NEWS AND NOTES.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume X, Issue 1837, 25 January 1888, Page 2

NEWS AND NOTES.

County Council meets to-morrow. No business for the R.M. Court to-day — first time for many months.

The latest returns show that the expenditure on New Zealand railways absorbs 72*64 per cent, of the revenue.

A somewhat remarkable cricket match was played at Palmerston on Saturday afternoon between the local club and a team from Feilding. The local men went first to the wickets, where they stayed all day, compiling the respectable score of 465 for seven wickets, of which Isherwood made 159 and Luxford 92.

At "Wanganui Sportß, T. Murray (7yds) won the 100 yards ; Mcßeath won the hop, step, and jump, 43ft 2^in; Thacker won the 220 yards ; Green the running high jump, sft 7in ; H. E. Good the quarter-mile handicap ; Watson the hurdles; Kitchen and Green tied for the vaulting at 9ft 7in ; Eankin won the mile handicap ; and Gordon the handicap walking.

The Taranaki Herald publishes the following information with respect to the export trade from the breakwater during 1887 :— 1,169,1491b butter, 124 cases of cheese, 27 cases bacon, 477^ bales wool, 1131 bales fungus, 104 bales flax, 69 bales basil or leather, 6362 hides, 223 casks tallow, 4445 sacks grass seed, 89 cases jam, 83 horses, 856 cattle, 4363 sheep, 52 pigs, 118 sacks potatoes, 25,881 ft timber, 9 tons hay, 209 tons of ballast, 808 tons miscellaneous ; total, 3961 tons.

A pamphlet has been issued by the Bureau ot Statistics, Washington, from which it appears that the total drink bill in America is computed at per annum, more than one half of which is set down as profit to the retailer. The drinking populationis placed at 15,000,000. In round numbers the consumption of distilled spirits of all sorts has increased from 43,000,000 gals in 1840 to 72,000,000 gals in 1886; of wines, from 4,800,000 gals to 22,000,000 galb ; and of malt liquors, from 13,000,000 to 642,000,000 gals.

The expenditure in the shape of travelling allowances and expenses in connection with the Civil Service of New Zealand for the twelve months ending September liißt, amounted (says the Wellington PoBt) to no less than The new regulation issued by the Government in respect to expenditure of that kind will effect a a material reduction in future. It is asserted that in some cases prominent officials have actually gone about the country in order to increase their salaries by drawing large sums as travelling allowances.

A " War of the Dudes " was recently being waged in New York with much vigor. Two young beaux contested the honor of being the best dressed man about town, and the title of " King of the Dades." They tried daily to outdo each other in variety and style of garments. The society journals gave regular bulletins of the strife, and minutely noted the daily gains and losses of the respective aspirants. It was decided that Mr. Eobert Hilliard's superiority in the matter of daintilyshaded gloves overpowered Mr. Berry Wall's advantage in the delicacy ot neckties. But Mr. Wall hoped to turn the tables on his rival as soon as he could receive a consignment from London of the greatest novelties in trousers.

The members of one of the local Thames lod«68 of Oddfellows are (says an Auckland paper) sorely exercised regarding the Btate of the books as left by the late secretary, who quitted the district a few days past. The auditors have been busily engaged going into the accounts and endeavoring to ascertain the true position of affairs financially, and rumor hath it that the defalcations have been found to amount to a tidy sum, though the audit has not yet been completed. It is said to be more than likely that a special meeting will be convened for the purpose of placing a statement before the members, and allowing them to decide what action shall be taken in the matter.

The Native Land Court has been occupied during the past few days at Hawera in hearing applications for subdivisions of hapu lands in the Whereroa reserve ; but the proceedings have been devoid of general public interest. The work of subdivision is not easy of completion just now, owing to the need of the lands being more correctly surveyed, for it is difficult to mark off which is leased land and which remains in occupation of the natives. However, a resurvey of all the leases is now proceeding. The court has nearly finished its sittings at Hawera, and will adjourn to Opunake, opening its sittings there about the end of this week or the beginning of next.

A cricket match, New Plymouth v. Hawera is to be played at Hawera on Tuesday next.

The Wellington correspondent of the New Zealand Herald reports with reference to Government plans as to retrenchment that it is said that the results of the intended amalgamations will be to leave only four separate departments, that the effect of the amalgamations will be to reduce the number of under-secretaries to three, and that under-secretaries will become chief clerks.

In the opinion of a good many persons, both in France and Germany, the prospects of the Crown Prince's restoration to health would be greatly improved if he had fewer surgeons in attendance upon him. People have not forgotten the frank admission made by Liouville after the death of Gambetta, "We have treated him as if he were a prince, and he is no more. If we had treated him like a working man, he would have been saved."

