NEWS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 10058, 9 June 1898, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Owing to pressure on our sp.vje we are compelled to hold over a quantity of news aud a number of letters to the Editor on the subject of acetylene gas.

The Minister for Lanus will deliver a political address in the sclit o house, Upper Riccarton, at 8 o'clock this evening. After 10 a.m. to-morrow he will receive deputations at tho Terminus Hotel.

The Telograph Department informs ua that the Anglo American Company notify that the restrictions of the United States respecting telegrams in eecret language or cypher for Venezuela and Brazil have been removed, with the exception of official despatches between the representatives of the Spanish Government.

So far no private schools have availed themselves of the Education Board's offer, regarding the examination of fourth and sixth standard pupils.

An inquest was held at the Eastern Hotel yes'erday afternoon, before Mr Beoth4m, coroner, and a jury of whom Mr F. J, Board was chosen foreman, concerning the death of Mrs Brad well on the previous day. A verdict was returned of death from syncope of the heart.

The popularity of Air George Agar in Ly ttelton was abundantly shown on Tuesday night when he wastakiag his departure by the Rotonmliana to join the Kaikoura at Wellington for a trip to England, a large number of his friends accompanied him to the steamer, and ringing cheers were given him as she left the wharf.

Mr T. G. Dawson, son of Mr T. Dawson, of Hornby, was married to Miss A. Chap* man, of Prebbleton, on Tuesday. After tho marriage ceremony the wedding party assembled at the house of the bridegroom's father, where the health of Mr Dawson jun., and his bride was honoured. The guests wer& entertained &t •the Bruids' H&U m the evening.

On Tuesday night Mr J. C. Waaon, M.H.R., addressed a meeting of his constituents at Brookside, Mr Scolb being in the chair. He wae accorded'a favourable hearing, and at the close a vote of thanks and confidence was, on the motion of Mr Cunningham, carried unanimously. ■

The Assessment Court at tUmgiora, Mr H. W. Bishop, S.M., judge, presiding, was occupied all day yesterday with the Glenmark case, in which Mr Geo. H, Moore claims to have his assessment of £293,757 increased by £25,000. Ttio matter ie likely to occupy the Court two or three days in hearing expert evidence as to values of land for pastoral and agricultural purposes.

In reply to a letter which Mr T. E. Taylor, M.H.R., forwarded to the Government on the question of the unemployed, he has received a telegram from the Premier, stating that instructions have been given to the department to arrange for reproductive work, that in all probability the depart* ment would have land foe bushfelling as at the State farm, Te Tapu.iast year, and a* soon as they were ready to take on men they would do bo.

The skeleton of a ,man was found in the Upper Hope valley, twelve miles froW Glenwye, and two chains off the river bank on the West Coast aide, on Friday, by Mr Duncan Rutherford's cattle rausterera. No clothing or anything to assist in identification was found. The remains had been removed to the Upper Waiau hotel for inquest. Mr Rutherford is of opinion that the man died about three years ago. •

The remains oi the late Mr Wm. Woodhouse were interred in the new cemetery at Sydenham yesterday afternoon, the service at the grave being conducted by the Rev, Father Servijean. A* , the late Mr Woodhouse was an old man-of-war's-man, Captain Browne, of the Tauranga, sent up a detach , ment of bluejackets, who carried the coffio, which was covered with the Union Jack, trorn the hearse to the grave. ,

The Acclimatisation Society made a profit* able investment over twenty-nve sheep which were originally purchased at 2s a head for trout feed. Finding a very nutritous pasture, they converted themselves into fat sheep, were Bold at 8s a head for other purposes than trout feed, and the Garden Committee of the Sooiety repeated the investment, possibly in . the hppe of an equally satisfactory financial return.

Yesterday tho Lyttelton fire-bell W« rung, and the brigade promptly turned out, in consequence"of an alarm of fire in London street. The cause of the alarm was the. burning of a quantity of rubbish in the the house of Mrs Thompson, who wae..removing to another house. So much enioke was raised that the matter appearedanttich more serious than it proved to be, and the brigade made quick work of extinguishing the flames, which did little or no damage. ■ A Press Association telegram from Wellington says that the Takapuna will bring down the fclan Francisco mail to Wellington, and go on with it South this afternoon.

