LOCAL AND GENERAL

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume I, Issue 56, 20 October 1887, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

An auctioneer's license has been granted to Mr John Berry.

Tenders for erecting a verandah at the Hospital close at two o'clock to-day. Mr Hill, Inupeotor of Schools, will arrive here on Sunday, and will commence examin. ing the pupils of the Gisborne School on Monday, The first equad of Cadets fired for the Herald Cup yesterday, E. Featou being first with 82 points, and F. O’Meara second with 29 points. The starters fox the Maiden Plate yesterday are said to be the largest field ever got off for such a race in thia district, and the £45 dividend the largest that has been won here. In the report of the New Zealand Police Force, laid before the House last Wednesday, t« a reference to the bravery of Sergeant Hingpoole, who nearly loat his life by attempting to save the lives of the boatload of people who were upset in Tologa Bay. Mr Cooper, who was assisting In Mr Billy’s retreahment booth at the races yesterday, met with a very painful accident. While carrying half a dozen bottles of lemonade he foil, and thus caused several of the bottles to burst, severely cutting his right hand and slightly injuring his left.

The first auction sale of Messrs Berry, Daniel and Co, who have comtnahesd business as " Knights ot the Hummer " takes place on Saturday next at 1-1)0 o'clock at their rooms. A glance at their a Ivertiseraent will show that they have to off ir a vary targe assortment of articles. The firm are sure to do well in their new undertaking. "Enquirer" writes: "Can you inform me whether it is the intention of the Hospital Trustees to hold their sports this year." Wo believe that the Trustees have not lost sight ot the matter. Hitherto the sports, although occasioning arduous duties upon the Trustees, has been the means of adding considerably to the funds of the institutions, and, no doubt, this will again cause exertions to be made in the direction indicated. Owing to the prompt action taken by Mr Fred Cassin, a subscription of some eighteen pounds was readily forthcoming to assist the jockey Griffiths, who had his leg broken in the Hack Hurdle race yesterday It speaks well for the residents of the district that with but very few exceptions each and all heartily responded to the call made upon them. In fact it came under our notice that some not having change borrowed in order to contribute. We are not so bad after all, as we are represented. The Dead Letter Office, according to the return laid before Parliament the other day, shows some peculiar features. No less than 19,330 book packets and circulars (mostly Dr Barnardo'a and Mother Siegel's) were returned to foreign countries. The following queer assortment of articles were found in ‘ he unclaimed correspondence ;—5 gold rings, 14 gold nuggets, 1 gold locket, 1 Geneva gold hunting watch, 1 lady’s silver watch and gold chain, 1 gold pin with pearl, 4 silver watches, 1 silver chain. I silver bracelet. 1 silver locket, 3 silver brooches, 3 pairs of silver earrings. I pair of greenstone and gold earrings, 1 greenstone brooch and earrings, 1 greenstone pendant (silver-mounted), 1 circular piece of greenstone, 1 aluminium albert chain, 1 steel chain, 1 shark's to Uh and silk ribbons, 1 silk necktie, 1 New Zealand war medal. Several interesting items occur in the report of the Post and Telegraph Department. Special notice is taken of the vast increase in free official correspondence which has increased the last year by £4776 Is. sd. and the free telegrams (11,682 in number over last year) by £2420 15s 9d. pithy and true remarks. It is believed that economy should be practicable in respect of both items. Perhaps the true solution of this problem as to the tremendous increase in telegrams may be found in the rumored wholesale telegrapning indulged in by the late Government in favouring the claims of their supporters. The New Z island people are certainly a great letter writing people, as the number of letters posted and received during the year was no less than 38,084,592. Nearly two millions of telegrams were sent. Speaking of the free official correspondence it is c urious to notice that waereus only 2,287‘bs of letters are given under the heading Napier, no less than 3,181tb are attributed to Giiborne. The total number of registered letters received at Gisborne was 1244.

A tiieeting ot the Committee of the Agricultural and Pastoral Society held on Tuesday afternoon decided that there should be no Show this year. This h to be regretted. In a district such as ours there should not be the slighest difficulty in getting up a very successful affair, and, perhaps, if the arrange, ments had been carried out in a more business like manner the unsatisfactory Conclusion net to hold a Show need not have been arrived at. In the first place there were many who did not even know it was intended to hold a Show. This was evidenced by a letter from a Patutahi farmer which appeared the columns < f our last issue. Then again for some unaccountable reason it was decided to hold the affair out at I’a'-utahi, instead of in the tdwri as heretofore.

When will Borough Councillors learn to conduct their business in anything approach, ing an expeditions manner? Meeting after meeting is prolunged by the endless talk of some of the members who seem to be tinly happy in lolling about the comfortable armchairs provided at the expense of the ratepayers, and talking eight or ten times on the one subject? What on earth is the use of a chairman unless he can exercise some control over the members. On Tuesday evening there was another repetition of what we have often complained of. Over an hour and a half was taken up on one question which could have been fully discussed in half an hour at tne most. We would suggest that Councillors in the future should hold a private meeting after the ordinary proceedlugs—a sort ot social gathering. No doubt Councillors would then make an effort to get through the business.

Lord Campbell relates In his autobiography how he once went down to a remote part of Wales on a special retainer, in a case which arose out of a dispute as to ths ownership of a wall, a- d the right to s till dawn or rebuild the same. The value of the wall was about £l5. and before the case was ultimately settled, £1209 hail been sllogelher expended People do not seem to have got wiser in the present nay, or they lose wits they may possess when they have once plunged into the sea of litigation. Two years ago (says Truth a case commenced in which the point in dispute was wlie her a porch which was being added to a house in Bath was an encroachment injurious to the ameui ies of the adjoining house. It has b, en decided that the structure is harmless and in order to arrive at that, conclusion, upwards of £BOO has been expended. The plsntiff ami defendant have both died in the mean time ; but the litigation was continued by their representatives. The total expense, have reached a sum which would about have pur. chased the house to which the objectionable porch is being added.

While most Governments are greatly put out to raise revenue, the problem which the American Congress has to solve is how to slop the collection of an enormous surplus revenue of a coni one hundred million dollars a year. The taxes can only be reduced in two ways—either by lowering the duties on imported goods, or by the abolition of the excise duties on spirits and tobacco. The first means an interference with the policy of protection, the second means the stimulation of drunkenness and vice by cheap rum. But if the taxes cannot be reduced, what is tuba done with the surplus ? asks the correspondent ot a contemporary. Two thousand millions of dollars of debt have already been paid off in twenty years, and only about one thousand millions of interest bearing bonds are now outstanding, and none of those can be redeemed before 1891, while it will be 1910 before the States shall have the privilege of paying off certain others. To go into the open market. and pay a premium for the boou of extinguishing debts is scarcely a possible course for a wise man, but even it Congress. permitted the Secretary to do so, the premium would soon riee to an impossible figure. The more the question is studied the more hopeless of solution does it become; and this, of course, is the real reason why the last Congress bequeathed it as an interesting legacy to its successor.

Country services. Church ot England, on Sunday next. Mr Dean at Patutahi, 11 ; Te Aral, 8; Ormon I, 7—(Alvt.)