LOCAL AND GENERAL

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume I, Issue 25, 9 August 1887, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Borough Council meet to-night at the usual hour.

The Napier Harbour Board loan was quoted in London at 104 when the last mail left.

Mr J. Warren has been gazetted as Captain of the Gisborne School Rifle Cadet corps.

The County Council have received £lll4 as subsidies from the Government. There is a further sum of £250 yet to be received.

It is stated that Mr Josiah Tutchen is still in Wellington, but is too indisposed at present to return to Gisborne. The Invercargill Corporation have received an account of £l5O for freight by direct steamer on £250 worth of gas plant. There is a large amount of sickness prevalent in the district at present, especially among young children. It is reported at Beefton that the Golden Fleece property, Murray Creek, has been sold to an English syndicate for £lO,OOO. The Minister of Mines is a sang uine man. He says the Cabinet is as solid aS a rock, compacted perfectly With Vogelite cement. Vogel is really the Weak point. Sir Robert Stout made a slashing speech at Napier the other day, and a vote of confidence in the Government passed by a large majority. We hear that Mr McDonald is actively canvassing the Wairoa district, and is receiving a large number of promises of support. At Milford Bound about a dozen men are at work getting gold in small quantifies and at Big Bay sufficient is got to pay “ tucker ” while prospecting is going on. The foreman of the Borough Council should pay a little attention to the crossings over the back streets. Even if we have bad roads there is no occasion for wretched crossings.

A dead sheep lying near the new Kaiti bridge on Sunday was not a very pleasant spectacle to passers,by. Perhaps the sactedness of the day accounted for the body not having been at once removed. The portion of Bright street between Gladstone and Palmerston roads is sadly in need of a few loads of gravel, the unevenness, of the road being a cause of danger to vehicles and horses,

The Napier Druids held a very successful ball last week. The order is very popular in the Hawke's Bay capital, and we are glad, to hear the number of members is still steadily increasing.

In another column will be found some very interesting remarks on the education question by the Hon. Mr Ballance. It will be seen that Mr Ballance’s contentions beat out the arguments in our article of Saturday last. Mr William Cooper, ot the Waerenga-a-hika Hotel, has an advertisement in another column. Mr Cooper’s reputation as a host is so well known that further recommendation is unnecessary. Travellers should give him a call,

The Evening News, oi Napier, fell into an error in a recent issue by alluding to Cross, late secretary to the Poverty Bay Boad Board, as “ the late secretary of the Gisborne Harbor Board." The error was corrected by a Gisborne man in the next issue of the paper.

Laing, the Wanganui pugilist, has been presented with the Wanganui Champion Belt (solid silver) last week On the occasion of the presentation Laing said that as his hand is now getting better, he was anxious to meet Matthews shortly, The County Council meet next Thursday, when Gr. Sunderland's motion to classify the roads for the purpose of expenditure will be discussed. On the 18th instant, st noon, a special meeting will be held to confirm the Special Order constituting the Waimata, Wnataupoko, and Kaiti Boad Districts. In the Gazette, under date July 28, the following appointments in the East Coast Hussars are confirmed Henry Pollen to be Hon. Surgeon, Rev. John Elliot Fox to be Hon. Chaplain, and George Matthewson to be Hon. Veterinary Surgeon. The commissions are dated 13th May, 1887. Mr Walter Clayton met with a serious accident on Saturday evening He was riding home, on the Whataupoko, and his horse stumbling, he was thrown on to the road, and lay there in an unconscious state. On recovering consciousness he managed to get over to Mr Foster’s chemist shop, where it was found he had received a nasty scalp wound, and internal injuries. Mr Clayton is progressing favourably. The re-organisation of the J Battery corps has been steadily improving and increasing, and it now stands as strong and efficient as ever it did. The company and gun drills are well attended, and the next appearance and smartness of the men on inspection parades has been most perceptible. The manner in which the books and returns are kept shows a complete system, and reflects credit on all concerned. The Australia, from South, brought an out-fit of new belts.

