Local and General.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXX, 1 August 1912, Page 4

Local and General.

Extraordinary interest was evinced last evening in the result of the polls on the borough loans, and for two or three hours a clerk in the “Gisl>orne Times” office was kept busy answering telephone inquiries as to the result. Putting general elections on one side it is certain that last evening far more anxiety as to the of the polls was displayed than has been the case on any previous occasion that can be recalled. Rain fell in Gisborne on 20 days iast month, but the fall was a lightone, the total registered being 3.99 in lies. The maximum fall was 1.02 inches on the 17th. The rainfall foi July, 1913, was 3 .72 inches, and for July, 1910, 14.15 inches. Rainfall recorded at the various East Coast stations for the month of June was as follows: To Araroa 12.79 inches, on 20 days; Tola-go Bay 7.84. 17 days; Waimata Valley 7.24. 15 days; Rototahi 7.02. 14 days: Gisborne 4.88, 17 days; Patutahi 3.72, 12 days; Whatatntu 5.50, 18 day-; Tahora 7.79. 1,1 days; Tin!rote 10 03, 12 days; Wae-venga-a-hika 5.3, 12 days.

j The total revenue collected in tlio Gisborne postal district for the quarj ter endinir June 30 last amounted to 1 £7075. The actual jrostal revenue f v | the quarter under review was £2351.. j and the telegraph revenue was £472-?. i The revenue was made up as follow-; (shillings and pence omitted): Private box and bag rents £23. money-order commission £lO5. sale of stamps ! £217.1, postal note commission £4O. j telegrams £23*51, telephone exchange j £2318. Money-orders issued during i the quarter represented £22,097. j whilst those paid came to £11.20*. j Ordinary telegrams numbered 35,693. | the revenue being £1211: urgents j 1795, £J34; press 1451, £252; bureau |' onneeticns 22.936, 797. Tho Savings ! Bank returns for the quarter slier j that deposits totalled £83.105, while ! the withdrawals totalled £83,105. j For the four weeks ending June 22 j the working account of the Gisbonrt i railway section showed a revenue of j £1036 (increase of £9B upon the err. | responding period last year), wliibt i the expenditure was £IOB4 (as again-t i £5Bl last year). The revenue for tlm three months totals £3843, showing a j surplus of £1392 over working expen- j res. Tho traffic returns show that | 5730 passengers were carried during 1 the four weeks (as against 5576 last, j year), together with 3-102 sheep, 92 j pigs, 80 cattle, 9 drays, and 198 S tens j of general goods. Parcels, etc., to- i tailed. 422. The revenue was made up as follows: Passengers £473. parcels, etc., £76, goods £454, rents and commission £2B. The lot of the laborer is said to he hard, but the increasing amelioration of conditions has increased his independence in a like degree. There ! is time nowadays for a smoke and an | interval of rest, but that is by the j way. There is expert knowledge nc- j cessarv sometimes, as an incident of ! tho Gisborne waterfront will illus- j trate. A coterie of coat less workers ) the other day were to he seen peering j intently over the wharf, with of | their number dangling a rope. Nat- I ural curiosity attracted a number of j passers-by to inspect the operation, i which lasted for some minutes. At J last, the rope was hoisted and the j visage of one worker beamed with delight as the obieet of interest was hoisted to terra-finna—it was a “shilling briar.” Von Arx, “the man of mystery,” astounded everyone by the ease with which he picked half-crowns out. of the atmosphere, Gisborneites. by dealing at the People’s Emporium, the new shop next the Ivimpton Cycle Co-, can pick up pennies, threepenny-bits, sixpences, shillings, half-crowns —aye, and even pounds—every day of the week. Call and see if" thixi is not a fact.*

It is not every day that one gets the opportunity of purchasing drapery and clothing at half-price, but as announced in another part of our paper to-day and Saturday, Melbourne Gash are determined to make a big clearance of many lines at half-price, rso doubt there will bo ia verv big crowd of eager buyers those two days.*

The flag was flown at half-mast on the Gisborne Post Office yesterday as a mark of respect to the dead Mikado.

On view at Fromm’s book arcade is •in excellent oil painting of the stranded Star of Canada. It is from the brush of Mrs Parminter, of Gisborne and is deserving of inspection.

