EPITOME OF NEWS,

Lake County Press, Issue 610, 21 June 1894, Page 2

EPITOME OF NEWS,

Fine open weather. The shortest day to-day Parliament opens to-day. Concert and dance at Miller’s Flat to - morrow night, and Queenstown Bachelors’ Ball on Thursday night next. George Ooombe, old Milton resident, died on Tuesday. He was owner of racehorses, Right Bower, Flying Dutchman, and Barwon. Ex-police inspector Weldon died at Dunedin on Friday last. At Invercargill a man presented his ticket for admission to a public ball. Being told that he could not go in with those boots, he removed his boots and danced in bis socks. Macrae, the New South Wales athlete, now on a visit to America, ran a half-mile in New York in Imin 59sec. He is being matched with Turner, Allen, and other leading pedestrians. It is said that there are 200 compositors out of work in Wellington. Compositors flock to Wellington on the eve of a session, and if work is to be found for unemployed compositors our politicians will have to talk more than usual to do so. An Anarchist fired a revolver at Signor Grispi while the latter was driving to the Chamber of Deputies. Signor Oriapi escaped without injury, and, alighting from the vehicle arrested the would-be assassin. On arrival at the Parliament buildings he was accorded a great ovation. Several European royalties have wired congratulating Signor Orispi on his narrow escape from death at the bands of the anarchist. A terrible explosion has taken place in Brussels and a number of houses have been destojmd. It is believed to have been caused by dynamite. : At a meeting in Hamilton (Scotland), i at which 10.000 n.'iuccs were r«pre- ( sented, it wan resolved that the men j shouid go out on strike next wee!:.

The Rev. Mr Banuerman’a lecture on the New Hebrides, given in the Arrow Presbyterian Church, was well attended, and some interesting informa* tion was imparted concerning the customs and character of the people, as well as the missionary work being carried on there.

The contest for the Tuspeka seat will lie between Mr Scobie Mackenzie and the Hon. Mr Larnach

Lord Chief Justice Obi 'ridge is dead. Lord Esher, pronouncing a eulogy on. the deceased, said he was a consummate' genius, and his cross-examination of the Tichborne “ Claimant ” was the most masterly of the present generation. * Saunders, a publican at Johnsonville, North Island, was fined £5-for ref using to supply meals to- travellers.

The trial of Lees and Gumming forthe murder of Mr M‘Kay, bank raana--ger at Barraba, N.S.W., has begun.. B )th men pleaded not guilty. The mutineers on board 1 the ship* Chittagong seized' the firearms, deposed the captain, and compelled thechief officer to navigate the ship to* Australia. The captain is awaiting instructions from- the owners. The Transvaal courts have ruled that: British subjects resident in the Republic are eligible for- military serviceafter two years’ residence. The London Standard doubts whether* Sir G. R. Dibbs’s federation proposals; are more workable than those of Sir Henry Parkes. Abdul Aziz has been proclaimed Sultan of Morocco. The Powers have-, agreed to recognise him as monarch.

A fearful marine disaster is reported from Westport, County Mayo (Ireland),. A passenger steamer capsized, and many of those on board were drowned in full view of crowds of spectators,, who were unable to render any assis-' tance. The boat was overcrowded and capsized through trying to jibe without, lowering sail. Many were entangledin the huge sails. The steamer Nita. rescued 75, but 30 were drowned, mostly young women. Thera weremany shocking scenes.

| In a Sydney street on Monday a. young woman named Esther L>vi, met. a man named Curley, who had dia* , cared her after promising her marriage. ) She drew a kuife and cut the man’s, j throat. Ha is in a precarious con- . dition.