Among the fat cattle sold at'lhe Adding* ton Saleyards yesterday were Mr A. hTutton's two well-known shorthorn ptize bullocks. They were nicely matched roans, and. took the first prize as a pair at the Winter s how. at Christch urch Jas t year. One of them also won the first and the Christ- 1 chnrch Meat Company's and Messrs H. Matsonasd Co.'s special prizes at thd same show, and was first at the Metropolitan show in November. He fell to the bid of Mr Jae. Knight at £15. The other, Was also first at Rangiora last year, and Mc/J. Forrester was the buyer.at £13 ss.

The type writer is apparently not an unmixed blessing as applied to the Law Courts, more especially when a tliird or fourth copying, more or less illegible, is supplied as,. * record. His Honour M r Justice DennisSanijt i the cc urse of a case yesterday in Banco, called attention to the fact that "the type written copy which had been supplied to him look-a-like a ihird or fourth copy, and he objected to the records of Court being supplied from the dregs of the type writer. His Honour instructed Mr Thomas, tue sheriff, that he need not necessarily, unless he bked, accept type written copies of documents or pleadings, and certainly not unless they were the first copy. He 'hoped that litigants would takd notice of this.

Mr J. N. Hamer's collie dog Ponsonby, just released from quarantine, possesses goo-i breeding, and should prove a useful acquisition here. He is four years of age, and was »red by unampion Metchley WonderGipsy Countess, by Champion The Squire— Champion Merry Fair, he is a large prizetaker, having secured 1 silvei medal, o first prizes, 2 seconds, and 1 third; and as late as 27th August last year, at the Mid-Wales Agricultural Show, he took 2nd against thirty-eight colliea. )■