\ ital statistics recorded with tho Registrar, Mr 11. E. Hill, for the month of July were as follows- Births 41, deaths ]2, marriages 13. The usual monthlv meeting of the Typographical Union was held last night in 'J ounle.v’s H all. There was a large attendance of members, the p; esi dent (Mr E. Lund) occupying the chair. Correspondence on various matters was received from the Typographical Federation and tho United Labor Party. The meeting agreed unanimously to affiliate immediately with the United Labor Party.

The weekly meeting of the Boy Scouts was .held at the headquarters last evening, as the ordinary evening will he otherwise occupied 'by the school concert. There* were present 37 scouts under Sergeant Porter, and an interesting game of “Brigandhunt” was held, the Wolfs winning under Leader Ellery. They captured 5 out of 8 Brigands. The game for Saturday will he a paper-chase. All will fall in at the foot-bridge. Church parade will lie on August 25. Scouts are reminded of the fife and drum practice- on Monday evening. ‘■•The. Grown has always dealt bon orahly with the Natives.” remarked the Solicitor-General while arguing before the Appeal Court at Wellington last week that there was no compulsion on the Crown t-o recognise Native customary titles of land. The Native Land Court lias uot always dealt fairly with them,” rejoined the Chief Justice. “Some of the purchases bv the Crown of huge tracts of land would not bear examination ” remarked Mr. Skerrett, K.C., and the Chief Justice agreed.

Cartographers of the Southern Seas will have to overhaul their maps, according to Captain Davis, of the exploring shin Aurora. Firstly, while subsequent explorers had found no ice-barrier where Wilkes, the American explorer, located it in 1840, Captain Davis found that the American was correct. Then Captain Dans sailed the Aurora over the position assigned to the Rival Company Islands, in about lat- 52 E.. long. 144 S.. and found no land there at aii.

The best apples in the marketplaces fetch up to 8s 6d per ease, which is a little more than the average purse can stand, says the -‘Dunedin Star.” It was once' thought that the removal of the duty on Tasmanian apples would bring jov to households, but it seems tliat the price demanded L-- Tasmanian orchardists who do not grow apples for the benefit of New Zealanders, leaves so small a margin of profit to Duneuin merchants that tlio latter are not keen on buying. Those who long for apples and cannot spare the price fc-r them will have to seek a gloomv pleasure in thinking ci Adam’s fall.

New Zealand’s provision for the possible castaways on the Auckland Islands commanded the unrestrained admiration of Captain Davis, of the Hawser. exploring ship Aurora. In his lecture at Wellington last week he showed pictures of the food depots, and stated that anv sailors who happened to be wrecked on_ the islands would be able to more than support iife until taken off by rescuers The supplies of food were on a most liberal scale in all the depots. The grave of a sailor who had died of starvation on the Aucklands was also shown in the course of the lecture. The New Zealand Government had made such provision that no one who was cast away on these islands need now starte. the group was visited once every s.x months.

| A certain Maori gentleman in the j Waikato, whose wits occasionally wan- ; der, is wont t:> imagine himself to be I all scrt*s of men. One day when the i train came in he imagined he was a j policeman, and stalking majestically i about keeping order, he noticed a pasi senger alight from the train with a i slight stagger. He approached him, j snick his breath, and arrested him. J victim calmly submitted, and the ! policeman proceeded- to lead his cap- ! tivc to the police station. On the way he met a real policeman in uniform. He halted his prisoner, saluted, and informed the officer that he had arrested the man. “On what charge?” j said the officer. “Oh. I dur.no,” replied the Native, “charge the feller ten bob and let him go.”

A shocking case of human depravj ity was exposed at the Feilding Court ! a few days ago, when an old man i named Bill Bouudy was brought bej fore the bench. Sergeant Bowden I stated he had received information j from Waituna regard the wanderings j of the old man, and had sent out a j constable. Tiie man was found in a j filthy and disgusting state, his cloi thes not sufficient for decency, and | reeking with vermin. His swag was ! indescribably dirty and evil-smelling. ! He had been sleeping in places not j fit for a pig. In answer to the Bench, ! Boundy stated that lie had no trade, jno work, and no friends. _ Ho was j sentenced to three months’ imprisonment with hard labor, and the Bench expressed the hope that it would be for his own good.