The Governor of’NViwfouudland has refused to dissolve Parliament or issuewrits for the seats rendered vacant by the court finding members guilty of bribery and corruption. The RevenueAct has not been renewed, and a serious difficulty has arisen. Some traders offered to pay the old rates of duty, but the leaders of the Opposition disapprove of this course. The result was that a mob surrounded the docks and in many instances goods were* seiz'd without passing tho customs* Sir W. V. Wniteway, ad’ dressed the crowd, urging them not to commit a hi each of the peace. Th» police finally dispersed, the gathering. At Sydney two men (Creed and Lonon)havebeen sentenced totwoyears*" imprisonment for forging 4,800 tram, tickets. A nico creed for which the pair have “ got lemons ” ! By an explosion in a colliery in. Silesia, it is feared that 200 men, including the members of tho rescueparties, have met their death. The U.S, .Senate, by 37 to 29, rejected a motion to restore tho M‘Kinley rate on wool, and. by a majority of two votes, rejected the amendment fix-* ing the tariff rates at less than half those imposed by the M‘Kinley tariff. An amendment to place manufactures wholly or partly composed of wool on the free Hat was rejected, only three senators voting in its favor. - The question of the admission of raw wool intothe States free has not yet been voted on. The question of its.being included in the free list will be discussed later on. The Senate’s refusal to put a duty on raw wool is generally regarded as an indication that it will remain on the free list.

Hon« Kong papers give deplorable accounts of the ravages of the plague, and state that terrible scenes are enacted daily. The Chinese residents threaten that if the Chinese quarter of Hongkong ia. destroyed on account of.the plague the British settlement in Canton will be fired. „• . A deputation of women waited on the N.S, W. Premier, and urged him to confer the franchise on their sex. The Premier said he was favorably inclined to this step, and promised it should be considered in Cabinet.

A man calling himself Rimer (supposed to be an absconder named Bailey, from New Zealand), has been arrested in Dubbo, N.S.W. He had recently lodged j£9Bo in New Zealand Bank notes in the Bank at Orange, and afterwards withdrew it in notes and gold and then went to Dubbo. The report of the Victorian Tariff Board has been presented to the Governor. The evidence taken by the hoard indicates a general feeling in favor of intercolonial freetrade, and the board suggest that an imitation sent tothe Government of each colony to join Victoria in establishing a customs union. Mr Thomas Bussell, giving evidence in the N.Z.L. and M.A. Oo.’s examination :—“ In 1891 the colony narrowly escaped the greatest financial crash that it had ever experienced. It was very doubtful whether any financial institution in New Zealand could hare suri vived.” Ballance Government came into power just then and the crash was averted. A fire in the town of Panama, U.S., 1 resulted in damage to the extent o£ half a million.

Richard Howarth is dead; aged 64. Mr O’Meara will be absent from the district six weeks (not months). A railway tariff war is proceeding between Victoria and New South Wales. It appears that the Victorian Railway Commissioners have reduced rates ranging from 20 to as much as 60 per cent, in order to capture the carriage of the New South Wales border wool clip. It is estimated that 740,000 bales of wool grown in New South Wales are carried to the Victorian seaboard annually. M'Nevin, one of the proprietors of Justice (Sydney), who was sentenced to a month for libel on Mr Slattery, has been released atthe instance of the Minister himself as an act of mercy. There is to be trouble over the succession to the throne of Morrocco. Muley Mohammed, elder brother of Abdul, claims the throne, and appeals to the fanatical Moors to support him. The police have unearthed a secret arms and ammunition factory in the Caucasus, and the discovery is regarded as an indication of a veiled rebellion. A_ woman has been found murdered in Halle, and her body was mutilated in a similar way to the victims attributed to’ “Jack the Ripper” in London. This is the third crime of the sort that has been reported in Germany within a brief period. Mrs Christie Murray has instituted proceedings against her husband for divorce. The Daily Telegraph’s correspondent says there is danger of a revolt in Sicily, as the people are destitute, and women and children at Lercara are eating hay and grass. The steamer Setthi foundered in a cj clone near Rangoon. The chief officer and 22 of those on board are missing.