LOCAL AND GENERAL

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume I, Issue 80, 15 December 1887, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

A lost dog is advertised tor,, the dog to be returned to the Settlers’Hotw £ The endeavor to float a loan for the Tau-ranga-Rotorua railway has fallen through, Mr C. P. Browne, photographer, has left Gisborne for a trip tc Opotiki, and will re. jurn about January 6th.—(Advt,) The Te Anau should come into the Bay about 1 p.m. to-morrow.. She leaves for South in the evening. La A'launch at 7 p.m. The Wellington Post has been served with a writ for £lOOO damages for alleged libel, from Mr John Martin, whSse wif&lately committed suicide,

The Suva is expected to arrive from Napier to-morrow morning early, continuing her trip North a few hours after her arrival. She calls along the coast on her way up. The fruit trees in the country have suffered a good deal from the leach. The last southerly weather did much good by washing numbers off, but they are etill to be seen on the plum and pear trees.

It is computed that the death-rate of the world is sixty-seven a minute, and the birthrate seventy-six a minute, and this seemingly light percentage of gain is sufficient to give a net increase of-population each year of almost 1,200,000 souls. ;

A contemporary mourns the-faot that East London has a population of two millions, and only Church accommodation for six hundred thousand. It might have mourned more, and said that the six hundred thousand don’t use that accommodation.

Sir Robert Stout has advised the Dunedin Education Board that the Government have no power to alter the age for admission to schools, without legislation. The AttorneyGeneral holds that they can do so, so the lawyers may make a little capital out of the dispute.

The I,oooyds swimming championship of England was decided at Lambeth baths, London, on Opt 21, when Finney won by over 40 yds in 14min 43}sec, J. J. Collier being second and C. Beckworth third. The first prize was a challenge cup valued at 50 guineas and £B, the second £4 and the third £2. A cricketer wants, to know who is to be the selection committee that will pick a cricket team that will “ include all those who are known to be good players,” as stated by our contemporary, and who will select the selection ? Perhaps they will invite applications, and then ballot for an eleven. F

Major Porter, at the last Borough Council meeting, said that since he had returned from Wellington he had noticed that several promised provisions had been omitted front the Native Land Bills. He had wired to -Isr Graham and Chief Judge MacDonald, anjd the omissions had been inserted,

Experiments seem to show that a large ocean steamer, going at nineteen knots an hour, will move over about two miles after its engines are stopped and reversed, and no authority gives less than a mile or a mile and a half as the required space to stop its progress. The violent collisions in some cases may thus be accounted for. Jem Smith, the champion puglist of England, and a few of hie friends, dined with the Marquis of Queensberry on Oct. 7th. In conversation after dinner the Marquis said if he was alive and well nothing would prevent him from attending the fight between Smith and Kilrain, and he hoped with all hip heart that Smith would win. The Masonic Lawn Tennis Club has now a large and gradually increasing membership. The Court ie open from 10 a.m. till 6 p.m. A grand tournament takes place shortly, for which two handsome prizes will be given, Mr Scott’s enterprise in having the court laid out is meeting with the success it merited. The membership fee has been fixed at a guinea.

A*! Resident" writes as follows:—“Your remarks re the larrikins who congregate at the upper end of the town is very opportune. Larnkinism is very rampant, so much so that a female cannot go down town without being insulted. The language that is used is simply-disgusting." [We would suggest that “ Resident," take the culprits before the magistrate, and, no doubt, a severe sentence will tend id suppress the evil. | At the Borough Council meeting on Tuesday night, Major Porter, referring to his visit to Wellhgton, relating to land matters, stated that members from the South were inclined to urge that legislation on native matters should stand over for six months. They did r.ot see wirat harm could be done by so doing, nor did they think the district could suffer from such a course. This will conclusively prove how ignorant are Southern members of the wants of the North Island.

Discussing the late proceedings with regard to the BepTesentation Bill a Wellington paper says:—But Mr Scobie Mackenzie at all events struck a right cord when in* answer to the angry, vulgar taunts of the obstructionists he said that what he and his associates were afraid of was not the discipline of their leaders but the risk of the Government of the colony -becoming again the prey ot corrupt intriguers. The result of this brief but fierce crisis, we are convinced, is to strengthen tlje Ministry very much, and to expose more than ever the desperate plight of Sir J. Vogel’s cause.