When will the Borough Council display a judicious care in the expenditure of the rat e payers’ money? They have expended the sum of £4 for repairs (?) on the Kahautia street. The repairs consist of paring down some of the mounds and throwing the stuff into the hollows. This makes the street in a worse condition than ever, for in the wet weather it means mud and in the fine, dust. It would be far better to leave the back streets alone until the Council are in a position to permanently form them.

We are glad to see that Mr Joseph Cresswell, who left Gisborne some weeks back to practice his profession in Napier, is making a good name for himself down there. In the perjury case Regina v. Grant, Mr Cresswell appeared for the defence. Of his conduct of the case the H.B. Herald says:—Mr Cresswell, for the defence, made an able and exhaustive address to the jury, in which the whole of the evidence was reviewed, and the weak points in the statements by the witnesses for the prosecution skilfully pointed out. The accused was discharged. The Chief Justice complimented Mr Cresswel upon the way his defence was conducted.

We learn upongoodi authority that Gisborne is shortly to he favoured by a visit from Moore and Ashton's Mammoth Minstrel Company. This Company is at present doing good business in Wellington, and opens in Napier shortly.

11 Thauma ’’ still continues to be the mystery of the hour. This celebrated de; lueion will only be on view two days longer—-to-day and Wednesday: Those who have not yet interviewed this iiiarVelldtts lady should do so at once. Under tlie title dt .« things worth knowing "Mr G. Davies gave an interesting essay on chemistry at the Wesleyan Mutual Improvement Society last night. Votes of thanks were passed to those who assisted at the late soiree and two new members were admitted,

Says the Wellington Evening Press I—The handwriting of Mr Rawson, Clerk to the Bench end Deputy Registrar at Gisbdrne, Was the subject of a cOnsldarablii ahiount of humorous criticism by his Honour Mr Justice Richmond. His Honour said the caligraphy looked as if it might have come off the Rosetta stone, and that its illegibility was on a par with the famous hieroglyphics of that triple-tongued inscription in which he was not quite sure whether Coptic predominated or not.

Interesting to our Ideal Shots. Some time ago, says the Napier Telegraph, Mr W. Proffit offered a clip for annual competition between Poverty Bay and Hawke’s Bay pigeon shots, and the first competition was held in March. Mr Proffit hae received the trophy from Sydney, and it is a splendid specimen of the silversmith’s art. The chasing is magnificent, the rose, thistle, and shamrock being conspicuous, while it Well deserves the name massive, for the cup weighs some forty ounces. We must have that cup in Gisborne—it will never do to let it remain in Napier,

Mr J. R. Scott df the Masonic Hotel has received a letter from Melbourne from Mr Liddy the well-known theatrical impressario. From this letter we learn that Mr Liddy is bringing the famous Majeroni Comedy Co. round New Zealand, commencing the tour at Auckland on August 9. He also holds out a hope that the Company may be able to play for a short season in Gisborne. We trust the hope may be fulfilled, for Signor and Madame Majeroni are both artistes of very high rank, and they and their company, which is an unusually strong one, have been creating a perfect furore for some months past amongst Australian lovers of the drama. The Company have a large repertoire of the latest London comedy and dramatic successes and if they could be induced to come to Gisborne, they would, we feel sure, have a prosperous season here. Phil Robinson, the great war correspondent, in an interview, gave the following opinion on drink prohibition What success are the local optionists and prohibitionists having in America? Are they doing any good? Not a jot. Secret drinking increases under their systems, and the total quantity of liquor consumed is not affected, but there are influences at work now which are very seriously affecting the drink bill of England. Many officers in the Navy are total abstainers, and naturally the men follow their example. The two chiefs of the Army combined to prohibit drinkinc in the ranks, and Roberts is a total abstainer, though Wolseley takes his wine. In all sorts of employment, too, abstainers have the preference, and these things tell as the Chancellor of the Exchequer begins to find out. Repressive law is of no use whatever; so at least it appears to me, and my experience in the matter has been extensive.