. For the ten months ended December the total quantity consumed was 25,596,000 gallons.

At Whare'keraupunga early last Friday morning the stove owned by Mr F. Gane was burnt to the ground. The tire, when discovered by Mr G. Gane, "who with his brother and ani asssitanfc was sleeping in a room at the back, was burning between the counter and the wall, and close to where the matches Were kept. He at once woke the others and gave the alarm, and although water was close at hand their attempts to overcome the flames were useless, and the building was soon reduced to ashes. Beyond the bedding, books, and money, which were in the back room, nothing was saved. The insurance was £250 in the Norwich Union on the building and stock, but Mr Gane estimates his loss at £100 above that amount. - -

Picanniny biscuits are specially mada for children and invalids by J. ISycroft and Co. Limited, sold in air tight tins. "Ask for them."—(Aclvt.)