The annual sports under the auspices of the East Coast Amateur Athletic Club will be held next Saturday afternoon in Captain Tucker’a -paddoek. The amateurs are getting strong in the district, and the number of entries for the events prove that considerable interest is being taken in the sports by the members themselves. The half-holiday principle is a very good idea, though the day selected Will not ba convenient to many people; but it is an afternoon usually set apart for cricket and football matches, and the disadvantages on the one hand are perhaps more than counterbalanced in other ways. The sports commence at two o’clock, there being eleven items on the programme— Maiden; race, half mile handicap, mile walk, hurdle face, long jump, 440ydshandicap, high jump,-<mile handicap, 150yds handicap, all comers’ race, and mile handicap.

“ Townsman ” writes in reference to the Fire Brigade question : —Sir, —As Mr Townley has not completed his remarks it is hardly my place to say anything, hut I would call that gentleman’s attention to the fact that he has altogether overlooked the main point. Will there be any great danger in allowing the team to leave Gisborne and be absent for such a period ? I admit that Mr Townley has the best of it in respect to the opinion of the Napier people: my knowledge was based on a paragraph which appeared in the Standard some days previously. Nor do I disagree with him as to the value ot competitions, generally speaking', but there are circumstances, we are told, which alter cases. I pointed out in the most simple terms I could what I considered a doubtful case, and you, Mr Editor, and Mr Townley have taken the matter up in a way which proves that the points educed are worth discussing, but while you have put the main point in better form, Mr Townley has not replied to it. I have no wish to under-estimate the value of our Brigade in any way; my remarks show that I do not do so. As for the request that I should give my name, if sufficient reason is given why this request should be complied with I have no obeotion, but what that has to do with the subject under discussion I am unable to conceive.—Yours, etc. [The paragraph referred to by our correspondent was | condensed from remarks by the Napier Telegraph, and commented ouwlyea.] |

The muster parades of the East Coast Hussars, J. Battery and Cadets is called for Wed. nesday December 21, instead of Thursday the 22nd. J

The bankruptcy of T. Nicholls is the first that has taken place for nearly three months. For some time past the average has been two a month.

Many will read,with pleasure that Sergeant Btagpoole, of Tologa Bay, has been presented by the Royal Humane Society with a silver medal for the bravery he displayed in saving life at Tologa Bay. Mr McElwaine, chief operator In Gisborne, is to be complimented on the manner in which he supplied the Public Works Statement. The statement contained 15,000 words, covering 162 pages of paper, and the copy supplied to us was clear and correct in every particular.

At the B.M. Court on Tuesday a native was fined is tot not registering his dog. Yes»erday two hoys, named Healey and Jaggs, were charged with stealing from the tent pi Mr Stare, Kaiti, a purse containing 15s, two sticks of tobacco, and a razor, The case was remanded until tu-morrow.

A great deal of interest has been taken throughout the United States in the recent vote of the people of Texas on the question of the prohibition of the liquor traffic. Thb total vote was the largest ever cast in the State—3sl,2o7 against 322,209 in the Presidential election of 1884, and one result was that the prohibition law was negatived by 221,934 votes against 129,273, That u out of every 100 voters, 37 supported prohibition, while 63 opposed it. Considering all things, the advocates of prohibition appear to regard this as highly satisfactory. Their cause is a rapidly progressive one in all parts of the United States and they expect to be in a majority before many years are over even in Texas, An English paper says " the movement origuated in New York by the well known Mr Henry George, is attracting much attention in America. With the powerful assistance of Dr McGlynn, the excommunicated Roman Cathode priest) Mr George has founded an Anti-Poverty Society, Immense meetings are being held, at which Dr McGlynn, is delivering speeches of extraordinary force and eloquence. He is evidently one of the most remarkable men of our time. He bases all his appeals upon the fatherhood of God, and the brotherhood of man. However much Mr Henry George’s views ,in relation to land tenure may be opposed, either on Scriptural or economical grounds, there ia no doubt that Dr McGlynn has thrown an intense religious element into the question. He is supported by several well-known Protestant pastors. What direction this singular movement will ultimately take no man can say.” In an article on the rabbit pest the Wellington Press says:—“The Department should not stop at weasles and stoats. They should import foxes. These much maligned animals are grand rabbiters, as any warreuer knows to his cost when he has once had a visit from one, and there is not the objection to them that many people fancy there is to stoats and weasles, on the ground of the danger to children. A wild fox will never come near a homestead unless, perhaps, to pay a stealthy nocturnal visit to the fowl yard, if other fare runs short) and we never heard of one attacking either mankind or sheep. There were killed last year in Prussia 84,301 foxes, expressly on account of their destructiveness to furred game ; and they can be bought for a very small price in that country, and are easily kepi in confinement. A few earths of fozes established in the mountains would play havoc among the rabhits, and do more to save the pastures than all the poisoned oats and wire fenigj.” ,