Interprovincial.

Bruce Herald, Volume VI, Issue 476, 1 April 1873, Page 7

Interprovincial.

- A few days ago a serious accident happened to a lad living near Kowai. He was engaged attending to a threshing machine, when he got his hand entangled in the machinery, and had it nearly severed from the arm. He was brought to town and placed in Dr Prins' private hospital, where an attempt is being made to save the hand. — ' Press.' Among the facts to be occasionally got hold of by dipping into that usually most uninteresting publication the ' New Zealand Gazette,' is this one — that there are twenty-two full-fledged Maori ministers in the colony, duly entitled to the prefix "Reverend," and empowered to perform the ceremony of marriage. Of these, two are Weslevans, and the whole of the remainder belong to the Church of England. The number of the latter is likely to be still further increased before long, as five Maoris are preparing for holy orders at Auckland, in addition, probably, to others elsewhere. It would be interesting to know what kind of Clergymen these Maoris make — whether they are good preachers, earnest or apathetic, or successful in their labors. The Westport ' Times ' says there are " some ingenious tradesmen in Westport, and their cleverness deserves exaltation — at the end of a ropft. We saw yesterday an attenuated specimen of what is known in the bakery trade as a * 2lb cottage,' weighed just for curiosity. It barely turned the scale at three ounces and three quarters short weight ! The ingenious artist in dough deserves a medal as much as did the London waiter who won a premium for squeezing three pints of wine out of a quart bottle." The 'New Zealand Herald' says:— On visiting the Church of England cemetry we observed with much pleasure a sailor from H.M.S. Blanche busily occupied in painting the head stones of several of the officers of the navy who fell in action during the maori war. The man was evidently taking a great deal of pains with his work, and the stones wear a very different aspect to what they have done for many a long day ; but of every man of war that arrives in this port there is sure to be one or two of the men who like to go and have a look at where the bones of their brave officers lie, and no doubt they will be pleased to see that some one takes an interest in keeping the graves in order. The " Evening Post " says :— The magnitude and importance of the coal question is daily pressing itself more and more upon the attention of New Zealand colonists. The face, as published in the General Government returns, that in round numbers 100,000 tons ot coul were imported into the colony in 1871, for which about L 125,000 were sent away, is {sufficiently startling to arrest the attention of the most careless, particularly when coupled with the fact that we possess equally as good coal as that we import, and that the invest ment here of a sum equal to what we pay in one year would not only tarn the trade into our own hands per- j manently, but do much to make New Zealand the wealthiest colony in these seas. But the imports of coal in 1871 -were probably much surpassed in 1872, in which year Wellington and Canterbury alone consumed something near LBO,OOO worth of coal. There is; therefore, every reason why we should continue to, represent the matter to bur readers, bo that the efforts

which have been begun may not be relaxed till the full result have been attained, and till in every house in the colony our own coal is being 1 consumed. We learn that the Minister for Public Works promisesthat the. railway which would bring one fields into active operation shall be proceeded with immediately, namely, the line from the Malvern Hills to fßolleston, in Canterbury. For this line a contract for sleepers, to be obtained in Manawatu, has been entered into, to be completed by May next. A water race, sold by auction at Westland a few days since, is stated to have realised only LIOO, " not the cost of the nails that were used in constructing ' the Burning. " A rich gold-bearing district is reported to have been found about seventeen miles from Whangarei. The Auckland Iron Company is to be wound up, owing to an insufficient number of shares having been applied for. Smelting will, however, shortly be commenced under different auspices. The forty-five Chinamen who sailed by the Harriet Armitage took with them 2,740 ozs gold, of the value of LIO,OOO, which, we believe, represents the result of little more than three years' hard work. —' Daily Times.' A telegram from Wanganui says:— The country is burnt up, and the stock dying through scarcity of food and water. Bain is now falling. A few days ago news reached Beefton that the copper plates at Anderson's machine site had been cut from the tables and abstracted. The quantity of gold estimated to have been on the plates is fairly put at not less than 500z5., of a money value of L 195 ss, but the" actual loss to the Company is considerably greater, probably little short of LSOO. It appears that it had not been deemed necessary to watch the "tables, the only amalgam left on them being what was deemed sufficient to facilitate the arrest of the gold as it fines intermixed with quartz tailings from the batteries, and it could not for one moment be supposed that the robbers would have recourse to such a daring expedient as cutting away the copper plates from the tables. Mr Burgett left the machinehouse secured in the ordinary way, on Thursday evening, and visited Eeefton, and although the loss was not discovered until yesterday morning, it is very probable that it was early in the night that the robbery was perpetrated. Information was given to the police, and Sergeant M'Ardle proceeded to Blacks Point yesterday to search for some clue to the missing property and the perpetrators of the robbery. But for this untoward occurrence the company, after having undertaken a large outlay in opening up the mine, would have resumed crushing to-morrow. As it is, the plates must be renewed, which need not iavolve any great delay, but the task of preparing them that they may be in proper order for saving the gold will be attended with serious expense, and in order to do this not less, probably, than fifty, ounces of gold, the product of the mine, jwill have to be sacrificed. — ' Inangahua Herald,' March 5.

The formation of the tracK over Mount Pisa to Cardona is to be commenced within a few days. The 'Cromwell Argus' reports •: — The John Bull Company had a very satisfactory cleaming-up last Wednesday, at the Nil Desperandum Co.'s battery. The quantity of stone crushed was about 50 tons, and the yield of retorted gold 48 ozs., — showing an average retnrn ol 19£ dwt. per ton. A native of the Navigator's Island was by mistake brought on to Auckland by the mail steamship Dakota, on her last trip. It appears that, when the steamer stopped at the island on her trip to that port from Honolulu, a number of natives came off in canoes for the purpose of trading with the passengers and crew, several of them for this purpose, going on board the steamer. Warning was given to them just before the Dakota was ready to start on hep voyage, but by some accident the one alluded to missed his passage in the canoes. The facts of the case were made known to Captain Ingersoll, but, the canoes by this time being too far away to be brought back, be was compelled to bring the native on with him. It is his intention, however, to land the man again on the island on the first opportunity offering.

A Taranaki exchange has the follow ing-, under the heading " A very courageous act":— "We learn that Mr H. Northcroft, and Mr H. Morrison, Sub-Inspectors of the Armed Constabulary, were, a short time since, out duck shooting on the shores of Lake Taupo. It appears that a duck was shot, and, having fallen into the water, was drifting away with the wind. No dogs beiDg with them, Mr Northcroft stripped and went into the^ water after it ; but when about four hundred yards from the shore, and he had possession of the duck, he turned to come back, when he found his legs were helpless from cramp. Mr Northcroft called for assistance, but the wind blowing from the shore, Mr Morrison did not hear him ; he, therefore, threw himself on his back and waved his arms in the air. Blr Morrison, who had also undressed for a bathe, thinking something was wrong, then swam out to Mr Northcroft, and learnt the state of affairs. He told him thut he could save his . life if he was cool, and, being informed that he was, Mr Morrison went close to him, Me Northcroft turned round, and placing his hands on his friend's hips, he was brought safely ashore ; hut the exertion and excitement was so great that, on landing 1 , Mr Morrison fainted." We have not seen this occurrence mentioned in any of the papers, but such a daring ace deserves recording 1 , and we have, accordingly, done so. It is a case well worthy of tba guinatift Qpciet^V medal; T • ' v