Local and General.

Clutha Leader, Volume XXIV, Issue 1222, 3 December 1897, Page 6

Local and General.

w The prevalence of house robberies both in Wellington and Masterton recently leads to the belief that an organised gang is at work. The Legislative Council of New South Wales passed the Federation Enabling Aot Amendment Bill without amendment, after a stormy sitting. Endless leather belts, acting as moving staircases, convey the patrons of large Parisian stores from one floor to another. The Bank of New Zealand shipped by the Moana from Auckland on Saturday to San Francisco 49 bars of gold valued at L 70.450. The Dunstan limes learns that an insect blight has attacked the potato crop in the district, and already several local gardens are badly infested. The Taieri Advocate states that on Sunday last, while Mr C. R. Chapman was riding on his property at Waihola, his horse was struck in the flank by lightning and killed. Not the least interesting appendage of the Wesleyan Conference just held in Auckland was the smoking room, wh^re the president and a score of others assembled when time permitted. At a meeting of the Christchurch Industrial Association a few days ago, it was maintained that the Master and Apprentice Bill, by necessitating the employment of a greater amount of adult labor, would kill nascent industries, throw numbers of girls and women and others out of work and leave the colonial market to imported goods. Last week a whirlwind passed over Puniho, near Opunake, lifting a tworoomed coltage, occupied by four Maoris, bodily off its piles, and carrying the roof ten chains away. The occupants escaped injury, but the chimney, in falling, killed a dog which was on the premises. The wheat king of the world resides in Argentina. Ho is an Italian emigrant, named Guazone, and his broad acres are situated in the South of the province of Bueno3 Ayres. His crop occupies an area of 66,270 acres. He numbers his workmen by the thousand and each one receives a certain share of the profits. W T hcn his season's crop is harvested he fills over 3000 railway trucks with the grain. At Clinton, on Thursday, Mr J. N. Stewart was presented with a platform rocking chair by the members of his evening class, which has been carried on by him for the benefit of local young men, in whose welfare he take 3 a keen interest. It was considered a privilege by the members of this class to be able, even in a small way, to show their appreciation of services which were so cheerfully and gratuitously rendered. A few days ago four masked and armed men seized the watchman at the Redfern Fish Market, Sydney, and after overpowering him stunned him with a stick and bound him to a bedpost. The burglars exploded a charge of dynamite, which badly damaged the safe. The noise attracted passersby, and the burglars decamped. The watchman was then released. A sad drowning accident occurred on the Wanganui River on Thursday. The wife of a settler named Alley, with two children, went down the river, and it is supposed that the elder girl had climbed a tree to reach kiekies and fell inte the river, and that Mrs Alley, with the baby in her arms, jumped in after her. All three were drowned. In the Supreme Court, Wellington, last week, the Chief Justice and a jury of 12 heard a case in which Walter J. Lindop, a chemist at Carterton, claimed L 750 damages from Harry A. Tully, the town clerk at Greytown North, for seduction of his eldest daughter, Cecilia. On plaintiff's side it was stated that the seduction took place under promise of marriage. The jury returned a verdict for plaintiff, with LSOO damages. A second action against Tully claiming tho sum of LIOOO damages for a breach of promise W9B heard. Counsel for plaintiff said that his client did not ask for vindictive damages. The jury, after a few minutes' retirement, awarded her L 350. The Judge certified for costs according to scale in both cases. No defonce was offered by Tully in either case. A surprise parly visited the Knap, dale manse the other even : ng, and after entertaining themselves and their * guests ' in the manner usual on such occasions Mr W. Stewart read and presented the following address to the Rev P. Ramsay : — ' Dear pastor and teacher, we, the members of your Bible class, regret to hear of your continued illness, and that it has become necessary to seek a change of climate and rest for the purpose of recruiting your health ; and in order to show our appreciation of your labors as our teacher and esteemed pastor, take much pleasure in presenting you with this purse of sovereigns as a proof of the same. We sincerely hope that you may enjoy a good holiday and a speedy recovery to health and vigor, and that you may be long spared to minister to us of the Word of Life.' Mr Ramsay made an appropriate reply.