A scientific contributor to the Paris Eappel, in reply to the apprehensions often expressed that the electric light is injurious to the eyesight, declares that such fears are wholly groundless. He asserts that artificial light is never too intense. On the contrary, it is never enough so ; and for that reason the pupils of the eyes are unnaturally dilated, occasioning a feeling of fatigue. These statements are corroborated by Dr. Javal, who is represented as an authority on questions of optical science.

The seizures made during the past two years by the officers of the Victorian Customs Department have resulted in their paying a large sum into the Treasury on account of fines and the proceeds of sales of confiscated goods. The value of the fines inflicted for breach of the Cnstoms Act while Mr. Langridge, M.L.A., held the portfolio of the Customs was i£644 19s 3d, and the worth of the goods confiscated was .£755 2s Id. Since Mr. Walker took office the total fines have amounted to which include penalties of £1000 inflicted in convection with the Schuhkraft case, and £2250 imposed in connection with the recent seizure of milling machinery. The value of the goods confiscated during that period was JE2753 10s lOd. The total fines imposed oince 1883 are .£5612, and the vaule of the goods forfeited, .£3508 12s lid.

At the recent annual meeting of the Oamarn Woollen Company, the directors' report stated that the operations of the factory had resulted in a loss, which was the more disappointing as the turnover exceeded that of the previous year by .£4OOO. Notwithstanding the unfavorable issue the directors confidently hoped for better results in the future. The Chairman said, owing to the keen competition in tweeds it had been deemed necessary to experiment in the manufacture of other articles, but in some directions the experiment had not proved profitable. The increase in the number of factories had caused a keen struggle, and the colony (the chairman went on to say) bad gone too far in the establishment of woollen factories, and had gone ahead of the population. Until there was an increased population the supply was in excess of the demand.

A sensational incident occurred at Glenrowan, Victoria, last week. A man got into a train without purchasing a ticket, and when the porter asked him to show his pass he drew a revolver from his pocket and presented it at the head of the terrified official. He did not fire, though he he had the opportunity, but refused stubbornly to leave the carriage. At the same time he ordered the porter to make himself scarce. The man needed no second reminder to do this. The train went on to Wangaratta, where the police were acquainted with what had occurred. But it was a ticklish thing to arrest the man, who might have shot the first person he saw. At length, however, the railway guard got the carriage in which he was shunted. The train went on, and by a dexterous manoeuvre the police closed the carriage and secured the man inside without any injury. He was then lodged in the Wangaratta lock-up.

The Normanby Horticultural Society is offering a prize of £2, 2s for the best package to carry exported butter. This is a matter of considerable importance. The market value of butter must be determined by the condition in which the article reaches the consumer, and care in this respect may be said to be the explanation of the prices recently realised for exportations from New South Wales and Victoria. We hear, and tho circumstance is rather remarkable, that New South Wales exporters are using New Zealand patented packages, while the New Zealander largely sticks to the kegs and rejects all patented "notions" as unworthy of attention. People who want to succeed in commerce cannot afford to abstain from paying attention to the practical teachings of science, and we must not be behind our neighbors in taking advantage of discoveries. We hope the prize offered by the Normanby Society will direct attention to the subject. In this matter, as in others, the Normanby Society is fulfilling its true function as an educator, and we hope it will be successful in its efforts.

The following is from the incorrigible Sydney Bulletin :—": — " Governor Jervois, of New Zealand, gives unassuming bunstruggles now and then, at which the Civil Service puts on elaborate side, and Smith, of the Treasury, experiments to see how much bread and jam he can dab round the sides of the gulf in which he puts his hash. One ot these affairs was held one evening recently, and all the diplomatic and military departments, were there discoursing strategy and other lofty subjects when the stentorian voice of the menial at the door announced ' Mr. Browne.' The new-comer rushed up to Sir William and shook hands with him, and told him that it seemed like old times to meet him again ; and his Excellency, with a vague idea that they had been boys together somewhere or other, murmured out something to the effect that was with no ordinary pleasure that he gazed once more upon the lineaments of Mr. Browne. Then Browne strolled round the room with the aspect of a duke, and Jervois, hardly knowing what to do with him, beckoned to a battle-scarred veteran who had seen much dinner service, and asked in an undertone who the swell might be. The battle-scarred veteran looked at him for a moment and recognised him. It was the temporary clerk in the dog- tax office. Tableau I"

The Stab Almanack and Wanganui and West Coast Dibectobt for 1888 is now published. It will be found to contain very full information on all matters of interest in connection with the calendar, such as high water time tables, hours of sunrise and sunset, dates of sittings, and also fees of the general courts, hours and dates of closing of mails, postal and telegraphic rates and regulations, full statistics in connection with matters agricultural, with local bodies, and with New Zealand and Australasian finance, population, &c. The directory has been extended so as to embrace the whole of the coast from the Mokau down to and inclusive of Wanganui. The volume will be published at a shilling as heretofore ; a special edition containing a standard reference map is also issued at Is 6d.

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