LOCAL AND GENERAL

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume I, Issue 14, 12 July 1887, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Hospital Committee meet to-morrow night. Waimata Road Board tenders close at 3 p,m- to-day for works on the Valley road. The Borough Council sits this evening, when the Wuikanae damming question will be again discussed; The Wellington Steeplechase Meeting is adjourned till next Saturday in consequence of the bad weather. The monthly meeting of the Gisborne Benevolent Society will be held this afternoon in the Courthouse at 3 o’clock. A capital article on the notorious Wellington bankrupt, Waters, appears on our fourth page. The article is from the Wellington Press. The Native Land Court, sitting at Taradale, has been adjourned for two months for all business excepting the re-hearing of the Porougoau block. A special meeting of the School Committee will be held to-morrow night, when the applications for the position of mistress will be considered. The Government nominees to the Harbor Board have been gazetted, and the Secretary of the Board has received official intimation of the appointments. Residents in the East Coast electorate evidently do not intend to lose their chance of having their names put on the roll. Up to the present 250 additional names have been registered, and claims are coming in very fast. The meeting of the Wesleyan Mutual Improvement Society last night was occupied with extempore speaking. The subjects were varied, and were nearly all well treated. The ordinary fortnightly meeting of the Gisborne Building Society, held last night, completed the 13th year of the Society’s existence, and a very good return is looked forword to.

The arms and accoutrements, as far as concerns the Government, for the East Coast Hussars arrived from Wellington yesterday morning. It will be two or three months before the uniforms arrive from Home, The late native murder case which was before the Supreme Court will cnst the colony £3OO for witnesses and jurymen alone. There will be other expenses in connection with the case, the total of which cannot yet be arrived at. The Borough Council has received a circular from the Government, showing in a concise form how land should be taken under the Public Works Act, and giving specimen forms of application, etc. The Chief Justice Sir James Prendergast left by the Wairarapa for Auckland yesterday morning. He returns by the boat next Friday, the sittings of the Supreme Court being resumed at ten on Saturday morning. A special meeting of the shareholders in the Cook County Cheese Factory Company will be held on Saturday next at Messrs Barry, Daniels and Co.’s office to confirm the resolution previously passed, that the Company be wound up voluntarily. Owing to the insufficient yard accommodation at Waerenga-a-hika, the sale advertised by Mr W. S. Greene for to-morrow, will be held at Makaraka sale yards instead, Particulars of the sale appear in our advertising columns. The number of civil cases heard at the R.M. Court during the past quarter was 265, there being 265 summonses issued. There 55 criminal cases. Fifty-three distress warrents were executed by the bailiff, and there were eleven warrants of commitment.

An accident happened at the ruins of the Loan and Mercantile Company’s buildings on Saturday. As Mr J. Weston was at work on the ground below the buildings, a stray brick hit him on the head, felling him to the ground. He was stunned for a few moments, but soon recovered, and beyond a nasty cut the result was not serious. The Munro troupe of Scottish Chiels had a good house at Parnell’s Hall on Saturday night, and left for Auckland by yesterday morning’s boat. Mr Munro is a grand piper and dancer, but the other members are rather weak. The company want a really good lady vocalist very badly, and we hope they may find the article in Auckland. The Public Works Committee of the Borough Council was engaged all yesterday afternoon in considering the specifications for the delivery of the delivery of 2000 yards of metal for repairing Gladstone road. The matter will be brought before the Council tc-night. On Saturday afternoon Lieutenant-Colonel Shepherd inspected the Cadets. There were 46 present. The boys were put through company and skirmishing drill by Captain Warren, and Lieutenant-Colonel Shepherd expressed himself well satisfied with the movements performed. He hoped that the clothing and accoutrements would be a little brighter on the occasion of his next visit to Gisborne.

We have to acknowledge the receipt of the first number of the Timaru Evening Mail, the latest journalistic production of Mr Joseph Ivess. From its editorial columns we are pleased to see that the Mail is much of our opinion, namely, that although a Stout Ministry is bad, an Atkinsonian ditto is worse. The new venture contains some very vigorous writing, is well sub-edited, and is altogether a well-printed, well-written, remarkably energetic journalistic youngster. We wish it every success because we think it is on the right side.

During the football match on Saturday afternoon a young native fell, as though seriously hurt, and it was at first feared his leg had been broken. On examination, however, it was fonnd he had only sustained a nasty kick on the shin. The Murewai team were mostly natives, and so were a good many of the town team, and a fine strapping lot of young fellows they were, too. If Murewai possesses many of this class of schoolboy, one would think the master would have a lively time if it came to a contest between strength and brains. In the Trust Commissioners Court to-day certificates were granted to the following deeds :—Conveyance of Waingaromia Block from Rihara Rahui and others to Robert Cooper; conveyance of Waingaromia, No. 1, from Rongotiparo and others to Robert Cooper; conveyance of Waitangi from Nepia Tokitahi and others to Robert Cooper; lease of Heruheru from Fletekia te Kani Pere to A. Graham for the Assets Co. ; conveyance of Ngakaroa E. from Paora Kingi and others to A. B. Newman; transfer of part of section 4, block D., Whataupoko from Heka Kerekere to Hohepa te Kota and Raiha te Kota.

