LATEST.

Cromwell Argus, Volume XXX, Issue 1514, 17 May 1898, Page 4

LATEST.

Onslow House, the property of the Assets Board, was offered for sale to-day, but had to be withdrawn at £1950, the original cost was £14,000. G. F. Richardson, bankrupt, was publicly examined at Wellington to-day. He said his son had paid several creditors in full, and others would have been paid had they been reasonable. W. T. D.. Wood, of Christchurch, was among the victims of the snowslide in Chilcoot Pass, while on his way to Klondyke. An offer from PJnuland to purchase Bobadil has been refused by W. R. Wilson, and the horse will remain in Australia.

It is understood that Parliament will not meet till June 30. M'Lay and party's dredge has got down stream as far as Printers' Bay. Messrs Williams, M'Laren and Co., have purchased the Wilkin River saw-mills. See ad ! It will be noticed that the Hawea Brass Baud have postponed their bazaar, concert aud ball to 24th June. The Electric No. 2 dredge has been stopped since Thursday ; a piece of the machiuery having got broken. It is estimated that between £16,000 and £19,000 worth of new stamps have been sold iu the colony up to the present time. Mr Hawkins fined the licensee of the Club Hotel, at Kaitangata on 12th inst., fjr supplying liquor to a child under the prescribed age. Crookston and party's dredge got to work on Monday last. We hear that bottom was touched on Friday, at a depth of about 26 feet. We hear it is being mooted by several of the young fellows of the town to try and raise a quadrille assembly during the winter evenings. Mr Rattray, of Invercargill, found a mushroom in his paddock which weighed l£lb, and measured across the top from seven to nine inches. Latest accounts from the Maori (Hotop's) dredge are favorable, a shade over working ex'a being obtained recently. The gold, we have heard, is getting slightly coarser. The accounts for the year have been certified to by the Controller and Auditorgeneral. The actual surplus is £521,000. The detailed account will appear in the next Gazette. The first football match played at the Nevis on Saturday, caused great excitement. We learn from a visitor who was present that the entire popualtion turned out to see the game, While comiug down the Bannockburn hill with a load of six tons of coal on board for the "Muori" dredge, M'Lauchlin's team got upset on Saturday last. Fortunately the driver and horses escaped without injury. A Dunedin party were in Cromwell last wiek, their business being to secure a good coil pit. The Cromwell coal pit was visited, also Pryde's at the Baunockburn. The party spoke in high terms of the latter pit, the access to the coal being so easy. A shopkeeper in Auckland has been fined Is for having delivered goods ou a half-holiday. The defeudant had allowed his employe? a half-holiday, but thought he was not breaking the law by taking round goods which his men should have delivered earlier in the day. A aood trade in rabbitskins, by all appearances, is being carried on in this district at present. We noticed no fewer than three vans canvassing for business during the past week, and we hear that the parties owning the vans intend spending the winter in the neighborhood. The Alexandra sports take place at Alexandra on Tuesday next, and judging by the number of entries received for the bike races, keen competition should be looked for in this class. We bespeak a large gathering, aud trust that the management will be favored with good weather. It might be well if hotel keepers, both in the township and in the district, would recognise the fact that Constable Dale intends toadminister the licensing kw, strictly, in the matter of closing at the proper hour. A couple of licensees have already been warned iu this connection. There are to be no further warnings. We have been inundated with letters this week, on the Hospital-Sorgeon question. For three of these we have found room. A fourth, a rather lengthy one, covering much the same ground as the others, and which arrived yesterday afternoon only, we must hold over till next week, when, however, we shall be pleased to find room for it. The country could cheerfully see the superabundance of the legal element that now prevails in the House superseded by the business element. It is a woeful exhibition at times to see how much at sea the majority of the members are when accounts or figures have to be dealt with.— Greymouth Weekly Argus. The rumor that there is to be a shift round cf Wardens, has been again revived during the past week. We understand that there is more than mere rumor in the Bruce Herald's statement that Wardens M'Carthy and Hawkins were to exchange place,s and that the hitch that arose is due to Warden Hawkins' ob jection to coming to so trying a circuit as this one is. For some time past (says the Wellington correspondent of the Christchurch Press) curious rumors have been afloat in connection with a business firm here, and it is now known that the police are shadowing at least one party to a defalcation variously estimated at from £30,000 to £35,000. A financial institution is said to be involved. An arrest may take place any day. One of the parties to the transactiou is said to be on his way to England. Speaking of the advance of public opinion in recognising the right of wives to be economically independent, Mrs Sheppard, President of the Women's National Council, sdd that since the subject was firft brought up two years ago she knew several men who had recoguised the justice of the principle, aud reorganised their home-life in that directum She added with a smile, however, that she know two husbands who had threatened to leave the colony if the principle was embodied iu the Statute Book,

The boiler for the Magnetic dredge passed through here on Sunday list.

We regret to announce the death, after a somewhat painful illness, of Mrs A. Williamson. The funeral takes place to-day.

Consequent upon the rumored change of Wardens about, a fortnight ago, we heard several miners express a disire for a fortnightly instei d of a monthly court as at present. There is no question about the convenience which a fortnightly court would be, not only for mining business hut also for 8. M. work. Trior to Warden M'Uarthy's appointment the; rule was for nightly courts. We mention this mutter in order to acquaint Mr M'Carthy with a very generally expressed wish. As a constable was giving evidence against a prisoner at the Auckland police court a few days ago, lie was interrupted by a woman sitting behind the witness-box, who called out "Liir." The magistrate told the sergeant to have the woman put out of court, whereupon she altered her ejaculation to "I beg to differ." Ihis " compromise," however, did not alter the magisterial decree, and out she bad to go. And as with a rustle of skirls and tossing of feathers she vanished into the passage, an angry voice sent back an echo, " I hew to differ."

