Lake County Press. PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY. The trust that's given thee guard, and to thyself be just. Arrowtown August 15, 1901. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Lake County Press, Issue 975, 15 August 1901, Page 4

Lake County Press. PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY. The trust that's given thee guard, and to thyself be just. Arrowtown August 15, 1901. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

As wo go to press we regret to hear of the death of Mrs Hicks at Dunedin, wife of Capt. Hicks. A meeting is convened to take place in the reading-room to-morrow evening at 7. 30 for the purpose of forming a local tennis club. Quite a number of young people have already signified their willingness to join the proposed club. The committee of the Returned Troopers Social wish to return thanks to the ladies who so ably assisted at the social to Sergt. Patorson and Trooper Shanahan. The success of the social was mainly due to the efforts of the ladies. On page 6 of this issue will bo found the advt of Mr G. Gale, tailor, of Octagon Buildings. Dunedin. To visitors to the city, Mr Gale extends an invitation for the inspection of his splendid stock of suitings. He guarantees a thoroughly up-to-date suit at a moderate cost. At the Southland Champion Ploughing Match of New Zealand, hold at Wallacetown on the 7th of August, it is worthy of noto that Roid & Gray's ploughs secured all and every prize that was awarded on the field without exception. The Southland Champion Ploughing Match ia the most important of all matches held in the South Island during the year, and Messrs Roid & Gray are to be congratulated on having annexed everything with their famous ploughs. We draw the special attention of farmers to the firm's advt. on page 8. A meeting of members of the Arrow Brass Band was held in the Press Oilico on Monday evening last. There was a large attendance. Mr P. Rattigan was unanimously elected bandmaster and Mr P. Webb secretary. Although it is not at all likely the band will bo able to compete at the contest we feel certain they will render a good account of themselves by Christinas time under the able tuition of Bandmaster Rattigan. The first practice will be held to-morrow evening at 8 o'clock, when all members and intending members are requested to attend. TriE Gridiron Hotel, Dunedin, is too well known to need recommendation. It will be seen, however, by advt that Mrs Peters has takon over this favorite hotel. We'can "assure patrons that under Mrs Peter's charge the management will not suffer in the slightest degree. Every comfort for boarders will be studied. The Gridiron is being renovated throughout. A very pleasant function was enacted at the Arthur Street School, Dunedin, on Friday, when Miss Hay (sister of Mrs M'Hutchison of this town), who for the past 32 years has honorably and capably filled the responsible position of matron, was the recipient of a number of handsome and useful presents upon the occasion of her retirement from tho service of tho Education Board. The members of tho committee eulogised the good work of Miss Hay. Among tho presents were a handsome timopiece and a purse of soveroigns. Tttk annual general meeting of the Bank of New Zealand was held at Wellington on Friday last. Among other things the chairman (Mr Blair) said the purchase of the half-million's worth of preferred shares from tho Government meant a largo saving of interest ; bills payable and outstanding had increased nearly L 300,000, chiefly accounted for by Government transactions ; the credit balance (L 1,554,039) was L 146,603 more than last year's ; L 125,000 had been paid off' the Asset's Board's debentures ; the profit and loss account showod very marked and continuous improvement, the profits having increased from L 145,020 last yeai to L210,6C)5. There was a tone of doubt in tho chairman's remarks as to tho colony continuing its present high pressure level of prosperity. Mr M. Kennedy, another director, however, said that if tho bank's business was as good this year as last, he thought they could show the Government that they would be justified in declaring a dividend. RorsERT Douglas, the prisoner serving a life sentence who confessed that he had murdered a Mrs Pain near Masterton in 1898, was brought before the Wellington Police Court on Friday, and a lengthy telegram, for which we have not room in this issue (it is indeed uninteresting) indicates that the man, as wo ventured to say before, is seeking a little variety, or has, perhaps, a vague hope that a conviction for murder would end the monotony of his unhappy existence It appears that Douglas first confessed to the gaoler at Lyttelton two years ago, his statement then being quite different from his latest. Of his second confession ho had said that ho had, immediately after, told one Harris that ho had murdered the woman, but counsel for the Crown said that Harris would be called to state that ho never mentioned anything of the kind to him. Counsel, however, said that the known facts were more consistent with death by violence than by a fit, one of the woman's shoes being got a long way from tho creek in which the body was found. The doctor who examined tho body said he still adhered to his former opinion that tho woman was drowned and that the abrasurc on her head was a post mortem injury. Douglas has boon committed for trial.—Southland Times. Tite following, from tho Lyttelton Times, referring' to the Premier's warning to tho labor unions, is significant : " In spite of tho advice of tho author of tho Industrial Conciliation Act, _ the workers have lately shown a disposition to rush off to the Conciliation Boards and to tho Arbitration Court on tho slightest provocation, or no provocation at all. It is only natural that when there are substantial grounds for dispute they should wish to get the decision of the highest tribunal in the land, but in some recent cases thoy seem to have cited employers rather with a view to see how much they could get from the Court than with tho object of remedying any obvious grievance. It is evident from tho records that wo have of his speeches in the llouso that Mr Reeves never contemplated the state of affairs that has arisen during tho past two or three years. Ho placed great reliance upon tho forbearance and good sense of the unions, and ridiculed the suggestion that tho workmen would delight in dragging employers before Conciliation Boards and into the Arbitration Court. It looks, however, very much as if there is some danger of the opponents of his great measure being aide to laugh at his easy confidence,.and we trust that tho unions, as much for the credit of the man to whom they owe so much as for tho preservation of their own interests, will see that tho Premier's advice is not ignored."

A Mataura. Island farmer this week sold 2000 bushels of oats to an Invercargill firm, at Is 9d—the best price we have heard of in tins district this season.— Wyndham Farmer. Messrs Cotter Bros announce among their various agencies that tliey havo been appointed local agents for the Ocean Accident Insurance Coy. It is now necessary for employers of labor to insure employees against accident. The Winton Record states that a find of the skeleton of a man has been reported from Groper's Bush. Constable Rasmussen, on proceeding to the place, found a skull, thigh bones, etc., which had evidently been there for many years. Have you socn the Excelsior Hotel, Dunedin, since it has been enlarged and renovated throughout by Mr Roderick M'Kenzie ? A reporter of this journal had the privilege of inspecting every room in the large and commodious hotel, and expresses himself thusly: " The hotel is splendidly furnished throughout. Tho rooms are lofty and well ventilated, and in each the furnishings are of the best. Provision for escape in case of fire is most adequate." To visitors we can thoroughly recommend this hotel. Mr M'Konzie's advt appears in another column. Writes tho Clydo correspondent of the Otago Daily Times :—" It is of very rare occurrence to find a family in the district any member of which is troubled with consumption, I might go so far as to assert that it is impossible to find a consumptive person living within tho distance of 40 miles that lies between Clyde and St. Bathans, and extending some five miles outward along the base of tho Dunstan Mountains. The absence of any trace of consumption over this area would warrant the assertion that the locality offers im-. munity from the disease. So far, neither man nor beast along this belt of country has been smitten with the national ailment, hence it may be, at some future date, the sito of many sanatoriums where suffering mortals may obtain relief from the miseries of tho fell disease."