NEWS AND NOTES.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume VIII, Issue 1433, 23 September 1886, Page 2

NEWS AND NOTES.

A curious application was made to his Honour Mr. Justice Johnston in banco on the 17th instant. This was for an order (the applicant being the Minister of Public Works) for an injunction prohibiting his Honour himself from sitting on acompensation case to be brought against the defendant by Mr J. M'Lean of Ashburton. His Honour declined to adjudicate in the matter, and advised Mr. Joynt, who represented the Minister, to make his application either at Dunedin or at Wellington. The Hobart Mercury, writing of the grain market, says : — From the present outlook, shipments of wheat from New Zealand must soon cease. From returns, it appears that the average quantity of wheat grown in New Zealand is 6,000,000 bushels. The quantity grown last season only amounted to 4,000,000 bußhels, the supply thus falling short by 2.000,000 bushels, and this vast quantity must make a very marked difference in the exporting powers of the colony. The general im- I pression m commercial circles is that New Zealand will soon have to start impoiting to supply her own wants, as she has already over exported, and apply to India or California for supplies. A special meeting of the School Commissioners was held (says the Taranaki News) on Tuesday, for the purpose of discussing the provisions of a new Act entitled " The Public Bodies' Leasehold Act, 1886." There were present — Messrs. T. King (chairman), Bauchope, and Parns. After much discussion, the following resolution was passed :—": — " That an application be made to the Government to have the Board of School Commissiouers for the Taranaki provincial district brought under the provisions of the ' Public Bodies 1 Leasehold Act, 1886,' by order in Council." The advantage to be gained by being placed under this Act is as follows : — Public bodies may not only grant leases up to 21 years, as hitherto, but renew them at the expiration of the term. A meeting of ratepayers (writes the Gore coirespondent of the Otago Daily Times') was held at Gore on Friday evening last at the request of the mayor, to consider or ascertain the ratepayers' views with reference to the Salvation Army playing and singing in the streets on Sundays. There was a good muster. A motion " that the bye-law be rescinded" was met by an amendment by Mr. Canning " that a poll of the ratepayers be taken as to whether the army should be allowed to play on Sundays or not," which was carried by acclamation. Lieutenant Shand, who wa3 fined last week £1 and £2 0s 6d costs, yesterday elected to go to gaol. Just before his departure, upon the railway platform, he stated " that a fortnight in gaol was a short time, comparatively speaking, to that eternity of fire that was awaiting some people in Gore." An agreement has been signed by residents in the south-east of South Australia not to subscribe to the funds of churches the ministers o£ which have taken part in the anti-totalisator agritation. The agreement will be sent to the northern and other districts. In addition to pledging themselves, those signing the agreement argue that though in favor of horse racing as a sport, and of the totalisator as the best means of encouraging the ttirf, they had always helped to maintain the church ; but seeing that ministers were moving their congregations to sign petitions against the totalisators, and making false and outrageous statements against the turf, they considered it was high time they appointed a means of self-defence by withdrawing their support from the clergy. The Auckland tramcars are, it seems, too crowded in the evenings, and the Bell most ungallantly blames the ladies :—: — " Nine out of ten ladies are mistresses of their own time for leaving the city, and it is an outragn on man's courtesy, and abuse of the privileges of the weaker sex, to tolerate their practically forcible expulsion of men from seats which have been paid for, and which after a hard day's business may be just as necessary for a fagged and jaded man as for a bouncing woman. With all due deference torights and privilegPß of the fair sex, we emphatically protest that women should not be allowed into the cars when the cars are full, because they not only add to the crowd, but they dispossess those who have secured their seats. If women must dawdle around the shop windows, fooling about till the time when weary business men are hurrying home, they should be made to walk if they cannot go to the tram in time, and secure seats before the cars are filled. A woman unsexes herself when she assumes the role of a tyrant, and should be treated accordingly. A Conservative Government, says the World, will come into office, resting mainly on the support of Lord Hartington and the Liberal Unionists. The Tories will be nineteen short of a majority of the whole House — they will number 317 members — but practically they will be able always to command a majority. There are from twenty to twenty-five of the Unionist Liberals who are quite as much Conservative as Liberal, and who will give a steady majority to the Tory Government. The Government is therefore secure while on questions of Irish policy, and on many others they may expect the support of Lord Hartington and Mr. Chamberlain. Mr. Gladstone, who is wild with indignation over his defeat, intends to lead the Opposition, and will give the new Ministry a rough time of it. His policy will be to raise questions in the House on which he will secure the united Liberal vote against the Tories, in the hope that he may bring on a General Election in the course of next year. The action of the Liberal Unionists will frustrate this policy. Neither Lord Hartington nor Mr. Chamberlain will give a vote which will bring Mr. Gladstone into power, and therefore, if a question arises on which they cannot support the Government, they will walk out of the House. The Tories will thus be easy victors. If the Conservative Government behaves with ordinary prudence, it is safe either for five years or till Mr. Gladstone finally quits political life, whichever hap* pens first.

The Hawera School Committee meets at Mr. Bate's office to-morrow evening. A Christchurch telegram says : — As confirmatory ot the telegram announcing the rise in wool, it may be mentioned that advices to hand state that the wool clip of Lieutenant-Colonel Toxwell, of Kirwee, has been sold at an average ot 12^ per lb. The Gairloch after discharging her cargo at the breakwater on Tuesday left for Waitara in the afternoon, but (says the Taranaki Herald) although she was empty she was unable to get into the river. She accordingly returned to the breakwater, and a shipment of sheep which was offering for her from Normanby were brought on to New Plymouth instead of "Waitara, and taken board here. At the instance of the registrar of electors a number of electors were struck off the roll for Egmont on Wednesday. The cause was in each case that the persons had left the district. We hear that other names are being put on so that the roll will pretty well keep up its numbers. Every person who has the necessary qualification, and who has not ? should see that his name is on the roll. The Soldiers' Claims Commission sat in Hawera to-day. In order to get through with the work the Commissioners have separated. Major Crowe, accompanied by Mr. Mitchell, secretary, has come to Hawera, while Major Gudgeon has gone on to New Plymouth. The proceedings of course are private, but we understand that the applications are more numerous in this district than had been anticapated, about 37 claims having been sent in. The work of investigating these will occupy the Commission most of the day. There was a very good attendance at Dr. Chilton's lecture last night on "First aid to the wounded." Mr. Major was in the chair. The doctor commenced by saying that he should strip his remarks of technicalities as far as possible, and he was as gooil as his word, and for an hour and a half he retained the attention of his audience, describing in a simple conversational style, in a manner to be understood by everybody, various matters in connection with his theme. He described in lucid and general terms the leading features of the construction of the human body, and explained the different methods of bandaging required in the case of injury to different limbs or to the head. He also explained the position and action of the arteries, and the steps to be taken in the application of ligatures to stop bleeding. He devoted some time to describing ambulance work on the battle field. The lecture was very interesting throughout, and the instruction given was of a class that could not but be practically useful in cases of emergency.