Of the 51,000 breweries estimated to be in the world, 26,000 are in Germany. The Auckland Domain cricket pavilion was burned down on Saturday night. It was insured for L2OO by the City Council — about half of its value. The Hawke's Bay Herald states that a young lady in Napier has issued a writ claiming L3OOO damages from a well-known resident in that town for breach of promise of marriage. At Napier, Sunday was by far the hottest day yet experienced this summer, the thermometer registering 90deg in the shade, whilst at Hastings 93deg "was recorded. At Sydney on Tuesday, Cullen, the cyclist, while hurrying for a doctor for his wife, who had been taken suddenly ill, was knocked down by a cart and killed. JXThe Mataura Ensign says a list of the prominent evils extant in New Zealand woulcl be incomplete did it not j include the Seddon Government and sly grog-selling. By the capsizing of an omnibus, running from Takapuna to Auckland last week, Mrs James Tidey, a Melbourne i lady was killed and a number of others j were injured. The horses had bolted several times during the journey. A gang of pickpockets who had come to Dunedin for carnival week left by train for Christchurch on Saturday night. During the stoppage at Palmerston a passenger was rel : eved of L 22, and at Timaru another was robbed of a purse containing LlO. A little child named Heppleston, while sitting on the railway line at Petone last week, was run over by the Gear Company's engine and killed. The driver did his best to pull up when he saw the child, but unfortunately it tried to csoss the line. A railway record was put up on October 5 by the Pennsylvania limited express, running between Louisville and Indianapolis. It did the full distance pf 106 miles in 101 minutes. Five full stops and two slowdowns were made. On severing his connection with the Mornington School after nearly three years' service Mr William Bannerman was presented by his class of 70 pupils with a handsome silver teapot, suitably inscribed, as a mark of respect and esteem. The recipient, who is about to take up his duties as master of Kyeburn School, acknowledged the. gift in appropriate terms.% At the annual meeting of the Lake County Council last week the wages of workmen were reduced from 81 to 7s a day, and Councillor Rodgers gave notice of the^following motion : — ** That in the opinion of the council, taking into consideration its present financial difficulties, it is advisable that a reduction of 25 per cent be made in the chairman's and members' travelling allowances, and in the engineer's salary. A Henley farmer, named Kenneth Kennedy, about 60 years of age, was found dead in Caversham tunnel on Friday morning. He had been afc the Dunedin show on Thursday, and it is presumed he was returning home by one of the evening trains and fell off the platform. He had been latterly milking for the Henley Dairy Factory. The body was found by the surfaceman in making his early morning inspection. Bushmen employed felling bush at Te Arai (Poverty Bay) last week, discovered the skeleton of a woman and child in the hollow of a Kahikatoa tree close to a small lake. The natives in the vicinity can give no information of anyone missing, and it is presumed lhe remains may be those of a woman and child who, in trying to escape at (he time of the troubles in Poverty Bay, lost their way in the bush. The following is from the Mataura Ensign : — Bricklayers are a scarce commodity in Gore just now. Mr Owen Kelly, contractor for Messrs Nightingale and Sutherland's new premises, in Mersey street, has been unable to obtain this class of labor, although he has telegraphed all over the colony, and offered 18s per day to suitable men. It would thus appear as if all the bricklayers had joined the unemployed gang to qualify for old age pensions. Early on Taesday morning a fire totally d> s'royed a large goods shed and partially destroyed the eastern tee of the Queen street wharf, Auckland. The contents of Jhe shed, valued at from L 30,000 to L 40.000, were totally destroyed. This and the damage to the wharf bring the loss to close on L 50,000. The shed was insured in the New Zealand and South British Offices for Lf,ooo. The tee, which cost LIO,OOO. is damaged. to the extent of L 6.000. The contents of the shed were 700 tons, principally cases of i»obds ex Rangitiia. The origin of the fire i* a mystery. There were numerous heavy exp'osions during the brief progress of the fire and on one occasion the crowds of spectators were startled by the explosion of fireworks. Rockets, stars, and Catherine wheels went far and widp. These, it is understood, were fireworks intended for the celebration of Guy FawWd Day, but they arrived too late for the local market,