The Hon. anil Mre Hall-Jones were easterners for Timani by the express yesterday nmiiiing. They arrived in Christchurch by the early train from .Springfield. The Minister*will address his constituents at Tiniaru. Detective Fitzgerald arrested a man yesterday afternoon for having (stolen an oveie -r.nt from Mr A. C. Begg's shop in High street, on Friday last. The ll.igs at the Lyltelton Borough Covin-.n 1-nil'ling, and the Lyttelton Fire ]j r station, were at half-mast yesterdtiv, ar- a mark of respect to iho memory of Mr William Graham, who died early in the morning. Mews Frierlhndcr 8.0.'. held a trial of the MuH-'ev-Harris combined grain diill and fertiliser an'l epring-tooth cultivator in Mr T. M. Jones's paddock, near tlie Ashburton sa'leyarde, yesterday. In the opinion of the farmers present, the machine did ita work well. It in simple in construction, and as it is chiefly of steel, is strong and durable. The Committee of the Culverden School have accepted the Education Board's offer of £50, f° r tne crec t'on of a school, and subscriptions will be raised privately, it is hoped, to build ft teacher's house as well. The Mackenzie School ia finished and in use and additions to the Hoiuby School are in progress. Gifts.— £1500 to be given away free in iirizes of ladies' watches, albums, workboxes, work-basket?", &c, for Crown brand lea coupons by Hubbard, Hall and Co.. Next competition closes last day of Jnne (this month). For seven days only—Shaw, Robinson and Co. are showing some wonderful bargains. Tweed dress lengths from 3s lid, velveteens from Is, blankets from 7s lid, colonial flannel BJd, table damasks 9-id, sheetings from 9-} d, ladies and children's mackintoshes at half price, flannelettes from Is lid per dozen, men'» tweed trousers from 6s 110 , worth 8s 6d, colonial tweed suits 2As 6d, knitted sox and working shirts from Is lid. 213 Cashel street, opposite Press office. 2852 Are you Removing?—lf so, employ the N.Z. Expvese Company, who have skilled men and large furniture vans. Removals andortaken by road, rail or sea. Good •torage accommodation. Corner Manchester and Heieiord streets. 3842 In addition to a large manufacturing trade from 30 to 60 bicycles can be repaired daily it the Zcalandia Cycle Works—Oates, Lowry and Co., largest makers of cycles in New 'Zealand. - [Advt. ] Special.—lf you require a tonic take the —Syrup of Hypophosphitos. Barnett, chemist* lib bottles 4s 6d, Alb 2s 6d. 2200 REPLY TO THE HON. MR M'KENZIE. At a meeting of the Committee of the National Association, held Inst evening, the President reported that Mr C. Lewis, M.H.R., had, at the request of the Association, consented to reply to the speech of the Hon. Mr M'Kenzie, to be delivered at Riccarton to-night. Mr Lewis will, therefore, speak in the Theatre Royal on Friday evening. The Hon. W. Rolleston, whose constituency Mr M'Kenzie is invading, it is well known, is suffering from the effects of a severe accident, and is not able at present to engage in any political warfare on his own account. Mr Lewis is to be commended therefore, for stepping into the breach, and we feel sure that he will be rewarded by n good audience. That he will have the public sympathy and approval in his action goes without saying. FRUIT CONDEMNED. 'A considevnble quantity of the citrous fiuits ex Talunc from Sydney has been condemned by Mr J. C. Blaekmore, Government Pomologist, on account of its being infested with red mussel and oleander scale. The Whole of tin shipment has not yet been inepeoteJ, but a good deal of the fruit is very inferior, having. Mr ulackmore says, prior to shipment been scrubbed and washed to get ria of tho soalo which infested it. This has co braised the fruit tliat a large quantity of it is in a very rotten condition, while it has not by any means been freed of scale. Them are some 600 casc-i for Dunedin. These wUI be inspected by Mr Blaekmore's astistsint (Mr Fitch) at that port. THE INCREASE OF HARES. At yesterday's mcetmg of the Acclimatisation Society the spread of and the damage done by liares again came under consideration in a letter from Mr Baxter, at South Malvern, who asked permission to shoot them fiver his >\vn property. He wrote that they came in hordes among the turnips; that the district was alive with them, and he wished " permission to thin them out or frighten the in elsewhere." Dr. Dendywas very positive abou'r. hares being a pest; and held that the Society had no justice or right on their siJj in protecting a nuisance at tne expense of land holders, and was for at once declaring them vermin, and throwing open the district controlled by the Society. Other members were not inclined to go that far. Eventually the Council gave Mr Baxter thepermission he asked, ■which it was stated would entitle him to use as many guns on his property as he liked; and Dr. Dendy gave notice of a. motion to the effect that in view of tho damage to crops, orchards, and plantations by hare*, the protection thould be removed from .'hem, %nd the district declared open. AN AQUATIC "ASAT." There promises to 1 be another act in the 'Ladies , Plate comedy over which the Christchurch Regatta had an animated discussion •otne months ago. Briefly the position Is that at the regatta in February the Canterbury Club's crew included a member who j •was appointed after the entries closed, and the Union Rowing Club protested against the team taking the prize on the ground that there had'oeen a contravention of the racing rules. The question was submitted to the i Bowing Association who upheld the protest, ' . from which an appeal was made and dismissed. The Union Rowing Club then made their application for the cheque to which the winners of the event were entitled, but the i coveted document, it is asserted, was not forthcoming, even after repeated requests. The assistance of the Association was invoked to move , the adamantine heart of the Regatta treasurer. A telegram was sent to •the Association secretary—" .Smith declines over prize Ladies' Plate. Is not de- j eision Appeal Council absolutely final and without appeal—rule 9?" And* the reply came—" Rule 9 absolute. There can be no appeal from the decision of the Council." j This intervention was fruitless, and now the offended parties have petitioned for a special Meeting of the Club, at which it is not improbable that Mr Wragge's missing " Asat" \ may be discovered. THE GOVERNOR AT INVERCARGILL. His Excellency the Governor paid his first officL\l visit to Inrercargill yeeterday, and was fittingly received by the Municipal Council and representatives of other local bodies. The City Guards provided a guard of honour and the Mounted Rifles an escort. His Excellency was driven to the Rotunda at the Post office, where an address of welw«e was presented. Lord Ranfurly, in *eply, expressed his appreciation of the potentialities of the town and district. The Governor presented the medallions and certificates of the St. John Ambulance Association at night before a large gathering. To-day he will lay the memorial stone of the victoria ward of the Hospital and open the Southland A. and P. winter show. On Friday night his Excellency will be present at the citizens' ball. THE "BUCKLING" OF RAILWAY LINES. All the witnesses but one who have pre•ented themselves for examination in connection with the enquiry into the railway accident at Kaukapakapa, Auckland, last January, have now been heard. The evidence of the platelayers was to the effect that the fishplates and bolts had become "jnstcd and allowed no play of the rails. They accounted for the mat by the presence of a salt-water creek right alongside the line. Shortness of ballaet did not, in their opinion, endanger the safety of the line. Mr C. Napier Bell has left to inspect the placet on Paeroa and Kotorua line where the buckling occurred at about the same time as at Kaukapakapa.

