Island News.

Hastings Standard, Issue 444, 6 October 1897, Page 2

Island News.

(Per Press Association.) Auckland, This day. The Poherva from Fiji reports that good rain has fallen at most of the 'lslands. It was sorely needed. The application fee for Indian immigrants during 1898 has been fixed at £0 per caput. The mission yacht John Williams picked up a shipwrecked party of 22 seamen on the Island of Namunui. They left the Island Tutula in a large boat for two islands some distance eastward and were blown out of their course and drifted. Nearly half the party died in the boat. One was killed landing and some died on shore, leaving eight survivors. They ate their waist cloths. They were picked up in a low condition and returned to thpir homes*. A double murder was committed at Labusa by a Tokalau man, cook for W. Robertson, of the firm of Smith and Robertson. He had a row with his wife at Tokalau, the cause, it is believed, being jealousy, and he strangled her with a piece of cord in his house. He saw a native policeman walking towards his house and thinking he was coming to arrest him he picked up a revolver belonging to one 6f Robertson's employees and fired two or three shots at Ovisa, one of which entered his lungs and caused his death. The Tokalau man tried to commit suicide by hanging but was discovered by Robertson and cut down. He was ta|ea to Suva gaol pending triei.