OUR MAIL BAG.

Lake County Press, Issue 1067, 4 June 1903, Page 5

OUR MAIL BAG.

The "Awarua licensing committee closed four hotels. ' General Botha will shortly visit England, Canada, and Australia. The Mnpourika, with the parliamentary party from the Islands, arrived at Auckland on Monday. Mont Pelee is again active. The authorities urge the evacuation of the whole northern districts of the island. Disastrous floods have taken place in Kanbas, and there has been immense destruction of property and heavy los 3 of life, particularly at North Topeka. A ferry boat capsized on the riter Warthe, in Germany, and twenty out of forty-hvo children aboard wero drowned. Oolonwl Manning telegraphs that the Abyssinian forces are at Wardwir, and that the Mullah is undecided whether to fly or stand. Teviot Station, 24,5000 acres freehold, and 50,000 leasehold, with 33,000 sheep, has been acquired by a syndicate for about £50,000. The result of the Lyell mines amalgamation is that over 300 men will be thrown out of employment and several small mining settlements will practically be wiped out. Russia is ordering 250,000 tons of coal for Port Arthur, including 80,000 tons from Cardiff. This, it is considered, betrays a warlike, aven provocative attitude. A poll has been taken in Oaversham on the question of amalgamation with Dunedin. Only 449 votes were recorded out of 1543, and the rssult was —for amalgamation, 172; against, 307. Details of the capture of the Emir of Kano show that Captain Eoulkes, the British Boundary Commissioner, lode 175 miles in two days, and secured the Emir, who "vas disguised as a salt merchant. San Francisco advices state that the British Consul at Tahiti, in order to forestall France, sent a warship and annexed three small uninhabited islands near Pibcairn Island, including Ducie, where there is a safe harbor, and it is considered valuable in view oE the completing of the Panama canal. At Te Awamutu, Peter Joy, convicted of three chargaa of sly grog-selling, Win, Hooks, three charges, Geo. Heritage, two, and 'Kay M'Glynn two, were all sentenced to a month's imprisonment. Joseph Gardiner, previously convicted, was entitled to havo his case tried by jury, and -ras committed for trial. A woman named Marguerite Boyenaoal, liviDg near St. Quentin, who has been in a deftp and uninterrupted sleep for 20 year 3 (partly th 3 result of fright), and who was kept aliva by artificial feeding with peptonised food, recovered consciousness on Wednesday, the 27th May. She diod a few hours later from exhaustion. At the inquest in Melbourno on Stott, the laborer, whose wife and children he murdered in bed, afterwards taking his own life, the medical evidence being that his brain was unsound, a verdict was returned that he killed his family and committed suicide while temporarily insane.

James Warnock, who had a farm at Gre«.n Island, was fined on Monday £3O ff-r Bflliriv: milk from an unregi'ttercfl dairy and for kcopiug a dirty dairy.

When the licensing committee for Duncdin met on Monday the elected members made an annouuernent as to the policy they intended to carry out. There would be no 11 o'clock licenses and many of the larger hotels would have to provide efficient fire escapes. The committee did not approve ot counter lunches and strongly opposed extra bars. They absolutely refused the licenses of Court's Waverley, Annandale, Salutation, Mornington Pelichet Bay, and Shades. Seven licenses, all being small hotels, were granted unconditionally. To 12 others licenees wore granted conditionally on certain improvements and alterations being made. The remaining 25 were adjourntd for further consideration, and from these the remaining six to be closed will be selected. All bottle and wholesale licenses were granted.