GEAR MEAT COMPANY. The Gear Meat Company has declared an interim dividend for the half-year at the rat« of 10 per cent, per annum. POLITICAL. A Press Association telegram from Wellington states that Mr Coleman Phillips will contest the Wairarapa seat at the next election. Mr Duncan, who contested the seat against Mr M'Kenzie, will be the Opposition candidate for Waiherao. USING A RAILWAY TICKET ISSUED TO ANOTHER. A farmer was fined at Invercargill (says a Press .Association message), for using a railway ticket not issued te him. Ignorance of the law wae pleaded, and that he had paid a proportion on the ticket. Thi3 being the fiiat ca-e of the kind there, a fine of 10s was imposed. TAMPERING WITH WITNESSES. In opening a case at the Auckland Supreme Court, in which the prisoner was charged with having wilfully attempted to defeat the ends of justice by endeavouring to induce a witness to swear falsely, Mr J. A. Tole, Crown Prosecutor, said one could not be mixed up with the administration of criminal justice without becoming aware that this was not an uncommon occurrence. Mr Reed, prisoner's counsel, interjected, " I don't think my friend should say that, your Honour." Mr Justice Conolly—" It is a notorious fact that attempts are often made to tamper with witnesses, and with jurymen, I am sorry to say." ADMIRAL PEARSON IN AUCKLAND. Admiral Pearson, while in Auckland, was shown round the harbour by the members of the Harbour Board. In replying to the toast of his health, the Admiral said that as for Calliope dock, that matter was, he believed, under the consideration of the Home authorities. He would be pleased if Auckland were made a base for the navy in these seas. But all these things would have to develop gradually. At present, they must remember that there were only two ships on the New Zealand station, and that the Australasian squadron altogether was but a small one. MOUNT LYELL MINING COMPANY. The half-yearly meeting of the Mount Lyell Mining Company passed off much more quietly than was anticipated (writes the Melbourne correspondent of the " Otago Daily Times.") The Chairman (Mr Bowes Kelly) did not attempt to answer the criticisms which had been made upon the figures as .to output disclosed in Mr Sticht's report, but lie admitted that the quarterly dividend of 4s could not be maintained ori the present output. His remarks were: " There was not sufficient money to pay the dividends out of the profits of the ore, because everything taken out of the mines had been taken as profit, less the expenses, and the capital which had been provided had gone on building plants. This showed that the directors were not in a position to provide a dividend of 4s quarterly unless extra furnaces were put up, and it only came upon the Board within the last few days. They knew when taking out the estimates that they would only get 19s per ton, and up to even the publication of the report they fully believed that they could have carried on the work of erecting furnaces, and gone on paying quarterly dividends by a little assistance from the banlc, which they were prepared to give. But after consulting with the General Manager and going int j figures, they thought that it would be best in the interests of the shareholders not to take any advantage from the bank but to ask the shareholders to take up the shares which the Board had to issue. (Hear, hear.) They had to issue another 25,0C0 shares, and this was only decided upon the previous day." The price of the shfcies has kept at about £10, and it is understood that the shares placed on the market were principally from a Melbourne bank which neld a large number and wished to get cut.