The Hon, Mr Larnach has been appointed hon. colonel of the Otago volunteers. Poor fellows! A church guardian in Melbourne has been fined for having allowed forms to be placed along the aisles of the churfih) . The Midland Railway is being pushed on vigorously, and a large number of men are now employed; As thick as a big nian’s arm and as ldng as a tall man himself—such is the asparagus which the Russians have found growing wild in the steppes of Achal-TekiE, a recently annexed region of Central Aeia. Says “ Puff ” in the Press i—Barpn Hirsch has given £lO,OOO to the Imperial institute I What makes him so liberal about it ? Ah, he takes a great deal of interest in the colonies I Or rather he’s taken a great deal of interest out of them I Speculating in the loans, eh? Yes, the last New Zealand Five Million loan, for example I He made a bin lift til out of that, did he ? How was it worked ? On, I don’t know I At least, I’m not going to say ’ Ask Vogel he can tell you all about it I

Says the Napier News’—Mr S. Locke has consented to stand for the East Coast. In his published reply to the requislion, he claims chiefly to have “ undertaken and advocated with success,” certain things, and “ would have succeeded in many, if not all those things, if the last session of Parliament had been of the usual duration.” Mr Locke is not quite clear; it seems, whether He was successful or not. According to Ilia own story he both was and he wasn’t. An Auckland artist pays the News is evidently under the impression that the natives condemned to death at Gisborne had been sentto Napier to be executed, wired to the Sheriff Mr Birch, to-day :—“ I, am open for engagement as executioner. Please reply, Address Auckland.” Mr Birch replied advising him to apply to Wellington, If the Government were tp appoint an executioner permanently, it would rave ambitious people the cost of telegrams and needless disappointments. A Dunedin telegram says :—Mr Fulton who seeks re-election for Taieri had a noisy meeting at Mosgiel last night, but much of the opposition manifested is accounted for by the fact that Mosgiel is the home of the Protection League. In the Taieri electorate he was particularly questioned about a gift of £lO he had made to the Salvation Army, and Mr Fulton in explanation of the matter, said that two months ago he had been asked by a friend if he Would give an unbroken horse, which he had unable to sell, to the Salvation Army. He wrote down promising to do so, but on coming down and finding his man had, Unknown to him, engaged to sell the horse, he said if it was sold the Army were to have the money paid for it.

“Is this a sign of the times ?” asks the Wairarapa Star. On Wednesday evening Constable Salmon was going his rounds in Queen-street when he noticed a man with some small stones in his hand deliberately take aim at a lamp and break it. The constable at once arrested the man, but was rather surprised when he said : “ You need not handcuff me. I shall go quietly with you. I swam a river to-day and lost my swag, and I wish I had been drowned. I have tasted nothing for twenty-four hours, and am famishing. My first impulse was to break a window, but on reflection I thought it would be better to damage public than private property.” The man spoke like a man of education, and he was perfectly sober. On being brought before the Bench he repeated his story, saying that he had been several weeks looking for work in vain. His name was Fred Lugard, of middle age, and a laborer. He was sentenced to seven days hard labor. Amongst the many useful social organisations in our midst may bo included the Wesleyan Mutual Improvement Society, and the St. Andrew’s Literary Association. Both Societies have their syllabus, and a lively interest seems to be evinced in their proceedings by the members and their friends. A most attractive programme is presented by the Wesleyan Society, the subjects reading as follows July 18, Current Thought—“ Morley on the Study of Literature,” Mr R. N. Jones; July 25, Magazine ; August 2, Annual Soiree ; Aug. 8, Essay—“ Things worth knowing,’’’ Mr G. Davis ; August 15, short addresses by Messrs Thompson, Robb, and Goldsmith ; August 22, “A night with Cowper,” Rev. A. LuxLuxford ; August 29. essays on “ Work ” and “Charity,” by Misses E. Cherrington and E. Jones ; September 5, debate on the prohibition question, Messrs Fraser and Ranger ; September 12, Magazine ; September 29, Elocution—Reading, recitations, and dialogue; September 26, Lecture-—“ The Panama Canal,” Mr J. Warren.

At Holy Trinity Church last night, the Rev. Mr Fox, in giving notice of the annual meeting, referred to the proposal to abolish pew rents. Analysing the system it meant that money gives a certain advantage in the House of God, but he did not believe any of them would accept that as a principle. The system of pew rents was so much in use here and in England that it would seem self-con-ceit for him to oppose it, but the question had been asked and an answer would be expected. There seemed to be this advantage in it that it made people take more interest in the Church, because they knew they always had the seat to go into Sunday after Sunday, and a family could always be accommodated in the same seat. This certainly operated in bringing people to Church, and moreover, from his experience he knew that free seacs were not by any means exempt from the evils attributed to rented seats. The system of appropriation was often practically as great as under the present system. People regularly attending Church became attached to one seat, and eventually regarded themselves as having an inalienable right to it, which amounted practically to the same thing. The financial question was not for him to consider, but he uderstood it was intended to collect subscriptions for a short time, which might be as troublesome as the pew rents; but it had been estimated that a shilling a Sunday from the adult members wou’d be sufficient for expenses, and this surely could be easily raised. He could see no objection, from conscientious grounds, to the experiment being made. Mr Fox also warmly expressed his thanks to the ladies for the way they had devoced themselves to the task of reducing the debt on the Church, and looking at it from the higher point of view, it gave much cause for satisfaction.