A valuer under the Government Valuation of Land Act at, Duncdin last week appeared before the Assessment Court in support of his o'j ction to the valuation placed on his own property in his valuation district. In assessing his improvements he had made au allowance of £3OO for clearing i he land of bush, but the amount was struck out by the supervising valuer. The bush ou the land mainl}' consisted of kowhai, but as the property was situated at Wickliffe Bay the timber had no market value when cut. Mr Carew upheld the valuer's objection, aud sustained the original valuation.

A deputation from the Women's Council waited on the Minister of Education aud asked if the Government would vote £IOO to each of the four centres to pay a lidy to look after nsglected children in terms of the resolution passed by the Council. Mr Walker said he would refer the matter to the Cabinet, who would take the proposal into serious consideration, tie expressed surprise that the women had not before now pressed their claim to be represented ou charitable aiei boards, etc. Personally was favorable to the suggestion. The deputation also saw the Minister of Justice, and submitted the same proposal.

The following business of local interest was transacted at the last sitting of the Land Board :—Ranger Mackenzie reported on the application by Mrs Miscall lor a lease in perpetuity over an area of 55 acres in block iu, Kawarau district, the cousent of the runholders having been forwarded.—To be allowed) to acquire on lease in perpetuity ; survey fees to be lodged, and the capital value to be 10s per acre. Ranger Mackenzie also reported on the application by Roderick Poison for section 12, block lit, Tarras district, on lease in perpetuity.—Approved. To be allowed to acquire on lease iu perpetuity at a capital value of 12j 6d per acre, subject to the Governor's approval.

It appears as if the Borough Council is satisfied that nothing can be done to improve our water supply, resting this conviction on an expert opinion in a letter published recently on the subject of evaporation. It seems to us that the Council have missed the far more important question of percolation to which really is due the present shortage. No expert's opinion is wanted on this head, a? anyone can see the streams of water running from the reservoir on to the roadway and into the river. A mistake was made iu constructing the extension part <>f the reservoir, the bottom or sides of which are neither mote nor less than a sieve through which the water pours. Why not discard the extension part altogether and revert to the old dam ?

la his new work, Mr W. P. Keeves refers to the female franchise. He says :' Ii lias been more noteworthy for what it has no; brought about than for what it has. It ha-? not unsexed women, or broken up existing political parties, nor brought about family discord or domestic negligence. It has not stamped out the liquor traffic, though it has strengthened the party of Prohibition. Nor has it iutefered with the institution of marriage, though it may presently bring lbout some amendment of the divorce laws. Secular education stands as strongly as ever, and ladies are not yet clamoriug to bs admitted to Parlimeut, Even the fashion of their dress is still English. On the other hand, they use their votes eagerly, are taking a real and increasing interest in public affairs, and are likely to influence certain branches of legislation increasingly. 3

Few people are aware (says the Dally Time?) how simply a telephone connection maj be established between any two points within a reasonable distance of each other. For instance, the top wire of a fence having wooden posts will make a first-class conductor up to 10 or 20 miles, providing it is kept clear of any mttallic connection with the ground, and that all joints are soldered (a small piece of wire can be soldered across the joints of auy existiog fence for a total outlay of about 2s per mile). Of course it is necessary to raise the wire at gates or road crossings, but a much lighter wire will suffice, and an ordinary blue-gum ricker answers the purpose admirably. We have no doubt there are many instances where the above method might be of service to our country friends, and now that the Telegraph department is disposing of second-hand telephones at a very cheap price the outlay need not be a serious one.

To show the practical sympathy of the miners in the case of the late Mr E. J. Foord, we {Lake Count!/ Press) publish the following letter from the manager of the Waitekauri mine, in which mine Mr Foord met his death:—" E. C. \V. Porter, Esq., Bank of New Zealand, Arrowtown, Otago. Dear Sir, —In acknowledgment of a letter received (dated February 24th) from Mr de la Perrelle, of your town, as secretary to a committee, organised to assist the widow and family of the late Edwin J, Foord, I feel pleased to be able to remit you herewith for that purpose the sum of £47 17s sd, per Bank of N.Z. draft in j r our favor, as treasurer of the Relief Committee. Enclosed please a'so find list of subscribers, with amounts of subscription set opposite names. £4S—'iow iemitted less 2s 7d bank charges. On behalf of the subscribers, please convey to Mrs Foord and family, their feeling of deep sympathy in their bereavement. I am, yours faithfully, G. Davey, Superintendent, Waitekauri Gold Mining Company, Ltd." Besides the above the company paid the funeral expenses, £l3, in connection with the burial of Mr Foord.

The Rev. Dv Duff, the delegate of the Free Church of Scotland, in the course of an interview at Auckland as to his impressions of the colony said : —" I have been struck with the high average of personal comfort which the people seem to enjoy in New Zealand, There is no gulf between great wealth and great poverty—millionaires at one end of the liue and the ' submerged tenth ' (or half) at the other. The small amount of druukenness to be touud in New Zealand is not a problem without a solution. You have not here the sunken masses to be found in the larger towns of Great Britain. It is the living in one-roomed houses, and the general dreariness of outlook, which largely drives people to indulgence in drink wheuever they get the chance. Another thing that struck me was the undue love of pleasure, and. the evil of gambling, which was even unpleasantly manifest on board ship. The feeling of reverence wanted to be a little more cultivated—reverence for elders and for parental authority. In a country where the State system did not permit of the Bible in the schools, it was all the more needful to bo taught in the home. Parents did not always give this its rightful prominence. It was not possible for the young to have reverence for parental authority if they had none for things divine."